under his control

Ripped at the Seams

Kale's POV

“Shut the actual f**k up!” Molly shrieked.

She grabbed my arm, her long acrylic nails digging right through the sleeve of my hoodie as her jaw hit the floor.

“You literally did not wank to his vacation picture, Kale. Tell me you are lying right now!”

“Keep your voice down, you absolute psycho!” I hissed, my face instantly burning a bright, fiery red as I shoved her hand off my arm.

I glanced around the corridor, making sure no one was lurking nearby. “I am not lying, okay? It was completely intense. I literally felt like I was going to pass away right there on the mattress.”

“Oh my god, period!” Molly cheered, bouncing on her heels. “We love a s****l awakening! I told you that producer baddie was a snack. You are literally living a dark romance novel right now, bestie, I am so obsessed with this journey for you.”

Before I could reply, the heavy double doors at the end of the lecture hall swung open. I froze, my voice instantly catching in my throat as Noah walked through, looking smooth and effortless.

He was wearing regular clothes today, but he was flanked by Tiana and Tatiana... two stupid, popular girls on campus who were currently giggling and leaning into his side like pathetic puppies.

"Noah is playing the perfect, popular straight guy, flashing them a charming smile," I said as I rolled my eyes. "Because... what the hell?"

"He is probably f*****g both of them too, using them as a perfect cover to hide the messy s**t he did with Perry in the bathroom stalls," Molly whispered.

As Noah passed us, his eyes flicked over to me for a split second, a cold, silent warning flashed in his gaze before he turned back to the girls, ignoring my existence.

“Ugh, look at him acting like he doesn't f**k boys,” Molly whispered loudly, glaring at his back. “Disgusting.”

Before I could answer, my phone vibrated in my palm. The screen lit up with Jace's name, and my heart dropped.

Molly peeked over my shoulder and almost went crazy, clutching her chest. “Oh my god, it’s the king! Answer it on speaker, I need to hear the gravel in his voice!”

“No way in hell,” I muttered, sliding the green button and lifting the phone to my ear, my hands shaking. “Jace?”

“Rehearsals for CGT round two start in thirty minutes, Kale,” Jace’s deep, commanding voice boomed through the line, filling my ears and making my lower half twitch with sudden heat. “Do not be late. I have Peter setting up the primary booth for you.”

“I am on my way,” I said, trying to sound sassy to hide how fast my heart was racing. “I’m literally walking out the school doors right now.”

The line went dead without a goodbye. I gave Molly a quick, panicked look, shoved my books into my locker, and bolted out of the building.

Ten minutes later, I burst through the glass doors of JMC Studios and headed straight up to the private rehearsal wing. Inside the main booth, Peter...one of Jace’s loyal minion producers, was already sitting behind the mixing board, tweaking some dark, heavy bass tracks.

“Alright, Kale, let’s vocalize,” Peter said, adjusting his headphones. We spent the next fifteen minutes running through a heavily modified, dark, and sensual cover song that Jace had selected for my second round. The rhythm was slow, dirty, and required me to use a deep, breathy tone that felt exposing.

Suddenly, the studio door clicked open. Jace stepped into the room, his towering frame dominating the space. He was holding several massive, high-end designer shopping bags, their luxury logos gleaming under the studio lights.

He didn't even look at Peter. His eyes locked onto me. “Peter, leave us. I need to handle his wardrobe styling personally.”

Peter nodded, scrambling out of the room without a single word. Jace jerked his head toward a private, dimly lit dressing room attached to the back of the studio. “In here, Kale.”

I followed him inside, my nerves were fried as the door clicked shut behind us, trapping us in the small, intimate space. The intoxicating scent of roses filled my lungs.

“Everything in these bags is yours,” Jace murmured, his voice dropping into that smooth register that always made my brain short-circuit. “We are stripping away that innocent, cheap image of yours.

For the next round, you are going to look dangerous. You are going to look like sex.”

I waited for a few minutes before I looked at the bags. Pure excitement bubbled up in my chest. I almost reached out to throw my arms around his massive neck, but caught myself just in time, dropping my hands to my sides.

I reached into the first bag, pulling out a stunning, sheer black silk button-down shirt and a pair of skintight leather trousers.

“Oh my god, these are beautiful,” I breathed, quickly ridding myself of my oversized hoodie to try the luxury clothes on. I pulled the silk shirt over my shoulders, looking at myself in the mirror.

The fabric was very thin, hugging my slim waist and leaving my chest almost bare.

Jace stood right behind me, his massive chest nearly brushing against my back as his eyes traced the reflection of my body in the glass. The physical proximity left me breathless, my chest heaving as a heavy wave of lust settled between my thighs.

Wanting to see what else he bought, I reached into the largest shopping bag at the bottom of the pile. But as my fingers pulled the tissue paper back, my jaw dropped.

Resting at the bottom of the bag were black leather straps, metal handcuffs, and a collection of dark b**m gear.

My face turned red, my eyes widening as I looked from the restraints up to Jace’s reflection.

Before I could even utter a comment, Jace’s hand flashed forward, shoving the paper back down and ripping the bag out of my reach, his expression turning cold and unreadable.

“Focus on the clothes, Kale,” Jace said. “We are done for today. Go back to the penthouse and wait for my instructions.”