Pearl's POV

It was barely noon the next day, and Everett Langford was already invading my thoughts again. I sat on the edge of my hotel bed, staring at the TV that I’d muted hours ago, fiddling with a loose thread on my robe and trying to push that accursed masked man out of my head.

Why was I still thinking about him? It wasn’t like me to get caught up over a man, especially one I hadn’t even spoken to. ESPECIALLY one who looked so dangerous. Yet his bright blue eyes, the commanding way he carried himself, and that stupid gold mask were all I could see.

Before I could spiral further, my phone buzzed on the nightstand. I lunged for it, hoping for a distraction. Thank the Lord!

“Vivienne!” I called out, forcing a cheerful tone.

“Well, well, someone’s up early after ditching us last night.” Her voice was teasing, but I could hear the curiosity behind it.

“I didn’t ditch you,” I argued, leaning back against the headboard. “The club was boring. You know how I hate crowds.”

“Uh-huh.” She didn’t buy it. “You practically ran out of there, Pearl. What gives?”

“Nothing,” I said quickly. Too quickly.

There was a pause before she sighed. “Fine, I’ll let it go.... for now. Anyway, I didn’t call to interrogate you. I have news! There’s a masquerade ball tonight. Only the elite of the elite get in, and you’re coming with me.”

“A masquerade ball?” I repeated, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes! It’s going to be glamorous, exclusive, and just the kind of distraction you need. Come on, Pearl. You’re from one of the most prestigious families in Chicago. You’ll fit right in. See it as dues paid for running away from the club yesterday.”

I hesitated, glancing at the pile of unread books on the nightstand. A quiet night in sounded more appealing, but Vivienne wasn’t the type to take no for an answer.

“Fine,” I relented, rolling my eyes. “What time?”

“I’ll text you the address. Wear something fabulous.”

After hanging up, I opened my closet and sifted through the racks of designer dresses I’d brought with me. My fingers landed on a sleek black gown with a plunging neckline and sheer sleeves. It was dramatic enough for a masquerade ball and sexy enough to turn heads. Perfect.

*********

The venue was a sprawling estate on the outskirts of the city of Chicago, somewhere close to Princeton. I arrived in my sleek black car, stepping out onto the red carpet with practiced ease. The mask I was wearing which was a delicate creation of black lace, felt like both a shield and a statement.

Vivienne greeted me just inside the entrance, waving enthusiastically. Her curly black hair was styled into an elegant updo, her blue eyes shining behind a silver mask.

“Pearl! You look stunning,” she said, pulling me into a quick hug.

“So do you,” I replied, gesturing to her shimmering gold gown.

“Go find a seat. I’ll get us drinks,” Vivienne said with a wink before disappearing into the crowd.

The ballroom was breathtaking, with crystal chandeliers throwing a warm glow over the sea of masked attendees. I headed to the bar, smiling and waving as people passed me by.

As I sat, my eyes started to wander, scanning the room without meaning to. Was I looking for him? The thought annoyed me, but I couldn’t help it. I didn’t see Everett, but the memory of him was still in the back of my mind, and it was very persistent and unwelcome.

I sighed and sipped the champagne the bartender handed me. The party was elegant, but I was already growing bored. My mind drifted to the next excuse I could give Vivienne to leave when a sharp voice pulled me back to reality.

“Well, isn’t this a surprise.”

I turned to find Siena standing there, her lips curled into a smug smile. She wore a glittering red dress, her blonde hair swept over one shoulder.

Attending parties so fast after I caught her in the same bed with my husband? I couldn't believe this woman had once been one of my closest friends.

“What do you want, Siena?” I asked in an icy tone.

“Oh, just to chat,” she said, sliding onto the stool beside me. “I mean, it’s not every day I see my man's ex-wife out in public, pretending like she’s fine.”

Her words angered me, but I didn’t let it show. I leaned back in my seat, a slow smile spreading across my face. “Ex-wife? That’s rich coming from the woman who had to sneak around in the shadows. You're not Alan's woman, Siena, any more than I am."

Siena’s face turned dark with anger but she recovered quickly. “At least Alan didn’t get bored with me.”

“Oh, honey,” I said, laughing. “Alan wasn’t bored, he was desperate. You were just the easiest option.”

A few people nearby glanced our way, as if they were sensing the tension. Siena’s lips thinned and for a moment, I thought I’d won. But then she leaned closer to me and spoke.

“At least I know where I stand, Pearl. Can you say the same about your family? Or did Daddy finally cut you off before his death so you won't have to inherit the key to his safe?”

I froze and gripped my champagne flute to hold myself back. “What the fuck are you on about, Siena?"

Siena smirked. “Oh, you heard me.”

I stood abruptly, my chair scraping against the floor. Without another word, I walked away, needing to put as much distance between us as possible.

The bathroom was empty when I entered, and I leaned over the sink, taking deep breaths to steady myself. I turned on the faucet and splashed cold water on my face, trying to shake the fury and confusion swirling inside me.

But before I could collect myself, I heard the door creak open.

I glanced up just as Siena appeared in the mirror. But instead of the smugness or even anger that I was expecting to see in her eyes, there was only one thing.

Greed.

What was she after with me?

“You’ve always been so self-righteous,” she spat, slowly walking toward me. “Always acting like you’re better than everyone else.”

“Siena, I don’t have time for your...”

She lunged before I could finish, grabbing the back of my head and shoving me toward the sink. My face hit the cold porcelain, and I heard her feel around for the sink plug.

"WHAT THE FUCK?!" I shrieked.

Siena attached the plug and turned the faucet to fill the basin with water. Water splashed everywhere as she tried to dunk my head into the basin.

“Where is it?” she hissed. “Your father’s safe key, where is it?”

I gasped for air, thrashing against her grip. “I.... don’t know.... wha.... what you’re talking about!”

“Don’t lie to me!” she snarled, pressing harder.

"Crazy bitch!" I screamed. "Fucking.... let me go!"

The cold water stung my eyes and rushed into my nose and mouth as Siena forced my head down into the sink full of water. I thrashed and clawed at her arms, but she was stronger than she looked, and her grip was strong.

“Where’s the key, Pearl?” she snarled above the roar of the running faucet. "Tell me now, or I swear to God, I won't hesitate to kill you!"

I tried to scream, but water flooded my throat, choking me. I gagged and sputtered, my lungs burning for air. My hands scrabbled at the edges of the sink, desperate for leverage, but it was no use.

“Just tell me!” Siena shouted, her voice shrill and furious. “Tell me where it is, and I’ll stop!”

Her words barely registered. My world was narrowing to the sensation of suffocating, the icy grip of the water, and the terror of losing control.

I kicked out blindly, but my legs felt heavy. My arms began to weaken as my strength drained away. Darkness crawled in at the edges of my vision.

I thought of my late father, my friends, the life I still wanted to live. Is this how it ends?

Just as the last sliver of hope faded, the bathroom door slammed open with a thunderous crash.

Siena’s grip loosened, and the weight pressing me down vanished. I collapsed onto the floor, coughing and gasping for breath. My vision swam as I wiped water from my face and tried to focus on the person who had just saved my life.

Everett Langford stood in the doorway, his blue eyes burning with fury under the edge of his mask.

But his eyes weren't on me. They were on Siena.

“WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!” He roared at her.

Pearl's POV

Everett Langford's growl shocked me just as much as it shocked Siena. I sprang back, pressing myself against the corner of the bathroom. The water from the sink still burned against my throat, and I coughed and spluttered to get it all out.

Siena froze, her hands trembling as she backed away from me. Her confidence seemed to crumble under his sharp glare, and for the first time since this nightmare began, I saw fear in her eyes.

Everett Langford stepped further inside, his presence consuming the room. “I asked you a question, woman, and for your own good, you'd better answer me."

“I... I wasn’t—” Siena stammered, but Everett Langford cut her off with a single, biting word.

“Enough.”

He turned to me then, his eyes locking into mine just enough to make my knees wobble. Before I could speak or even breathe properly, his strong hand wrapped around my arm, pulling me up with ease.

The heat of his touch startled me, but it was his scent that undid me. A heady mix of dark amber and cedarwood, spiked with a hint of something smoky and dangerous. It was intoxicating, pulling me in even though I wanted to resist.

No, no, no, no! My mind screamed. Why did it have to be him?

Everett Langford didn’t so much as glance at me as he positioned me behind him, shielding me from Siena as though I were some damsel in distress, which I wasn't. Why was this hulk of a man treating me like some baby?

The thought grated on my nerves, but I couldn’t deny the slight comfort his towering frame brought.

He fixed his gaze on Siena. His face was passive, but there was something burning in his eyes, and it scared even me. “Why were you demanding a key from her?”

Siena opened her mouth, but no words came out.

“I’m waiting,” he grunted.

Siena swallowed hard. “It’s... n...none of your business!”

“Wrong answer.” Everett Langford took a step closer to her, his movements slow and deliberate, like a predator cornering its prey. “I’ll ask again: why were you trying to drown her? What’s so important about this key?”

Siena stuttered. "Like I said, It Is none of your business."

"I will make it my business if I want to."

“It.... it is personal...."

“Personal?” Everett Langford echoed, his lips curling into a dangerous smirk. “You mean personal enough to commit attempted murder in a public place?”

“I wasn’t trying to kill her!” Siena protested, her voice rising in desperation.

Everett Langford cocked an eyebrow. “Oh, so holding someone’s head under water is your idea of a joke? Forgive me if I don’t find it amusing.”

Siena took a step back, her heel hitting the tiled floor with a faint squeak.

He tilted his head, studying her with a cold intensity that made my skin prickle. “You do realize I know how to find you, don’t you? If you lie to me again, I will make sure you, and everybody related to you, regrets it.”

Siena’s face went pale. “I didn’t mean to hurt her!”

Everett Langford’s laugh was humorless. “Funny. You looked pretty determined when I walked in.”

I stood frozen behind him, watching the exchange like it was some twisted play. My throat still burned from the water I’d swallowed, but I couldn’t tear my eyes away from Everett Langford. He was commanding, ruthless, and utterly terrifying, but he was also strangely captivating.

Siena’s gaze darted to the door, and I saw the exact moment she decided to run.

“Don’t you dare.....” Everett Langford started, but it was too late.

Siena bolted toward the exit, shoving past him with surprising force.

Everett Langford moved fast, his reflexes sharper than I would’ve imagined for a man his size. He grabbed her arm, spinning her around with enough force to make her stumble.

“Let me go!” she shrieked, clawing at his grip.

Their struggle was chaotic, bodies twisting and colliding in the small space. Then, in the chaos, Siena’s hand shot up and caught the edge of his mask.

The thick golden material tore away, clattering to the ground like a fallen leaf.

And for the first time, I saw the man beneath the mask.

The entire room seemed to go still. The music from the ballroom outside was muffled now, distant and irrelevant compared to what I was seeing.

Everett Langford froze and straightened, his hand still gripping Siena’s arm. His face was as striking as I’d imagined but it was the left side that stole my breath.

And there it was: a long line of serrated, jagged flesh, running down the left side of his face.

********

Siena seized that opportunity to turn and dash out of the bathroom, but I didn't care anymore. My eyes were fixed on the man before me.

Everett Langford bent down swiftly, snatching the mask off the floor and placing it back over his face. His movements were sharp, deliberate, as though hiding his scar could erase the moment it was revealed.

But I was already very curious. “What happened to your face?” I asked, taking a cautious step forward.

His head whipped around, blue eyes blazing. “It’s none of your concern.”

His tone was a warning, but I wasn’t one to back down easily. “I’m just asking a question. You don’t need to bite my head off,” I replied, folding my arms. "You can tell me."

A muscle twitched in his jaw. “Stay out of things you don’t understand!” he snapped.

That should have been the end of it. I should’ve shut up, turned around, and walked out of that bathroom. But the stubborn woman in me refused to let him have the last word.

“Wow,” I said, with a bitter laugh. “You save someone’s life, bark orders at them, and then act like you’re God’s gift to the world? Hate to break it to you, but you’re not as intimidating as you think.”

His eyes darkened instantly to an almost black colour. He took one step closer, and I stumbled backwards in surprise.

“You don’t know when to stop, do you?” he growled, giving me a lazy once-over with his eyes. "You're a feisty woman."

“Maybe if you weren’t such a control freak, people wouldn’t feel the need to push back,” I shot back at his face.

That was it. The thread holding him together snapped. In a flash, he was in front of me, his movements a blur of speed.

And before I knew what was happening, his hand was gripping my neck and pressing me against the wall.

Pearl's POV

"You are such a stubborn woman!" He growled, his breath heating my face. "I like my women subservient—"

"Then maybe you should leave me alone!" I spat.

"—but there is something about you," he continued, as if he didn't hear me. His lips moved, trailing a heated line from my ear, down my neck and back. His hand was still around my neck, holding me in place. Excited goosebumps were spiralling down my body at this point.

"You need to be punished." He said suddenly, letting go of my neck.

The force of his words left me speechless for a second. "Punished?" I whispered.

"Yes." He replied. "For being so feisty."

And with one sweep of his arm, he lifted me in the air and placed me to sit on the sink.

Kiss me! I screamed in my head with a strange, unfamiliar need, completely captivated by him. I was staring openly at Everett Langford's Cupid's bow mouth now, utterly mesmerized, and he was looking down at me, his gaze hooded, his eyes darkening.

He was breathing harder than usual, and I had stopped breathing altogether. I’m in your arms. Kiss me, please, I pleaded inside of me. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then settled himself in between my legs.

Suddenly he pushed forward, pressing me against the mirror behind me. Before I knew it, he had both of my hands in one of his in a shackle-like grip above my head.

Holy shit.

His other hand grabbed my hair and yanked down, bringing my face up, and breathing into my mouth.

I couldn't take it anymore.

Reaching forward, I took his mouth in a kiss.

The man froze for a moment, utterly surprised, then relaxed. I moaned into his mouth, giving his tongue an opening. He took full advantage, his tongue expertly exploring my mouth.

I had never, ever been kissed like this.

My tongue tentatively stroked his and joined his in a slow, erotic dance that was all about touch and sensation, all bump and grind. He brought his hand up to grasp my chin and held me in place, then pulled back.

Staring down at me, he growled, “You have no idea how much I want you, Kitten."

Kitten?!

I inhaled a deep breath, absorbing both his words and his spicy male scent, then nuzzled his neck. He felt good, he felt right. I didn’t want to be scared. I didn’t want to think about the reasons this might be a mistake.

In the bathroom of a public space!

I curled my legs to my chest, wrapped my arms around my knees and watched his every move. And he let me. I was so small that the sink could hold me up.

He stared at me with such heat and desire in his eyes that I knew this was going to be a delicious escape. An escape I wanted.

With him.

I wanted to kiss a path around every single inch of his muscular body.

My gaze lowered, a soft moan all but escaping my lips. His dick jutted forward in his navy blue pants, long and hard, promising more pleasure. It thickened under my inspection, and I bit my lips. If I could have crawled on my knees and fallen beneath it, licked the glistening pebble of liquid on the tip, I would have.

My gaze went to his. “Put your legs down, Kitten.” He commanded.

I swallowed, realizing he wasn’t moving. He was standing there, watching me as I was watching him. Which seemed a fair enough trade. Slowly, I lowered my legs, pressed my hands to the sink, my body exposed to his hungry stare that traveled lower.

He went down on his knees in front of me but didn’t touch me. “Open for me, now." He ordered softly.

That he wasn’t touching me somehow made the order more erotic. Slowly, I did as he said. I inched my thighs apart, spread my legs for him. His eyes seemed to caress and touch every inch of me.

“Beautiful,” he said hoarsely, arousal lancing the one word that pulsed through me like a vibration. Heat spread through my limbs, expanding within my chest, set my heart to racing. I was panting. Panting and the man was not even touching me. Nor I him. It was as if he’d settled a barrier between us, an erotically charged barrier that only he could break. I had never experienced anything like it in my life.

“Mr Langford,” I said, all but pleading. “Please.”

His gaze riveted upward to meet mine. “Please what?”

“Touch me.”

“Where?” he asked.

“Everywhere,” I whispered.

“Show me where. Show me how.”

Vulnerability assailed me. “Mr Langford,” I pleaded again. The truth was, I’d never touched myself for a man, not even Alan. I had never even considered it. Certainly, I knew my body, felt comfortable in my own skin. But touching myself for a man had always felt like giving away a piece of myself reserved for me and me alone.

“I won’t take you anyplace you don’t want to go, woman,” he promised, his eyes holding mine. “Anywhere you touch, I’ll touch.”

I swallowed against the sudden dryness in my throat. Could I touch myself in front of him?

I'd never done that with a man. Never felt comfortable enough, free enough. He would touch where I touched, he said. And I wanted him to touch me. Wanted it far more than I wanted control, I realized with shock.

This total stranger felt safe. This man, whom I’d tried so hard to demonize in my head, to make him the enemy. I'd tried so hard to make him look unreachable, untouchable, but he was slowly feeling familiar. It was insanity to me.

I reached up and loosened the halter strap of my dress, letting It fall away, exposing my braless chest. Then I touched my breasts, filled my hands with them, pinched my nipples. Watched him watching me. I felt my womb clench at the intense look on his face.

My fingers twirled my nipples. I moaned softly. “You like it when I do this?”

“I do,” he said. “But you’re going to like it even more when I do it.” His voice lowered. “Show me where to touch you. Show me where to taste you.”