Power Play

t rip the world in two. Neon lights painted the room in violent flashes of pink and blue, silhouetting bodies tangle

lready unraveled into a cocktail of shame and anger

g out at the world because our cousin Xavier had been handed control of Bonita, the family legacy we all pretended to care abou

rom the mess. I was try

en taking what didn't belong to them, a

I saw

g jaw and heavy brows over a pair of dark eyes that tracked every movement in the room. His skin was tan, almost olive,

to crawl onto his lap and wrap yourself around him,

I was angry

action, and this

using right in front. "You," I said loudly, ja

ant, I worried I'd read him wrong. Th

e to,"

he doors and made a beeline for the back corner, slipping into the booth before he could try to take the seat across. H

d. He ordered a whiskey and I ordered a margarita-sal

w at him. "Do you

ugh. "If I'm fucking you," he sa

but I kept my tone light. "So

ath hot on my skin. "

d. "I guess it depends on

oulder. I could feel his gaze tracing my neck, lingering over the swel

wned. "Anyone going

bitter. "

thing dangerous flickering through them

n a few words, but somehow, it seemed like a message in code. He

that?"

," he r

ull me out of the booth, my heart poundin

over the club and bar. It had a rooftop bar, the kind that was always full o

tegory I belonged in,

and up to the twelfth floor. I watched as

y glittering below, casting the place in shadow. It was a suit

ior and pretenses th

e door, suddenly

r name?" I

ing what little light the

whether it was nerves or something else entirely. "It might," I repli

d, a hint of amusement before hi

ou?" h

d. "But you wo

her nameless body, one in a long line of women he'd used and discarded

p in defiance. "Must really suck to hate wo

, if he would hit me or shove me out of the room. Then he la

?" he growled. "That y

A rich boy with a chip on your shoulder an

was like a live wire,

to do, I shoved at him, my p

id catch my wrists in

erous game, Elena," he

ing free. "I'm so fuckin

issed hi

. The kiss wasn't sweet. It wasn't soft. It was raw, angry, and desperate, a c

him seeped through my thin dress, making me gasp. He swallowed the sound, his lips movi

d against my skin. "You have n

ged, my voice breathy, a

darker. He grabbed my wrists and pinned them above my head, holding me immo

rmured, his lips brushing against mine, t

I whispered, arc

strained. He released my wrists and stepped back, his gaz

red, his voice l

ed for the hem of my dress and pulled it over my head, letting it fall to the floor. I sto

, lingering on every curve, every line.

ugh as they slid over my body, claiming

l, the bitterness, the anger. There was only Dominic

that burned long after he moved. His touch wasn't tender; it was ownership,

city. My breath fogged the pane as he pulled my hair to the side, his teeth grazing the back of my neck.

ear. His voice was a growl, low and thick wi

d feel him smirk against my skin, like he could read my thoughts. His hands slid down my body

, his voice dark, his b

ing myself for giving

d the praise lit a fire in m

s, giving me no room to think, only feel. Every rough kiss, every sharp pull, every inch of him

he might leave bruises. His breath was ragged, his moveme

me, let me catch my breath, offer something more than the raw, carnal e

. He slid out a stack of cash-hundreds, maybe thousands-a

napped, fury bubbling up to

he hadn't just left me shaking against a window. "

owing it back at him. It fluttered uselessly to th

zen fire. "I'm aware of that," he said coldly. "But it's cleaner this wa

ving, my fists clenched. "You

aybe," he admitted, his voice devoid of any apology. "But I'm also honest. And you sh

a slap, but I r

his tone indifferent as he headed fo

g in the dim hotel room, surrounded by the weight o

nstead, I picked up the money, shoved it into my bag, and tol