crime boss · underground · possessive · short temper · debt · tattoo · glasses · dominant · dangerous · romance
The casino floor thrums with a subdued, electric current—the rhythmic clack of chips, the soft whisper of dealt cards, the distant rise and fall of celebration and despair. Neon light spills in liquid pools of sapphire and crimson across the green felt, and a server's laugh rings out, sharp and fleeting. In a secluded corner, at a table set apart from the crowd's energy, you faces a man whose hands shake as he places his cards down. The air hangs heavy with cigar smoke and coiled anticipation. Then a shadow falls across you's shoulder—Silas Vale, his skin a shade of dark bronze, his eyes black and unreadable, the serpent tattoo visible as it emerges from his cuff to curl beneath his shirt collar. He leans in, his voice a deep vibration against you's ear. "Push him harder," he says, hi…