Page 30 of Iron Heart

I shake my head, anger still palpable.“Sorry isn’t enough, Victoria.This changes everything.”

Victoria’s movements are frantic as she tries to put herself together, the elegance she’d worn earlier now replaced by clear panic.Fueled by a mix of anger and a need for clarity, I reach out and snatch her mask off.Her eyes are now laid bare, reflecting both shock and sorrow.

“Look at me,” I command, my voice firm.

She hesitates, then finally meets my gaze.Those deep blue eyes I could get lost in are now filled with regret and fear.“Kingsley,” she whispers.“Maybe this happened for a reason.”

My stare remains unyielding.“No.”

Her hands tremble as she smooths down her black dress, avoiding eye contact.“I know I messed up.I should have told you, But please, Kingsley…”

Closing the distance between us, I force her to look at me.“We’re leaving.I’ll take you home.”

She blinks, surprised at my decision.“You will?”

“Yes,” I reply tersely.“But not because I’m okay with what happened.We need to talk.Inprivate.”

Victoria nods, trying to keep her composure as we make our way out of the club.She gets caught up behind a throng of people, and immediately, I step back and claim her hand in mine.I ignore how effortlessly it slides into my callused hand and grips its way around mine.

In the fifteen-minute Uber ride to her place, she’s silent, and I’m left to sift through the night’s events.That petite vixen in the hall snagged my focus because she was a dead ringer for Victoria—same height, same frame.Honestly?I wanted her because she reminded me of my boss.Disciplining her felt damn good.

Realizing now it was actually Victoria under that mask and seeing her eagerness to submit?Goddamn.I’m completely and utterly ruined.

How can I protect her now I’ve fucked her?

She exits the car, leaving Carlos, the door guard, puzzled.“Miss Slater… how?”

I follow, locking eyes with Mike.“Send me the surveillance footage of the grounds.”

Her breath huffs out in irritation.“Am I a prisoner in my own home now?”she retorts, striding toward the front entrance.

She creates more space between us, but my strides grow quicker, and I soon keep in step with her.

Opening the door, we step inside.“If you’re going to lecture me again, Kingsley, you can just leave,” she says, tossing her purse onto the table.

“This isn’t right, Miss Slater,” I say, rubbing my forehead in frustration.

With a wave of her hand, she dismisses my concern and removes her wig.“Miss Slater?”She whirls around, revealing her auburn hair pinned underneath.“I think we’re past that now, don’t you?”She quirks an eyebrow and kicks off her stilettos.“And have you always been a Dom?”she asks, her fingers working to unpin her hair, letting it cascade down her back.

I hover in the doorway, a mixture of anger and regret simmering within me.“For a while, yes,” I admit.

She sits on the bed and faces me, eyes alight with curiosity.“Why?”

“Let’s talk about you,” I deflect, the conversation increasingly frustrating.“Was that your first time being a submissive?”

She runs a hand through her hair.“How’d I do?”

“Itwasyour first time?”

“So, did I do all right then?”she presses.

“Victoria.”I take my hand to my head.

“I sucked, didn’t I?You’re probably used to amaz…” She can’t even finish her sentence, looking down, and it’s more than I can bear.

“You were spectacular,” I say, half from habit but mostly because it’s the truth.

Her face brightens into a smile, and she stands, turning her back to me.“Can you unzip me?”

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