by Chuck Buda
Spencer shrugged. “I guess it’ll work. I’m not sure I trust Todd. Or Ryan for that matter. I’m going to prepare for them as if they will be trouble. Just in case.”
Zoe tried to read between the lines. Was Spencer hinting he was preparing for anyone causing trouble? Including her? Or was he really only thinking of Todd and Ryan?
“Whatever. Ryan won’t be a problem. Ever. I’ve seen to that myself. Todd will be fine when Aiden submits. Trust me. They all want what we are giving them.”
Spencer chuckled. “And what are WE giving them?”
Zoe lost her smile. She needed Spencer to understand he needed to hold his tongue. She hoped her serious expression and tone would break through his lack of respect.
“WE are giving them freedom. Freedom to live the way they want. Freedom to go beyond the lines of what society deems normal.” She licked her lips. “Do you feel you are more important to The First Cut than I am?”
“Well, I’m the one who knows how to cast the spells. And I’m the one with all the knowledge. You just hold court. Quite frankly, it’s not so different from the past.”
Zoe felt her blood come to a boil. She stopped herself from attacking him with her key chain’s box cutter. The only thing stopping her from acting out was all the witnesses. Otherwise, Zoe would rid herself of Spencer and his pompous attitude. Once and for all.
“Believe what you wish, Spencer. But you understand nobody follows your word. They never have. And they never will.” Zoe stepped closer to Spencer. “Their true leader stands before you. Without me, The First Cut wouldn’t exist.” She wanted to bite into his face and taste his blood.
Spencer leaned closer to Zoe. She smelled the mint on his breath from the gum he had been chewing.
“I...understand...perfectly.”
He remained within Zoe’s personal space for several moments longer. Both of them glaring into each other’s eyes. Finally, Spencer stepped back and smirked at her. He walked to his car without turning back.
Zoe released her breath. She added Spencer to her watch list. Zoe had already counted on keeping after Spencer because of her desire for control. But now he was a potential stumbling block like all the others. Zoe wondered if she would be better off finding a gullible group of underclassman to join her instead of her friends. They were quickly becoming more trouble than it was worth. Zoe needed to speed up her process for total domination. She would have to learn the esoteric teachings so she could handle the rituals herself. The enlightenment. She smiled at the thought of that.
Zoe imagined Aiden offering his scabbed neck to Spencer’s blade. She pictured the blade digging through the flesh and the flowing rivers of blood. Jordyn and Leah, naked and painted in white, would collect Aiden’s blood in the chalice. Then Ryan and Todd would contribute their seed. The group would form the holy circle while Spencer chanted them into catatonia. The drinking of the sacrament would begin. And Zoe would rise above. Becoming ethereal. Embodying the spirit. Consuming their souls to reach the apex of the ceremony.
She could barely contain her excitement. Zoe felt the wetness spread between her legs. She hurried to her car before it soaked through, revealing her desires. Zoe wished she could go home and take care of her urges. But she had more work to do before going home. She had to let Aiden know about Friday. Aiden would have to understand he would be allowed to attend but he would have to submit to the ritual. Zoe wouldn’t tell him what her plan was. The surprise would add to the aura. But if Aiden understood something would be expected of him, there would be less of a chance for him to balk when the moment arose. Mentally, he would be ready to do whatever it took to be brought back into the fold.
Zoe peeled out of the parking lot. She felt the adrenaline in her veins. She felt things were definitely getting closer to achieving her dreams.
Chapter 28
Holden returned to his office. Back to back meetings, locked away in a conference room, was soul-sucking. Holden preferred working on his projects from his office. But senior management loved to sit around a big table and talk about things all day.
His phone rang. Holden thought for a moment about letting it go to voice mail so he could try to bang out a new presentation. In the end, he decided to answer the call since it would be one less he would have to return later.
“Fisher.”
Holden listened for the caller to announce who it was. Instead, all he heard was sobbing.
“Why did you go through with it?”
He instantly knew it was Rebecca. Holden stretched the cord across the desk so he could close his office door. “Rebecca?”
“You fucked my daughter. Why would you do that?” She continued to cry.
Holden tried to collect himself. Her call caught him off guard. And he hated the fact that she called him at the office. He had warned her last time not to do this. “I’ll come by later and we can talk.”
“I can’t even face you, Holden. You de-flowered my precious daughter.”
“I doubt that. She seemed to know exactly what she was doing.” He knew his words were hurtful but he wasn’t going to accept full responsibility for it. Jordyn and Rebecca were equally at fault.
“Are you calling my daughter a slut? Fuck you!”
Holden sighed. “No, I’m sorry. It’s not what I meant. Look, I can’t really talk right now. I’m at work. I told you not to contact me here.”
“Well, I’m sorry, Holden. But this is very important. I’ve tried to wait and I can’t even function.”
He swabbed his face with his palm. He had to get Rebecca to agree to speak with him later. Holden hoped she would hang up and then he would try to avoid her for a few days before circling back.
“What do you want me to say? I already apologized. And Jordyn forced me to do it. She threatened to tell Samantha about us. I can’t risk that. She’s got me by the balls, Rebecca. You might want to control your kid.” His anger seeped through.
Rebecca blew her nose. It sounded as if she were trying to calm herself down. “Yeah, well she did the same thing to me. She’s threatening to tell Turner. You know what that means? If Turner finds out and leaves me, how am I going to live? I can’t support myself.”
Holden could care less about Rebecca’s childish need to be taken care of. His focus was keeping the affair from Samantha. He thought he was done when he managed to side-step her questions last night. And now the shit storm continued from Rebecca and Jordyn.
“So what are you going to do about it?” He pressed Rebecca for action.
“What can I do?”
“How about punish her or take away her cell phone?” Holden grasped at straws.
“Oh, yeah, that will work with an eighteen-year old. Maybe I should spank her.”
Holden bit his tongue against admitting Jordyn would probably like a spanking. He knew throwing gasoline on the fire wouldn’t resolve anything.
“Should we work together to corner her? Threaten her with some fire of our own?”
“That will never work. She has us, Holden. We have to do what she wants. But you can’t touch her. Jordyn is off-limits to you.”
“I didn’t want to touch her to begin with. This is all your fault, Rebecca. You shouldn’t have made me come over.”
“It’s not my fault, Holden. Nobody made you whip your dick out. And last I checked, it was YOU who came to my house. I never went to you.”
Holden gritted his teeth. He could almost feel the enamel scraping away. Rebecca was right in her argument. It was his horniness that drove him to cross the street. He could have ignored her pleas for sex. If only he had restrained himself then Rebecca wouldn’t have a leg to stand on if she chose to reveal things to Samantha. He’d be able to accurately deny her accusations. But he had given in to temptation. And now he was prone to losing everything he cared for.
“I can’t see you anymore, Rebecca. We’re done. We should have stopped a long time ago. Or better yet, never started.” His admission was too little, too late.
; Rebecca wailed on her end of the line. She cried out that she didn’t want to lose him. He gave her something to look forward to each day. Holden squeezed his eyes shut against her claims. Holden didn’t want to hear how she needed him. He wanted nothing to do with her anymore. Holden was sad that he could never sleep with her again.
“Don’t shut me out, Holden. I need you now, more than ever. Who can I talk to about this? I can’t share it with Turner. And Jordyn orchestrated it all. You’re the only person I can confide in. Please, don’t shut me out.”
Holden sighed. “Get a dog, Rebecca. You can tell it all you want and it’ll never spill the beans.” He gently hung up the phone.
A few seconds after hanging it up, the line rang again. He stared at the number on the caller id display. It was Rebecca again. Holden pulled the cord out of the side of the phone. The display went black.
His cell phone vibrated in his pocket. Holden groaned. He knew who it was. Rebecca was trying his cell now. Holden turned off the power on the cell phone. He tossed it in the garbage can under his desk. He’d have to pretend he lost the phone and go get a new one. As soon as Holden thought about it, he realized phone numbers were transferable. He reached into the garbage can and retrieved his cell phone. Holden put it in his pocket with the power turned off. He wanted to be done with Rebecca and Jordyn. Unless they called the house. He didn’t think they were crazy enough to pull off a stunt like that.
Don’t be so sure, Holden.
He realized he wouldn’t be able to concentrate on work for the last hour of the day. He stared at the computer screen and thought about his poor decisions. Holden had worked hard all his life to reach this level of his career, build a family, and live in a prestigious town. Now it all dangled from a precipice.
Holden wanted to cry as he felt sorry for himself. But he couldn’t risk being discovered in that state on the job. He turned his chair and stared out the window. It would only be a matter of time before his corruption would reveal itself to the world. Holden was not a fool. Things had gone well past the point of no return. It would be impossible for this mess not to leak out in one form or another. He had to prepare himself for the end. He would lose Samantha. And his children. Once he lost them, Holden wouldn’t care about his job or his career.
His life would be over.
Chapter 29
Zoe chose to call Aiden rather than try to meet up with him in person. She would have preferred a face-to-face discussion so she could read his body language. But she hadn’t felt like dealing with it. And she needed to drain herself of the excitement. Zoe had masturbated her way to bliss before making the phone call.
Aiden answered immediately. Zoe cut right to the chase and informed him of her decision.
“I have come to a decision regarding your status in The First Cut.” She continued without pausing for him to speak. “You are permitted to join us once again, this Friday night. On one condition.”
“Name it.” Aiden sounded enthusiastic. Zoe was glad he appeared to be willing to do what it would take.
“You will be...required...to submit yourself to the ritual. No questions asked.”
The line was silent for a moment. “Okay.”
Zoe felt her smile widen. “Excellent. Then we will see you on Friday night at Jordyn’s house. I’m glad you chose to see things our way. It is very important we all focus our energies on the same thing.”
“Speaking of which...” Aiden interrupted her. “I thought you should know what was going on.”
Zoe wondered what Aiden was getting at. She remained quiet so he would go on without delay.
“I’m telling you about this because I want to show you how committed I am to being by your side.”
“I don’t have all day, Aiden.” Zoe was losing her patience. It sounded like Aiden was either being overly dramatic or he was afraid to tell her what he knew.
“I saw the signs before he attacked me but I kept it to myself. Now that I realize how important The First Cut is to me, I thought I should inform you of Spencer’s plans.”
“You mean, in retaliation for his attack, you want to tattle on him. Go on.” Zoe saw through Aiden and his obvious ploy to use Spencer to further his own interests. She admired Aiden for continuing to grow out of his shell. There might be hope for him yet, Zoe thought.
“Spencer wants to take your power away and run The First Cut himself.”
“And how do you know this?”
“He slipped up and mentioned how he was the one who knew all the ancient texts. Spencer said it was holding him back to have to get you up to speed on the knowledge. He feels like HE should be the leader since he holds all the cards.”
Zoe bit her lower lip. So, Spencer had been running off at the mouth to Aiden with his disrespect? It made sense, the way Spencer had been behaving of late. His attitude was growing more intense. She wanted to know more.
“What else did Spencer say? Was anyone else around when he mentioned his...ideas?”
“No, it was just me. I don’t think he would want anyone to know how he really felt. I’m not even sure why he mentioned it in passing with me. The only other thing he said was he felt like time was wasting with the minor rituals. I guess he wants to delve deeper soon so he could get whatever it is he’s after.”
“Hm.” Zoe thought about Aiden’s revelation. “I appreciate you sharing this with me. Do me a favor, let’s keep this between us. If word leaks out, I’ll know it was you because I won’t say anything to anyone. Is that understood?”
“Yeah. I don’t want to anger you any more than I already have. I’m so sorry I’ve forced you to deal with my problem. I really appreciate you letting me come back.”
“Just be there Friday night.”
Zoe hung up the phone on Aiden. She had nothing more to say to him. And as much as she enjoyed his ass-kissing to come back, she had to focus on what to do about Spencer.
Friday night was supposed to be a test of Aiden and, to a lesser degree, Leah. But now Zoe had to consider how to work in a test of Spencer. If Spencer really felt this way, and all signs suggested he did, then she had to act swiftly to maintain her control. Zoe had learned at a young age that avoiding things only allowed them to fester and become more complicated. Zoe couldn’t allow that with The First Cut because her own time line felt too long as it was. Zoe wanted to speed up the process so she could get her powers quicker. And now it would be more important to increase the pace. So she could stop Spencer before he got a foot hold.
Zoe needed some backup in case Spencer managed to get away with it. There was only one person she could count on right now to cover her. Ryan. Everyone else was a big question mark. She controlled Ryan. He would be a fool to cross her. Especially after she made herself perfectly clear with him. If ripping his balls off hadn’t impressed him, then she would be sure to kill him outright next time.
She’d have Ryan keep his eye on Spencer. If Spencer attempted to pull off some kind of takeover then Ryan would intervene on her behalf. Aiden had a grudge with Spencer for beating him and cutting his neck. So Aiden would follow Ryan. And if Aiden followed Ryan then Leah wouldn’t be far behind. Todd and Jordyn would be wild cards but Zoe felt confident they would swing whichever way the others went.
Spencer would find himself alone, on an island. And his chances for gaining control of The First Cut would be gone.
Zoe would expand her test Friday night. Aiden would have to submit himself. Spencer would have to follow Zoe’s commands. And Ryan would have to protect her back. It definitely added more complication to her plans. But she had to be honest with herself, the difference between testing one or several members wasn’t a huge leap. She could fulfill her destiny in one fell swoop if everything fell in line.
And that would allow her to speed up the process. The only thing holding still holding her back was her learning. She needed to get to work reading and understanding the various spells so she could carry on in Spencer’s absence. Once she no longer needed Spencer, Zoe
would have full control of The First Cut.
She pulled out her laptop and began to fire it up. It looked like a long night lay ahead of her. Zoe felt tired from all the drama. Most of her energy had evaporated with her earlier orgasm. She knew she could catch up on sleep when the world was finally at her feet.
It wouldn’t be long now.
Chapter 30
Leah was calling him.
Spencer closed his Calculus textbook and answered his cell phone. He thought it was unusual to get a call from Leah. Spencer hardly ever spoke to her even though she was part of the group.
“Yeah.”
“Spencer?”
“You called ME, shouldn’t you know who you’re speaking to?” Spencer felt bad for taking out his frustration on Leah. It was all because of Zoe and her controlling antics. But, at the moment, Spencer painted everyone in The First Club with the same brush.
Leah laughed nervously. “Right. Sorry. You sounded...different, I guess.”
“I’m kind of busy working on my homework. Is there something specific you need to say or did you just call to shoot the breeze?” Spencer rolled his eyes and rested his head on his hand.
“Okay, I’ll get right to it. I believe Aiden is joining us again this Friday. At least he told me Zoe had invited him back.”
“I already know all this. But thanks for calling.”
“Wait! That’s not why I’m calling you. I thought you should know what Zoe is up to.”
Spencer raised his head off his hand. He sat up straight. Leah had his interest now. “What is she up to, exactly?”
Leah hesitated. “Um, Zoe has plans to take control of The First Cut.”
Spencer laughed out loud. “Zoe THINKS she already has control of The First Cut.”
“No, this is different. It’s not the usual Zoe power trip that we’ve all gotten used to over the years. She is serious about running the show. With or without you.”