It was another boring night with the same people, the same conversations and a different dress. I wore my hair up in a chic style I’d seen in a magazine earlier, dressed to the nines in a dress just a little too short, just enough to make my parents raise their eyebrows when I walked into the room.

My father held these gatherings weekly, and though I’d moved into my own apartment a while ago, I was still forced to come at least twice per month. My parents had always loved showing me off, the beautiful daughter who danced like a star and looked like a model. I despised them for only seeing that part of me and for not even bothering to peek beneath the layers to my personality. However, I was happy to come nonetheless, because it meant there would be a hefty sum deposited in my bank account the next day, courtesy of Daddy dearest. I could always count on him to be grateful for his only daughter’s company.

Truth be told, life had gotten boring in London. It was the same things over and over again. Training with Madame, working so fucking hard to be her new favorite and still coming up short. Our production of The Nutcracker was long over, and I was still struggling to find a different role. I went to auditions, danced and trained every spare hour, yet it still didn’t seem to be enough.

At my last audition, I’d been told to come back, only to find out they wanted me for a role in a film, not a ballet. It upset me. Dancing was what I lived for, what I wanted to do, but no one recognized my talent. No one gave a shit about my passion. That made me upset so much that

I strolled around my parents’ house mindlessly, wandering through the rooms I knew so well with their expensive furniture, beautiful artwork and countless bouquets of expensive flowers. My heels clicked against the hardwood, but I didn’t care whether they left dents or not. I was on a mission to occupy myself and find something to hold my attention for longer than a little while.

I was going to end the night with a stranger in my bed, I decided. Perhaps it would be one of Daddy’s friends, a handsome older guy who would come at the mere thought of getting me into his arms without any clothes on. Or maybe it would be someone younger, one of the rare people who were my age at the get-together.

My thoughts swam with opportunities as I walked through the room, and then, all of a sudden, I came to a stop, my eyes growing wider and wider as they focused on the man talking to my father.

It was him.

The man who’d killed the father of my child. The man who threatened to hurt me if I kept trying to hunt him down. Right there, in our living room, in the flesh.

I fought the urge to approach him, attack him or figure out exactly what he was doing standing in my parents’ home, but before I had a chance to react, my father called out for me.

“Carina!” he said pleasantly. “Why don’t you come and join us? I’d like you meet my new business associate.”

I sauntered over confidently, even though my heart was beating a million times a minute. I kissed my father on the cheek and gave the other man a pleasant but inquisitive smile.

“I’d like you to meet Mr. Thorn,” my father said proudly. “He’s just joined us overseas as an investor.”

“Pleasure to meet you,” he growled and took my hand.

I watched with my eyes wide open as he kissed the top of my hand, watching it flutter back to my chest. He was impossibly handsome, dressed in a designer suit and with his hair slicked back, faint stubble covering his cheeks. I was intrigued and intimidated at the same time, and I wanted to know so much more about him.

“Carina is my only daughter,” my father went on. “We keep trying to convince her to join the family business, but she’s intent on making her dreams come true instead.”

“And what might those dreams be?” Thorn asked with a low growl.

He was so… possessive, to the point of almost sounding angry with every word he spoke. He sent shivers down my spine, but I loved it. I wanted more of him, but I needed to be careful not to give away the fact that we already knew each other. As far as my father was concerned, Thorn and I were complete strangers.

“I’m a dancer,” I told him what he already knew. “A ballet dancer.”

“What an interesting path she’s taken,” my father laughed jovially. “I wish I had half her talent. Now, Mr. Thorn, if I could just steal another moment of your time before I let you have some fun…”

They turned away from me, leaving me standing there and feeling completely useless. I made my way through the room, stopping to pick a glass of expensive champagne off one of the waiter’s platters. My heart was pounding, and I wasn’t sure I was hiding it all too well. My pussy was leaking at the thought of being close to him, desperate for him to take what I so desperately wanted to give him.

I spent the rest of the evening by indulging others in mindless conversations. There were men there who were obviously interested in me, but I didn’t bother wasting my time on them. Now, there was only one person in the room I was interested in, and every time I caught his dark eyes lingering on me, I felt a jolt of electricity shoot up my spine.

It was nearing the end of the evening, and I decided I only had one shot to get what I wanted. I started following him around, moving in circles and making sure I was always close to him, picking my conversation partners based on where he was in the room. He must’ve noticed. His dark eyes kept stealing glances at me, provoking unanswered questions in my mind.

Finally, I watched him excuse himself and went right after him into the hallway that led into the cloak room. He was waiting for me, his strong, muscular arm wrapping around my throat the second we were alone. I gasped as he stepped out of the shadows, his eyes filled with dark intent as they connected with mine.

“You following me?” he asked in that raspy voice of his, and I coughed and sputtered as he held me up in his arms as if I weighed nothing. “That’s not a very good idea, girl.”

“Let me go,” I begged, even though it was the last thing I wanted. “You’re the one who came here!”

“I told you I’d be keeping an eye on you,” he growled in response. “Now I know who your parents are, where they live. One wrong move from you, and I’ll punish you by hurting them.”

“You wouldn’t,” I gasped, knowing full well that he would. “Please. Let me go. I can’t breathe!”

His hand moved off my throat, and I gasped for air. Right away, the loss of his hand around my throat made me feel broken, needing his touch yet again, but I wasn’t about to admit it. Instead, I stared into his eyes with a fire burning in my own.

“Why did you come here?” I asked him.

“I told you,” he said simply, cracking his knuckles in a way that sent goosebumps all over my skin. “I need to keep an eye on you. Why are you following me?”

I thought about my secret phone calls with Pia. I thought about everything I had learned. Now was the time to finally come clean. Now was the time to show him I could be so much better than her… better than Harlow.

“I know what you did,” I told him softly. “I know you took her.”

A faint hint of surprise crossed his face then he laughed openly at me.

“You know jack shit, girl,” he finally said, his eyes dangerous as they connected with mine.

“I don’t care,” I was quick to go on. “I don’t care that you took Harlow, or Amber.”

“So why bring it up?” he asked with a curious look in his eyes.

“I want you…” I stopped, pausing for effect and because I was too nervous to go on. My voice was shaky and scared, but I was desperate to tell him. “I want you to take me, too.”

“Take you?” he asked, coming closer to stare at me. His eyes evaluated me, from my hair to my face then down my body. “Why would I take you?” he asked, a hint of a smile playing on his lips.

“I…” My words drifted off into nothing. “I want you to take me like you did them…”

“And what happens to them in this imaginary world of yours?” he asked, mocking me openly. I wasn’t about to back down. He didn’t know about my conversations with Pia. He didn’t know how much I actually found out already. And how badly I wanted for him to choose me over the other two girls.

“They’re…” I whispered, my eyes drifting away and coming back to his to stare openly. “They’re yours.”

“You want to be mine?” he asked. Now, he wasn’t mocking me. His tone was soft, almost like he felt a little sorry for me. “You don’t, Carina. You have no idea what kind of man I am.”

I grabbed his hand, and he snatched it away from me, leaving me feeling useless and more scared than ever as I stared at him with desperate eyes.

“Take me with you,” I told him again. “Let me be yours. Whatever you want. Take me away from this life. I don’t want it. I want you. I want to take Harlow’s place.”

He stared at me, a spark coming to life inside him, as if he’d just realized I knew more than I was letting on.

“I’m keeping an eye on you,” he finally told me. “But you need to stay away from me, girl. For your own fucking good.”

“Please,” I choked out. “I’ll do anything you want.”

He shook his head and rubbed his eyes warily.

“You have no idea what you want, Carina,” he finally managed. “Go back to your parents. Go back to your life. Be grateful for what you have. Be grateful you’re free.”

With those words, he pulled himself out of the situation and walked away from me, leaving me more alone than ever.

“Wait!” I cried out after him, but he didn’t turn to look back at me, only kept on walking. And not for the first time, he took a piece of my heart with him, tearing a chunk right out of my chest and leaving me alone, just like he had so many times before.

But now, it only served to make me more determined. I knew what I wanted, and I knew I was going to get it. I was going to follow him to the end of the world if I had to. I was going to make him take me if it was the last thing I fucking did.