Chapter 13 A Night of Sin

Sophia stood in front of the full-length mirror, staring at the woman reflected back at her.

The dress Rafael had sent for her was obscene.

Midnight black. Silky. Designed to tempt.

It clung to her curves, dipping scandalously low in the front, while the back was nothing but delicate strings crisscrossing her bare skin.

It was the kind of dress a woman wore when she wanted to be touched.

When she wanted to be claimed.

Her stomach churned.

This wasn’t her.

She was supposed to be fighting against him, not playing into his hands.

But refusing to wear it? That wasn’t an option.

Sophia knew what Rafael was capable of. Knew that if she pushed him too far, he would make good on his threats to teach her a lesson.

So she swallowed her pride and stepped into the dangerous world he was dragging her into.

A Devil in the Dark

The moment she stepped out of the room, Rafael was waiting.

He sat in a sleek black chair near the fireplace, dressed in an all-black suit that clung to his powerful frame like a second skin.

A predator at ease in his territory.

When he saw her, his emerald eyes darkened.

Slowly, leisurely, he stood.

His gaze roamed over her, lingering at the deep plunge of the dress, the curve of her waist, the bare skin he would undoubtedly touch before the night was over.

Sophia’s breath hitched, but she held her chin high. She refused to cower beneath his stare.

Rafael smirked.

“You wear obedience well, piccola.”

Her nails dug into her palms. “Go to hell.”

His smirk widened. “I plan to take you with me.”

He stepped closer, his presence towering, suffocating.

One calloused finger traced the delicate strap on her shoulder before dragging down, his knuckles grazing the swell of her breast.

Sophia shivered.

Not from fear.

That was the worst part.

She hated that his touch made her pulse stutter. That even now, knowing he was her captor, she burned for him.

Rafael’s fingers tilted her chin up, forcing her to meet his gaze.

His voice was a dark promise.

“Tonight, you’ll see what it means to belong to me.”

A Club of Shadows

The black SUV pulled up to an unmarked building in the heart of the city.

From the outside, it was nothing special. Just another sleek, upscale location in Rafael’s empire.

But inside?

Sophia’s pulse quickened as the heavy doors swung open.

The club was a den of sin.

Dim red lighting bathed the room in a wicked glow. Music pulsed low and slow, a sensual beat that wrapped around the bodies pressed together on the dance floor.

Women dressed in barely-there silk draped themselves over powerful men in dark corners.

Lust. Control. Power.

Sophia swallowed hard.

She had never seen anything like this.

And worse—Rafael thrived here.

He was in his element, his presence commanding the entire room without a word.

Men stepped aside as he passed. Women stared.

But Rafael only had eyes for her.

His arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her flush against him.

Sophia gasped at the contact.

“I want you to see,” he murmured against her ear. “To understand the world you’re stepping into.”

“I don’t want to be a part of this world,” she shot back.

Rafael chuckled.

“But you are, piccola. And there’s no escaping it now.”

A Lesson in Submission

Rafael led her through the club, weaving through bodies until they reached an exclusive VIP area.

A curved leather booth sat in the center, surrounded by floor-to-ceiling glass walls that gave a perfect view of the club.

Sophia barely had time to process before Rafael pulled her into his lap.

She gasped, struggling, but his arms locked around her like iron.

“Relax,” he murmured.

His fingers traced circles on her exposed thigh, too high, too slow.

Her breath caught in her throat.

“Let me go,” she hissed.

Rafael exhaled, amused.

His lips brushed her ear.

“I told you,” he whispered, his voice like silk. “I don’t let go of what’s mine.”

Then, he tested her.

His hand slid higher, fingers teasing the edge of the silk dress, his breath warm against her skin.

Sophia stiffened.

Around them, people watched.

She could feel their gazes—some envious, some hungry, all aware.

Rafael wanted them to see.

To see her, wrapped in his arms.

To see that she belonged to him.

Her stomach twisted, a mix of humiliation and something far darker.

“You’re playing a dangerous game,” she whispered, her fingers digging into his arm.

Rafael smirked, dragging his lips down her neck.

“I always win.”

Sophia’s breath hitched.

Because deep down, in the part of her she refused to acknowledge…

She wasn’t so sure she wanted him to stop.