Page 17 of The Rules

A low hum rumbles from his chest. Thoughtful. Unbothered. Maybe even amused. “That all?”

Blondie smirks, shifting her weight just enough to let the silk robe slip slightly off one shoulder. A tease. A warning.

“Oh, and don’t fall in love.” She lets it hang, watching for any sign—an arch of a brow, a shift in his gaze.

Nothing.

“Ruins the fun,” she adds, chin lifting a fraction. A dare, quiet but deliberate.

Still, he just watches. Calm. Unmoved. Like a loaded gun resting on velvet—dangerous, but utterly at ease.

It gets under her skin.

Most men lean forward. He holds still. Most chase. He waits.

And that kind of restraint? That kind of unshakable control?

She’s not planning anything. But the question stays.

The music wraps around them like smoke, each beat a deliberate pulse against her skin. Kath lets it guide her, but doesn't surrender to it. No—she owns it, bends it to her will. Every movement becomes a statement, a declaration of control.

Her shoulders roll back, slow and precise. Silk whispers against her skin, catching the low light. Her hands follow a practiced path down her body, fingertips skimming over lace and bare skin. She doesn't rush. Doesn't give him more than necessary. Each gesture maps out exactly where his gaze should fall, leading him like a puppet on invisible strings.

She studies him through lowered lashes. He hasn't moved—hasn't even shifted in his chair. But his eyes... they stay fixed on her, dark and unblinking. Not hungry, not desperate like the others. No, his gaze is sharp. Calculating.

The distance between them shrinks as she steps forward, the air growing thinner, heavier. Her fingers find the edge of silk at her hips, toying with the delicate fabric. A promise. A threat.

A challenge.

His stillness unnerved her. Every other man in this room wore their desires like neon signs—hands gripping chairs too tight, breath coming too fast, eyes glazed with need. But him? Nothing. Just that steady, unwavering focus that made her skin prickle with awareness.

She let her fingers trail up her thigh, watching for any reaction. The silk of her robe parted, revealing a flash of gold lace beneath. Still, he didn't move. Didn't lean forward like the others. His posture remained relaxed, almost bored—if not for those eyes that tracked her every movement with predatory precision.

The music shifted, its rhythm deepening. She turned, giving him her back, letting the robe slip just slightly off one shoulder. The move usually drove men mad with anticipation. But when she glanced over her shoulder, his expression hadn't changed. If anything, his mouth had curved into something dangerously close to amusement.

Heat crawled up her spine—not from desire, but from the unsettling feeling that somehow, in this carefully choreographed dance, she'd missed a step. That while she thought she was leading, he'd been three moves ahead the entire time.

The words slipped from her lips before she could stop them, curiosity getting the better of her practiced restraint. "I haven't seen you here before."

His response came with that same unsettling composure—a slight movement of his lips that wasn't quite a smirk but carried all its weight. The amusement in his expression felt calculated, as if even this small reaction was carefully measured.

"I haven't been here before."

Katherine let her eyebrow arch, maintaining Blondie's carefully crafted persona even as something in her chest tightened. "Shame. You make a decent audience."

He tilted his head, the gesture smooth and deliberate. The low lights caught the sharp lines of his face, casting shadows that made him look almost predatory. "I don't usually do places like this. But someone recommended it. So I had to come."

The words hung between them, thick with implication. Katherine felt her pulse quicken, but kept her movements languid, controlled. She reached out, dragging a single finger up the length of his tie. The silk was expensive—of course it was. Everything about him screamed money and power, but it was the way he wore it that made her skin prickle. Like it was an afterthought, not a statement.

The gesture was a test, a deliberate provocation. She waited for him to react, to show some crack in that perfect composure. But he remained still, watching her with those dark, unreadable eyes. Only the slight tension in his jaw betrayed that he felt anything at all.

The air shifted, molecules rearranging. Her fingers still rested against his tie, but suddenly the silk felt different—dangerous, like a snake coiled beneath her touch. She should pull back. Instead, she freezes.

"And the private room?" The playful lilt in her voice came automatically, muscle memory from countless nights of keeping control. "Did they force you into that, too?"

His laugh caught her off guard—low and rich, vibrating through the space between them. Not the desperate chuckle of her usual clients, but something darker. More deliberate.

"No." His eyes lifted to hers, and Katherine's breath caught in her throat. In the dim light, his gaze held something she couldn't name—something that made her pulse skip. "That? That was all you." The words hit harder than she expects. She’d orchestrated every step, every glance. But somehow, he’d still turned it against her.