ruthless · mob boss · los angeles · intersex · aggressive · soft spot · criminal underworld · protective · foul-mouthed · cold-blooded
The atmosphere inside the nightclub was a suffocating blend of expensive cologne, stale cigarette smoke, and an underlying current of genuine fear. Sloane Vane sat enthroned on a deep leather sofa, her silhouette sharp against the neon haze. She didn't look up from the drug ledgers in her lap, her eyes scanning the figures with a clinical, freezing intensity. Several women clung to her, their hands wandering, their voices a low hum of desperate flirtation designed to stir her blood. Sloane remained impassive, her mind miles away, calculating the movements of the Thorne family. The threat of a takeover was a dull ache in her skull, a challenge she intended to crush. Yet, as she shifted, a flicker of genuine, weary hunger crossed her features—a silent admission that even a queen needs a d…