Page 126 of Deadfall

“Champagne,” I murmured. “Please?”

I dropped my eyes, I needed him to think I was submissive so he’d drop his guard. I didn’t like how his thumb caressed the remote. Octavius nodded and moved over to the bar. He pulled an already open bottle from an ice bath and poured a generous amount into a flute.

My hand wrapped around the thin stem, and I realized this was most likely going to have to serve as my weapon. I didn’t see an opportunity for anything else. Octavius turned and went to sit in one of the armchairs by the window.

“Come here.”

“If he fucking touches you—” Griffin snarled in my ear.

I winced at the sudden outburst. I couldn’t deal with them in my ear while I manipulated Octavius. I quickly removed the earpiece and dropped it in a plant just as Octavius sat down and watched me approach. When I stopped in front of him, he held out his hand. I knew this was a test, as he toyed with the remote in his other hand.

My mind raced, and even though everything in me rebelled against touching him, I put my hand in his.

“You get the best seat in the house.”

He pulled me to sit on his thigh, and his hand immediately slid up my bare leg where the slit of my dress parted all the way to the crease of my hip.

“The best seat for what?” I murmured, trying to sound coy.

He made a noncommittal sound, his small male brain already distracted by the stretch of bare skin in front of his face. He trailed the backs of his fingers down the edge of my dress and grazed the swell of my breast. I forced myself not to pull away and to hide how revolted I felt at his touch. His fingers continued to caress the skin at the edge of the fabric, teasing, testing—when I didn’t correct him or say anything, he became bolder, and his fingers dipped under the fabric. In one slow move, he pushed the dress aside and palmed my breast.

“Exquisite,” he breathed.

His hand disappeared long enough to dip his thumb into his old fashioned, and he rubbed the whiskey over my nipple until the cool air of the room hardened it. He leaned forward and licked it off. I closed my eyes and fought not to freeze, or worse, throw up all over him in disgust. He sucked my nipple into his mouth and scraped it through his teeth before biting down. Hard.

I hissed in pain and gripped his jaw. A rumble of a chuckle escaped him as he let go with a pop. He held up the remote in warning.

“Careful, doll.”

That name—

My heart thundered so loudly it filled my head with static. My jaw tightened in irritation as I slowly, and reluctantly, released him.

“A little pain can heighten pleasure,” he said.

His eyes were blown out, and there was a glitter of corruption in their depths.

“But, maybe we’re not there yet,” he mused.

He plucked the champagne flute from my hand, and placed it on the table near his own drink. In one quick movement, he pulled my leg up and over his other thigh so I straddled his lap. My hands came down on his chest to steady myself. He smelled like cigars and stale alcohol fumes. Octavius slid both of his hands up my legs. It caused the dress to bunch around my hips, and his thumbs dug into my hip bones. He grew hard between my legs.

“I bet your skin marks up very prettily,” he murmured.

A loud bang from outside startled me, and I jerked back in his lap. His grip on me tightened.

“It’s just the fireworks. Like I said—you have the best seat in the house.”

Octavius moved the fabric of my dress to the side, baring my breasts to him again. Another loud bang, and a flash of color reflected off the walls, as the firework show continued. Octavius ran his thumbs over both nipples methodically until they were hard.

“But, we’ll start slow,” he said, then he pinched both nipples and twisted.

I fell forward into him with a yelp. This time he didn’t let up, and I writhed in his lap. Any direction I moved, his assault continued. I cursed and let out a whimper of pain. I wanted to punch him so badly but instead, my hands landed on his shoulders. He released me and my breathing picked up as blood rushed back to my nipples.

“So responsive,” he rumbled in approval. “Maybe I’m not quite as patient as I thought.”

He held up his pointer finger which had a large gold ring on it. He depressed the side with his thumb, and a small blade popped out about an inch.

“Comes in handy when I don’t need a blade within reach,” he said dryly.