Chapter 4Feeding On My Ruthless Boss

The gala moved into its final phase—the "Silent Auction."

I had managed to bribe a server for a spare tuxedo and a mask. I stood in the shadows behind the high-backed velvet chairs of the VIP section, watching Killian.

He was sitting there, his back stiff, but I could see the slight tremor in his hands. The suppressant wasn't working. The heat was too strong.

I licked my lips. You threw me out of the tub, but there’s nowhere to run now.

The lights dimmed for a presentation on a rare diamond. The room went pitch black.

I slipped through the shadows and reached his side.

“Mr. Blackwood, I brought you something cold to help with the fever,” I whispered.

He turned, his eyes searching the dark.

Before he could speak, I dropped a single, frozen grape into his lap.

He hissed, a sharp intake of breath.

“I’ll get that for you,” I murmured.

I dropped to my knees and slid under the long, heavy velvet tablecloth that draped over the VIP table.

The lights came back on.

Down there, in the dark, the heat radiating from him was like a furnace.

“Janice!” Killian hissed, his voice a strangled whisper. He tried to pull back.

I grabbed his ankles, anchoring him. I pressed my cheek against the fabric of his trousers. Above us, the auctioneer was droning on about carats and clarity.

Under the table, I began to unfasten his belt.

Killian’s entire body went rigid. He reached down, his fingers digging into the back of my neck.

“Get… out…” he gasped.

I ignored him. I could hear the truth in his heartbeat.

“Is everything alright, Mr. Blackwood?” my father’s voice suddenly asked from across the table. “You look a bit flushed.”

Killian’s hand tightened on my neck. “I’m fine, Robert. Just the heat in the room.”

I smiled and made my move. I heard him choke back a groan.

His hand on my neck went limp, then tightened again, but not to push me away.

Then, the guest of honor stood up. “A toast to the Blackwood Empire! Killian, please, stand and join us!”

The entire room turned toward our table.

If Killian stood up now, his disarray would be visible to every camera and every power player in the city. He was trapped.

He sat there, sweating, his hand trembling as he reached for his champagne glass. He tried to play it off, but I wasn't finished.

As he tilted his head back to drink, I gave him exactly what he’d been fighting against.

“Ah!”

Killian let out a loud, ragged moan that echoed through the silent ballroom.