"Smile, Rosella."
Her mother, Gwendolyn's excited, high-pitched voice cut through the clapping and cheering.
Rosella Taylor lifted the corner of her lips in the barest curve that could pass for a smile, and raised her champagne glass as cameras flashed in her face.
Although, the ballroom glittered with wealth, packed with elites from different walks of life, dressed in flowing gowns and expensive suits, Rosella didn't see the need to smile.
She didn't understand the fuss. All she knew was that the people in the ballroom were smiling too wide because her name carried power and not because they were truly happy she was celebrating a birthday.
She would rather spend the night working on meeting her deadlines instead of partying around.
"To my daughter... The woman who turned RA into a global empire. Happy birthday, my brilliant, unyielding, beautiful daughter." her mother continued, pride coating every one of her words.
And again, applause thundered.
Rosella swallowed a sigh as a thought crossed her mind:
Unyielding? That was the word they always used. As if strength were something she had chosen, not something that had been beaten into her by expectations, legacy, and the weight of a surname that demanded perfection.
Her mother walked closer to her, then lowering her voice, she said;
"Sebastian will be here any moment. Try not to disappear tonight."
"Actually, he told me he has a surprise planned for you. You don't want to miss that." Gwendolyn added with a brighter smile.
Rosella's jaw tightened.
"I didn't agree to that." she mumbled, her eyes gesturing to the big party.
"You're thirty, It's time you thought beyond boardrooms." her mother replied calmly
Rosella didn't answer. She never won these conversations so she didn't bother trying again tonight.
Instead, she scanned the room and seeing all those investors, politicians, fashion elites... people who wanted something from her, the walls seemed to close on her and she felt caged.
She knew the conversation would soon turn out to be a transaction. Every smile was of course, calculated.
And she wasn't in the mood for that, so Rosella swiftly made a decision.
She set her champagne glass down, leaned in to kiss her mother's cheek, and murmured, "I'll be back."
She didn't wait for permission.
"Wait, where are you going to? I hope you are not trying to disappear on me!" Gwendolyn's voice called after her but she was already walking out of earshot.
Minutes later, she was in the back seat of her car, kicking her heels off, her fingers already pulling up hotel listings on her phone.
She was going to go somewhere quiet. Somewhere she could breathe and do what she enjoyed doing most... working. As she had been trained since childhood.
However, she didn't know what await her at her destination.
A whole bundle of a jaw-dropping surprise.
~~~~~~~~
Thirty minutes later, Rosella had arrived at one of the biggest hotels in the city.
The hotel room was silent in a way the ballroom had never been and she breathed in the comfort that the silence brought to her mind.
Rosella shrugged off her blazer, loosened her hair, and settled at the desk by the window, ready to dive into work.
She slipped back into her element, opened her sketchpad, stylus moving, with a very sharp mind.
Work steadied her.
"I have to finish this before morning." Rosella mumbled under her breath as she began to work.
By midnight, the final design had taken shape. She had been working on a men's shoe. It was bold, commanding and powerful just as she wanted it.
She exhaled deeply as she saved the file, ready to allow herself some rest and that was when she heard it.
A soft click and Rosella stiffened, her mind wondering what that was.
She turned just as a tall man stepped inside her room and shut the door behind him with deliberate slowness.
He wore dark clothes, his presence filling the space instantly. A black mask was covering his face, leaving only his eyes visible and those eyes were locked on her.
"Excuse me?" she snapped, rising to her feet.
"I didn't..." she was going to say she didn't request any room services but stopped herself as she realized that the hoteliers definitely wouldn't dressed like that.
"Who are you?" She demanded sharply even though fear was starting to gnaw at her from inside.
However, the man didn't move.
Instead, his gaze dropped---bluntly lingering on her cleavage from her blouse which had the first two buttons loosened, and the soft curve beneath it.
"Nice breasts," he said calmly, his voice coming out smoothly like silk.
The audacity stole her breath and she gasped, words dying in her throat.
"Who the hell are you? Will you get out now before I call the security?" Rosella barked immediately she found her voice.
The stranger tilted his head slightly, as if studying her reaction.
"Strip."
The word landed heavy.
Her pulse spiked but the man remained very composed.
"You must be insane." she snapped and scoffed in disbelief but her body didn't seem to share that opinion.
Heat bloomed low in her stomach, sharp and unwelcome. She knew she was supposed to scream, call security, or do something in this situation.
Instead, her fingers trembled as they rose slowly to the first button of her blouse.
"No... Wait, what?" Her mind protested weakly but her fingers were proving to have a mind of their own.
Her fingers actually worked to slid free a button... then another.
Rosella's eyes widened in shock but her fingers didn't stop.
"Completely..." He commanded again as he watched, his eyes unblinking, just fixed on her chest.
Rosella's heart skipped a beat as cool air kissed her firm stomach immediately her blouse fell open.
"Good," he murmured.
The praise sent a shiver through her entire body and she felt... Lightheaded? Or disoriented?
She slipped the blouse off, her breath shallow, heart pounding so hard it drowned out her thoughts.
"Including the skirt and your underwear," he commanded further.
Her hands obeyed before she could stop them.
The zipper of her skirt whispered down, and her hands dragged down the fabric with her black lacy panties, both pooling at her feet. She stood exposed, heels still on, her dignity unraveling with every second.
"Spread your legs." Another command.
Her knees parted.
Then the realization hit her like a wave---it was humiliating but intoxicating.
Her body liked this. She couldn't deny it because she could feel warmth trailing slowly down her thighs from her core. That was a lot of wetness that she could swear she had never felt before.
"So obedient," the man said softly then he began to walk closer.
Rosella's thighs trembled in anticipation of what was about to happen even though she didn't know it yet.