The door clicked shut behind him, and for a moment, the silence was deafening. My heartbeat was too loud in my ears, thudding in a rhythm that didn’t belong to me anymore. He set the mood without words—his jacket gone, shirt unbuttoned just enough to tease at smooth, hard muscle beneath, his mask catching the candlelight.
I stood there, champagne glass trembling slightly in my hand, and finally set it down on the low table by the bed. I had no excuse to stall anymore.
“Take this off,” he said, fingers brushing the strap of my dress where it curved over my shoulder. His voice wasn’t harsh—it was steady, commanding without needing to force me.
My skin prickled at the touch. “And if I don’t?” I asked, trying to keep some sense of power in my voice.
His lips curved into that same dark smil
