Flashbulbs & Lies
960 Words
Scarlett – POV
The dress clung to her curves like silk poured over fire.
Black. Backless. Thigh-slit. Dangerous.
The perfect lie.
Scarlett stared at herself in the penthouse mirror, heart thudding like a war drum. Every inch of her screamed confidence. But inside?
She was unraveling.
Her stomach was acting up again—tight, nauseous, unsteady.
She hadn’t eaten. She couldn’t.
Tonight was their first public event as husband and wife. A charity gala filled with cameras, reporters, ex-lovers, and lies.
Her hand slid protectively over her abdomen.
Still flat. Still secret.
But not for long.
And if someone noticed—if Dominic noticed—
“You look like sin,” his voice came from behind.
She turned.
Dominic stood in the doorway, black tux fitting him like a second skin, hair brushed back, cold and magnificent like a carved god.
She swallowed. “You’re late.”
“You’re stunning.”
She looked away.
He walked toward her, slow and deliberate. Stopped just behind her.
“I like the dress.”
“It’s your money,” she replied.
His fingers grazed the bare skin of her back. “It’s your body.”
She tensed.
“And everyone tonight,” he whispered, “will know you belong to me.”
---
Dominic – POV
Scarlett walked beside him like fire on heels.
The gala hall was dripping with gold, chandeliers, violins, and false smiles. But Dominic didn’t care about the event. Or the investors. Or the press.
All eyes were on her.
His wife.
And every man in the room noticed.
He saw it in their hungry glances. The way they paused in mid-sentence. The way her laughter lit up the air like s*x and danger.
He gripped her waist a little tighter.
“Easy,” she hissed.
“You look too damn good.”
“You look like you want to start a fight.”
He smiled. “Only if someone touches you.”
Scarlett rolled her eyes and stepped away for a moment — talking to some designer or charity head. Dominic let her go, but only for a second.
Because then he showed up.
Leon Ashford.
Her ex-client. Rumored ex-lover.
Dominic watched him lean in too close. Heard her forced laugh. Watched Leon’s hand graze her lower back.
His blood boiled.
---
Scarlett – POV
“Leon,” she said tightly, stepping back.
“Scarlett,” he said with a smirk. “Didn’t expect to see you hanging off Dominic Blackthorn’s arm.”
“People change,” she replied, eyes flicking toward Dominic, who was staring now — jaw clenched, dark fury in his gaze.
“You still working at that bar?”
“I’m not discussing my work with you.”
Leon leaned in. “You were always too good for that job. For him too.”
Before she could respond, a hand gripped her waist — tight.
Dominic.
He appeared behind her, chest firm against her back, lips brushing her ear.
“Everything okay, wife?”
Scarlett nodded. “Perfect.”
Leon’s smirk faded.
Dominic’s eyes never blinked. “She’s mine. Always has been.”
Then, smiling coldly, he kissed her.
Not gently.
Not politely.
But like he was marking her in front of the entire room.
The cameras caught it all.
---
Later – In the Limo
The moment the door shut behind them, the tension snapped.
Scarlett shoved him. “What the hell was that?”
He didn’t flinch.
“You were flirting with him.”
“I was doing nothing.”
“He touched you.”
“I stepped away—”
“And you let him.”
She glared. “You don’t own my body.”
“You signed the contract.”
“Not for this,” she snapped, breath heavy.
He grabbed her wrist, pulled her closer.
“You’re my wife.”
She gasped as he pushed her back into the leather seat.
“You’re making a scene.”
“We’re alone,” he said, climbing over her.
Her breath caught.
“Dominic…”
“Did you like him touching you?”
“No.”
“Did you like me kissing you in front of them?”
“...yes,” she whispered.
His mouth crashed into hers.
---
Dominic – POV
She tasted like fire and betrayal and everything he craved.
He didn’t mean to lose control.
But when she moaned his name, when her hips arched up toward his—
Something inside him snapped.
He slid her leg over his waist, hands pushing up her dress, baring her soft thighs.
“Ahh—Dominic—not here—someone could—”
“No one will.”
His fingers found her soaked and waiting.
“You’re wet.”
“You’re insane.”
“You’re mine.”
She bit her lip as he slid two fingers inside.
“Hah—yes—just like that—”
He growled against her neck.
“You think anyone else can make you sound like this?”
She whimpered.
“Answer me.”
“No—only you—God—don’t stop—”
He didn’t.
Not until she came hard, gasping into his mouth.
He held her close after, their breathing uneven, her head against his chest.
---
Scarlett – POV
Her heart wouldn’t stop racing.
It wasn’t just the s*x.
It was the way he looked at her afterward — like she was more than a body. More than a deal.
And that scared her more than anything.
Because she couldn’t fall in love with him again.
Not when she was already breaking.
Not when she was already—
She pressed a hand to her stomach.
He noticed.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
She hesitated.
“Nothing.”
Not yet.
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