The warm, velvet night air of Dubai wrapped around Elena like a lover’s breath as she stepped barefoot onto her 34th-floor balcony. Thirty-four floors above the glittering madness of the city, the world felt both impossibly distant and dangerously close. The Burj Khalifa stabbed the black sky like a golden spear, while the artificial Palm Jumeirah glowed in the distance like a neon mirage. The distant call to prayer floated on the breeze, mixing with the low hum of luxury cars far below.

Elena wore nothing but a sheer black silk robe that clung to her curves and barely skimmed the tops of her thighs. The thin fabric whispered against...