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A couture king with a dark past. A curvy history teacher who never fit the mold.
When their worlds collide, neither expects to fall—least of all, for each other.
Julian Thorne—code name Viper—built a fashion empire on silence, control, and black leather gloves. Beneath the glamor lies a man scarred by secrets…and bound by a promise inked into his skin. In business, it means no one tells him what to do. In private, it means he’ll never become the monster his father was.
Vivienne Ellis teaches history by day and dreams of vintage couture by night. Her curves are the kind magazines crop out, and she’s spent a lifetime being overlooked. But when an old friend’s plus-one spot lands her inside The Orpheum, an exclusive society club, one wrong step puts her in the crosshairs of a group of men with bad intentions.
Until he steps in.
Julian claims her, protects her, and invites her into a world of candlelit salons, midnight fittings, and private shows she’s only read about. To everyone else, she’s a temporary muse. But to Julian, she’s a revelation—of softness, of hunger, of everything he never let himself want.
Until someone leaks photos that put her in the crosshairs.
With her job on the line and everything she’s worked for hanging by a thread, Julian has a choice: keep her at a safe distance like he’s done with everyone else… or take off the gloves—for good—and fight for the woman who sees the man beneath the mask.
She thought she was invisible.
He’s about to show the world she’s unforgettable.