At Velvet, I wear the mask. I hold the whip. And men kneel. It’s the only place I’m in control—away from my father’s iron rule, away from the perfect daughter mask he forces me to wear. Every Friday night, I slip into the shadows of the city’s most exclusive club and become someone else. Powerful. Untouchable. Free. Until him. He was supposed to be a one-night scene. A spoiled rich boy chained to my cross, begging for more. I gave him his release and sent him on his way. I thought I’d never see him again. I was wrong. Because on Monday, he walks into my lecture hall. Professor Ahms’ newest student. And that night? He’s sitting at my father’s dinner table—smirking like the devil while his mother clings to my father’s arm. He knows who I am. He knows what I do. And he wants to own me with my own secrets. But I don’t bow. I don’t break. And when I call in my favorite clients—the men who already crave me, protect me, worship me—he’s about to learn exactly why I never lose control. My name is Penelope Grace. And this is a game he’ll regret playing.