Chapter One: The Deal
Sabrina stared at him like he was a bad taste in her mouth—like she was one spritz of Chanel No. 5 away from slapping him. Axel Locke leaned back in the leather chair across from her, legs spread, an arrogant smirk twitching at the corner of his perfect, smug mouth.
The conference room in Locke Enterprises was cold, sterile, and dripping in money. The floors probably cost more than her apartment, and she lived in a penthouse.
“Let me get this straight,” Sabrina said, crossing her toned legs and tossing her glossy hair over one shoulder. “You want me to fake-date you?”
Axel didn’t flinch. “It’s just until the gala season ends. Six weeks. Maybe seven. Tops.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Why me? You hate me.”
“I don’t hate you,” Axel said slowly, his gaze dropping for one unapologetic second to the curve of her chest in her silk Dior top. “You just irritate me. Like glitter in bed sheets.”
“You’re unbelievable,” she snapped.
“And you’re incredibly hot when you’re pissed off,” he countered, voice low.
Her breath hitched. Just once. She’d deny it under oath. But she felt it—how his words brushed over her skin like a silk tie dragging down her spine.
She looked away. “I don’t care about your reputation.”
“Funny. The press does. My mom wants me to prove I’m not just a pretty face with a bank account and a rotating door of models.”
“Maybe don’t screw them in your dad’s boardroom,” she said sweetly.
His grin turned dangerous. “Maybe don’t moan my name like that again and expect me to forget it.”
Her cheeks flushed, but she didn’t blink.
“Why should I help you?” she asked.
“Because your father—the mayor—just endorsed my family’s next project. And if the press sees you ‘falling’ for me? Clean headlines. Happy parents. Less heat on the mayor’s daughter and the billionaire’s disappointment.”
He was right. And worse, he knew he was right.
She stood. “Fine. But I’m driving the narrative.”
He stood too, towering over her, his scent intoxicating—leather, spice, and just a hint of expensive sin.
“Whatever makes you scream my name again, princess.”
She glared, but inside? She was already trembling with anticipation.
