She clutches my suit jacket in a bid to push me away, but her hands simply rest against my chest as though she can’t quite summon the strength to fight me. I break the kiss, slip my hand into my pocket, and toss Sinclair my car key. He catches it one-handed.
“The Bugatti is all yours,” I say.
His rich laughter bounces off the walls.
Now to the part where I piss off my new wife…
“Mr. Visage,” I call out.
The Elder steps forward, glittering eyes staring expectantly at Lauren from behind his goat mask.
“Take your Pawn away.”
He goes to grab Lauren, and my wife stiffens beside me. “You said a life for a life. You promised not to hurt her,” she says, beating my chest like a wild animal when Lauren is being dragged, kicking and screaming, out of the room.
I wrestle her into submission, digging my fingers into her arms and bruising her creamy skin. “Not a hair will be harmed on her head. You have my word.”
She tries to peer around me at the door as Lauren’s screams echo down the hallway. Such a dramatic addition to the Exodus. “But he?—”
“She belongs to Mr. Visage now.”
Cecilia’s eyes clash with mine, wide and terrified. She really does feel a sense of responsibility for her friend, so why did she bring her here tonight? It could only lead to death. Cecilia knew it. At least, this outcome is a step up from rotting inside a pig’s stomach.
“Belongs to Mr. Visage? What do you mean?”
“She’s his Pawn. He paid a hefty price for her. Don’t worry, he won’t kill her.”
She jerks free from my grip and steps back. “Do tell,husband.What does Mr. Visage want with her?”
“She will serve his needs the way he sees fit.”
“She will what?” she shrieks.
I roll my eyes at her theatrics. The others file out of the room, leaving me alone with my seething wife. “She’s a Pawn now. The lowest rank in the Exodus. She’s Mr. Visage’s property, so providing that she behaves, she’ll go unharmed.”
“And if she doesn’t behave?”
I don’t bother with a response as I walk to the bar. She’s a clever woman; she can read between the lines. It will be in her friend’s best interest to scrub Mr. Visage’s pristine floors, suck his cock between morning meetings, and say, ‘Yes, sir,’ to all of his demeaning demands. But at least she’s alive and in one piece.
“How could you do this? Money had already exchanged hands before they entered this room. You planned this.”
I pour a glass of malt whiskey and swig it like it’s soda. God knows I need a stiff drink. “You shouldn’t be so predictable, Mrs. Delacroix.”
She bares her teeth, making me snort a laugh into my drink. She’s such a feisty little thing.
I can’t wait to spread her legs again. Nothing is more thrilling than taming such a vicious creature.
Where are these thoughts coming from? I’ve never entertained the notion of pleasuring women before, never cared for their presence, but I have to admit that it’s a tempting idea to replace the fury on my wife’s face with post-orgasmic bliss. I bet she would be far more pliant if I shoved my tongue in her tight pussy.
“I should also mention before I forget…” I pour more whiskey into the tumbler, and Cecilia hikes a hand on her hip. “If something were to happen to me—should I die unexpectedly—Mr. Visage will see to it that your precious friend dies aslow, painful death. Consider yourself warned, wife. Don’t try anything stupid.”
“You think I’m going to accept this?” she spits. “That I’ll just roll over and take it? You can’t treat me like this.”
“You’re my wife. I can treat you however I see fit.” Downing the last of the whiskey, I shrug out of my suit jacket before undoing the cufflinks and rolling my sleeves up my arms. “Come here.”
She hesitates, watching me like a dangerous animal in tall bushland. She’s not wrong. “I think I’ll stay right here.”
I hum, drawing out the tension, while my wife tries not to fidget. I notice her watching the veins in my arms bulge, her nipples budding underneath the thin silk. It’s more exciting than it ought to be to have her undivided attention on me, which is why I need to find my equilibrium again. I can’t let this mystical creature waltz into my life and flip it upside down. Women don’t bring me to my knees. I won’t allow for such simple desires.
