5. Lena #3
I throw my hands up. “Don’t believe everything you see. I was recording the bastard. He got cocky. I was about one second away from getting out with a well-placed knee to the groin.”
Dominic laughs once, unconvinced. “Sure. Because that always goes exactly as planned.”
He shakes his head. “God, Lena, you’re the most reckless, infuriating woman I’ve ever met. I’m going to have my hands full once we’re married.”
I grit my teeth. “Oh, fuck off, Dominic. Don’t lecture me, and stop stalking me. That’s not how you win me over.”
“I’m not trying to win you over. You’ll come to me. You know you need me.”
I roll my eyes. “No, I don’t. I didn’t even know you were coming tonight. God, you’re freaking everywhere.”
His lips twitch into a half-smirk, that dry glint back in his eyes. He leans to one side, like he’s settling in to enjoy the show.
“I wasn’t planning on it,” he says. “But Gabriel let it slip that Lexi was helping you get ready for some City Hall thing. And, well, last time you strolled into that place, I had to drag you out of a mess.”
He gestures loosely around the room. “I figured you might try to outdo yourself. And look at that, I wasn’t wrong.”
His tone is a little too superior, like a teacher fed up with his favorite unruly student. My jaw tightens, but I don’t rise to the bait.
“Why are you back at City Hall this time? What were you trying to take when Anton caught you?"
I breathe through my nose and force myself to stay calm.
“I’ll say this one more time, the last time.
Nothing illegal happened. I’m not the bad guy here.
I just wanted to speak with the Mayor. It’s work-related.
Anton’s blocked me more than once from getting to him, and tonight, I pushed harder.
Unfortunately, I trusted that snake again. ”
I glance up, trying to hold my anger in check. “I swear it’s the last time I make that mistake.”
Dominic tilts his head slightly, mouth quirking like he can’t help himself. “Rookie move. Seriously.”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake, Dominic.” Heat is crawling up my neck.
He’s too calm, too put together. Leaning back against the table like this is some low-stakes conversation and not the chasm between us cracking wider by the second.
Like he still refuses to see the rift: what we want, where we come from, how different this really is.
“You don’t get it,” I snap. “We don’t live in the same world. We don’t play by the same rules. While I investigate guys like Anton, you welcome them into your clubs and do business with them.”
I take a breath, but it does nothing to cool the fire. “I have to fight to do my job. I fight for every inch. Every answer. Every damn scrap of truth. You walk into a room, and people fall in line. I have to prove myself every time I open my mouth. You just have to exist.”
He tilts his head a little more, the faintest smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. His ice-blue eyes glint with a trace of irony, watching me with something close to fond amusement.
“People usually do what I ask,” he says softly. Then, almost like a confession, “Except you, Lena.”
His smirk lingers, like I’m both the exception and the reason he enjoys the game. “You treat every move I make like it’s some kind of test I have to pass.”
He always makes it sound like he understands me, but somehow, he always twists it, until I can’t tell which way is up. He crosses his arms, looking at me like I’ve just insulted his entire moral code. Then he straightens, tone shifting.
“But since we’re talking about accusations now, let me be clear. I only do business with vetted people,” he says, voice edged with offense. “I don’t associate with just anyone. And in my clubs, there are rules. Not everyone gets in.”
A pause. “Anton isn’t welcome in mine anymore.”
I arch an eyebrow, skeptical. “Since when?”
“Since a certain bossy woman told me I wasn’t paying enough attention. So I started paying attention.”
He leans in slightly, his voice low, almost gentle. “Anton’s out.”
I stare at him, stunned. How am I supposed to fight him when he says exactly what I need to hear, without hesitation, without games?
It’s unnerving, the way he sees me. The way he knows.
My knees suddenly feel like they don’t belong to me anymore, and I let myself perch on the edge of the table.
He’s in my head, messing with my logic, getting under my skin. And it’s scary.
Dominic watches me closely, serious… no trace of sarcasm.
Like he knows exactly what kind of storm is building inside me, and he’s just waiting to see how I weather it.
Then, as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world, he drops this: “If I’d known how badly you needed to speak to the Mayor, I would’ve handled it.
He comes to Minerva every week. I reserve his table.
My chef makes him a fish favorite dish every time. ”
I grip my bag lightly between my palms, doing my best to stay unimpressed. But my brain is spinning.
Shit. Does this man have a solution for every single one of my problems? Every need I’ve been chasing?
Taking down Anton was never about fear; it was about getting access. And Dominic has all of it.
Should I be worried about how tempting this is? And more than that, why is he offering it to me?
I run my fingers along the edge of the table, then close my hand into a tight fist, like I’m trying to keep my hesitation from showing. I swallow hard. It’s not panic. It’s just—I never thought I’d be saying this. Not to him.
“Dominic Monti,” I say slowly, meeting his eyes, “you just turned a scandalous proposal into an offer I can’t refuse."
I give it a second to sink in. “But don’t think that means you’ve won. I want terms. Clear terms.”
Something flickers behind his eyes, satisfaction, maybe even relief. He takes a long look at me, like he’s already imagining what it’ll be like when I finally say yes. And for a split second, I can tell he wants to step closer, not because he has to, but because he wants me to know he could.
“I would’ve helped you with the Mayor even without the marriage thing,” he says, voice calm now. “I don’t want you to think I’m using this to pressure you.”
I meet his eyes, trying to read him. “You want me to back out?”
He huffs a quiet laugh. “I doubt you could, Sassy. I’m already talking to the lawyers. Tomorrow night we’ll have dinner and go over the details.”
I run a hand through my hair, blinking like I misheard. “The lawyers?”
“You’ll understand. Just come to dinner.”
I still have that urge to say no, just to wipe that smug smile off his face. But the truth is, deep down, I already said yes. To all of it.
I give a quick nod, grab my bag, and head straight for the door. I need to leave. Too many things are spiraling out of control. But before I can get out, his hand closes firmly around my elbow.
“We’re leaving together, Sassy. I just told him you’re my fiancée.”
I roll my eyes. “That Sassy thing has got to go.”
Dominic lets out a short laugh, then leans in slightly, his voice dropping to something intimate. “Sure. We’ll switch to wifey .”
I shoot him a look but don’t answer. Instead, I let him guide me into the crowded room, with this strange sense that something in my world just shifted. His palm rests on my arm, firm, and his fingers move lightly against my skin, like he’s testing my reaction.
I swallow hard. Not the time for this. The fallout hits the moment we step into the main hall. Whispers start up immediately, heads turning as we pass. The back of my neck prickles.
Of course they’re staring. Because why wouldn’t this day get worse? What the hell did Anton tell them? Or… oh no. Shit. Maybe this isn’t even about Anton. Maybe it’s just the Dominic effect. Him showing up with a woman? Instant scandal.
I scan over the heads around us, avoiding eye contact.
I don’t need to see the curiosity in their eyes or hear the silent speculation.
With my gaze locked on the exit, I practically drag Dominic behind me.
But he won’t be rushed. Instead, he adjusts his steps to slow me down, to make me move in sync with him.
Like he’s already decided we’re a we now, and I’d better get used to it.
Just when I think I might get through this without a scene, she appears. A stunning blonde breaks away from the group near the podium and makes a beeline for us—her expression a perfect storm of shock and fury.
“Dominic, are you serious? You’re engaged?” She takes a sharp breath, her voice rising. “Then why the hell did you tell me to meet you here?”
Her eyes narrow. “Are you shitting me?”
Awesome. Here we go. Dominic and his women.
I feel him tense beside me. He runs a hand through his hair, that move I’ve already learned means he’s caught off guard. Then his eyes flick to me, and for a split second, he seems to be searching my face for a signal, an out, anything.
“It’s not what it looks like,” he murmurs next to my ear. His voice is calm, but there’s a hint of caution in it.
“She just wanted me to add her as my plus-one so she could get in, be seen, and meet people. I wasn’t even planning to show up.”
The blonde’s eyes widen, offended. She pinches the edge of her silk dress like she’s holding back a full-blown reaction.
Perfect. I couldn’t ask for a better cue.
I stop abruptly, pivot toward Dominic, and slide one hand to his back, the other to his chest, pressing myself against him.
His muscles tense beneath my palms, coiled with restraint.
His expression shifts, eyebrows slightly raised, eyes dark with surprise, and the corner of his mouth twitching like he’s already enjoying the show.
I smile and speak with the kind of poised clarity that leaves no room for misunderstanding. “I’m Lena, Dominic’s fiancée. I’m sorry for the confusion.”
I catch the way her jaw locks, but I don’t flinch.
I’m not here to impress her, I’m here to make a point.
Instead, I rise up on my toes, let my lips hover near Dominic’s ear, inhale that warm, woody scent of his, and whisper just for him: “You’re lucky I agreed to marry you before we left that room.
I can’t wait to meet those lawyers. Get ready for a lifelong negotiation. ”
His breath stutters for a second. Then, like he’s doing it just to push a boundary, his fingers slide along my waist, barely a touch, but enough to light something raw under my skin.
I hold my posture, not pulling back, waiting to see if he plays along.
Of course, he does. He flashes me that smug little smile, and with a voice full of promise, he murmurs: “Always ready. Always patient. You just made the wait worth it, Sassy.”