The heavy doors of the mansion creaked open, and RAyNe stepped inside, his sharp gaze locked onto the woman in front of him. Nirvana’s hips swayed with each step, her dress hugging every curve of her body like it had been designed just for her. He clenched his jaw, his hands itching to grab her, to pin her against the nearest wall, to taste every inch of her. His overcoat barely concealed the evidence of his desire, and his patience was thinning by the second.
“I’m impressed,” he finally muttered, his voice thick with something dangerously close to admiration.
Nirvana didn’t turn around. “I’d take that as a compliment, boss.”
Boss.
He f*****g hated that word coming from her lips. He wanted to hear her say his name, wanted her to moan it, scream it. His thoughts turned wicked, dark. That sharp little tongue of hers would feel exquisite wrapped around his cock..
“You left me at the party. Where the hell have you been with… her?”
RAyNe exhaled sharply, the unwanted interruption slashing through his thoughts. He turned his head slowly, eyes narrowing as Siara stormed toward him. Her fiery red dress clung to her like she had every intention of reminding him who she was…his supposed fiancée.
He didn’t have the patience for this. Not tonight.
“I don’t answer to you, Siara,” he said flatly.
Her manicured nails dug into her palm. “Oh yes, you do! I’m your fiancée, for crying out loud!” Her gaze flicked to Nirvana, filled with instant loathing. “And you..you’re nothing but a filthy w***e he’s playing with!”
Nirvana raised a single brow, her expression bored, unaffected. “How cute. You think screaming makes you important.”
Siara stepped forward, eyes blazing. “You little…”
“Siara.” RAyNe’s voice cut through the tension like a blade. She froze. He took a step closer, his face inches from hers. “I don’t have time for your tantrums. Go upstairs. Now.”
Siara clenched her jaw. “You’re choosing her over me?”
RAyNe didn’t even blink. “I don’t repeat myself.”
Siara's breath hitched, but before she could snap back, Nirvana let out a low, sultry chuckle.
“Jealousy doesn’t suit you, princess,” she mused, stepping closer to RAyNe, close enough that her perfume seeped into his senses, tempting him further into insanity.
Siara’s nostrils flared. “You think you’re untouchable, don’t you?”
Nirvana smirked. “I don’t think, darling. I know.”
Siara let out an enraged scream and lunged, hand raised to strike. But before she could touch Nirvana, RAyNe caught her wrist mid-air, his grip unyielding.
“Enough,” he growled, his patience hanging by a thread. “Don’t test me, Siara.”
Siara wrenched her arm free, her chest rising and falling rapidly. Her eyes burned with betrayal as she turned on her heels and stormed up the grand staircase, her heels clicking violently against the marble.
As soon as she disappeared, Nirvana turned to RAyNe with an amused expression. “You really know how to pick them, huh?”
His jaw tightened. “Don’t push me, Nirvana.”
She tilted her head, feigning innocence. “Or what?”
His fingers twitched.
“Or you’ll find out exactly what happens when I lose control.”
A slow, dangerous smile spread across her lips. “Maybe I want to find out.”
Fuck.
RAyNe didn’t hesitate. He grabbed her wrist, yanking her flush against him. Their bodies collided, her breath hitching just slightly, barely noticeable..but he caught it.
“Careful what you wish for, sweetheart,” he murmured against her ear, his voice dark with promise.
Nirvana held his gaze, eyes burning with something untamed. “Likewise.”
The tension crackled, suffocating, intoxicating.
RAyNe exhaled sharply, releasing her before he did something irreversible. He turned, running a hand through his hair, forcing control back into his bloodstream.
“Get some rest. We have unfinished business tomorrow,” he muttered.
Nirvana let out a soft hum, striding past him with the kind of confidence that made his fists clench. “Goodnight, boss,” she said, her voice dripping with amusement.
He watched her disappear down the hall before exhaling sharply, his control hanging by a thread.
Tomorrow.
Tomorrow, she wouldn’t be walking away so easily.
Siara paced inside the lavish guest suite of RAyNe’s mansion, her perfectly manicured nails tapping furiously against her phone screen. Her jaw clenched as she recalled the way he had brushed her off, the way he had looked at that woman..his pet..with something bordering on obsession. It made her stomach turn with rage.
She dialed a number, her grip tightening as the call connected. “Father,” she said, her voice smooth but dripping with venom. “It’s time we put that little b***h in her place.”
On the other end, a deep chuckle rumbled through the speaker. “What’s happened now, Siara? Trouble in paradise?”
“RAyNe’s been parading around with that w***e, Nirvana, like she’s something special.” She exhaled sharply, pacing toward the window overlooking the vast estate. “I won’t stand for this humiliation. I’ve decided to speed up the plan.”
A moment of silence, then, “What do you need?”
Siara smirked, her fingers running along the edge of the desk as her mind worked rapidly. “I know RAyNe keeps important documents in his private office…files that could ruin him if they ended up in the wrong hands. I need a team. A discreet one. While he’s away, we’ll take what we need and leave Nirvana to take the fall.”
Her father hummed in approval. “Clever girl. You’re sure he’ll be gone?”
Siara’s lips curled in satisfaction. “He’s leaving town for business in two days. That gives us enough time to move.”
“Good. I’ll send men you can trust. Make sure nothing traces back to us.”
“Of course.” Siara hung up, a triumphant gleam in her eyes. She turned, already imagining the chaos that would unfold when RAyNe discovered his precious Nirvana was a ‘traitor.’ It was almost too perfect.
But outside the slightly open door, Luna stood frozen in the hallway, her heart pounding against her ribs. She had overheard every word.
Luna’s fingers tightened around the tray she had been carrying. She had never trusted Siara, but this? This was dangerous. She had seen what RAyNe was capable of when someone betrayed him, and Nirvana..Nirvana might not survive it if Siara’s plan worked.
Luna swallowed hard, her mind racing. Should she tell Nirvana? Would Nirvana even believe her? Or would she be walking herself into a mess far bigger than she could handle?
Nirvana barely had time to react before RAyNe caught the door with one hand, stopping it from shutting completely. Her breath hitched, eyes widening slightly as she looked up at him. His expression was unreadable, but the intensity in his gaze sent a shiver down her spine.
"What are you doing?" she asked, her voice steady despite the unease curling in her stomach.
RAyNe didn’t answer. Instead, he pushed the door open further, stepping inside with a deliberate slowness that made the air feel heavier. The door clicked shut behind him, the soft sound echoing in the quiet room.
Instinctively, Nirvana took a step back. Then another. But he followed, closing the distance between them effortlessly. The predatory gleam in his eyes made her pulse quicken.
"It's late. I need to go to bed, I…" she started, but before she could finish, his fingers wrapped around her wrist, halting her retreat.
"I don’t like the way he looked at you," RAyNe said, his voice low, rough, possessive. "And vice versa."
Nirvana frowned, feigning confusion even though she knew exactly who he was talking about. "What are you talking about?"
Her back met the cool surface of the floor-to-ceiling window. She gasped slightly at the contrast of temperatures…her heated skin against the icy glass. RAyNe didn’t stop. He pressed forward, caging her in, both hands resting against the window on either side of her head. His body radiated heat, so close, too close.
Her heartbeat thundered in her chest. "Boss…" she started, but the word barely left her lips before his hand slid to her waist, fingers pressing against the fabric of her dress. He pulled her flush against him, and she felt everything…the firm planes of his body, the slow, controlled rise and fall of his breath, the restrained power beneath his composed exterior.
It wasn’t just the physical closeness that stole her breath..it was the way he looked at her, like he was seconds away from claiming her, like he wanted the whole damn world to see exactly who she belonged to.
A slow smirk tugged at the corner of RAyNe’s lips, but there was nothing playful about it. "You don’t get to look at another man like that, Nirvana."
Her pulse spiked. "Like what?"
His grip on her waist tightened slightly. "Like you used to look at me."
A sharp breath left her lips. "You're imagining things."
"Am I?" He leaned in, his breath warm against her skin. "Then tell me why your pulse is racing."
"Because you're invading my space," she shot back, tilting her chin defiantly.
RAyNe chuckled, the sound dark, amused. "Oh, Nirvana... I'm not just invading it. I'm taking it."
Silence stretched between them, thick with tension. The city lights flickered outside the glass, but neither of them moved. The war of wills was tangible…Nirvana refusing to back down, RAyNe refusing to let her go.
And the worst part?
She wasn’t sure she wanted him to.