House Rules

by Taylor, J. E.

  House Rules

  By

  J.E. Taylor

  JET-Fueled Fiction

  House Rules © Oct 2014 by J.E. Taylor

  All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

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  Cover art by Cora Graphics

  Warning: the unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

  House Rules

  I looked at the business card in my hand and then up at the ancient house. From the outside, it looked as if no one had lifted a finger in upkeep for years. But the man who gave the card to me was one of those fatally attractive types. The minute his dark eyes landed on me, wetness dripped between my legs. I can’t even remember his name, but the sound of his voice still hummed in my ears and his spicy scent wafted around me like magician’s smoke.

  He had taken the seat next to me at the five-card stud table and as I threw my last dollar in the pot, he glanced at his cards and folded. Unfortunately, the dealer’s hand beat mine and my stomach dropped to the floor.

  Dark eyes leaned close and slid the card into my hand. “Maybe next time you’d like to frequent a house where your odds are better.”

  Just his touch sent a rash of gooseflesh across my skin, along with some of the more lewd thoughts to go along with it. I think I even came a little when he flashed his grin at me.

  That was two weeks ago and as soon as I got my paycheck, I put on this old silk dress and pulled the card that I had taped to the refrigerator. As I stared at it, I debated whether to use a portion of my gambling money for a ride to the casino or to the address listed on the card.

  And now I was wished I hadn’t sent the cab off the minute he dropped me at the curb. Silence blanketed this section of the neighborhood and the iron fence creaked as I pushed it open. As soon as I stepped onto the walkway, the sub-bass beat I hadn’t noticed at the curb pounded into the soles of my high heels.

  I glanced at the card again, just to make sure. The blood-red address stood out on the white vellum. I ran my thumb over the letters. Below the looping script read Formal Attire Required, as if it had been stamped on as an afterthought.

  The dress I wore matched the color of the text and I bit my lip. My insides scrambled, raising a siren that almost made me turn and run, but my feet had other ideas and moved me forward toward the door and the beat that pounded in the ground beneath me.

  The hesitation in my blood burned, leaving me annoyed at my skittish response to the old house. The drapes covering the windows didn’t give a hint at what played beyond them. Under a moonless sky, the dark seemed absolute, as though the house were just an extension of the night.

  The first wooden stair creaked under my weight and the pounding became less pronounced. Each step screamed at me and by the time I climbed the dozen steps to the covered entry, I was more than just a little spooked. One glance behind me at the fog that rose thick enough to block the view of the road made my decision. I turned and banged the ancient brass knocker three times.

  I shifted my purse from one hand to the other and just as I turned away to find the road and a long walk home, the high-pitched whine of the door hinge pulled my attention.

  “May I help you?” The words sounded as if the elderly gentleman had grave dirt in his mouth. I let out a nervous laugh and glanced beyond him into the grand foyer of the house.

  I handed him the business card, unable to speak at the spectacle before me. The entry looked just as ignored as the front of the house. When the butler smiled and waved me inside, I shivered, unable to move from my spot.

  “Um, the man who gave me that card...”

  “Yes. Mr. Kaine mentioned you might drop by. Please, come in and I will bring you to the casino,” he said.

  All I needed to hear was casino and my brain stopped functioning, turned off all the warning signs that accosted my body. I stepped over the threshold and scanned the decrepit home. The sound of the door shutting behind me gave me a start as the ancient butler started toward the hallway to the right of the sweetheart staircase.

  The hall was dark and musty. I had to rub my nose to keep from sneezing, but my eyes still burst with tears to fight the dust. I blinked them away. A great wooden door stood at the end of the hall. The old wood glowed under the low light bleeding through the frame, outlining the graceful arch at the top. When the butler opened it, it let out a groan that was drowned by a modern beat.

  Music drifted up the stairs; the butler waved his hand and stepped aside so I could pass. Once I was on the landing, the door closed. I sensed that my only way out had just been shut off.

  I tried to shed the weight on my chest, but with each step, both the music and a level of fear that left my mouth sour pressed against me. I licked my lips with a tongue that carried no saliva. I took the last turn and stopped. The gaming floor laid out in front of me seemed bigger than the footprint of the house. My breath stalled with that familiar pulse beat in the back of my throat that spread a tingling need through me.

  I stepped onto the dark wood floor and scanned the tables looking for my poison, and then I saw the neon sign announcing the poker area. The sign sparkled and I started in that direction. As I got closer, I realized I couldn’t see in the room. A veil of black surrounded it, buffering the view and when I stepped toward the door, the pit boss caught my arm.

  “Only those that purchase chips can enter.” He gave me a sharp once over.

  “Oh,” I mumbled and opened my pocketbook, pulling out my meager two hundred dollars. It was all I had and I prayed I’d see it at least double before I left.

  He gave me a tight smile and traded the cash with odd-looking chips that looked like gold, but had strange symbols etched in each side.

  “Thank you,” I said and he parted the curtain just enough so I could slip through and then he released the fabric and closed down my exit point. I scanned the room and swallowed the lump that had formed and blocked my ability to breathe. There was only one table under an eerie spotlight in what seemed like a cavern of black. My gaze met his and the warmth I felt at his proximity in the bar wrapped around me and pulled me forward like a wrangler with a rope.

  The song playing faded and the new one made me slow my step. “Layla” by Eric Clapton started and my cheeks burned as my gaze fell back on the dealer. He smiled.

  “Why hello, Layla, welcome to hell’s den.,” He spread his hands out. His smooth tone nearly knocked me over.

  “Um, hello.” I glanced around at the empty space. “Am I too late?” I asked because I couldn’t fathom being the only player.

  “No, darling, you are right on time.” His dark eyes sparkled. “Why don’t you take a seat?”

  The chair looked inviting, so I sat and dumped my handful of coins on the table. Mr. Perfect slid in the chair opposite me and folded his finely manicured hands before him on the table.

  I took a quick look at his lapel, looking for a nametag but it was just smooth, unbroken black fabric and I met his gaze again. “I’m at a disadvantage. You know my name, but I don’t know yours.”

&n
bsp; “Kaine,” he said.

  His voice sent a chill of pleasure through me, and I busied myself with piling my coins in a neat stack. “Well, Kaine, what’s the ante?” I licked my lips and met his gaze.

  “A day.”

  I blinked and my gaze dropped to my chips. Confused, I looked back up at him. “I, um.” I glanced around the room. “Is this a joke?”

  His laugher wrapped around me in a caress that left me wet and wanting.

  “No. House rules. The ante is a day. Twenty-four hours. You have to open with a day as well.”

  “I don’t get it...” I trailed off.

  “You have two hundred days to lose and the ability to win an unlimited amount.”

  I stared at the gold coins and then back to him. “What about money?”

  He leaned forward. “Time is more precious. Now, are you ready?”

  “No,” I said and stood. This was not worth my time and despite the need to stay in the good graces of Mr. Perfect, I needed money more. I had a rent to pay, food to buy, all the mundane things that kept me alive.

  His eyes flashed a warning. “Sit down.” He didn’t raise his voice, but his tone matched the sharpness of his gaze.

  I paused. “I need money.” I reached for my coins. There were plenty of ways to win out on the casino floor.

  His hand clasped around my wrist and yanked me closer as he stood. Our faces nearly met over the center of the table and the first thread of fear wound its way around my legs.

  “You no longer require money,” he whispered. That scent that had made me nearly cream my jeans two weeks ago made my stomach roll.

  I yanked my wrist from his grasp and stepped back. The smile he sent my way broadcast the underlying meaning. It was far more diabolical than I was willing to gamble on, but my feet were planted in place.

  He leaned forward and his hot breath tickled my ear. “If you forfeit, you will forever regret not taking the chance to win more time.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “You have a chance to win time; if not, you have a choice between an eternity of pleasure or pain.”

  The choice seemed easy, but as his hand waved to the right, the viewing of what I assumed was pleasure left me cold. Several men and women were bound and splayed while a pack ravaged them. I wasn’t sure whether the ones ravaging were men or women or something else altogether and I shuddered. Not one of the poor souls had an empty orifice, and not one looked like they enjoyed being pillaged.

  I pulled my gaze away from the lewd scene and met his dark eyes.

  “You are out of your mind.” My voice held the throaty quality of fear.

  “House rules.” He tilted his head and waved to his other side. “Unless you would prefer this destination.”

  My stomach did a slow roll at the gruesome display. The main staple seemed to be knives and the poor victims couldn’t scream beyond the duct tape as blades slowly sliced them to pieces.

  I forced myself to look down at the table between Kaine and me. I had gambled all my life, had left my husband and kid destitute. I no longer had a home beyond the casino and that was only on my winning days, which were fewer and far between these days.

  “Who are you?” I whispered when I was sure I wouldn’t throw up.

  He just smiled and dealt the first hand. Setting the cards down, he waved toward the latest brutal scene. “Pain?” Then he waved his hand to the sadistic orgy. “Or pleasure?” His last wave went to the table. “Or play?”

  “None of the above. I want out of here.” I glared at him.

  He chuckled. “Then I will choose for you.” He picked up his cards.

  When he lifted his gaze from the cards, I wanted to shrivel up into a ball and disappear.

  “Why am I here?” I asked, stalling. I did not want to pick up the cards he dealt. I had a feeling the minute I engaged in this mad game, I was lost.

  His gaze narrowed as he studied me. “Put your ante in and pick up your cards,” he growled.

  I jerked in the seat in shock and then flicked a coin into the center before I reached for the cards. It was hard to concentrate with my hands shaking as though I were in sub-zero temperatures.

  My cards weren’t bad: I had two kings, a jack, a six and a four. I dropped the six and four and put two fingers up.

  He chuckled. “What’s your bet?”

  I flung another coin and shivered at the thought of even a day in chains. “Where are we?”

  “You have stepped into my domain.” He matched my bet.

  “And what domain would that be?” I leveled a sharp snark in both my glare and my voice. I figured showing fear had diminished my chance for getting out of this room in one piece.

  He matched my bet and dropped a single card. My stomach knotted as he dealt two cards to me and a single one to his hand.

  I had pulled out two pair with a king high, but his single card weighed on me. I bit my lip and counted out three chips, tossed them in the pot while I gave him a tight smile.

  “Hell.” He called and spread his fucking full house across the table.

  My cards flew toward the table and he grinned, collecting coins in slow motion. The tink of metal echoed and when he looked up, I slid my chair back.

  “That’s eight days.” He moved through the table as if he was a ghost and before I could blink, the burn of his hands lifted me and slammed me into a hard wall.

  My chest heaved as shock, fear, and anger webbed through me. His hands were rough as they tore the fabric of my dress. His mouth was even worse as it closed over mine, forcing a kiss that tasted like brimstone and ash.

  “Where did you say we were?” I asked when he pulled away, fixating on me with a salacious grin.

  “You are in hell,” he whispered.

  I blinked as his hands continued to explore my body. The satin buffered me from his scorching fingers. “That would make you...” I trailed off and shivered. A cry let out as his fingers found an opening; I tried to shove him away. Invisible binds pulled my arms wide, clamped them in place even as the rest of me struggled against his advances.

  “That would make me Kaine,” he whispered. My mind couldn’t grasp any meaning in the name. I gasped as his hands pushed my thighs apart.

  “Is that supposed to mean something to me?” If I kept talking, maybe this lunatic would back off.

  “Yes,” he whispered, and this time the tone was the same as it had been in the casino a few weeks ago, prompting emotions I would rather kill at the moment, along with his smug grin.

  His chuckle was punctuated by more tearing at the silk fabric and I panicked. “Why am I here, again?” My voice hit a high pitch.

  He stopped his exploration and met my gaze. “You are on the edge of death. If you lose all your chips, you belong to hell.”

  I fought against the thought and a flurry of questions drowned my mind. I had no recollection of an accident of any sort. This had to be a sick joke and I spat at him. “Let me go!”

  “I have you for eight days,” he said.

  “Not if I win them back,” I said purely out of desperation. A growl in my voice overrode the fear.

  “House rules: you pay your dues as they accrue,” he whispered, his voice no more than a feral snarl.

  “Fuck the house rules,” I gasped.

  He pulled away from my skin with a blink. His eyes flashed something more than just the beast with wandering hands, as if he waited for me to say something. When I just glared at him, his features hardened.

  “Feisty bitch.” He leveled a sharp gaze at me. “Perhaps I’ve miscalculated,” he purred. “Instead of hell’s whore, I may claim you as mine instead,” he said. And damn it all, my cheeks heated. He was a fine specimen but I just never pictured being the devil’s slut for all eternity. I said as much.

  He leaned in close. “I’m not the devil,” he whispered and stepped away. With a brush of his hand, whatever held me in place let go. I pulled myself back together with what was left of the red silk fabric. I hand co
mbed my hair back and met his probing stare.

  “Does this mean I get another chance to win my week back before you defile me?” I tried to sound confident, but my shaking voice only served to entertain the bastard.

  He circled around me, looking like a feral beast and when he bit his lip in contemplation, I cursed the flush of heat that encompassed me. The way he stalked around me made both my heart and my pussy clench. My thoughts wandered of their own accord and my gaze slowly dropped from his intense eyes, to his full lips, and then down to the open vee of his shirt to the smooth, tan skin of his chest.

  I couldn’t help it; I licked my lips and my damn libido fired up.

  Kaine stepped closer. “I will give you a chance, but if I win, you have to swallow me whole for however many days you lose.” He took my hand and pressed it against the front of his pants.

  What lay beneath the fabric pulled a squeak from my throat. My heart did triple time at the thought of sucking him. He grinned.

  “Deal?”

  I blinked, my hand still cupping a part of his hard form and for a moment, I questioned whether this was real or just a really hot dream. It seemed all too familiar. His throaty chuckle brought my gaze back to his.

  “I’ll take that as a yes.” He stepped away, taking a seat at the table.

  With a wave of his hand, both visions disappeared and it was only the two of us, surrounded by absolute blackness. He shuffled the deck, scanning my disheveled form. “Sit.” He nodded toward the chair.

  The little voice in my head balked but my body obeyed; I took a seat. Five cards sailed in front of each of us and he raised an eyebrow. I tossed in my ante and he matched it. When I picked up the cards, my throat closed and I had a bear of a time drawing a breath. My gaze kept looking at the ante. A day. I bit my lip, trying to decipher what I was going to do with this shit hand. I had to match my ante to get cards and I couldn’t see winning this.

  “What if I fold?” I asked and he grinned.

  “They you suck my cock for whatever you have in the pot.” He picked up my ante and shuffled the coin between his fingers before he dropped it back on the felt between us.