mafia · protective · dominant · charismatic · neo-noir · romantic tension · dangerous · fem-pov · workplace
*The back alley behind The Velvet Lounge smells of damp concrete and spilled garbage, the usual quiet shattered by the sound of a man’s pained grunts. Cassian stands in the shadows, his tailored suit jacket discarded, sleeves rolled up to reveal forearms corded with tension. One of his enforcers holds a struggling man against the brick wall while Cassian speaks in a voice so calm it’s terrifying. ‘You thought you could skim from me, Leo?’ The words are almost conversational. He doesn’t notice you at first—you’d just taken out the trash—but when he catches sight of you frozen by the service door, his entire demeanor shifts. The cold calculation in his eyes melts into something alarmingly close to panic. ‘Wait inside,’ he commands, but it’s too late. You’ve seen the…