Killer Queen: A Painted Faces Novel

by Cosway, L. H.

  “Are we back to this again?” she said, fidgeting nervously and trying to sound jaded. “I thought you'd gotten over your attraction to me. You've been very well-behaved.”

  Well, that was passive aggression if ever I heard it. She definitely wasn’t happy that I’d been keeping my hands to myself. And if I had my way, I’d be remedying that unhappiness tonight.

  “I was trying to respect you, but I also don't want to hurt you. You're my friend, and I could see how I was upsetting you, so I stopped. That doesn't mean I don't think about your mouth every night, about how you felt against my hand, how you moaned when I made you come.”

  Her body tensed, and a small gasp escaped her. “Nicholas, shut the fuck up.”

  I was about to say more when Harry interrupted us by calling Fred over to join him. He’d brought his brother Colm along, and I wasn’t very happy about the way the guy was eyeing up Fred. In fact, I disliked it immensely.

  Fred seemed relieved for the distraction and went to Harry. I wasn’t going to let her get away that easily, so I followed.

  “Fred, you're looking well,” Colm complimented her as she sat down.

  I had to hold in my laughter when I heard her mumble, “Piss off,” under her breath. It pleased me that she wasn’t enjoying his attention. I briefly wondered if I came across quite so slimy when I allowed my gaze to wander. I hoped not. I liked to think I had a certain level of charm to make up for the lewdness. Harry gave Fred a reprimanding look for speaking to his brother like that. I thought I saw her roll her eyes at her friend before she decided to be polite.

  “Thank you, you're looking quite dapper yourself,” she said.

  “Do you think so?” Colm preened and came to sit on the other side of her. He was clearly the last person she wanted to sit next to, so it amused me to watch how the whole thing played out.

  “It feels like I haven't seen you in ages. When was the last time?” Colm said to her, and actually, I was a little pissed by how close he was sitting. Those strange possessive instincts were rising to the surface again.

  “Um, Harry's birthday, I think,” Fred muttered in reply.

  “Oh, I remember now. You were wearing this great pair of jeans,” he said, leering.

  I sat back and allowed my elbow to brush off Fred’s. I wanted her to know I was still here, that I was listening to everything they said. A moment later she turned to me, and she seemed frazzled. Maybe she didn’t enjoy being the filling in a sandwich of two men who wanted her.

  “Viv, would you mind putting together a plate of food for me? I'm starved,” she said.

  I knew she was trying to get rid of me, but I agreed nonetheless. “Not at all. I'll be right back.”

  I kept my eyes on her as I filled a plate with the finger foods she’d prepared earlier in the day for the party. I was no expert, but I could tell from her body language that she wished Colm would leave her alone. As I returned with her food, I caught the tail end of a conversation that involved Colm asking her if she’d like to be his date to a dinner party he was attending next Saturday. That wouldn’t be happening if I had anything to do with it.

  “Fred works with me on Saturday nights,” I cut in, and reclaimed my seat beside her. I wanted Colm to fuck off now, so I decided to play dirty. Picking up one of the sandwiches I’d brought for Fred, I held it to her mouth and murmured seductively, “Open wide.”

  She looked surprised and confused, like she didn’t know what to make of the fact that I intended to feed her. It was actually kind of hilarious.

  Colm seemed disappointed that I’d ruined his plans to get Fred to himself. “Oh, yeah. Harry mentioned something about your new job. Couldn't you take the night off? I promise you won't regret it.”

  Before Fred could answer, I butted in again. “She can't, I'm afraid. Saturday nights are the busiest. I wouldn't be able to spare her.”

  Her eyes flashed to mine, and she finally took a bite out of the sandwich. It was an aggressive bite, but a bite nonetheless. The approving look I gave her said good girl. It thrilled me when she narrowed her gaze and nipped at my fingers in revolt. She knew exactly what I was up to, trying to scare Colm away. I had half a mind to tell her she should be thanking me. After all, it was obvious she found him about as appealing as a pair of dirty old gym socks.

  We were partaking in a silent battle of wills when Dorotea decided to saunter over. She had brought a friend with her, a woman she worked with, but I couldn’t for the life of me remember her name. Fred was taking up every inch of space in my thoughts. I had no room for new names.

  Dorotea slid onto the couch beside me, which meant we all had to scooch over. It also meant that the entire side of Fred’s body was plastered to mine, and it went without saying that I wasn’t complaining. I gave her thigh a cheeky pinch, and she elbowed me in return. I really was enjoying teasing her tonight.

  When I looked at Dorotea, I noticed her eyeing Fred unhappily, her gaze narrowed. I wondered what her angle was when she complimented Fred’s outfit. “Freda, that's a beautiful dress.”

  “Thanks, the same goes for your suit,” Fred replied with a small smile before continuing, “You didn't happen to bring your furry friend along with you tonight?”

  Dorotea brought her attention to me. “Is she propositioning me, do you think?”

  She was being drunk and annoying, and I was quickly running out of patience. I had, after all, spent the entire week trying to let her down gently, but she was determined for me to fuck her again, and it was playing on my last nerve. My reply to her was clipped. “She's talking about your ferret, Ollo.”

  When we’d first met Dorotea in the park, she’d had her pet ferret with her, and Fred had been quite taken with the little fellow.

  “Oh, Ollo!” she exclaimed. “My mistake, I thought you were making a double entendre, Fred. No, I left him at home.”

  Fred pursed her lips and suppressed a smile. I felt like she wanted to make a joke but was trying not to. I could smell the alcohol on Dorotea’s breath when she leaned into me and tried to sound enticing. “Nicholas, would you help me in the bathroom for a moment? I spilled some wine on my sleeve, and if I don't rinse it out, it's going to stain.”

  That was it. My patience had officially run dry. “I'm sure you can handle it yourself,” I said to her before standing and going to replenish my drink. I didn’t want to leave Fred, but Dorotea was suffocating me, and I couldn’t take much more of it. I didn’t understand what was happening. Normally, I could easily handle overzealous women when they were pursuing me, but right now I just wanted the whole world to go away.

  The whole world with the exception of Fred. I momentarily wished I hadn’t thrown this party at all and instead invited her for a private dinner. I could have laid my best moves on her and finally seduced her in the way I craved. I wanted to sink myself into her soft, welcoming body and get lost.

  My feelings for her were growing by the day, and there was nothing I could do to stop them. I tried to give her some space for the next hour or two, occupying myself by chatting with my other party guests and making sure everyone was having a good time. All the while I was hyperaware of her presence. She was like a drug I craved but was being forced to abstain from.

  After a while, Dorotea found me again and became glued to my side. She whispered naughty things in my ear and tried to lure me away from the party. She wanted me to bring her to my bedroom and lock the door so she could suck my cock. I had no desire to let her give me head, but her mention of locking doors gave me an idea.

  My gaze landed on Fred, who was sitting alone on the couch, eating and watching the party guests. My heart squeezed with fondness as I looked at her. Some might have interpreted her behaviour as antisocial, but I saw it for what it was. She was shy, despite how brash she could come across, and large gatherings made her withdraw, so she was seeking comfort in food.

  From what I could tell, having gotten to know her these past few weeks, she was an emotional eater. When I caught sight of her
making her way to the bathroom, I knew it was time to make my move. I gave her a moment to take care of business before I turned the handle and stepped inside.

  “I'm in here,” she said as she washed her hands. I closed the door and turned the lock. When she looked up, her gaze widened.

  “Um, ocupado, occupé, occupato – any of those ring a bell?” she went on with a nervous titter.

  I allowed my eyes to sweep over her body before I spoke. “I apologise for barging in, but I've been dying to get you alone all night, Freda.”

  She turned off the tap and dried her hands. Then she stood by the sink, staring at me through the mirror as I came toward her. She still had her back to me, and when I reached her I pressed my body into hers, enjoying how her arse fit perfectly against my crotch. Her eyes were on pinned on me, her cheeks flushed and her breathing quickening.

  I couldn’t handle the sight of her perfect breasts in that dress a second longer, so I brought my arm around her body and palmed one. I wanted to feel her skin then, and in my haste I pushed the front of her dress aside, freeing her breast.

  She let out the tiniest whimper.

  “Exquisite,” I told her, my eyes burning into hers. For a long moment, neither one of us could look away. My cock hardened, and I turned her to face me, bringing my mouth to her breast. I sucked on her nipple, and it tightened beautifully. Her heavy gasp was a reward in itself.

  “You're not playing fair here,” she heaved.

  I gave her a dark look. “And you are? Look at this dress. You might as well have a sign over your head that says ‘fuck me.’”

  When her blush deepened, I knew I’d hit the nail on the head. She’d worn this dress to tempt me, torture me.

  I brought my mouth back to her breast and laved at it with my tongue. I palmed it, loving the weight of it in my hand, how full and heavy it was. I had a sudden urge to see how wet she was, so I ran my other hand up her thigh. When I felt the lacy underwear she had on, I growled and pushed the fabric aside, sinking my fingers inside her gorgeous cunt. She moaned at the invasion, and her hands gripped my shoulders. I smiled as I flicked my tongue over her nipple. I had her now, and I wasn’t letting go until I showed her exactly what she’d been missing. I needed to feel her skin, so I brought my face to her neck and nuzzled just below her ear.

  “We've been dancing around each other for two weeks. I can't take it much longer,” I rasped, sliding another finger inside her and enjoying the way her pussy gripped me. I pumped in and out, and couldn’t hold back. “God, you're so tight and soft, Fred. I want to lick you all over.”

  “You're scandalizing me, Viv,” she breathed, her eyes finding mine. There was the tiniest hint of a smirk on her pretty lips, and I returned the expression.

  “I told you I like to corrupt, and you are the perfect candidate with those innocent fucking eyes of yours. What will it take for you to scream my name? Do you need my cock inside you for that?”

  Okay, so when it came to sex, I was a talker. In fact, dirty talk was my forte. I couldn’t help but say what was on my mind, and I loved the different reactions I got. With Fred, I was met with embarrassment, and for some reason, it was my favourite reaction of all. I loved the idea that I was making her all mucky. Tarnishing her innocence.

  “Oh, God, shut up!” she said with a gasp.

  I continued to finger-fuck her hard and fast, and devoured her pleasure with my eyes. She was letting go, and I relished being the one to make her do so. I wanted to see more of her, so I pulled her dress up past her thighs and knelt down, bringing my face to her mound and nuzzling. I would have killed to make her come with my mouth. In fact, I was planning on doing just that when a loud knock sounded on the door.

  “Fuck,” I swore, the word coming out deep and guttural. Reluctantly, I drew away and stood up.

  Interruptions always ruined the mood, and I suddenly remembered the apartment full of guests on the other side of the locked door. Frowning, I brought my hand to her mouth and rubbed her lower lip with my thumb, loving how soft it felt. I kissed her briefly and bit lightly at her plump lip.

  “If we weren't in the middle of my housewarming party, Freda, I would so spread your legs and eat you out right now,” I said huskily, and she swallowed.

  Several thoughts flickered past her eyes as she stared at me, then finally said, “We’ better go back out.”

  She looked away then, and pulled the skirt of her dress back down. I hated that we had to stop what we were doing, but there was nothing else for it. When she moved to leave, I grabbed her wrist and swung her back to me. She was so out of it that she’d almost walked into the party with her breast still exposed. She stood still as I took my time fixing her appearance and complimented her with a dark smile, “Great fucking tits, Fred. I can't wait to suck on the other one next time.”

  I gave her one final lingering kiss before reaching past her and unlocking the door. It was Sean who’d been waiting to use the bathroom, and he chuckled when he saw us.

  “Sorry to interrupt, but I really need to take a slash.”

  Fred hurried away, mortified. I laughed and raised one eyebrow at Sean. “Go and take one, then, you little shit.”

  I was fucked off that he’d interrupted us, but at the same time I was planning on convincing Fred to stick around until everyone had left. I wanted to continue this chapter, as it were. For the rest of the night, though, she studiously avoided being near me and wouldn’t even make eye contact. God, this woman and her shyness were going to drive me to the brink.

  When the party had died down and there were only a few guests left, a very drunk Phil decided to take it upon himself to liven things up a bit. He stood by the karaoke machine, holding the microphone in his hand.

  “Okay, everyone, I know something that will spice up this shindig. How about we play a game of seduction karaoke?”

  I smirked to myself, knowing that seduction karaoke definitely wasn’t a thing, and he’d probably just made it up. I’d confessed my attraction for Fred to him this week, and I thought he might be trying to meddle. When Fred asked him what the game entailed, he explained that someone would act as the judge while several people took turns singing to them. Whoever the judge decided gave the most seductive performance would be proclaimed the winner.

  Oh, yeah, he had definitely made that shite up.

  Dorotea (yes, she was still hanging around) seemed very excited to take part. I wanted her to leave already, but I couldn’t tell her to piss off. It just wasn’t in my nature, and I always tried my best to treat people with dignity when I could manage it.

  Before I knew it, Phil was setting his sights on me and waggling his brows. “Well, Miss Blue, do you want to be the judge, then?”

  I absolutely did not, but when I considered the idea of Fred singing to seduce me, being the judge seemed far more appealing, so I replied, “I'd love to, Philip.”

  I laughed when Dorotea dived for the microphone, but Phil held it out of her reach. “Not so fast, love. I'm going to go first.” He grinned.

  For the next few minutes I sat through a very camp performance of “I Want Your Sex” by George Michael courtesy of Phil, and a rather awkward and uncomfortable performance of “I Touch Myself” by Divinyls from Dorotea.

  “Okay, who wants to go next?” said Phil, eyeing up Fred. I turned to her, smiled, and folded my arms. I was dying for her to try to seduce me. Though to be honest, the girl could be wearing a potato sack, and I’d still think she was the most seductive thing in the room.

  “Fred, how about you?” Phil went on determinedly. Fred fidgeted in discomfort. She clearly didn’t want to do it, and I had to admit I was disappointed.

  “No, Phil, I can't sing for shit,” she replied dismissively.

  “Oh, come on, karaoke isn't about being able to sing. People with good voices who do karaoke just come across as show-off wankers. It's supposed to be funny!” Phil countered, and went to pull her from her seat.

  She protested a little more, but in the
end she gave in. She spoke quietly to Phil when he asked her which song she wanted to sing. I tried to appear casual when really I was relishing the moment. I wanted to see Fred try to be sexy. I mean, she was sexy enough even when she wasn’t trying.

  When she started to sing, I knew that I wasn’t going to get sexy. What I got was better, because it was the funniest, heartfelt, most adorable thing anyone had ever done for me. The song she chose was “Combine Harvester” by The Wurzels, and I couldn’t stop laughing. I’d forgotten just how many innuendos you could make about farming. She winked at me, and she was so cute right then that I wanted to kiss her so badly it hurt.

  Sitting through Dorotea’s performance had been quite the awkward experience, but Fred had chosen just the right song to completely decimate that awkwardness. She was making fun of the whole charade and playing Phil at his own game in a very subtle way.

  By the time the song ended, I was standing up and striding toward her with purpose. I had to touch her. Her mouth opened slightly when she saw me coming. As soon I reached her, I captured her face in my hands and stared at her. She made me feel light and heavy all at once.

  “You’re adorable,” I breathed, and then I claimed her mouth like a man starving of hunger, my tongue sinking past her soft, plump lips.

  “Well, I think we know who won this round,” Phil joked in the background.

  Fred was blushing hard when she broke the kiss, her eyes unfocused and trained on my shirt. Then Dorotea was up from her seat, shouting insults at Fred in her native Italian tongue. I turned to her, moving Fred behind me, because Dorotea looked like she might attack her. I frowned, my expression turning hard.

  “Speak to her like that again, and I'll throw you out of here,” I said sharply so that Dorotea got the warning. I wasn’t going to stand for her insulting Fred in my own apartment.

  “What are you doing, kissing her? I have told you I want you tonight, and you do this!”