“Okay, Cut Throat. Do you like money?”
I didn’t respond. I shoved my hands in my pockets and send one index finger straight into the hole in the lining, scratching my thigh.
“Let me rephrase that,” she said as her car crawled forward and stopped beside us. “If you would like to earn, let’s say a five-figure sum, you’ve got thirty seconds to get in the back of the car.”
She opened the door and slid into the back with the grace of a swan, leaving the door open. I heard her sultry voice counting down from thirty. As the number three rolled from her silver spoon fed lips, I joined her in the back of the car.
Charlie took me to a posh hotel, dripping with money and covered in gold. She handed me a keycard.
“You put it in the elevator,” she almost smiled, favouring a patronising sneer instead. “Everything you need will be waiting when you step out. You need to be back in this car in thirty minutes. At thirty minutes and one second, I leave and you put everything back. Are we clear?”
Her driver got out and opened my door but I kept my eyes on the stranger next to me. She kept her eyes on me. She had absolutely no intention of telling me anything more and I knew better than to ask questions. I just got the feeling it was better to not know the truth when it came to her.
“Yes.”
I could turn it off; the nerves, the worry. I could make it go away with the flick of a switch and that’s what I did. I shut down, took a deep breath and climbed out of the car. I headed straight through the lobby, ignoring the looks and the “excuse me” from the security guard. I was waiting to be thrown out, but the minute I inserted the card in the slot on the panel by the lift, he smiled in obedience and retreated back to his spot by the entrance.
The lift climbed and climbed and climbed some more, which only gave me time to think. I had no idea what I was about to do, but I needed the money. I would have climbed in the car for a three-figure sum; I just hit the jackpot when Charlie offered me five. Who has that kind of money to throw at thug-looking scumbags? Charlie Alexander Tattersell, that’s who. I was too curious, too stupid, too desperate to back out and as the door opened, I stepped out of the lift and into a life I had no idea existed.
Chapter Sixteen
I was the captor, the captured, the captivated. The line was so blurred, I couldn’t see it anymore.
December 31st, 2009
“Mr Mason?” Angelica called through the speaker, bringing me back out of my daydream.
“Yes?”
“She’s on her way up.”
“Thanks.”
I stood from my desk and looked down at the city below. From fifteen floors up, I could just about see the Bentley parked up. Charlie wasn’t staying long, which only meant one thing. My heart sank. I gave my office a once over and sat back at my desk to wait for her. I knew she’d stepped out of the lift the second the air shifted and the gravitational pull centred from her. I felt her walking towards my office; I felt the staff outside stand to greet her. She was a dangerous woman. A Cambridge music graduate, the daughter of Andrew George Tattersell, a siren, a tease. A law breaker, a criminal.
The door handle turned in slow motion; she always did that, to build the tension. The door opened slowly and she stepped over the threshold, closing and locking the door behind her before turning to me.
“Mr Mason,” she purred.
“Ms Tattersell,” I replied, coolly.
“How is your day?”
“Don’t pretend you care.”
She walked towards me slowly, her white dress and fire engine red shoes a stark contrast against the chrome and black office. Her heels tapped quietly on the carpet as she approached me like a vixen; slowly, purposefully, whatever plan she’d conjured up now showcased on the upturn of her full lips.
“Of course I care, baby.” She leaned over my desk, gripping the edge with both hands and, naturally, my eyes fell on her cleavage.
“What do you want?”
“Can’t a woman come and see her man at work?”
“Does the mouse have any choice when the cat wants to play?”
She smirked and tipped her head in triumph. She had me right where she wanted me. She stood up and I slid my chair back as she made her way round to sit on the desk, hitching the hem of her dress up, over her knees and thighs. She parted her legs and I slid between them.
“Tonight. 9pm. We have a plan.”
“And what if I can’t make it?”
“You want out?” She caressed my tie and feigned concern. I knew better than to believe it.
“So what if I do?”
“We have a deal.” Her eyes darkened with a frown.
Mine darkened in return.
What happens when two stubborn, fucked up people enter into a world-dominating contract? The world stops, turns on its axis and spins out of control. The short answer? It’s explosive.
“No, you have a deal. I can walk away whenever I feel like it.” I gripped her knees, pulled her forward, and shoved the dress higher, exposing her underwear.
“That’s what you think?”
“That’s what I know.”
“I can take everything away,” she hissed. “You think you own this place?” She gestured around the room and pointed to the panoramic view of the city. “You think that view is yours to enjoy?” She reached forward and grabbed my tie again. “You these think these suits, your fancy cars, your expensive furniture is yours? That you earned it?” Slowly she reached for my belt and fluidly popped the buckle. “You think you own this city? You think you own me?”
She crashed her lips to mine and I tangled my hand in her hair at the nape of her neck. Charlie’s mouth marked me, leaving a burning stain of toxic red lipstick on my lips when she pulled back.
“You don’t. I can take it away. Just like-” she snapped her manicured fingers in front of my face “-that.”
“That’s what you think?” I repeated her words from earlier.
“That’s what I know.” She repeated mine and spat them back at me.
I reared up, shoving her back on the table with my hand curled around her throat.
“We’ll see who owns who when you’re begging me to let you come.”
I pulled my trousers open and tore her underwear away; Charlie's eyes rolled back and she groaned in satisfaction when I slammed into her.
After she’d tucked her ruined underwear into my trouser pocket, she smoothed down her dress and reached into her bag, pulling out a handkerchief and the white rose-scented paper she always used when she gave me my orders. From my chair I watched her clean herself and reach back into her bag for her mirror and lipstick. She drew two searing rouge lines on her lips and planted a kiss on the corner of the paper. She placed the paper and the handkerchief on my desk and I continued to watch when she left my office without another word.
I hit the button to put me through to Angelica and ordered a coffee, staring down at the piece of Charlie-tarnished paper.
I didn’t want to do it but what choice did I have? I’d lost all control. I was the little ant beneath Charlie’s Jimmy Choo, ready to be squashed at any minute. I was the little mouse with its tail held down by Charlie's feline paw. The faster I tried to run, the harder she pinned me down.
Chapter Seventeen
Limbo was where I lived now. Somewhere between past and present. Somewhere between life and death.
December 31st, 2009
The car pulled up outside my building as I stepped out. I climbed straight into the back where Charlie was sipping on champagne and staring out of her window.
“Good evening, Mr Mason,” she said, looking away from me.
“Good evening, Ms Tattersell.”
“Are you ready?”
“Are you?”
I looked over at her, took the flute from her hand and drained the contents. That’s when, finally, she looked at me. She was gorgeous; not beautiful, because her soul was as black as mine, but she was gorgeous. Thick golden hair that shim
mered under the street lights as the car pulled off, cerulean eyes that hinted at an angelic woman; a kind-hearted, caring woman. That was the role she played and those eyes helped her conceal her true self. But I knew her for what she really was. An ice queen; an emotionless being with passion and love for only one thing. Money.
With every year I stayed as her pet, her plaything, her boyfriend who was paid to look at her like she was the only woman on earth, I lost more of myself. The Kent-born failure desperately trying to make something of himself was gone; the man who loved and sacrificed, hurt and hid, was no more. He’d been replaced by darkness and greed and deception. I was in too deep to get out. I was too far gone to be found.
I belonged to Charlie now.
“The Bertolli Estate?” I asked as we pulled up outside a house clearly set up for a party, “Any chance we can pick up some olive oil while we’re here?”
Charlie just stared at me. She had no sense of humour, no matter how hard I tried to coax a genuine smile from her.
“Yes. The Bertolli Estate.”
She huffed and snatched the flute from my hand. She turned away and refilled the glass as she looked out of the window.
“Ms Tattersell!” Nina screeched, throwing herself at Charlie. “I’m so glad you could make it.”
“I wouldn’t have missed it for the world, Nina.”
“And who is this fine young man?” she asked, turning to me and giving the tops of my arms a squeeze.
I stayed quiet, offering her the half-smile I knew would ensnare her. That was my role. Fake with the left, pound with the right. I was the left and Charlie was the right.
“This is my partner, Mr Mason.”
“You’ve never mentioned him during lunches,” Nina hummed, checking me out. I stood still, like I was supposed to, and let her get her fill.
“He’s my best kept secret,” Charlie winked.
She wasn’t lying. I was the planned surprise – it’s how we worked. Part of the trap. Charlie would lunch and laugh and climb so far up their asses you couldn’t tell where they ended and she began. I was brought in when the deal was ready to be sealed; when the security of the receiver of the ass-licking was ready to be infiltrated. I was the final dose of poison that would bring them to a fatal end.
“I can see that. Nice to meet you, Mr Mason.”
I nodded in response. I didn’t talk. Everything was planned to the second and there was no time for conversation.
“I’m dying to try out your mixologist, Nina. Can I get you a drink?”
“No, darling, thank you. Try the Blue Lagoon.”
“I’m more of a Screaming Orgasm kind of girl.” She looked up at me through her thick, fake eyelashes and giggled with the host.
“Enjoy.” Nina scraped her nails down my arm as she stepped past us.
“Oh, I will,” Charlie whispered so only I could hear.
The party was full of the usual drab of people who went to these functions. I had to keep my eye out for familiar faces, while keeping my hand on Charlie’s body to show my devotion. We talked quietly, we laughed when we insulted each other; Charlie threw her head back and rested her hand on my chest when I called her a criminal. I chuckled and pulled her close when she called me a nobody.
It was almost midnight; the guests were distracted as they coupled up and waited for the countdown. Charlie turned to me and smiled sweetly.
“It’s time,” she whispered, tugging on my jacket so I bent my head for her to suck gently on my earlobe.
She grazed my crotch with her knuckles, my cock stirred and my mind was rendered temporarily numb, until she turned and disappeared through the crowd. It was time to work.
It was my job to watch the exit, with strict instructions to stop anyone who attempted to head in Charlie’s direction…towards Nina’s office.
The countdown began. I knew no one would leave the room; at least not until the clock had struck twelve and it was time to disappear and find a dark corner somewhere. I allowed myself to look around and wonder what it would be like to celebrate with friends. To kiss someone at midnight and look forward to the year ahead with them in my arms, because they wanted to be, not because it made them rich.
My heart stopped when I saw her. She was wrapped in someone’s arms, their eyes fixed on each other as they mouthed each descending number with a smile. Her golden eyes sparkled and the sweet upturn of her lips created a warm smile; the smile of a woman who had found peace, happiness and the love I could never have given her. Skye Jones.
The clock struck twelve and the huge clock face embedded into the main wall of the hall chimed. The guests cheered. Party poppers went off. Champagne bottles were shook open, sending foam shooting into the crowd. Skye stretched up and kissed the man; it was a kiss so passionate, so full of lust and promise, I felt like a voyeur. But I was frozen to the spot, lost in limbo somewhere between past and present. I died all over again, watching her in the arms of the man who should have been me.
Time stopped when her eyes connected with mine and shock, pain and confusion flashed across eyes that had been so carefree just moments ago. She recognised me. She couldn’t recognise me; it would fuck everything up. She turned to her lover and as she whispered something to him, I ran from the hall and into the corridor. I scanned the space, wondering what to do until I heard frantic clicks of the shoes of the ghost from my past chasing me. I slipped into Nina’s office before Skye could find me.
“What are you doing?” Charlie shrieked, looking up from the computer.
“Is it done?”
Charlie scowled at me before looking back at the computer and hitting a few more keys. Her eyes kept flicking back to mine; she knew something was wrong. I couldn’t stand still, I could hear my name being called in the distance and my hands became sweaty as the nerves set in and the heart racing fear of being caught began to envelope me. Charlie loved it, she thrived on it. She would leave it to the last second and make some noise to draw attention if it was up to her, but I’d had enough. The staccato buzz of the phone in my pocket told me it was time to make an escape.
“We need to go.”
“Why?” She puckered her lips into a half smile, half pout. She was getting a rush I couldn’t begin to understand.
“We need to go.”
I grabbed her elbow and pulled her from the desk; she tried to pull away but it wasn’t happening. I knew she was trying to draw attention and I had to, had to stay in the shadows. I scanned the office to make sure she hadn’t left anything behind, peered out of the office door before pulling her out and crushing her to my side as I dragged her towards the exit. We stepped onto the porch where a few people were milling around, smoking and talking, laughing and celebrating; they parted and stared after us when I pulled Charlie through the middle of them. The car pulled up at the other end of the driveway; Charlie struggled on the gravel so I held her firmly and once we were at the car, I opened the door and threw her inside. I heard Skye’s moans of pleasure, the moans that haunted my dreams, and saw two figures in the front seat of a car as I got in the back next to Charlie and we made a quick - and more conspicuous than I wanted - getaway.
“What was that about? I can't just disappear.”
“Shut up,” I gripped two handfuls of hair. “Just shut up.”
Shit, I was panicking. Why was I panicking? We’d been close. If Skye had found me in the office with Charlie, if anyone had found us in the office, we would have been finished. Charlie was too careless, too reckless, and she was going to take me down with her. Hell, she’d probably get off with a slapped wrist and drop me in it.
“Curtis?” I looked over at her. I felt my ribs pounding and hot air escaped my nostrils in a rush as I tried to calm down. “What is wrong with you?”
She had obviously been talking for a while. She had that look; the one she had whenever she asked me a question and found out I hadn’t listened to a damn word. I folded my arms and stared out of the window.
“If you want to go bac
k, fine, but I'm done.”
“For good?” she asked, lowering her tone until her voice was thick and hypnotising. Two words. Two words were all it took and she had me.
I wanted to say yes. I wanted to walk away. I could have done, if I wanted, but I’d lose everything. I sighed in defeat.
“For tonight.”
“No, you’re not.”
I snarled and turned my head to look at her. I was ready to fight, to tell her to stick her wealth up her surgically enhanced ass. But she wasn’t talking about going back to the party.
She was stroking her legs, up and down in gentle, slow movements. She scraped her nails up her thighs, edging her dress higher and leaving red track marks on her milky skin.
My heart rate spiked instantly; my blood moved south, leaving my mind starved and with no choice but to switch off.
Charlie flipped her head, sending her dirty blonde locks behind her shoulder and exposing her long, slender neck.
“I haven’t had my screaming orgasm yet.”
“I think you should give it to yourself.”
“Excuse me?” her eyes shot up from where they’d been cast down at my lap.
I turned so my back was against the window and brought my knee up onto the seat/
“You heard me. Lift your dress up and take your underwear off.”
She squealed in delight and lifted her hips off the seat, sliding her pants down and off with a little flick of her ankles. She gave them to me when I held my hand out.
“What now?” she breathed.
Her chest was heaving with uneven breaths of anticipation. She squeezed her legs together and when she relaxed then I saw the evidence of her excitement coating the inside of her thighs. I shook my head. She was always so quick to be taken.
“Shut up,” I growled. “Open your mouth.”
She parted her lips just a little, moaning as she waited for my finger, but I reached out and opened it wider, shoving her underwear in her mouth. Her eyes found mine and mine bore into her; she knew better than to try and fight it.
Revival Page 7