Piper (Managing Mischief Book 1)

by Emma Luna

  When I got into university, by some small miracle, I lived in dorms and I only had room for Reggie. I felt bad because he seemed so lonely. I wanted him to be surrounded by others of his kind, but it just wasn’t possible. So, I did as much research as I could into what type of things rats might like. Something that was a bit of a treat for them and that’s when my kink was truly born.

  Chance continues to stare at me with confusion and incredulity. I just smile at him and he must finally see what my face looks like when I smile for real rather than for my image because he looks concerned. I continue to stroke Reggie and he wriggles in my hand, gnawing his sharp teeth down lightly into my glove. He is just as excited as I am.

  “I… I just don’t understand. Seriously, why am I here?” Chance mumbles and all the bravado he has been showing since he woke up is finally out of his system. Now I get to talk to the scared little boy.

  “You are here because you were the ideal candidate. You are not from here. Nobody knows who you are in this area. You are supposed to return to university in the morning, but if that doesn’t happen, you will not be missed. Your college will think that you have just given up and that you have quit. They won’t chase you because you are too much hard work. When your parents do eventually realise you are missing, they will be so annoyed at your careless behaviour and lack of regard for your future, they won’t care. By the time people work out that you are really missing, the case will be ice cold already,” brags Ollie. He sneers down at Chance, revelling in the heartbreak and pain that now etched on Chance’s face. Not only has he just realised that he will not be leaving this house, he realises nobody will even care. His whole family wants nothing to do with him. His friends never know where he is. He’s so much of a bad boy playboy, it's common for him to go off and lose contact with people for a few days. His pleasure and debauchery are more important than school or reassuring those he cares about. After a while, they stopped trying and this is the state he is in now.

  The moment he realises that this is it for him and nobody will be charging to his rescue, or even mourning his loss for quite some time, is soul destroying for him. His whole body that had once been tense as it strained against the restraints goes limp and he sags down into the table. It’s minute but I hear his little sigh and this is the moment he accepts his fate, or so he thinks. This always happens, but they still decide to fight when the time comes. For now, I watch as a single tear tracks down his cheek and he crunches his eyes together, determined not to allow any more to fall. I do admire his futile attempt at bravery.

  As I walk over to put Reggie back into his cage, I decide I need to answer Chance’s question more honestly. Ollie told him why he is here, why we specifically chose him, but he didn’t really answer his question.

  “You are here because you are the perfect gift for my children. They are my family and I like to spoil them because I love them. You will not only provide them with entertainment, a good play time if you will, but you will also be useful to their health. Helping with the sharpening of their teeth and the filing of their claws. Not to mention the vitamin health benefits. You cannot even begin to comprehend how grateful I am for the gift you are giving my children.” I smile and look over at Ollie, a strange expression is on his face, one that disappears straight away when he realises I’m looking at him. He almost looked uncomfortable, like he didn’t fully believe in my reasonings, but that’s rubbish because, of course, he does. I have taught him the importance of my babies. He knows how much they mean to me and he understands why things are the way they are. I always thought this was a cause, a belief that he was equally as passionate about once his eyes were opened up to it. Now, I’m starting to question his loyalty.

  I mentally shake myself out of that irrelevant train of thought. It doesn’t matter if Ollie believes in my family or our cause. He is a temporary fixture and, despite the fact my body seems to have developed some type of weird connection with him, it doesn’t change the fact Ollie cannot stay.

  Six

  Ollie

  I know that right at this moment, I should be looking at Piper and questioning if she is truly sane. The way she talks about her mischief and her family, the reverence in her voice shows how absolutely serious she is. She believes, more than anything, what we are doing right now is what is best for us as a family. She sees it as a gift and I can tell by the way her gaze keeps flicking to me that she expects me to feel the same. This is where my confusion comes in.

  Piper means the whole world to me. She saved me at a time when I was on a downward spiral to nowhere. I had two choices in life; join the gang all my other foster brothers were forced to join, or rebel and take my chances out in the world. So, that’s exactly what I did. Essentially, I ran and I hid away from the world, moving from hostels to shelters all around the city, any that would take me. All the while allowing my dark thoughts to monopolise the way I lived.

  My parents died when I was just a teenager. It was a car crash, we were hit by a drunk driver who ran a red light. The speed he was going and the impact it had on our car caused us to swerve and roll several times down an embankment. The car was left upside down with us hanging in there, held only by our seatbelts.

  You heard me correctly when I said ‘us’. I was in the back seat of the car while my parents were in the front. My dad died on impact. No matter how much I called for him or tried to shake him, he never answered me. In some ways, this was better, despite not getting the chance to say goodbye. With Mum, it was so much worse.

  She was suspended upside down, but the dashboard had folded in on itself from the crash and her legs were stuck. Once I had opened my own seat belt and crashed down on to the roof of the car, finally getting myself the right way up, I crawled towards her. There was glass and debris ripping at every part of my skin, yet the pain that caused was nothing compared to the pain I felt emotionally.

  The howl of sorrow that my mum emitted when she realised that my dad was no longer with us was a sound that has haunted my dreams ever since. She begged me to try and get out of the car, but I refused to leave her. I tried to free her seatbelt but it didn’t make a difference because her legs were trapped.

  I watched as my mum slowly faded away, crying desperately, and making me promise to look after myself. Her sobs of apology that I would have to live my life with no family is something that caused a piece of my heart to die that day. No matter how much I tried to keep her talking, telling her not to go to sleep, she continued to fade in front of my eyes. As she faded, the sounds of the sirens increased and got louder on their approach, but they were too late.

  When firefighters finally reached us, they found me holding both of my parents, covered in cuts and bruises, with tears cascading down my boyish face. That was the last day of my childhood. From then on, I had to grow up, and I had to do it alone. Until I met Piper.

  She showed me what it meant to have someone care about you, to want what’s best for you, and to take the good with the bad. I opened up to her in my therapy sessions about what happened with my family and that’s where our bond was formed. She took me in and we became the partnership we are today, in so many ways.

  But most importantly, she helped me get the revenge I craved for my family. The drunk driver who hit my parent's car, killing my whole family and ruining all of our lives, was a high powered business man. Ironically, he was on his way home from a meeting with the Mayor of London when he killed my family. But, as is always the case when money is involved, he bought his way out of trouble.

  Marc Langley was a high powered arsehole who never intended to take responsibility for his crimes. His lawyer argued that as there was no physical proof that he ran a red light, or that he was speeding at the time of the crash, therefore, no way to prove he was at fault. His lawyer even argued that there was a high probability that my parents caused the crash. He argued that Marc’s breathalyser was obtained illegally, stating a loophole which should never have been allowed. The judge didn’t even give the prose
cution a chance to argue, they just agreed. Marc said he accepted no fault for the ‘accident’, but that the loss of life weighed heavily on him. That’s why he donated thousands to some orphan charity, along with a car crash victim charity. He also offered to make a voluntary payment to go towards the court for taking up their time with this ‘trivial matter’.

  Fucker didn’t even refer to my parents by name. How can the death of two people, something that orphaned a teenage boy, be classed as trivial? The judge accepted his kind donation and found him not guilty. He didn’t even get any points on his fucking licence. Piper and I bonded over my hatred of Marc Langley. She had someone in her life who had ruined it, but she had taken steps to get her own back, to take back the power they stole from her. She asked if I wanted the opportunity to do that, to be part of her mischief, and to get revenge on Marc. Of course, I agreed. The more time I spent with Piper, the more infatuated I became. So, when the time came to finding out what the real plan of action was, how we were going to make Marc suffer, I didn’t argue. He deserved it.

  Watching Marc suffer and die at the hands of Reggie had been difficult for me to see at first. It made me question who I was becoming and if this is really the path my parents would have wanted me to take. But then I saw the passion, fire, and sheer eroticism in Piper’s eyes as her body soaked in Marc’s pain. The sound of his cries and the squeaks of delight from her family just kept turning her on even further. That was the first time I had sex with Piper. It was also the moment I fell in love with her and knew I would do anything for her, no matter how much it ripped away at my soul.

  Piper jolts me out of my trip down memory lane when I hear her gently cooing to Reggie. She is talking to him about the plan. We have executed this plan several times since Marc, each time worse than the last. Don’t get me wrong, there are aspects of it that I love and that give me a massive high, but they are only because of Piper. Aside from the first time, I have never enjoyed the process again. The sex with Piper is always mind-blowing and it pulls me into her web just that little bit more, but the actual act I find abhorrent. The problem is that I can’t stop. I have to do everything to please Piper and I wouldn’t ever ruin her favourite time.

  “What do you think, Ollie?” Piper calls from the bedroom.

  Opening the door, I find her wearing the most stunning black dress that looks like it just slides down her body and over those curves of hers that I love. The almost inappropriately high slit in the right side of the dress, reaching up to the thigh is what she loves the most. Her tattoo is on display. Halloween is the only time she is allowed to show people the ink that adorns her leg. It's something that I, as a tattoo artist, have always found weird. My designs are works of art, and, with the exception of a few minor vulgar requests, I want all of my art to be on display. To be seen by as many as possible.

  I know why Piper hides, not just the tattoo but her whole personality too. I just can’t really put into words why she needs to feel like that. She craves control, but more than anything, she wants a family. I think that's how we connected. Two lost souls seeking a place in the world and that is exactly what I got here with Piper. Is it perfect? Fuck, no. But I can’t imagine what my life would be like without her, my only worry is that she doesn’t feel the same.

  “You look fucking gorgeous, as always,” I say to her as I move closer to her perfect body. There is literally nothing about her that I would change; she is the epitome of a wet dream and I am one lucky fucker to call her mine.

  My instinct is to reach for her and to pull her hard against my body, but I know better than that. Piper doesn’t like to be touched without permission. We have developed a silent communication system which seems to work for us. My eyes bore into her with a fiery passion that lets her know how much I am struggling to control myself, every nerve cell beckons to be closer to her.

  Seeing that passion, she inclines her head slightly into a barely there nod. Accompanied by the sexy little smirk that appears on her face, I know that’s her giving consent. But I still know I need to be a bit careful with her. So, I take my time as I walk forward and pull her flush against me. I try to look her in the eyes so she can see how much I truly do desire her, but, as always, she looks away. At first, she used to hold eye contact with me and used it as a way of exerting her authority over me. Yet, recently that has changed. Instead, she struggles to maintain eye contact with me and I have no idea why. My stupid heart hopes that she has finally developed the same feelings as I have, but my more realistic side knows that there's more of a chance she is pulling away. I am determined to make sure that doesn’t happen. I can’t lose her.

  As our bodies remain flushed together and I can feel the heat of her breath on my neck, I slowly raise my hand and curve it gently around her neck. Once my hand is in position, her breath hitches. I know in this position, I have power over her airways and therefore, she must trust me to allow me this, but Piper knows I would never abuse her trust. That's why she doesn’t move, or speak up, to object. So, I use my grip to lightly tilt her face upward to meet my gaze. She blinks to try and avert my stare, but I take advantage of the opportunity and press our lips together.

  It’s gentle at first, just two soft lips connecting with the briefest of kisses, but that's not enough for either of us. I pull back slightly to give Piper the chance to withdraw consent, but, of course, she doesn’t. Instead, she fists her hand in the front of my t-shirt and roughly pulls me back towards her until our lips collide. This time is so different. This kiss is bruising and powerful, almost as though our lips are assaulting one another, desperate for power. It is frantic and hurried.

  Piper deepens the kiss first by licking her tongue across my lip, demanding access. I hold out, desperate to win the power battle, so I return the gesture against her lips. I should know by now that Piper always wins. In response, she bites down hard on my lower lip, eliciting a growl from me. She utilises that by invading her tongue into my mouth and so begins another battle as our tongues stroke against each other.

  When we eventually pull away, both of our lips are plump and bruised, our eyes are bright and wide from the lust, and our breaths are escaping in rapid pants as we try and control our breathing. It’s always been this way with Piper, ever since the first time we had sex. There has always been this fire between us, but I would be a fool not to notice how much more excited she gets on these nights. These are the nights when I get to see the real Piper. The one that scares the shit out of me, but also makes my cock harder than ever before. She is an enigma but I can't deny that a piece of my soul belongs with hers and that is why I put up with these evenings. I quickly realised that I would do anything for Piper.

  “It’s time for me to go. Do you remember the plan?” Piper asks, back into professional mode again. How she flips between faces genuinely amazes me. I am still focused on how hard my cock is straining to get out of my jeans and how much I want to do so much more than kiss her, but it’s too late. She’s moved on and now we are all business.

  “Of course, I remember the plan,” I say grumpily. Blue balls really do bring out my irritable side.

  Piper just tuts, completely ignoring my irritability. She is focused and determined. The plan so tightly thought out, it baffles me why she would even think that I would forget it. She doesn’t bother with goodbyes, or any of the society norms that usually occur when people part ways. This is when I am reminded that Piper is different from anyone else. She is so focused on her plan that the idea of saying goodbye, or giving me a goodbye kiss, is pointless. Unless she gains something from it, or it is for show, she doesn’t bother. I do fucking admire that about her because not many girls think like that.

  I watch Piper climb into her car and I know that I have about an hour to spare before I need to start enacting my part of the plan. Overwhelmed by the idea of what is to come and jealous of what Piper has to do to fulfil her end, combined with my blue balls, my mind is tipping over the edge. I feel like my whole body is rippling with nervous en
ergy and if I want to go through with this plan, I need to get my head in the game. So, I do what I do before every night like this, I run.

  Running through the edge of the town, ensuring that I am not seen, I run fast enough that my brain doesn’t think anymore. I have been using running as a way to cope with my intrusive thoughts since I was a teenager, but it is even worse on these nights. Piper flourishes on these nights, but I feel like I am at war with myself.

  When I reach the car park of Compendium, I see Piper’s car parked exactly where she said it would be. It’s my job to take it home and make it look like she drove herself home. But as I approach the building, I can’t help but be drawn to the club. The bass of the music ripples through my body and my heart starts to beat to the same rhythm. I can feel it pounding in my chest and it’s almost like I am hypnotised.

  Piper is inside; she is seducing her mark as she has planned perfectly. I know why she has to do it this way for the plan to work, but that doesn’t stop the macho, possessive, alpha male side of my brain from raging about the idea of my girl with another guy. I have asked her many times if we can do it a different way. Take a homeless person off the street, someone nobody would miss. Why does it always have to be good looking young men that she seduces first? Piper dismissed my suggestion immediately and, as usual, provided me with no answers or explanation. It was clear that she had no concept of jealousy, or why I would be pissed at the idea of her being with someone else.