He lifted his arm up, out of her grip and gave her a push back to the end of the couch again. “You’re useless to her. She’d play with you for a while, but she’ll get bored with fucking you, and when she gets bored with one game, she moves on to another. And trust me when I say, the second game is a lot more painful than the first.”
“We came here together, we’re leaving together. I’m not going to let you sacrifice yourself for me.”
A smirk twisted his lips and he glanced at her. “This isn’t about you,” he said. “We had a deal. You’re going to tell me what I want to know and once you do, it doesn’t matter where on the fucking planet I am. Here is just fine.”
“I don’t understand.”
“No one said you had to.”
Rora had had just about enough of this smug, sneering bastard. Moving onto her knees, she socked his shoulder hard enough to get him to turn to her. “Then I void it,” she said. “I won’t tell you.”
Twisting around, he grabbed her arm, his grip so tight that it bit into her. “You fucking will, Aurora. I’ve played nice so far. Think about this, there’s one reason and one reason alone that Bella didn’t fuck you last night and it’s got nothing to do with my skills of speech or seduction.”
Wincing against the burn of pain in her arm, she felt the tingle of her fingers numbing. “You… you hurt her?”
“Threatened to,” he snarled. “That’s all I have to do with her because unlike you, she knows exactly what I’ll do to her if she messes with me.”
“You… you can’t hurt me.”
“Oh, I can, Cupcake,” he said, tightening his grip and forcing her arm behind her. She yelped. “The sound of your bones breaking will be like music to me if you screw me over.”
He pushed harder. With her knees bent and her legs squashed under her, it wasn’t only her arm that was in agony, but he didn’t move his weight, he loomed closer, pushing her into a more painful arch.
“Flame,” she whispered.
He blinked and for a fraction of a second his anger died.
“Looks like I’m missing the party.”
“Bella, get the fuck out of here,” he snapped at the woman who must have returned from the bathroom.
“My house. My prince. I get to play too.”
He bared his teeth, and Rora recalled what he’d said about his patience gauge around Bella. “I’m not going to fuck her. I’m going to kill her.”
“Either way, I love it when you perform for me.”
He swore under his breath and sat up, shoving away from her. He slammed his laptop and glared at Bella. “Don’t do it again,” he said to her. “You upset me one more time and I’ll tear your kingdom down.”
“You’d sign your own death warrant.”
“Mutual suicide is your ultimate fantasy, isn’t it, Bell?” he asked.
Rora was rubbing her arm, trying to steady her breathing when he spun on her and grabbed her chin to pull her toward him. “What’s four plus two?”
“What?” she asked. “What are you—”
“Answer the question.”
“Uh, six.”
“Two to the third power?”
The math quiz was unexpected, she felt like she was foundering. “Eight.”
“What’d you do to Torres?”
“I bit him.”
“Lucky Torres,” Bella muttered.
Isaac Burke had said that she was Exile’s perfect equal, he wouldn’t have been so sure if he’d met the Black Jewel.
Strike let her go and stood up, tucking Opal under his arm. “Unconscious twice in twenty-four hours is enough,” he said to Bella. “No one messes with her today. We still need her.”
The quiz was a concussion test or something? His vehemence might have suggested concern until he said that last sentence. Riding on the confusion of the morning and the drugs in her system from last night, it occurred to Rora that maybe she hadn’t led Strike here like an innocent lamb to the sacrificial altar. Maybe she’d been played all along.
Listening to him leave the room, she stared at the table. Maybe his refusal to have sex with her was nothing to do with her, maybe… maybe he was being faithful to his mistress.
Her confusion lingered while she got ready for the day. Bella gave her clothes and insisted that she left the bathroom door open while she showered. Though Rora didn’t actually see her hostess, she was sure the woman was watching her in some way. She just couldn’t shirk the feeling of ickiness that coated her skin, no matter how much she soaped her body in the shower.
When Rora was dressed, Bella took her to the lower floor to another dining room. This one had a terrace and the doors were wide open, letting the nip from the outside air come inside. All kinds of food were laid out on the table, almost every breakfast food she’d ever heard of. There was no way that both of them could eat all this food.
Bella went to the head of the table and pulled Rora down into the perpendicular place. While her hostess seemed oblivious, she felt more than a little awkward being watched by the half-dozen men dotted around the room. Either this woman was paranoid or she liked to be surrounded by men, which contradicted what Strike had told her.
“Wonderful, isn’t it, duckie?” Bella asked, pulling off a piece of bagel to pop it between her lips.
“Wonderful?”
“All of these big, strong men completely under my control,” she said. “I love to watch the way they squirm for me.”
Presuming that Bella had caught her looking at the men, Rora did her best to keep her eyes on the food. “You must pay them well.”
“Oh, they’re not here for money,” Bella said. “They’re under my control. They get everything they need and they’re grateful for it. They run around after me like the little puppies that they are.”
How did that make sense? These were big guys, and at least two of them had guns. “Why?” she asked.
For a moment, Bella looked affronted, then she laughed and bent over the table to take fruit from a bowl. “Each and every one of them was recruited by Exile. He gave me the means to hold the lives of their loved ones over the edge of a cliff. Exile made all of them swear complete allegiance to me. I have their loyalty for life. Fear is just the greatest motivator, don’t you think?”
Speechless, her next look around the room took on a different perspective. Scary as these men were, they were scared too. “Wow,” she breathed out.
“Right? Him over there,” Bella said, waggling a finger toward one of the men. “He’s got the biggest dick in the room, want to see it?”
“Oh, no, I—”
Bella clicked her fingers. “You! Drop your pants!” Shading her eyes with her hand, Rora couldn’t believe it when he actually unbuckled his belt. Bella leaned in to giggle. “I never bothered to learn any of their names. Damn us and our primitive needs. If I didn’t enjoy them so much, I’d demand they become eunuchs.”
She’d never been easily shocked. Rora’s hand fell in surprise, she hadn’t meant for it to, but with her unobstructed view, she was suddenly compelled to look at the guy on the other side of the room standing there with his pants around his ankles, his dick in hand. Yeah, it was quite the monster, even from here it was making her eyes water.
“You can have him,” Bella said, popping a cherry between Rora’s slack lips. “Isn’t this fun, duckie? I haven’t had a girlfriend in a long time.”
Rora was still being rude, staring at the guy, and Bella stroked a hand down her face. “Do you want him to come for you?” Bella asked, still stroking her. “He can do that. All of them can. They’ll come on you. On me. Anywhere you want… Just don’t ask them to touch Exile’s precious laptop, last guy I asked to jerk off over that did become a eunuch… he never even got to finish. My sweet prince is so protective of that thing. You know he refers to it as a female? It’s nuts! He has a name for it. He never told me what it was, probably knew I’d laugh right in his face. Who cares about a hunk of metal?”
Strike did. Sensible
or stupid, he did care about that hunk of metal, probably because it was his way to enter, and conquer, the world. Opal had been through everything with him. Bella snapped her fingers at the half-naked guy. “You’ll spend your day pleasuring our guest. You’ll be a slave to all of her sexual needs.”
“Oh, no,” Rora said, grabbing for Bella’s hand. “No, no, I don’t want that.”
Panic made Rora take her hostess’ hand. Bella looked down, her smile widening when she noticed the grip. “What would you like, duckie? If he doesn’t appeal to you, you can have any of the others, or all of them… You can have any man in the building… or woman,” she said, drawing a fingertip up the inside of Rora’s sensitive inner arm. “But I’m the only one of those here… Did I come on too strong last night? I only wanted to help you relax. I promise I meant you no harm. You believe me. Don’t you believe me, duckie?”
“I… Yes,” she said because she didn’t want to end up like the guy who got a fork in his hand yesterday.
“There are a dozen men in the building, at least, and I chose to share you with the one you’ve been intimate with most recently. I care about your comfort, Aurora. In fact, right now, it’s about the only thing I care about,” she said and pulled herself nearer. “Tell me about Exile, when did you first kiss him? Did he kiss you? He knows how to kiss, how to set a woman on fire, doesn’t he?”
Squirming in her chair, Aurora couldn’t take her hand from Bella because the hostess was holding it so tight. As Bella spoke, her excitement grew and her grip increased. “I… I suppose.”
“And Benjamin,” Bella said. “He’s such a… peculiar lover, isn’t he?”
All discomfort left her; in fact, every emotion fled Rora in deference to surprise. “You… you were with Benjamin?”
“Of course,” Bella said, brushing a finger up and down the swell of Rora’s breast. “You don’t mind, duckie, do you?”
“No… no, I don’t mind. Benjamin and I aren’t… we weren’t…”
“No,” Bella said, pulling Rora into her arms and stroking her hair. “But you used to though, didn’t you? I know. He told me all about it. About your affair and how you ended it. You’re such a strong woman, Aurora… So strong and beautiful.”
Easing back, Bella stroked Rora’s face again and tipped up her chin. Her sultry eyes moved in closer. There was something fascinating about this woman and her confidence, the way she was so wrong and yet so enthralling. Beyond her obvious beauty and sinful figure, she seemed invulnerable in a way Rora envied.
The first touch of Bella’s plump lips startled her, but there was no time for her to pull away. A door opened and she turned in time to see Strike there at the entrance scowling at them.
“Can we help you, Exile?” Bella asked, capturing a length of Rora’s hair and letting it run through her fingers. She nuzzled the side of her neck, kissing her jaw and her cheek.
“I told you to behave, Bell,” he said, marching across the room, clocking the pant-less guy at the same time. “Pull your fucking pants up.”
“This is a private party,” Bella said, surging to her feet when Strike grabbed Rora’s arm to haul her up. “Let her go. We’re not finished!”
“You’re finished,” Strike said, tugging on her.
But Bella grabbed Rora’s other arm and tugged back.
“I thought you were going to the gym,” Bella said, sounding juvenile in her petulance. “Trot along and do your workout. We’re enjoying ourselves.”
“I’m done in the gym, and how many times you gotta be told she’s not a toy?”
“If she’s not my toy then she’s not yours either!” Bella said.
“Hey,” Rora said, startling even herself, but maintaining her anger. “Stop fighting! I’m no one’s toy, and I do not need to be pushed and pulled all over the place!”
When her surprise cleared, Bella grinned and let her go, reaching over to shove Strike’s hands away from Rora’s other arm. “Should we give her first shot of the whip, prince?” Bella asked, sliding over to his side to cling to his hand with both of hers. “Do we deserve to be punished?”
Strike was still scowling. Rora stared at him for a few seconds and then exhaled, she wasn’t going to get anything from him, no apology, no acknowledgement of being wrong, and certainly no comfort.
Storming forward, she didn’t even care when she hit his arm with hers on the way past. Maybe she was a prisoner, maybe there were places in the building that she wasn’t allowed to go. But until someone came and stopped her, she was going hunting for Benjamin and Rora was grateful for the purpose when she slammed out of the breakfast room. She had to know what was going on here and right now, he was her only hope of making sense of this situation.
fourteen
Rora had only stormed down about fifteen feet of hallway when someone grabbed her arm and spun her around. Registering that Strike was the one who’d grabbed her, she didn’t hesitate to slam both hands onto his chest and shove with all her might.
Growling in frustration, she shoved him again and again. Grabbing her shoulders, he rushed her back, thumping her body to the wall. Looming over her, he grabbed her wrists and jolted them upward, pinning both to the wall far above her head with his own against them. Their bodies were like jigsaw pieces molded together, her head tucked beneath his chin without space to go anywhere else.
Her chest was heaving, her eyes burning, and her heart aching. She couldn’t do this anymore, she just couldn’t. With his hands planted against hers, she had an anchor point, and didn’t have the energy to fight anymore.
Letting her knees buckle, Rora gave him responsibility for her weight and sagged there, letting her head drop to his chest.
“No,” he said, gripping her wrists tighter to pull her higher. “No. No. No. Don’t you fucking do it, Ro. Don’t give up on me.”
“I can’t do it,” she whispered, her face squashed to him, her adrenaline fading to exhaustion. “If you’re going to kill me, kill me, or let her do it. I can’t… I can’t fight anymore.”
“Yes, you can,” he said, his hot breath in her hair. His lips lost in her locks. “Stand up, Cupcake. Get that chin up.”
“No,” she whispered. “I can’t.” This was ridiculous. She’d thought for half a second that she could actually do this. That she could come here and get Benjamin out. But it was crazy. “I am crazy.”
“No, you’re not,” he mumbled. “You are not crazy. Get with it, Cupcake. Stand up. Now!”
She had made him hold her up for too long, ever since she’d dragged him into this by saying his name on the phone to Bella.
Strengthening her legs, Rora took her weight. Strike exhaled something that sounded like relief when she tipped her chin up. But she wasn’t following his orders, she was resolved to the truth that he’d been right all along.
“I don’t belong here,” she said. “I never should have made it this far in your world. I don’t understand it. I’m confused. I’m scared.”
“No, you’re not,” he said, sliding her wrists down the wall until he held them just above her shoulders. “You’re not scared. You’re not afraid with me.”
“You’re not with me,” she muttered, her head swinging on her neck. “You don’t care if I live or die. This is you working your magic. Again.” Her voice drifted off. “I thought we had something, thought at the very least that we were friends and now I… I just want it to be over. I’m never going to make it through this. You were right. I’m going to die here.”
“You are not going to die here. You’re going to get on that plane tomorrow and leave all this behind,” he said.
“Do you think she’ll let me live that long?” she asked. “Either I give her my body or I die. I don’t want the whip. I can’t stand anymore pain.”
“There won’t be any pain,” he said. “Get through one more day. Just stay with it. Keep your wits. Be smart.”
Gazing up into his steely, determined eyes, she was in awe of his strength, of his ability to keep goin
g, to keep fighting. His whole life had been a fight. “I’m so confused. I’m so tired of being alone, Strike,” she whispered, wishing she had someone to lean on who’d help her figure out the smart thing to do. “Nothing makes sense to me anymore. I think… this truly is Wonderland.”
Up was down. Benjamin was sleeping with a woman who wanted to sleep with her. A woman who commanded men that Strike controlled. Everyone was fair game. No one could be trusted. Everyone had their own agenda. Did Strike come here to save her or did he come here to support Bella? Did Bella want her or was she playing a game that she’d get bored of? What happened when the game was over? Why was Benjamin healthy? Why was he in no rush to leave this place? Why had she come here? Why had she thought that she could make a difference?
“Ro—”
“What’s the point?” she whispered. Surprise flashed in his eyes. “I should just tell you. I should just get it over with. Strike, the point—”
Swooping down, he captured her lips with his. Pressing her into the wall, his kiss grew deeper as he nestled her closer. One of his forearms eased down behind her head, around the back of her neck, holding her at his mercy.
Pinning her between him and the wall, he held her to him, the girth of his forearm acting as a cushion at the base of her skull.
“Don’t you dare,” he hissed, running his tongue along the inside of her lip. “Do not give up your only bargaining chip.”
“I can’t fight anymore, Strike,” she whispered, her fists tightening in his tee-shirt. “It’s the only reason you’re with me. The only reason you have to be near me.”
“Then dangle it in front of me,” he said. “Keep it to yourself… keep me.”
Searching his gaze, she felt him trying to tell her a truth he couldn’t dare utter. As long as she had this secret, he had an excuse to be with her. “I’m scared to believe you might…” she whispered. “I don’t trust you.”
“Don’t,” he said. “Don’t trust anyone.”
“What difference does it make if I tell you today or tomorrow?” she asked.
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