Chapter 4 - Distractions
679 Words
Alessia POV:
Alessia didn’t sleep.
She told herself it was because of the case.
Because of the missing witness.
Because of the threat Luca had barely disguised.
But when she closed her eyes—
It wasn’t the investigation she saw.
It was him.
The way he had leaned back in that chair like he owned the world.
The way the red light caught the sharp line of his jaw.
The way his hand had rested on that dancer’s waist.
Firm.
Controlled.
Intentional.
Her stomach tightened.
She rolled onto her back, staring at the ceiling of her apartment.
She shouldn’t care.
She didn’t care.
And yet—
Her mind replayed the moment his thumb had pressed against her hip.
The heat of his palm at her lower back.
The roughness in his voice when he’d said, It worked.
Her breath slowed.
Then deepened.
She imagined what it would feel like if he lost control.
She couldn’t deny it, she yearned for him. She imagined his lips on hers and how it will taste knowing fully well how he loves being control.
She felt heat rushing down her legs. No man has given her this sensation and funny part he was dangerous.
And she thought
If that calm, calculating mask cracked completely.
Would he still be precise?
Or would he finally take what he wanted?
Her pulse quickened at the thought.
She pictured his hands sliding over her skin with the same deliberate authority he used in every room he entered. Not rushed. Not clumsy.
Measured.
Claiming.
Her thighs pressed together unconsciously.
Heat pooled low in her stomach and her legs again unwelcome and undeniable.
She remembered the way his eyes had dropped to her lips.
The way he’d almost kissed her.
Almost.
A frustrated sound escaped her throat.
Why hadn’t he?
Was it control?
Or restraint?
Or worse—
Did he think she would be the one to break first?
Her fingers curled into the sheets.
She imagined him above her. Close enough that she could feel his breath. His hand pinning her wrist to the mattress. His mouth at her ear, voice low and commanding.
Kneel for me.
Her breath hitched.
The words shouldn’t have affected her.
They should have angered her.
Instead, they echoed through her body in a way that made her skin feel too tight.
Too sensitive.
She squeezed her eyes shut.
This was insane.
He was dangerous.
Manipulative.
A criminal.
And yet her body remembered the heat of him more than the threat.
A sharp vibration on her nightstand shattered the fantasy.
Her eyes flew open.
Reality crashed back in.
Her phone.
She grabbed it, breath still uneven.
It was a secure message from the investigative unit.
Subject: Romano Case – URGENT UPDATE.
Just like that, the heat drained from her veins.
She sat up.
The message opened.
We’ve recovered financial transfers linked to DeMarco Holdings. Offshore accounts. Large sums moved three days before the witness disappeared.
Her pulse changed.
No longer heated.
Focused.
Cold.
Another message followed.
We also intercepted chatter suggesting an internal betrayal within the DeMarco organization.
Alessia’s spine straightened.
Internal betrayal?
That meant weakness.
And weakness meant opportunity.
Luca’s face flashed in her mind again.
But this time, not leaning back in velvet shadows.
This time calculating.
Strategic.
Untouchable.
She exhaled slowly.
This was the real game.
Not red lights and slow touches.
Power.
Evidence.
Control.
If there was a crack in his empire, she would find it.
And she would exploit it.
Her desire cooled into something sharper.
More dangerous.
She swung her legs off the bed and stood, walking toward her desk.
She wouldn’t kneel.
Not to him.
Not to temptation.
Not to the way her body betrayed her at the memory of his voice.
She picked up a pen.
Opened the case file.
But even as she began scanning transaction records…
Her mind betrayed her one last time.
She could still feel the phantom pressure of his thumb against her hip.
And somewhere across the city—
She had the unsettling feeling that Luca DeMarco wasn’t sleeping either.
- Writer
