Madman’s Method: Madman Duet Book One

by Mason, V. F.

  “He shared this letter and advised her to give it to the guy who would appreciate it. You see, Eachann didn’t want to break your heart. He knew you loved him like a lost puppy.” She tugs on her short skirt and shakes her head at me. “Pathetic really that you thought a founding five would be with you.” Even though it’s her body and her voice, it feels like a stranger standing in front of me, as I have no understanding for anything she says.

  It’s like she got replaced with an evil twin, because how could I have not seen such a rotten nature hiding behind her perfect façade?

  “These guys though”—she points with her thumb behind her—“like to play a lot. They were happy to learn about your fantasies.” She claps her hands. “Ain’t I great for being so considerate to everyone?” She glances over her shoulder at Ralph, who nods in appreciation while some kind of silent communication goes between them.

  Since when do they have anything in common?

  But then her words dawn on me, and even though I’m naïve, I’m not stupid.

  Fantasies and playing? Does she mean sex? She promised them I’d have sex with them?

  “We do like to play.” Frank speaks for the first time, stepping forward into the moonlight, and it showcases his sinister smile while his dark hair glistens in the night. “Very much.”

  “I didn’t send any letters to him.” I finally snap out of my shock, disgusted with them all, but most of all with my friend. “And whatever you want to play, I’m not interested in that.” I swiftly spin around to face Ethan, who has stayed through the whole exchange, but I see him rolling up the sleeves of his white shirt, winking at me. “Please take me home.” I can’t believe these kids have ended up being such assholes. Through all this time in school, they’ve never gotten into serious trouble and didn’t abuse their power with anything but a few harmless pranks.

  But now they’ve brought me like a whore who is not good enough for the founding five kids, but sex is an open game as long as they are ready to play.

  If Eudard were here, he would kick their asses to the ground with this kind of talk about me.

  An odd sense of protection sinks into me when I think about him and remember his arms; with such a man, it seems no danger would ever touch me.

  With him by my side, even his twin wouldn’t dare hurt me.

  “I don’t think so, pretty girl,” Ethan replies, snapping me out of my thoughts and bringing me to my hideous reality. “No need to be shy. We are here to fulfill everything you wrote about.”

  Oh my God!

  I dart to the side, wanting to run away from the rocks and shout for help, because surely someone is out there.

  But strong hands wrap around my waist from behind while Ethan pushes me into them and lifts me up when I twist violently, screaming, “Let me go!” I kick my legs back and forth while tugging on the hands, but Frank doesn’t even budge under my assault.

  “Look at her resistance,” Ralph says, stepping in front of me and grabbing my chin while I try to wiggle out of his hold, but he doesn’t let me. “Just like in her letter.” There is so much awe in his words, as if he is so proud of me. “Read it for us, Cole.” For a moment, I forgot he was among them, but then he steps around so I can see him better and revulsion rushes through me.

  “You bastard,” I shout at him, but he shrugs, huffing in exasperation.

  “No need to be embarrassed by this, Arianna. Sexual fantasies are what we all live for.”

  “On this note, we will leave while you boys have some fun,” Patricia announces, entwining her arm with Dorothy’s, who beams at her happily.

  She’s finally found her acceptance, and I guess feeding me to the wolves is worth it. “Help me,” I plead, not caring about my pride, because these boys will hurt me. “Please help me,” I beg again, but Dorothy’s face stays expressionless, and she raises her chin high, sighing in distaste.

  “This is so boring. Make up your mind, love. We are generous tonight, but we won’t be all the time.” And just like that, they walk away, the sounds of their heels crunching the leaves under their feet the only sign they have been here.

  “Alone at last!” Ralph cries out and traps my chin between his fingers, bringing our mouths closer, all while Frank restrains me, digging his fingers harshly into my hips as something presses behind me.

  Oh my God, it’s his hard-on.

  My resistance inspires his arousal?

  My mind franticly searches for a solution to this nightmare, but none comes. Running from four of them is almost impossible in the current situation, and hoping for a rescue is the only option while stalling their advances as much as possible.

  Eudard.

  I texted him and called; for sure he will check on me and come to the rescue. Eudard will save me from this. Didn’t he tell me I’m his and no one else’s?

  Doesn’t being his imply his protection?

  But I have no time to think about it as a wet mouth kisses me, locking my lips in this prison while I twist in his hold. I want to snatch it away, but his other hand fisting my hair doesn’t let me. He tries to push his tongue into my mouth, but I don’t open it, barely controlling the reflex to vomit all over him, but he bites my lip painfully, drawing blood, and I groan, gulping for breath.

  He finds the opening and assaults me harshly, while I do my best to kick him, but it barely moves him, his legs too muscled to feel even the sting, let alone pain.

  He removes his mouth, breathing heavily while his eyes gleam with excitement, and his thumb wipes away the blood on his lips and he groans, adjusting his dick. “Fuck but all the waiting for you has been worth it for this moment,” he whispers, giving me another peck before stepping back. “Cole, read the fucking letter, so we won’t miss anything.”

  Cole clears his throat, flashes me a grin, and winks as if he is doing something awesome. How can a person be so delusional or allow a girl to suffer this much?

  None of them can call themselves men! “Eachann, I’m writing you this letter, because I’m so hopelessly in love—”

  “Get to the point. We don’t need the whole love shit.” Ethan waves him off, stopping in front of me while he palms my head and presses his mouth against mine, licking around my lips and groaning. “Ah, but you are sweet.”

  “Don’t touch me!” I scream, slapping him on the cheek, but he quickly grabs my hands and squeezes them in his, breaking one of my fingers.

  My agonized scream fills the space, the pain traveling from my palm to my shoulder, awakening every nerve in me while Ethan curses. “Fuck, I didn’t mean to.”

  Ralph snatches him away from me, shoving him so hard he ends up on the ground. “The fuck, man? We didn’t even start and you’re already breaking our toy?” He inspects my finger, flipping it back and forth while tears stream down my cheeks, but he shrugs. “No harm done. I promise, beautiful, once we are done with you, there will be nothing but pleasure for you.” The way he says it truly implies they are all delusional and believe I want whatever is written in this letter.

  His soothing voice would be welcomed if he wasn’t the source of my pain and fear in the first place. “Ralph, please,” I mumble through my tears and hiccups, deciding to take a different approach to this. Maybe if they know I’m not pretending, they’ll be as terrified of this as I am? “I didn’t write that letter. I don’t want this,” I plead with everything that I am, pressing my palms together like in prayer, despite the agony of my finger. I beg, “Believe me. I don’t want this. Please don’t do this to me.” Don’t they see how this is hideous? How I don’t want it?

  How they are about to rape a girl based on a letter she never wrote in the first place?

  Ralph and Ethan pause, indecision crossing their faces, and they share a look, shifting uncomfortably, contemplating my words. I must be getting to them. “I never—”

  “I have this fantasy of you and me, alone in the forest. The no-man’s-land. Where you take me to the cliff and among the rocks make me yours,” Cole’s voice interrupt
s me, reading the damn letter again. “But not in a gentle way, no. I want you to take me by force, kissing me and touching me all while I say no. I’d show resistance and plead for you to let me go. I’d say that I don’t want it, that I’ve never asked you for it, but I secretly would want you to continue.”

  No.

  No, no, no.

  The minute he reads those words, he seals my fate, because the guys smile smugly at each other and remove their shirts, ready to fulfill everything this letter says.

  And in this, forever destroying me.

  My screams echo in the night when Ralph grabs my shoulders and throws me on the ground where I land painfully with a thud, with four boys gazing over me with lustful expressions.

  And the only thing I think of?

  Eudard, who has to come and help me.

  He will help me no matter what.

  Oh, how stupid I had been.

  If I only knew the Campbell brothers and what they were capable of… I never would have bothered with the hope.

  Cassandra

  Taking a deep breath, I raise the lapels of my dress and slowly walk up the stairs to Patricia’s house, winking at James on my way, who gives me a bemused stare and quickly scans the guest list, panic etching his features.

  I want to reach out to him and soothe him, but there is no time for that.

  With one last wave to Liza, who came to pick me up twenty minutes ago, I quicken my steps, allowing my black eight-inch heels to click and announce my arrival to the couple standing by the terrace entrance with their huge grins in place, greeting their guests.

  Since it’s a ball, they’ve moved the entrance to the grand hall with the terrace opening to the view of their magnificent garden. Their ballroom there is spacious, with a chandelier dangling above, lighting up the room like a thousand candles, which creates a fairy-tale atmosphere.

  Since the door leads into the garden, two sets of steps surround the entrance near the Venus statue, right in the middle of the fountain that generously sprays water—the sound of it having the ability to calm anyone.

  Anyone but me.

  Patricia leans to kiss Karen, who walked in before me, and doesn’t see me until her gaze shifts up. She freezes, her diamond earrings dangling from her ears while her silky gold dress loses its appeal in contrast to her twisted expression of displeasure. “Cassandra,” she says, and Karen glances over her shoulder, her eyes widening, but she bites her lip and proceeds inside with her husband, who presses his hand on her back.

  Clearly, Patricia has already given her veto on me.

  Hilarious really how the grown-up people desire so much of her approval. Maybe if they’d ignored her spoiled ass, then she wouldn’t have gotten away with a lot of shit through the years.

  “Cassandra, what a nice surprise.” Ralph starts moving in my direction, but his wife’s hand on his elbow stops him.

  “You weren’t invited.” Her voice is cold and a slight smirk touches her lips as she waves her hand in a dismissive gesture. “So I advise you to go home before anyone sees your humiliation.” Judging by her tone, she’d love for me to not listen to her and experience someone’s scrutiny.

  Mentally cursing Eudard for dragging me into this mess and not having the upper hand in the situation with Patricia, I open my mouth to reply, but the deep voice from behind me beats me to it. A strong hand wraps around my waist and instant heat travels through me, warming up every bone in my body. “She’s with me.” For a second, air sticks in my lungs from the intensity of his presence, but I keep my small grin intact, turning my head to him, but his attention stays on Ralph. “So step aside.” He repeats Patricia’s gesture and her lips thin. “Before anyone sees how ready you are to kiss my ass for me to be here.” At this point, the hostess almost vibrates with anger and becomes red. I barely hold back my laughter, because I’m not sure I want to make a scene.

  Not yet.

  Ralph nods, squeezing his wife’s shoulder, clearly hinting for her to shut up, and motions to the entrance. “Welcome. We are always glad to see you, Eudard. Maybe we’ll be able to talk about the deal later?” Hope laces his question, and my brows furrow at this. What kind of business can they have together?

  To my knowledge, Ralph’s family owns several shares in different founding five companies, but that’s about it, unless he got the reins to Patricia’s company? But again, I doubt her parents would have allowed it. They are the only ones who still live here on the coastal side of the town.

  Ironically, they were the only ones who offered my parents help and promised to investigate all the claims, even if it meant their kid was guilty. They were horrified at what happened to me and everyone's breezy attitude toward my pain. I think they were the only parents who ever showed us kindness without throwing their position in our face as well.

  So despite my hatred for Pat, I have deep respect for her parents.

  “I doubt it,” Eudard replies, placing his hand on my lower back, burning me with it, and pushes me in the direction of the door. “I plan to have fun tonight.” And before I can even blink, we are inside, greeted by the sounds of music, voices, and clinking of china echoing in the space.

  I notice several people glance our way, their mouths dropping at seeing Eudard by my side, but my focus is on Ethan, who watches us in disbelief while some woman continues to talk his ear off.

  Did he expect me to cry at home, mourning the loss of his company?

  Cole’s reaction is no better. He picks up a glass from a passing waiter and gulps it swiftly, frowning.

  Okay, in the span of the five minutes, I’ve managed to anger almost everyone who I planned to take revenge on. This is not exactly how I envisioned it, but I wanted to speed up the process.

  I can't be their enemy until I know all their weaknesses that can be used in destroying them once and for all, so they won't pollute the air everyone breathes.

  Only Frank chuckles at us, leaning on the wall. Even though he showed an interest back at the church, I didn't get any other vibe from him besides curiosity. But he is single man, and a new treat came to town, which almost never happens. Shouldn’t he at least be tempted?

  Unless there is someone here he’s banging? Based on the reports I have on him, he’s casually dated several women over the years but never had one single relationship. He also preferred to spend his inheritance devoting it to science and labs. But once again, he stayed here in this town, not even bothering to travel the world.

  I dismiss the thought for now, because I have more important matters to deal with.

  Like the freaking mayor of the town showing me off in front of everyone like his latest toy.

  “I’d appreciate you releasing your death grip on me,” I grit through my teeth, smiling brightly for everyone.

  “I quite like you in my arms.” He leans closer, whispering into my ear, “Shows everyone where you belong without me having to say it.” Annoyance zips through me, and I turn my head to him, our lips inches apart while his green pools drill into me like he is memorizing my every feature. “Also, you look stunning tonight.” He steps back, enveloping my palm in his and lifting it to his lips, giving it a gentle peck. “The most beautiful woman in the room.”

  For a moment, I’m frozen on the spot, basking in his words that warm me from the inside out and leave me alone with him. Through the years, I’ve seen interest and desire on men’s faces, enough to know they found this version of me attractive. But while their stares brought nothing but revulsion, his makes me yearn for things I vowed myself to avoid.

  At least until my vengeance is settled.

  His thumb rubs my hand as if he’s reading my mind, and I wonder what would have occurred if that night never happened.

  Would we have gone to the homecoming dance together and formed a different relationship?

  Would we have become a couple who did everything together like normal seventeen-year-olds?

  Would we have gone to the same university and been lovesick idiots? Or woul
d we have broken up at some point and have fond memories of each other for the rest of our lives?

  I don’t have answers for those questions, because what-ifs bring nothing but pain, but I know one thing.

  I could have loved him and been his in this world that has been so cruel to me. And in this moment, for a fraction of a second, devastation penetrates me at the prospect of never being given the chance to experience it.

  And now it’s too late.

  We can never be a couple who loves each other, and he doesn’t belong in my darkness.

  No, my darkness is forever my own, just like the pain that is attached to my every breath.

  Shaking my head from the fog he has cast on me, I lift my chin. “You should know.” Not thinking on it much, still holding his palm, I make a flawless twirl with all the grace of a dancer with my silky dress reflecting the light from the chandelier above us. Someone gasps in the background and the buzzing around us quiets down, but we pay no attention to that as our gazes clash in a duet. “You picked the dress, after all.” The off-the-shoulder red ball gown is made of the finest silk and chiffon with a layered skirt that gives a majestic yet feminine look and emphasizes my features. My hair falls down my spine in heavy waves. Lacy gloves finish the style, giving me a mysterious yet gorgeous look.

  An emotion crosses his eyes, but it’s gone so fast I don’t catch it; the only indication left of it is his fingers squeezing mine harder, and he replies, almost caressing me with the smoothness of his tone that sends awareness through my entire body. “It’s always about the woman in the dress, not the other way around.” He drags me farther into the ballroom, right in the middle, while people scatter to the sides, making us the center of attention.

  Although at this point we probably are, even if we stay in the freaking corner!

  The musicians are a few feet away from us, softly playing their classical music that floats around the room, but they stop when they see us, their questioning gazes darting between Eudard and me.

  “I figure if we are giving a show to everyone, we might as well commit.”

  “What's that supposed to mean?” But he is already clicking his fingers to the band as if in silent command, and the music changes, reminding me of those waltz lessons my college choreographer made us do when teaching us different styles of dances.