Shit! A light and a blanket of steam billows out from under the ensuite bathroom, and immediately I want to pivot, but I don’t. If I’m here, I might as well ask to leave. We have anagreement now. Surely, we can go our separate ways and keep this silent agreement between us.

The door opens, Dimitri emerging from the smoke, only a towel slung haphazardly around his waist. Deep sensations of dirty lust fill me as his suffocating darkness fills the space.Fuck. Run. You should run.Gulping hard, I hold my ground, my palms sweaty from nervousness plaguing me. Every inch of his body is chiseled and ready for war. His chest is covered with stars and skulls, and I can’t drag my eyes away. The stars must mean something because there’s another near his knee.

“Ah, you’re roaming around now. You look much better. I see you’ve found my room,” he replies in amusement, his slickened strands of dirty blond hair overhanging his icy blue eyes. The scruffy beard is still there, but I can’t concentrate on one area because I’m busy staring at the river of veins popping down the middle of his biceps. There’s the same tiger on the inside of his arm that’s on the wall, and if I don’t get my bearings quick, I’m going to faint again, and not from malnutrition.

“Er… yes. I’ve been finding my way around.” I try to play it cool, but the searing heat in my cheeks gives me away. “I was looking for you, and um, it looks like I’ve found you.”

“Yes.” Dimitri nods, stepping forward, but I keep my eyes upward, not daring to look down any further than his waist. I’m sure he’s ripped from head to toe. “What can I help you with?” he asks in a silken tone.

“Um, now that we’ve worked out an agreement, I want to leave. I’ve got a lot to get back to. School, finishing up at work. That type of stuff,” I justify in a casual tone, to which Dimitri frowns, skimming a hand through his hair, slicking it back, leaving his icy blue eyes on full display.

Fuck. He must have women throwing themselves at him. He has to know how hot he is.

“Oh no. That’s not going to happen. You can go where you want here, but you can’t leave.” Dimitri’s cold eyes sink into mine, blood flow rushing to my feet.

“What?” I squawk. “Why not?” I blurt in outrage.

“I have good reason, and it’s for your protection. You can’t leave because I’m not the only one after Raven’s Peak. You met those people at the funeral. Didn’t you?” The observation hits more like an accusation as my eyes smart from anger.

“Sure, but they didn’t kidnap me like you did,” I point out, not wanting the argument to become heated and lead to Dimitri punishing and trapping me further.

“Kidnap?” Dimitri quips. “No, Ms. Knight, what I did was on the milder end of the scale, and as you’ve already established—we have a deal.”

“I think you should let me go,” I tell him with force, regaining my equilibrium.

“Uh-uh.” Dimitri shakes his head, propping himself up against his dresser drawers resembling a male model. “No. These people after you aren’t just investors or developers. They are rival mafia families and businesses with more power than you. They will eat you alive. With me, you’re protected.” Dimitri regards me with intense eye contact, the imminent threat sinking in.

“Right,” I whisper.

“They will do way worse things than I’ve done.” He stands, his well-cut physique intimidating. There’s enough tension in the room to draw a bowstring, and I fear if I don’t change the subject, trouble will come.

“What is the mirror for?” I ask, desperately wanting to escape the awkwardness of the situation.

Dimitri grins, his x-ray vision seeming to pierce right through my clothing in violation.Stop fucking undressing me.Instead of looking at him, I keep my eyes on the ceiling, hoping it will give me a break from his gaze, but the humiliation is just getting started it seems.

“What? Are you a virgin?” He grins, a forcefield of heat fanning over my cheeks.

“That’s none of your business.”

Dimitri pauses for a beat, the grin softening, but a quick reckoning flickering in his death-trap eyes. Great. Now he knows I’m a virgin. Somehow all the secrets I want to keep hidden from him are unveiled. “The mirror is to add more spice to sex. It’s an experience to watch yourself being pleasured or vice versa. Do you want to try it, Ms. Knight?” And just like the tiger on his wall and inked into his skin, he flirts making me squirm, lighting up dormant parts of my anatomy that I don’t want him to.

My heart gallops in my chest, my mouth dry. What he would do to me. The man could break me in half, and God—maybe I would want him to. Fuck. “No,” I reply, flustered out of my mind, while Dimitri tucks his fingers into his towel.Please don’t take it off. I can’t handle that.

“Are you sure. It’s a lot of fun, especially when you’re coming,” he adds, adding in explicit details, his eyes roaming my body as a throbbing ache pounds between my legs.

“I said no. I thought it might be for something else.” I shrug, but keeping my cool isn’t working. Backing off, I turn towards the door, weak at the knees. No.

“Okay. Your choice, but let me know if you change your mind,” he sings out with a dirty chuckle.

“I won’t.” Quickly, I leave, heading back to my room silently reprimanding myself for seeking him out. I should have known better.

Chapter Ten - Dimitri

Dynasty Point Club has long been known as a private VIP location for the millionaires and billionaires of Chicago to connect, cut deals, find pussy, and drink in peace without the prying eyes of the paparazzi and the public. Too many times at the regular clubs my slumming Bratva cousins frequently used to attend, they would be sequestered with skanky women who weren’t of their caliber. Not that any of these women aren’t undercover or underhanded in their dealings, but for the most part, they’re high-end, and understand their place.

New York is another animal altogether, and from time to time, you could find me in the VIP section of new clubs, but it was mainly because of business or to check out the scene, and if I happened to score pussy for the night, then I would partake… even better when the majority of it was handed to me on a platter.

Tonight, as the lounge music plays in the background, I’m surrounded by my associates and plenty of high-grade pussy on the hunt for sugar daddies or a man with money to fill their bank accounts and go shopping with. Some of the women in the club are business moguls in their own right but nothing comes close to the dollar signs many of the men in the room hold.