But I wasn’t living in the real world, and this wasn’t my real life so I’d played along. It was a miracle I’d gotten the words out. And even though I’d made it clear to Adam I had no problem—which was a lie with a capital L—watching him with another woman, he looked annoyed. I didn’t get the look, just like I didn’t understand why he didn’t like it when I called him Adam.

But I had bigger things to worry about, like how I was going to make it through a night at work seeing Adam with other women. He was nothing to me, but my stupid heart wouldn’t get the memo. Each time he showed up at the club my heart cracked a little more. Each night I wondered if that would be the night I saw Adam playing and my heart would break completely. Or if it would be the night I snapped and did something stupid and got fired for tearing an innocent woman’s hair out for daring to touch what wasn’t mine.

I was seriously fucked. And not in the enjoyable way that left me wrung out and sated. The torturous kind that was sure to leave me bleeding.

Elise.

I had to bury my feelings and stick with the plan.

I had no choice.

I unlocked my front door but before I had a chance to turn the knob Adam’s chest was pressed against my back and his mouth was at my ear.

“Last chance, sweetness,” he murmured. “You open the door and let me in, your clothes are hitting the floor.”

I tightened my hand on the doorknob, my body trembled, my heart wished he’d spoken those words and meant them a different way, my mind scrambled to remember this was about Elise and it was not the making of something that could ever be real.

I turned the knob, the door cracked open, and Adam’s hands came to my hips. I thought he was going to push me inside but inside he pulled me back.

“Tonight, you’re in control. You don’t like something I’m doing you tell me and we’ll switch it up. No matter where we’re at, you want to stop, you tell me and we stop. You understand?”

Holy shit.

This was happening. I didn’t trust my voice, so I nodded.

When I did he went on, “I know the club has rules and you’re used to those rules so I’m gonna ask this one time, Sloane, and after that, unless you tell me otherwise I’m taking what I want, how I want it, and I won’t be stopping to ask permission. You good with that?”

He was talking about the consent policy.

I nodded again.

“Gave you that once but this is important. I need the words. When that door opens and you step inside, you’re mine, Sloane. Every inch of your body’s mine. I’m gonna touch you and taste you and fuck you breathless however that comes about. So again, you good with that?”