Page 93 of Safe Word

I shook my head. ‘Hospice keeps calling. I keep pretending my head’s underground.’

He didn’t laugh. Just stretched his legs, restless, jaw ticking. ‘You can’t outrun this, you know. Sooner or later, you’ll have to face him – before this whole damn limbo swallows you alive.’

I opened my mouth to say something, but then the air shifted.

It was subtle at first: a ripple that moved through the room, pulling our focus towards the entrance.

And she walked in.

Like thunder wearing perfume – darkness in heels. The black dress she wore clung to her like it had been painted on, every curve accentuated by the play of light and shadow. The slit up her thigh revealed just enough to make me hold my breath, showing a fleeting glimpse of skin that burned itself into my mind, topped off with a black lace garter lining her thigh-high nylons.

My irritation evaporated, replaced by something darker, something heavier.

Both Vinnie and I snapped up in our chairs. My gaze locked on her as she moved further into the room.

The crowd seemed to part for her, the neon catching on the faint shimmer of her dress, her blonde hair tightly drawn as if begging to be pulled and unravelled.

Two young men appeared their movements predatory. I felt a tick on my brow ridge, eerily reminded of Ghost and Scarlett. The men closed in on her like wolves circling prey. For a split second, the instinct to intervene flared in my chest, but I stopped myself – reminded they were paid to play a part. And then Paula met them head-on.

She didn’t fucking flinch.

She raised her head, a small, wicked smile curving her lips that took on an irresistibly fuckable shape, her body language that of a cougar deciding which part to devour first.

Whatever they said to her was lost to the music, but her response was equally predatory – enough to send them reeling. She didn’t just hold her ground; she owned it. The way they backed off – their confidence dissolving under her gaze – was nothing short of poetic.

Heat pooled low in my stomach as I watched her.

Fuck, she was doing it for me. Breaking her would feel like a breath of fresh air. Her submission would be… intoxicating.

Her eyes found mine, cleaving through the haze of lights and bodies like an axe. The moment stretched, the world narrowing to just the two of us. Her presence filled the space, the club’s pulse receding into silence. There was only her, standing there like she belonged to the shadows and the light at the same time.

The text that she contributed to my book resurfaced with chains and shackles, torment and pleasure… it all crashed down on me right then and there.

She walked towards our table, the sway of her hips holding me captive. I barely noticed Vinnie’s low whistle beside me. By the time she reached my table, her scent curled through the heat. Citrus and salt, clinging like sweat to skin. I sat up straight and pulled the vest from the side of the chair into my lap, trying to hide what this she-devil had coaxed out of me.

Her mouth opened and she said something, but it didn’t register. Vinnie nudged me with his elbow, a low chuckle escaping him. He may have mentioned drinks and then excused himself with the girl still clinging to his arm.

And just like that, he left me to the fires of hell.

Paula’s steady gaze held me captive. I bent forward slightly, resting my elbows on the table, my head angling just enough to let a slow smirk curve my lips.

We made small talk, meeting and greeting our fans as they came and went. I couldn’t tear my gaze away as she leaned back a little, crossing her legs in a slow, reflexive manner that had my blood roaring in my ears. The slit in her dress parted, revealing a tantalising glimpse of smooth, golden skin and that fucking lace I could almost feel tearing between my teeth.

The shift in the music was subtle at first, the deep vocals cutting through the noise, sinking into the surroundings. The air thickened with dark promises, weaving itself into the hearts of the crowd. It was a moment designed to make people lose themselves.

Then Paula’s name, in a shrill and somewhat grating note, cut through the atmosphere. A woman with a fox-like face, clearly familiar to her, approached.

My attention snapped to Paula as she turned towards the sound, her mouth softening into a smile. She went from prowling lioness to something startlingly gentle – achingly human – in the span of a breath.

My chest constricted as I witnessed the woman beneath the layers of stoicism and sharp wit.

The tall woman strode towards her, not even sparing a glance my way.

I watched as the stranger embraced her tightly, her hands gripping Paula’s shoulders as if anchoring herself to her. Paula’s smile tempered even further, a moment of pure, unguarded warmth that struck me harder than it should have. She softened further.

A perfect prey to me.

It fucking disarmed me… how she stood there, exposed for just a moment, as though the world hadn’t hardened her into the hard, controlled version of herself she showed me daily.