Lust in the Limelight

Chapter 1: Sparks in the Spotlight

The stage lights burned hot against Vivienne Hart’s skin as she strutted across the theater, her heels clicking with purpose. She was a force—a Broadway diva with a voice that could shatter glass and a body that could stop traffic. Tonight, though, her focus wasn’t on the sold-out crowd. It was on him. Jace Ryder, the cocky new director with a smirk that could melt steel and eyes that undressed her with every glance.

“You’re late, Viv,” Jace drawled from the front row, his voice dripping with challenge as he leaned back in his seat, arms crossed over a chest she’d already imagined bare. “Thought divas were supposed to make an entrance, not a stumble.”

Vivienne stopped mid-stride, tossing her raven hair over her shoulder with a laugh that was half venom, half velvet. “Oh, darling, I don’t stumble. I saunter. And if you’re lucky, I might just saunter right over you.” She stepped closer to the edge of the stage, her crimson dress hugging every curve, daring him to look away. He didn’t.

“Is that a promise or a threat?” Jace shot back, standing now, his height imposing even from below. His gaze raked over her, bold and unapologetic. “Because I’m damn good at handling both.”

She smirked, leaning forward just enough to give him a view down the plunging neckline of her dress. “Careful, Ryder. I bite harder than I sing, and trust me, that’s saying something.”

The air between them crackled, thick with tension that had been simmering since the day he’d walked into her rehearsal space with that infuriating grin. The rest of the cast had long since cleared out, leaving the theater empty but for their sparring words and the unspoken heat building like a storm.

“Prove it,” he challenged, stepping onto the stage with a predator’s grace. He was close now, close enough that she could smell the faint musk of his cologne, feel the heat radiating off him. Her pulse quickened, but she’d be damned if she let him see it.

“Oh, I will,” Vivienne purred, her voice low and dangerous. She reached out, her fingers brushing the stubble along his jaw, her touch electric. “But only if you can keep up. I don’t play nice, and I sure as hell don’t play easy.”

Jace’s grin was pure sin as he caught her wrist, pulling her closer until their bodies were a breath apart. “Good. I like a fight. Makes the victory that much sweeter.”

Her breath hitched, but her eyes never wavered, burning with a mix of defiance and raw, unfiltered desire. She could feel him—hard, unyielding—pressed against her hip through the thin fabric of her dress, and it sent a jolt straight to her core. “You think you’ve already won?” she whispered, her lips hovering over his. “Honey, I’m just getting started.”

Their mouths crashed together, a collision of hunger and heat, tongues tangling with the same ferocity as their words. Vivienne’s hands fisted in his shirt, pulling him tighter as his gripped her hips, fingers digging into her flesh with a possessiveness that made her ache. She wasn’t some damsel to be conquered—she was a goddamn queen, and she’d have him on his knees before the night was through.

They stumbled back, her ass hitting the edge of a prop table, the wood cool against her skin as he pressed into her, his cock straining against his jeans, evident even through the layers between them. She was wet already, dripping with need, but she’d make him work for every inch of her. “Not so fast, hotshot,” she gasped between kisses, her voice husky. “You want this pussy? Earn it.”

Jace groaned, his breath hot against her neck as he nipped at her skin, his hands sliding under her dress, inching toward the heat between her thighs. “Oh, I plan to,” he growled, his voice rough with lust. “I’m gonna have you sweating, panting, begging for more before I’m done.”

Vivienne laughed, sharp and wicked, her nails raking down his back. “Dream on, Ryder. I don’t beg. But I might just let you try.”

The stage lights flickered above them, casting shadows over their tangled bodies as the promise of something explosive hung heavy in the air. This was only the beginning.