Fiendish Play

by Angela Richardson

  “Sorry...I could hear you both talking from the lounge,” Anais said in a low voice. Her head was hung low like she was unable to look me in the eye.

  “See,” Marcus said pointing to Anais proudly. “I told you. She’s real.”

  The three of us stood in a circle, silent and waiting to see what would happen next. I couldn’t believe Anais was here, in my apartment, in the middle of the night. I had no idea what was going on, but she continued to avoid my questioning eyes.

  She was wearing a white shirtdress that was cinched at the waist with a tan belt. I couldn’t help but think about the night she was half-naked in my room. Anais was in a white see-through top and shorts. She seemed to always be wearing white, and had this angelic aura that surrounded the air around her. This natural innocence she seemed to possess was very alluring, to say the least. But as to why she was now in my room at some ungodly hour after another week of no contact was very unusual.

  “Sooooo...” Marcus chimed in, breaking the weird tension between all our bodies. “I’ll just leave you two to...ahhh...” Marcus cleared his throat, “chat then.” I could see his body shift up and down in laughter as he exited the room and closed the door, leaving Anais standing opposite from me and my almost naked body.

  Her eyes moved from my eyes and down to my chest. Slowly, very slowly. Like she was drinking me in. She was still silent as she stared at my chest in some kind of trance-like state. It was extremely hot to see her look like she wanted to devour me, but I couldn’t let the way her eyes were eating me up distract me from this obviously uncharacteristic move on her behalf. For some reason I didn’t imagine Anais as the type of girl to appear on a guy’s doorstep in the middle of the night. There was definitely more to this.

  “What are you doing here Anais? In the middle of the night? Because you made yourself pretty clear at the dinner about us just being friends...and given how we can’t even talk or seen each other, I’m not sure we’re even that.”

  She stepped closer, still staring at my body, but her eyes dropped even lower to where my boxers hung below my waist. “Uhhh, is this...how you work?” she said softly, moving towards me like she was in a slow motion. “All...naked...and sweaty?” She swallowed, sounding hot and bothered. “And your body...is very...ummm...” Her voice trailed off.

  “Would you feel more comfortable if I put a shirt on?” I asked walking over to the other side of a room where I had thrown a T-shirt onto the floor.

  “NO!” her voice yelled at me. It echoed in the small space, stopping me from walking and spinning me right back around to face her.

  I wanted to laugh. But I didn’t. I was enjoying her objectification. It was turning me on the longer she kept her eyes plastered on my skin. “Fine. I’ll stay naked then.” A cute smile touched her lips. “Just for you.”

  More silence grew between us again, like she didn’t know how to start talking. I had to break the tension. It was getting unbearable, even for me. There was only so much self-control I could manage given the way her eyes roamed over me like she wanted to explore.

  “You didn’t answer my question Anais. What are you doing here?”

  “You were right James. Everything you said about me making my own future, making my own choices. You were right. And I don’t want Deacon. At. All. I despise him. So...I broke it off.”

  “You mean you’re not betrothed anymore?” I couldn’t help but use the same out of date word she had thrown at me at the invitational dinner.

  “No. I’m not.”

  I could easily admit that even though she had brushed me off at the dinner, it didn’t stop me thinking about her every day since we met. I had thought about the smell of her skin and had imagined having her underneath me and on top. And I knew it wasn’t one-sided. From the night in my room to hiding in that wardrobe, our encounters were more than just that. They were moments. The type of moments that are memorable. Unforgettable. But I wasn’t sure they were enough for her to go against this world she was in. She seemed adamant at keeping me far away from whatever it was she was mixed up with. But now she was here, on her own free will, in the middle of the night. Something was either wrong...or had changed...or both.

  “Just like that?” I said, knowing I sounded like I doubted her. I didn’t want to look like I didn’t believe her, but honestly, it all seemed so dubious.

  “Yes. Just like that. And I don’t want to talk about what happened either,” she said abruptly, like it was never going to be open for discussion.

  I had to wonder how she was let go of that commitment so easily. Was it really true? Did she suddenly find the strength to go against her parents? Against the society she told me had hold of her. Something told me it was not that easy — that she didn’t just walk out of her secret society responsibility and into my room. But if she was rebelling and trying to find a way out, I wanted to help her any way I could. I would be her support. I wouldn’t let her fall. I would protect her because...well...I wanted to. It was that simple. It was the only truth I knew when I saw her face, felt her eyes look into me and down into a place I wasn’t sure was real until now. Yes, I wanted to believe in what she was saying even if it was a lie.

  She looked over at the wooden foundation I was carving. The big block of wood being shaped and was taking form. She glided over to the other side of the room and started touching and rubbing her fingers along the sanded piece of wood, avoiding my stare that still needed answers to my questions.

  “What’s your thesis piece called?” she asked, changing the subject completely.

  Her question made me smile. And for good reason too. “It’s called...La jeune fille qui a grandi dans mon coeur.”

  “Oh you speak French.” Her eyes widened in glee. “But of course you do...coming from France and all. How silly of me. Ummm...but what does that mean?”

  I walked over to where she stood with her hand on the wood, and leaned in closer to her face, so her cheeks could feel my warm breath. “In English it means…‘the girl who grew in my heart.’”

  “Oh. That’s...really...wow.” A rosy hue appeared on her cheeks like I knew it would. She walked around the foundation, studying the details of what I had begun to carve. “And this girl...do I know her?” She was trying so hard to sound casual and nonchalant, like the answer wouldn’t mean anything to her. But I knew it did.

  “Maybe you do,” I said coyly to her back. “Or...maybe you don’t.”

  Playing with Anais was fun. The mystery made her bite her lip, like she was worried. But hell, she had nothing to worry about. It was all for her. Because of her. Meant for her.

  “Say something more to me please...in French.” She eyed me with a different look now, something greedier and wanting. I liked this shy kind of assertiveness. A lot.

  “Alright then.” I stepped closer to her so I could whisper into her ear. She leaned back and turned her head so she could watch me curiously. I pulled her long brown hair away from her ear.

  “Vous faites mon coeur bat plus vite,” I breathed against her neck. She shivered at the sound of the words. French is really a beautiful language. I did know of its effect on women. I wasn’t oblivious to its charm. I knew of its romance...its sensuality...its charisma. But there is a right time to use it and a wrong to use the language like it’s poetry to woo your way into the arms of another.

  She turned her head so she could see my eyes. “What did you say?”

  “I said...” Getting closer and putting both hands on her hips as I moved close to her ear again. “That you make my heart beat faster.”

  Her body tensed up and I saw a smile curl up from her lips. Yes, this was my moment.

  “Oh.” Her mouth made the ‘o’ face and she touched her cheek like she did the first time in my bedroom when I saw her blush. I stepped around to look at her face to face.

  “You know, you shouldn’t hide your face like that Anais.”

  She swallowed. “Why’s that?”

  “Cause...Tu es la plus belle fille que
j'ai jamais vu. Vous ne devriez jamais cacher votre beauté.”

  She sucked in another quick breath hearing the accent roll off my tongue. Her breathing getting faster. “What does that mean?”

  “That you’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen. You should never hide your beauty.” I paused. “Is that...cheesy?”

  Her eyes gleamed brighter and she shook her head. “No, no, no...not when it’s said in French.”

  I moved fast, holding her waist, my head leaning on hers so we were nose to nose, drawing her towards me. “How about this then...Puis-je vous embrasser?”

  She tried to slow her breathing but it only continued to accelerate. She waited, knowing I was about to tell her what I had said. I cupped her milky white cheek, my finger grazing the edge of her lips.

  “I said...can I kiss you?”

  Without saying a word, Anais leapt at me, taking me and my lips by complete surprise. She devoured my mouth, holding on and pulling my body against hers with such force and passion I almost couldn’t believe it was the same girl. I moaned because I could feel her intensity and was responding with the same electric pull. She pushed me back onto my work desk, my tools scattering and falling onto the floor. The banging sounds echoing in our ears. She straddled my hips, but at the same time, not breaking the connection with our mouths. She just kissed and kissed me. Not wanting to stop or let go. It felt like she let her body become free to move and mold as she had always wanted. It was alive with sexual energy and I couldn’t help but pull her hips harder on top of me as she rode me through our clothes. She was wild, out of control — free. When it was clear she needed oxygen, she broke free from my lips, taking a deep lifesaving breath of air, but her eyes only screamed to mine that she wanted more. A lot more.

  Who was this amazing girl? And where did this energy and thirst for passion suddenly come from?

  “I’m so sorry James. I don’t know what just came over me like that.” She climbed off me quickly, looking away, clearly embarrassed and shaken by her reaction. “I can’t believe I just did that to you...I should get going...I’m sorry for just showing up like this...I don’t know what I’m doing...”

  “Anais, stop. Just stop.” I grabbed her face. “Look...just to be clear, I like you too. A lot. And this...” I pointed to the beginnings of my sculpture piece, “is all because of you...for you...about you. You’ve inspired something that has moved me like no other.”

  Anais sighed and stepped away from my hands that held onto her. She smiled that beautiful smile I saw on campus when she had given me the tour. That was before her eyes shifted down to the obvious bulge in my boxers that I couldn’t hide. She turned her back towards me, feeling like she shouldn’t look, but I grabbed her elbow and spun her back around. I didn’t want her to hide from me because I wasn’t going to hide from her. And I had nothing to be embarrassed about. Her eyes darted down again, like she wanted to peek but wasn’t sure she could. I touched her lips with my finger, feeling even more turned on by the fact she couldn’t take her eyes off my boxer shorts that now looked more like a tent. I was about ready to throw all this respect my mother had taught me to give women, and toss it out the window from her hungry gaze. My urge to want to rip her pretty white dress off becoming more than I could handle. I watched her chest heave back and forth, her breasts rising and falling. They continued to slow, like she was making the conscious effort to calm herself as well. I moved forward towards her lips. I needed to taste her again before she changed her mind. Before she might try to run. But she didn’t pull away from me. She stayed in the confines of my arms wrapped around her tight and my hardness pushed up against her body.

  I kissed her sensually then. Slow and soft. Our tongues dancing together like they were meant to be partners. She tasted like something I never knew I was hungry for. And I needed more. I needed to devour her, all day, every day. She broke from the kiss but kept her cheek on mine.

  “I was thinking James...that maybe we can catch up tomorrow, you know; hang out...if you want? I can meet you at my gates in the evening...”

  There was nowhere else I wanted to be, yet she sounded so unsure I wanted the same thing. Maybe this feeling was new for both of us and natural insecurity was quickly seeping into her conscious. I needed to reassure Anais that I was right there with her in the same headspace, wanting and needing this too.

  “Anais, nothing would make me happier. Let’s make it our first official date.”

  She rested her head on my shoulder and hugged me tight. “Finally...” she whispered, “something that might be mine.”

  I’m glad she couldn’t hear my thoughts, because in my mind, there was no ‘might be’ in her sentence. For me, I wasn’t ‘might be,’ I already was.

  {10}

  I was walking down to the garage when I saw the silver Mercedes pull up in our driveway. It screeched to a halt and jerked forward, stopping abruptly. I stood back, eyes squinting; trying to see what was going on. The driver’s door flung open and Anais climbed out, running over to me. She was wearing black high-waisted slacks with buttons on the hips and a short-sleeved white blouse that was open at her chest, only half tucked into her pants. It looked like she had thrown the clothes on her body in an effort to get here faster. I felt kind of flattered. This was the second time in two days she had just appeared on my doorstep. I was starting to believe she really liked me.

  “Hey, I was just on my way over…” I said in a relaxed swagger as I walked down my stairs towards my motorbike. She ran up to me, holding onto my shoulders, stopping me from finishing my sentence.

  “James…I…I need your help.”

  My ego sank and my pulse shot up. This was something else entirely. Her eyes were bright pink like she had been crying all the way here. Something was very wrong. I held her back so I could see her face and assess how bad the situation was. “Anais, what’s wrong with you? What’s happened? Are you okay?”

  “It’s not me James…it’s my cousin Seth. He’s in trouble. I had no one else I could turn to who would consider helping. Will you come with me? Help him for me?”

  What kind of friends wouldn’t help her out?

  “Of course I’ll help you, but I’m going to need a lot more information about what’s going on.”

  Anais nodded like she understood exactly what I meant. If she wanted my help, she would need to finally open up about this world and these people and everything she was pushing me away from. Enough of the silly “I’m trying to protect you,” statements when it was clear Anais couldn’t protect anyone. It was time to let me in.

  She tugged my arm forcefully. “Let’s go then.” She ran back to her Mercedes and I quickly followed, jumping into the passenger’s side.

  “Where are we going?” I asked, watching Anais tear out of my driveway, shift gear and pound her foot onto the accelerator. Watching her handle the car so aggressively was pretty darn sexy, to say the least, even in an emergency.

  “James…do you remember at the dinner when I told you I was part of a club…a secret organization…?”

  The urgency of the situation was back. “Yeah. How can I forget?”

  “Well it’s not just any club. It’s a secret society called the Lappell. It’s probably the most powerful secret society in the country. But I didn’t choose this for myself. It was chosen for me. Just like my cousin Seth. We’re what you call legacies. The child of a parent who is already part of the society. We have to join. We’re made to. You see, refusal is not an option. And my cousin Seth...well...he’s a good guy, only eighteen, and not cut out for it. With its expectations and what we’re made to do...he really struggles. He’s a kind, sweet and soft person. And in this horrible world…if he doesn’t perform, well…”

  Anais’ voice trailed off. Like she couldn’t bring herself to even say the rest. But I needed to know how bad it got. What kind of danger I was potentially walking into with her cousin.

  “Go on…” I pressed.

  “Then you’re punished. In the wor
st kind of ways. And right now he’s paying for something he never chose for himself. James, I have to try and help him. My friend Gwen who’s also a legacy, she called me and told me where they’ve got him. What they’re doing to him.”

  “Who?”

  “Byron…and Deacon…and the others. They’re all in the Lappell. They’re all on the rise and fighting for positions and power. Byron is like third in command of this chapter, next to the second and president. He makes up his own rules...makes up the punishments. And dishes it out ...without mercy.”

  “And why do they have Seth?”

  “Because there are consequences when we fail or if we don’t comply. If we don’t do what we’re told. If we don’t succeed. If we’re not winners. The price we pay...”

  She couldn’t finish her sentence. What was the price they paid? How bad did it really get? “Anais are you saying...”

  “What I’m saying…is that I need you.” She cut me off. “And I know I have no right to ask for your help. I know I shouldn’t be including you in any of my problems and these people…but…but…”

  “Anais, stop. You don’t have to ask me anything. I want to help you, and your cousin.”

  I reached over and took one of her hands she had resting on her thigh, and squeezed it tightly. She eyed me trying to smile, but her face was filled with mixed emotions, the most obvious being fear. Fear of these people and fear for her cousin’s welfare. I had no idea what exactly I was going to be charging into. I didn’t know how bad these people were and what they could be doing, especially given the picture Anais just painted in my head. But something told me to trust that her fear was real. That this was Anais’ way of letting me in. She was throwing me straight into the deep end. Opening her emotional suitcase up wide and saying, “Here’s my dirty laundry — take a big whiff!” I either had to help carry the load or walk away. And I was choosing Anais, suitcase and all.