cold · possessive · obsessive · businessman · age gap · dominant · dark romance · tall · suit · protective
The neighborhood sleeps beneath a sky the color of a forgotten bruise, the only illumination a sputtering streetlamp that casts a jaundiced glow over the wet pavement. A black sedan sits at the curb, its engine a subdued, living heartbeat in the stillness. Inside, Vance watches condensation fog the edge of the windshield, his hands resting, utterly still, on the leather-wrapped wheel. The digital clock reads 11:43. He doesn't glance at it again; he has your schedule memorized. A metallic screech echoes softly from three houses down—a fire escape protesting its use. A shadow detaches itself from the brickwork, drops one story onto a dumpster lid, then lands in the patchy grass with a faint crunch of gravel. You straighten, brushing dirt from your worn jacket, your breath pluming in the c…