The air was thick with desire.
Candlelight danced along the walls, casting golden shadows over the velvet cushions and crimson sheets that made up Kade's room. Every inch of the space felt designed for seduction—from the silk curtains that moved with the breeze to the soft aroma of sandalwood that tingled his senses.
Selene stood before him, her robe slipping from her shoulders like a whisper. Her skin gleamed in the candlelight, and her green eyes sparkled with mischief.
Kade stood frozen.
"Still resisting?" she teased, stepping closer. "You won't last long on this island if you keep pretending you're not hungry."
He turned away. "I just got here. I don't even know what's going on. Everything feels… off."
She moved behind him, her fingers brushing down his bare back. "That's the island, Kade. It peels you open. The longer you stay, the less you can hide from what you truly want."
He turned around sharply. "And what if I just want to go home?"
Selene laughed softly, walking around him like a jungle cat.
"There is no home anymore," she whispered. "Only here. Only us."
She pressed a hand to his chest, right above his heart. "Do you feel that? The way your pulse speeds up when I touch you? That's not fear. That's your body telling the truth your mouth won't say."
Kade clenched his jaw. But it was true.
The island was doing something to him. He could feel it in his blood—like desire was a drug, and he was already hooked.
"I don't want to be anyone's plaything," he said.
Selene smiled. "Who said you're the toy? Maybe you're the game master... You just haven't realized it yet."
She leaned in, brushing her lips across his cheek. "We all want you here, Kade. But you get to choose how deep you fall."
Then, without waiting for permission, she kissed him.
And something inside him shattered.
---
Kade wasn't gentle.
Days of restraint, confusion, and rising hunger snapped like a dam giving way. He pinned Selene to the silken bed, their bodies tangled, breaths hot and heavy.
She moaned, nails raking down his back as her thighs wrapped around his waist.
"You're stronger than I thought," she gasped, lips swollen, eyes dazed with lust. "The island chose well…"
The heat between them was primal. No shame. No hesitation. Just raw, unfiltered need.
Kade wasn't thinking anymore. He wasn't worried about where he was or who was watching. In that moment, there was only skin, breath, and pleasure.
By the time the candles had burned low, Selene lay sprawled beneath him, skin flushed and glowing. Her robe long forgotten.
Kade stared at the ceiling, chest rising and falling, mind spinning.
Selene rolled onto her side, tracing lazy circles on his chest. "You're starting to understand now, aren't you?"
"Understand what?" he muttered.
She kissed his neck. "This island has rules, Kade. And the first one is simple… pleasure is power."
---
At dawn, Kade awoke alone.
Selene was gone. The sheets were still warm, but the room felt strangely quiet.
A small platter of fruit and crystal-clear water waited on the table. A note lay beside it.
"Meet me at the Temple. You've taken your first step. Now it's time to learn what you've truly awakened. — Lyra."
Kade's head pounded with a mix of exhaustion and something else—something heavier. Like his body had tasted a power it didn't fully understand.
He got dressed quickly. The strange robes they gave him felt light and loose, but somehow regal. Like a prince-in-training.
The hallways were eerily empty as he walked toward the Temple, the path lit by rising sunlight.
And when he stepped outside…
He froze.
The entire island seemed to be watching him.
Women stood among the trees, in the gardens, by the waterfalls. Each of them turned as he passed. Some smiled. Some whispered. A few openly stared with hunger in their eyes.
He wasn't just some outsider anymore.
He was the center of attention.
The chosen one.
---
The Temple sat atop a staircase of ivory stone, surrounded by vines and shimmering pools. It looked like something out of a myth—equal parts sanctuary and seduction.
Lyra stood at the top, flanked by two guards in golden armor—both women, tall and fierce-eyed.
When Kade reached her, Lyra turned with a slow, deliberate smile.
"Last night," she said, "you tasted the first truth of this island. Now you must understand the second."
He narrowed his eyes. "Which is?"
Lyra gestured, and the Temple doors opened.
Inside was a circular chamber filled with thrones—dozens of them. Women of power sat in each, draped in silks, their eyes fixed on him. There were warriors, scholars, priestesses, and enchantresses.
Each of them a ruler of some corner of the island.
Each of them… assessing him.
"You stand before the Council of Pleasure," Lyra said. "These are the Matriarchs who govern every desire, every fantasy, every punishment and reward on this island."
Kade's pulse quickened.
"And what do they want from me?" he asked.
Lyra's smile deepened. "Some want to teach you. Some want to claim you. And some... want to test you."
A voice called out from one of the thrones. A woman with midnight skin and bright red eyes.
"I want to challenge him."
Another woman—a pale beauty with icy blue hair—laughed. "I want to break him first."
A third purred, licking her fingers. "Let him spend a night in my garden. He'll beg for more."
The room buzzed with heat.
Kade took a step back. "This is insane."
Lyra touched his shoulder. "No, Kade. This is initiation."
---
Outside the Temple, as the sun climbed higher, Kade realized the truth:
He wasn't just a guest. He was the center of a game.
A hunt.
Each woman on this island wanted something from him—his body, his will, his surrender… or his rise.
And if he wasn't careful, he'd lose himself to them all.
But if he played their game right…?
He could become the one thing they never expected.
The king of Pleasure Island.