Chapter Two
M aya
The elevator at Couture moved whisper-quiet as she rode it up to her suite.
Maya stood in the corner, camera bag slung over her shoulder, trying to convince herself that the flutter in her stomach was jet lag and not anticipation.
She had been happy to book a gig at Couture, but she’d never dreamed she’d see Dominic Valenti here.
Yesterday's balcony encounter had been playing on repeat in her mind since she'd fled into her suite. The memory of the heat in his eyes as he'd pressed his palm against the window like he wanted to touch her. Her body had responded to that look—pulse racing, every nerve ending suddenly alive.
She'd needed to capture him looking at her like she was something he wanted to devour slowly. But apparently, she had just pissed him off.
The elevator opened and Maya stepped into a hallway that screamed understated luxury. Marble floors, abstract art, and a floor-to-ceiling window that showcased the thick forest that surrounded the resort.
She was fishing her keycard from her bag when a door opened behind her.
"Well, well. The photographer who doesn't sell photos."
Maya shivered. That voice—deep, rough around the edges, with just enough Italian accent to make her knees weak. She turned slowly, knowing exactly who she'd find but still unprepared for the impact.
Dominic Valenti stood in his doorway wearing a white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up and dark jeans that fit him like they'd been tailored specifically for his body.
His dark hair was slightly mussed, like he'd been running his hands through it, and there was something predatory in the way he leaned against the doorframe.
"I have a name," Maya said, proud that her voice came out steady.
"I'm sure you do." His gaze traveled down her body with leisurely appreciation, missing nothing. "Thank you for not cashing in on my indiscretions."
Maya lifted her chin, refusing to be intimidated by six feet three inches of dangerous male. "Which ones? Stomping on cameras, choking photographers, or flipping me off?”
Dom's laugh was rich, genuinely amused. "All of the above?"
"You’re welcome."
"Why didn’t you sell the pictures you took of me?" He stepped closer, close enough that she smelled his cologne—something expensive and masculine that made her want to lean into him. "Or have they not been published?"
"I don’t always sell my photos. Some I keep for personal reasons. Some I delete off the camera.”
"It’s a good thing everything is digital now." Dom's smile turned nostalgic. "I remember my mother scolding me for wasting film."
Despite herself, her lips twitched. "I haven’t developed film since college." She held out her hand. “I’m Maya Sunderly.”
When he took her hand, his fingers were warm and slightly rough, callused in a way that suggested he did more than just pose for cameras.
"Dominic Valenti. But you already knew that."
His thumb brushed across her knuckles as he spoke, a casual touch that sent electricity shooting up her arm. Maya tried to pull her hand back, but Dom held on just long enough to make his point.
"So, what brings you to Couture?" Maya said, finally reclaiming her hand.
"I’m hiding out, waiting for my fifteen minutes of infamy to fade." His gaze dropped to her mouth for a fraction of a second before returning to her eyes. "What about you?”
The air between them hummed with tension that had nothing to do with their professional rivalry and everything to do with the way Dom looked at her like he wanted to know all her secrets.
"Working," she said, even as her body swayed slightly toward his. "I have a meeting with Colleen Bryant today."
"She’s a pistol.”
Maya opened her mouth to ask what he meant, but Dom stepped closer. His casual confidence shifted into something hungrier, more intense.
"I've been thinking about you since yesterday," he said quietly, his voice heavy with something that made her stomach clench with want. "About the way you looked at me."
Maya's lips parted as heat flooded through her. “The way that I looked at you? You looked at me like I was a gazelle, and you were a hungry lion.”
“I wouldn’t mind eating you.”
Before she could respond, he moved backed her against the wall beside her door. His hands braced on either side of her head, caging her in.
“But what do you say we start with a kiss first?”
He gave her just enough time to push him away. The thought never crossed her mind.
It wasn't gentle. It wasn't hesitant. It was pure claiming—his mouth hot and demanding on hers, his tongue sweeping between her lips like he had every right to taste her. Maya's fisted her hands in his shirt, pulling him closer.
Dom growled low in his throat, the sound vibrating through her chest as he pressed his body against hers.
She felt every ridge of muscle, every hard line of him as he pinned her to the wall with his weight.
One of his hands tangled in her hair, angling her head so he could deepen the kiss, while the other splayed across her lower back, holding her exactly where he wanted her.
Maya had been kissed before. She'd thought she knew what desire felt like, what it meant to want someone. But this—this was something else entirely. This was drowning in sensation while losing control and loving every second of it.
When Dom finally pulled back, they were both breathing hard. His eyes were smoldering with need, and Maya knew she must look just as wrecked.
"That," he said, his thumb tracing her swollen bottom lip, "was me saying hello properly."
Maya tried to speak, but her voice came out as barely a whisper. "Hello to you too."
Dom's smile was pure sin. "I'll see you later, Maya. Enjoy your meeting with Colleen."
He stepped back, giving her space to think, to remember that she was a professional with meeting with a client today, and not just a woman who'd been thoroughly kissed by the most dangerous man she'd ever met.
Maya watched him disappear into his suite, her legs shaking and her lips still tingling from his kiss. She stood there for a full minute, trying to collect herself, before finally fumbling with her keycard to get into her room.
She had fifteen minutes to shower, change, and make herself presentable for her meeting with Colleen. Fifteen minutes to pretend that she hadn’t just kissed a super model. Dom really lived up to his player reputation. She couldn’t believe he just turned her world upside down with a single kiss.
***
T WENTY MINUTES LATER , Maya stood outside Colleen Bryant's office, trying to convince herself that she looked professional and not like someone who'd been fantasizing about her playboy neighbor for the entire elevator ride down.
The outer office was a study in luxury—cream leather furniture, abstract art, and a reception desk that looked like it belonged in a modern art museum. Behind it sat a young woman with the kind of bone structure that suggested modeling was probably her side hustle.
"I’m Maya Sunderly," Maya said. “I have a three o’clock appointment.”
The receptionist looked up with a smile. "Hi, I’m Emma. She’s finishing up on a call. She’ll be right with you. Would you like something to drink?"
"Water would be great." Maya still tasted Dom's kiss, felt his arms around her. She needed to get a grip and fast.
Emma handed her a crystal glass filled with water that probably came from some exclusive French spring. "Do you like your room?"
“Oh yes,” Maya gushed. “Thank you so much for the chocolates and fruit basket. It really hit the spot.”
“You’re welcome. Please feel free to order room service or visit any of our restaurants on the property. Your room and board are covered during your assignment here.”
Maya could definitely get used to this.
Before Maya finished her water, Emma’s intercom buzzed and she heard a throaty, “Send her in.”
Emma gestured Maya to follow her. She opened an ornate door and stepped aside.
Maya had seen photos of Colleen in industry magazines, but pictures didn't capture the sheer presence of the woman.
She was tall—easily five-nine in the stilettos that brought her eye-to-eye with most men—with platinum blonde hair that fell in perfect waves to her shoulders.
Her dress was emerald green silk and low cut.
"I've been looking forward to meeting you.
" Colleen said, extending a perfectly manicured hand.
Her voice was pure honey over steel—sweet on the surface but with an underlying authority that made it clear exactly who was in charge.
When Maya shook her hand, Colleen's grip was firm enough to convey strength without being aggressive.
"Thank you for the opportunity to shoot at Couture."
Colleen's office was twice the size of Maya's apartment back home in New York City. The furniture was a mix of modern and classic—a glass desk, leather chairs that looked like they belonged in a gentleman's club, and artwork that managed to be both beautiful and slightly unsettling.
"I've been following your work for some time." She gestured toward a plush share. "Please sit down. I’m sure you’re eager to hear the details of the private assignment that you were selected for."
Truthfully, Colleen could tell her that Maya would be taking pictures of the bathrooms and she’d be thrilled.
With what Colleen was paying and the opportunity to stay here, Maya had jumped at the chance to work at Couture.
This was the hottest resort in the fashion community.
It was a vacation and relaxation hub for models, designers and photographers.
Colleen could have had anyone she wanted for this secret project. She had chosen Maya.
"Can I offer you anything? Coffee? Diet Coke?"
"I’m good, thanks."
“I’ll get straight to the point then. Your work is exceptional, Maya. You have an eye for capturing authentic emotion, real intimacy. That's rare in this industry."
"Thank you."
Colleen moved to the windows. "I assume you've heard about Dominic Valenti's recent difficulties in Milan?"
"Everyone has." Maya fought to keep her voice steady, even as her lips still tingled from his kiss. “I was there and saw it firsthand.”
“And you’ve heard about the allegations his ex has levied against him?”
“Which ex?”
Colleen smirked. “The bitch. Wait, that doesn’t narrow it down. Elena Serrano.”
Maya shook her head. “I haven’t heard much.”
“It’s still early days yet. She claims that Dom smacked her around.”
“Oh.” Disappointment flooded through Maya. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
“I am too. Mostly because it’s bullshit.”
“Are you sure?” Maya didn’t like doubting women who said they were hurt that way.
“I am.” Colleen fixed her with a look. “I’m not na?ve enough that things happen behind closed doors that don’t happen in the public. But in this case, Elena has cried this wolf many times. She’s no stranger to violence, controversy or petty drama. She loves it.”
“So, Dom didn’t hit her?”
“Oh yes, he did.”
Maya shook her head. “I’m confused.”
“You won’t be once the stories hit. I’ll give you a preview. Elena is a pain slut.”
Maya blinked. “A...what?”
“She likes to be whipped, spanked, choked, even cut.”
Maya wasn’t a prude, but she was a little shocked by all this.
“Normally, I don’t talk about people’s kinks. I celebrate them. But Elena weaponizes hers. And I’m not telling you anything that’s not going to be all over social media by tomorrow. Her exes and the other people she’s falsely accused are going to call her out.”
“I see.” But Maya didn’t know how this concerned her.
“Dom is very special to me.”
“Oh,” Maya said, and her heart sank. Not that she thought she had a chance with Dom anyway, but if Colleen had her eye on him, there wasn’t a chance in hell Dom would look twice at Maya.
“Not like that.” Colleen smiled.
“It’s none of my business,” Maya said, trying not to stutter. She hadn’t meant to be so obvious.
“Dom has a temper. That little pissant in Milan deserved everything he got. He’s banned from Couture. But smashing the camera, choking him, lent Elena’s accusations weight. And I’m afraid that Dom is going to be cancelled because of his actions and Elena’s lies.”
"What does this have to do with me?”
"I want you to capture the real Dominic Valenti. Not the polished image his handlers have been selling for years, but the man underneath. The protector. The sexy playboy with a soft heart."
“You think I can do that? He seems a little camera shy right now.”
Colleen waved her hand. “I’ll get him to do it. Don’t worry about that. The industry is hungry for authenticity right now. Tired of manufactured perfection. Your eye for genuine emotion is why I chose you for this assignment."
Maya's mind raced. Photographing Dom would mean working with him daily, being close to him, pretending that kiss hadn't happened while her body still hummed with want for him.
Maya's last serious relationship had ended when her ex discovered her photography obsession.
"You're always watching life through that lens instead of living it," he'd said.
"It's like you're afraid to be fully present.
" Maybe he'd been right. Behind the camera, she was safe, invisible, in control. But also... alone.
"So, I’ll be following him around while he’s on vacation here?"
"Yes. There will be studio time, but mostly candid shots. You'll have full creative control, unlimited access, and whatever resources you need." Colleen paused. "There is one condition."
Maya's stomach tightened. "Which is?"
"Complete discretion. This project is confidential until we decide how to release it. No leaks, no behind-the-scenes shots for your personal portfolio, no sharing details with anyone outside this room. Can you do that?"
“Yes, of course.”
“Good. I’m hoping we can use some of your work from this project into a show at the Meridian Gallery.”
Maya forced herself not to react. Having her work displayed at the Meridian Gallery had been a dream of hers since she was a child.
“I’d like that,” Maya said, her voice husky.
"Good." Colleen's smile was satisfied. "You can start tomorrow."