Tastes Like Winter

by Penny Wynter

  I huff, not impressed by his flattery. "Can't I watch you do it? I need to learn more before I'm confident enough to do this myself."

  Oryn taps the watch on the dashboard. "Twenty minutes should be sufficient. Off you go." He leans over and opens the passenger door.

  I hurry to get out because I'm quite sure that he wouldn't have any qualms about actually shoving me out of the car.

  My heels—another prop provided by Oryn—click loudly on the pavement as I make my way toward the door.

  It's cold, and I'm not wearing more than a flimsy dress and heels, showing off an awful lot of my naked legs and even more cleavage.

  It seems to be working though, because the security guard at the entrance smiles as I approach and opens the door for me.

  "Welcome, sexy lady."

  "Thanks." My voice is barely audible, and I'm afraid he might hear my heart thumping in my chest. I feel light-headed and don't know if I can do this. Oryn told me that the guy is a low-level drug dealer trying to skim money off his boss, who in return wants him killed without getting his hands dirty.

  Oryn also said that I don't need to worry as his clients usually don't pay his rates to have their friendly grandmas disappear.

  I'm not sure how comforting that thought actually is.

  The light inside the club is so dim that I need a moment before I spot the guy at the bar. So, how do I do this?

  I should probably sit down pretty close to him and try to get his attention. My knees are weak, and the bar seems to retreat further back with every step I take toward it. I'm trying really hard to stay calm as I notice the glances cast at me. Most of the men here are certainly wondering what I charge per hour.

  My butt hasn't touched the stool yet, when our target smiles at me before yelling at the bartender to get me a drink. I'm not sure if he's trying to drown out the loud music or if he simply is an asshole. Judging by the bartender's frown, I'm opting for the latter.

  "I'll just have a beer. Thank you very much." I flash the bartender a big smile to make up for the rudeness of my target.

  The guy is oblivious to how obnoxious he is, as he creeps closer and takes the seat next to mine. "No, no, no. A nice lady like you shouldn't drink beer." He turns toward the bartender. "Bring her a glass of champagne. The good stuff."

  "Thanks." I bat my lashes, still not sure if I can do this. Although to be honest, talking to this guy, my inhibition threshold sinks lower with every passing second.

  He puts his hand on my thigh. "So, what's a pretty thing like you doing all alone in a place like this?"

  I'm looking for that witty and polite answer, maybe something a little cheeky. But as I meet his gaze, I notice how hungrily he stares at me, and figure why bother?

  "Oh, I was just hoping to get laid tonight. You wouldn't believe the week I've had."

  He swallows and has already forgotten how he ordered "the good stuff" for me. "Why don't we get out of here?"

  "We can't go to my place because my boyfriend's home. But there's an alley in the back." I feel disgusting just saying this. When I'm back at Oryn's place, I'll have to take a long hot shower and scrub my skin raw to get rid of this feeling.

  "You're heaven-sent, girl." The guy grabs my wrist and starts dragging me along. I don't even have to lure him to the back of the club or show him the way, he's too eager to put his dick inside me.

  The cold air hits my skin like dozens of needles, and I take a deep breath. How do I alert Oryn that I'm already outside?

  Before I manage to do anything, the guy is on me. He presses me against the rough brick wall, shoves his tongue down my throat, and his hand up my thighs. I feel overwhelmed and seem to have underestimated his enthusiasm.

  Luckily for me, Oryn's already there and yanks the guy back.

  "Thanks." I smile weakly at him. I try not to worry too much about the pissed look in Oryn's cold silver eyes as he proceeds to snap the other man's neck.

  9

  I have to wait in the alley with the body of the dead drug dealer while Oryn gets the car. I don't think I've ever been this nervous before in my life. The constant looking around to see if anyone is approaching from either direction makes my neck hurt, and I'm relieved when the dead guy is finally in the trunk.

  We get into the car, and I buckle myself in. "So, now we're driving back to that forest?"

  "No, we're doing something different today." Oryn doesn't look at me, and I'm quite sure that I see a muscle on his cheek tick. He still seems weirdly mad. But I doubt that I'm brave enough to ask what's wrong. Maybe I made a mistake without noticing it?

  It takes me a minute to realize that I'm tapping my toes on the vehicle mat, and I have to actively force myself to sit still.

  Oryn drives and makes no effort to talk to me.

  Chewing on my lower lip, I can't keep it together any longer. "Okay, what did I do? What's wrong?"

  "Nothing. Everything's peachy." The tone of his voice betrays his words.

  "Did someone see me?"

  "Nope."

  "Was I too slow?"

  "You were very quick."

  "So, what then? Why are you angry?"

  The tick on his cheek gets worse, as he clenches his teeth before gritting, "I'm not angry."

  A shiver runs down my spine, and I swallow. "You seem pretty angry to me, and I feel like it's somehow my fault."

  "It's not your fault."

  "Ah! So, there is something wrong?" I cock my eyebrows.

  Oryn sighs. "I'm not particularly good with emotions, as I rarely tend to experience strong ones."

  "Maybe I can help you with that. What are you feeling? If you describe the symptoms, I can identify the emotion for you."

  He chuckles. "You're killing me, little ghost. I know what I'm feeling, I just don't know why, and I don't like it. I'm usually not the jealous type."

  There's a really weird flutter in my belly and all of a sudden, I'm out of my element again. "Why are you jealous?" And why the hell do I sound so fucking breathless?

  "I didn't like that you let that guy kiss you, but I can hardly be pissed about it since I didn't tell you not to do it."

  "If it makes you feel any better, it wasn't my intention to exchange bodily fluids with him. He merely surprised me and was on me before I could do anything about it. And I didn't like it at all."

  Oryn seems pleased with my confession and nods slowly. "It might be smart to teach you how to defend yourself a little better in case a situation like this arises again."

  "Okay."

  "And just to be clear: You better make sure that no one else but me touches and kisses you, let alone does other things to you. Is that understood?"

  The flutter intensifies, and I have to press my thighs together to cope with the horniness his words ignite. "Very clear."

  "Good. I wouldn't want to have to punish my little ghost."

  Since I don't know what to say about this, especially because a part of me is curious about what such a punishment would entail, I decide that it might be smarter to keep my mouth shut this time.

  The car slows down as we've almost arrived at our destination.

  "In case you ever need to get rid of a body in the harbor, don't take this road. There's an old pathway to our left. It's still open, but they took the signs down." He explains everything to me as he drives, and soon we stop close to the water.

  I help him carry the body to the basin as it occurs to me that we're doing nothing to hide the corpse. "Shouldn't we wrap him in chains or tie something heavy to him, so he gets pulled down? Otherwise, he'll float, won't he?"

  "Normally, we would do that, yes. But our customer wants the body to be found. He's involved with the mob and the dock's union workers, and our dead guy here will serve as a warning."

  "Oh, okay." We push the body over the edge and watch as it hits the water.

  I turn to Oryn to ask, if he wants to head home now, but there's a gleam in his eyes that makes me shut up and take two steps back as a precaution.r />
  "Where are you going, little ghost?" He's teasing me, and the low tone of his voice makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand. "Are you scared of me?"

  "No."

  "Then why are you retreating from me?"

  He follows me, and I can't help but inch back even further until the back of my legs hit his car.

  I feel like a rabbit caught in a hunter's snare. My throat is tight, and I'm shaking even though I don't have any reason to be apart from my instincts, screaming at me to run away. Oryn wouldn't hurt me, would he?

  He puts his hand around my cheek, forcing me to look at him. "Maybe I should show you what I will do to you if you ever let another man touch you. Just so that you know the consequences."

  I can barely breathe as I try to shake my head in his grip. "I don't think that's necessary."

  "I think it is."

  Before I can protest anymore, he puts his hand over my mouth. I can't even fight him because he's way more experienced than me and pins my arms down to my sides before it even occurs to me I could slap him or try to push him away.

  "Do as I want, and I'm not going to hurt you, my little ghost. Not much anyway."

  He forces me onto my knees in front of him, and I hear fabric shuffling as he opens his pants. Only a second later, my nose is blocked as he clams it shut, and I have to open my mouth.

  Even though this is crazy, it also turns me on a little. But I'd rather die than admit this fact to anyone.

  Using the opportunity, Oryn shoves his hard dick into my mouth. His fingers dig into my hair, pulling it brutally when I try to turn my head away.

  "No, no, no, little ghost. Open up and let me in. Be good."

  It's not like I have any other choice when he forces himself down my throat, making me gag.

  My eyes dart around because I'm afraid we might get caught here.

  He slaps my face. "Focus on me and suck my dick or I'll make you regret it."

  I like how he feels on my tongue, and so I start sucking his cock with more enthusiasm, moving my head back and forth.

  Oryn moans and grabs the back of my head. "That's it."

  I don't realize that I'm humming with excitement until Oryn slaps me a couple more times before he yanks me back up. In a heartbeat, I find myself face down, bent over the hood of his car.

  The short dress makes it easy for him to simply pull it up, leaving me exposed to his greedy hands. He touches my pussy and laughs at how wet I am.

  "Such a bad little ghost, being so horny like this." He leans closer and wraps something around my neck. "Bad little ghost." His voice is nothing more than a whisper, but I shiver, nonetheless.

  Pulling the smooth leather belt tight around my throat, I can feel his dick at my entrance. But he doesn't enter me. Instead, he pulls back, and two fingers slip inside. It feels amazing, and I close my eyes, not caring one bit that he is practically strangling me with his belt, using it as a reign to control me.

  As he forces his third finger into my tight pussy, I brace myself on my hands, leaning my head back to ease the pressure.

  I'm almost sad when he retracts his fingers and leaves me hanging. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to talk and beg him to fuck me or if he wants me to be quiet.

  All thoughts vanish as he impales me with his big cock, filling me to the hilt. I gasp for air, choking under the tight leather as Oryn starts circling my anus with one of his wet fingers. I don't have time to adjust before he forces the finger in, quickly adding a second.

  It stings, and yet my pussy seems to only get wetter.

  "You're my little ghost," he rasps, "my little plaything."

  I nod hastily, barely able to suck air into my lungs as he fucks me with vicious full length strokes, bottoming out every time while fingering my ass. It's amazing, and I quickly feel like I'm flying. Next stop: orgasm land.

  "Please," I manage to half moan, half grunt, arching my back to ease the pressure on my throat. "Please let me cum."

  By now, I don't care if he doesn't want me to talk. I'm going to die if Oryn doesn't make me cum. He wouldn't be that cruel, would he?

  I have no idea, to be honest, and my pulse quickens. God, please.

  He's balls deep inside me with every thrust, squeezing a third finger into my backdoor, until I feel his knuckles against my skin. Then he lets go of the belt.

  I see little stars explode before my eyes while I fight to breathe as he flicks my clit. Yes. Yes, please. Right there.

  It takes maybe four or five seconds before I find my release, and Oryn lets go of all inhibitions. Instead of holding on to the belt again, he grips my hips with iron strength which I know will leave marks, as he pounds away.

  He moans my name as he cums and fills my pussy with his semen. Struggling to take deeper breaths, I smile as he collapses on top of me and softly strokes my hair.

  10

  The sausages are almost done while the beans are still heating up. It took me a while to get used to the fact that Oryn prefers a good old-fashioned English breakfast instead of pancakes or maybe cereal like a normal human being.

  Flipping the eggs, I hum a song and realize that it's the cheesy rock ballad from the jukebox. Oryn took me to a bar yesterday and introduced me to some of his friends. None of them mentioned anything about being killers, but it was obvious that they weren't exactly bank tellers and insurance agents either. They taught me a fun drinking game that I was surprisingly good at.

  Today I'm happy that I went because I didn't want to when he first asked. We've spent the last two weeks killing people and training me in self-defense, and I'm too tired for anything else most of the time. But Oryn insisted we go because he wanted to celebrate that I had managed to disarm him for the first time.

  He was even more surprised than I was when it happened. He quickly masked it by throwing me to the ground and fucking me hard though.

  I won't complain. Whistling the melody, I prep the plates and try to remember the last time I was actually this happy.

  Oryn enters the kitchen, slaps my butt, and presses a kiss onto my neck. "Good morning, little ghost."

  "Good morning. Eggs?"

  "Yes, please." His cellphone chirps, and he pulls it from his pocket. After reading the message, he chuckles. "It's Gary. He likes you so much that he's already asking me to bring you to his party next month. You want to go?"

  With the pan still in my hand, I turn around and shrug. "Sure. Gary isn't the weird one, right?"

  "No. Alexander is the weird one. Lex. He insists that we call him that."

  "Right. Lex. He really gave off a strange vibe."

  "He's okay, I guess." Oryn is focused on his phone, typing his answer, while I slide two eggs onto his plate.

  I'm ready to serve myself the remaining egg when he looks back up.

  He gently touches my hip, his thumb caressing me. "Your genuine smile is so much prettier than the fake one you showed in the beginning."

  "I had nothing to smile about." Tilting the pan, I'm about to drop the remaining egg onto my plate when the realization hits me like a punch in the gut.

  The pan drops to the floor, sending the egg flying. The yolk bursts, making the floor appear stained with orange blood.

  "You motherfucker!" My fists are clenched.

  Oryn is not really impressed as he simply cocks one eyebrow. "Come again?"

  "It was never your intention to kill me, was it? Instead, we're having . . . we're having a goddamn relationship."

  "Well, you still owe me a lot of money before we're there. A hundred grand isn't easy to bring in."

  "A hundred grand?" My voice is almost cracking, I'm that angry. "You said you charged fifty per kill."

  "Oh." He frowns. "Did I?"

  "Yes. I wrote it down to keep track. How else am I supposed to know when my debt is settled?"

  Oryn picks up the fork as if everything's all right. "What do you want me to say? I enjoy your company, and my dick enjoys it even more."

  I want to take the hot beans and throw
them on his stupid face. "You're an asshole, you know that? First, you get my hopes up that you'll kill me, and now all of this was for nothing? I see what you did—you acquired yourself a neat little employee that you don't need to pay."

  "And quite the entertaining sex slave," he adds, seemingly amused by my outburst. "Why don't you sit down so we can have breakfast?" Eyeing the egg scattered on the floor, he adds, "Unless you want to make yourself a new egg first."

  Ignoring the mess I made, I turn toward the door. "I'm not hungry."

  "Don't be like that, little ghost. Come back."

  I flip him off over my shoulder, grab the parka from the hook next to the door and leave Oryn's house.

  11

  After wandering around aimlessly for a while, I tried sitting down in a diner, but I felt as if everyone was looking at me like they had spotted an outcast.

  So, I walk a bit further until I find myself in front of the dive bar Oryn took me to yesterday. Here, no one will pay any attention to me.

  The sun is already setting, and it's starting to get even colder now, so I need a place to sit down while I figure out what to do next.

  I pull the door open and slip inside. After taking a look at the available spaces, I pick a booth in the back.

  Janine, the waitress comes over right away. Like yesterday, she's wearing a tight pink dress and lipstick matching that color. "What can I get you, sweetheart? Something strong like a neat bourbon, or do you need something to cheer you up and comfort you like a White Russian?"

  "It's that obvious, huh?"

  "Whatever the bastard did, he doesn't deserve your tears." Janine winks at me, smiling.

  "Unfortunately, it's nothing like that. I'll take the White Russian. Thanks, Janine.« I'm fumbling the money from my pocket because I remember that you have to pay upfront in this joint—something about their audience picking fights and killing each other before settling their tab.

  A smooth voice says, "Don't. I got this."

  Gazing up, I recognize Alexander from yesterday. Great, of all people, I have to get the weird one.