Chapter 34 Elijah Is Too Tempting
Elena instinctively walked toward the large window in the living room, peeking her head out to look down at the lobby of The Azure apartment building.
Her eyes widened completely when she saw a luxurious, glossy black Rolls-Royce Phantom sedan parked gracefully in the drop-off area. Beside the driver's door, Marcus stood upright in a formal black suit and white gloves, exuding an aura of top-tier professionalism.
Although the Vance family was considered well-off in New York, her father and two older brothers had never owned a car of that caliber. The best collection in Arthur Vance's garage was a mid-range Mercedes-Benz and two Bentleys, whose combined value didn't even reach a quarter of the price of that Rolls-Royce's wheels.
"Elijah?" Elena turned slowly, staring at the young man before her with a look filled with both suspicion and fear. "That new client of yours... who is he, really? What kind of company car loans out a multi-million dollar vehicle just for his assistant to use?"
Elijah maintained his calm, thin smile without a hint of panic. He walked closer, gently tidying a stray lock of Elena's hair.
"I told you, he's one of the major shareholders on Wall Street, Ángel. People in New York's upper circles view cars like that the way we view a bicycle. Too ordinary," Elijah deflected with a very convincing, relaxed tone. "He specifically lent it because his reputation is also on the line tonight. If his personal assistant showed up at Lincoln Center in a yellow taxi, his pride as a conglomerate would crumble in front of his business associates."
Elijah picked up Elena's small clutch from the table, then tightly intertwined their fingers. "Let's go. Don't let the driver wait too long. Consider this a small perk of our work contract."
Elena could only swallow hard and surrender as Elijah's strong fingers led her out of the apartment unit. As soon as they descended to the lobby, the doorman and a few residents of The Azure who happened to be passing by gasped, staring at them as if they were a pair of European nobles who had somehow gotten lost in a middle-class New York apartment.
Marcus stepped forward smartly as soon as he saw them approaching. With a highly trained motion, he opened the rear passenger door, handed a small package—a box wrapped in red velvet—to Elijah, then closed the door tightly, sealing them in soundproof silence.
Inside the cabin, which smelled of premium leather and walnut wood, the atmosphere was quiet and intimate. Elena leaned back in the plush seat, staring at the velvet box on Elijah's lap.
"What's that?" Elena asked curiously.
Elijah opened the box, revealing two handcrafted Venetian Masquerade-style masks. One was pitch black with delicate satin lace accents for Elena, and the other was dark silver with sharp, masculine curves for himself.
"The committee implemented a new rule a few minutes ago," Elijah lied, handing the black mask to Elena. "The first hour in the main VIP hall requires masks. An artistic concept of mystery—that's how rich people waste their time."
'Tch, you're one to talk, Young Master. That means you really enjoy wasting time on useless things too, don't you?' Marcus cursed inwardly upon hearing Elijah's words to Elena.
Elena accepted the mask, her fingers feeling the fabric's texture, which felt extremely expensive. "A strange rule. But I suppose it works in my favor. At least my family and Morgan's family won't recognize me the moment I step into the hall."
Elijah smirked in the darkness of the cabin, his eyes glinting with obsession as he stared at Elena's profile.
'They won't recognize you, Ángel. But they will immediately know that the man beside you tonight is the one who holds complete control over their lives from this moment on.'
The luxury car slowly navigated through Manhattan's traffic, cruising steadily toward Lincoln Center, where Alaric Blackwood and the entire New York elite were already preparing to welcome the arrival of the new ruler hidden behind a silver mask.
Inside the Rolls-Royce's cabin, which glided so smoothly it was almost bump-free, the occasional glow of Manhattan's streetlights seeping through the dark tinted windows illuminated Elena's beautiful face. The intimate silence was suddenly disrupted when Elena felt a familiar warmth creeping over the silk surface of her gown.
Elijah's broad, solid palm landed casually on her thigh. The young man's fingers stroked gently, sending instant electric shocks through every nerve in Elena's body.
Elena flinched, her body going completely rigid. She quickly swatted at the muscular hand, though her strength was nowhere near a match. "Elijah! Stop. We're in the car, and your friend—I mean your driver—is up front!" Elena whispered, her face instantly flushing, nervously glancing toward the partition glass.
The partition glass was actually thick, dark, and military-grade soundproof. Marcus up front wouldn't even be able to hear a bomb exploding in the back seat, but Elena didn't know that.
Instead of pulling away, Elijah just chuckled lowly. His baritone laugh sounded incredibly sexy and dangerous in the confined space. In one quick motion, Elijah shifted his seat, closing the distance until Elena was pressed into the corner of the plush leather seat.
"Marcus won't see or hear anything, Ángel. He's too professional to interfere in the affairs of an 'employer' and her bodyguard," Elijah whispered, his voice husky and full of hidden demands.
Before Elena could respond, one of Elijah's hands moved to the back of her neck, gripping it with dominant gentleness. His thumb stroked her jawline, forcing her to look up directly into a pair of sapphire blue eyes that had darkened with passion and obsession.
"You wore this dark red lipstick on purpose to torture me, didn't you?" Elijah murmured, his eyes fixed on Elena's full lips. "Give me a kiss, Elena. Consider it a 'warm-up'—an energy boost before I have to stand tall protecting you inside that wolf's den."
"I just fixed my makeup, Elijah, don't—"
Elena's sentence got caught in her throat as Elijah immediately dipped his head and silenced her lips. It wasn't a gentle goodbye peck. Elijah's kiss was demanding, deep, and full of absolute possession that made all of Elena's defenses crumble in seconds. Elena clutched the shoulders of Elijah's velvet jacket, her body suddenly going weak, surrendering to being pulled into the whirlpool of passion of the young man who, legally speaking, was her hired escort.
Elijah's hand returned to her thigh, squeezing it with a possessiveness that was hard to hide. Elijah seemed intent on asserting through his touch that no matter what Elena's marital status was on paper, every inch of this woman's body and soul belonged to him tonight.
When the kiss finally broke, Elena's breath came in ragged gasps, leaving a wet sheen on her lips, which were now even more swollen and sensual. Elijah rested his forehead against Elena's, his thumb wiping the corner of her lips as he smiled that impossibly handsome sideways smile.
"Perfect," Elijah whispered softly, his eyes glittering with satisfaction as he watched Elena's dazed, helpless expression under his control. "Now, put on your mask, miss. The car is slowing down. We've arrived at Lincoln Center."