Saturday Evening, October 27th - Weekend Four
Halloween was by far my favorite time of year and the Saturday before Halloween was always the biggest party day back at Kent. As many as six thousand people, mostly coeds, would flood the streets of downtown, each dressed immaculately in the sexiest, most exotic costumes.
It seemed every girl was dressed as a slutty something or other. Whether it was a nurse, zombie, angel, or countless superheroes, whatever you could dream of had a naughty twist to it.
This was the first Halloween I wasn’t at KSU in six years. I started going back in high school. Sara and I went every year since then. Every year countless college guys would hit on Sara and me as we waded through the sea of partygoers. Until she met Colt, she’d always end up making out with one of the college guys while I deflected their friend’s advances with nervousness and awkwardness.
This year it was different. I was here at Paramore with Avery and from the moment we arrived it looked like it was going to be my best year yet.
Elias and his staff had Paramore decorated like a giant haunted house. When we pulled into the drive, large jack-o-lanterns adorned the lawn. They were huge with some bigger than Avery’s SUV.
The glow from the jack-o-lanterns illuminated the sky and bounced off of the low-lying cloud cover. The eerie glow flowed off of the Manor as lifelike zombie statues stood throughout the courtyard guarding over the jack-o-lanterns as cobwebbed hedges and trees completed the scene. Each statue held a different threatening stance waiting for its prey.
As we exited the car, there were twenty zombies lined up along the red carpet and as we walked along, their arms were outreached as if to grab ahold of me and not let go.
It all seemed surreal as haunted groans and the screeches of ghastly ghouls played through a large sound system.
As we walked past this gauntlet of horror, my eyes drifted across all the magnificent decorations. It was amazing and we weren’t even inside yet.
We walked slowly down the carpet as one zombie actually reached out and grabbed my arm, causing me to scream loudly and jump about a foot in the air.
I was so freaked out that I just blasted my fist in the direction of the zombie holding me and punched it right in the mouth.
“Ouch, you bitch! Watch what you’re doing,” Jezebel yelled out.
It turned out that not all the statues were inanimate. Elias had real people strewn about the crowd of lifelike statues and they’d hold very still as the guests arrived until they were close enough to try and scare the hell out of you.
“I’m so sorry,” I apologized as Genevieve, her zombie sister, ran over to save her.
Travis broke character and ran between us to separate Genevieve and me as she grabbed my dress, ready to kick my ass.
Avery joined Travis pulling us apart and apologized for any inconvenience.
They both muttered something unintelligible as the terror twins retired in the direction of the other zombies.
Avery quickly ushered me into the Manor. He was extremely apologetic about not warning me ahead of time of the zombies and of the terror twins.
We entered through the grand doors and I could see the inside was even more decadent than the outside.
A light fog spilled over large cauldrons holding drinks. Cobwebbed paintings lined the walls. Elias had transformed the Manor into a haunted mansion that, by the looks of it, would fit very well in a Scooby Doo movie.
As we walked into the ballroom, I could swear one painting on the wall followed me with its eyes. It was creepy.
We made our way through the guests who were all dressed in various costumes. Sexy superheroes and schoolgirls seemed to rule the evening.
I wasn’t sure that I liked the fact that all these would-be geek posers had all caught on to the Marvel bandwagon.
Everywhere you look on campus these days, girls who were way too hot to be geeks in high school strutted about in their Marvel leggings, and baby doll T’s.
To me, if you want to prove your geek credibility then you better follow the Nerdist, and know who Chris Hardwick is, or at least follow Kevin Smith.
Avery and I headed for a table in the dining area. He pulled out my chair and held it for me as I sat, then he excused himself and headed to the bar to get us some drinks and a generous round of shots.
“The bugger left you alone again?” Dorian’s accent rang out over my right shoulder.
“Avery just went to get us some drinks,” I replied, eyeing the predator dressed in a sharp purple and black Victorian suit accented with a vest and gold pocket watch.
“Well then, I’ll keep you company until he returns,” he declared, sitting in the seat across from me at the dinner table. “Tell me, who are you and Avery supposed to be dressed up as? I should have never thought to see him in a bow tie and fez.”
“Avery is the Doctor and I am his companion Clara Oswald,” I said. Avery wore a tweed suit with a white shirt and red bow tie that matched the fez he wore on his head. I wore an old fashioned whimsy styled purple and black schoolgirl skirt with black tights and ankle boots. A waist-length leather jacket completed my ensemble. “And who are you supposed to be?” I asked.
“Well, if Avery’s the Doctor…then that would make me the Master,” he said as a slight smirk turned upward on his lips. I chose to ignore his smugness.
“I thought you were in Vancouver this weekend,” I said, playing with my charm bracelet.
“Keeping tabs on me?” he inquired. I raised my eyebrow. He was so arrogant.
“My flight got in a couple hours ago. I still have some unfinished business here to attend to,” he said, leaning in toward me. His posture was perfect. So was his accent. But his brown eyes said so much more. He was a bad boy and he knew it…maybe he was the Master, or at the very least a future Bond villain.
“Dorian,” Avery said, looking back and forth between us to try to get a read on what we were discussing.
I slid over one seat so that Avery could sit next to me and I would be one chair further away from Dorian.
Avery settled in and put his hand on my thigh like he always did. This time I slipped my hand inside his and Avery winked.
“How did it go in Vancouver?” Avery inquired
Dorian laughed then continued. “You always have your business in mind, don’t you, mate,” he said.
“Always, and when you make a decision just let me know and I’ll fill out the paperwork so everything is in the contract for your approval,” Avery said. Dorian nodded.
“Things have gotten a bit more complicated haven’t they? The media is going crazy over those unfortunate photos. My management is in quite an uproar. They have advised me to pull out of here immediately and suspend all contract negotiations until things calm down. But honestly, I think negotiations are just about to heat up.”
Avery’s phone chirped, showing he had a text. His rule was to not to be interrupted when Dorian was around but for some reason that didn’t seem to matter anymore.
“I need to go see about some other business. Will you be okay here for awhile, Aria?” Avery questioned. I could see the stress in his eyes. I knew this was security related.
“Yes, I’m fine.”
“I’ll keep her company,” Dorian interceded.
Avery kissed me then rose and turned down the hall toward his office.
“Good, now that the boss is away, we can play,” Dorian said in his British droll.
“Play what?” I asked, wishing that I hadn’t.
“A little game called how bad do you want me?” he asked. I snickered.
“Your ego is astounding,” I bleated.
“You can pretend you don’t, but I know different.”
“You just don’t like being told no. It gives you something to prove,” I replied.
“I wish that was the case. But Aria, you’re the reason I flew back tonight. I haven’t been able to get you out of my head since the day we first met on the dance floor. I wanted to lose myself
in you before I even knew who you were. Besides I usually do get what I want.”
“Just not this time,” I added.
“So you keep saying,” he said. “What if a great opportunity presented itself, would you take it?”
“Depends on what that opportunity was,” I said looking away. “Maybe somebody could make me a movie star,” I said sarcastically, glaring at him.
He smirked, knowing right away what I meant. “I do tell a few girls that once in awhile, the ones who are on the pull. Who knows, maybe one day I’ll actually mean it.” Dorian laughed as my eyes met his.
I quickly shifted my eyes to the dance floor. I could see Ethan and Wren with Jenna sandwiched between them. It looked like they were acting out one of her fantasies. She was facing Wren while he had two fingers buried inside her discretely up her short green and white Green Lantern dress while Ethan held her against his chest and tweaked her nipples. They were both dressed as different Green Lanterns, I was guessing Ethan was Hal Jordan and Wren was Guy Gardner. The music drowned out her moan but the ecstasy on her face was clear.
“Have you seen the video I gave Avery? It’s one of my newest productions.” I blushed hard. Dammit. He grinned. “Oh, I’ll take that as a yes.”
I swallowed roughly and shifted in my seat. Dorian’s eyes caressed me up and down.
“Did you like it? Or rather, did any particular scene excite you? I bet it turned you on…let’s see…maybe it was the shower scene? No, it was the opening scene.”
It took everything in me not to leer at him. How the hell did he know that?
“What’s up, Dorian?”
“Hello, Tate. Aria, I assume you’ve met Tate Channers already?” he asked.
“Yes. Hi Tate,” I replied, thankful for the interruption.
“Dorian, she’s a hottie,” Tate said. “See ya later bro.”
“Yes, thank you she is. Goodbye, Tate,” Dorian said sarcastically, as he turned his attention back to me.
“Here’s some trivia, that beginning scene was my idea. I knew it would get the women wet from the start. Let me ask you,” he said leaning in closer. “Were you with Avery when you watched it?” He put his hand up. “Don’t answer,” he said leaning closer to me. “Just ask yourself, if you were, did you imagine my face as you banged him? Or…were you alone and did you masturbate? And if so, who’s face did you picture?”
My eyes widened at him. He laughed. “Oh, Aria, you’d be a terrible poker player. You’re too easy to read. Your honest nature makes me feel like a teenage boy. I feel like I’m living lust for the first time again through your eyes. You’re simply breathtaking. I’d bet you’d do anything for him. Wouldn’t you?” I blinked, not sure what he was asking.
“Wouldn’t you?” he repeated.
He could tell by my stare that I agreed. “What is it you want from me?” I said sharply.
“You’re about to find out,” he said, leaning back in his seat as Avery approached the table.
“Sorry about that, Kitten,” Avery said, kissing my cheek then sitting down next to me.
“Avery, I think I’m ready to sign the endorsement deal.”
“Finally…that’s awesome,” Avery said, but then Dorian kept going.
“But I was wondering if I might make you a counter offer regarding the incentives package, sort of a signing bonus if you will. I would like to add another housegirl to my arrangement,” Dorian said.
“Sure, when do you want her?” Avery asked.
“I’d like her to start right now, but she’ll need some training first,” he said looking only at Avery.
Where were they going with this? I thought.
“Is she a waitress, then?” I could see Avery using his deduction skills to figure out who it could be. Then Dorian continued.
“My endorsement of this facility will make you a very wealthy man. It will make both of us very wealthy men. But money isn’t everything. Sometimes the incentive is sentimental. It might mean more to me than the next guy. Business should never be conducted by emotion, but if you can get what you want and I can get what I want then it can be mutually beneficial for all the parties involved,” Dorian said as he smiled wickedly.
“You can have anything you want within reason, you know that,” Avery asked. “Who is it?” he added.
“A friend of yours,” Dorian said candidly.
“Oh really…who? Kim…Sienna…Maya?” Avery said, looking around the room and rattling off names.
Dorian paused for several quantum moments then grinned wickedly.
“Aria.” My name dripped off Dorian’s tongue like poison from a serpent’s fang. My heart stopped. Avery stiffened next to me.
“I’m sorry…come again?” Avery demanded, cocking his head to the side.
“I was thinking in order for this deal to become Crème Vichyssoise, I would like Aria to be my housegirl for the remainder of my time here,” Dorian’s eyes sparked with lust as he explained.
“She’s not an employee, Dorian. She’s my girlfriend,” Avery said angrily.
Dorian slammed his drink down on the table. “Then why do you parade her around a sexual fantasy camp if she can’t take part in the fantasies?” Dorian asked.
“Not her,” Avery gritted through his teeth. There was silence between them but a million words were being said. Dorian pulled back into his charming personality.
“I’ll agree to all your terms in the contract, for your advertisements, referrals, everything you want. I will become the international face of your empire, but I want the hottest woman at Paramore for my housegirl and that’s Aria. You get what you want, if I get what I want,” Dorian said assertively. “Come on, mate, you’ve shared her before. I know you have.”
Avery looked to me with wide eyes and I felt his hand clench mine. “May we have a moment alone, Dorian,” he insisted.
“No, I’m afraid I can’t do that. I want your answer now or the deal is off,” his voice seemed to echo all around me. They both turned to me as Dorian continued.
“She’s more than willing to be my housegirl and I can prove it,” Dorian said, as he stood.
Both Avery and I held our breath, as Dorian moved around behind me, leaned in, and pushed my hair to the side as Avery’s eyes narrowed.
“You said you’d do anything for him,” he whispered into my ear, and then he kissed the back of my neck and raked his nails lightly up my inner arm.
My breath caught in my throat and goose bumps broke out over my skin. My eyes fluttered closed and I drifted off into a trance. My breathing heightened as my head swayed and I started giving in to the feelings Dorian was culling out of me.
“She’s very responsive…perfect. She’ll do just fine,” he gloated.
I opened my shameful eyes and looked right at Avery.
Avery frowned at my reaction. His eyes showed remorse and sorrow. Remorse for bringing me into this mess and sorrow for actually considering Dorian’s request.
A light bead of sweat formed on Avery’s forehead. He was wondering how the hell this happened. When did I become attracted to another man and of all people, Dorian Macallan?
Avery’s lips thinned. If this was poker, Dorian had a full house. For the first time since I met Avery, he was speechless. He lowered his head and looked up at me through the tops of his eyes. Dorian was right, I would do anything to help Avery secure this contract, and Dorian knew it. He counted on it. That’s why he stayed here so long. He was gathering intelligence on Avery and me, looking for Avery’s weakness and the son of a bitch found it. It was me. He was forcing Avery to choose between his two prized possessions, Camp Paramore, or me. Dorian was a supervillian. He was the Master.
My breathing spiked. I looked over at Avery, waiting to see what he would do...or rather, what he wanted me to do.
Our eyes locked on each other. Silently my gaze let him know that it was okay. I would do this for him because I loved him.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Avery nodded sullenl
y, and then looked over at Dorian.
“She will not spend the night in your bed, I forbid it. You can have her during the day and evenings but certainly not over-nights.”
Then it was Dorian’s turn. “Since she’s only here on weekends, I want her during every one until I leave. Fridays, she’ll train to be a proper housegirl, but on Saturdays she’s all mine and as far as your request, I think we should leave it up to her where she beds, don’t you? After all, in the future, she might decide that she really likes being in my bed.”
What the fuck have I done? I thought.
I looked around the dance floor at all the heroes and villains and here I was about to become the companion of one of the biggest.
∞
CHAPTER 12
GIRL ALL THE BAD GUYS WANT
Friday Evening, November 2nd – Weekend Five
Avery and I barely spoke this past week. After I agreed…and let me point out…reluctantly to become Dorian’s housegirl, Avery seemed to shut me out. Not obviously and not all at once, but he was definitely colder to me. He believed I had some ulterior motive, like I would honestly leave him for Dorian. Dorian wasn’t half the man Avery was. I could tell he was hurting…but I was doing this for him and he should understand that. I wanted my baby to be happy.
The week passed by very slowly, I didn’t get much sleep, and I was behind in my class assignments.
All I could think about was getting back to Paramore. I wanted to see Avery. He wouldn’t answer his cell and when he did there was always a meeting or some problem that needed tending to. I just wished he’d talk it out with me. We had been forced to make such a quick decision that neither of us really understood where this was going to lead. The only bright side of this week was that no more photos were leaked which hopefully meant that Avery’s increased security measures were working.
Friday morning came and I drove to Paramore as soon as I could. I felt guilty skipping out on my Friday classes again but I couldn’t take it any more. I had to get out there.
I arrived only to find Avery working somewhere in camp and he still wasn’t answering his cell.
Camp Paramore Page 14
