Chapter 1
The suffocating dinner had barely ended when Ellie went upstairs to get the graduation present she had bought me.
I had to use those few minutes to put an end to everything.
After making sure no one was nearby, I shoved open the heavy oak door at the end of the first-floor hall. It led to Soren's study.
Soren stood with his back to me in front of the enormous floor-to-ceiling window. A single vintage lamp cast a dim amber glow across the room.
"We need to talk." I took a deep breath. "You have to stop this right now."
I didn't even get to finish.
Soren set down his glass and strode toward me. He moved so quickly that I barely had time to react before he slammed the door and turned the lock.
"What are you doing?" I tried to retreat in alarm.
He advanced until my lower back struck the edge of the mahogany desk.
His tall frame completely eclipsed me. Bracing both hands on the desk, he trapped me between his chest and the wood. The heady mix of whiskey and cedar made it hard to breathe.
"Have you lost your mind?" I whispered, glaring up at him through tears of fear and fury. "I'm your daughter's friend. Ellie is right upstairs. What do you want from me?"
He didn't flinch. His rough thumb pressed against my trembling lips.
"At the office, you never looked at me as if I were some harmless older man." He lowered his head, his breath hot against my cheek. "What's wrong? Did walking into this house and finding out I'm Ellie's father suddenly make you timid?"
"You knew all along." I turned my face away. "You were playing with me from the beginning. You enjoyed watching me embarrass myself because it fed your twisted need for control."
"I wasn't playing with you, Maya." He seized my waist, lifted me, and set me on the desk until we were eye to eye. "I've wanted you since the first day you became my intern."
"Maya? Where are you?" Ellie's voice came from less than 30 feet away.
A chill swept through me. I pushed frantically against Soren's chest, trying to jump off the desk.
"Let me go. She's coming. Please, let me go."
Soren might as well have been a wall. Instead of stepping back, he moved between my parted knees. One arm locked around my waist and pulled me against him while his other hand slipped beneath the hem of my black velvet dress.
"You're insane..."
The instant I tried to cry out, he kissed me. It was a punishing, possessive kiss, sharp with whiskey, swallowing every protest that escaped my throat. The hand beneath my dress found the most intimate place on my body.
Three sharp knocks sounded at the study door.
"Dad?" Ellie's voice came through the thin panel of wood. "Are you in there? Have you seen Maya?"
My heart nearly leaped into my throat. I bit Soren's lip as tears spilled down my face. If Ellie tried the handle and realized the door was locked, my life would be over.
Soren released my mouth. His hand stayed beneath my skirt, moving deliberately against my rigid body, while he turned his head and answered in a calm, affectionate voice.
"I'm dealing with a few emails from Euravia, sweetheart. Maya said she was going to the restroom. She'll be back in a minute."
"Oh, okay. I'll wait for her in the living room."
Ellie's cheerful footsteps faded down the hall. She didn't even try the handle. She trusted her father completely.
Inside the room, I went limp. I dragged in ragged breaths, my eyes red, my body shaking from terror and the humiliating response he had forced from me.
Soren watched me with unnerving calm. Slowly, he withdrew his hand, produced a handkerchief, and wiped his long fingers.
"You see?" He tossed the cloth onto the desk, his low voice full of quiet menace. "As long as I don't tell her, she'll never know what we did in here."
He bent closer, his lips brushing the edge of my ear.
"You lost your chance to escape a long time ago, Maya."
