Chapter 5 Aniyah #2
Leaning forward, I pressed the button for level thirteen, keeping my face straight so the scanner could pick up that it was me.
Since different floors cost extra, everyone's numbered mask was scanned before the elevator would move to that floor.
This ensured payment was made and kept the non-paying lookie loos out.
Only security, Van, and I could go to any floor.
He didn’t speak, didn’t move, but I felt him beside me, felt the heat of his body and tracked the flick of his gaze sneaking toward me through the corner of his eye. He was trying to be subtle, but I wasn’t just aware of it, I sensed it the way a predator senses the shift in air before they struck.
My wings prickled with tension. My skin pulled tight where his gaze touched it, like he was tracing it with his fingers instead of his eyes.
I stayed silent, enveloped in the scent of luxury and status. It made me want to lick his skin to see if he tasted as good as he smelled.
What the fuck is wrong with me? This wasn’t who I was, not here, not in my own damn domain.
I ran this place. I set the rules. I turned the rich and powerful into whimpering puddles with just a look.
Grown men crumbled at my feet, choking on my dominance and begging for more.
Men who begged to be seen by me, touched by me, claimed by me.
Yet here I stood, trapped in a steel box with a man who had made my blood thick with heat without saying a word.
That savage side of me kicked open the door inside my chest, snarling for control.
Put him in his place. Show him who rules here.
It didn’t matter if my body ached for him—desire meant nothing without obedience.
I was judge, jury, and executioner in this house, and if he couldn’t handle that, too bad.
There were plenty of fangs in the crowd, a whole sea of hungry mouths waiting for my attention.
As soon as the elevator doors slid open on the final floor, adrenaline surged through me, flooding my veins with purpose. I was ready to turn this little game into my arena. To wrap a collar around that dominant man’s throat and make him watch what power truly looked like.
Yes.
He needed to learn his place before he played.
Stepping out of the elevator, I glanced over my shoulder.
“Are you coming or heading back down? Your choice.”
He stepped out almost immediately, expression unreadable. Whatever he was feeling, he was ready. Willing.
I led him down a hallway lined with matte black doors, stopping at the very end where two stood side by side. I reached for the one on the left and spoke the password. Magic shimmered across the surface before the lock clicked open.
Blocking the entrance, I turned to face him, my chest just a breath from his. Hands folded behind my back, I batted my eyes up with a small, hesitant smile. I gave him the illusion of submission I could tell he wanted.
“Are you ready to play by my rules, Mr. Kingsley?”
He didn’t answer with words. His hands landed against the doorframe with a thud, caging me in. His body pressed into mine, but I didn’t flinch. His head dropped, nose brushing my shoulder as he inhaled deeply, then charted a slow, possessive trail up the curve of my neck.
“It’s Lucus, darling,” he murmured, that low, velvet accent pouring over me like smoke and heat.
“Lucus,” I repeated with a dangerous smile, already giving in to the fire licking beneath my skin.
I grabbed the back of his neck and yanked him down, my wings fluttering to lift me just enough.
Our lips collided—hard, electric. A jolt of something primal surged through me, lighting me up from the inside out.
Focus, I reminded myself. This is still the game.
I pulled him inside the room, dark and narrow, with low lighting and a row of booth-style seating lining the wall. He followed, hungry, trying not to let our kiss break. His hands seized my waist, and with a growl, he yanked me closer until I wrapped my legs around him, clinging tight.
“Sit,” I commanded, my voice low but firm.
He obeyed, though not without protest. His teeth nipped my bottom lip, a flash of challenge. If that riled him up, he really wasn’t going to like what came next.
Tearing my mouth from his, I held his face between my palms, both caressing and restraining. “It’s my game. My rules,” I whispered, letting my authority settle between us. He nodded, silent and seething.
I lowered my lips to his neck and pressed a trail of delicate kisses, savoring the way his skin shivered beneath each one. His head tilted back with a quiet groan, completely under my spell.
“And tonight,” I murmured against his throat, “you’ll learn… I belong to no one but myself.”
His body tensed beneath my hands, energy coiled tight like a spring. I used that moment to slip free, wings fluttering as I floated backward toward the door.
He shot up from his seat, ready to follow, but I raised a hand, stopping him cold.
“You want to learn about this club—about me—right?”
He nodded slowly like he wasn’t even sure why.
I smiled. “Then sit back and enjoy the private show. I don’t do this for just anyone.” I let that linger in the air like bait. Men like him loved being singled out, made to feel exceptional. It gave them the illusion of control, which was exactly what I needed.
He lowered himself to the edge of the booth, stiff and composed, his arousal unmistakable beneath the fabric. I let my gaze drop, licking my lips as I stared. That seemed to relax him.
Reaching behind me, I opened the door and walked backward, leaving him with a parting shot. “If it’s too much, that’s fine. No hard feelings. Just return the mask to Randy in the lobby.”
I blew him a kiss and winked before closing the door.
Pulse thrumming, breath tight with anticipation, I really hoped he stayed. A body and face like his walking out unsatisfied? Tragic.
I turned to the door on the right and opened it, revealing a stunning man waiting for me… naked. He sat at the edge of a large bed, wearing a white half-mask that covered his nose but left his mouth exposed.
My eyes immediately dropped to the thick length resting between his toned thighs. He smirked and spread his legs wider, letting me drink in the view and the glint of metal from the magic cross piercing that always made me see stars when it was inside of me.
I flipped the switch beside the door, seeming to do nothing, but this man knew what that meant. His sea-foam green eyes shifted to the long mirror on the wall, and he arched a brow in a silent but clear question: We have company?
My heels clicked against the hardwood floor as I stalked toward him, hips rolling with deliberately seductive rhythm.
“We’re going to put on a show,” I purred.
I stopped in front of him, tangled my fingers in his clean-cut, dirty blond hair, and tugged his head back. Leaning close, I cooed, “Is that okay with you?”