Page 2 of Sinful Hearts

Taylor takes a deep breath, glancing over herself once more in the mirror before turning to me.

“Ready?”

“Absolutely.”

She frowns a little, her eyes lingering on my Michelle Pfeiffer Catwoman mask.

“You know, they’ve got other masks you could borrow.”

My brow furrows. “Oh. Is this one not—”

“Oh, I mean, it’s more than fine. For this place?” She smirks. “Trust me, you look fantastic. No, I meant, are you going to be comfortable in it?”

I mean, it’s an S&M black and gold mask with cat ears made from leather and lace covering basically my entire head except my chin, cheeks, and mouth.

“Comfort” isn’t exactly its main design function.

Everyone in this club, patrons and staff alike, will be wearing masks. But for the reason I’m here—beyond the business meeting with Dante Sartorre—I need mine to hide who I am completely, with one hundred percent certainty.

Whoever I pick tonight cannotknow who I am. I understand that in a city of ten million people, my chances of being recognized are next to zero. But I want it to beabsolutelyzero. That’s the whole point. That’s the only way I’ll actually be able to go through with this, not to mention how I’ll keep my nerves from spilling out all over the floor like raw spaghetti.

Complete and utter anonymity.

“I’m good!” I smile with an eagerness and ease I don’t remotely feel. “I kind of like it, actually.”

Taylor grins, arching her brow as her gaze rises. “The ears are a cute touch. All right, shall we?”

“Let’s.”

As Taylor finishes her glass of champagne, I turn and pull my phone out of my bag. I send a quick note to my sister Nora, reminding her that I’ll be home late from my business meeting. She sends back a thumbs-up emoji followed by a gif of Juno Temple fromTed Lassosmugly smirking with the caption “you’ve totally got this”.

I grin and start to tuck the phone away when it suddenly buzzes again. This time, when I glance at the message, my smile vanishes, and a cold, black dread burrows into my heart.

The text isn’t from Nora.

It’s fromhim.

Fuckhead

I’m not waiting any longer. You will do as I’ve said. Meet me tonight, or there will be consequences I do not think you are prepared to deal with.

I stare, nauseated, at the text from the man I hate and loathe.

The man who seemingly has followed me all the way to New York.

The man whose disgusting and bone-chilling threats have increased exponentially over the last few weeks, to the point where I’ve decided to do what I’m going to do tonight, to be rid of him once and for all.

Leo thinks he has power over me. But tonight, I’m going to shatter those chains he thinks he’s bound me with.

Because tonight, I’m going to fuck a stranger.

Tonight, at twenty-six years old, I’m finally going to lose my virginity.

At a sex club.

“Just be sure to leave that here,” Taylor says. “There’s no phones allowed in the club.”

“Oh, of course.” I quickly close the phone and shove it back in my bag. “I’m guessing that’s part of the reason a man like Mr. Sartorre prefers to have business meetings here?”

---