Total pages in book: 111
Estimated words: 115388 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 577(@200wpm)___ 462(@250wpm)___ 385(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 115388 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 577(@200wpm)___ 462(@250wpm)___ 385(@300wpm)
I said nothing.
But something in me hardened.
And then, just for a moment, her eyes softened.
Not much.
But enough to feel it.
“The reason why I took you to the side, Nyomi is because I want you to understand that you cannot let the Dragon devour you. Seduce him. Tame him. Reign over him if you must. But don’t disappear inside him. That is not what women like us do.”
“I’ve got it.”
“We still should figure out what happened.”
My voice was barely a breath. “He confessed something and then it got emotional.”
“I thought so with the snippets I gathered. And. . .whatever he confessed that is good for you.”
“Well. . .it was a secret.”
“Secrets are good. The Dragon sits on a throne, and that throne is Japan. That means he doesn’t have to tell you anything. He can keep and fuck you without saying anything. . .if you are a. . .regular woman. Therefore, if he shared anything, then he sees you as important and powerful within his heart.”
“Yeah, but this wasn’t a good secret.”
“Not all secrets are good.”
“But he did apologize for not telling me sooner.”
Hiroko blinked once. Then twice. Her painted lips parted, and for a beat, she looked like I’d told her the moon had bowed to me. “He apologized?”
“Yes.”
“The Dragon?”
“Yes.”
Then a slow, dangerous smile curved across her face. “Kenji Sato does not apologize. Not to his enemies. Not to his men. Not to women. Never.”
She stepped back like the news physically startled her. Then, her eyes gleamed, not with envy, but with delight. “With this dinner tonight, you didn’t just seduce the Dragon. You’ve unspooled him. Do you understand what that means?”
I stared at her. “I don’t know what it means. Not fully. He got even more intense after the apology.”
She exhaled sharply and stepped closer again. “It means you are no longer flirting with control—you have it. Even if you don’t know how to hold it yet.”
I swallowed hard. “He still tries to dominate everything.”
“Of course he does. He’s the Dragon. It’s in his nature to conquer. He will never stop. But tonight, he didn’t just let you see his underbelly, he exposed it willingly. A man like that only bares his throat when he wants to be ruined by someone he believes is worthy.”
“I’m not trying to ruin him.”
“You already are ruining him. Every meal. Every word you say, and yet. . . he’s not pulling away. He’s leaning in. Dragons don’t kneel, Nyomi. But they do circle what they can’t stop burning for.”
“Then why does it feel like I’m the one being consumed?”
“Because you are.” She didn’t blink. “But here’s the secret—power isn’t about never being devoured. It’s about choosing how to be devoured. Minutes ago, you weren’t choosing to be devoured, you were just letting him.”
My body was still trembling with the echo of his kiss. “He told me that he’s rearranging his empire for me.”
Hiroko let out a short, stunned chuckle—then covered her mouth like it had betrayed her. “Rearranging his empire?”
“Yes.”
She muttered something sharp in Japanese before looking up.
“What the hell does that mean?”
“It means Tokyo may not be safe in these next days.”
I blinked. “What?”
Her expression turned serious again. “His statement is an extraordinary thing. But it is not an easy one. You must now move like a queen. Not a regular woman. No more trembling in his hold.”
“Okay.” This thrilling desire surged through me. “God. . .this is getting addictive.”
“Don’t get high off that yet, because there is a reason why I had to take you to the side. Why did I do that again?”
“I got lost in him.”
“And you let him take the lead too long. You forgot what I taught you. That softness should be offered, not stolen by his words or his mouth.”
“He was just. . .so intense.”
“Dragons are always intense. That is their nature. But you’re not here to be prey, Nyomi. You’re here to be his match. Do not waste my time. I’ve seen too many women lose themselves in dangerous men.”
I nodded.
“Do you think you’re an imposter?” She narrowed her eyes. “Are you wondering if you belong at that table? Are you thinking you may not be enough for this firestorm of a man?”
I didn’t respond.
She raised her hand and took my chin in her fingers. “Let me be very clear. You are not some passing meal for Kenji Sato. You are the feast he didn’t know he would starve for. But if you don’t believe that, then he will turn your insecurity into his throne and I can go home and read a book.”
“When I return to the table. . .how do I regain control?”
“Mirror him. Not his dominance, but his intensity. Make your softness sharper. Make your gentleness the weapon.”
I breathed out.
A small shiver rippled through me as my head spun with all this information. I wished she’d offered this as a course so I could take time with all her statements and study them.