Page 37

Her head tilts slightly. "I thought this was already the case. Because you don't trust me."

"Wrong. Because I don't trustthem," I correct her. "My brother will be there. The Volkovs, too. Your father… possibly. A room full of people who would use you to hurt me."

"Is that what I am now?" she asks, stepping closer until our bodies nearly touch. "A vulnerability rather than an asset?"

The elevator stops, the doors opening to our private floor. I capture her wrist before she can exit, pulling her against me with one swift movement.

"You aremine," I growl against her ear, feeling her shiver against me.

Her pulse races beneath my fingers, her breathing shallow against my chest. "And if I still plan to escape? To use Paris as my opportunity?"

"Do you have a plan?"

She shrugs, eyes locked on mine. "I haven't decided yet."

"Then if you do…" I smile against her hair, inhaling her jasmine scent. "I'll hunt you across continents, princess. I'll burn cities to find you. And when I do—"

I catch it… that flash in her dark eyes.

"And when you do?" Francesca's voice comes out breathless, her body pressed against mine in the elevator.

Her pupils dilate further, soft pink lips parting just enough to tempt me closer. My cock hardens instantly at that look, at how her body betrays her even as she plays at resistance.

"I-I'll—"

"You'll punish me," she finishes for me, speaking over me in a way that only she would get away with. "So you keep promising, Dante."

The challenge in her gaze awakens something primal in me. Without thinking, I back her against the elevator wall, one hand tangling in her hair to tilt her face upward.

"You don't believe I will?"

She shrugs despite my grip in her hair tightening. "You keep saying it, yet… here we are."

"Well, perhaps it's time for a demonstration," I murmur, my free hand sliding to her throat. "A reminder of who holds the power between us."

Her eyes widen before me. "Here? In an elevator?"

"Here. Now." I slam the STOP button so the doors don't close and lower my mouth to her ear. "On your knees, princess."

She hesitates, aware of the security cameras, of the staff sweeping through our suite who might interrupt at any moment. Then, slowly, deliberately, she sinks to her knees before me, those sinful fucking eyes never leaving mine.

The sight of her kneeling sends blood rushing to my cock, hardening it painfully against my zipper. I trace her lower lip with my thumb, watching it part beneath my touch.

"Open," I command roughly.

She obeys, her lips parting as I press my thumb into the wet heat of her mouth. Her tongue swirls around the knuckle, slow and wet, like an implicit promise that nearly ruins my control.

And not for a single moment does she stop staring into my eyes.

"This is what awaits you," I tell her, removing my thumb to trace her dampened lip. "A world of absolute pleasure when you obey. But severe consequences when you don't. The choice, as always, is yours."

She bites her lip, but not before I catch the small whimper trying to escape.

I step back, allowing her to rise. Her hands fist in my jacket, whether to push me away or pull me closer, I'm not sure she even knows.

"Now," I say, offering my arm as the perfect gentleman should. "We have a masquerade to prepare for, and I intend to ensure you outshine every woman there."

She takes my arm, her composure reasserting itself with impressive speed.