Dark Descent into Desire

by J. J. Sorel

  “She must be pretty.”

  “She’s more than pretty. She’s beautiful. An artist.”

  She rubbed her hands together. “That’s so romantic. I prefer that to learning that she’s from a rich family. They’re not to be trusted, those types.”

  I smiled at her hushed tones.

  Her eyes narrowed. She studied me further, like a doctor would, only Milly was checking for the pulse of my soul. “You look a little sad, though.”

  “Am I that transparent?” I couldn’t hide my annoyance, which was more at myself for wearing my heart on my sleeve than at Milly.

  “There. You just admitted it.” She looked at me with the concerned expression of a mother. “You can’t remain a bachelor forever, love.”

  I moved my head around to release the sudden tension in my neck. “I’m only thirty.” I took a deep breath. “And I’ve got some issues.”

  “Are you still suffering from those nightmares, my love?” Even though it wasn’t my favorite subject, her gentle voice soothed me.

  Milly knew about my affliction. She’d experienced it at Raven Abbey. Although it was a large building, my cries had echoed. And the walls had ears.

  I nodded slowly.

  “A good woman will understand. I’d like to see a picture of her,” she said. “Better still, why don’t you bring her here?”

  “And have you pick her brain and frighten the poor girl?” I grinned at the thought of Milly meeting Penelope, even though I sensed that Milly would like her. Penelope was no fake—a little nervy, but she was genuine.

  And there it was again, my body reacting at the thought of her curves and those playful dark eyes. A silent sigh made it all the way to my dick, making my jeans tight. That had been happening all morning. I had to shift about and quickly think of anything but Penelope’s full breasts and her sweet clit creaming my tongue.

  “Five hundred?” I asked, hoping that a card game would offer me respite from the erotic replay on loop.

  “Yes. Of course.” Milly’s hazel eyes brightened. “Now, this time, don’t let me win. I’ve got a drawer full of ten-pound notes. Be a darling and pull them out. I keep giving them away.”

  “You must be popular.”

  “Let’s just say that my secret nightly visit with Mr. Gin has suddenly been boosted somewhat.”

  I shook my head. I should have admonished her, but at ninety, one could allow for a few unhealthy habits. And Milly made a sport of poking her tongue at death.

  “As long as you’re not still smoking,” I said as Milly pointed at the cards in my hand. “Remember what the doctor said.”

  “It’s only three a day. And hell, I feel as strong as an ox. Just, these have failed me, that’s all.” She tapped her legs.

  * * *

  I LEFT MILLY AND was heading toward my car when my phone pinged. The pang of anticipation faded when I saw that it wasn’t Penelope calling. “Patrick.”

  “I delivered the phone. I just texted the number to you. Only, she wasn’t there. The guy that answered the door told me she’d gone home.”

  “Really?” I asked. “Isn’t that where you dropped her this morning? Did she happen to mention that she was staying with a friend?”

  “Nope. I dropped her off at the Soho address.”

  “Okay. Thanks.”

  I sat back and thought this through. Why tell me she lives in Soho? I called her number, but it still went to voicemail. Taking a deep breath, I said, “Penelope, it’s Blake. Call me…” I paused. “When you can.” I wanted to say “ASAP,” but that would have sounded a tad desperate.

  18

  * * *

  PENELOPE

  I WAS HOVERING IN THE corridor at college, waiting for a lecture that was about to commence, when Sheldon passed me a package delivered to his home.

  Mystified, I opened it and discovered a cellphone with a message from Blake to call him.

  I stared up at Sheldon. “It’s from Blake.”

  “That’s fancy-schmancy.” He studied the phone. “Holy crap, Penny, it’s the latest. Top range.”

  “Mine’s broken.” The new phone trembled in my hands.

  After that cool departure, I’d tried to convince myself that Blake was off the menu—that he’d only used my body. And although I loved every second of it, except for those few moments of pain, I was pissed off at him. If ever I’d needed an embrace and a few sweet whispery words, it had been at that door.

  “He must really be into you. He sent his hot driver. Oh wow… how Hollywood.”

  A smile stole my grimace. “What should I do?”

  “Call him, you crazy girl. He’s gorgeous.”

  “But he’s so hard to read.”

  “You don’t want to see him again because he’s enigmatic? I couldn’t think of anything sexier myself.”

  That set a pulse aching through me. Of course I wanted to see him again, and despite my body screaming for it, my cautious heart had the upper hand.

  “Call him.” Sheldon nodded. “It’s not always up to the guy to do the chasing.”

  “I don’t want to chase anyone.”

  “Hello… he just gifted you with a one-thousand-pound phone. You’re one tough cookie. If that were me, I would’ve dropped out and become his slave by now.”

  I laughed. “That’s so ridiculous.”

  “Love makes us do and say crazy shit. That’s what makes it so much fun.” He kissed me and sashayed off.

  If only the situation were so light. I thought of Blake’s intensity.

  Looking down at the phone as though it were a rare jewel, I drifted into my lecture. As I sat down, the phone pinged.

  The lecturer looked over in my direction with daggers in his eyes. The golden rule was that phones be turned off or we’d be expelled from the lecture. I apologized and tucked it away in my bag.

  As it was, I didn’t pay attention to a word the lecturer uttered.

  One hour later, I was shuffling out of class and walking down the hallway with my eyes at my feet when a voice from behind called my name. I turned, and Blake, illuminated by light pouring through a window, stood before me like an apparition.

  “I left you a message,” he said.

  While hordes passed us in the corridor, my heart raced so rapidly I nearly fainted.

  “Um… I was in a lecture.” His cologne floated up my nose and brought back the feeling of Blake’s strong naked body in my arms.

  Wearing a loose linen shirt and fitted dark-blue pants, Blake epitomized class. His dark hair was combed back, and his blue eyes were like deep wells that I wanted to splash around in.

  “Have you got a moment?” he asked, looking around as a streak of students scurried along.

  My legs felt boneless. “Let’s just go outside,” I suggested, finally finding my voice.

  We walked in silence as I led him to an empty bench under my favorite tree.

  I waited until we’d sat before saying, “Thanks for the phone.”

  “Oh, so you do have it?”

  “Shelly brought it in this morning.”

  His gaze lingered. “Why did you say you lived there?”

  A part of me bristled at his bossy tone, but then my heart fluttered. He must have cared.

  I felt him even though our bodies weren’t touching. The electricity between us made the air between us spark.

  “I stayed with my mother last night. I flit from one place to another.”

  He nodded thoughtfully and took my hand, which went from damp and cool to hot and tingly. “I wanted to see you again last night.”

  “Oh really?” I asked, puzzled. “But at the door, yesterday morning, you were so cold and distant.”

  “I’m not great in the mornings. And look, I’ve never seen a woman to the door before at that hour. In broad daylight.”

  “Really?” I studied him, looking for more, and fell into his large mesmerizing eyes. I felt like Alice going through the looking glass, but instead of bumping into a cast of weirdos, I tu
mbled into a land of dark, red-hot erotica.

  He took my hand. “I’ve got a meeting to go to. Dinner. Tonight?”

  I thought of Lilly. “I’d love to, only I promised a friend I’d be there for her. She’s not well at the moment.”

  “Is that Lilly?”

  “Did your friend tell you about her horrible experience?”

  He shook his head. “What about after? We could meet.”

  “I’m staying there through the night. I haven’t seen her for a couple of days, and she needs me. We’re like sisters.”

  He nodded. “I understand. Tomorrow night, then?” He caressed my hand. The softness of his touch flooded me with memories of his fingers on my body.

  “I’d like that.” I smiled, rising from the bench.

  He led me behind the tree, where he took me into his arms and kissed me passionately. His ravishing tongue parted my lips and entered, as though it was his dick inside of me.

  As his body pressed hard against mine, I felt his erection against my thigh.

  The intensity of his desire swept me away. After we unlatched arms reluctantly, an ache swelled between my legs, and my hardened nipples stretched my blouse. His eyes settled on them while his tongue brushed his reddened lips.

  Pushing back a stray strand of hair from his perfect forehead, he said, “Penelope, I want to fuck you so badly it hurts.”

  Voices woke us from our carnal haze, even though his gaze continued to smolder.

  He was so gorgeous I wanted to hate him.

  “Call me,” he said. “Or at least, leave your phone on so I can call you later.” He sounded stern, almost bossy.

  Having gone to putty, I could handle him acting like an alpha, as long as he made me feel desired. “I will.”

  Blake paused. “Are you going home now?”

  Stirring out of my dream, I took a moment to nod.

  He observed me biting into a nail. “Is that a bad idea or something?”

  “Um… no…. I mean, I’m good.”

  His brow lowered. “One day you’ll have to tell me where you live.”

  I smiled meekly.

  He kissed the back of my hand and strode off as though he owned the world.

  The words “one day” kept repeating themselves in my mind. That meant the future. Doesn’t it?

  * * *

  A STRANGE FEELING THAT someone was following had me looking over my shoulder. Although I saw nobody, I sprinted over the cracked pavement back to my home. A dread of being at that squalid place sucked my spirit into a black hole.

  Jimmy clasped a can of beer while gesticulating and blustering away to a bunch of guys in saggy gym wear.

  Cocking his head, he called me over. “Hey Penny.”

  “Hey. What’s up?”

  “Some big Russian prick came sniffing around earlier.”

  “What’s this got to do with me?” I asked, growing concerned.

  “He wanted to know where Lilly was.”

  I went cold. Maybe that was why I’d sensed someone following me. They must have known Lilly and I were connected.

  “You didn’t tell him anything, did you?”

  “No fucking way. I told him I’d never heard of her. He smelled of trouble. A big motherfucker.”

  I let out a jagged breath.

  “What’s it all about, Penny?” he asked.

  “I’m not sure. He’s probably fallen for her.”

  His eyes narrowed as he studied me close, as a detective would. “Well, at least she’s got Brent to protect her, because that guy seemed pretty fucking eager to find her.”

  I touched his arm. “Thanks for the heads-up.”

  19

  * * *

  BLAKE

  THE SOMBER PUB MADE one forget it was daytime. My leather shoes squelched along on sticky carpet, and I spotted him straight away. Paunchy with a ruddy complexion, he was the type of man who finished a pint within three gulps.

  He stared up at me with bloodshot eyes. Smelling of cigarettes, he nodded a greeting. “You look different in the flesh.”

  Whether that was a compliment or not, I couldn’t say. I supposed he was referring to those poorly written articles, which I detested. But my choice was either to give the odd interview or submit to endless pursuits by some unwashed paparazzo.

  “Can I get you another?”

  “A pint of stout,” he said with a strong Scottish accent.

  After the barman placed our drinks on the damp runner, I turned to Barnes. “Do you mind if we sit by a window?”

  He studied me. “Sure. I had the feeling you wanted this to be discreet.”

  I looked over at the tinted window. One could look out but not be seen. My kind of window.

  Once we’d settled, I said, “Tell me what you’ve got.”

  He puffed out a slow breath. “Fox is in thick with an Eastern European gang of smugglers. He’s filthy. Only…”

  “What?”

  “He’s got a few powerful men eating out of his palm.”

  “How’s that?” I asked.

  “Men with a taste for young girls who’ll do anything to keep the cover on that ring. There are drugs involved. But Fox is more into the prostitution side of the business. Specifically, virgins. And the younger they, are the more valuable.”

  “I bet.” I thought about James and his predilection for young women. He drew a line at eighteen, he’d insisted. For all his weaknesses—and he had a few—his moral compass sat somewhere close to mine. He wouldn’t have been a friend otherwise.

  So why do I feel a sudden pang in my gut?

  The thought of anyone having sex with underage girls, and children in general, disgusted me in such a visceral way that it made me want to vomit. And the mere implication of James’s involvement in that scene left a bad taste in my mouth.

  “How did you manage to find out?”

  “I’ve got my contacts. And your generosity made it easier to get information.” He smirked. “Around that scene, money talks louder than anything.”

  “Who are the obstacles?”

  “There’s a politician and a couple of cops.” Barnes drained his glass, and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “There’s one girl who managed to escape. She’ll need a new identity and cash to set her up somewhere else.”

  I nodded. “And she’ll testify?”

  “I think so. That’s if they don’t get to her before that.”

  Shaking my head, I said, “That sounds pretty grubby. How old is she?”

  “She’s seventeen. They kidnapped her from a village in Serbia when she was fourteen. They’ve had her trapped in a brothel, fucking her brains out, for three years. A week ago, she escaped.”

  “Where’s she hiding?”

  “She’s at a shelter. The main problem is that the shelter doesn’t have the staff. They would need round-the-clock bodyguards.”

  “That’s something I can arrange.”

  He nodded. “That’s a start.” He paused. “What are you hoping for?”

  “Bring down Dylan Fox. He’s a dirty grub.”

  “To make room for the next dirty grub to rise, you mean?”

  I stared him in the eyes. “It’s personal.”

  He studied me. “Okay.” He removed a scribbled note from his pocket. “Here’s all you need to know. Her name’s Tatiana, and there’s the shelter’s address. You can liaise directly with them. They’ll introduce you. Set up a couple of heavies to protect her until the hearing, and hope for the best.”

  “You don’t sound too optimistic?”

  “I’ve seen this shit before. It will take a gutsy—or maybe I should say foolish—person to attempt to break these rings. I’ve seen journalists fall. These brutes corrupt juries. If it were me, I would try to find another Achilles heel. You may blow fifty thousand, or even worse, it could be you that they come after. Make sure your cupboards are clean.”

  I left a hundred-pound note for the tab.

  His face brightened. “Thanks. If there
’s anything else…”

  “I’ll let you know,” I said.

  My tread was slow and heavy as I mulled over the detective’s chilling advice. My cupboards were far from clean.

  20

  * * *

  PENELOPE

  BLAKE TOUCHED MY HAND under the table. Despite that heated session behind the tree, I sensed he wasn’t into public displays of affection. Bubbling under the surface of that cool and restrained expression, I sensed a deep and complex man riddled with contradictions. I knew he was like that not from what he said, given he kept that to a minimum, but by his body language and his eyes, which softened when he stared at me and smoldered when he touched me but then would go remote when he thought I wasn’t looking.

  “Can I get you another drink?” he asked.

  It was the same intimate darkly lit bar as before. We even sat at the same table, tucked away in a quiet corner by a window. Blake needed to sit by a particular window. When I asked why, he shrugged it off as though it were a natural human inclination.

  He’d offered to have Patrick pick me up. Being at the estate, I suggested we meet instead. A tense pause followed. I wasn’t ready to reveal that part of my life to him. I’d become paranoid that when Blake discovered my background, he’d run away from me.

  As his hand settled on my knee, my body tingled.

  “What would you like to eat?” he asked.

  You.

  I bit my lip. “I really don’t mind. I’m not that hungry.”

  “Mayfair, then?”

  Although anticipation gushed through me, I nodded as coolly as possible.

  I followed him to the shiny Bentley parked on the curb, where Patrick stood in wait.

  “Hey, Patrick.” I smiled.

  He returned a smile. “Nice to see you, Penelope.”

  This time, I waited for him to open the door and indulged in the novelty of being treated like royalty.

  Once we were seated in the car, Blake moved up close and, taking me into his arms, crushed me with affection. His warm lips pecked at my neck. My heart pounded, and just one breath of his scent brought back memories of him inside of me.