Page 130 of High Reward

“Happy birthday, Master,” I say, stepping forward before I lose my nerve.

His jaw tightens the same way it does every year when I present him with his gift. “I told you…”

“We know what you said,” Lili interrupts. “We ignored you. Deal with it.”

She moves to his side and rests her hand on his shoulder, leaning in to kiss his cheek. The tension in his face softens, despite the frown remaining.

I bring the album out from behind my back and set it on the desk in front of him. It’s bound in black leather, with a silver embossed border.

“Open it,” I say. My voice is steadier than I expect. I’ve never been nervous about giving him a present before.

Victor looks at the album, then at me, then at Lili. Something flickers in his dark eyes. Curiosity, and something I can’t quite place.

He opens the cover.

The first image is the two of us on the velvet bench. Lili in her black corset, me in the butterfly lace. Our bodies intertwined, faces turned toward each other.

Victor goes still.

He turns the pages, looking at each image carefully. He lingers on one of Lili arched beneath me, my hand on her hip. The two of us kissing, mouths soft, eyes closed.

His throat works as he swallows.

“Grace,” he says, voice rough. “Lili.”

“Keep going,” Lili whispers.

He turns the pages until he gets to the final one. It’s my favorite image despite the pain it evokes. As the final shot, Zara had Lili stand with her foot propped on a low ottoman with her hip cheated out in such a way that the scars on her thighs were visible. I’m on my knees, my lips brushing one of the rugged scars. I love it because of the somewhat defiant expression on Lili’s face and the subtle traces of tears left over from when she broke down.

Victor stares at the image for a long moment. When he looks up, his eyes are dark with something I can’t name.

“You did this for me?”

“We did it for us,” Lili says. “All three of us.”

He stands slowly, pushing back his chair. His hand reaches out and cups Lili’s jaw, thumb tracing her cheekbone. Then he turns to me and pulls me close, his other hand fisting in my hair.

“Tonight,” he says, voice dropping to that register that makes my knees weak. “I’m going to show both of you exactly what this gift means to me.”

Chapter 33

Victor

Theclubpulseswithmusic and conversation around us, but it barely registers as I stare at the vision before me.

Grace kneels on a leather mat, wrists bound in front of her with black rope. Lili stands beside my chair, my hand resting possessively on her hip. Both women are stripped down to the lingerie from the final images in the album. I requested that they wear it tonight, and of course they obeyed.

The album sits on the table beside me. Open to the last page. The image of Grace kissing one of the scars on Lili’s thighs.

I stand and circle Grace, letting my fingers trail across her shoulder, down her spine. She shivers.

“You gave me something tonight,” I say, voice low enough that only they can hear. “Something vulnerable. It’s the best birthday gift I’ve ever received.”

I stop behind Lili and press my mouth to her ear. “Now I’m going to take what’s mine.”

Lili’s breath catches. Grace’s head bows lower.

I retrieve the implements I’ve prepared. A leather paddle and flogger for impact. A small, sharp blade for a ritual I’ve wanted to enact for a long time. Alcohol wipes. Gauze. Everything laid out with precision.