Chapter 5

The air in the private dressing room of the high-end photo studio was cool, conditioned to a precise, clinical chill, but the heat between us was suffocating. I could hear the muffled hum of the other photographers setting up their lights in the main hall, the distant click of shutters and the murmur of assistants, but it felt like a world away. Here, in this small, carpeted sanctuary lined with mirrors and racks of designer clothing, it was just us. Just the heavy breathing and the rustle of fabric. My dress, a slip of black silk that had clung to my curves during the shoot, was now pooled around my ankles. I stood in my lingerie, the lace cool against my skin, watching him. He had discarded his suit jacket and tie, his shirt unbuttoned halfway to reveal the hard plane of his chest. He looked every bit the powerful man I knew him to be, but his eyes… his eyes were dark, hungry, fixed on me with a possessiveness that made my knees weak. "Come here, baby girl," he commanded, his voice low and rough. It wasn't a request. It was a directive, and I obeyed without hesitation. I