The Game: A Dark Taboo Romance

by LP Lovell

  Philanthropists, donors...and buyers of women.

  25

  It’s still daylight when we leave the hospital, but by the time the limo pulls through an open chain link fence, the full moon is high in the sky. Through the dark pines, I can just make out the looming smokestacks of a factory seconds before the car rolls to a stop.

  “Welcome to the McPherson Power Plant,” Tobias says, stretching out his arms as he exits the vehicle. “The place where both dreams and death are manufactured.”

  They’ve brought me to a power plant? Why? My mind drifts back to their earlier question. How would you kill someone? In theory...

  Is that why they’ve brought me here? To poison me with carbon monoxide then throw my lifeless body into a vat of toxic waste?

  “You see that lovely plume of smoke?” Tobias points to one of the smoldering stacks. “It releases ash containing mercury, cadmium, and arsenic.” He smiles as he continues toward the factory. “Rains it down on the nearby residents. Pollutes their waterways, their soil—The very air they breathe.” He sucks in a large breath, releasing it with a pleasant sigh. “Nice, isn't it?”

  The constant puff puff puff from the smokestacks plays through the night like an eerie melody, and the closer we get to the building, I notice a film of light ash coating my skin. Tobias opens a door at the side of the factory. The scent of burning chemicals singes my nose the moment we step in.

  Tobias flips a switch on the wall and a series of fluorescent lights buzz to life overhead, illuminating a series of rusted catwalks that crisscross the ceiling.

  Tobias leads us through the maze of large boilers and barrels scattering the warehouse, and into another room. When the light comes on, I’m staring at a middle-aged man in a suit who seems to be tied to a folding chair.

  He groans around the filthy gag crammed in his mouth. I have no idea who he is, but I have to assume he’s another Maria. A victim to these two and their games. I can’t help but pity him, although selfishly, I pity myself because I know I’m about to be asked to do something horrible. I just hope they don’t try and make me fuck him.

  Tobias approaches the man, grace and confidence exuding from him with every step.

  “Dear old, Reginald...” Tobias pulls a cigarette from his pocket, lighting it as he crouches beside the bound man. “You don't mind if I smoke, do you?” He takes a long drag, then blows the smoke in Reginald's face. He turns his face away, coughing around the gag.

  “Come on, Reg. A little smoke shouldn't bother you.” Tobias pushes to his feet on a laugh as he motions Preston and me closer.

  “Do you remember Thomas, little lamb?” When we stop beside him, he wraps an arm around my waist. “Of course you do, we did, after all just leave the hospital. Thomas lived in the neighborhood over from this one. While his mother worked two jobs to make ends meet, Thomas would play outside with his older brother, rolling little plastic dump trucks through the dirt—Dirt laced with poison from this factory.”

  Something nasty and vicious winds through my stomach. A little boy is dying in a hospital bed while his heartbroken mother looks on helplessly. Because of this man. Because of business and money and greed. Had I read about it in a newspaper, I’d likely think how awful it is and move on with my day, but I’ve met Thomas. Seen his mother’s agony.

  “And the thing is, there are rules and regulations put in place to try and reduce all that toxic sludge from pouring out into the air. But Reginald here...” Tobias releases me and circles behind Reginald, placing hands on his broad shoulders. “He doesn't care for rules, now do you?”

  A muffled groan comes through the gag. The chair rocks from side to side as Reginald fights to break free.

  “He likes to cut corners. Slide people a little extra under the table to ignore regulations. All because it saves him money in the end.” Tobias takes another drag from his cigarette. “So pathetic, a slave to the almighty dollar.”

  And isn’t that the way of modern America? Shit on anyone to make a quick buck.

  Preston steps behind me, sweeping ash from my arm. “Do you know how many children have fallen ill due to his disregard for rules, sweet Ella?”

  I usually stay quiet when Tobias and Preston are playing their games. But Reginald is not them. Which means I can ask him questions. “Did you know?” The soft whisper of my voice feels lost in the concrete room.

  The man doesn’t answer, simply directs his gaze to Tobias who takes his phone from his pocket.

  “Of course he knew.” Tobias presses a finger over his device’s screen.” Does this sound familiar, Reggie?” A second of static comes through the speakers. The initial findings from the team at St. Matthew's Hospital have shown an increase in leukemia cases from the surrounding neighbors of McPherson Power Plant. Such an increase shows a high likelihood that the incident rate is tied to an environmental agent. The recording cuts off. Tobias's dark gaze lifts from his phone, landing on me. “And do you know what he said when his assistant sent him that, little lamb? He said, ‘I have a business to run. It's not my fucking problem’.”

  I notice Tobias’s jaw clench. Emotion bleeds from him when his glare redirects to Reginald. I thought Tobias was the devil, that he was cold and emotionless, but maybe I’m wrong. He’s angry with this man, aggrieved by the injustice. Right now, this is more than just some game.

  Preston shifts beside me. “What are you thinking, sweet Ella?”

  That there has to be a reason. A reason why someone could be so cruel. A reason a man wouldn’t care that a by-product of his livelihood created pain and suffering for the innocent. I want this man to provide me with an answer that goes beyond greed and cruelty, and maybe that makes me naive. “I want to know why.”

  Tobias rounds Reginald, glaring at me before he rips the gag from his mouth. “You're too soft, Ella.”

  The second the dirty cloth hits the floor, a string of profanities and threats tumble from Reginald’s mouth. “I suggest you indulge my little lamb. Dare I say, beg her for mercy.” The small smile that pulls at his lips sends a fissure of unease winding through me.

  Nothing good ever follows that smile. I force the thought away and focus on the piece of shit in the chair. “You thought profit margins were more important than a child's life?” I ask.

  “Hundreds of children’s lives,” Preston adds.

  Reginald rolls his eyes, struggling against his restraints. Like these two men would let him go free even if he managed to get out of those ropes. “What was I supposed to do? Shut down my company just because a few kids got cancer?”

  Yes, any reasonable human being would have. “Do you feel guilt?” I ask.

  “Guilt is for the weak.”

  Before I know what I'm doing, I step forward and slap him across the cheek.

  Tobias barks a short laugh and moves in front of me, slowly forcing me backward. “All in good time, little lamb.” He kisses my forehead quickly, but that simple gesture does nothing to dissipate this anger welling inside me like angry lava.

  Preston steps away from Reginald. “He's a murderer, isn’t he, sweet Ella?”

  “I'm not a murderer!”

  “But you are.” Tobias brushes ash from his suit jacket with a smirk. “You gave the order and Mother Nature took it from there. If you weren't alive, those children would have never died.”

  “You don't know that.”

  “Oh, Reggie, but I do. If someone were to hand you a gun along with a check for a million dollars and tell you all you had to do was kill one person for it, you'd aim and shoot.”

  I’m not sure I like that particular reference. People will do all kinds of things for one million dollars...Reginald's face washes white and his eyes slam closed.

  Confusion swims in my head as Preston sighs. “Those were your exact words, weren't they? Over a message to a colleague. You said you’d kill for money.”

  “You know, you really should be more careful with what you say over social media. These things have a way of coming back
to bite you in the ass.” Tobias laughs. “If Reginald here dies, ten thousand shares of his company go on the market. That's ten million dollar’s worth of a business I will buy. And I will have this factory immediately shut down, replaced with clean energy.”

  “You want him dead,” I say. A statement, not a question.

  “Vigilante justice for a greedy monster.” Tobias chuckles. “Why should he get to go on living in the lap of luxury when so many skeletons lie beneath his feet?”

  “No one would know, Ella...” Preston whispers. “It would be our dirty little secret.”

  They want me to kill him. Of course they do. I should have seen it coming. The questions this morning. Would I punish a murderer? How would I kill them? This is punishment for Reginald and me. For them, it’s all just part of the game. Another fucked up twist on this winding road.

  Tobias reaches beneath the back of his suit jacket and pulls a gun. I take a step back, right into Preston. “Shhh, sweet Ella,” he whispers. “We'd never hurt you.” His fingers sweep down the column of my throat. A touch that would usually feel sensual suddenly seems like a threat.

  Tobias holds the weapon out to me.” Take the gun, little lamb.”

  My pulse thrums. I should want to run—I know I should, but my feet remain planted firmly on the concrete factory floor. And as I take the heavy gun in my hand, I wonder if maybe I do want to kill him. He’s not a good person. He does terrible things, doesn’t he? Knowingly poisoning an entire population only to enrich himself?

  “So I’ll ask you, if I give you a gun and ask you to kill someone for a million dollars, will you?”

  Preston wraps an arm around me. “It’s easy.” He guides my arms into position. He helps me aim the gun at Reginald. “Now, you just pull the trigger.”

  Just pull the trigger and put a bullet through a man’s skull—a horrible man’s skull.

  “You decide what is right and wrong.” Preston kisses my cheek before he moves from my side. And I don’t move. I stand here, hesitating with the gun pointed at Reginald.

  “Game five is all in your hands,” Tobias says.

  And I think, in a world where Preston and Tobias play god, they’ve made me their wrath. Their footfalls cross the room. The door behind me creaks open and bangs shut. And now it’s just Reginald and me.

  Moments of tense silence pass before Reginald clears his throat. “I can give you money. I'll give you the shares in my company. You—not them.” He’s pleading, trying to bargain, but what chance did those children or their families have to plead for their lives.

  I step toward him. “And what would happen to you? You'd live out your days in some mansion, driving your fast cars. It doesn’t seem very fair.” This man deserves death. And that simple fact brings a certain peace to my fraught moral compass. A strange calm replaces the anger I felt only a few moments ago, a resignation of sorts. “Aren't you even sorry?” I ask.

  “I have a wife. Children...”

  And those dead children had a mother and father, sisters and brothers... Tobias is right, justice must be served. I suddenly see the world the way I believe Tobias and Preston see it. I am superior, not because of money or position but because I am better than him. I wouldn’t kill innocent people.

  I steady the gun in my slick palms. “Those people had children too. I’m sure they’d willingly take this bullet if it would bring their child back.” My finger slides over the trigger and I squeeze. The loud bang penetrates the silence of the concrete room. Blood splatters the wall milliseconds before Reginald slumps in the chair. And I stand frozen in place, my mind in a complete gridlock with my conscience. I actually did it. I just killed a man.

  The gun slips from my hand, clattering to the floor as I turn away from the gruesome scene.

  I can’t even grasp how easily I took a man’s life. For them. And isn’t murder binding? Everything closes in on me. Tears track down my cheeks as I panic at the sharp realization that I know too much, that I’ve done too much to make it out of this game alive. It’s too twisted and messed up, and it seems every game ends in death. How long before it’s mine? Thoughts whirl through my mind, and eventually, I gag, fighting to catch a breath just as the door opens.

  A slow clap echoes from the walls as Tobias and Preston step inside. “My little lamb, you’ve made me so proud.”

  Proud...

  Preston steps toward me, grabbing me and planting a chaste kiss on my lips. Half of me is horrified by everything that has happened over the last few days, terrified of the things I've done, the things I'm capable of. Then there's the other half that revels in it, that wants to bathe in Tobias' praise, in Preston's rewarding kisses. I once thought they were monsters, and I can’t help but wonder, as I stand here and slip my tongue inside Preston’s mouth, what does that make me? That might be the worst part of it all. Fresh tears cascade down my cheeks, and I feel sick.

  Tobias cuts in, and my mouth too easily moves from Preston’s to his. His soft lips caress mine, and I take comfort in them despite their cruelty. Absolved from things there is no absolution from. “Take these,” he says.

  I glance at the blue pills lying in wait in his palm. “I don’t want them.”

  “Complete submission, little lamb. Do not make disobedience your last strike. You’ve come so far…”

  I angrily snatch them up and plop them inside my mouth, swallowing them back. What’s the worst that could happen? Death no longer scares me.

  26

  TOBIAS

  My dear little lamb lies naked across the bed, her head in my lap as I stroke through her damp hair.

  As soon as we arrived home I bathed her, told her how proud I was of her. I feel so connected to her now. There’s such a sense of belonging.

  I stare down at her perfect face, her full lips. I don’t ever want her to leave…

  She’s been in a daze from the pills, but I couldn’t very well allow her to sit there and torture herself over such a valiant act. She's much stronger than she gives herself credit for. Tonight proved that to me. The moment I heard that gun go off, my heart skipped a few beats and I knew she was the one. Our one.

  She moves with grace and beauty, yet she can be ruthless. My ruthless little lamb, no longer afraid of the Big Bad Wolf.

  Her fingers flinch over my thigh. I know she must be questioning so much right now, but it is all part of the process. She is breaking out of her cocoon, and when she emerges she will be stronger, better—She will see the world for what it is, and few people ever experience that.

  “Don't be sad, little lamb. You did the right thing.” I continue to comb my fingers through her soft hair.

  I gently kiss her cheek and she shifts in my lap, bringing her mouth to mine. I inhale the taste of her, the scent of her, appreciating that something so simple can make me so very weak. No amount of money or power, not even blood can make me lose focus, but if I’m not careful, this little lamb threatens to make me lose my way. Yes, I’d say the situation has grown gravely dangerous, but it's danger that makes me feel the most alive...

  Preston steps out of the bathroom, stripping down to nothing as he makes his way to the bed. My gaze roams the defined planes of his abs then drops to his swelling cock. It bobs when he climbs into bed beside Ella and slides his arm around her waist.

  I can imagine how our lives could be. The three of us. “Do you know how badly I want you?” My hand glides between her legs which so shamelessly fall open for me. “Always so responsive, Ella.” I slip my fingers inside her, grinning as she clenches around me. She responds like an instrument being plucked to create the most beautiful sound.

  I finger fuck her until she’s clawing at my arm. She’s ready to tumble over that edge, but I won’t let her. She was so good today, she deserves to have this last.

  I remove my fingers from her tight pussy, then slip them inside Preston’s warm and waiting mouth. My cock twitches as I watch him suck the sweet taste of her off.

  “Eat her pussy with me,” he whispe
rs, taking my hand and guiding me down the bed until we’re both lying between her open legs.

  I swipe my tongue over one side of her pussy and Preston licks over the other until our lips meet just above her clit.

  Ella fists at the sheets, moaning as we take turns dipping our tongues inside her. The combination of her pussy and the scent of Preston's cologne sends a primitive desire crashing through me. I want her. I want him... I bury my face between her legs and grab Preston's hair, pulling him away from her as I shift to my knees.

  He desperately unfastens my pants and grabs my cock like the greedy bastard he is.

  “Fuck,” I breathe. I need to bury my dick in something, but who?

  My gaze drifts from Preston to Ella’s pink pussy. So perfect, so wet and tight. That’s all the temptation I need. I spread her legs then slam inside her. That tight heat forces a deep-seated groan up my throat. “You are my sweet little lamb,” I murmur, leaning down to kiss her lips.

  Preston's palm slowly glides over my ass as I thrust deep and hard into Ella. His finger slides between my crack, and I tense with anticipation, need, want. I exhale when his finger skims my asshole.

  “I just want to taste your ass, Tobias.”

  I pause mid-thrust and glance over my shoulder at Preston. Our gazes lock and the lustful want swimming in his eyes sends a brutal rush of desire coursing through me.

  “Please, let him,” Ella whispers, gripping me with her pussy. “Let me watch, Tobias.”

  And I lose all inhibition. I flip onto my back, dragging Ella on top of me as I tell her to turn around.

  She sits on my cock. I watch it disappear inside her, her perfect ass jiggling as she slams down on me. “You want him to lick my asshole, little lamb?”

  “God, yes,” she pants.

  I spread my legs and feel the heat from Preston's body as he lies down between them. Ella leans over, her ass cheeks spreading so that I can see her tight hole as she bears down on me. “God, you are so perfect. So beautiful.” I move my hand to her ass, rubbing my thumb over her tight hole.