The nights passed, each more intense than the last. Emily, lying on the plush rug at the foot of Alexander's bed, felt her body hum with constant tension. Every evening, she watched her master undress, her eyes hungrily tracing the contours of his powerful frame. The fear he inspired in her was now tangled with a burning desire she dared not admit to herself.

That night, the silence in the room was broken only by Alexander's deep breathing as he slept. Emily, unable to find rest, fixated on his hand dangling off the side of the bed. As if hypnotized, she moved closer, her heart pounding in her chest.