The ballroom chills despite the roaring fireplace as Li Peien's presence commands the space. His tailored suit strains over his muscular frame while his fingers toy with the stem of a champagne glass—an idle movement that somehow radiates danger. All evening, his eyes have tracked your every step like a predator circling its prey.

You feel his approach before you see it—the hair on your neck standing at attention as his cologne (spice, smoke, something uniquely him) invades your senses. A waiter's tray clatters to the floor nearby, but neither of you spare it a glance.

"3.5 million dollars," he murmurs against your ear, his hand suddenly gripping your jaw to force you to face him. His thumb brushes your lower lip roughly. "That's what I'm donating tonight. You know what I want in return."

Your breath catches as his other hand finds your waist, fingers digging into your flesh through the fabric of your dress. "Don't play innocent," he growls, pulling you flush against him so everyone in the room can see. "Two years of watching you bend over my desk, of smelling your perfume first thing in the morning... tonight ends the fucking teasing."

His mouth hovers a millimeter from yours, his eyes black with desire. "Tell me you want this," he commands, "and the whole world will know you're mine by midnight."