Dancing For the Don

Nothing dripping down myface

Elena’s pov

Nothing dripping down my face

My toes are absolutely killing me, and if I have to twirl through this sequence one more time under his robotic, soul-crushing glare, I might actually throw a pointe shoe at his perfectly symmetrical face.

I can barely keep my balance today, my limbs feeling like overcooked spaghetti, and my brain is completely short-circuiting trying to replay how I woke up this morning.

Like, I swear to God my keys are always on the left side of the counter, so why were they on the right? And don't even get me started on the hallway smelling like a swimming pool's worth of bleach.

What the f**k happened last night? What did this fucker put in my drink?

“Is there c*m dripping down my face?” he snapped out of the blue.

I completely lost my balance, my ankle wobbling as he cut the music. “What the hell are you saying?”

“Uncomfortable, right?" He crossed his arms, his dark eyes boring into mine. "Well, why don’t you put yourself in my shoes next time you say something so irritating.”

I slapped a hand on my hip, squinting my face like I was about to burst into tears. “Oh my gaddd. How is pee irritating? Everyone pees, Julian, but not everyone cums!”

“I was drinking Dom Pérignon," he shot back, his jaw tightening. "Of course it was irritating.”

“Oh, please. Even if it was c*m dripping down your face, I would vomit, not stare in awe.”

He just stared, completely hollowed of any response, the sheer audacity of my words leaving him totally speechless.

Then, he stood up so abruptly that his chair flew backward, the loud crash echoing through the empty gym.

Julian reached up and unzips his leather jacket. My mouth opened, but absolutely nothing came out.

“Ummm… that doesn’t mean I wanna see it,” I stammered, taking a cautious step back as he moved forward, his intense gaze piercing right into my eyes.

He shrugged the heavy leather from his shoulders, letting the jacket slide off his arms and hit the floor with a dull thud. He didn't even stop there.

His long fingers moved straight to the buttons of his dark shirt, ripping them open and tossing it aside, leaving him in nothing but his tailored black trousers.

What the hell is wrong with this dude?

“You can stop looking now!” he commanded, a smug edge to his voice.

My brain completely short-circuited. I just stood there, blinking like a broken doll as I took in his bare chest, a ridiculous canvas of lean, hard muscle, perfectly sculpted and entirely unfair. But it’s his eyes that made my breath entirely catch in my throat.

His gaze dropped down my body, heavy, dark, and filled with a raw, undeniable hunger that made a sudden heat flare straight down my spine. He was stalking toward me dominantly.

“Please don’t force me,” I whispered, my voice betraying me.

“Force you?” His deep voice finally resonated in the quiet room. He suddenly pulled a small remote device from his pocket. “I’m just gonna train you.” He grinned wickedly, biting his lip in a way that made my stomach do a dangerous flip.

I placed both hands against his bare chest, pushing him back, and walked a few steps away while running my fingers through my hair. He didn't even budge an inch.

“Train me?” I looked him up and down, putting on my best judgmental face. “You don’t seem like the flexible type to me.”

“To fight, twinkle toes! Not twirl around and bleed from your feet.”

My heart dropped, and my playful tone lowered without my control. “What do you know about ballet?!”

“I don’t know s**t!”

He closed the distance in three long strides, his massive shadow completely eclipsing mine.

Before I could back away from his bare chest, his large, calloused hand wrapped securely around my wrist, sending a sharp jolt of electricity straight up my arm.

"Pay attention, Elena," he murmured, his low voice vibrating right against my skin. “You're highly important in society now. You have vicious competitors who are more than willing to take your life just to get you out of the running.”

His grip was surprisingly gentle as he stepped behind me, his solid, radiating chest pressing flush against my back.

He reached down with his free hand, lightly tapping the back of my thigh to guide my body into alignment.

"Drop your weight. Lower," he commanded softly against my ear, his warm breath fanning my neck and sending shivers down my arms. "If you're too high, you're easy to knock over. Stay grounded."

I followed his instructions, nodding softly as I tried to ignore the way my body melted into his.

“Did something happen yesterday?” I asked quietly, staring at our reflection in the mirror.

His eyebrow furrowed, looking genuinely concerned for a split second. “What do you mean?”

“My room was a total mess. My wardrobe was everywhere, and the whole place reeked of bleach.”

“I dropped you home yesterday and left your cold-blooded ass,” he stated flatly.

We stayed in the exact same position, our faces turned toward each other, mouths hovering just inches apart. “Julian, are you serious? I completely blacked out!”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Elena. You drank too much.”

Our lips hovered a fraction of an inch apart, the tension between us stretching so tight it felt ready to snap, when a deafening c***k suddenly shattered the gym glass into a million glittering pieces.

Before I could even scream, Julian tackled me to the ground.

We crashed down together, the air tearing from my lungs as the impact rattled my bones.

Just before my skull could violently strike the hardwood, his large hand slipped behind my neck, cradling my head to absorb the entire blow.

He took the brunt of the fall, his massive body completely blanketing mine to shield me from the sharp glass raining down like a waterfall.

“What the f**k was that!!” I yelled, my ears ringing.

“We’re under attack, use your brain!” He glared down at me, his eyes wild and fiercely protective.

“Trust me and stay glued to me. Do you hear me? We’re gonna go to my car, and we're going straight to my house, alright?”

I nodded, gulping visibly as I clutched at his bare shoulders. "Okay. Okay."

"Move!" Julian roared, hauling me to my feet in one explosive motion as a fresh volley of bullets tore through the room from a completely different angle.

Wood splinters and plaster exploded around our ears, but he didn't let me freeze in fear.

Keeping his back positioned firmly between me and the gunfire, he pulled me into a dead sprint through the chaotic, dust-filled maze of the studio.

A sharp, metallic zip cut through the air, followed by the sickening sound of tearing flesh.

I gasped as a bullet grazed his forearm, drawing a sudden line of bright crimson across his tan skin. He didn't even flinch.

His grip on my wrist only tightened, his focus entirely unbroken as he drove us forward through the emergency exit and plunged down the dark stairwell.

We burst into the underground garage, the air thick with the scent of burning rubber and pure adrenaline.

Julian threw open the heavy door of his matte-black armored vehicle, shoving me into the safety of the passenger seat before diving in right behind me, slamming the door shut against the chaos outside.

The funniest part is, I didn’t even feel scared. Looking at him, I didn’t feel anything close to panic.

“Are you okay?” I asked, my fingers trembling slightly as I reached over and touched his bleeding arm.

Julian put the car into reverse, the engine roaring to life like a beast. He didn't look at me, his jaw set in a hard, dangerous line as he twisted the steering wheel.

“Great. Now hold on tight," he said, his voice dropping into a register that sent a shiver straight down my spine. "You’re gonna be living with me now.”