I'm a killer who accidentally sleeps with a mafia boss twice.

The first time, I walk away without saying anything, leaving behind nothing but a note and a bank card. "Fantastic night. Thanks."

The second time, he lands himself at the top of the killer hit list and has a sky-high bounty placed on him.

Later, he traps me in his room as I fade in and out of consciousness, drowning in his presence.

He holds my hand and aims my gun at himself with a chuckle. "You're shaking so badly. Can you even keep your gun steady?"

I was on the phone when Dominic Selwyn came out of a club. My boss sent me his details, which I glanced through. Then, I calmly rejected the job. "Nope. I'm not doing this one."

"You know him?" my boss asked.

I chuckled. "I slept with him."

He was silent for a few seconds. Then, he said, "I'll pay you double the bounty."

I raised an eyebrow and looked at the astronomical sum. "Deal."

I ended the call and strode toward Dominic.

He was tall and imposing in his impeccable suit, and countless people tried to hit on him even as he stood there. He turned them down one after the other, faltering when he saw me. Then, his gaze landed on my exposed chest.

There was a bite mark there. My last target had left it. Too bad he was now money in my pocket.

Dominic's gaze turned cold as he stared fixedly at the bite mark. His phone screen was lit up—he'd probably been texting his men. I accidentally saw one of the messages. "Give them the shipment at the harbor."

I didn't pay it much mind. Instead, I leaned in and wrapped my arms around his neck, asking saucily, "Wanna leave with me?"

He looked down at me. I knew he'd been searching for me since I'd up and left without a word after sleeping with him the last time, but I'd never appeared.

I didn't want to get involved with ordinary people. It was too troublesome. It was why I only slept with my targets—I could kill them after having my fun. I'd have a good time, and I'd get paid for it, too.

So, I tightened my arms around his neck and kissed him as we plunged into the darkness. The smell of tobacco lingered between our lips, and the sound of our belts clashing together rang out sharply in the dark alley.

I could clearly feel his arousal, which only made me more reckless and provocative.

Dominic was hard for me, but he pushed me away, his voice low and restrained. "I won't be the other man."

I looked at the marks on my body and raised an eyebrow knowingly. "You know I don't have anyone in my life."

I tiptoed and leaned in, nibbling on his earlobe as I whispered lazily, "It's just a night of fun, isn't it?"

He didn't look much happier after I said that, but I knew he wouldn't turn me down.

Sure enough, he pinned me to the wall, his eyes dark and unfathomable. He looked like he wanted to rip me to pieces. After a long while, he laughed softly. "Don't regret this."

…

Dominic's villa was far out in the suburbs.

Under the pale moonlight, broken sounds shattered the quiet of the night.

"Enough…"

Dominic leaned close to my ear. "What?"

I gasped for breath and gripped his arms as I trembled. "I said, enough."

He grabbed my hands and pinned them above my head, looking down at me imperiously as he rasped, "This is far from enough."

His phone rang and rang, but he didn't spare it a glance as he focused all his attention on me. I felt like I was floating in an ocean without anything to support me. He was the only piece of driftwood I could cling to.

I sounded like I was about to cry as I wailed, "I'm dying, Dominic…"

He finally stopped and fixed a burning gaze on my face.

I shut my eyes as I tried to catch my breath, but I secretly felt around for my gun, wrapping a hand around the barrel. I had to end this quickly. Otherwise, at this rate, I wouldn't just fail the job—I'd die under his ministrations.

I rolled Dominic under me and leaned down to kiss him. He let out a low laugh and asked, "Are you going to kill me now?"

I froze. There wasn't time to think—I whipped out my gun.

He easily caught me and disarmed me in seconds. When he saw that there was only one bullet, he laughed again. "You sure are confident, Mr. Assassin. I'm confiscating this."

This was the first time I'd messed up in my career as an assassin. For a second, countless ways to die flashed in my mind. Questions overwhelmed me, but I couldn't voice a single one.

Dominic wasn't pleased with my distraction. He bit my neck.

I winced from the pain. I struggled and resisted, but he easily overpowered me.

After being dragged back into the whirlpool of his dominance, I vaguely felt him stuff my gun into my hand again. However, I didn't have the strength to lift it.

Dominic kissed my fingers and pressed the barrel to his chest, where his heart was. His body and lips were merciless as he said, "You're shaking so badly. Can you even keep your gun steady?"

My hand shook, and the gun clattered to the floor.

He ignored it and trapped me in his arms.

His phone was still buzzing. The screen lit up, and I saw its contents. A message had come from a number that was beyond familiar to me, but the words were respectfully directed toward Dominic.

"I've sent him to you. Pleasure doing business with you."

Looking back, things were amiss from the first time I met Dominic.

Back then, I was still green at the job and had been badly injured. I'd also yet to develop a habit of sleeping with my targets.

I sauntered into a bar, my black clothes concealing the blood on me perfectly. I drank myself half to death, feeling brooding and pessimistic. I couldn't help but think that my life was over. Being an assassin wasn't glamorous, and I kept getting injured.

People kept trying to hit on me. I lounged lazily with a faint smile on my face, looking like a fragile little thing. No one knew I did the dirtiest, deadliest work in the world.

I was annoyed, but I didn't let it show. Instead, I deliberately put on a show of pouring something into my drink while smiling mischievously, saying, "There's poison in here. You'll die if you drink it."

They wanted to sleep with me, but they didn't even have the nerve to touch the glass because of my words, whether true or false.

I wasn't bored because all the while, I sensed someone lurking in the shadows, their eyes locked on me. Their gaze was blunt and searing, and I could hardly miss it.

I barely had to wait before he showed himself in front of me. He picked up the glass and downed the liquor. The rim hit the counter with a clatter.

The polished surface caught clean, sharp features. He looked down and said softly, "Your wounds will fester if you don't get them treated soon."

I saw the desire roiling beneath the layer of ice in his eyes. He and I were of the same kind, so of course, we slept together.

By the next morning, I was gone. My wounds had been treated, and I was clean. I'd never felt so good before. It was a shame, but I didn't want to have anything to do with regular people.

So, I left a note and a bank card. "Fantastic night. Thanks."

The note was a farewell, and the bank card was his remuneration. It was a polite and detached move.

I thought our paths would never cross again… until a few months down the road, when my boss issued me a new mission to assassinate a mafia boss with an astronomical bounty on him.

The face that had stared back at me was Dominic's.

…

When I woke up, I felt like my body was falling apart. I knew Dominic was no simpleton, but I didn't expect him to be this crazy.

I lifted the blanket and got out of bed. My legs gave out the moment I stood up, and I fell to the floor. My body was marked everywhere, and a thin chain snaked around my ankle. It connected to a spot beneath the bed.

I tugged on it and snorted. "Is this a captivity kink?"

Dominic's voice boomed from out of nowhere. "You're up. Breakfast is on the table. Do you feel okay?"

I turned to see a surveillance camera aiming right at me. He hadn't even tried to hide it.

I grabbed the blanket and pulled it over my body while pointing at the chain. "Explain this."

Dominic's voice sounded unbelievably calm as it came from the surveillance camera. "It looks good."

I was baffled. Then, I narrowed my eyes, and my expression turned icy.

Dominic's tone shifted as he added, "Yes, I've taken you as my prisoner."

I was at a loss for words. Thanks, but I didn't need him to state the obvious.

His voice sounded a little glum. "It's the oldest story in the book. The evil dragon falls in love with the princess, but she doesn't belong to him. So, he locks her in an ivory tower, making sure that she can't ever leave."

I said coolly, "The princess ultimately gets saved by the prince, though."

He chuckled. "My story doesn't come with a prince."

In other words, he was confident he could keep me locked up in here forever.

I snorted and said sarcastically, "I don't like you, Dominic. What's the point of you doing this?"

He was unfazed. "Is that so? You felt so good that you cried last night, though. Or was I mistaken?"

Once again, I was rendered speechless. Dominic was tall and handsome. Could anyone keep themselves from getting turned on by such a striking face and body?

For once, I didn't clap back.

Initially, I clung to a shred of hope that this was just one of Dominic's whims. He would let me go once he was tired of me and the game.

Three days later, all my things were packed neatly and dropped off at the villa.

A week later, everything in the house started coming in pairs.

A month later, Dominic opened my door while holding a pillow. "You've had a month to process this. Have you accepted reality yet?"

I had nothing to say. I had indeed accepted reality, thank you very much.

I backed away when I saw his eyes darken with lust. "Hold on. I think I might need more time to process this…"

Dominic pressed his body to mine. "Talk to him, not me."

I couldn't accept that I'd failed my job just like that. So, I started a daily routine of attempting to assassinate Dominic.

The first time, I hid a dagger behind me, wanting to kill him in one strike when his guard was down. I ended up being pinned to the table as he slashed my clothes open with the dagger.

The iciness of the table and the dagger made me jolt. "Wait, I can explain…"

Dominic tapped his cheek.

Huh?

He shot me a look. "Kiss me, and I'll forgive you."

My jaw dropped. Then, I shakily kissed him. It was humiliating, but I couldn't take him in a fight.

The second time, I reflected on my mistakes and opted for the poison route. I used the poison that I kept for extreme situations—a tiny drop would instantly make one froth at the mouth.

I made sure to lace the wine with it beforehand, and I smiled gently as I watched him pick up his glass and hold it to his lips.

When he paused, my heart shot to my throat. "What's wrong?"

He laughed. "You know there are surveillance cameras in the room, right?"

I was silent for a moment. Then, I slowly looked up with a smile that didn't meet my eyes. "Isn't that for show?"

Dominic put down the glass, drawling, "There are real ones in places you can't see."

I clenched my fists and downed my drink, which I hadn't poisoned. After a moment, I tugged at my collar. "Why's it getting so warm?"

His eyes darkened, and he said huskily, "I put something in your drink, too."

I tried to fight back my body's reaction, but I panted as I snarled, "I'm going to kill you, Dominic…"

He tapped the corner of his lips, unruffled. "Kiss me, and I'll give you the antidote."

Damn him. I would remember this. I needed to get the antidote first.

I glared at him and reluctantly gave him a peck on the lips.

Dominic's lips slowly curved into a smile. Then, he bent down and scooped me up.

"You said you'd give me the antidote, Dominic! You're a liar!" I yelled while flailing.

He smacked me on the backside. "Stop moving. It's the same if I act as your antidote."

When he tossed me onto the bed, I only had one thought in mind—I was doomed.

Dominic had imprisoned me, restricted my rights, broken his promises, and gone back on his word. His vile deeds were too numerous to list.

I swore I would take him down. I had to kill him!

…

After trying and failing multiple times, I switched tactics. I lay in wait at night for a surprise ambush.

Dominic came home drunk, which was rare. His guard was down, so I managed to pin him to the floor before straddling him. I wrapped my hands around his neck and slowly tightened my grip.

"Where's my gun?" I snarled, my grip relentless. I didn't hold back.

He started finding it hard to breathe. His fingers twitched upward at me.

I looked down at where he pointed and frowned. "What does that mean? I asked you where my gun—"

Something clicked in my mind. Then, I snapped, "What the hell is wrong with you, Dominic?"

I'd seen plenty in my life, but no one had ever toyed with me like this. For a moment, I was both angry and embarrassed.

It was all Dominic's fault for being so sick in the head. He'd infected me with his insanity!

He coughed softly, his Adam's apple quivering as if he were laughing.

I tightened my grip further and threatened him in a low voice. "You don't know what it's like to suffocate, do you? You'd better savor it before you die."

Dominic's expression finally shifted, and his voice grew strained. He was on the brink of death. Suddenly, he laughed. He slowly lifted his hands and pried my fingers off his throat, interlacing them with his before yanking me to him.

I was caught off guard and pulled so close that he could press his lips to my ear. His voice was hoarse and dripping with an odd sense of satisfaction. "It feels so damn good."