Alicia's POV

I turned back toward the crowd and that was when I did a double take.

There was a man in the VIP booth and not just any man by the looks of it.

He stood out in a way that made the rest of the room blur. Everyone else was talking, laughing, drinking and leaning toward one another like vultures dressed in expensive suits but this man sat still.. perfectly still in an uncanny sort of way.

The booth itself was raised, guarded and dimly lit. Whoever sat there had to be insanely rich.. the kind of rich that didn't need to show it. Multi-billionaire among billionaires kind of rich.

His face was sharp and unreadable with no smile, no frown and no interest in the people around him. His eyes... grey and coldly focused... were locked on me.

He didn't blink for once and rhe moment our eyes met, something surged through me.

It wasn't normal.. it felt like electricity shot straight through my chest and down my spine. My breath caught, my fingers tingled and my heart skipped like it had forgotten how to work for half a second. Not just that but I suddenly felt a strong arousal and a feeling of attraction towards him.

What the hell was that?

I almost missed a step.. almost. My heel wobbled and panic flashed through me but I forced myself to steady. I finished the pose, turned smoothly and walked back like nothing had happened.

In my head, I was freaking out.

Get it together, Alicia!

He was just a man.. a very rich, very intense man. Probably used to eye fucking women like they were things he could buy.

I lifted my chin, annoyed now. Fine. Eye-fuck me all you like, rich stranger. I've seen worse!

By the time I disappeared behind the curtains, my heart was still racing as I tried to figure out what in the actual fuck had just happened back there!

The auction wrapped up quickly after that as applause echoed through the hall, people stood amd voices rose. The models began to scatter backstage, some laughing, some checking phone and others already being pulled aside by designers or buyers.

Maureen rushed toward me the second she saw me.

"Oh my God." she squealed, grabbing my arms. "Alicia. Alicia. Did you see them? You killed it. Absolutely murdered them!"

I huffed.

"Relax."

"No, I'm serious." she said. "You were the sexiest one out there tonight. Hands down. This is a big win. A big one."

"I just want to go home." I muttered.

Someone suddenly cleared their throat behind us.

I froze and slowly, I turned.

Oh my gosh... It was him!

Up close, he was... worse.. or better. I couldn't decide.

He was tall with broad shoulders filling out a perfectly tailored black three-piece suit, black hair brushed back falling just past his shoulders. His face was all sharp lines and quiet danger and grey eyes that looked like they'd seen too much and cared about none of it. He looked even more unreal standing this close.

"Miss." he said calmly.

His voice was deep, smooth and controlled. My knees almost betrayed me at the sound of it and I felt an embarrassing wetness between my legs.

I swallowed.

"Yes?"

"You were exceptional tonight."

He didn't smile but something about the way he said it made my stomach flip.

"Thank you." I said, hoping my voice sounded normal.

Maureen immediately stepped forward, flashing her brightest smile.

"She really was, wasn't she? Alicia has always had that effect on people."

He didn't even look at her.. his eyes stayed on me.

"I bought your dress." he said.

"Oh." I said dumbly. "Okay."

"But I want more than the dress."

He let the words hung for a while between us.

"I want your body."

Silence suddenly crashed down on us. Maureen and I stared at him and then at each other.

"What?" I blurted.

He studied my face like he was weighing something and then he reached into his suit and pulled out a folder so crisp and white.

"There's a contract." he said calmly. "If you're interested."

"For what exactly?" I asked.

"Your body in exchange for twenty million dollars which will be paid right now."

Maureen gasped.

Then... before I could even process what was happening... she snatched the folder from his hands.

"Twenty million dollars?" she whispered.

He nodded.

"Paid immediately."

Her eyes went wide.

"Deal!"

She signed..! Just like that!

My brain short-circuited.

"What the fuck?!" I shouted. "Maureen!"

She grabbed my arm and dragged me a few steps away.

"Lower your voice!"

"You just sold me like a prostitute!" I hissed.

"For your own good." she whispered fiercely. "We need this money."

"I'm not a prostitute!"

She scoffed.

"Don't act holy. This wouldn't be the first time you fuck a man for money! We've both done things before when we were desperate."

She sighed and looked around agitatedly.

"This is one night." she said. "One night with a rich man and then you're back home. Twenty million dollars, Alicia. One in a million."

I shook my head.

"No."

"We'll be homeless." she snapped. "We only have three days. Remember?"

I clenched my fists. Damn her! Damn the situation and damn the fucking empty shoebox!

After a long moment, I took the pen and I signed too. One night of fucking a stranger won't kill me.. I guess.

When we returned, I handed the folder back.

"It's done." I said stiffly.

For the first time, I thought I saw something flicker in his eyes.. not a smile though.. but an emotion at last. He turned and gestured to another man nearby.

"Damon." he said. "Take her home. Make sure she's comfortable. I'll be there shortly."

The man nodded.

Damon was tall too, built like a wall and his eyes were sharp and assessing.

Maureen accepted a fat cheque with shaking hands as Damon led me away.

Outside, a black limousine waited with the inside of it all leather seats, quietness and power.

The drive felt unreal and at last.. we arrived at a towering penthouse surrounded by armed men in suits.. giving me the feeling this man was a no nonsense man.

Damon led me to a bedroom.

"Servants are available. Clothes are in the wardrobe and the boss will be here soon."

"He better hurry." I muttered. "I want to get this over with and get out of this place."

Damon smiled in a pitying way.

"Didn't you read the contract?" he asked softly.

My stomach dropped.

"No.. why?"

"You're his property now." He explained. "You belong to the Boss."

Alicia's POV

"What the actual fuck?"

The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them.

Damon just chuckled and it wasn't a warm friendly sound.. it was the kind of chuckle you'd hear from a wolf right before it ate you!

"Maybe you should read things before you sign them, sweetheart," he said, leaning against a wall that probably cost more than my entire life.

"I wasn't even told anything!"

My mind was racing mow and then it hit me. My friend Maureen had sold me..! And I was stupid to sign the papers without reading it through.. I thought this was to be a one night stand!

Damon's smile spread slightly in pitty.

"What happened back there was a business transaction, love.. a simple exchange and you are the product. You're the boss's property now."

The air left my lungs in a whoosh. My trusted friend, my ride-or-die Maureen had taken a stack of cash and sold me!

"I want out," I said with my voice trembling with fear and rage. "Right now. This is insane!"

Damon just pushed off the wall and headed for the door.

"Yeah, I'm afraid you'll have to take that up with the boss."

"Who is he? What does he want?" I demanded with desperation.

But the door was already clicking shut behind him, leaving me alone in a silent rich prison.

When that terrifyingly intense man said he wanted my body, I thought... well, I thought it was going to be a one-night thing. A stupid, reckless, potentially mind-blowing fuck but this? He'd bought me. To be what? His personal, full-time fuck toy?!

A defeated llaugh bubbled up in my throat. This was so much worse!

The dress I was wearing... the one from the fashion auction... suddenly felt like it was strangling me so I practically ripped it off with my fingers fumbling with the tiny clasp. I needed my jeans and my worn-out t-shirt.. normal clothes.. my armor.

I marched to the massive wardrobe and threw the doors open and then I just stared.

There was nothing in there but lingerie and not the cute, cotton kind. I'm talking lace so delicate it looked like a spider's web and... were those stripper outfits?

I slammed the doors shut with my heart pounding. After a frantic search through the drawers, I found a couple of simple long nightgowns. They were still ridiculously silky and expensive-feeling but they covered me so I put one on.

Then, I waited. I sat on the edge of the ridiculously large bed, every nerve ending on high alert listening for a footstep and the turn of a doorknob but nothing came.

The silence was deafening and after what felt like an eternity, I finally worked up the nerve to lock the door from the inside and rhe soft click of the bolt was the most comforting sound I'd heard all night.

I didn't sleep.. I mean, I might have dozed off for a few minutes here and there but every little creak of the penthouse jolted me awake.

My brain was on a merry-go-round of panic, switching between 'Oh my god, I've been sold' and 'What on earth does this guy want?'

The next morning.. a sharp knock on the door had me shooting upright and my heart leaped into my throat.. this was it. Showtime..

I scrambled to the door and yanked it open, ready to face my mysterious captor.

It was just a maid.. a young woman with nervous eyes, holding a breakfast tray.

"For you, miss," she mumbled, not quite meeting my gaze.

The adrenaline crash left me dizzy.

"Where is he? The... the owner of this place?"

"He left very early this morning, miss," she said, her voice barely a whisper as she set the tray down.

"What the fuck?" I blurted out.

He buys a human being and then just... leaves for the day? What kind of psycho does that?

"When will he be back? What's his name? Please, you have to tell me something."

But she just shook her head with a flicker of genuine fear in her eyes and practically scurried out of the room, closing the door firmly behind her.

I was fucking trapped!

A whole day stretched out before me silently and terrifying. I tried calling Maureen.. I wanted to scream at her, to demand answers and to hear her pathetic excuses but my phone had zero bars. It had been like that since I arrived.. probably not a coincidence.

The day dragged on with each hour slower than the last. I was alone with my terrifying thoughts in a gorgeous soulless prison and ny the time night fell again, I was on the verge of running mad!

Then.. a soft knock on the door.. the maid again, I thought, maybe with dinner. I padded over and opened the door but it wasn't the maid.

He stood there, filling the doorway.. the man from the club. He was even more devastatingly handsome and infinitely more terrifying and just like at the club, my body betrayed me instantly.

That traitorous flush of heat, the pooling low in my belly and the sudden arousal washed over me again. My brain was screaming 'DANGER!' but my body was apparently waving a little white flag of surrender.

He didn't say a word.. just stepped calmly into the room as I instinctively backed away. He sat elegantly in a plush armchair facing the bed and gestured for me to sit on the the bed.

I was reluctant with every instinct telling me to run but where would I go? So I sat, perching on the very edge of the mattress.

"What do you want with me?" The questions tumbled out of me. "Who are you? You can't keep me here! This is kidnapping!"

He watched me with his gaze unnervingly calm.

"I told you what I want," he said, his voice a low rumble. "It's your body I need and you sold it to me, remember."

The bluntness of it should have horrified me.. it did horrify me but, god help me, a fresh wave of heat washed through me, making me shudder and I felt myself getting wetter between the legs and I hated myself for it!

"Who the fuck are you?" I demanded with my voice shaking.

A faint dangerous smile touched his lips.

"I am known by many names but formally, I am called Dmitri Hunt."

Dmitri fucking Hunt?! I shot to my feet with my blood running cold.

Oh no. No, no, no. Everyone in the city knew that name.. Don Dmitri Hunt! The head of the Velvet Mafia! A ghost story told in whispers! A man who made problems... and people... disappear! A man whose name was well known but only few who knew his face lived long enough to tell the tale!

"Oh, god... please," I stammered with my heart trying to beat its way out of my chest. "You have to let me go. I don't know anything! I'm nobody!"

He stood too and I backed up until the backs of my knees hit the bed and I sat down hard.

He didn't stop.. he sat down right next to me with his large body crowding my space. He leaned in close and to my utter astonishment, he... sniffed me like an animal scenting its prey and then a low soft growl rumbled in his throat.

"You don't need to fear me," he murmured in a sexy whisper that did things to me I couldn't control. "I'm not going to hurt you."

But his hands were already moving, one coming up to cup my breast with his thumb brushing over my nipple.

I gasped, jerking back.

"What the fuck.. Stop!"

He ignored me with his other hand sliding to my hip.

"I know you want this," he growled softly with his face so close to mine I could feel his breath. "Your body wants me and it's screaming for me. Do us both a favor and stop pretending."

And then his mouth was suddenly on mine, claiming me in a kiss that was hard and demanding while his hand squeezed my breast...!

Alicia's POV

The moment his mouth crashed onto mine, my brain short-circuited. A screaming protest died in my throat, smothered by the startling heat of his kiss.

My hands which had been braced against his chest to shove him away betrayed me completely. Instead of pushing, my fingers curled into the soft expensive fabric of his shirt, holding on for dear life.

What are you doing, you idiot? Push him! my mind shrieked but my body had a different set of instructions.

A traitorous moan vibrated in my chest as his tongue explored my mouth, tasting of mint and something darkly intoxicating.

His hands which had been so cold and businesslike hours ago were now setting my skin on fire. One slid down my back, pressing me flush against him while the other cupped my breast, his thumb brushing over my nipple through the nightgown. A jolt of pure pleasure shot straight to my core.

I tried to pull back, to break the spell.

"Stop... we shouldn't..." My voice was a weak breathy whisper that sounded nothing like me.

Dmitri pulled back just enough to look at me, his dark eyes gleaming with knowing amusement.

"Your body says otherwise, kitten." he murmured with his voice in a low rumble. "It's begging. Stop pretending."

Before I could muster a real argument, his mouth was on my neck and all coherent thought vanished. He walked me backward until my knees hit the edge of the ridiculously large bed and I tumbled onto the sheets. He followed me down like a predator finally claiming his prize.

He kissed a blazing trail down my body, pushing the nightgown up as he went. When his mouth closed over one sensitive pebbled nipple, I cried out, my back arching off the bed. It was too much. It was not enough. My hands flew to his hair not to pull him away but to hold him right there.

"God..." I gasped.

He just chuckled against my skin, the vibration doing wicked things to me.

"Not God. Just Dmitri."

He continued his journey south, kissing and licking his way past my navel, over my trembling stomach until he reached the waistband of my panties.

He hooked his fingers into them and in one swift move, they were gone. I was completely exposed to him and instead of fear, a hot shocking wave of anticipation swept through me.. then his mouth was on me and I literally saw stars.

My entire world narrowed to the point where his tongue was making lazy devastating circles against my clit. I'd been eaten out before, sure. But this? This was like comparing a campfire to a volcanic eruption.

A broken keening sound escaped my lips and my hips lifted off the bed of their own accord, seeking more pressure, more friction, more him!

"Please..." I wasn't even sure what I was begging for. More? Don't stop? I'd lost all control.

He slid two fingers inside me, curling them just right and I shattered as my orgasm ripped through me so violently I thought I might break apart. I was gasping, my legs shaking, my fingers tangled in his dark hair holding him to me as I rode out the waves of pleasure.

When the last tremor subsided he looked up at me, his chin glistening. My face flushed with embarrassment and residual ecstasy.

"Should I stop?" he asked with his voice sounding husky. The arrogant confidence was still there but it was layered with something else... raw hunger.

I couldn't speak. I couldn't form words. All I could do was look at him, my chest heaving and give a tiny almost imperceptible shake of my head. No. Don't stop.

He understood. With a dark satisfied smile, he surged up and stripped off his clothes. My eyes went wide.

Oh. Wow. I'd heard descriptions like 'well-endowed' before, but this was something else entirely. His dick was... monumental.. thick, long, and rock-hard. A fresh thrill of nervous excitement shot through me.

He tugged my nightgown off over my head, leaving us both naked. He positioned himself between my legs and I held my breath. He teased me, rubbing the broad head of his cock through my wet pussy making me whimper with need.

"Please." I whispered again, this time knowing exactly what I wanted.

He pushed in just the tip, stretching me exquisitely rhen with a slow controlled thrust, he buried himself to the hilt.

I cried out in a sharp sound that melted into a long low moan. He filled me completely, every inch of him. He started to move in a deep rhythmic pace that had me seeing stars all over again.

I wrapped my legs around his waist, pulling him deeper, meeting his thrusts and the room was filled with the sound of our skin slapping together, my ragged moans and his low grunts.

"Right there... oh God, right there." I chanted, completely lost to the sensation.

I felt the coil of another orgasm tightening deep inside me, building faster and hotter than before. This one felt different, bigger, more overwhelming.

When it broke, I screamed his name as pleasure detonated through every nerve ending. My body convulsed and a warm gush of squirt soaked the sheets between us. I was dimly aware of my legs trembling violently against his sides.

Before I could even come down from the high, he flipped me over onto my stomach, pulling my hips up so my ass was in the air and he entered me from behind, his thrusts becoming harder, more possessive.

The sound of his hand connecting with my ass was loud in the room followed by a sting that morphed into a deep throbbing heat that only made the friction inside me more intense.

"Yes!" I heard myself sob, pushing back against him, completely mindless.

His pace became frantic and I felt my own climax building again impossibly matching his rhythm. He groaned my name as his dick pulsed deep inside me. We came together, collapsing in a sweaty breathless heap on the cum soaked sheets.

We lay there for what felt like an eternity, the only sound our ragged breathing. My mind was utterly blissfully blank. Then, without a word, he slid out of me and got up.

I heard his footsteps pad across the room followed by the sound of a glass panel sliding open. A cool breeze washed over my heated skin. He'd gone out onto the balcony.

The silence he left behind was deafening. Guilt came crashing down on me like a ton of bricks.

What did you just do, Alicia? my brain yelled, finally back online. You just let the head of the Velvet Mafia, a man who probably murders people before breakfast, give you the best orgasms of your life. You didn't just let him. You begged for it. You enjoyed it!

I curled into a ball, horrified at myself. I was a prisoner, a possession! And I'd moaned like a wanton harlot for my captor. This was so messed up!

I was just starting to spiral into a full-blown panic of self-loathing when I heard it.

A low, strained groan from the balcony.

I froze. What was that? It didn't sound like a satisfied sigh. It sounded... pained.

The groaning continued, mixed with a weird ragged breathing and a soft cracking sound.

My heart started to thud again but this time with fear, not pleasure. Was he okay? Was he... masturbating? Was one round with me not enough for him?

Cautiously, I sat up. I pulled the robe from the foot of the bed and wrapped it around myself, tying the belt with trembling fingers. The groaning got louder, more strained. It was a horrible almost animalistic sound.

Tiptoeing across the room, I approached the open glass door. The balcony was dark, shrouded in shadow. I could just make out his silhouette leaning heavily against the railing, his back to me, his shoulders hunched.

"D-Dmitri?" I whispered with my voice shaky.

He didn't answer. Another gut-wrenching groan escaped him, followed by that same cracking popping sound like someone stepping on dry twigs.

My fear evaporated, replaced by a sudden stupid wave of concern. Maybe he was having a heart attack! Maybe he was sick!

I slid the glass door open the rest of the way and stepped out onto the cool balcony tiles.

"Hey, are you al..."

The words died in my throat followed by a piercing and terrifying scream...