Page 12 of Scorching Sienna

Instead of putting it back when I see the title on the cover, I gingerly open it, allowing fate to pick the page I land on.

The Milk and Water Embrace

My eyes fly over the text and land on a picture.

A man sits on a chair while a female straddles him, her back to him while he penetrates her from behind.

I continue flicking through the pages, position after position, indecent pose after indecent pose. Yet I cannot put the book down.

“One of my favorites.” Damon's voice, close to my ear, makes me jump, and the book lands on the floor with a loud thud.

“I’m sor—” The apology hitches in my throat as I bend down to retrieve the book, my eyes locking on smart black shoes.

My gaze travels the length of the custom-made black suit as I slowly rise. My heart rate must be loud enough for him to hear—it’s thundering in my ears.

Gone is the five o'clock shadow, and in its place is a jaw that can cut diamonds. His shoulder-length brown hair is pulled up into a ponytail, revealing tattoos up his neck at the back and wrapping around to join ones in the front.

Damon before is hot, but this is lethal.

As is the look in his almost black eyes, the dilation of his pupils leaving little room for the dark chocolate of his iris.

“Are you enjoying the book?” His voice is low and gravelly, like sandpaper brushing against a nerve between my legs.

I blush as he slowly takes the book from me, his eyes never leaving mine.

“We should go. Unless you want to start practicing some of these moves.” My blush deepens, and I shake my head, unable to speak.

He leans forward, his body inches from mine, as he slides the book back in place behind me.

He smells clean and…familiar.

Before it has time to solidify, he pulls back, and I take a deep breath.

“Come.” He turns abruptly, and I follow like a puppy as we exit his office.

He waits until I am beside him before we walk again, my eyes glued to the plush black carpet while his occasionally sweep the left side of my face. I know because his gaze is like little sparklers touching my skin.

As we approach the door at the end of the corridor, where the music is loudest, Damon stops and turns to face me.

“You can only ever be this trusting with me, Sienna. You entered here, not a question passing your lips. You barely know me yet invited me into your home, have come to a building I’m sure you don’t know the location of, and were alone in an office with a stranger while he showered. From here on out, as we enter my world, I want you to be careful. Not everyone is good—even me.” His hand gently grips my chin, his thumb caressing my jawline before he releases me and turns, his palm meeting another pad next to the door.

Before I can ask more questions, the door opens. To a world I didn’t know existed.

Chapter 5

Shadow

This is my kingdom.Sin.

A club aptly named to encompass all that went on behind closed doors.

The front entrance of the building served as the face of the club and, for all intents and purposes, effectively concealed my more lucrative business ventures.

While the waiting list for the general public to get into the renowned club downstairs was quite long, the list for the other sections was exclusive. Some areas were invite only.

Sienna would work in one of these invite-only sections. The VIP area with a high-stakes gambling section. It had the most security and was where I spent most of my time.

Business deals on an international scale were conducted and concluded here.

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