by Ashley Jade
Plus, if we keep him there too long, people will start to wonder where he is.
Damien’s voice jolts me out of my thoughts. “He might if you have proof of something he’s done and can blackmail him with it.”
“Will recording him having sex with me be enough?”
A muscle in his jaw clenches. “No. But someone else could work.”
Jealousy flares in my chest. “You mean you—”
“Trejo,” he says quickly. “Let’s just say Cain and the chief are a little more than friends. I have some pictures of them on my office computer.”
My mouth falls open. Although I don’t know why I’m even surprised. There is literally nothing Cain won’t do to get ahead.
“As far as blackmail goes, that’s more than enough.” I snap my fingers when it comes to me. “Okay, so here’s what I’m thinking. Tomorrow during the charity dinner, I’ll flirt with him as usual so he doesn’t think anything weird is going on.” I circle the room as I continue talking. “The day after that is the ball. I’m going to text him that morning and tell him I found some concerning things on your office computer, but I don’t know how to remove them, and I’m afraid to try because I don’t want you to hurt me. I’ll avoid him for the first quarter of the ball, build up his anxiety…and then text him to meet me downstairs so I can take him to your office in the basement.”
His lips compress in a tight line. “I don’t want you alone with him.”
“You have security cameras in your office, Damien. You can keep a close eye on me.”
He grunts. “Fine, but it will be a very close eye.”
“Then I suggest you close them when I strip off my ball gown and start seducing him.”
He frowns. “I don’t think—”
“The small couch in the corner of your office—think there’s a way I can hide some restraints underneath it?”
“You don’t have to.”
I roll my eyes. “Look, I know you don’t like it, but it’s the only way to get him—”
“You don’t have to hide restraints under the couch. They’re already there.”
“Oh.” Of course they are.
“You’re right though,” he says, pulling me toward him. “I don’t like it…which is why the second he’s bound, I’ll be coming in and taking over.”
“Are you sure? Because I can black—”
“Cain won’t break easily, Eden. It’s going to require a certain skill set.”
“You’re going to beat him up?” I don’t bother hiding the uneasiness in my tone. Cain deserves everything coming to him, but abusing him after knowing his history just feels…
“If you don’t think you can handle it—”
“No.” I look up at him. “I can.”
“I’d torture him sexually, but not only does he disgust me, I think he’d enjoy it too much.”
“Probably.” I nod. “I think this plan will work.”
Cain Carter isn’t the man I thought he was.
And it’s time he got a taste of his own medicine.
Chapter 35
Eden
“Which dress do you like better?”
Geoffrey looks at the ceiling. “You look great in both. Please pick one before you’re late and Damien blames me for your tardiness.”
I twist my hair up. “What should I do with my hair?”
I shouldn’t enjoy ruffling his feathers so much, but he makes it too easy.
“It’s lovely,” he says tersely. “Now please, take off your clothes—” My eyes widen, and he catches himself. “My apologies, miss.”
Geoffrey is way too polite for his own good. “You don’t have to apologize.”
I look up at the same time Damien enters the room. I expect him to join our little convo, but he hangs in the background, observing the exchange.
It’s a good thing Geoffrey’s back is to him because he’d probably shit his pants.
I decide to have a little fun. Damien can consider it payback for yesterday.
“On second thought. I hate this dress. Let’s go with the dark blue one.”
Geoffrey’s lips form a tight line. “Of course.”
I bat my lashes. “Would you mind helping me out? The zipper on this one is tricky. It always gets stuck right above my butt.”
Damien’s eyes darken...but there’s also a hint of a challenge burning in those baby blues.
One I won’t back down from.
Geoffrey’s throat bobs as I turn around. “As you wish.”
His fingers shake as he clasps the zipper. I bite my lip. He’s positively adorable.
“Do you ever go out and date?”
He freezes. “Damien grants me rest hours and permission to leave the grounds.”
That was the most proper response to a casual question I’ve ever heard.
He finishes dragging my zipper down. “May I ask what your sudden interest in my personal life is?”
I slip my arms through the holes and face him. “Just wanted to make sure you were allowed to have fun.”
“Well, thank you for your concern but—Oh, my.”
Geoffrey turns ten different shades of red as he zeroes in on my bare breasts.
Damien crosses his arms over his chest, and I flash him a smile. Geoffrey doesn’t notice the exchange though because his eyes are still focused elsewhere.
“Gorgeous,” Geoffrey whispers under his breath. “So perk—”
Behind him, Damien clears his throat.
Geoffrey bolts upright. “My apologies, sir. It shan’t happen again.”
Before I can blink, he sprints out the door like his ass is on fire.
“Cute,” Damien muses as I slip the dress back on. “However, your little stunt almost gave my servant a heart attack.”
“He works hard.” I motion for him to help me with the zipper. “Just wanted to make sure the poor guy didn’t go through life without ever seeing a pair of tits.”
My zipper goes up with ease. “Geoffrey’s been living with me for years. He’s seen plenty. Trust me.”
Touché, Mr. King.
“Is that so?”
Pushing my hair out of the way, he kisses my shoulder. “Someone sounds jealous.” His teeth sink into my skin. “I told you, if you want something…claim it.”
I run my hand over his length through his pants. “I already have.” My nipples pucker when it thickens under my touch. “But I might be willing to share this part…on special occasions.”
“You don’t have to do or share anything you don’t want to, Eden.”
“I know. But I won’t know I don’t want to do something until I try it.” The green-eyed monster rears its head again when I think about the maid. “I can’t watch another woman fuck you, though. Hard limit. However, she’d be welcome to watch me fuck you.”
His breath tickles my ear. “Can I watch her pleasure the queen after?” His palm slides over my breast. “Demonstrate her gratitude for the sexy show you gave her?”
I suck in a breath. Damien has a way of making everything sound appealing. “That might be fun.”
His hand slithers down my torso. “It doesn’t have to happen. Just talking about it with you makes my dick hard.”
I start to smile…but then a horrifying thought hits me.
“What if I hate something you like? What happens then?”
It’s no secret Damien’s light years ahead of me when it comes to…well, pretty much everything. He’s also not turned off by anything. All of it gets a green light from him…while I’m still exploring what I’m into.
“We don’t do it.” His fingers dip into the band of my panties. “My sexuality doesn’t own or control me. I own and control it. If the person I want to fuck isn’t into something, we switch gears and go a different route. This way, we both have fun and get off.”
“I don’t want you to feel like you’re missing out if I ever draw a line in the sand.”
If we’re gonna do this, I need to know I’ll be enough to
My eyes flutter closed when he rubs my clit. “How can I be missing out when I have this?” He kneads my ass with his other hand. “And this.” He sticks the finger he was touching me with in my mouth, making me taste myself. “This is nice, too.”
“If we keep this up, we’re gonna miss dinner,” I remind him when he squeezes my breast.
“I don’t give a fuck,” he growls. “I’d much rather eat you.”
“As soon as we get home, you can.” I pat his dick. “Good boys get rewarded.”
With a grin, he tugs down his zipper. “I’ve never been a good boy.” My pulse skitters as he bends me over the dresser and guides the wide head of his cock through my slickness. “It’s way more fun being bad.”
Cain: Sit next to me during dinner.
I knew the evening would suck the moment I received the text from Cain. So did Damien.
And suck it does. Being anywhere near Cain makes my skin crawl.
It’s a complete one-eighty from almost two weeks ago…when he was my everything and the highlight of my day was spending time with him.
Shame coils my insides. There’s a very small part of me—way deep down—that misses Cain. I’m having a hard time digesting it though because I also fucking hate him. So much so, there’s a distinct possibility I’m going to stab his eye with my fork if he touches my knee again.
Deep breaths, sister. You’ve got this.
Damien said it’s normal for me to be experiencing an array of emotions at this stage. He compared it to grieving, because even though Cain is very much alive—I still lost someone I loved.
In a weird way, it makes sense.
Luckily, I only have to play the part of his mistress for another twenty-four hours.
I’ve purposely avoided drinking any liquids during this dinner so I won’t have to run to the bathroom.
Although it might be preferable to hearing Margaret drone on and on about her upcoming wedding.
Pick a topic. Any topic, gentlemen.
Unfortunately, what they all want to talk about is politics, but that’s considered poor form at a charity dinner. Especially with the heads of two opposing parties at the same table.
“So, I was thinking we can hold the cocktail hour—”
“What’s your opinion on the new legislation that’s being proposed?”
Rules were made to be broken.
Eight sets of eyes wake from the dead.
“Which one?” Governor Bexley asks.
I have no idea. “The one regarding taxes.”
It’s America. Taxes are a big deal to these big wigs.
Margaret huffs out a breath. “It’s uncouth to talk about politics at a charity dinner, dear,” she says slowly in a condescending tone that grates on my nerves. “Particularly when you’re sitting at a table full of politicians.”
Everyone but Damien chuckles.
I stab my potato with my fork. “My mistake. I just wanted to liven the conversation up a bit.”
To the left of me, Anderson coughs, although I’m almost positive it was a laugh in disguise.
Across from me, Margaret tsks, looking around the table. “See, gentlemen? This is a perfect example of why teenagers shouldn’t be permitted to attend adult functions.” Her stare snags on Damien. “Grown men should find someone their own age to play with.”
Shots fired.
The governor takes a big swig of his drink. Cain pretends to answer an email on his phone.
Damien narrows his eyes. Anderson starts to sweat.
The other men at the table look down at their plates. Smart move.
This lady chose the wrong night to mess with me.
I daintily clean my mouth with my napkin. “You’re right, Margaret. I should have asked my daddy’s permission before joining you all for a meal.” I turn my head to the right, feigning surprise. “Wow, would you look at that? Here he is.”
Cain looks like a deer caught in headlights.
Damien was right, it’s fun to fuck with people. Especially those who deserve to be fucked with.
“Daddy, my new step-mommy says I can’t sit at the big kids’ table.” I bite my lip innocently and do the sexy, breathy thing with my voice. “But we both know I’m a big girl now, right?”
To the left of me, Damien snorts.
“Okay,” Cain warns. “You’ve made your point.”
Margaret’s positively fuming. “You’re despicable.”
“And you’re boring,” Damien bellows. “Something Eden isn’t…no matter her age.”
My chest swells, but then Margaret opens that trap of hers again.
“Yes, I’m sure she’s very entertaining…especially when she’s spreading her legs for all the men in Black Hallows.”
Here we go again.
“Not all the men in Black Hallows.” I crinkle my nose. “Just two.”
“That’s enough,” Cain hisses.
Something peculiar passes through Margaret’s expression. I see the exact moment it hits her.
Those are the very same words Cain said to me when I walked in on them…and he claimed he had no idea who I was.
She blinks rapidly, and for a second, I think she’s going to excuse herself so she can cry.
To be honest, I kind of want her to…but not so I can gloat.
I want to tell her she’s better off without him. I want to tell her not to marry someone who lies and manipulates. That she shouldn’t spend the rest of her life with a man who commits murder and then sets up innocent people to take the fall.
There are better men out there than Cain Carter.
But even if there weren’t…she’d still deserve better.
Margaret lifts her head and looks at me. “It’s a shame your mother didn’t teach you how to be a respectable woman with class.”
That might be true. But I’d rather be known as the classless town whore…than a miserable bitch who slut shames another woman.
Screw her. I’m a person, not a martyr. She can fend for herself.
“That’s quite enough, ladies,” Governor Bexley says. “This little feud has gone on long enough. You two are going to have to learn to get along for the duration of the race.”
“He’s right.” I take a bite of my carrot. “I love your dress.”
She gives me a tight smile. “Thank you.”
“It reminds me of one Claudia has.”
Chapter 36
Eden
“So fucking good,” Damien rasps from his spot between my legs.
I’d agree, but I’m too far gone to speak. Hell, I can’t even move because the thing he’s doing with his tongue currently is…not of this world.
My legs shake as Damien continues devouring me like he’s been trapped in the desert and my pussy is the first drop of water he’s stumbled upon in years.
His talented tongue pushes against a spot that lights me up like the Fourth of July and I grip the edges of the couch.
“I’m so close,” I breathe, writhing against his face. “God, I’m so—”
“They want to know if they can move the—” Geoffrey starts to say before he turns pale, then pink, and finally, vibrant red, in under three seconds.
“My sincerest apologies.” He looks down. “I thought you were in here working. I won’t disturb you again.”
I fix my panties, covering myself as Damien, who looks like he wants to throttle poor Geoffrey, whips his head around to face him.
“What do you want?” he grunts as Geoffrey skedaddles to the door.
He freezes. “The party people are here to set up for the ball tomorrow night. They wanted to know if they could remove all the furniture from the living room again. They said you were angry with them for doing it last time, so they wanted me to get your permission.”
Damien sighs, clearly irritated. “I don’t care.”
“Very well.” Eyes still to the floor, he turns to face us. “My apologies again, sir.” He bows. “And miss.”
As usual, Geoffrey has nothing to apologize for. It’s not like Damien’s office door doesn’t have a lock. We just forgot to use it.
For the briefest of moments, the hardness in Damien’s expression eases up a bit. “It’s fine, Geoffrey.”
Geoffrey practically beams. It’s endearing how he holds Damien in such high regard.
And it goes both ways because even though Geoffrey’s petrified of him, I’ve never once heard Damien threaten to fire or hurt him.
“Have you ever…you know?” I ask Damien as Geoffrey walks out of the office.
“Are you asking me if I’ve ever messed around with my servant?”
I nod.
His lips twitch. “I’ve let him partake in my extracurricular activities once or twice.”
I’m not mad. If anything, I’m intrigued.
“Call him back.” Leaning in, I whisper, “I want to know what it’s like.”
I won’t know if I’m into something or not until I experience it. And as nervous as I am, I can’t deny my curiosity.
“Geoffrey,” Damien barks. “Get back in here.”
I crack a smile as I hear Geoffrey’s footsteps speed up. He sounds like a horse galloping toward the finish line.
“Yes, sir,” he says out of breath as he enters.
Damien stands. “Lock the door.”
Geoffrey’s Adam’s apple bobs as he does what Damien asked.
The energy in the room shifts the second the latch clicks. It’s a little darker…forbidden.
My heart speeds up.
Damien crooks a finger at him. “Come here.”
Geoffrey’s legs shake a little as he walks closer to us.
Feeling hesitant, I look at Damien. I don’t want Geoffrey to feel like he’s being forced to do something he doesn’t want to do, but Damien only smirks.
“He’s fine, Eden.” He starts circling Geoffrey like a vulture. “Aren’t you?”
“Absolutely, sir.”
Damien’s movements come to a halt behind him. “You saw Eden’s tits earlier. I’m curious what you think about them.” Geoffrey blows out a breath as Damien reaches around and walks his fingers down the front of the younger man’s jacket, stopping when he reaches the top of his pants. “And you better tell me the truth.” He tugs his zipper down. “Because I’ll know if you’re lying.”
-->