Chapter 20 ATHENA
ATHENA
The air ripped from my lungs as Dominic’s hand closed around my throat—tight, claiming.
His gaze locked on mine, merciless and unyielding.
The mask and wig were useless. I was stripped bare, exposed, and yet—heat bloomed low and wild.
Sick and twisted. He looked ready to destroy me, and I was soaking for it.
He’d known. All along, he’d known. And while I celebrated my disguise, he’d watched me unravel like a fool.
“Take off the mask, Athena.” His voice was ice, his stare black fire.
My hands refused to obey. His grip loosened just enough for me to gasp, then retreated.
He circled to stand before me. His polished shoes brushed the tips of my boots.
The edge of his suit grazed the bare skin of my thighs.
Dominic shoved his hands into his pockets, expression hard, almost taunting.
I refused to give in, to surrender completely.
“Do it or I will.” His voice cut through the silence, cold and commanding.
His gaze burned holes into my mask, despising it.
At that moment, removing the mask felt like facing a gun pointed at my head.
His black eyes seared into mine, his shaggy black hair falling over the scar that only made him more dangerous.
“Now, Athena. Don’t test me.”
Defeated, trembling, I raised my hands. The mask slipped free and dropped with a dull thud. His stare never wavered. My cheeks flamed, breath shallow beneath his unflinching stare.
“Now the wig.”
“No.”
The word escaped before I could think. Dominic’s shadow loomed, unbothered.
His fingers grazed my cheek with a surprising gentleness, tracing a path as if wiping away my defenses.
His other hand cupped my face, holding me still.
A low breath escaped him—a small sound of amusement, or maybe frustration.
“Just when I think I’m close to taming you,” he murmured, “you find new ways to rebel.”
His eyes flicked to my lips, and the air crackled. His hand gripped the back of my neck, forehead pressing to mine.
‘‘You like to push all my fucking buttons and play with my sanity’’ A note of irritation rose in his voice, his grip on the back of my neck tightened, but it didn’t hurt.
No, my skin flushed, and I wanted more. I was like possessed and drugged.
‘‘What were you trying to achieve with that little stunt?”
His lips brushed mine, barely a touch, a spark that gutted me.
“What was your goal, dollface? To make me mad? Prove something?” His voice dripped venom. “You strutted in there, dressed like this for every man to see, but now you can’t form a fucking sentence?”
“I—” The word died on my tongue. How am I supposed to tell him that I did it because I can’t stand watching someone else touch him? It sounds sick even in my mind.
“You what?” he spat. “You thought a cheap wig and mask would fool me? You thought I wouldn’t recognize you the second you walked in the room? When you sat on my lap, fucking it with your body?” His laugh was cruel. “You thought I wouldn’t recognize the way you feel against me?”
“Stop” I put my hands on his chest, but did not attempt to push him away. I clutched the fabric of his shirt in my hands as if to pull him closer.
‘‘Stop what, Athena? Telling you the truth?” he spat, his eyes burning mine. “And while we are making confessions, let me spill another one. If you hadn’t agreed to leave the fucking room, I would have killed all my partners without batting an eye just because they were watching you so hungrily as if wanting you to themselves.” He growls against my lips, making me feel even smaller against him.
“Another confession, I will have to cut off the hand of the man who is my most trustworthy partner just because he touched you.”
“You wouldn’t.”
“Do you want it delivered to your room in a box?” His wicked smile told me he meant it.
I stayed silent.
“Back to that stunt you pulled off,” his hand clinched my wig as if wanting to rip it off my head.
“Is that what you want, Athena? To be treated like a cheap whore?” he hissed, shaking me in his grip as I let out a gasp mixed with a moan.
“If that’s what you really want, you surely came to the right fucking man. ”
I was ashamed to admit it, even to myself, but I was clutching my thighs, soaked through my thong, just from the sound of his rasping voice.
Even now, with him staring at me like a predator ready to devour, his gaze pitch-black and seething, all I could think of was surrender.
Dominic released my neck, and my body recoiled instinctively, a pathetic jolt back into space he had already claimed.
Without a word, he turned away from me, running a hand through his dark hair before shrugging off the expensive coat from his shoulders.
It landed on the floor like a silk flag of war.
He sat in the large chair before the window, the moonlight cutting across his figure, casting him in silver and shadow.
Slowly, methodically, he unfastened the top buttons of his shirt, his eyes never leaving mine.
“Come here, Athena.”
I obeyed a step—until his voice cracked like a whip.
“No.” He leaned back, legs spread. “Crawl to me.”
My lips parted, disbelief coursing through me. “Excuse me?”
“You are not excused,” he said, voice clipped, sharp enough to pierce skin. He pointed to the ground with maddening patience. “On your knees, now. Crawl.”
He was out of his goddamn mind. I looked at the cold floor, then back at him. I should’ve walked away, laughed in his face, slapped him. Something. Anything, but I didn’t.
Because the truth was shameful and sickening: I wanted to obey. I wanted to give in.
Dominic Stone had awakened something in me—dark and wicked. And God help me, I loved the way it made me feel. Perfect little girls don’t crawl, but I wasn’t her around him.
As if under a spell, I dropped to my knees. His gaze burned hotter, one corner of his mouth twitching—not in kindness, but approval. He tapped a finger against the armrest, slow and rhythmic, like he was counting down my pride.
Crawling toward him was the most humiliating thing I’d ever done, and still I did it.
My body trembled, barely contained inside the flimsy excuse of an outfit.
My breasts strained against the fabric of my bra, my ass high in the air, nothing covering it but a whisper of lace.
I moved slowly, deliberately, every inch a surrender.
And with each movement, my arousal worsened—hot and aching.
By the time I reached him, I could barely breathe.
I folded my hands into my lap, my eyes clinging to his face as I knelt at his feet, stripped of power and pride. I’d never felt so naked and desired.
Dominic looked down at me. He leaned forward, his fingers tangled in the wig.
“This is fucking ridiculous.” His gaze roamed my head like he wanted to rip it off and throw it into the fire. “I like your red hair. It’s not meant to be hidden under this cheap bullshit.”
Then he bent, lifting my chin with a single finger, forcing my eyes to meet his.
“Now, tell me why you did this little fucking performance.” His eyes searched my face with surgical precision. “What was your endgame, Athena? And speak now before I lose my fucking patience.”
I melted beneath his touch—and it wasn’t even a real touch. Just the ghost of one. Barely there, and still, it undid me. I need more.
“I saw you,” I said, the words barely above a whisper.
“Where?” He tilted his head, his gaze sharp as a blade.
“In the room.”
‘‘And?”
“I saw the girls,” I admitted, words spilling out in a rush. “And I—”
“You what?” he snapped, suddenly grabbing me by the wig, yanking my head back until I was forced to look at him. “You were curious, is that it?” he snarled. “Curious what it’s like to be on your knees? To be used like a whore?”
The word stung and thrilled. My gasp was traitorous.
“I saw her,” I blurted. “On her knees. And I—”
I couldn’t finish. The words died in my throat, replaced by the heat in my cheeks and the ache in my chest. His brow lifted, amusement flickering in his eyes.
“You were jealous?” he asked softly, running a finger along my bottom lip. “Is that what this is, dollface?”
“I wasn’t jealous,” I lied.
His smirk deepened, slow and wicked.
“You’re a terrible liar,” he said. His voice dropped an octave, laced with something cruel, intoxicating. “Or maybe I got it all wrong. Maybe you weren’t jealous. Maybe you wanted to take her place. On your knees, mouth open, begging for it.”
His vulgarity scorched my skin. I flinched, but not from shame. From how much I wanted to prove him wrong… or maybe right.
“If you didn’t leave that room, that’s exactly what would’ve happened.”
“Maybe that’s what I wanted,” I said.
A beat of silence. His smirk vanished. The temperature in the room dropped. Shadows seemed to close in around us, drawn to him like he was the dark center of the universe. He stared at me like he was trying to decide if he wanted to punish me or devour me.
“Very well,” he said, voice tight. He released my chin, and my head dropped slightly. I peeked up through my lashes, my breathing shallow, my pulse out of control. Then he leaned back in the chair, legs spreading, hands resting on his thighs.
“Unbuckle my belt, Athena.”
His voice was calm, lethal, final. And in that moment, I realized I had played his game and walked willingly into his trap.