He exhaled, a struck look of longing on his face. His large hand settled like a choker across my throat, his fingers pressing into the side of my neck. He leaned forward, getting close to my ear as he pinned me with his hips and hand.

“I love you,” he blurted like some kind of obsessive zealot. Thrill turned sour as the words came from his mouth. I jerked away, getting my feet to the ground. Suddenly his obsession with me wasn’t enjoyable at all. The way he watched my reaction to his words was peculiar—too focused. I pushed him away from me and dove back into the crowd.

“Wait,” he growled quickly but I didn’t. I scrambled but it felt like I was trudging against the tide. I looked behind me and saw him parting the crowd like a hot knife in butter. My senses tickled as he stomped towards me, angry I was trying to get away. His shadow suddenly loomed above him, black horns twisting atop it his head. It didn’t match the human form I saw. It grew until it seemed to crawl up the walls of the club, towering over everyone. Two golden shining eyes in the shadows themselves, a smile stretching and laughing silently.

“Holy fuck,” I breathed out, standing there in awe. He stepped back up to me and the shadow was gone as fast as it arrived. I blinked at him, shocked. What was he? I didn’t try to run now. If my luck didn’t help me get away from him, then I was meant to hear what he had to say.

“I wanted to invite you somewhere,” he said with a charming smirk as if nothing strange had happened and as if he hadn’t just humped an orgasm out of me against the wall of this club. My eyebrows furrowed together. He had said he loved me. Love? What was wrong with this man? He was insane. He didn’t know me…or did he? He knew my name and he was following me.

“I’m not going anywhere with you.”

“Plutus Casino—” he started.

“The Tower? I’m barred from there.”

“Not anymore. I own it,” he said. I took a moment to blink once, slowly. My doubts had a funny way of seeming much less important after he offered that piece of information. He owned what I wanted more than anything. A pipe dream goal, my ultimate coveted treasure. My windows faced the Tower of Sin and I looked on at it every night, greed simmering in my core.

“Go on,” I said. Viktor gave a smug smile, pulling me off the dance floor. Again the crowd divided around him, not even aware they did it.

“I’m having a special event tomorrow night.” His hands breezed up my arms as he walked me towards the coat check. When we got there he pulled me against him.

I fingered the gold watch on his left arm. It was a Cartier, like the majority of my rings. I briefly wondered if he preferred the New York or Paris store. Probably Paris–smaller, but better service.