Chapter 5

The bass from the DJ’s set thumped through the floorboards of the private VIP suite, a distant, muffled heartbeat that kept time with the frantic pounding of my own heart. Outside the heavy oak doors, the clinking of crystal glasses and the murmur of two hundred well-dressed guests drifted in like a gentle breeze, but in here, the air was thick, charged with the scent of expensive cologne and impending ruin. The room was dim, lit only by a single sconce casting long, amber shadows against the velvet drapes, creating a cocoon that felt miles away from the polished, polite world we had just left behind. He stood by the window, looking out at the manicured gardens of the country club, his tuxedo jacket discarded on a velvet armchair, his white shirt unbuttoned at the collar to reveal the hard line of his throat. I could hear the soft *snick* as he loosened his bow tie, a gesture of casual authority that made my knees weak. I watched him, my eyes tracing the broad shoulders of his suit, the way the fabric pulled tight across his back. I wanted to touch him. I needed to. “Come here, baby girl,” he