“I offer you the deal of a lifetime and you look terrified.”
“How do I know I can trust you?” I keep my eyes on his as he pinches the tip of my hair between his fingers and toys with it.
“You don’t and you can’t.”
I look deep into his oily irises, searching for something, anything, that’ll tell me if he’s telling the truth. I don’t see the truth, but I do see something else, something… wicked. In his beautiful, pitch back irises, I see the slightest sliver of honey flare.
“But I get the feeling you’re low on options.”
I am low on options, but I’m not fussed about that. What’s concerning me more, in this moment, is the pulsing between my legs that’s consuming me inch by inch. “I’ll do it…”
“No complaints?”
Strangely, I feel a piece of my soul die. “None.”
The warm, wet cloth no longer touches my flesh. In its place, I feel the rough pad of his finger glide over the lower side of my breast and just like that, he’s locked me in place. My stare falls to his mouth. His full, supple lips are so gorgeous they almost beckon me closer. In this moment, he could put his mouth on me and I’d do nothing to fight it. I hate it. I hate that at the end of the hall, Thirteen is being forced into things she doesn’t want to do and yet here I am, silently willing my Fortunate to press his lips to my burning skin. This is different than the last time he wanted to kiss me. I was afraid of him then. This time, I’m more afraid of me. I’m terrified of the feelings churning in the pit of my stomach and throbbing between my thighs. Sitting on top of him doesn’t help, either. In fact it magnifies my feelings tenfold and my fingers twitch against my thigh as I fight the urge to push them into his hair.
“Seduction is key,” he states, almost under his breath. “You need to seduce your targets, get them to do whatever you want, and then close the deal by giving them what they want.”
“And if they don’t want it?”
“That’s the power of seduction. It isn’t a choice of the brain or the heart. It’s a choice of the body.” He flicks a thumb over my nipple and I shiver. “You have to manipulate the body to do what you want.”
In a painfully slow movement, Kade swallows the distance between my breast and his face. The second his hot, wet mouth closes around my nipple, I shamelessly suck in a breath. I lean back, trying to get away from the amazing sensation. It feels so wrong for it to feel so damn good. Kade grips my back, his fingers digging into the flesh as he forces more of me into his mouth. His tongue flicks over my sensitive bud, causing arousal to frisson through me as his teeth scrape the delicate skin. Involuntarily, my back begins to arch, wanting more of his skin to touch mine. My body is alight with a fire I’ve never felt before and as a low moan falls from my lips… he stops. With a soft kiss, he pulls away. Not a second later, our eyes lock, causing my breath to hitch. He looks like sin… like the smirk on his mouth was hand painted by the devil himself. It does crazy things to me… causes my cheeks to burn bright and my blood follows suit.
“You all right, Nine?” he drawls, making my blush deepen.
“I’m fine,” I utter, still caught in his pull.
His hand snakes up my back and grips the back of my neck, holding me in place. Underneath me, I feel him hard against the apex of my thighs and without warning, he crushes his lips to mine. I gasp, opening my mouth wide enough for him to push his tongue inside. I get the feeling this isn’t about learning anymore. This is what he wants. He tastes citrusy, like strawberry and orange. I squeak as he flicks his hips and pushes me onto my back and into the cushion, pinning me under his body. I hear his shoe connect with the bowl and warm water wets my feet. He doesn’t care that he wet his pretty couch, and I don’t care, either. As the water cools, it’s a welcome sensation on my otherwise burning skin. His tongue tastes me, savours me, and I become dizzy with the intensity, but my head begins to clear the moment he pulls his mouth from mine.
“Your turn,” he says, grinning down at me.
I blink, trying my hardest to come back down to planet Earth. “What?”
Kade licks his moist lip in a way that makes my head spin one last time. “I said it’s your turn.”
I swallow, slightly embarrassed by how hard I’m panting. “For what?”
“To make me want you.”
I feel my eyes widen as all seeds of arousal slip from my body, replaced by complete fear. “You want me to do to you what you did to me?”
“More or less.” He pushes off of me, straightens his tie, and stands beside the couch.
Instantly, without his body heat crashing into mine, I feel out of place. I sit up and sheepishly pull the twists of fabric back up my arms, shielding my breasts from view.
“All right.” My hands tremble and I bunch the fabric of my dress in my fists to stop them from alerting Kade. I don’t want him to see how scared I am… I want to please him on the first go. I rise to my feet. “What do I do?”
He takes a couple of steps back and suddenly the air around me seems cold, empty. “Seduce me.”
He says it simply, but his tone still manages to seep into my pores and ignites my cheeks. “But I don’t know how.”
“I’ll teach you, eventually. For now, show me what you’ve got.”
I drag in an inhale and step closer. Slowly, I reach for his tie, but he slaps my hand away. Heat prickles across my skin and I snatch my hand away, glaring at his amused expression. “Ouch!”
“Don’t be a baby,” he teases, smiling slightly.
I almost falter in my movements. I don’t believe it. Is Master Kade being playful with me? I reach out for him again, for his hand this time and he smacks me away again. Each time he does it, his wolfish smile grows wider. Pulling away, I caress the back of my hand.
“You’re going to slap me every time I get something wrong?”
He shrugs one shoulder as he fingers the end of his tie. “If you’re lucky, I’ll pinch your nipples, too.” I take a small step back and he smiles victoriously. “I’ll give you a tip. Removing clothes is stage two.”
There are stages? “Stage two?”
He nods. “There are four stages of sex; seduction, removing clothes, foreplay, and sex.”
I frown. How is this so hard? How can he have me on my back in seconds with no protest on my part but I barely affect him?
“What do I do?”
“You don’t touch, not at first. Seduction is in the way you talk and walk. You have to make me want you before your skin comes into contact with mine.” He steps away and I breathe easier. “The initial contact should light a fire under me, propel my actions.”
“You touched me.”
“I wasn’t trying to seduce you.”
I fold my arm tightly across my chest. “Then what were you doing?”
Kade’s eyes narrow and he steps closer. He snatches my wrists in his hands and I wince as he pries my arms apart and pushes them behind my back… where they should be. I don’t know what it is about him that makes me forget everything I was taught. Maybe it’s the way his jet black hair sits on his head or the width of his broad shoulders. Maybe it’s his full, kissable lips, or his height, or the way his crisp shirt clings to his chest that makes me want to abandon everything I’ve learnt and just go for it—go for him. I clasp my hands together, but I don’t look away from him.
“I was having fun,” he states, adjusting the fabric rolled to his elbow. “Now try again.”
I step closer and reach out for the one millionth time. He pulls his hand up and brings it down to slap me. Before he does, I snatch his wrist. The forced contact of his skin has me inhaling sharply. The touch alone is enough to spur me on—and it does. I throw his arm away and launch myself at him. My body crashes into his and before he can tell me to stop, I press my lips to his mouth. My blood hums—buzzes—with power, as if I’ve smeared my body in honey and laid down on an ant nest. It’s a power I can feel infecting me, addicting me. Kade grips my hips and parts his lips, a
llowing me to slip my tongue inside. I taste him as thoroughly as I can before he decides to stop this. This, what I’m doing, is forbidden—punishable by death, usually. To touch a Fortunate so erotically on my own whim, for my own pleasure, is suicide. A week ago, I’d be petrified, but I get the feeling Kade won’t do a thing about this. He likes it. I can feel it in the way his skin hums against mine. He likes this—me—he likes me being in charge. I marvel over the controlling, commanding Kaden Sario being awfully passive, letting me touch him—taste him—however I want.
“Careful, Unfortunate,” he murmurs against my lips. “Actions like that will get you killed.”
“But you like it,” I counter, my breath clashing with his. “You like this, don’t you?”
The words tumble from my mouth before I have time to clear it with my brain and I’d kick myself if I wasn’t so tightly wound. I don’t know what came over me. I wanted to grab him, to crush my body against his and feel his hard muscles against me… so I did and it was the most empowering thing I’ve ever done in my life. Adrenaline is pumping through my veins, spreading like wildfire and I’m unable to stop it. He swallows hard, never dropping his stare from mine. I can see it in his eyes, in the way he looks at me. He’s excited and conflicted all at once.
“What I like doesn’t matter.”
“It could,” I whisper, dragging my bottom lip across his. “I only want to please you… you can have me all to yourself.”
His fingers tighten around my hips and dig into the flesh. My breath hitches as his tongue slips out and glides across mine. I gasp as he squeezes my hips and twists me around, pressing my back into him.
“Maybe in another life I’ll keep you and fuck you until your body breaks apart,” he promises in my ear, his gravelly voice shooting straight down to the tips of my toes. “But not in this one, darling.”
Despite his words, I smile. Never has he called something other than what I am—Nine or Unfortunate. Darling is an affectionate word and whether Master Kade wants to admit it or not, I’ve just buried myself under his skin. My next destination? His heart. I don’t want his love, no. I want his loyalty, I want his protection, and if I can keep getting him to smile and banter with me, that’s exactly what he’ll give me.
I turn, pulling myself from his grip. “It was worth a shot,” I say, ignoring the way my legs wobble. “Have it your way.”
Subtly, I inhale and let it go, clasping my hands behind my back. “What do we do now?”
“Oh, we’re not finished here.” He rakes his teeth over his bottom lip, deep in thought. “Meet me at the lake in twenty minutes.”
“The lake?” There’s a lake that runs in from the ocean and behind the row of Fortunate manors. I’ve contemplated going down there to have a look. “What for?”
He turns and stalks back to his desk. “I’m not about to discuss my plans with my brother lingering in the hall. I know a spot at the lake.”
Lingering in the hall? “How do you know he’s in the hall?”
“You can’t feel your happiness being sucked from you?” He smiles again—his perfect lips curving so flawlessly I hold my breath. “Trust me. He’s out there.”
Great. Now I don’t want to leave. I turn to the door and hesitate a moment. Vince wouldn’t hurt me in the hall, not while Master Kade is right here. What about Thirteen? What if I run into Thirteen? I don’t think I can stomach it.
A heavy guilt settles on my heart, slowing down its pulse. I can’t help but feel as though I’ve betrayed her. Willingly kissing my Fortunate? What’s wrong with me? Have I really been so strongly brainwashed that I’m sexually attracted to the very people who force me to live like this? I reach for the handle and open the door.
“It’s not your fault, by the way,” Kade says, pulling me from my thoughts.
I peer over my shoulder and watch as he fiddles with papers on his desk, avoiding eye contact. “Thirteen.” His black irises find mine. “It’s not your fault.”
Kade goes back to what he was doing and all I can do is watch him. Why would he say that? Why would he offer me any kind of comfort? Has this evening changed him? Despite his words, I can’t smile… Because I don’t believe it. If it weren’t for me, Thirteen would still be in the kitchen, not in Vince’s bed.
“I’ll see you at the lake in twenty minutes,” I mutter and step out of the room, closing the door behind me.
“The lake, huh?”
I squeak as Vince’s voice startles me. With his bent knee, he pushes off of the wall. My spine stiffens, as if a metal pole replaces the bone and my jaw sets, clenching minutely. “Yes.”
His face is still battered, but at least the cuts have scabbed and the bruises have greened. I twist the handle and push the door open, exposing us to Kade. Kade makes me feel safe. Don’t ask me why, but I know he’ll look after me… he’ll keep me safe. There’s no way in hell I want to be alone with Vince, under any circumstance. A wry smile hints at Vince’s lips, but he doesn’t take his eyes off my face, nor I his. Despite my uneasiness, my skin prickles. I know Kade’s relentless stare is on us. I can feel it.
“Isn’t there another Unfortunate with your name on it?” he asks Vince and finally, he lifts his stare from mine.
“She’s feeling a little… under the weather, currently. I thought I’d see if yours is being put to good use.”
“Don’t worry about me,” I snap at Vince.
His eyes darken and his brows narrow, but I don’t regret letting the rough words shoot off my tongue
“Nine, the lake,” Kade orders. “Twenty minutes. Go.”
I attempt to step around Vince, but I get nowhere. He presses a heavy hand to my chest, preventing me from stepping further. “Hold on, now. You think I’m going to let your little Unfortunate get away with talking to me like that?”
Kade laughs once. “Do you think I’m going to let you do anything about it? Leave her alone. She’s still in need of training.”
Vince doesn’t remove his hand, despite Kade’s words. “It’s not your job to train her. If she’s defective, send her back. I’m sure they can find a pretty bullet with her name on it.”
My whole body tenses, hardening like stone. I lower my head, knowing better than to fall into a panic and fight Vince. With Kade, I get away with it, but with Vince there’s no way he’ll let me.
“Leave,” Kade demands, slapping a stack of paper onto his desk. “Or I’ll use the bullet I have with your name on it.”
Silence falls and it’s the kind of silence that hurts your ears… the one where the only sound you hear is the erratic beat of your heart pounding with a deafening force in your ears. Finally, Vince’s hand falls from my skin and I fight the urge to slump in relief. Without another word, I rush past him, determined to make it to the lake. Perhaps I can sit along the banks for a little while—alone. I need to gather my thoughts. I need to reassess this situation… and come up with a plan to keep Vince at arm’s length.
∞
The lake flows through the land effortlessly. There are no sounds… no birds or insects, and I don’t know if that makes this spot peaceful or depressing. Facing away from the manors it’s easy to pretend I’m the only one left in the world. How nice would that be? I’d give anything to be alone, to depend on no one and to serve no one. Although I don’t have a watch, I know I’ve been waiting for well over an hour. The late evening sun is gone and the full moon has shifted drastically in its position. A cool breeze blows over my exposed legs, blowing a leaf onto my foot. The dry texture makes my skin itch, but I ignore it and pick up the pretty caramel coloured leaf.
“That’s an oak leaf.” I jump, glancing over my shoulder. Even in the dim light, I see Kade smirk down at me and imagine his black irises flaring. “In case you wanted to know.”
I drop the leaf and rise to my feet. I shouldn’t sit in his presence, not without being asked to.
“You can sit. No one else is here to see.”
Cautiously, I lower myself back down and cross
my legs. I hear leaves crunch under the weight of his body and sole of his shoe, and butterflies awaken in my tummy, their wings brushing ever so softly against the sensitive lining of my stomach. He stands beside me, refusing to sit.
“For the sake of this conversation, let’s pretend for a second that we’re the same.”
I peer up at him. “Technically, Kade, we are exactly the same.”
“Good luck convincing someone else of that.” He sighs, running the palms of his hands over his legs and lowers himself to the ground. In this light, as he looks over the lake, he seems so young and vulnerable. I see the peace wash over his features. I see the peace smooth his skin and brighten his eyes, turning them a dark brown. It’s in this moment that I realise he is different than the rest. He’s just stuck… like me.
“You believe we’re the same?” I ask, unable to hide my own astonishment.
“Even if I did, why would I tell you? Of all people?”
I shrug. “Maybe you feel like you can trust me… like I trust you.”
He stills completely, letting his eyes flick over my face. He’s searching for something, a lie maybe. He can search my face all night if he wants to, but I’m telling the truth. I trust Kade. He’d have hurt me by now if he really wanted to, and to offer me freedom when this is all over is a sign of compassion—whether he sees it or not. He’s not supposed to care what happens to me when he’s finished… and yet he does. He cares if I’m passed down to Vince or shot in the head.
“You trust me?”
I nod and he shakes his head.
“Stupid girl.”
“You haven’t given me a reason not to.”
“I’m using you. I’m going to take everything that makes you you… and give it to other people.”