under his control

The Edge of Control

Kale’s POV

The sound of the crowd was still ringing in my ears when I walked off stage. The bright lights faded behind the heavy velvet curtains, and my chest was rising and falling too fast. I could not catch my breath.

But I was smiling. For real this time.

The judges had just called my name. I was in the quarter-finals of California Got Talent. I barely had time to breathe before someone screamed my name down the hallway.

“Oh my god, you absolute star!” Molly came running at me. She crashed into me and wrapped her arms around my neck so hard we both stumbled back. We almost fell into a rack of costumes.

“You owned that stage, Kale,” she said, pulling back just enough to look at me. “I am crying. I am screaming. I am done for.”

She waved her hands around like she was on stage too. A few other contestants stood nearby. They had just been cut. They were not smiling.

Molly saw them and rolled her eyes. She popped her gum loud enough for them to hear. “Let them look,” she said, not even trying to whisper. “They are just mad because they sounded like a broken radio. We are celebrating tonight. Best takeout. My treat.”

Her voice stopped in the middle of the sentence.

Her mouth fell open. She went still.

A warm hand landed on my shoulder. I did not have to turn around to know. Jace stepped into view.

Molly’s eyes went wide. She looked like she forgot how to speak.

“Excuse us,” Jace said. His voice was low and steady. He did not wait for an answer. His hand closed around my arm and he pulled me away from her before I could say a word.

He moved fast down the hallway, steps long, forcing me to jog to keep up. He pushed open a door marked VIP and shoved me inside a private bathroom. The lock clicked behind us.

For a second, I just stood there, trying to figure out what was happening.

“Jace, what..”

He turned me around. His hands were firm on my shoulders. My back hit the cold tile wall before I could think. The air left my lungs in a rush. He was too close. His body boxed me in, and the hallway noise disappeared.

“Jace, what the f**k are you doing?” I gasped out, my hands pressing against the wall for balance.

He didn't answer. His breathing was heavy and ragged against the back of my neck, making my whole body tremble. And then, for the very first time, I felt something thick, hard, and heavy pressing against the center of my ass.

It was his d**k, throbbing violently through the fabric of his trousers.

A wave of panic hit me, my brain screaming that this was crossing the line. But in a second, the raw lust inside me took absolute control, erasing every single shred of common sense.

The ache between my legs turned into a burning, desperate need, and my waist tilted backward, following each heavy twitch of his d**k.

Jace let out a low, dangerous growl at my submission, his hands sliding down to grip my hips with a brutal strength that was going to leave bruises tomorrow.

He pressed himself even harder against me, his hips shifting. My eyes closed, my heart hammering against my ribs as I waited for him to rip my trousers down and take me.

Suddenly, a loud, aggressive fist banged against the outside of the wooden door.

“Hello? Is anyone in there?” A voice called from the hall. The handle rattled. “We need the mirror. Next group’s up in two minutes.”

Jace froze. His whole body locked up against mine. His fingers dug into my waist, hard, like he was fighting himself. He pulled back.

Just like that, the heat was gone. My legs felt weak and I had to catch myself on the counter. I turned around and looked at him.

Jace was already straightening his jacket. His face was blank again. Cold. Professional. Like nothing had happened. But his eyes were dark, and they were still on me. He did not say anything.

He unlocked the door, stepped out into the hallway, and left me standing there alone.

I gripped the edge of the sink and stared at myself in the mirror. My hair was a mess. My lips were parted like I had been running. My cheeks were red.

Molly was waiting outside. The second she saw me, she grabbed my arm. “Okay. What was that? What did Jace want? Why do you look like you just ran a marathon?”

I shook my head because I did not have the right words.

“He dragged you into a bathroom and then walked out?” she pressed. “Kale. Talk to me.”

“Not here,” I said. My voice was hoarse. “Not now.”

She studied my face for a long time, then let it go. “Fine. But we are talking later. With snacks.”

I nodded and followed her back toward the green room. My legs still felt unsteady.

People kept stopping me to say congratulations. Cameras flashed. A producer asked me to do a quick interview. I smiled and answered, but my mind was not on it.

All I could think about was the weight of Jace’s hands on my waist. The way he had looked at me right before he pulled away. Like he wanted something and hated himself for it.

I found a quiet corner and sat down. Molly sat next to me and handed me a bottle of water.

“Drink,” she said. “You look like you are going to pass out.”

I took it. The cold water helped a little.

“You are shaking,” she said quietly.

“I know.”

She did not ask again. She just sat with me while the room moved around us.

Later, when most of the contestants had left, I slipped out the back exit. The night air was cool and it hit my face like a slap. I needed it.