T.S.Noir

  As I drove out with my bck sport car, I spotted Sabrina standing in front of my building waiting for her driver.

  “Care for a ride Mrs. Greensky?” I asked, Sabrina's body tensed as she heard the distinct roar of a powerful engine pull up beside her.

  Slowly, she turned to face the st person she ever wanted to see again: My face. she leaned against my sleek bck sports car, one dark eyebrow arched in silent question.

  The audacity of this man, Sabrina thought to herself. After staring her down all night, he has the nerve to offer her a ride?

  Despite her better judgment, she found herself considering my proposal.

  Her driver was at least fifteen minutes out, and she didn't relish the idea of standing in the chilly night air any longer.

  With a huff, she straightened her dress and glided towards me, chin held high. "My driver should be here momentarily," she said haughtily, as if I hadn't just witnessed her humiliating argument with John.

  "But I suppose you can give me a lift as long as we keep things... professional."

  My smile deepened, as if I knew exactly how much it pained her to accept my help. "Of course, Mrs. Greensky," I said while opening the passenger-car.

  “I’m sorry if I offend you in any way during the party Mrs. Greensky” Sabrina hesitated for a moment before sliding into the low-slung sports car.

  The leather seats enveloped her like a too-warm hug, and she could almost smell the faint scent of leather cleaner and cologne lingering in the air. my scent.

  Her stomach clenched in unwanted familiarity as she pulled the seatbelt across her body, securing herself in this intimate space with the man she swore she'd never see again.

  "Drive," she said curtly, her tone icy as she stared straight ahead, willing herself not to break eye contact with the passing cityscape. we traveled in tense silence, the only sounds the hum of the engine and the soft ticking of the Maserati's expensive analog clock.

  I gnced at her from time to time, my eyes lingering just a second too long each time our gazes met in my rearview mirror.

  “Its fine, everything is good, after all, you are going to save my husband’s company, right?” Sabrina whispers while maintaining eye contact with me.

  “Anyway Mr. Bckwood, I have been in this city for all my life, I know all the people in it, the rich and powerful, but you, I never seems to notice you, a successful businessman and a bachelor. how is that possible?”

  My eyes narrowed ever so slightly in the rearview mirror as Sabrina probed into my past. "I prefer to remain low-key, Mrs. Greensky," II said after a moment of consideration.

  "There's power in flying under the radar." My voice was level, but she could swear she detected a glimpse of anguish in my eyes before it was gone.

  "That's...understandable, I guess," Sabrina said, not quite convinced by my answer. She fell silent for a moment and then changed the subject, "So, what made you decide to help John? It's quite...out of character for a man like you."

  I chuckled darkly, my hands tightening ever so slightly on the steering wheel. "Let's just say that I have my reasons," I said cryptically. "Besides, I always had a soft spot for...beautiful dy such as yourself."

  Sabrina bristled at the jab, but she bit her tongue rather than give me the satisfaction of an outburst.

  The rest of the ride passed in stiff silence as we move through the neon-lit streets of Bckbourne City. “And honestly I’m genuinely interested in you Sabrina, may I call you Sabrina?” Sabrina's jaw clenched at my presumptuousness, but she bit her tongue as the Maserati rumbled to a stop in front of her high-rise condo.

  "What exactly are you scheming, Leon Bckwood?" she demanded, her voice low and dangerous as she turned to confront me.

  My expression was unreadable as I leaned in closer, my voice low and seductive. "I'm not scheming anything... yet," I said, my breath caressing her neck as I spoke.

  Sabrina shivered involuntarily and hated herself for it. "But who knows? The night is still young, and I find myself... intrigued by the Sabrina Greensky." my eyes raked over her form, Lingley at her curve-hugging dress before meeting her icy-blue gaze once more.

  "I'll be in touch, Sabrina," I said with a wink before pulling away, leaving her standing on the curbside, heart pounding in her chest. As I drove my car into the night.

  The city lights blurred into streaks of red and gold as I sped away from her, the growl of the engine filling the hollow spaces she left behind.

  For a moment, I caught a glimpse of her reflection in my rearview mirror — standing rigid on the curb, arms crossed over her chest like Armor she no longer trusted to hold.

  I smirked to myself.

  Sabrina Greensky was many things: beautiful, dangerous, proud.But untouched? Unbreakable?

  No.

  Not anymore.

  Not after tonight.

  I turned onto the expressway, the city sprawling out before me like a glittering battlefield. The rules were shifting. Lines were being redrawn.

  And she was already tangled in my web — whether she realized it yet or not.

  Somewhere deep in my jacket pocket, my phone buzzed.

  Victor.

  I let it vibrate twice before answering, still savouring the lingering heat of Sabrina’s proximity on my skin.

  "Leon," Victor’s gravelly voice came through the speaker, heavy with meaning. "You’ve stirred the waters tonight. A little too much, perhaps."

  "I was due for a swim," I replied, my tone dry.

  Victor sighed.

  "Be careful. This city... it has teeth. And not all of them belong to the men you can buy."

  I smiled grimly; eyes locked on the endless road ahead.

  "Good," I said. "I’m in the mood for a fight."

  The call ended. Silence enveloped me again, thick and charged.

  Victor never called, not unless something troubling him.

  Was the call a warning for what to come?

  Or is it a threat? For now, let the pieces move on their own.

  I thought of Sabrina — the spark in her eyes, the tension vibrating off her body, the way her lips had parted for half a second too long when I leaned in close.

  There was a war coming, no doubt.

  And somehow, she would be at the heart of it.

  Not an enemy.

  Not an ally.

  Something far more dangerous.

  I accelerated, the engine howling in approval, carving through the night like a bde.

  Bck car.

  Red lips.

  And a future soaked in both blood and desire.

  ??

  T.S.Noir