ARES

I watched him on the security monitor long after he left my office.

Nico Rivera.

Former marine. Sharp reflexes. No family. No attachments.

And exactly the kind of man who’d test every one of my rules before he ever bent to them.

Good.

I didn’t hire obedience.

I hired resistance I could conquer.

He moved around the bedroom—his room now—with slow, cautious steps. Like he didn’t trust the walls not to swallow him whole. Smart. I respected caution. It meant he was always alert. Always prepared.

But not even he was prepared for what I had planned.

NICO

The knock came at 11:47 p.m.

Not a security call. Not an emergency.

It was him.

Ares stood at the door in black slacks and nothing else. Shirtless. Hair slightly tousled. Chest bare and sculpted like a sin carved from marble.

He didn't speak. Just looked at me like he already owned me.

“Everything okay?” I asked, keeping my voice calm, even as my pulse did somersaults.

“I want to review your positioning. How you stand. Move. React.”

At midnight?

I opened the door and stepped aside, letting him in. His scent—fresh citrus and smoke—hit me instantly. Expensive and masculine and maddening.

“Let’s begin,” he said, standing in the center of the room. “Disarm me.”

I blinked. “What?”

“You heard me.”

He didn’t wait for my response. He stepped toward me, slow and deliberate. I dropped into a defensive stance instinctively. His body was relaxed, but his eyes were alert—this wasn’t just a test. This was a game.

And I didn’t like losing.

I lunged, going for the pressure point on his shoulder. He dodged effortlessly, grabbing my wrist, twisting. I countered, swept his leg—but he didn’t fall.

He moved too fast. Too fluid.

Eventually, I got him into a chokehold, one arm around his throat, body pinned against the wall.

“Disarmed,” I breathed.

His back arched slightly under my grip, his lips curving.

“Impressive,” he murmured. “But you made one mistake.”

Before I could process it, he flipped us. Now I was the one pinned. My chest hit the wall. His body pressed behind mine. Solid. Heavy. Hot.

“You let your guard down once you were in control,” he whispered at my ear. “Never do that again.”

I sucked in a breath as he leaned in closer, his breath sliding down the back of my neck.

“You need to understand something, Nico.”

I didn’t move.

“I’m not testing your strength,” he said. “I’m testing your surrender.”

His hand ran down my side, stopping at my hip. Fingers digging just hard enough to send a warning.

“You said you don’t kneel,” he murmured. “But eventually… you will.”

I turned my head to meet his eyes.

“And when I do?” I challenged. “Then what?”

He smiled like a wolf.

“Then you’ll beg.”

Later That Night…

I couldn’t sleep.

Not with his hands still burning on my skin.

Not with the memory of his voice whispering commands like they were promises.

I paced my room, heart still thudding like a drum. What the hell was I doing here?

This was no ordinary job. This wasn’t guarding a man.

This was surviving one.

And worse? Part of me… liked the danger.

ARES

At 2:12 a.m., he came to my room.

Didn’t knock. Just walked in.

Nico stood there in a loose T-shirt and sweats, barefoot. His jaw was tight. Like he hated himself for whatever he was about to do.

Perfect.

“What is it?” I asked, lounging in bed, shirtless, sheets rumpled.

He didn’t answer immediately. Just stared.

“I want to make one thing clear,” he said, stepping forward. “I don’t belong to anyone.”

“Not yet.”

His jaw ticked.

“But if this is going where I think it is,” he added, voice lower now, “I need you to understand—I don’t play games.”

I sat up slowly, letting the sheet slide off my torso.

“I do,” I said. “But I never lose.”

He stopped at the edge of the bed. One more step, and he’d be in my world. My rules.

“So what happens,” he asked, “if I break one of your rules?”

My smile was slow, predatory.

“You’ll be punished.”

Silence stretched. Heat pulsed in the air between us.

Then he took that final step.

And I pulled him down to me.

NICO

I shouldn’t have come.

I told myself that all the way to his bedroom. Told myself again as I stepped past the threshold. And I was still saying it in my head when I let him pull me onto the bed like I belonged there.

But I didn’t stop him.

Ares was already shirtless, the muscles of his chest glowing faintly in the warm light. His skin was cool silk over hard steel. My hands landed on his shoulders, not to push him away—but to steady myself.

To brace for impact.

He didn’t rush. That was the worst part.

He touched me slowly. Possessively. Like I was something expensive he’d just purchased and intended to fully enjoy.

Fingers slid beneath my shirt, pushing it up, grazing my skin. When it cleared over my head and hit the floor, he let out a quiet sound—half approval, half hunger.

“You were made for obedience,” he murmured.

“No,” I said, breath hitching. “I wasn’t.”

He smirked. “You keep telling yourself that.”

Then he kissed me.

God. The man could kiss.

It wasn’t soft. It wasn’t sweet. It was dominance in motion—his mouth slanting over mine, tongue pushing past my lips, teeth dragging over my bottom lip like he owned it.

I kissed him back with everything I had.

His hand gripped the back of my neck, holding me there. The other skimmed down my chest, fingers spreading wide over my abdomen.

“You’re holding back,” he whispered.

I glared at him. “I’m not one of your playthings.”

He chuckled. “No. You’re better. You fight.”

His palm slid lower, fingers grazing the edge of my waistband. “But I’ll win.”

I grabbed his wrist. “Don’t.”

He froze.

I met his eyes—black and burning—and for a moment, we didn’t move. His breath ghosted against my cheek. His voice dropped, low and sharp.

“When you say no,” he said, “I stop.”

Silence stretched.

Then I let go of his wrist.

He didn’t move.

“You’re still testing me,” he said, watching me.

“Maybe,” I said. “Maybe I want to see if you mean what you say.”

He leaned in, mouth brushing mine.

“Test me all you want, Nico. Just know I’ll test you back.”

This time, when his hand slid into my pants, I didn’t stop him.

I let him touch me.

I let him take control.

And somewhere in the mess of sweat and breath and whispered curses, I realized something I didn’t want to admit.

He wasn’t breaking me.

I was letting him.

ARES

He was beautiful like this.

Laid out under me, shirtless, breath ragged, jaw clenched in defiance and desire. His body obeyed even when his mind resisted. His pulse spiked when I bit down on his collarbone. His hips lifted when I palmed him through his pants. His hands fisted the sheets but didn’t push me away.

He wanted this.

He just hated that he did.

I didn’t need words from him.

His body told me everything.

When he came undone, it was with my name gritted between his teeth, his chest heaving, sweat glistening on his skin. I didn’t kiss him after—didn’t offer comfort.

I just watched him.

Watched the way his walls cracked a little more.

And the hunger behind his eyes stayed.

Good.

This was only the beginning.

NICO

I didn’t sleep.

Not because I was ashamed.

But because I was furious.

Furious at him for being so calm after what we’d done.

Furious at myself for needing more.

I left his bed at 4 a.m., dressed in silence, heart hammering.

And just before I stepped out, I looked back at him.

He was already watching me.

Lying there in the dark, one hand under his head, those damn eyes locked on mine like he already knew I’d return.

“Go ahead,” he said softly. “Run.”

I didn’t answer.

I just walked out, closing the door behind me.

But I knew he was right.

I’d be back.

NICO

I didn’t sleep the next night either.

Not because of guilt—no, that wasn’t it.

It was the silence that kept me awake. The echo of Ares’s voice in my head, the memory of his touch still burned into my skin.

My body remembered everything.

And I hated how much I wanted more.

I trained harder than usual at the gym that morning, trying to sweat him out of my system. It didn’t work. Nothing worked. Not even when I pressed a cold shower to my burning neck. Not even when I distracted myself with clients, meetings, and a few flirty texts from a hookup I barely remembered.

Ares had ruined all of it.

I didn’t want anyone else.

And I didn’t know what the hell that meant.

He texted me that night.

Ares: You left something behind.

Me: What?

Ares: Your self-control.

I almost threw my phone across the room.

Instead, I sent one word:

Me: Asshole.

The three dots showed he was typing again… then disappeared.

I stared at the screen for five minutes.

He never replied.

Bastard.

ARES

I wasn’t in the business of chasing.

I didn’t need to be.

People came to me. Offered themselves, begged for my time, my money, my attention.

But Nico?

He didn’t beg.

He resisted.

And that made him irresistible.

I watched him from the security cameras that dotted my estate. He had no idea just how many angles I could see him from. His jaw was tight, his eyes unreadable. But every so often—when he thought no one was looking—he let the tension drop.

That’s when I knew.

He was still thinking about me.

I wanted to ruin him slowly. Not just his body. His mind. His control. His idea that he could walk away from this.

Because I wasn’t just keeping him for pleasure.

I was keeping him for a reason.

And eventually, he’d understand.

NICO

I got the call three days later.

“Package for you,” the concierge said.

“I didn’t order anything,” I replied.

“It’s from Ares Castelli.”

Shit.

I went down to pick it up. It was a black velvet box—too elegant, too deliberate. Inside was a simple silver chain.

And a note.

You looked good on your knees. Try wearing this next time you are.

My face went hot. My body betrayed me instantly. I hated the way my cock twitched just from a few arrogant words.

I threw the box across the room.

But not before pocketing the chain.

ARES

He didn’t respond to the gift.

He didn’t return my calls.

But I saw it.

Two days later, under his shirt at the corner of his throat—the chain glinting beneath his collar.

Good boy.

He was falling.

He just didn’t know it yet.

NICO

The night I broke was unplanned.

I was working late, alone in the empty back office of my security firm. It was quiet, the hum of surveillance monitors around me. I should’ve gone home.

Instead, I opened my messages.

Me: Come over.

No reply.

Ten minutes passed.

Then…

Ares: Open the door.

The fucker had been downstairs the whole time.

I buzzed him in.

When he walked in, he didn’t say a word.

Neither did I.

I backed against the wall.

He stalked forward like a wolf who already knew the outcome.

His hands gripped my wrists, pinning them above my head.

His mouth hovered inches from mine.

“You really want to play this game again?” he asked.

“This isn’t a game.”

“Oh, Nico…” He grinned. “It is. And you’re losing.”

I kissed him before he could say another word.

Or maybe he kissed me.

It didn’t matter.

I tore at his clothes. He shoved mine halfway off. We didn’t even make it to the desk. My back hit the cold surface, his hand tangled in my hair, my thighs spreading before I could think better of it.

I should’ve stopped.

I didn’t.

And when he pulled the chain from my neck and wrapped it around his fist, tugging my mouth back to his—

I let him.

God help me.

I let him.

ARES

He screamed my name this time.

No restraint.

No hesitation.

He gave me everything.

And that night, when I left him sprawled across the desk, flushed and breathless, I bent down and whispered in his ear:

“You’re mine now.”

He didn’t argue.

UNKNOWN VIEWER – CCTV FEED LOG: 03:42 a.m.

A private line crackled.

A deep voice spoke into the dark.

“They’ve made contact again.”

A pause.

Then a second voice answered:

“Good. Keep watching. He’ll lead us straight to the truth.”