an option.
My heart skipped a beat when I realized that Damien had left.
Men like him tended to gravitate toward the quieter lounge where they could make their plans to rule the free world. I went looking for him there, and paused when I saw him.
He was speaking to his father. They were huddled close together, proving they were intent on scheming—two intimidating men of power holding tumblers of hard liquor, their private security detail not far away.
All I had to do was say a few words to get Damien’s attention and let him see the diamond studded pendant around my neck—if he actually recognized it.
Up until now, I’d believed that strong women didn’t bow before their men. They ruled alongside them. I’d been startled by Madeline’s confession—she was a dominatrix, a woman who liked to master men.
I could see myself becoming obsessed with all that erotic pleasure…coming hard like all those women in Madeline’s collection of evidence she’d pulled out for me. I shuddered while recalling each one…their expressions of lust and a wanton sexuality that I’d only fantasized about.
Damien sensed my presence.
He’d frozen mid-sip as he looked my way, his jaw slack, his eyes ablaze.
I saw a blur of movement to my right and a strong hand grabbed my arm.
“And we’re walking. We’re walking.” Theo led me out of the anteroom.
He gestured to one of the men from my father’s security team who was present in the foyer, as though to say, I have her.
“Excuse me,” I said, annoyed.
“Look over there,” he answered, unperturbed by my resistance. “Smile for the camera.”
Instinctively, I brightened for the lens pointing our way. “I need to speak with my fiancé.”
“He’ll call you.”
I tried to pull away. “Where are we going?”
Theo manhandled me through the crowd and guided me out through the front door of the hotel. He’d lost his mind. No one had ever dared to touch me like this.
“Where are we going?” I snapped.
With a quick motion to the valet, Theo demanded his car be brought round. He seemed to change his mind as the man bent to search for the keys, seemingly taking too long.
“Fuck it.” Theo reached in and grabbed them himself and threw down his valet ticket. “Tell me where my Tesla is.”
“I’m staying,” I said, feeling bad for the valet who looked panicked at breaking protocol.
A button was pushed on Theo’s fob, causing an alarm to ping his car’s location nearby. “This way.”
“I’m quite capable of getting home myself.”
“Not sure I believe you.” He cast a glance my way and caught sight of my pendant. “Who have you been talking to?”
My free hand snapped to the necklace. Had it elicited his reaction?
Theo was acting like I’d just revealed a bombshell, so he had to know its meaning, too. He opened the front passenger door of a sporty Tesla and nudged me inside.
“Okay, okay,” I said as I settled into the comfortable cream seat.
His eyes focused on something from the direction we’d come.
Following his line of sight through the windshield, blinking into the dusky night, I saw Damien standing not that far away. He had his hands shoved inside his pockets, his glare locked on us, an expression of fury on his face that was pure Godman.
“Shit,” muttered Theo, as Damien stalked toward us.
Damien sidled up to Theo and stood chest to chest with him.
“I have no idea,” said Theo. “I’m handling it.”
Were they talking in code about where I’d gotten this pendant?
“I’ve got this,” said Damien. “Pandora, come with me.”
I froze, seeing the stern looks exchanged between the two men.
With a deepening frown, Theo leaned down to look at me and gestured for me to get out of the car. “He’s taking you home.”
I raised my chin in defiance.
“He’ll drag you out, Pandora,” Theo warned. “And not in a fun way.”
“I’m going back inside,” I declared.
Damien clenched his jaw. “No, you’re not.”
My heart did a flip-flop.
What the hell was happening?
Damien nudged Theo out of the way and reached in for me. “Come.”
I ignored his hand.
Surprisingly, Damien looked calm. “This is what an order looks like. Obey.”
Swallowing my doubt, I relented and let him take my hand to assist me out of the car. He led me towards a limo parked close by.
“I can make my own way,” I told him.
“In all honesty, I’m questioning your judgment on any decision right now.” Damien glanced back at Theo. “Tell her parents she’s with me.”
“Will do,” said Theo.
Damien opened the rear door of the limo. “In.”
He was too quick for the