Chapter 30
Aria’s POV
I took a deep breath, staring at my reflection in the mirror.
Use them.
Use him
Get what you want.
It wasn’t going to be easy.
It was never easy and I doubt if I would be able to handle it.
I was a woman who found it easy to hide her emotions especially from my family so as they would never know what I was doing, can I hide from Dominic?
I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath.
Looking at myself, I forced a sexy smile on my lips but it slowly died.
The woman staring back at me wasn’t the same girl who had walked into Dominic’s world, desperate and afraid.
She was something else now.
Something deadly.
I adjusted the thin black straps of my dress–if I could even call it that. It was barely there, it was a see through slinky plece that clung to my curves like a second skin, the fabric cut dangerously high at my thighs, teasing more than it revealed.
Black lace hugged my torso, the deep neckline plunging just enough to remind every man in the room that I was something worth looking at.
Something worth owning
But no one owned me.
Not anymore.
I took another deep breath and I honed the skill.
I smirked, tilting my head as I ran a hand through my long, loose waves. A dark crimson lipstick coated my lips, my eyes lined in a way that made them sharp, almost feline.
If I was going to play this game. I was going to win.
1 shouldn’t die a nobody I could die a somebody by pushing my way up. It was either this, or a life of struggles outside
I exhaled, stepping into the dimly lit lounge where Dominic’s trusted circle gathered. The moment I entered, all eyes turned
to me.
The men were seated in a semi–circle, glasses of whiskey in hand, the air thick with smoke and power.
And at the center of them-
Him.
Dominic
His dark eyes locked onto me the moment I walked in, the muscle in his jaw ticking, his fingers gripping the glass in his hand just a little too tightly.
I didn’t falter.
I stepped forward, slow, confident, letting my hips sway just enough to make their gazes linger.
This was my moment.
Own it, Aria.
The music started.
A slow, sensual beat, deep and dark, a rhythm that curled through the room like smoke.
I twirled bending down over. I got whistles as I showed the thin black thong I wore.
I let the sound take over, let it guide me as I moved, my body swaying in time with the melody.
I ran my hands down my sides, teasing over my curves, my back arching as I twisted, hips rolling in slow movement. I pushed my hair to the side showing the side of my neck.
I wasn’t just dancing.
I was performing.
144
Chapter 20
And every single one of them knew it
I tilted my head back, running a hand through my hair, my lips parting as I let the music consume me, rubbing my hand in between my chest down to my torso
And then, my eyes found his.
Dominic looked as if he wanted to devour me. He had fucked me in front of people before so it wouldn’t shock me if he does it now
His gaze were burning into my skin, dark with something raw, something possessive, something dangerous
His hand rested on his knee, fingers tapping slowly, rhythmically
Like he was waiting. Like he was calculating
Like he was deciding whether he was going to let me keep doing
Or if he was going to end it.
this-
I smirked, dragging my nails lightly up my thighs before twisting again, letting my body move the way it used to, back when I was just a girl who loved to dance.
Except now, it wasn’t just about the dance.
It was about power
The music pulsed, my body following it, teasing every man in the room, except-
I wasn’t teasing them. I was teasing him.
Dominic
And he knew it..
A low murmur spread through the crowd, appreciation mixed with something darker. I could feel the tension in the room the hunger in their eyes.
And then-
A voice cut through it.
*Fuck, I’d give anything for a taste of that.”
Laughter followed.
But it stopped.
Because suddenly-
Glass shattered.
A chair screeched back
And before anyone could react-
Dominic moved.
Fast
One second, the man who had spoken was sitting there, smirking like he owned me.
The next…
He was on the ground. Head hitting the ground with a thud.
Dominic had him pinned, one hand gripping his throat, the other raised in a fist, blood already dripping from his knuckles.
The room was silent.
No one dared to move.
No one dared to interfere.
Dominic’s voice was deadly calm. “What the fuck did you just say?”
The man choked, eyes wide with panic. “…I was just=”
Dominic’s fist slammed into his jaw cutting him off.
I gasped, my body freezing in place.
He punched him again and I flinched
He was angry. Rage boiling through him.
A slow kind of fury that made the air in the room feel suffocating.
Dominic leaned in closer, his grip tightening around the man’s throat. “Say it again.”
The man struggled, his hands clawing at Dominic’s wrist, his face turning red
Dominic wasn’t letting go
I should have felt sick
I should have looked away
But instead
I felt a shiver crawl down my spine
Because this wasn’t just violence. This was possession.
Mine Like animals fighting for mates.
That’s what this was about
Not respect Not dominance.
Me
I swallowed hard
Indeed, I did have that much of a power
Then, finally, Dominic let go, shoving the man back as he gasped for air
The room remained silent.
The tension thick, unbearable.
Dominic exhaled, standing up slowly, rolling his shoulders as if he hadn’t just nearly killed a man in front of everyone.
Then-
His eyes lifted.
And they landed on me.
My stomach dropped.
Because I had never seen him look at me like that before.
Like he had just decided exactly what to do with me
The tension in the room was suffocating, thick with unspoken violence and raw possessiveness.
Dominic didn’t just stare at me.
He warned me.
And maybe I should have listened.
Maybe I should have backed down, let him have his control, let him own the moment.
But something inside me, something wild, something reckless, wanted to see just how far I could push him.
So, instead of cowering, I turned my gaze away from him, slowly, deliberately and looked at the man he had just beaten.
The man Dominic had nearly killed for daring to speak about me like I was something he could claim.
His lips were split, blood trickling down his chin as he wiped at his mouth with the back of his hand.
He was shaken, but not enough to miss the way my gaze settled on him.
I could feel Dominic’s fury spiking without even looking at him.
And that made me smirk
I sauntered forward, swaying my hips just enough to make sure Dominic saw it.
Then I crouched down, just barely within reach of the man still on the floor, tilting my head as I traced a finger along my collarbone.
“Are you okay?” I asked, voice soft, laced with something syrupy sweet.
The man blinked, surprised, then let out a shaky laugh. I’ve had worse.”
I hummed, dragging my nails down my arm, knowing exactly what I was doing. “That’s good. I’d hate for you hurt too badly.”
The man’s eyes darkened with interest, his hand tightening around his whiskey glass.
Dominic moved
I barely had time to process before his grip latched onto my wrist, yanking me up with a force that sent a gasp spilling from my lips.
The man I had been flirting with?
Chapter 30
He didn’t even try to stop him.
Because everyone knew no one stopped Dominic De Luca
My back slammed against his chest, the heat of his body scorching through my thin dress
The room was dead silent
Dominic leaned down, his lips brushing my ear
“You think that was funny, gattina? His voice was pure, dark armusement.
I smirked, refusing to let him see my pulse race. “I don’t know what you mean.”
His grip on my wrist tightened, his other hand pressing against my hip, keeping me firmly against him.
“You want to play games with me?” His voice was low, a warning.
I let my eyes flick toward the other men still seated, all watching us with interest, some with amusement, others with fear. I smiled. “I thought you liked games, Dominic.”
His fingers dug into my skin, his entire body tensed up as I gulped.
Then, without another word…
He grabbed me.
I
Lifting me off my feet, throwing me over his shoulder like I weighed nothing.
A gasp ripped from my throat. “Dominic!”
He ignored me.
The men chuckled, whispering amongst themselves as he strode toward the exit.
I kicked my legs, half–heartedly trying to push myself up. “Put me down, you asshole!”
A sharp smack landed on my ass, making me yelp.
The room laughed.
I burned.
Humiliation curled through me, but beneath it, beneath the rage, beneath the embarrassment, was something else.
Something hot.
Something dangerous.
Because
reacted.
the moment his hand landed on me, the moment his fingers curled possessively against my bare thigh, my body
Betrayed me. My body couldn’t just not react to his touch.
Heat flooded through me, my breath coming out sharp as he carried me past the crowd, through the dark corridors of the estate.
He wasn’t saying a word.
He didn’t have to.
A Subscribed
