Page 29 of Emperor of Lust

“Let me go,” she chokes, a nervous waver in her voice.

I just smile maniacally as I lean down close, my eyes locking on hers.

“No,” I growl quietly.

I grip her tighter, pinning her even harder against the corner of the railing. Her pulse jumps again in afartoo thrilling way that instantly makes my dick twitch.

“Youlikewhen I take your control away,” I murmur, watching as her face flushes. “Youliketo be tied up.”

“No.”

Her response actually takes me by surprise. It’s not just the word, it’s the way she says it—with brutal authority and unflinching resolve. It’s not a flirtatious “no”. It’s not coy. That was a solid fucking answer.

“No,” she says again, her tone raw, almost vulnerable, giving me a momentary glimpse of something unguarded. “I don’t.”

She means it, I can tell. The truth of it is etched in her voice, clear and sharp. But something doesn’t quite add up. I remembervividlythe way she all but moaned when I had her under my control in that warehouse that first night, all tied up.

This side of her, this honesty, puzzles me.

I pull back slightly, watching her, wondering what it is about being tied up or pinned that’s gotten under her skin.

“Let me the hell go?—”

“Take off your panties.”

She scoffs, her expression indignant. “Excuse me?”

“Now,” I growl.

Hana’s throat bobs. “Fuck you. That’s not happening.”

I smile. “I could always go tell?—”

“I already told you,” she sneers, “I took that pawn off the board.”

“Oh, it’s chess we’re playing, then?” I taunt, grinning darkly.

She squints at me, her tone cold. “I’m not playinganythingwith you.”

“No, you don’t like to play at all,” I muse. “That’s why you’re in charge of the legitimate financial aspects of your family’s business. Why, even when you dabble in the exciting world ofmoney laundering…” I snicker mockingly. “You wear a mask. Because you’re in this family, but on the outside. Your father ran things. Now Kenzo does. Your psycho brother Tak is a mad dog, and your cousin…well, he’s another mad dog too, isn’t he?” I smile darkly at her. “And that leaves you, hiding behind your color-coded spreadsheets.”

She glares at me, her tone icy. “I know what you’re doing, you know. You’re trying to bait me,” she replies, her chin lifting.

“This reeks of deflection,” I murmur, my gaze fixed on her as I let my hand drift to the hem of her dress. “Take them off.”

She stands her ground, her voice defiant. “Your manipulation tactics arenotgoing to work on me,” she snaps, fire sparking in her eyes.

“Good to know. Thanks for saving me the time.”

In a flash I yank her dress up, reach under it, and slip my fingers into the waist of her lacy panties. She gasps sharply, too stunned even to react as I strip her underwear off, her skin warm under my fingers.

“Are you fucking—Damian!” she squeals as I shove them down her legs, dropping to my haunches and tugging them off first one foot and then the other before standing in front of her again, caging her against the railing. She stiffens but doesn’t pull away, her gaze locked on mine.

Without breaking eye contact, I grab her hands and shove them behind her back. I loop the delicate lace around her wrists, binding them to the railing.

Her breath comes faster as I lift her dress, my hands tracing the curve of her hips, my fingers exploring her skin, firm yet teasing. I drink in her vulnerability, the unsteady breaths that escape her, the way she struggles to keep her composure even now.

“Damian…”

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