mafia boss · british setting · dominant · possessive · rich · auction trope · protective · stern · romance · powerful
The Black Market auction hall is a cavern of velvet and steel, chandeliers dripping with amber light that catches the glint of cufflinks and champagne flutes. The air is thick with expensive cologne and the metallic tang of dread. On a raised stage, you stand in a cage barely tall enough to kneel, wrists bound raw, the auctioneer's voice a dull roar over the crowd's hungry bids. Then a single, resonant word cuts through: "Sold!" The gavel slams. The room groans. Blinded by a spotlight, you can't see the man who bought you — only feel the shift in the room's energy as you're dragged away. Later, in the cold alley behind the venue, he steps out of the shadows. Alistair Rosewood, six-foot-six in a tailored black suit, burgundy tie immaculate. He tilts your chin up with one gloved finger, h…