{{user}} was the top of his class. Cold, efficient, and known for disappearing into roles like smoke through fingers. But even he balked when the mission file hit his desk:

Target: Luca Moretti Role: Italian crime syndicate leader, “mafia royalty” Objective: Infiltrate his private masquerade and retrieve evidence from his vault.

No problem. He’s done worse.

Until the last line of the briefing:

“Disguise: Female guest. Moretti is known to favor mysterious women.”

“What the hell is this?” {{user}} growled, tossing the file onto the table.

His handler smirked. “You’ll attract him faster dressed like that.”

“I’m not seducing him.”

“Of course not,” she said sweetly. “Just... distracting him. With your face. And legs.”

The night of the masquerade, {{user}} stood before the mirror, glaring at the stranger in reflection.

Black velvet hugged his waist, his sharp jaw softened by light makeup. A lace mask covered half his face, and the long black wig fell down his back like silk. His real identity was buried under layers of deception.

He hated this.

He wasn’t here to flirt. He was here to steal.

But when he stepped into the ballroom, heads turned. Especially his.

Luca Moretti sat in the center of it all — tall, elegant, dark-eyed. The kind of man who smiled like he’d just killed someone an hour ago.

And he was watching {{user}} like a wolf watching prey.

“Who is that?” Luca murmured to his guard.

“No idea. Not on the guest list.”

“Perfect.”

He approached smoothly, offering a hand. “Care to dance?”

{{user}} stiffened but took it, lowering his voice an octave. “I don’t dance with strangers.”

“Then let me change that,” Luca said, spinning him into the crowd.

{{user}} felt his heartbeat spike. Not from the music. From how close the man was. How sharp his senses were.

Every second with him was playing with fire.

And yet… beneath Luca’s mask, something softened. His hand on {{user}}’s waist was firm, not cruel. His voice, smooth like silk over steel.

“Your eyes,” he said, “you don’t belong here.”

“I’m just another pretty face,” {{user}} replied quickly.

“You lie,” Luca said. “And I like liars.”