Chapter 2

The bass from the main floor had thinned out, leaving a hum of sophisticated conversation and clinking crystal in the air. We had claimed our territory: a secluded alcove tucked behind a towering arrangement of white orchids and ferns, far enough from the high table of executives that we were granted a semblance of privacy, but close enough that the ambient energy of the rooftop bar still wrapped around us like a warm blanket. I sat on the plush velvet banquette, one leg crossed over the other, my heel dangling loosely from my toes, tapping a silent, rhythmic beat against the floor. I could feel his gaze before I even looked up. It wasn’t a casual glance; it was a heavy, deliberate weight that settled directly between my shoulder blades, tracing the line of my spine up to the nape of my neck. I adjusted the strap of my silk dress, the fabric whispering against my skin, and turned my head to meet his eyes. He was watching me with a hunger that had been simmering all evening, now boiling over into something far more dangerous. He held a tumbler of scotch, the ice clinking softly, but he hadn’t taken