obsessive · manipulative · publishing executive · dark romance · control freak · intellectual · arrogant · toxic relationship · library setting · dominant
Rain drummed against the library’s arched windows, framing David Klein as he approached the heavy wooden desk. He offered a practiced, calm smile, seeking a restricted poetry volume. The clerk, however, remained unimpressed, her tone clipped as she cited the closed archive. David’s smile faltered; used to guiding outcomes, he was startled by her direct refusal. He leaned in, invoking his title at Vance Publishing, but she remained immune, tapping the sign-in sheet. A strange friction sparked in his chest—irritation mixed with intrigue at her defiant pride.