by Marian Tee
She repressed a quick shudder at the memory.
Oh, how often he did it, and there was even one time he had accidentally licked her ear---
Fawn covered her face.
It was like the prince was deliberately toying with her, and all to see her mess up at work.
“Do you guys think the same?”
Silence.
She looked up. “This is the part you’re supposed to convince me otherwise, guys.”
Emery chuckled. “For the record, I do think you’re imagining things. The prince has no reason to hate you.”
“But I truly think he does. I’ve seen how he is with other girls, and he’s so much nicer---”
“So you want him sweet on you then?” Noah asked.
Fawn gasped. “No!” She shook her head vehemently. “Why would you even think that? I’m engaged, remember? I’m not interested in him that way. Seriously.” She tried not to cringe afterwards. Dear Jesus, her voice had been so stupidly shrill.
Noah and Emery looked at each other. It was obvious that although Fawn felt something for the prince, she was too dense to realize it.
Their poor master, both men thought. Even after all this time, he was still second to Grant Bennett.
“All I’m saying is the prince’s different with me. I’m not kidding. I’ve counted the number of times he smiled at me this week, and it was 2.5.”
Emery and Noah exchanged looks again.
Finally, Noah couldn’t help asking, “How can a smile be a point five?”
She imitated the prince’s smile, with only the left corner of her lip curling up. “That’s how.”
The two men exchanged looks once more. That was a smirk…wasn’t it?
Emery said finally, “The prince has his reasons, and they’re all good ones. Tonight’s party isn’t for the likes of you.”
“But I’ve served at his other parties---”
Noah’s smile was grim as he cut the girl off with a shake of his head. “Not this kind of party.” Tonight, new initiates would be recruited, and when fresh blood scented the air, all the wolves came running.
He looked at Fawn.
She would be the freshest of them all, and the prince knew it.
* * *
“This place is amazing.”
Or at least that was what Noelle thought her newfound friend said. Managing a conversation was virtually impossible when attending a party hosted by the Prince of Darkness.
The music seemed to flood out from every direction, swirling around them like a living, throbbing being, interspersed with soft moans and raw groans from couples fornicating in every hidden corner of the prince’s expansive gardens. Combined with the mists coming out of the fog machines and the moving strobe lights streaking the moon-less sky, it was like entering the most exotic version of hell.
And because Noelle knew of the pleasures awaiting her, it was the kind of hell she would never want to leave.
But first, she had to do one little thing.
Her younger companion was openly gawking at her surroundings, and as they finally pushed their way out of the crowd, the girl let out a squeak of awe at the sight of the prince’s lair.
“Good Lord!”
Noelle rolled her eyes. Admittedly, the place was impressive, with its mix of old-world grandiosity and modern amenities. She had been impressed as hell the first time she had seen it, too, but the difference between Noelle and her first-year companion was that even then, she had known what was expected of her.
And that was to act cool.
Which was exactly what her companion wasn’t doing.
Everything about Henny - bushy brown hair, freckled skin, and farm girl clothes –screamed hillbilly.
Even her nickname was a dead giveaway, Noelle thought disgustedly. Just showed how all country bumpkins were idiots. Henny should have changed her name first thing, should have called herself something else the moment she stepped foot in Christopoulos University.
Henny suddenly stopped dead in her tracks, causing Noelle to curse as she almost bumped into the girl’s back. “Dammit, Henny!” The girl suddenly clutched her arm, her grip surprisingly strong. She mumbled something Noelle couldn’t hear, and Noelle shook her head. “What?”
Henny cupped her hands over her mouth, saying directly in Noelle’s ear, “There’s a couple doing it by the front door!”
Oh. When the girl stepped away and looked at her with wide-eyed shock, Noelle flashed her a grin. “That’s okay.” She had to shout just to be heard, and to be sure Henny got her, she also gave the girl a thumbs-up sign. Opening her purse, she took out a tiny pill case, shook one out, and offered it to Henny.
The girl looked at her hand dumbly.
“You wanted to be popular, right?”
Hesitation crossed the girl’s face.
“It’s not going to kill you, I promise. I’ll take half.” Noelle broke the pill into two and popped one into her mouth. She would need it sooner or later anyway.
“What is it?”
“Something to make you horny,” Noelle answered honestly. Unlike date rape pills, memories weren’t wiped clean and users didn’t suddenly lose control of their thoughts and actions. It was all about surrendering one’s self to pleasure, and that was something the Prince of Darkness’s parties were infamous for.
Henny was gaping at her. “Why would I need that to be popular?”
Holding the girl’s shoulders, Noelle turned Henny back towards the house, where the couple they had seen earlier was still lost in the throes of passion. “Do you see those two?” she whispered into Henny’s ear. “That’s the passport into the prince’s lair for virgins like you.”
Henny stiffened.
“You let one of the prince’s friends fuck your virgin pussy, and you can always attend these parties.” Outside, Noelle added silently. To get inside the prince’s lair, one had to do what Noelle did – and that was to find someone whose innocence could be corrupted by one of the prince’s male guests.
“Only a few students from CU are invited here,” Noel slyly reminded. “If you turn away now, you can’t ever come back and…” She paused for effect. “You’ll never be popular.”
When Henny remained silent, Noelle took it as a yes and handed the girl the halved pill again.
“I promise, it won’t hurt.” Almost on cue, the front doors opened, and Emerson Andrews came out. He had been the one to invite Noelle here, the one to promise her entry into the lair if she could find him a virgin to fuck.
“See that guy heading towards us? Cute, right? He’ll be your first lover.” Noelle forced Henny to take the pill. “Just take this, and you’ll enjoy every moment, I promise.”
But Henny was still wavering, and Noelle tried to swallow down her impatience. Dammit, if this girl bolted---
Emerson reached them then, and Noelle knew there was no turning back. “Hey, E.” She gestured to Henny, who was red-faced at the way Emerson’s openly admiring gaze lingered on her breasts.
Can’t blame the guy, Noelle thought indifferently. The girl did have huge boobs, probably D-cups.
“E, this is Chick.” As was customary in all the prince’s parties, no real names were given even though they all knew each other from the university.
“Nice to meet you, Chick.” Emerson’s tone was low and seductive.
Henny blushed harder.
What a slut, Noelle thought. All that posturing and she was really just another slut at heart. Taking hold of Henny’s hand, she forced the other girl to take the halved pill.
Seeing it, Emerson asked, “Want me to feed it to you, Chick?” Not waiting for an answer, he stepped forward and caressed Henny’s lips with one finger.
Slowly, the girl’s lips parted open.
Taking the pill from Henny’s hand, he popped the pill into her mouth, and like a puppet, Henny’s lips closed. A second later, and she had swallowed the pill.
Emerson’s lips formed a sexy grin. “Good girl.” Cupping her face wit
h both hands, he placed a soft kiss on Henny’s lips, whispering, “I’m going to fuck you here, Chick, and you’re going to love having me take your virginity.”
Henny’s only answer was a shiver just before leaning into his embrace.
Triumph heated Noelle’s blood as she watched the two start to kiss, Noelle’s mouth once again opening as Emerson drove his tongue inside. Bye-bye, virginity. As Emerson started undressing Henny in the middle of the crowd, an idea occurred to her, and Noelle impulsively took her smartphone out of her purse.
* * *
Three stories above, a man hidden in the shadows observed the crowd below his balcony, completely unnoticed. Tall, black-haired, and green-eyed, he was sin personified, every inch of his six-foot-plus form seemingly designed to beguile women into surrendering everything to him.
He was the Prince of Darkness, and if Fawn could have seen him at that moment, she might just have been terrified by the unforgiving coldness in his gaze.
“Has Fawn left?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good.”
“It’s unusual for you to be so worried over one of our staff.”
“What can I say?” The prince’s tone was cool. “She’s unusually careless.”
Igor allowed himself a smile. “If you insist on lying to yourself---”
“I’m not.” But his tone was stiffer, almost defensive.
His master’s composure had slipped, Igor noted in satisfaction. It was a good thing, since over the years the boy’s superficial personality seemed to have taken over more and more until Igor was barely able to see anything real.
In the beginning, he had hoped that the Prince of Darkness would not cause problems to Fawn Cornwall and Grant Bennett’s relationship. However, as he had come to see the way Fawn was making his master more and more human, Igor decided that having Fawn single again was for the greater good.
Other women could be just as suitable for Grant Bennett, but for the prince, it might just be Fawn and no one else.
Even so, Igor knew that it wasn’t yet time for him to interfere. And so he changed the subject, nodding at the girl being undressed by the front door. “She looks too innocent to be here.”
The prince’s rock-hard shoulders moved in a brief, uninterested shrug. “It was her choice to come here, just as it was her choice to swallow all the bull being fed to her.” His tone was sinfully beautiful, cold, and melodic. It was his Prince of Darkness tone, was what Fawn would have said if she had heard it.
Igor and the prince watched in silence as the younger girl slowly but surely fell into the clutches of a predatory male guest.
For one fanciful moment, the Prince of Darkness attempted to search for any ounce of pity or mercy in his heart for the girl who was about to throw away her virginity for an empty promise.
But he found none.
Although he had vowed to correct injustice, it didn’t mean he would interfere in incidents that resulted from sheer stupidity.
Below him, the older girl who had brought the virgin to his party started to take out her phone but before she could take any photos, his security had already moved in: one to take the phone out of her hands, another to hold her hands behind her back, and a third one to explain the ramifications of her actions.
Reid didn’t give a damn about the stories that people made up about his parties. As far as the Prince of Darkness was concerned, there were only three ironclad rules that his guests had to obey.
No use of real names.
No photographic evidence.
No show of disobedience.
Because this was his dominion, and what the prince wanted, the prince was to have.
“What time do you want us to start with the lessons?” Igor asked.
“Give it half an hour, and then you can do the rounds like usual.”
* * *
It was almost ten o’clock in the evening when Fawn came back to the prince’s mansion, and her half-Filipina friend was there to greet her by the gates. “Thanks, Fawn,” Paula said in relief.
Fawn squeezed her friend’s hand reassuringly. “I should be the one to thank you. I really need tonight’s overtime.” Her smile was wry but not at all envious as she added teasingly, “Unlike you.” Since Paula’s parents were quite well off, the other girl didn’t actually need to work as a maid for the prince.
“If my parents had their way, they’d have made me quit on the first day.” Paula rolled her eyes. “They think I’m crazy to want to work as a maid, but hey. I’m very practical. The prince pays really well and the parties are always interesting. Why would I choose a boring part-time over this?” She gestured to the guards stationed outside the gate as an added security measure, all of them carrying high-caliber firearms.
Paula gave her a quick hug. “Thanks for covering for me again. I know it’s the holidays and all, but my boyfriend---”
“No need to explain. I want to work tonight.”
Paula laughed. “Then you’re crazier than me.”
As she watched Paula go, guilt tugged at her conscience, and Fawn wondered if she should have told Paula first about the prince telling her not to come to work.
But if she had, it could have made Paula retract the offer.
Fawn squared her shoulders. It’s going to be okay, she told herself. There were only a few hours left in the night shift, anyway, and all she had to do was keep her head down, finish Paula’s job, and she would be gone without anyone knowing she had even been there in the first place.
Good plan, right?
Right.
Conversation between her two selves concluded, Fawn hurried back inside, making sure to avoid the usual paths Igor, Noah, and Emery normally took. The three seemed to be the only ones who knew about her temporary work ban, and as long as none of them saw her, she was safe.
Changing into her uniform as fast as she could, she went straight to the main house’s living room and began mopping the floor. As expected, they were far from the pristine condition she had left them in earlier, the tiles splattered with spilled wine, vomit, and creamy…white…stuff…she would rather not name.
Fortunately, the living room was surprisingly empty, allowing Fawn to do her job more efficiently. Cleaning the floor section by section, it was when she neared the end of the hallway where the prince’s study was that she heard it.
The hairs on the back of her neck stood up.
Then she heard it again.
A faint cackling sound.
Holy. Sweet. Haunted. Crap.
She had heard from the night shift staff that the prince’s mansion was haunted, and that once in a while they would hear cackling and screaming coming from nowhere. She looked around her and still found herself alone, but now, the living room seemed more terrifyingly imposing than usual. The high ceilings made her feel like anything could lurk in the shadows above her, and when she heard a girl scream, Fawn nearly screamed herself.
Scared to death now but knowing she couldn’t just ignore it, Fawn slowly forced herself to follow the sound. Finally, she made it to the front doors, and that was when she saw a girl sobbing on the floor, half crawling as she tried to free herself from several men.
Fawn started to scream for help when a hand suddenly covered her mouth.
Terror struck her, and she began struggling as hard as she could.
Her attacker spun her around, and that was when she saw who it was.
* * *
Fawn sat huddled in one of the chairs across the desk, the shudders racking her body born out of shock and terror instead of the cold. A shadow fell on her, and when she looked up, the Prince of Darkness was offering her a shot of brandy.
“You’re in shock. Drink this.”
She shook her head.
He said pleasantly, “Drink it or I’ll make you drink it.”
“H-how do I know it’s not drugged?”
Impatience flashed in his gaze, but a moment later he had downed the shot of brandy himself. Turning away, he too
k the decanter and placed it on the desk. “Watch closely.” He poured himself another shot and downed it in similar fashion. He poured a third serving and offered it to her again. “Satisfied?”
She reached for it, but her hands shook so badly that by the time she had brought it to her lips, the contents were nearly gone and she was only able to take a small sip. Even so, it was still enough to have her choking at the way the liquid burned her throat.
The prince appeared faintly exasperated. “Let me guess. You don’t drink.”
“N-never.”
“And of course that’s not an exaggeration, I suppose?”
She shook her head.
He released a low sigh. “You should never have worked for me.”
Yes, she thought numbly, recalling what she had seen in the entranceway. She should never have worked for the Prince of Darkness because everything that people said about him was true.
When the prince made a move towards her, Fawn couldn’t help tensing, expecting the worst.
The prince noticed this, too, and he stilled.
Igor’s words echoed in his mind.
It’s unusual for you to be so worried over one of our staff.
However galling it was to admit, the prince knew Igor was right. And if he was smart, he should use this opportunity to get rid of her.
“W-what happened to the girl b-being attacked?”
And now, the opportunity was knocking on his door, begging to be seized. It would be so damn easy, the prince thought tautly. Make her believe she saw what she thought she saw, and she would never want to see him again.
“Did you let those men r-rape her?”
If he were smart, he would say yes. If he said yes, that would be it. She would be terrified of him and she would leave. His obsession with her would be over.
He heard himself say, “No.”
Clearly, he was not as smart as he usually was where this girl was concerned, and the realization made the prince’s lips compress in mute self-disgust. Even so, he found himself turning the frameless monitor on his desk to face her. Perching himself on the edge of his desk, he typed the necessary commands, and soon the monitor started playing back the sequences he selected.
