Dante eyed Silvija with a soft smile. “Falling for already?”
Silvija stayed silent, too proud to lie, and too honest to deny. She pushed herself off the mat, collected her jacket, and slipped it over her shoulders. Waving her hand, she approached the door as if walking off into the sunset.
Then the door closed with a soft click.
Dante scratched his head. He felt like he was cheating on Death, despite the fact she had given him the green light to love anyone as long as he prioritized her first.
He would’ve been attracted to Silvija Sablinova even if Death had denied him. The lady was a cold rcenary queen, but underneath that exterior was a straightforward woman with plenty of care. A real sweetheart for her people and the embodint of vengeance for her enemies.
Still, he couldn’t help but think it was all happening too fast, especially when Silvija wasn’t the type to fall for good looks. Silvija preferred soone bold, ambitious, yet honest and genuine. On the other side, Death preferred soone who saw her for who she was without fearing her.
Two extraordinary won. Two completely different flavors of beauty.
He ticked all of their desired qualities one way or another.
‘Am I really building a harem here?’
The thought struck him as absurd, but he couldn’t deny its appeal. It would be troubleso managing multiple extraordinary won who could each kill him in creative ways if they felt sufficiently motivated. The danger of dating such won was a thrill in itself.
“All will be solved with ti.”
The imdiate problem was Norman Osborn. No caped crusaders or masked vigilantes had erged. The age of heroes like the Avengers and X-n had yet to arrive, which ant if Osborn’s plans threatened Silvija or anyone else, Dante would need to handle it. Not that he minded ruining a billionaire’s sches. He had nothing else to do besides training the resonance or ssing around with Silvija.
Rising from the mat, he felt his muscles still sore from the sparring session—a reminder of how much punishnt Silvija had inflicted on his body.
‘I won’t lose next ti.’
With a conviction of his own, he made his way back to the reception area. Anna sat behind her desk, typing away at her computer.
He tapped the desk lightly. “Hey, Anna. Any chance you could give a ride back to my apartnt?”
The receptionist bit her lower lip. “Boss just ssaged . She said—and I’m quoting directly here—‘He is not allowed to leave until I return.’”
Dante stared at her, montarily speechless. “What the hell am I now? Her mistress on standby?”
Anna burst into laughter. “Honestly? I never thought I’d see the day Mada Sablinova would act this way about a man. She’s always been so... focused on the business. You’re quite a special man.”
The last words ca with an upturned glance that would tug at any man’s heart.
A depressed sigh escaped him. “She shot down earlier. Do you know what that ans? She wants to be her side piece.”
This earned another laugh from the receptionist. “n will kill to be Miss Sablinova’s side piece.”
“Not . I’m the type to make her my side piece.”
Anna looked at him in disbelief. “You’re insane.”
“I’m normal.” Dante shrugged, suddenly feeling cold from his drenched shirt. “By any chance, do we have a shower here?”
“Of course.” Anna nodded, leaving the desk and giving him directions to the bathhouse on the second floor. “But we don’t keep spare clothes for your size. If you give your asurents and preferences, I can run out and grab sothing suitable.”
“You’re an angel descended from heaven.” He pressed his palms together in a prayer. “May god always shine brightly on this angel.”
Anna waved off the praise, though her pleased smile remained. “Miss inford that she is going to assign you as the CEO of our New York branch. Keep it between us.”
The revelation stopped him cold. CEO. He had been one before; he had no desire to take up the mantle again. At least not for a traditional corporation. He wouldn’t mind managing a rcenary enterprise.
‘She has too much trust in .’
The shower facilities were down on the second floor, where rcenaries also had their own rooms.
By the ti he finished cleaning up, Anna had placed his new clothes outside. A dress shirt in charcoal gray, tailored slacks fit for his fra, and a fitted vest. It looked too formal for his taste. But right now he had no choice but to wear them since his own clothes were torn at places from overstretching.
After putting on the clothes, he barely recognized the man in the mirror, as if he’d stepped into soone else’s life entirely.
He styled his hair and put a hand on the mirror. “Is it gay to like myself?”
With such a deep question on his mind, he returned to the lobby, only to freeze at the sight.
Silvija stood near the reception, discussing sothing with Anna. She looked completely different from the cold queen he’d t at the Smokie’s.
Her styled loose hair cascaded on her shiny fur coat, both classy and luxurious. Underneath the fancy coat, a pristine black dress hugged her athletic figure, flaring off at hips. The attire was practical enough for combat yet dazzling enough to steal hearts.
As she turned toward him, he noticed subtle makeup adorning her features. He knew Silvija wouldn’t look lovely for a man she had known for only a day.
‘It’s for work.’
Her lips curved slightly. “Dante, you’re here.”
“Damn,” he said before his brain caught up with his mouth. “Silvija, you look stunning. anwhile, I look like so snobby millionaire’s kid.”
She approached him with confident strides. Her fingers went to his collar, adjusting it with the smoothness of soone who’d done this a thousand tis before or soone who wanted the excuse to touch him.
“You look dashing,” she whispered. “Exactly my type.”
The attraction wasn’t even subtle anymore, not with the way her gaze lingered on him, or how her touch remained even after his collar was perfectly straight.
Anna cleared her throat. “Boss, I reserved a table at that place.”
“Thank you, Anna.” Silvija gave so tasks to her secretary before she extended her hand toward Dante. “Shall we?”
He took it, feeling the calloused spots of her palm. “Where to?”
“A surprise date.”
***
Dante once again found himself gazing at the city while Silvija drove her favorite tank of a SUV. He was out cold till five, yet today turned out to be one of the most morable days of his new life.
“Dante,” she called without taking her eyes from the road. “Not going to say sothing romantic?”
He considered several teasing responses before settling on honesty. “I an, we just t today. Properly, anyway. I’ll need to learn more about you first. Otherwise, it’ll all be fake.”
Her tense brows loosened. “I appreciate your honesty. I want everyone in my Wild Pack to be like you. No schers, no manipulators… just real people trying to make a living…” Her fingers gripped the steering wheel with just a bit more force. “I hate traitors most of all.”
He felt like it was a warning specifically for him, that she’d haunt him to the end of ti for betraying him.
“Speaking of traitors,” Dante said. “Norman Osborn is exactly the type who’d sell out his own mother for the right price.”
“Heh. My clients can be the most vile creatures walking this earth for all I care. Money is money.”
“Does that an you’d take a contract to nuke a city for money?”
“There’s still a line in our work.” She glanced at him briefly like he was an idiot. “I won’t cross into truly heinous territory.”
“Better. Anyway, what is this contract about? I fear that dumbass is scheming sothing evil.”
“I know nothing about it. I’m contracted to guard a research facility. Whatever happens inside those walls is his headache, not mine.” She stopped the car on the side and faced him, solemn. “But I’ve seen many groups eying that place like hyenas. It won’t be long before they get impatient.”
He felt an ominous chill. The crisis might be—no, it definitely was on a bigger scale. A scale where his non-Resonance form would be mowed down in an instant. He had to learn how to control the Helio Reactor as soon as possible. Otherwise, he might perish in his first week here.
“A war is coming.”
She gave him a heavy nod. “Only Wild Pack are standing between them and Norman’s research facility. We’ll be the first priority to be removed.”
He couldn’t help but ask, “Aren’t you afraid?”
“Every major contract is a tug-of-war with death itself. If I win, my company and country prosper. If I lose, I’m probably returning to my holand in a coffin.” She was still grinning like her death was just another business risk to calculate and manage. “Are you having second thoughts?”
He leaned back comfortably, revealing a confident smirk. “Those small fries can’t even force out my trump card.”
Her blue eyes glead with interest, the calculating kind. “Now I’m really curious what your trump cards are. Is it related to your mutant power?”
“Not now. But I can promise one thing — I won’t let you die. I’ll fight Death herself to bring you back if I have to.”
Death liked him enough to bring back a few people for him, even if she’d pout a day or two in the aftermath.
Silvija unbuckled her seatbelt. Before he could ask what she was doing, she shifted onto his lap in one smooth motion, bringing the subtle scent of expensive perfu with her.
She gripped his collars and kissed him before he could respond. Despite her forceful approach, her kiss was ta. After a mont of surprise, his hands found her butt, pulling her closer as he pried open her mouth.
Silvija pulled back as if struck by electricity, a trail of saliva forming an intimate connection between their mouths. Her breathing was uneven, cheeks flushed beneath her makeup.
Noticing people’s strange glances, he reluctantly shifted his hands to her waist. Silvija had yet to notice they were in the middle of a street, where everybody saw them through the windshield and front side windows.
She wiped her lips and fixed his collars. “Fighting death for … it’s the most romantic thing any man has ever said to .”
“You know it could’ve been a lie. To impress you and lower your guard around .”
“I have seen enough of the world to know when soone lies.” She found a comfortable spot on his lap rather than going back to the driver seat. “Then there is SHIELD’s report, which depicts you as a completely different man. All this weirdness makes question, who exactlyare you?”
“Was this a honey trap to bait out my secrets?”
She pressed her hands against his chest and drew closer to his ears, whispering, “What if it was?”
“I’d gladly fall for it.” He gently kissed her neck, making her tremble. “The queen is irresistible.”
Silvija swallowed hard. As he drew back, he saw sothing heated flared in her gaze, a look of raw lust he’d seen many tis before. His heartbeat still jumped by dozens.
Just as he touched her face, she pressed both hands against his chest and scampered back into the driver’s seat.
Dante sat frozen, hand still outstretched, finally understanding the phrase 'blue-balled' in its full, agonizing glory. He would expect such an action from Death, not Silvija. She was too bold and fearless to be backing out on him like this.
“No, not here,” she muttered, smoothing her dress. “I don’t want my first… in a car.”
Cold realization poured over his burning lust. “Sorry, I—”
“Shhh, it’s on . I shouldn’t have pushed it.” She fixed the seatbelt and put on a relaxing score before starting the engine. This ti, she drove slowly to avoid crashing in her distracted state. “Dante, why didn’t you use your powers during our fight?”
He welcod the change of topic because he knew he wasn’t getting laid tonight. “It felt unfair to use abilities you couldn’t counter.”
She snorted. “Right. Acting like a wolf in sheep’s clothing was very honorable.”
“How does it feel to be outplayed by a rookie?” he snorted right back. “I wouldn’t have done it if soone wasn’t bullying relentlessly. There was also a kiss on the line.”
She shot him a reproaching glare. “Well, Mr. Wolf. Did you enjoy stealing my first kiss?”
“Very much. I liked the second one more.”
“The revenge kiss,” she said with a chuckle. “Dan-chan, we’re here.”
He was absolutely not embarrassed by her cheeky nickna. It was only curiosity that made him look outside. What he saw stunned him.
A posh mansion sprawled in the distance, separated by gardens and tons of open space. Except it wasn’t a mansion but a clubhouse, all glass and steel, offering a glimpse of opulence inside.
The illuminated pale blue sign read “The Hellmoon Club” in elegant script.
‘Hellmoon Club. Hellfire Club… Sa shit with a different label?’
It couldn’t be a coincidence, not when he knew Emma Frost existed in this universe.
He really wanted to palm his face, or better yet, book a cab back to his apartnt. Of all the places for a surprise date, Silvija brought him to the place with the most dangerous mutants on this planet.
User Comments
0 comments from readers