Lena lay on her side, sheets warm against her skin, faint rope marks ghosting her wrists. Every movement reminded her she'd been used hard. The soreness between her thighs, the ache in her hips from straddling him, the raw throb where his palm had landed.
The collar was still buckled at her throat. Thin black leather, cool now, but each shift of her head made her aware of it. She didn't reach for it.
Julian sat at the foot of the bed, shirtless, forearms on his knees, his lean frame still coiled with energy. Black hair mussed from her grip. Gray eyes unreadable, fixed on her like she was still kneeling between his legs.
Her phone lit on the nightstand. Ethan. Another text. Then another.
Julian's gaze didn't leave her. "You're not answering him." It wasn't a question.
She swallowed. "No."
"Good." He stood, picked up the phone, and scrolled without hesitation. The screen's glow caught the sharp cut of his cheekbones. "Tell him you're busy."
Her pulse skipped. "Julian…."
"Do it."
The command landed low in her stomach. She typed exactly what he told her, her thumb unsteady, and set it back down.
When she looked up, his hand caught her jaw, tilting her chin so her green eyes had no choice but to meet his. "That's leverage, Lena. Every choice you make with me takes you further from him."
Her breath caught.
The kiss that followed wasn't sweet. It was claim and consequence, his fingers flexing at her throat over the collar.
"Get dressed," he said.
She moved toward the closet, but he caught her wrist. "No. I'll choose."
From her suitcase he pulled a fitted black dress. Long sleeves, hem high enough she'd think about every time she bent. Thin-strapped heels. He laid them on the bed.
"And nothing underneath."
Her thighs pressed together instinctively. She obeyed.
The hotel's executive lounge smelled faintly of polished wood and expensive whiskey. Low conversations carried influence more than volume.
Julian took the corner table, a predator at ease with the room in full view. She sat across from him, hyperaware of the air sliding over bare skin beneath the dress, the collar hidden but present.
He poured her wine, set it in front of her. Then, almost casually, slid a small black toy onto the table between them.
Her pulse spiked.
"Put it in," he murmured, eyes steady on hers.
She shifted in her seat, sliding the discreet toy inside beneath the table.
The first vibration rolled through her as she straightened, subtle but enough to tighten her breath. She kept her face smooth, fingers curled around the stem of her glass.
Julian didn't touch the remote again for several minutes. He asked about litigation updates as though they were two colleagues passing the time.
Then the next pulse hit. Harder. Longer.
Her knees pressed together. A bead of heat climbed her spine.
"Don't spill," he said softly.
She swallowed wine, every nerve focused on not shuddering.
The vibration peaked, then cut off without warning. She blinked hard, the loss almost cruel.
Julian leaned forward, hand closing lightly over her thigh beneath the table. Just high enough to make her grip the glass tighter. His voice was almost a whisper. "Look at me when you take it."
The next wave hit.
Her green eyes locked on his gray ones, and for a moment she forgot they weren't alone. The collar felt heavier, the air thicker.
The vibration stopped. He sat back, the remote disappearing into his pocket. "Finish your wine," he said, voice like silk pulled taut.
She swallowed the last of the wine, her heart still pounding, heat thrumming low and sharp. He didn't offer the toy's removal.
"No release. Not until I decide you've earned it."
When she stood, her legs felt unsteady. Not from the heels, but from the ache he'd built in her. She walked through the lounge, bare beneath her dress, every step a reminder of who she belonged to.
In the quiet hallway, her pulse seemed louder than her heels. She slipped her keycard into the door. The room was dim, the air still warm from earlier.
She shut the door behind her. Leaned against it.
Tried to breathe.
But she already knew
This wasn't over.
End of Chapter Four
Next: Chapter Five – Leverage