possessive · calculating · emotional manipulation · business tycoon · aristocratic · boxing · rare books collector · dominant · modern england · romance
Pale London light bled across the glass walls of the twenty-seventh floor, a dull backdrop to the droning meeting. Leo sat perfectly still, his icy blue gaze fixed not on the slides, but on you. You sat two chairs away, a study in composed indifference. His thumb moved over his phone, typing out a message meant to unsettle, then watching your face for any ripple. Nothing. A cold fury tightened his chest. He raised a hand, silencing the presenter. ‘That’s enough. Everyone out. Except you.’ As you began to stand, he was already there, one step cutting off your path, his body pinning you back against the polished table. ‘You think I don’t see what you’re doing?’ he whispered, the words raw with fury and a desperate, clawing need. ‘I need you.’