CHAPTER 01

SCOTLAND, THE UNITED KINGDOM 

ARKANAS CASINO 

The next morning came as if nothing had happened when the truth was that everything and more had happened. Everything around her felt different, it was like she’d woken up with Lucian’s cologne in her body, it was like his skin still burned against hers, the warmness of that morning brought a special fire with it. Whatever it was, it had to stop. That wasn’t the deal, but who was the first one to give in? She only had one thing in mind, it had to stop, she needed to stop breathing in his cologne, and stop hearing her own sounds that had filled the darkness of that night where she didn’t have control of herself. 

Stuffed in a red long dress, Madeline continued her way to the casino where she was supposed to see Lucian since she’d asked about him and they had informed her that Lucian had gone to an important meeting and he couldn’t wait for her anymore. It seemed like it wasn’t going to be really difficult to go on with their lives as they used to be before what had happened between them last night. In the end, it was a mistake. Just a little game that was over the same moment when she declared to be ready to continue her work. 

And like that, the morning and the afternoon went by.  

They had travelled together for the third time and there was always something new about those trips. Madeline was never going to forget how surprised she was in the first trip -the kiss after they started playing the games of the casino, all of that combined with red wine. The second trip -the desperate kiss in the bathroom where cold water started falling on them. And the third and last trip -that night together. The hell! It has to end now! But how? There was no way she could leave his side after the deal they had signed. Of course he wasn’t going to let her go. That was not the deal. 

Arkanas, as one of Lucian’s best casinos and now led by Madeline, was watched by the beautiful amber eyes of Lucian, who was on the second floor. He, swirling his tequila in his right hand, wearing a grey suit, with a fine line in his thick lips, couldn’t stop looking at the divine image of the woman who had decided to wear a red dress for that day. She smiled, she observed, and she managed the casino. For the first time in the evening, Lucian smiled. It was true that he’d had a meeting in the afternoon, but then he was free. No woman had ever made him feel like she did last night. No woman had made him wonder things that he never had. No woman had made him feel ashamed of himself. The truth was that he had never desired the same woman two times. And that was exactly what he was feeling as he saw her walking around and making sure that everything was working as it should be, it must be. 

He shook his head before drinking from his tequila and snapped his fingers at the men who were always behind him to fulfill his desires and watch over the underworld of the Son of Hades. 

“Yes, sir?” One of the men approached him. 

“I want that woman in my office.” 

“Yes, sir.” 

Lucian looked at the man since he was still there. “I want that woman now!” 

The men ran off, scared. 

Lucian looked at the woman in the red dress for the last time and then went to his office. He had never desired the same woman two times, and now all he could think about was the way he was going to tear apart that dress, lift her up and make her sit on his desk, to look at the perfection embodying his desire in her. 

But it seemed like destiny had something else prepared for him. What he didn’t notice while he was watching Madeline being, was the pair of deep brown eyes that stare at him in the distance. She was not willing to give up. She was not willing to stop herself until she could feel him in her again.  

As soon as she noticed that Lucian gave orders to his men while he walked towards his office, Leona got up from her place and made her way to him. Again. 

In a black short dress, her curly hair bathing her bare shoulders, she went upstairs. 

Lucian would indeed get a little surprised. 

Impatiently, Lucian walked back and forth in his office. It was the second time that he had poured himself a drink. Stupidly impatient, he loosened the knot of his tie and tried to wait patiently for the woman who was turning his damn world upside down.      

The sound of heels approaching set his skin on fire, he was becoming a fucking teenager! Come on! He didn’t even remember those days! He didn’t even remember if he indeed had those days or he just jumped to his adulthood and his life of shit started. But then he met that woman and everything changed. 

Lucian turned his back to the door and drank his tequila. How was he supposed to talk to her? What could be the phrase to open the conversation? Was she going to let him in her hell again? 

Three knocks on the door were heard.  

“Come on in!” Fuck! He shouldn’t have sounded too pleased. 

The door opened. Lucian didn’t look behind. Once again, the door closed. It was obvious, Madeline was already inside. He couldn’t show himself too excited to have her there, right? 

Inside, the woman of the red heels unzipped her dress until this one slid down from her body. When Lucian heard that, he turned around immediately. 

Lucian frowned. “What the hell are you doing here, Leona?” 

Leona smiled and, with a hand on her waist, walked to Lucian. She was in her black underwear and despite Lucian having already seen it last night, suddenly it was no longer provocative when Leona wore it. Yes, Leona was beautiful, her tan skin, her firm breast, flat stomach, and long legs, but Lucian didn’t feel anything. 

“Tell me, are you going to resist this?” She passed her hand through her stomach until she reached her firm breast. “Just tell me what to do and I’m ready to fulfill your darkest fantasies,” she said, putting her arms around his neck.

It was not her perfume, it was not her lips, it was not her fire… Fuck! The woman in front of him wasn’t Madeline. 

“It’s enough, Leona,” he rejected her. But Leona just smiled as Lucian went to pick up her dress. “Please, cover yourself.” 

Leona took the dress from his hand with her teeth and spat it away, laughing. “I think it’s time to get myself rid of this.” Leona tried to take off her bra but Lucian went to her and grabbed her wrists until he pushed to the wall behind her. Leona seemed to get excited when he took her that way, she even moaned, what exasperated Lucian. 

“You’re doing good again, Son of Hades.”

“It’s enough, Leona! Wake up!” 

“Your hands on my waist, holding me closer, as your lips kissed my neck, my breast,” she closed her eyes as she started passing one of her hands over her breast, “I still remember your cold lips in my legs, my abdomen until… you went a little down and…” 

Lucian lifted up Leona and she tangled her legs around his waist so he could walk with her and when he reached his desk, he forced her to sit. Leona moaned. And when she thought she was finally going to have what she wanted all along, soon she realized her mistake. 

“Look at me, Leona! Look at me!” He grabbed her face. “This has to end, Leona! You need to understand we can’t, we can’t have anything because…” 

“Because you like her, right? You wish to have her right here right now, right?!” Leona shouted. 

Lucian backed up. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

“Yes! I’m talking about her! I’m talking about Madeline! That fucking bitch-”  

Lucian didn’t let her finish and grabbed her face again. “Do not ever ever dare to talk about her like that!” 

“You like her, right? Come on! Lucian, she’s a fucking bitch whom you adopted! You don’t know when she can accuse you to the authorities when she discovers what a fucking mafia boss you are!” 

“She already knows and you know what she did? Nothing! She did nothing!” 

But what Lucian had forgotten was that he had ordered to bring Madeline to his room. 

Nervously walking, Madeline sighed. How was she going to talk to him after what had happened between them? Was he going to fire her? Was he going to say the typical thing that men like him said -No, everything was a mistake? Anyway, she had to act better than him. 

Suddenly, she heard Lucian shouting at someone. She didn’t know that Lucian was busy with something… or someone. Maybe, it’d be better to leave it like that, but when she was about to walk back the same way when she heard her name. And that tone of voice. Lucian had defended her. He was fighting with Leona, her worst enemy.  

“Why, Lucian? Why her? I can be more of a woman than she can be and you know that! Stop this nonsense and don’t come across as the saint you are not! We two had sex! We were together once, don’t pretend something that didn’t happen!”

Outside the office, Madeline smiled in disbelief. It couldn’t be possible! For the second time it couldn’t be possible! And when Madeline thought that Lucian was a different person, a different man, it was obvious that he had also fooled her. Once again Leona was there, and she’d had something to do with Lucian. How come the world could be so small! First, it was Leona who destroyed her marriage and now it was Leona again who had a past with Lucian too. 

“Please, I ask you to put your clothes on and leave. What happened between us was a mistake!”

“Remember, Lucian, soon you’ll get back to me on your knees!”

“Leave, Leona!” 

“Of course, my dear brother! Of course!” Then, Leona opened the door just to end up finding Madeline in front of her.

The truth had been said and now Madeline knew it all.