CHAPTER 6
1424 Words
SOPHIA
I locked myself in the bathroom and pressed my hands against the marble sink, trying to breathe.
This couldn't be happening. This couldn't be real.
Dominic Sterling. My father's oldest friend. The man Dad talked about constantly, the man he credited with his success, was the same man who had flogged me, fingered me, made me cry and scream and surrender.
I looked at myself in the mirror. My carefully applied makeup was still perfect. My hair was still in place. But inside, I was falling apart.
I had known this was going to be bad when Dad told me about the party. But I thought I would have time to prepare. I thought I could put on my public face and get through one evening of small talk before figuring out how to handle the situation.
I hadn't expected the way my body would react to seeing him again. The instant heat. The flood of memories. The desperate want.
And I definitely hadn't expected the way he looked at me. Like he knew every secret I had. Like he owned me.
There was a soft knock on the bathroom door.
"Occupied," I called out.
"It's me." His voice. Deep and commanding even through the door.
My heart stopped. "You can't be here."
"Open the door, Sophia."
"No."
"Open the door, or I'll tell your father I need to speak with you privately and he'll wonder why you're avoiding me."
Damn him. Damn him for being right.
I unlocked the door and opened it just enough for him to slip inside, then locked it again behind him.
"Are you insane?" I hissed. "If someone sees us in here together—"
"I don't care." He crowded me back against the sink, his hands on either side of me, caging me in. "We need to talk."
"There's nothing to talk about."
"Like hell there isn't." His gray eyes were intense, burning into mine. "You're William Chen's daughter. That's why you panicked."
"Yes. Now you understand why we can't see each other again."
"I understand why you're scared. I don't understand why you think that means we have to end this."
"Are you serious right now?" I tried to push past him, but he didn't budge. "You're my father's best friend. You're probably twenty years older than me. This is—"
"Complicated. I know. But not impossible."
"Yes, it is. If my father found out—"
"He won't. Not unless one of us tells him."
I stared at him. "You want to sneak around behind my father's back?"
"I want to explore what we have without letting external circumstances dictate whether it's possible or not." He lifted one hand and cupped my cheek. "Sophia, what happened Saturday night was real. You felt it. I felt it. That doesn't just go away because we discovered we have a mutual connection."
"It has to."
"Why?"
"Because I won't lie to my father. I won't sneak around and deceive him. He's been through enough."
"I'm not asking you to lie. I'm asking you to keep your private life private. There's a difference."
"Not to me."
He studied my face for a long moment. "You're really going to walk away from this? From us?"
"There is no us. There was one night. That's all."
"You don't believe that any more than I do."
He was right, and that made it worse. Because I wanted him. God, I wanted him so much it hurt. But I couldn't have him. Not without betraying my father.
"I need to get back to the party," I said quietly. "People will notice we're both missing."
He didn't move for a moment. Then he stepped back, giving me space.
"This isn't over, Sophia."
"Yes, it is."
I unlocked the door and walked out, my head held high, my mask firmly in place.
But inside, I was breaking all over again.
The rest of the party was torture. I smiled and made small talk and pretended everything was fine while Dominic circulated through the room, charming everyone he met.
And the worst part? He was good at it. He was intelligent and witty and charismatic. The kind of man my father would approve of. The kind of man I could actually see myself with in a real relationship.
If he wasn't my father's best friend.
If he wasn't twenty six years older than me.
If we hadn't met in a b**m club where he had dominated me so thoroughly I still felt the echo of it in my bones.
I watched him laugh at something one of Dad's business partners said, and my chest ached. This was impossible. He had to see that.
"Sophia, dear, are you alright?" Mrs. Patterson, one of my mother's old friends, touched my arm.
"Yes, I'm fine. Just tired."
"You work too hard at that gallery. You should let your father set you up with a nice position at his company. Find yourself a good man and settle down."
I bit back the urge to scream. "I'm happy with my gallery, Mrs. Patterson."
"If you say so, dear."
Finally, mercifully, the party started winding down. Guests began making their excuses and leaving. I was gathering my things when Dad found me.
"Are you leaving already?"
"I have an early morning tomorrow. Gallery opening at nine."
"Of course." He kissed my forehead. "Thank you for coming. I know these things aren't your favorite."
"I wanted to be here for you."
"I appreciate it. Oh, and Sophia? I mentioned to Dominic that you could help him pick out some art for his apartment. He's going to stop by the gallery this week."
My stomach dropped. "That's really not necessary—"
"Nonsense. It'll be good for business. And I'd like you two to get to know each other. He's going to be around a lot now that he's back."
Perfect. Just perfect.
"Sure, Dad. I'll help him."
I said my goodbyes and walked to my car, desperate to escape. I was almost to the driver's side door when I heard footsteps behind me.
"Sophia."
I closed my eyes. Of course it was him.
"What do you want, Dominic?"
"I'll be at your gallery tomorrow at ten. We need to talk properly. Somewhere private."
"There's nothing to talk about."
"Then humor me. Ten o'clock. Don't make me tell your father you refused to help me."
I whirled around. "That's blackmail."
"That's motivation." He stepped closer, and I could smell his cologne. The same scent that had been all over me Saturday night. "I'm not giving up on this, Sophia. On us. So you can either fight me every step of the way, or you can accept that some things are worth the risk."
"And what happens when my father finds out? When he realizes his best friend has been sleeping with his daughter?"
"First, we haven't slept together. We had a scene at a club. Second, if and when we do sleep together, it will be because we both want it, not because of some power dynamic. And third, your father doesn't need to know the details of your personal life. You're a grown woman."
"A grown woman half your age."
"Twenty six years isn't half. And I've never given a damn about age gaps when two adults want each other." He reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. "Do you want me, Sophia?"
Yes. God, yes. Every cell in my body was screaming yes.
"It doesn't matter what I want."
"It's the only thing that matters." His thumb brushed my cheekbone. "Ten o'clock tomorrow. We'll talk. That's all. If after our conversation you still want to walk away, I'll respect that."
I should say no. Should get in my car and drive away and never look back.
But I heard myself say, "Fine. Ten o'clock."
He smiled, and it was devastating. "Good girl."
Then he stepped back and walked away, leaving me trembling and furious and desperately, hopelessly turned on.
I got in my car and drove home, my mind racing the whole way.
Tomorrow, I would tell him this was impossible. Tomorrow, I would be strong and rational and put an end to this before it went any further.
Tomorrow.
But tonight, I let myself remember the way he had held me. The way he had made me feel. The way he had seen parts of me no one else had ever seen and hadn't run away.
Tonight, I let myself want him.
Just for tonight.
- Writer
