Chapter 5

The bass from the main hall thumped through the floorboards, a rhythmic vibration that traveled up through the soles of my heels and settled deep in my belly. I didn’t care about the music anymore. I didn’t care about the half-empty bottles of champagne on the low table or the open songbooks scattered like confetti around us. The only thing that mattered was the heat radiating off his body, pressing me back against the plush velvet of the private karaoke booth. The air in here was thick, heavy with the scent of his expensive cologne and the faint, sweet tang of alcohol, but mostly, it was thick with *him*. His name tag still hung from his crisp white shirt, though the top three buttons had been undone, revealing the expanse of his chest. I ran my fingers over the fabric, tracing the line of his collarbone, feeling the steady, commanding beat of his heart beneath my palm. He watched me with those dark, predatory eyes, unblinking, waiting for me to make the next move. He always let me dance, let me tease, but he held the leash. And tonight, the leash was pulled tight. "Good girl," he murmured, his voice