“Fancy,” Noor smiles as the young woman walks away, glancing at the wine.

“You should go to him,” Rin urges. She carefully opens the bottle and pours into our glasses.

I steal a glance at him and exhale shakily. He is not alone. There is a man beside him, a tall, slender man. They are having a conversation. I can’t seem to look away, so I study him.

He is tall and huge. He has broad shoulders. He takes up space, not just by his height, but by his presence too. The bar is crowded, chaotic even, but there is serenity around him, like he is in own bubble. People move all around the bar, but no one nears him, or walks past his table. It is like there is a shield around him, or they are afraid of him.

“You are drooling, Camilla,” I hear and I jolt out of my trance.

My cheeks flush. “Shut up,” I say, with a smile, playing it cool.

“He looks handsome, so I can not blame you.” Adelaide grins, pouring herself another glass.

“Slow down, my love.” I warn. She is a lightweight.

“Yeah, I will.” She smiles at me, then gestures at my drink, that has remained untouched. I wave her off, a smile tugging on my lips.

We move through conversations. The man at work who wants to marry Noor. The asshole at the store that Rin taught a lesson The case I won last week. I try to focus, I try to pay attention, but there is a pull. My mind keeps drifting. I find myself stealing glances at him, again and again.

“This is getting pathetic.” Rin sighs and stands up.

“What do you mean?” I frown, my pulse quickening.

“You’ll thank me later.” She winks at me.

My brain blanks when I realize what she is doing.

“Oh my Gosh. I’m gonna kill her.” I gasp in shock when she walks over to him.

“Getting a little pale, Camilla,” Adelaide chuckles, but I feel so far away as the panic floods me. There is a ringing in my ear. My heart is pounding really fast. My hands are trembling. I don’t know why I feel like a fool. He is just a man.

“Incoming.” Noor says, and I glance to see Rin returning, with the two men behind her.

She sits, amusement and excitement in her eyes. I am going to kill her. A staff comes to us with two chairs. I hold my breath as he fixes it in, then leaves. They sit, and I glance at him, just to find his eyes on me. He is seated right across from me. He takes the air from my lungs.

For a moment, all I can do is stare. He is really huge and muscular, taking up all the space. He has the deepest shade of amber eyes I have ever seen. He has a scar on his eyebrow, and tattoos on his knuckles. There is a tattoo below his ear. He is not just a man.

“Rude to stare, beautiful.” He speaks, and I am hit by his intoxicating scent. I feel it everywhere. I want to feel it on my tongue. I want to lick it off him.

I flush at the thought, wondering why I feel so wanton.

“Hi.” I finally find my voice.

“Hi.” He leans into his seat, eyes pinned on me.

My heart is still racing, but there is something else, something different like no other. There is ease. I have never felt ease all my life. I am always in motion, never still, but with him right across from me, I feel ease. How odd.

“I’m Camilla Wilde,” I run my hand through my waves, and glance at my friends who are looking at me, warmth on their faces.

“This is my sister, Adelaide Wilde.” I gesture and Adelaide smiles. “This is Rin Wang and Noor Fayad, my best friends.”

“Hi.” Noor smiles.

“I’m Miles Marrok,” the slender man says, “And this is Oscar Volkov. Welcome to New York.”

“How do you know we are new here?” Noor frowns, and Miles chuckles “I know more than you think, Noor.” His eyes stay on her.

“Do you want to go on a walk with me, Camilla?” Oscar asks me, his deep voice cutting through everything.

“Yes.” The word slips out before I can think.

“We’ll be right behind you.” Noor says, the three of them standing up. It is an unspoken rule between us. We never let any of us go alone.

Together, we walk out of the bar. I am aware of Oscar beside me, but I am also aware of the way people interact with him. Everyone seems to know who he is. There is reverence in their gaze, and in some, fear. The crowd seem to part for him, even though he does not speak or ask for anything.

My breath hitches when he link our hands, his hand is large, rough and warm. Electricity crawls up my arm.

“Tell me about you.” he says softly.

So, I do. Conversation flows freely, as if we have known each other for years. I lean into the strange comfort I feel with him. I wonder if he feels it too, or if it is just my imagination.

He never lets go of my hand and I don’t want him to. I want us to talk through the night, but all things must end.

I expect an invitation back to his home. Instead, he asks for my phone and puts in his number. There are words at the tip of my tongue, questions I want to ask.

“You can ask, Camilla.” he murmurs. “I see the question in your eyes.” He says tenderly. I love the way he says my name.

“You seem like a very powerful man here.” I say.

Something flickers in his gaze. For a fleeting second, as a car passes by, I see his amber eyes flash gold. Then, it is gone.

“I am a powerful man, and with power comes danger. The ball is in your court.” He tells me softly.