Chapter 2

Jocelyn woke up. The morning sun stabbed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, blinding her.

She pulled the heavy duvet up to her chest and sat up. Her muscles ached, a sharp reminder of the violence and passion of the night before.

She turned her head. Hayes was standing in front of the full-length mirror.

He was already fully dressed. His suit was immaculate. His face was a mask of cold indifference. It was as if the wild beast from last night had never existed. The air in the room felt freezing.

Jocelyn opened her mouth to speak.

Hayes didn't look at her. He picked up his phone from the dresser, tapped the screen a few times, and set it down. A second later, her old phone on the nightstand chimed with a message. It was a digital transfer notification from his assistant, Julian, showing a seven-figure sum deposited into a proxy account.

"Leave," he said. His voice was completely flat.

The glowing screen illuminated the sterile white sheets. Jocelyn's chest tightened with a sharp, humiliating sting. She clamped her jaw shut. She refused to let him see her break.

Suddenly, the phone on the nightstand vibrated loudly.

The screen lit up. The name 'Cam' flashed across the glass. The buzzing shattered the dead silence of the room.

Hayes paused. His fingers stopped adjusting his tie. His eyes flicked to the mirror, staring at the glowing screen on the bed. The temperature in the room dropped another ten degrees.

Jocelyn picked up the phone. She swiped to answer it right in front of him.

"Where the hell are you?" Cam's irritated voice barked through the speaker. "Get downstairs. We have the family brunch."

Jocelyn kept her voice perfectly steady. "I slept over at a friend's house. I overslept."

"You're wasting my time," Cam snapped, completely oblivious. "Hurry up."

Jocelyn ended the call. She threw the duvet off and stepped onto the plush rug barefoot. She picked up her ruined silk dress from the floor and slipped it on.

She didn't even glance at the notification. She walked straight past the bed, heading for the massive glass window that overlooked the Manhattan streets.

She looked down.

A familiar black Porsche was parked on the street below. Cam was leaning against the driver's side door, smoking a cigarette, looking annoyed.

A dark thrill of revenge shot through Jocelyn's veins. She spun around and walked right into Hayes's path as he headed for the door.

She blocked him. She looked up at his towering frame. Slowly, she reached up and pulled the collar of her dress down, exposing the dark red marks on her collarbone.

Hayes's eyes darkened. "The game is over," he warned. He reached out to push her aside.

Jocelyn grabbed his tie. She wrapped the silk around her fist and yanked hard. Hayes was forced to lower his head. Their noses almost touched.

"Is the King of Wall Street scared of his own nephew?" she whispered.

A storm erupted in Hayes's eyes.

He didn't push her away. His large hands gripped her waist. He lifted her entirely off the floor and carried her toward the window.

Jocelyn's bare back hit the freezing glass. She gasped.

Cam's figure down on the street suddenly felt terrifyingly close.

Hayes grabbed her chin, forcing her to look down. "Is this the cheap thrill you're looking for?" he sneered.

Jocelyn's heart pounded so hard it hurt her ribs. She looked at Cam, completely clueless below them. She refused to back down. She turned her head and crashed her lips against Hayes's mouth.

He didn't stop her. He kissed her back with brutal force. He pinned her against the glass, taking everything she offered.

The glass was freezing. His body was burning hot. Out of the corner of her eye, Jocelyn saw Cam shift his weight. He was getting ready to look up.

Panic seized her throat. Her body started to tremble. She tried to pull back, but Hayes's arm was an iron band around her waist. She dug her nails into his bicep.

Cam tilted his head back. His eyes scanned the upper floors of the building.

Jocelyn squeezed her eyes shut in pure terror.

A second before Cam's eyes locked onto them, Hayes reached out and slammed his hand against the wall panel. The electronic blinds dropped instantly, plunging the room into shadows.

Hayes broke the kiss. He stepped back. He was breathing heavily, his chest rising and falling, his eyes unreadable.

He adjusted his tie, smoothing out the wrinkles she had made. "Don't ever play these stupid games with me again," he said coldly. "Or I'll ruin you."

Jocelyn leaned against the glass, gasping for air. She watched him walk out the door. A slow, victorious smile spread across her swollen lips.

She quickly fixed her dress. She walked over to the bed, picked up her phone, and ruthlessly deleted the transfer message, blocking the proxy account entirely. She tossed the phone into her purse.

Jocelyn opened the penthouse door and walked to the elevator. It was time to go downstairs and face the man she had just betrayed.