Silk and Steel

The air in the Sterling-Vane household always smelled of expensive cigar smoke, aged scotch, and the clinical, cold scent of high-stakes numbers. For Josh Vane, those numbers were a secondary language. At twenty, he was already being groomed to take over the Vane empire, his eyes sharp, his suits tailored to a degree that made him look like a predator in silk.
But his true obsession wasn't the Dow Jones. It was Laura Sterling.
Laura, at sixteen, was a whirlwind of soft edges and hidden fire. To their parents, she was the darling daughter of the Sterling half of their massive investment conglomerate. To Josh, she was the only thing that made the boardrooms bearable. He had been "hinting" since she was twelve-though hinting was a generous word for the way he loomed over her, his gaze heavy and proprietary, or the way he'd drop a hand to the small of her back whenever they stood together at a gala.