It just happened to be that her father was an influential man. Before I could even think about it, he propositioned me with an offer I couldn’t refuse if I wanted to survive. Marry his only daughter, and all those problems would leave immediately.
I had no choice but to protect my family, myself, and save my friend.
Yet here we are three years later in a loveless marriage of convenience.
An impromptu trip to Europe was just what I needed, and with that thought, a smile appeared across my face.
“Of course, I’ll rearrange my schedule. Should a week be enough? I have some business to take care of in Paris, then I can fly over.”
Allegra’s lips curved upward into a stiff smile. “I thought that would please you. I’ll let the girls know.”
As I left our penthouse, I walked outside toward the waiting black Mercedes, climbed inside, and pulled my phone out of my pocket.
Me: I’ll be in Paris next Friday. Shall I book our usual?
It didn’t take long, despite the time difference, for the response I had been waiting for to come through.
Kate: Our usual will be perfect. See you then.
A stir in my pants sent an ache across my entire body. With the driver
distracted, I had scrolled through my phone and into a private folder. I typed in the passcode and opened the file I had discreetly kept from the last time I visited Paris.
There she was, on her knees, eyes wide staring at me with such desire.
Her lips were wrapped around my cock while she tasted every inch as if it were her last meal on Earth.
“Sir, we’re here,” the driver called.
I shook my head to break away from Kate’s addictive stare, closed the folder, and exited the car.
I’d spent the week abiding by all Allegra’s requests, desperately counting down the days until I was alone in the hotel room waiting impatiently for what my body desired.
Inside the hotel, in the same room I had always booked for us, the door creaked open. Like a thief in the night, I stared into the pits of darkness, desperate to stumble upon the hidden jewel. I found my way toward her body, guided by her scent.
It drove me wild, the taste of her skin. My hand moved toward her neck. Using my strength, I pressed her against the door to fuck her quickly. Restraining myself was too hard, but we had all afternoon to play out each other’s fantasies.
I slid my cock inside her, relishing in the sharp breath she took. Only a few thrusts, hard and fast, and my vision blurred as I grunted in the dead silence of the room.
We moved our bodies toward the bed, and I laid on my back and allowed her to control my every move. Whenever we found ourselves alone in this affair that we began years ago, nothing was off-limits. I’d soon become obsessed with the power she held over my body. Kate Hamilton was a shark in the boardroom, and with me, her power continued to reign.
I’d spent my life being the man who controlled other people’s fantasies. It’s why I opened up my club, allowing people to explore with their significant other or, more so, a complete stranger.
People paid for their privacy, for their fantasies to come alive. For as long as I had been providing this to them, my own needs shifted.
Allegra could fuck me, make me come in a matter of seconds, but what I wanted was so much more.
I wanted Kate.
In my entire life, I had never wanted any woman to satisfy me as Kate did. Despite spending countless hours watching completely naked women in my club succumb to their sexual desires, none of that stirred me in the slightest.
Until it was Kate inside my club being devoured by two men.
Something clicked, and a seed had been planted inside my cold heart. I refused to acknowledge it at the time, but Kate triggered something inside of me no other woman had ever come close to unraveling.
Yet I was caught in a loveless marriage created out of convenience, and I thought it would distract me from my sudden interest in Kate.
Bruno Mancini made it very clear—divorce wasn’t an option.
There was the family name to uphold, and I had debts to pay. For as long as I breathed, my repayment would be to stay married to his only daughter.
However, like anything not built on honesty, the lies became second nature. My affair with Kate started taking a different turn. My feelings had become more than just sexual desire.
I craved more.
No longer had I wanted to settle for a rendezvous every few months, I wanted her in my bed more than that. I wanted her at my beck and call to satisfy my needs whenever I demanded.
I wanted to taste her skin and know it belonged only to me.
I wanted all the things we agreed were not a part of this forbidden affair.
Commitment.
Exclusivity.
And the one thing that always complicated sex—love.
Chapter Two
Present
Dominic
I remembered the moment just over a year ago when Allegra made the last-minute decision to attend the Grand Masquerade Ball in Versailles.
It was unlike me to care for such events, dressing up in a ridiculous costume from the 18th Century, but, of course, I had done so to please Allegra and perhaps tried to make up for my indiscretions.
Though, to be quite fair in the matter, Allegra isn’t exactly the model wife on her friend’s yacht. Many of the bored housewives she circled with devoured the young men who somehow found themselves lost in sea during their overnight sail.
Selfish as it may be, I also need something to take my mind off how it ended inside the hotel room with Kate.
I pushed the boundaries and exposed my emotions, something I never did.
My marriage came up for discussion as did my desire to spend more time with Kate.
The topic, a clear shock to
