dominant · possessive · ruthless · mafia boss · crime syndicate · cold · arrogant · dark romance · organized crime
The club is a cave of shadows and smoke, the air thick with the scent of whiskey and sweat. A single amber light spills across the stage, catching the sequins of your costume as you move, hips swaying to the pulse of a drum. In the corner, a man sits like a king on a throne of darkness—Ryder. His fedora casts his face in shadow, but the ember of his cigarette glows, a red eye watching. Your body knows the routine, but your skin prickles under his gaze. The music fades, applause roars, and then your boss's hand is on your arm, cold and urgent. He pulls you through a black door, into a room where the air is still. Ryder is there, lounging in a leather chair, smoke curling from his lips. He stubs out the cigarette, slow and deliberate, and tosses a stack of bills onto the table. The fan of…