Tessa pushed open the heavy mahogany doors of the penthouse suite at The Plaza Hotel. She wore the black silk slip dress, the fabric clinging to her chilled skin. The thick, plush carpet absorbed the sound of her heels as she stepped inside.

The room was dimly lit by flickering wall sconces. She walked straight to the crystal decanter on the wet bar and poured a generous measure of dark whiskey into a glass. Her wrist trembled slightly.

She opened her clutch and pulled out a small foil packet containing a mix of antidepressants and a mild hallucinogen Lily had secured for her anxiety months ago. She tossed the pills into her mouth and washed them down with the burning liquor. The fire traveled down her throat, settling in her chest.

The chemical reaction hit her bloodstream faster than she anticipated. The edges of the room began to blur and sway. Her knees buckled. She stumbled forward, her hands reaching out blindly until she collapsed onto the edge of the massive king-sized bed.

Down the hall, the elevator doors chimed and slid open. Lucian stepped out. The air around him seemed to freeze.

His assistant, Zane, hurried to keep pace with his long strides. Zane held a tablet, his voice low and urgent. "The black card charge originated from this floor, sir. Suite 808."

A muscle feathered along Lucian's jawline. His dark eyes were fixed on the door at the end of the corridor.

Around the corner, a tall man in a tailored suit was adjusting his bowtie, preparing to knock on the door of Suite 808. Jax, the agency's top earner.

Lucian did not slow down. He closed the distance in three strides, grabbed Jax by the lapels of his jacket, and slammed him backward against the silk-lined wallpaper.

Jax let out a choked gasp, his hands coming up to defend himself. Lucian drove his fist directly into the man's stomach. The sickening thud echoed in the quiet hallway. Jax folded in half, dropping to his knees, gasping for air.

Zane stepped forward smoothly, pinning the escort to the floor. He reached into Jax's jacket pocket, extracted the magnetic keycard, and handed it to Lucian.

Lucian took the card. His chest heaved with suppressed rage. His wife was inside that room, waiting for another man. The thought made his blood roar in his ears.

Zane opened the silver briefcase he had been carrying, revealing a pre-molded portable mask applicator. Lucian snatched the device from him. He turned his back to the hallway cameras, pressing his face into the contoured mold. Within five seconds, the thin, high-polymer silicone mask adhered seamlessly to his jawline and cheekbones, altering the sharp angles of his face into something entirely different. He quickly attached the micro voice-changer to his throat, adjusting the collar of his shirt to conceal it.

He swiped the keycard against the electronic lock. The light flashed green. He pushed the door open and stepped inside.

The heavy door clicked shut behind him, cutting off the noise of the hallway. The scent of expensive roses and Tessa's familiar vanilla perfume hit his senses.

He walked slowly toward the bedroom area. The only light came from the city glowing through the rain-streaked windows.

Tessa was curled on her side in the center of the bed. The thin strap of her black dress had slipped down her shoulder, exposing the pale curve of her collarbone.

Lucian's breathing hitched. He reached up and violently yanked his tie loose, tossing it onto the floor.

The mattress dipped under his weight as he climbed onto the bed. He hovered over her, his large frame casting a dark shadow across her body.

Tessa opened her eyes. Her pupils were dilated from the drugs. The room was spinning, and the man above her was just a broad, imposing silhouette.

She reached up. Her skin was burning hot. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down. She murmured a soft, incoherent sound of approval.

The fact that she was welcoming a stranger shattered the last of Lucian's control. He lowered his head and captured her lips. It was not a gentle kiss. It was a punishment. His teeth scraped against her lower lip, tasting the faint trace of blood she had drawn earlier.

Tessa let out a small whimper of pain, but she did not push him away. Instead, her fingers dug into the fabric of his shirt, pulling him closer.

His large hands slid down her bare back, the rough pads of his fingers sending violent shivers down her spine. As he leaned over her, an unfamiliar, aggressive scent of juniper and dark leather filled her senses, completely masking Lucian's usual crisp cedar cologne. The foreign aroma confirmed her hazy assumption that this was the stranger she had paid for. Her body reacted entirely on instinct, arching into his touch.

The sound of the thunderstorm outside masked the heavy breathing in the room. The temperature spiked.

Tessa's hands moved upward, trying to touch his face. Lucian caught both of her wrists in one hand. He pinned her arms above her head, pressing them firmly into the mattress. He could not risk her feeling the edges of the silicone mask.

His movements were demanding and possessive. He wanted to brand her, to erase the thought of any other man from her mind.

Tessa squeezed her eyes shut. A tear leaked from the corner of her eye, sliding down her temple into her hair. The physical overload drowned out the pain in her organs, leaving only a chaotic mix of agony and release.

Hours later, the drugs and exhaustion finally pulled Tessa into a deep, dreamless sleep. Lucian sat on the edge of the bed in the dark. He stared down at her bruised lips and the tear tracks on her cheeks. His hands were curled into tight fists resting on his knees.

The morning sun sliced through the gap in the heavy blackout curtains, hitting Tessa directly in the eyes. She groaned and tried to turn her head.

A massive headache pounded against her skull. Her mouth was dry, and every muscle in her body ached with a deep, unfamiliar soreness. The memories of the night before rushed back in fragmented flashes of heat and rough hands.

She turned her head on the pillow. A man was lying next to her.

He was facing away from her. The white sheet was pooled around his waist, exposing a wide, muscular back. Long, angry red scratch marks trailed down his shoulder blades. Tessa's breath caught in her throat. She had done that.

The man shifted at the sound of her movement. He rolled over slowly.

Tessa stared at a face she had never seen before. He had sharp, handsome features, but there was a dangerous, predatory stillness about him. He was wearing the silicone mask, though she had no way of knowing. His dark eyes locked onto hers, heavy with sleep and something much darker.

Tessa instinctively pulled the sheet up to her chest, her heart hammering against her ribs. She forced her facial muscles to relax, masking her panic with a cold exterior.

"You must be Jax," she said, her voice raspy.

The man did not blink. A low, deeply resonant baritone, digitally lowered to be completely unrecognizable, vibrated from his throat. Tessa frowned slightly, her drug-addled brain processing the unnatural, electronic edge to his tone, but quickly dismissed it. It was likely just a high-end escort's standard privacy measure to protect his real identity. "Were you satisfied, client?"

The arrogant tone grated on her nerves. Tessa frowned, but she reached over to the nightstand and pulled her clutch toward her. She unzipped it and pulled out a folded document.

She tossed the paper onto his chest. "I am changing the terms. I want to hire you exclusively for the next three months. You will be on call twenty-four hours a day."

Lucian looked down at the paper. The words 'Employment Contract' were printed at the top. The temperature in the room plummeted. His wife was trying to put him on a payroll.

He picked up the paper, his fingers gripping the edges so hard the paper crumpled. He looked back at her, his eyes narrowing into dangerous slits. He decided to play her game, to push her until she broke.

"Exclusive access comes with a premium," he said, his altered voice dripping with mockery. He held up three fingers. "One hundred million a month. Three hundred million total."

He waited for her to gasp, to call him insane, to back down.

Tessa did not even blink. "Fine."

The single word hit Lucian like a physical blow. She was willing to throw away three hundred million dollars just to keep a male prostitute around. The jealousy and rage boiled over, burning a hole in his chest.

He sat up abruptly. The sheet fell away, exposing his chest. He leaned in close, trapping her against the headboard. The sheer physical dominance of his proximity made Tessa's chest tighten, but she refused to look away. She stared right back into his furious eyes.

Lucian snatched a pen from the nightstand. He flipped to the signature page of the contract. He pressed the pen down and slashed the name 'Ash' across the dotted line. The tip of the pen tore through the paper.

He threw the contract back at her. "Signal," he demanded coldly. "Download it. I don't use standard text."

Tessa picked up her phone. Her fingers were steady as she downloaded the encrypted messaging app and generated an anonymous QR code. She held the screen out to him.

Lucian reached into his discarded trousers on the floor and pulled out a burner phone Zane had provided. He scanned her code. A notification popped up on her screen, confirming the connection.

With the transaction complete, Tessa pushed the covers aside and stood up. She did not bother to cover herself as she walked over to her clothes scattered on the floor.

Lucian's eyes tracked her every movement. He watched the way the morning light hit the bruises he had left on her skin. His jaw clenched so tight his teeth ached.

Tessa pulled the black dress over her head. She picked up her phone, her fingers flying across the screen to initiate a transfer. She held up the confirmation screen, displaying a ten-million-dollar wire to the agency's holding account. "Your first advance payment," she said, her tone laced with deliberate, icy authority. "The rest depends entirely on your performance. As for your cab fare, I assume you can cover that yourself."

Lucian stared at the screen. The veins in his forearms bulged against his skin.

Tessa did not look back. She walked to the door, her hand wrapping around the cold metal handle. She pulled it open and stepped out into the hallway, letting the heavy door slam shut behind her.

The loud click of the lock echoed in the room.

Lucian grabbed a heavy crystal glass from the nightstand and hurled it across the room. The glass exploded against the far wall, raining down onto the carpet in a shower of sharp shards. He stared at his burner phone, his chest rising and falling in harsh, ragged breaths.