CHAPTER 58
**ZION**
I stared at Winter, my frustration barely contained. "I'm waiting, Snowflake. I don't have all night, or what's left of it," I said, forcing myself to sound indifferent.
Her posture was defiant, her chin lifted as she met my gaze. "I have to be up in a few hours for my first day at work. I'm asking you to please turn down the music."
Was she serious? I couldn't help but let out a short, dismissive laugh.
"No."
"Zion, don't be a jerk. It's past midnight, and I'm asking nicely," she replied, her voice tinged with frustration. Her attempt at pleading was almost endearing.
"It's past midnight-thanks for the update," I mocked, putting as much condescension into my tone as I could manage.
"Zion, you're being completely unreasonable. Consider yourself lucky I didn't just call in a noise complaint or ring your mom. I came to you first out of respect."
Her eyes swept around the room, a hint of defiance still in her gaze. "I'm sure Jenny wouldn't be too thrilled to learn about half the things going on under her roof while she's away."
"Oh, Snowflake," I said, my voice dropping to a low, dangerous edge.
"Are you threatening me?"
She furrowed her brows, deep in thought for a moment. Then, a faint smile tugged at the corners of her lips as she replied,
"Maybe I am."
"Oooh, I’m trembling; please don't call mommy," I mocked, pretending to shiver before I fixed her with a steely gaze.
"I don’t appreciate threats, Snowflake! Mom's in Paris; she won't be flying back to break up my party tonight and slap me on my wrist for being a naughty boy," I said, leaning in close enough to loom over her.
Her annoyance was evident as she sighed.
"I'm not asking you to break up the party. I'm simply requesting that you turn the music down." Her attempt at puppy-dog eyes was almost too adorable.
Cute? What the hell is wrong with me?
I sighed, glancing around the room until I spotted Clark weaving his way towards me, visibly tipsy.
Perfect.
"Hey, what's going on?" Clark asked, swaying slightly.
"Is Claire around?" I asked him.
He shook his head, a faint smirk playing on his lips.
"Nope, she's at home, probably curled up with one of those cheesy romance novels she loves. She put up a bit of a fight about coming here tonight, but, as always, I managed to convince her otherwise. Victory was mine," he added with a touch of playful arrogance, clearly pleased with himself.
"Great," I said, shifting my focus back to Winter.
"Since this party isn't ending anytime soon, why don't you crash at Claire's place for the night, Snowflake?"
"What! It's after midnight!" she protested.
"I'm not going to disturb her at this hour."
"You're disturbing me," I countered smoothly, a self-assured smile curling my lips. The control was back, and I felt a calm strength settling over me.
"You are such a jerk," she muttered under her breath. I stopped and gave her a hard look.
I stopped and fixed her with a sharp glare, pretending to be annoyed. "Watch it, Snowflake. I'm trying to help you out here, so be careful with who you're calling a jerk. My patience doesn't stretch that far."
She rolled her eyes and shot back, "Oh, spare me. Don't pretend you're doing me any favours. When it comes to me, you wouldn't know what 'being nice' even means. I've put up with more than enough from you since I got here. The least you can do is lower the damn music just this once."
"I like my parties loud, Snowflake," I said, locking eyes with her.
As I looked her up and down, an idea struck me.
Hmm...
I lowered my voice to a suggestive murmur.
"Okay. I have a deal, for you"
"A deal?" she asked, clearly sceptical.
"I'll turn down the music hell; I might even end the party early only if you entertain me first." My voice took on a low, unmistakably hungry edge as I imagined the various ways she could amuse me.
Even though Snowflake was always trying to present herself as the model of discipline and propriety, I knew she wasn't the type to indulge in my request.
Her image of being well-groomed and prim seemed at odds with anything remotely scandalous.
Still, a part of me questioned whether there was more beneath that façade. After all, she had already managed to disrupt my life, so maybe there was a side to her that was anything but virtuous.
She tucked a stray lock of her long, wavy hair behind her ear and looked at me with disdain.
"And what disgusting task do you want me to do?" she asked, her tone dripping with sarcasm as she waved her hand dismissively.
Her boldness only heightened my interest.
As I approached her, her scent wafted over me, I could feel a familiar ache in my pants-damn, a hard-on now? My desire was unmistakable, but I tried to push it aside.
Sure, I was drawn to her, just like I was attracted to most women. Snowflake stirred something in me, but there was no way I was going to let her have that kind of control over me.
But I could still appreciate the view.
"Follow me," I said, striding toward the study. I waited until she stepped inside before I closed the door behind us.
Winter glanced around the room before turning back to me, arms crossed defensively.
"So, what's the task? I need to get some sleep, remember."
I tugged at the edge of her shawl, my voice low as I said,
"Take this off. All of it. I want you to strip down until you are naked and give me a sexy dance, maybe even a lap dance."
Her eyes widened in shock, but I pressed on.
"What the...."
"Sshhh! We're not even yet. You saw me naked, so it's only fair that I get my turn, with a little extra."
"Excuse me?" Her voice quivered with a mix of disbelief and apprehension.
I fixed my gaze on her, unwavering as I issued the challenge. "There's a great song on right now," I said with a sly grin.
"Strip while you dance, and I might turn the music down; I might even call it a night."
I let the smirk linger, knowing I was bluffing. The party wasn't going anywhere, and I had no plans to give in to her request.
The truth was, I enjoyed the power of the situation. The idea of watching her, trying to maintain her composure while performing a task she found humiliating, was too tempting. The party was far from over, and I was in no mood to make concessions.
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