by S King
“Fancy meeting you here,” I turned around to the voice, only to lose my own. Standing in front of me with the same mask as the one he wore at the ball was my Phantom.
In comparison to at the ball, nothing had changed on him with the exception of the black eyeshadow being void from his eyes. Thanks to the lights I couldn’t tell if his hair was still the same shade of black or if he had taken out the dye. Assuming, of course, he had dyed his hair for the ball. It was obvious he was still wearing contacts but under the flashing lights, I had no clue what hid behind the hazel colored polymer prosthetics.
I couldn’t stop the smirk from lifting a corner of my mouth as I said, “I’m going to make the assumption you’re a regular here.”
“Or maybe, I’m simply holding up to my end of the promise I had made a few weeks ago.”
I’ll find you later. The statement had rang through my mind when I couldn’t sleep at night. When I was tormenting myself in the shower. Still, he was standing in front of me with a devil may care smirk playing on his lips and his eyes glittering of a promise to finish what we had started in that private room at the Midnight Mask Ball.
I nodded for a second before tilting my head, “how did you know I was going to be here?”
He stepped closer to me as the song changed to a slow ballad full of piano and acoustic guitar. “I didn’t, but I was hoping.”
I bit my lip and stared at him. This had been the moment I was waiting for; ok, I wasn’t just waiting for it, I was begging to have another run-in with the Phantom standing in front of me.
“Care to dance?” Unlike at the ball, he wasn’t wearing gloves and his shirt was unbuttoned to reveal the hardness of the muscles in his chest.
I smirked, sipping my drink casually, “tell me something.” Looking up at him, I tilted my head again, “why did you run out?”
Something flashed in his eyes as he dropped his hand, “I remembered I had something to do.”
I scoffed, finishing off my drink and turned for the bar, “that is probably the oldest line in the—”
His arm came around my waist, pulling me against his chest, “you’re not one for second chances, are you?”
“No.”
“What can I do to make you change your mind? Or, at the very least, make it up to you?” He took the glass from my hand and handed it to a passing waitress before turning me around to face him.
I opened my mouth to say nothing but looking into his eyes rendered me speechless. I didn’t care that he wore contacts or the fact I didn’t know who he was behind the mask. All I cared about was my chest pressed against his and the way his voice made every nerve in my body come alive.
A wolfish grin covered his lips as he tilted his head like he could read every dirty thought running through my mind. Then again, maybe he could considering the scientists who had created us were obsessed with adding another sense on top of the standard five.
“Do you want me to beg?”
“What?” I was still trapped in a haze from his eyes, the way his lips moved, and how his voice had caused me to rub my thighs together subtly to release the pressure building between my legs.
Lowering his mouth to mine, he whispered, “we’ll more than likely only have tonight, so why don’t we make it count for something?”
I didn’t give the statement too much of a second thought, knowing I wasn’t caring one way or the other what was coming out of his mouth.
The music in the background changed to a heavily charged techno beat and forced the lights to darken even further while the neon lights came to life. Forcing shadows to dance across the planes of our masks and plunge us into partial darkness.
Finding my voice, I couldn’t say anything to Phantom other than, “ok.”
With the single confirmation, he smiled again and led me to the back of the club where the private rooms were hidden.
Unlike at the ball, the rooms were done like small apartments; a single full-sized bed, two nightstands on either side of the bed, a bay of floor to ceiling windows and a private bathroom. From my understanding, Maggie and her husband had originally designed the club to be a bed and breakfast but seeing as how none of the guard members ever travelled outside of their territories, they had to change directions to avoid becoming a laughing stalk between the guards. Ergo Nine Lives Nightclub was born.
Kicking the door closed, Phantom picked me up and placed a hand on the back of my neck. “Let me show you just how sorry I am for leaving you that night.”
I didn’t get a chance to respond as his lips crushed mine in a passion filled, lust driven kiss that would make a nun curse. Instinctively, my legs wrapped around his waist as I ripped open his shirt and pushed the fabric back from his broad shoulders.
His skilled fingers found their way under the minidress and pushed my thong aside. At first, I had thought that I was making a stupid decision for choosing such a thin material, but as his fingers hooked around the fabric and pulled them to the side, I knew I had made a good decision. As one finger enter me, I had to suppress the urge to moan; I was not going to climax on his finger.
“Were you this wet at the ball?” He whispered against my lips as his other hand unzipped my dress.
“Maybe,” I breathed relishing in the feel of his skin. Scars littered his chest, hinting at his station in one of the guards. He was a man of power and brute force with his weapon of choice; judging from the way his muscles were coiled from holding my weight and anticipation.
We pulled apart long enough for him to pull off the small dress, leaving me in nothing more than the mask Maggie had given me, my bra and thong. His arm wrapped around my back, pushing my chest to his mouth where he captured a nipple between his teeth while his finger became two.
A slow, steady pumping rhythm of in and out brought me to the edge faster than ever before. I couldn’t think straight and between his teeth and digits I was on the brink.
“You’re going to be my undoing,” he hissed before pulling his fingers out of me and brought his lips to mine again.
I didn’t have time to think about the statement because as he pressed my back to the wall, his zipper came down followed by the unmistakable sound of the foil wrapper. Good thing he knew this was going to happen because I wasn’t in the business of becoming a mother any time soon—if ever.
Kicking his pants and boxers somewhere further in the room, for a second, he stopped and simply stared at me. Those contact covered eyes searching my own.
“You better not say you have to go,” I warned.
If he so much as thought about leaving after winding me up tighter than a vault door I was going to impale him to the wall with the daggers in my clutch.
A wolfish smirk reappeared on his mouth as he studied me, “why would I say that now?”
“You have a tendency to disappear right when things are getting good.”
“How do you know what my tendencies are?”
“It’s a—” my argument was cut off with him entering me in one swift move.
The immediate feeling of being so full ruined my vocal cords to the point of only being able to get a single moan out. He felt so good, I had to close my eyes.
“I was a fool to leave you that night,” he whispered, teasingly pulling out only to slowly slide in again.
“Make up for it now,” I had regained some of my senses but as he continued his slow thrusts, and his fingers tangled their way into my hair; I didn’t care what his excuses were or how my rational mind wanted to punish him. All I wanted for him to do is not stop until we both had orgasmed.
“As you wish, angel,” his grip in my hair tightened just enough to be erotically painful.
At the bite of my nails on his shoulders, his thrusts became more demanding but not erratic. He was a man of control and one I was going to have a hard time forgetting when all of this was done and over with. For now, however, I was going to enjoy the pleasure this masked man was bringing to me.
His lips found their way to the sens
itive flesh of my neck while one of his thumb found its way to my clit and started a dangerously slow circle. Stars began to exploded behind my eyes as moans filled the room, but he wasn’t going to let me come just yet.
Pulling me from the wall, he let go of my hair and carried me to the bed; there was no interlude to the change of positions. As quickly as he separated us, he slid back into me again. The girth and length of his marvelous cock filling me to the point of explosion ripped a moan from my throat as I grabbed at the sheets.
For whatever reason, I remembered Karina explaining the picturesque sight of a man on top and had to see for myself just what she was talking about. I willed my eyes open and stared at both of his arms. His biceps and the muscles in his forearms were strained as he held his weight on his hands. He was gorgeous and I’d be a damned idiot to deny that.
“Open for me,” he breathed, staring in my eyes but never losing his tempo.
I spread my legs further, unable to keep my eyes open. He sank deeper into me, hitting that sweet spot many of my past lovers weren’t even able to think about getting to. One thing was for certain, this man wasn’t a selfish lover by any means.
His hand slid up stomach, over my chest and around my neck, but not in a vice grip. There was just enough pressure on my neck to make me begin to think he owned me in every sense of the word.
My legs came above my head while he picked up the pace and his balls began to slap against my ass. A slow—almost love making pace to start off was quickly becoming the kind of fuck every woman dreamed about at least once in their lifetime.
My moans were quickly turning to whimpers, begging for a release that he just wouldn’t give. Every time my walls started clenching around him, prepared to force me over the edge the son of a bitch would slow down and only thrust into me maybe twice before just stopping altogether.
“You’re killing me,” I finally said, the fifth time he did his dramatic effects.
That same wolfish smile came across his lips again before he leaned down, those muscles of his bunching from strain, “do want your release?”
I squirmed under him, trying to get myself off but to no avail—and to my frustration. I stared at him through my mask, trying to come up with a quick and snappy come back. Instead, my stupid ass simply said.
“Yes.”
“Beg.”
Oh, he was good. Narrowing my eyes on him, I clenched my teeth for a moment. In response? He started thrusting into me again. Only to stop right when I was on the edge.
“Please,” I snapped, locking my legs around his waist as I dug my nails into his scalp to keep him where he was.
A sinister smile and a glint in his eyes made him seem exactly like the character he had been dressed as. “Was that so hard?”
Without waiting for me to respond, his lips came crashing down on mine as his hips mercilessly began to thrust into me. Knowing there were going to be bruises in the morning, I smiled against his kiss. I was hungry for the release and didn’t say anything that could possibly make him stop.
When my vision started flickering and my toes started curling, I couldn’t stop the animalistic moan coming from my mouth. The release was something I had never experienced in my life; now I knew what people meant when they said the orgasm was mind blowing.
He thrust a final time, growling out his own release; for a moment he stilled inside me, allowing me to feel his beautiful member twitch and jerk through the condom. His forehead rested against mine for a second as the room fell into silence and music from the dance floor floated through the walls.
“I didn’t hurt you, right?” He breathed with his eyes closed.
I couldn’t stop my frown as I considered the question, “no?”
He breathed out a laugh and lifted his head to look at me, “you’re very tight.”
For one reason or another—I didn’t know why—I stared at him before laughing in his face. I had been told how amazing, incredible, mind-blowing sex with me had been, but never—since I lost my virginity—had a man complained about my walls being tight. Granted, I usually went a few years on end without any sexual encounters and gaining the title of sect leader didn’t allow any time for self-love.
When I regained my composure, I had to bite my lip as I looked up at him.
“You’re laughing?”
“It was just a first for me,” I said, shaking my head.
From what I could see of his face, he turned white with fear. After I realized what had just stupidly come from my mouth, I bit my lip again and closed my eyes.
“This was not my first-time having sex,” sadly, I didn’t have a name to call out and had I been desperate, I’d have demanded he reveal himself. But that was not a part of the rules for this game. “I was just—” I shook my head and smirked, “never mind.”
Relief washed over his eyes as he slowly pulled out of me, his cock still semi-hard. “I’ll be right back.”
I nodded, watching him confidently walk to the bathroom bare assed and bit my lip. Broad shoulders, a hard ass, the definition in his back and…everything about him was something to marvel at. And had things been different I would’ve easily gone for another round. This time without the mask; there was nothing wrong with having a bed buddy. Especially if the bed buddy was Mr. Phantom.
Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to play the awkward after-sex game tonight. I needed to find evidence to prove mine and Demir’s innocence and that wasn’t going to happen as long as I laid here naked in the back of a nightclub.
Quickly, I got up from the bed and adjusted my thong; swiping my bra from the floor, I glanced at the clock on the wall and cursed the hour. Karina would be headed home and probably have her phone turned off, so sharing my news would just have to wait. After I got my bra adjusted and my dress zipped, I took off the mask Maggie had given me and placed it on the bed.
Taking a steadying breath, I opened the door of the private room and left Nine Lives and my masked partner to the remaining hours of the night.
It was time to return to my brutal reality whether I wanted to or not. But at the very least, the last person I was thinking about tonight was Demir Losett. In turn, I just had to figure out a way to tell Lovett I definitely couldn’t marry him now.
Chapter 12 Mercy for the Damned
I searched the entire room like I wasn’t seeing what I thought I was seeing. Ripping the mask from my face, I threw the thing across the room. This was the very thing I had known was going to happen but instead of listening to my brain, I listened to my dick. Falling onto the bed, I ripped my fingers through my hair.
“Good job, Demir.” After the initial touch, I had only seen Luminous’s death once. Still the image of her getting kicked from the cliff, by my boot was something I hadn’t come to grips with.
Rubbing a hand over my face, I stared blankly at the wall; was I really that bad? No, no. I laughed on the idea, there was no way in hell I was bad at giving her what she wanted. I felt the way her body responded to me, how her walls clenched every time she was on the brink. No, being bad in bed was not the reason she had chosen to leave while I was taking off the condom and debated with myself to tell her who I was.
Slapping myself for thinking of such a stupid notion, I grabbed my things from the floor and quickly got dressed. As I took a final look around the room, catching sight of Luminous’s mask on the pillow everything came back. Luckily however my phone ringing stopped my member from becoming any more of a problem than zit already was.
Staring at the mask I answered the thing and waited for Dristan to give me the report for the night, “what is it?”
“We got him.”
For a moment, my mind blanked out and my heart sputtered against my ribs. The very man I had been trying to keep Luminous away from was now in Gold Guard territory and not only that, but he was in my best friend’s presence.
“Keep him there and do not let Svenia do anything to him,” I handed down my order, snatching the mask from the pillow and stormed fro
m the club.
For the time being I would allow the Silver angel to think she had a hook up with a random stranger and let her try to figure out a way to tell her precious Lovett the truth. But little did she know, Lovett was going to be the one breaking up with her, if I had anything to say about it.
§§§§§
The streets were blanketed in snow and the slight chill forced my mind to think of Lumi’s short dress and thin coat. She was dressed to kill in the best type of way, but in this weather? How in the hell was she—or any other woman—able to not shiver with the biting wind nipping away at any exposed flesh unforgivingly?
I shook my head on the confusing nature of a woman’s thinking and ducked between alleys and behind buildings as I headed toward GG’s holding cells.
Lately the red orders coming from the black courts were joint, expected to be executed between Silver and Gold. But tonight, wasn’t one of those nights.
Lovett Joker O’Qhuinn had a Diamond Order on him for killing several members of the honor guard without authority and refusing to answer to the courts on more than one occasion. In truth, the order made perfect sense and I’d be a liar to say I wasn’t happy about getting the power to issue his death.
Scanning the desolate street, I made sure there weren’t any peeping Toms or waiting cruises from the daytime. The last thing I wanted to do tonight was deal with the aftermath of wiping someone’s memory just to keep all of our secrets.
When I eased myself of the worry of getting spotted, I ducked into the small alley opening and pushed my way through the door. Like with the tunnels leading to the black courts, there was only a few lights spaced several feet apart along the dark wall while gold embellishments stained the flooring. At the end of the hall a steel door, reinforced with the world’s strongest of metals, waited for the correct security codes to be entered into the keypad.
I entered the codes, pulling my gloves tighter on my hands and allowed my face to go blank. If Dristan got distracted from reading my mind—for even a second, Lovett would more than likely get away from us. Everyone knew those from Silver were slippery son of a bitches and didn’t think twice about taking the cowards way out if that meant living to see another day. Granted, if we allowed such things to happen mine, Dristan, Svenia and Slade’s head would be on the chopping block with the courts.