Chapter 4 Hungry Eyes and Filthy Promises

~Anna pov~

The last time I saw him was two weeks ago, and that memory had been slowly fucking me alive ever since.

“Anna, babe, you’re dripping again,” Mara whispered loudly as she slid a tray of glasses onto the counter. “Look at your nipples hard enough to cut glass and you haven’t even seen him yet tonight.”

“Shut the fuck up,” I hissed, cheeks burning as I wiped down the bar with unnecessary force.

Lila, the other female bartender working the main floor with us tonight, leaned over with a filthy grin. She was taller, curvier, and never shy about saying exactly what she thought. “Who are we talking about? That fine piece of ass who’s been missing for two weeks? Cassian Sinclair?” She let out a low whistle. “God, I’d let that man ruin me in the back alley and thank him after. I bet his dick is as expensive as his suits. Thick, heavy, and mean.”

I gripped the rag tighter, imagining wrapping it around Lila’s neck. The heat between my thighs flared hotter at her words, which only made me angrier. I pretended to focus on the bottles instead.

Mara laughed. “See? Even Lila wants a taste. You’ve been standing here every single night like a good little slut waiting for him, and he finally shows up? Bet your pussy just clenched.”

“I wasn’t waiting,” I muttered. “I’ve been here every night like always. He’s the one who disappeared.”

Lila smirked, shaking a cocktail shaker with way too much enthusiasm. “Disappeared? More like busy making billions while we fantasize about him choking us with that big hand. I heard he fucks like he owns you. No mercy. Just raw, filthy possession.”

“Jesus Christ, Lila,” I snapped, but my voice came out breathy. My skin felt too tight. I hated how turned on I was getting just hearing them talk about him like that.

Mara nudged me. “Admit it. You’ve been soaked for two weeks straight thinking about the way he grabbed your waist that night. Bet you touched yourself imagining it was him.”

Before I could tell them both to fuck off, the entire club atmosphere changed, the lights seemed to dim, conversations dropped even the bass felt heavier, he was here.

Cassian Sinclair walked in with his entourage, cutting through the crowd like it parted for him by instinct. Three men flanked him, the sharp, slick one in charcoal; the massive scarred bodyguard; and another sleek businessman type. But what made my stomach twist was the woman.

A stunning redhead in a tight black dress that barely covered her ass. She was all over him, arm looped through his, pressing her breasts against his bicep, whispering something in his ear with a seductive smile. She looked like she belonged on his arm. Expensive. Confident. The kind of woman who probably got whatever she wanted.

They moved to a VIP booth in the corner with the perfect view of the bar. Cassian sat down, legs spread wide in that powerful, dominant way. The redhead immediately slid in close, practically climbing into his lap, running her manicured nails down his chest.

But his eyes, his eyes were on me, from the moment he entered, those dark, predatory eyes locked onto me across the crowded club and refused to let go. He didn’t glance at the redhead. Didn’t react to her touching him. He just stared at me with slow, burning intensity like he was already imagining peeling my clothes off and burying himself deep inside me right there in front of everyone.

My breath caught, Heat flooded my core so violently I had to press my thighs together behind the bar.

“Oh my God,” Lila breathed, staring openly. “He’s eye-fucking you so hard I’m getting wet from the side-eye. Look at that stare. He wants to destroy you.”

Mara grinned wickedly. “Told you. He’s been gone two weeks and now he’s sitting there like a king while that redhead dry-humps his leg, but he only sees Anna’s pussy. This is better than porn.”

“Stop,” I whispered, but I couldn’t look away from him.

Cassian’s gaze dragged down my body slowly. Openly. Possessively. It lingered on my breasts, then lower, like he could see exactly how wet I was getting. The redhead leaned in and kissed his jaw, but he didn’t even acknowledge her. His eyes stayed glued to me, dark and hungry, making filthy promises across the distance.

Lila fanned herself dramatically. “Fuck, I’d let him bend me over this bar and rail me while the whole club watches. Bet he’s huge. Bet he’d stretch you until you cry and beg for more. You’re so lucky, Anna. Or unlucky. Depends if you survive him.”

I wanted to slap the smirk off her face. Jealousy and arousal twisted together inside me until I felt dizzy. “Can you both just focus on work?”

Mara laughed. “Work? While Cassian Sinclair is mentally fucking you raw from twenty feet away? Look at his hand gripping that glass. Imagine those fingers inside you, curling, stroking that spot that makes you scream.”

I bit my lip hard. My nipples were painfully tight against my top. Every time I moved, the friction made me ache worse. Across the room, the redhead was practically straddling his thigh now, whispering in his ear, grinding subtly against him. He ignored her completely. His stare never left me.

It felt like foreplay, dark, public, dangerous foreplay, he tilted his head slightly, eyes narrowing as if he knew exactly what was happening between my legs. One corner of his mouth lifted in a slow, arrogant smirk like he could smell my arousal from across the club.

“Shit, he just smiled,” Lila moaned softly. “I think I just came a little. Anna, go take them drinks. Let him smell how horny you are.”

“I’m not doing that,” I said quickly, but my voice was shaky.

Mara pushed a tray toward me anyway. “Table service for VIP. Boss’s orders. Go on. Let him ruin you with those eyes up close.”

My legs felt weak as I picked up the tray with their drinks, whiskey neat for him, I already knew and walked toward the VIP section, the redhead noticed me approaching and shot me a venomous look, pressing herself tighter against Cassian’s side like she was marking territory, but Cassian’s eyes only darkened with hunger as I got closer.

I set the drinks down carefully, his friends were talking business in low voices, but the scarred bodyguard and the slick one both glanced at me with knowing smirks.

The redhead glared. “We didn’t order these.”

“They’re complimentary,” I said quietly, unable to stop my voice from trembling.

Cassian finally spoke, voice low and rough, meant only for me. “You’ve been here every night while I was gone.”

I nodded, hyper-aware of how close I was. His scent wrapped around me, dark, expensive, masculine.

“Two weeks,” he continued, eyes dropping to my mouth. “Two weeks of sitting in meetings, thinking about bending you over this fucking table and burying my cock so deep inside you that you forget your own name.”

The redhead stiffened beside him, but he still didn’t look at her.

My pussy throbbed. “You have company,” I whispered, glancing at the woman.

Cassian’s hand brushed mine as he took his glass. The touch was electric. “Doesn’t matter. She’s not the one I’ve been hard for. Not the one I’ve been stroking myself to every night thinking about how tight and wet you’d feel choking my dick.”

Heat exploded through me. I was breathing too fast.

The slick friend chuckled. “Cass, you’re going to make the poor girl combust right here.”

Mara and Lila were watching from the bar like it was the best show of their lives. I could practically hear their filthy commentary already.

Cassian leaned forward slightly, voice dropping to a velvet growl only I could hear. “I can see how badly you need it, Anna. Your thighs are shaking. Your cunt is dripping down your legs right now, isn’t it? All because I’m looking at you. Imagine what my tongue would do. How I’d hold you down and eat you until you’re crying and grinding on my face like a desperate little slut.”

I gripped the tray so hard my knuckles turned white.

The redhead finally snapped, standing up. “Cassian, what the hell?”

He ignored her completely, eyes still devouring me. “Come here tonight after your shift. Or I’ll come get you myself. And when I do, I won’t be gentle. I’ll fuck you like I own you because I do. Every inch of that pretty body is already mine.”

My lips parted, but no sound came out, he took a slow sip of whiskey, then licked a drop from his lower lip while staring at mine. The gesture was pure sin.

“Run along now, Anna,” he murmured. “Before I drag you onto my lap in front of everyone and show them exactly who you belong to.”

I turned and walked back to the bar on unsteady legs, thighs slick, heart hammering, the second I got back, Mara and Lila descended.

“Holy shit,” Mara laughed. “He just undressed you with his eyes and said something nasty, didn’t he? You look like you’re about to orgasm standing up.”

Lila grinned wickedly. “I’d let him talk to me like that any day. Bet he’s going to fuck you so hard you won’t walk straight for a week. Did you see the way he ignored that redhead? She was practically riding his cock and he only wanted you. That’s dangerous, Anna. Men like that ruin girls like us.”

I pressed my thighs together, aching, embarrassed, and so turned on I could barely think straight, across the room, Cassian was still watching me. The redhead had given up and was sulking beside him, but his gaze never wavered. It was dark. Possessive. Full of filthy promises, he raised his glass slightly in my direction, a silent toast.

Mara whispered hotly in my ear, “He’s going to destroy you, babe. And you’re going to beg him for every brutal inch.”

I didn’t answer, because deep down, I already knew she was right, Cassian Sinclair had been gone for two weeks, but now he was back and he wasn’t just looking at me.

He was claiming me from across the room, one long, obscene stare at a time and God help me, I couldn’t wait to be ruined.

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Chapters

1. Chapter 1 Betrayal

2. Chapter 2 Stepping Into The Unknown

3. Chapter 3 I Met A god

4. Chapter 4 Hungry Eyes and Filthy Promises

5. Chapter 5 Eyes That Burned Gold

6. Chapter 6 The moment I stepped back behind the bar, Mara’s eyes widened dramatically. “Well?” she demanded instantly. “Why do you look like you just witnessed the gates of hell open?” I grabbed the counter for support, still trying to steady my breathing. “I…” My voice came out weak. “I think there’s something seriously wrong with Cassian Sinclair.” Lila raised an eyebrow while arranging bottles. “Sweetheart, everyone already knows that.” “No,” I whispered, shaking my head slowly. “You don’t understand.” Because how exactly was I supposed to explain what had just happened in that restroom hallway, how could I tell them his eyes had glowed like molten gold in the dark, that heat had wrapped around my body every time he stepped closer, that he had looked at me like something inside him wanted to consume me whole? My stomach tightened violently at the memory, Mara frowned now, immediately noticing the fear on my face. “Anna,” she said softer this time. “What happened?” Before I could answer, my eyes instinctively lifted toward the private VIP floor upstairs, toward the dark balcony where Cassian had been sitting earlier, it was empty, my heartbeat stumbled strangely, gone, I wasn’t sure why disappointment hit me so quickly after everything that had happened downstairs, maybe because some reckless part of me still wanted to see him again tonight despite how terrified he had made me feel, Lila noticed immediately and smirked knowingly. “You just missed them.” I blinked. “What?” “Sinclair and his people left like a minute ago,” she explained while wiping the counter. “Apparently the woman with them got drunk and started causing chaos upstairs.” Mara snorted loudly. “Not chaos.” “Oh, absolutely chaos,” Lila laughed. “Screaming at security, throwing a champagne glass, threatening somebody in Italian, honestly it was impressive.” I frowned slightly, I had forgotten about the woman, something uncomfortable twisted unexpectedly inside my chest. “That woman was with Cassian?” I asked before I could stop myself. Mara immediately gasped dramatically. “Oh my God,” she whispered loudly. “Was that jealousy I just heard?” “It was not jealousy.” Lila gave me a look that said she absolutely did not believe me, the strange tightness in my chest worsened, which was ridiculous, Cassian Sinclair was nothing to me just a mysterious billionaire with glowing eyes and a possible mental illness involving dragons, that should have been enough to erase any attraction immediately, Instead, my stupid brain kept replaying the way he had looked at me in the hallway. My dragon wants you, God, even remembering the words made heat creep across my skin again. “You’re pale,” Mara said suddenly. “I’m fine.” “You look like you’re about to pass out.” Before I could answer, Lila suddenly reached beneath the counter and dropped something thick in front of me, my eyes widened instantly, Cash, stacks of it, I stared at the money in complete shock. “What is this?” Mara burst out laughing immediately. “Oh my God.” Lila leaned casually against the bar. “Your billionaire left it.” I looked at her sharply. “Don’t call him that.” “Why? Is mysterious hot billionaire with glowing eyes too long?” My heart nearly stopped. “You saw his eyes?” “What?” Lila frowned. Relief hit me instantly. “No— nothing.” God, I needed sleep or therapy or both. Lila pushed the money closer toward me. “Sinclair told us it was for you.” I stared at the thick stacks nervously. “There’s no way I can take this.” “Anna,” Mara deadpanned, “that pile probably costs less than one of that man’s watches.” “That’s not the point.” “Then what is the point?” Lila asked. “Because if some hot billionaire wanted to throw money at me, I’d already be halfway to the bank.” I ignored her, still staring uneasily at the cash, it was too much, far too much and somehow that scared me, because nothing about Cassian Sinclair felt simple, not his attention, not his words not even the way he looked at me like he already knew something I didn’t. “You should keep it,” Mara said gently this time. I looked at her. “You told me your mom's landlord’s have been threatening your mom again.” Pain twisted quietly in my chest, right, home, the tiny house back in Maplewood, the overdue rent notices, My mother pretending everything was okay even when I caught her crying at night, Lily trying to smile through everything despite being only thirteen, guilt hit me immediately, because while I had been here obsessing over a dangerous man, my family was still struggling back home, I slowly looked back down at the money, this amount could help them breathe again at least temporarily. “We don’t even know why he gave me this,” I whispered uneasily. Mara folded her arms. “Trust me, rich men don’t drop stacks of cash unless they’re interested.” “That’s supposed to make me feel better?” “Honestly? No.” Lila laughed loudly, I exhaled shakily before carefully picking up the money, my hands trembled slightly not from excitement but from fear, because accepting this somehow felt bigger than money, it was like stepping unknowingly into something dangerous, something that would change my life whether I wanted it to or not, and deep down I already knew it had started the moment Cassian Sinclair looked at me. “You should send some home tomorrow,” Mara said quietly now. I nodded immediately. “Yes.” Emotion tightened my throat unexpectedly. “My mom’s been struggling to pay for Lily’s school supplies,” I admitted softly. “And rent is already late.” Mara’s expression softened. “Then stop feeling guilty.” I swallowed hard, blinking away sudden emotion, for the first time in weeks, maybe I could actually help them, maybe my mother wouldn’t have to pretend everything was fine anymore, maybe Lily could finally have something good happen after losing Dad, the thought alone made my chest ache painfully. “I’ll transfer most of it in the morning,” I whispered. Lila whistled softly while eyeing the cash again. “Sweetheart, with the amount he left, you might accidentally buy your entire hometown.” I almost laughed but something still unsettled me deeply, because men like Cassian Sinclair did not do things without reason and somehow… I had the terrifying feeling this wasn’t generosity. It was the beginning of something. Something dark. Something consuming. Something I was already falling too deeply into to escape. Far upstairs in the empty shadows of Inferno Club, I could still feel his presence lingering around me like invisible fire. And no matter how hard I tried pretending otherwise… A part of me was already waiting for him to come back.

7. Chapter 7 The Woman Who Wanted a King

8. Chapter 8 Monsters at the Door

9. Chapter 9 The Dragon King’s Wrath