Chapter Four -A Night to Remember (pt 1)
1000 Words
A sleek black dress lay on the bed, elegant yet scandalous; the kind of dress that clung to curves and whispered things.
I gulped. “No.”
Dustin arched a brow, standing near the window, buttoning the sleeves of his black dress shirt. “No?”
“I’m not wearing that.” I crossed my arms, ignoring the way my pulse jumped at the sight of him dressed like s*x and power.
His lips curled. “You will.”
My stomach tightened. “I don’t have to do anything.”
Dustin’s eyes darkened, and before I could react, he was in front of me; too close, too fast, too much. He reached out slowly, tracing one knuckle down my bare arm. A simple touch, yet it stole my breath.
“You do,” he murmured.
“Because you’re mine.”
I clenched my fists, refusing to let him see how easily his words rattled me.
His voice deepened. “Get dressed, sweetheart. Or I’ll dress you myself. I can find my way back there.”
The warning sizzled through my skin, and I turned sharply, snatching the dress off the bed with shaky fingers as I wondered if he was the one who took my clothes off, and put his oversize shirt over me.
I hated him.
I hated that he knew exactly how to push me.
I stormed into the bathroom, shutting the door with a bit more force than necessary.
Thirty Minutes Later
The ride was silent.
Well, mostly silent.
I shifted uncomfortably in the back of the black Rolls Royce, very aware of how Dustin’s gaze kept flicking to my thighs barely covered by the dress he forced me into. The fabric was smooth, soft, sinful. It clung to my frame like a second skin, dipping low at the front, revealing just enough cleavage to make my already unsteady heartbeat stutter.
I tugged the hem, glaring out the window. “Where are we going?”
Dustin leaned back against the leather seat, completely at ease while I felt exposed.
“Business,” he said softly.
I frowned. “Then why am I here?”
His gaze slid to me. “Because I want you to be.”
My stomach flipped. I might actually die on display.
I swallowed, tearing my gaze away.
Minutes later, the car slowed in front of a grand estate; all stone and glass, the kind of place built for powerful people.
The second we stepped out, eyes were on us. Men in sharp suits. Women in dresses just as scandalous as mine. Everyone was watching, studying us and whispering. But Dustin didn’t let go of me. His hand rested firmly on the small of my back, guiding me through the crowd with a possessive grip that made my skin burn.
A whisper reached my ears.
“That’s her? The new toy?”
Dustin heard it too.
I felt his body tighten, a smile creep onto the side of his lips as his grip on me turned unforgivingly firm.
He didn’t stop walking. Didn’t acknowledge the voice. But the air around him changed, like a storm about to break. I swallowed hard. Bitterly in regret of what my silly love had led me to. I had no idea what I had just walked into.
The estate’s interior was breathtaking—if you ignored the suffocating weight of power. Men with guns tucked under their suits, women who smiled with secrets hidden behind their eyes strolled by all avoiding our path as Dustin led me. His hand never left my back, as though to prove a point. He led me to a round table where men of his world sat; watching us like they were sizing me up.
One of them—a man with silver hair and cruel eyes—smirked. “She’s cute, Salvatore.”
Dustin didn’t answer.
He simply pulled out a chair for me, making me sit first, making it clear that I was here because he wanted me here. I exhaled slowly, forcing myself to stay calm despite the sinking feeling of fear in my stomach. A waiter appeared, setting glasses of dark liquor in front of each of us. I didn’t touch mine.
Dustin did.
He lifted the glass to his lips, taking a slow sip, then glanced at me. “Drink.”
I hesitated. “I don’t—”
A frown appeared, dangerous and lazy. “You do now.”
I wanted to argue. But arguing in a room full of men who killed for a living?
Probably not a great idea.
So I picked up the glass, forced my fingers to steady, and took a sip.
The burn was instant, sliding down my throat like fire. I coughed, setting the glass down quickly.
The silver-haired man chuckled. “Ah, she’s innocent.” His eyes gleamed as he turned to Dustin.
“That’s new for you. I would like a taste when you’re done.”
Dustin was quiet, his expression didn’t change but something shifted in his gaze.
Possessive. Unyielding. Deadly. I couldn't find the right word.
The tension in the air stretched thick. Suffocating. Then, so casually it was terrifying, Dustin reached across the table, grabbed the man’s wrist, and slammed it down against the wood. A sharp crack echoed through the room.
I jumped.
The man hissed in pain, his face twisting.
Dustin’s grip didn’t loosen. He leaned in, his voice low, lethal.
“You talk like I can share a thing again,” he murmured, deadly calm, “you won’t have a tongue left to use.”
Silence.
Thick. Tense. Suffocating.
The man swallowed hard. Didn’t say another word. Dustin let him go. Sat back. Took another slow sip of his drink like he hadn’t just broken someone’s wrist with a flick of his hand.
My chest tightened.
I knew he was dangerous. But this? This was something else entirely. And the worst part?I wasn’t sure if I was terrified.
Or if I liked it.
- Writer
