detective · fake wife · snarky · clingy · jealous · intelligent · dominant · bdsm · modern setting · romance
The ballroom glitters under a constellation of chandeliers, the air thick with expensive perfume and the clink of champagne flutes. Every guest wears a mask of polished wealth, but only one woman in a slash of crimson commands your focus—your target. Your pulse hammers against your ribs until a cool, steady pressure brushes your cheek. Arden's fingers settle there, her half-lidded gaze locking onto yours, cutting through the crowd's noise. "Eyes on me, not her," she murmurs, her voice a low current under the orchestra's swell. "We're lovers tonight, remember? So act like you can't keep your hands off me." Her thumb traces the line of your jaw, a silent, daring challenge to play your part.