by Rina Kent
My temper flares. You know what? Screw him. I had enough adventure to last me for a lifetime. It’s better if I save myself from him now before he touches a deeper layer and shreds me to pieces in full sociopath fashion.
I cross my arms. “Yes, I do remember the names of all the men I slept with and they happen to be one.” I stand. “I was thinking of making them two today, but it’s not worth it.”
With as much level-headed voice as I can muster, I throw the napkin on the tray. “Bonne journée.”
My cool retreat isn’t cool anymore when I remember that my clothes are in the lounge area. Well, good. I don’t want to change in front of him.
I square my shoulders and walk to the door of the bedroom.
Fait demi-tour. Fait demi-tour…
The demon on my shoulder chants. Everything in me is craving to go back and live this moment to its fullest, but my pride forbids me.
Pain and disappointment drop my stomach when Dominic doesn’t even call after me.
I reach the door. The moment I open it, a palm slams it shut. Warmth radiates down my back as a deep, dark voice hisses near my ear. “Where the fuck do you think you’re going?”
10
Camille
The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. My body is almost melting back into Dominic’s hard – and very naked – chest.
Hell. He’s all naked.
I try not to think about that as I speak in a clear tone. “I’m leaving.”
“No. You’re not.” He grits out with a hint of irritation – or frustration?
Although every part of me is itching to scream Bordel and just stay, I don’t. This has to do with my self-worth. I might want an adventure, but I won’t be a forgettable name.
My parents didn’t raise me like that. Papa always taught me to respect myself. If I don’t, no one will.
I keep facing the closed door. “Yes, I am. You can’t make me stay.”
Dominic clutches my shoulders and although he’s touching me over the robe, my skin tingles. He whirls me around. My back hits the door as I face him.
A mischievous gleam sparks in the depth of his dark eyes. “Maybe I can.”
“Sorry to blow your endless ego, but no.” I’m thankful my tone is calm. “I’m sure you will recover with the next nameless woman.”
“You’re not nameless, Camille.” He enunciates my name as if proving a point. “You’re so fucking challenging and the attitude is grating at me. Hell. I should let you go.”
“Then do it.” I fight the hurt trying to slip through.
“I can’t.” He blows a breath as if he doesn’t want to admit it. “I fucking can’t. I want more from you.” His fingers trace my jaw. “I have this need to break you and watch you come apart, knowing that deep down you want this.” He stares at me with something I can’t fathom. Awe? “You like the darkness I offer and fuck me if I will let that go.”
Something crumbles inside me. I don’t know if it’s the last wall of resistance or the sheer reaction I have for this man. Ever since I first saw him, he hit something in me. The more he touches me, the more I feel myself disintegrating.
It’s like I’m losing myself to him and enjoying every second of it.
“You have the other women.” I pretend to be nonchalant.
“The other women run away once I give them a way out.” He traces a sensual finger down my cheeks, tone amused. “They certainly don’t pass out on me.”
I swallow as a tint of heat smothers my cheeks. I’m not sure why he sounds so proud of that particular moment. Is it because he likes that I take whatever he dishes my way or…?
“Stay.” His voice is authoritative – typical Dominic – but there’s a hint of uncertainty in the slight drooping of his shoulders.
“If you don’t…” His finger strokes down my neck, my collarbone and down the valley of my breasts. I suck in stuttering breaths as my core pulses to life.
Damn Dominic’s touch.
“I will kidnap you,” he says casually while slowly, too slowly, tracing my breast but not my aching nipple.
“You will be a criminal,” I croak out, trying to keep my ground.
He flashes me his full-of-shit grin. “If I get to tie you to my bed, it’ll be worth it.”
My lips part. I’m not even sure if he’s joking or for real. One thing for certain, he won’t stop unless he gets what he wants.
Maybe I should do the smart thing, give up and get it over with. It’s not like I don’t want him.
But where’s the fun in that?
Seems that a sociopath’s habits are already rubbing on me.
“I will try to escape.” My tone is playful. “I’ll be the worst captive anyone can have.”
“You will be punished.”
“I will still escape.”
His other hand reaches to my ass and he squeezes. I gasp, both from the burn and from the wetness pooling between my thighs. “I will keep you pleased enough so you don’t think about escaping.”
I gulp the dryness in my throat and stare at his sinful mouth. I want to kiss him. I don’t know why I need the intimacy, but I just do.
“Do you kiss the nameless women?” I ask before I can stop myself.
He shakes his head once, but his gaze is on my mouth. Maybe that’s why I do a slow show of licking my lips. Why isn’t he kissing me?
A phone rings. I flinch from my fantasy. Dominic cuts a harsh glare to the source of the ringing. His phone peeks from the trousers resting on the floor.
The name Sophie flashes on the screen.
An arrow of jealousy stabs my chest. This is the second time she calls him in a span of an hour. Obviously, she’s not nameless either since he’s saving her name.
He throws me a poignant stare. “Don’t move.”
Not that I can. I keep watching his ass and the confident way he strides with. Nothing will purge this image from my memory.
He picks up and barks. “Now isn’t the right time, Sophie.”
Wait. Maybe this Sophie is his wife or something. I never thought about that possibility, but the fact that he doesn’t do relationships could mean that he’s married and a serial cheater.
I shake my head. That’s so silly. I doubt Dominic is the marrying type.
He remains silent as he listens to whatever this Sophie is telling him. I have a side profile of him, but it’s visible how his shoulders square. His lips curve in a boyish grin that knots my insides.
“Keep a close watch.” He traps his phone between his shoulder and his ear while shoving his legs in his boxer briefs and his trousers. “Give me numbers.” Silence before his lips lift in an accomplished smile. “Excellent.”
My stomach falls as he continues enumerating some technical terms. I silently open the door and head to the adjacent room. I find my clothes neatly folded on the sofa. I slip them on in silence.
A hole forms in my chest. I was ready to leave a few minutes ago, but being erased hurts.
“Bordel.” I curse when I recall that he has my underwear. Whatever. I smooth my skirt and my tank top then slip on my sandals. I spy Dominic speaking with passion on the phone while buttoning his shirt.
My lips roll behind my teeth. He’s such a handsome, thrilling adventure.
It’s better this way. I have an awful intuition that if I stay and let him deeper, he’ll destroy me.
I’m an adult. I can walk away.
And I do.
I silently slip out of the room and close the door behind me. The final sound of the door clicking settles a weight in my chest. A hollowness eats at my heart.
It’s over.
11
Camille
The following day, I’m trudging in the coffee shop and offering automatic smiles to the customers.
Samir gave me a time out and asked me to stay behind the counter. He has every right to. Sulking in front of patrons isn’t good for business.
I’m being dramatic.
I slide behind the
counter to take care of the cashier. It’s better if I hide here until the end of my shift. I stare at the clock. It’s still the afternoon. I have all the way to the evening.
I sigh and drop to the seat behind the counter. A burn erupts in my ass and I wince. Fils de pute.
It’s been hard to lie down or sit properly. Deep down, I don’t even hate it. A throb starts between my legs whenever I recall how I got the red ass.
You will feel me on you for days.
The throb vanishes when I recall how I left.
I secretly hoped Dominic would follow me. He didn’t. He didn’t even show up today. Although his group doesn’t come on the weekends.
I plop my elbow on the counter and rest my head against my cheek. My eyes are droopy as I watch the customers chatting about. I couldn’t sleep last night. Ever since I left that hotel room, I kept replaying what happened in erotic, meticulous details.
The spanking, the sobbing, the coming apart. Dominic’s intensity is engraved under my skin. I don’t think I can erase it from my memories any time soon.
A part of me is appalled I let a complete stranger do all those things to me – and finding sick pleasure in it. But the other part? The more unhinged part? That one wishes I never left the hotel room. Maybe if I didn’t, I wouldn’t be feeling so out of my skin today.
It’s been only a day and I feel like I’ve known Dominic for eternity. That’s the type of effect he has on me.
A yawn escapes my lips and I close my eyes. Just a little while. I need to sleep for a second. Hopefully, Samir won’t catch me.
In my hazy half-asleep mind, I’m at that hotel room again. I’m standing near the table I fainted on wearing my denim skirt, tank top, and sandals. My body is aching, begging for a touch from Dominic.
Only… he isn’t there.
A gruff voice drifts my way. It’s muffled and seems as if someone is speaking from a bottle.
“It’s her... yes… he doesn’t suspect anything… it will be taken care of…”
What?
Where’s Dominic?
I moan when something stings my neck. Mais qu’est ce qui…
“If you’re moaning, you better be dreaming about me.”
Dominic!
My eyes snap open. I don’t even realise I’ve been asleep for that long. Dominic is perched over my chair. I rub my eyes. Am I still dreaming?
This is so cruel.
Dominic – or his doppelganger – doesn’t disappear. He’s in the same black suit from yesterday without the tie. His face appears tired as if he pulled an all-nighter. Even his usually perfect hair is a bit dishevelled.
His hand is gripping the back of the chair I’m sitting on while the other clutches the counter.
I’m completely under his scrutiny. It’s similar to when he came to find me at the pub. Only this time, his brown eyes are cold and his face is contorting as if he’s angry with me.
“Dominic?” I blurt, trying to hide the giddiness filling my insides. “What are you doing here?”
His voice drifts my way in a dark, hot caress. “Are you asking for punishment? I held back with you and we need to rectify that.”
Just mere words and my damn thighs are shaking. “What…?”
“I told you not to move. What did you do?”
His commanding voice is like his tongue, and it’s licking its way down my heated body.
“You were putting your clothes on.” I lift a shoulder and stare at my hands in my lap. “I thought we were done.”
“Did I say that?”
“It doesn’t take a genius to figure it out.”
He places two fingers underneath my chin and tilts my head so I’m eye to eye with those deep, destabilising browns. “I had an emergency at the lab and just finished. Otherwise, I would’ve come here and spanked your arse for defying me.”
My breath catches in my throat and relief overwhelms me. Hearing that explanation erases all the doubts.
I pull away from his hold. “It doesn’t matter anyway.”
Maybe it’s better when we stopped. I feel myself falling into a slippery slope. I have a strong hunch that if I give myself to his enigmatic methods, I’ll probably never find a way out.
When I couldn’t sleep, I spent the entire night re-reading about sociopaths to remind myself how easy it is to fall in their well-crafted webs.
“It does matter.” He hisses and some patrons throw a curious look our way.
I give them an awkward smile then scowl at him. “Go. You draw attention.”
“No.”
“Dominic. Just go.”
“I will go on one condition.” He offers me that full-of-shit, devilish grin. “Meet me tonight.”
“No.” It’s weaker than I intended.
“Why not?” He continues smirking in that infuriatingly, delicious way. He has a tiny dimple on his right cheek. Of course, the devil also has a dimple.
“Are you a coward, Camille?”
He’s baiting me. I know he is. But that doesn’t mean I don’t fall for it. I need to research how to refuse him when all I want is to offer myself as a sacrifice at his altar.
“What’s the matter?” He leans even closer so I’m breathing his head-turning scent. “Are you afraid of temptation?”
“Stop.”
“You stop.” It’s his persuasive tone. The sociopathic one. Why the hell does it ring so true? “I understand you, Camille. I can sense that darkness in you. It’s in me, too. Let me bring you out. Stop hiding and playing by societal standards.”
“Don’t you play by societal standards?”
“Only for my endgame. But this,” he motions at the space between us, “is real. You feel it. I feel it. Stop fucking fighting it.”
There’s a hint of irritation at the end, and it grates at me.
“I can’t.”
“You can. You’re just too afraid to take a step forward.”
“I’m not afraid. Leave.” I place a hand on his bicep and push him, but he might as well be steel. I try not to imagine him naked. It’s so hard considering that I’ve been fantasising about it all night and morning.
“Not until you agree to meet me tonight.”
“You don’t take no for an answer, do you?”
“Not when I’m sure I can change your mind.” His finger reaches for my bottom lip and I pull back. Samir will fire my ass for this.
“Stop it.” I hiss. “I have a shift tonight.”
“Take a night off,” he says with such casualty as if the world is administered by a snap of his fingers.
“We’re short-staffed. I can’t.” And I mean that. Nancy took the night off and I’m only here with William – another part-time – and the Barista. I wouldn’t bail out on Samir during a busy night after all what he and his family have done for me.
Dominic is silent for a bit as if measuring his options. “Meet me afterwards, then.”
That will be around ten thirty. Late. As in spending the night with him, late. I can’t use the excuse of a shift to escape this time. A throb starts between my thighs at the thought.
Whoa there, hormones, take it easy.
“I will think about it,” I say nonchalantly.
Dominic’s dark brown eyes rake over me. I’m wearing a simple strapless summer dress underneath the apron, but I don’t think he can see it. It’s like he’s trying to picture me naked, too.
“You won’t think about it. You will come, Cam.”
I swallow, taking ‘come’ in an entirely different context. Damn Dominic. Why does everything sound naughty out of his mouth and in that sinful British accent?
He reaches into his jacket and retrieves a black card. There’s nothing on it except for an address engraved in an elegant, golden font. “Meet me here.”
“Where is this?”
He winks. “You will find out when you arrive.”
Bastard. He’s baiting me again. Did he already figure out that curiosity is my weakness? There’s this need to dissect hi
m up close and see what lurks behind the mask he’s always wearing.
He reaches underneath the counter and squeezes my still-sore ass. I gasp then stifle the sound with the back of my hand. My eyes stray around, searching to see if anyone noticed.
“Don’t be late or I will punish you.” His breath fans my ear. “You know I love punishing you, baby girl.”
Dominic winks again before he strides out of the door with complete and utter confidence.
I’m left slouched in my seat with heated cheeks, a sore bottom, and a pulsing ache between my legs.
An adventure, my ass. This is like being thrown in the eye of a hurricane.
There’s no way out.
I don’t want a way out.
“What did Dominic want?”
I startle at Samir’s voice. It takes me a second to hide the card in the pocket of my apron and face my boss. I really hope he didn’t see Dominic pinching my ass.
“Uh… nothing. Just asking about.”
“About what?” Samir has a scowl on his face, his arms crossed. “He never comes over on the weekends.”
Right. He doesn’t. Does that mean he came here just for me?
“Maybe it was on his way?” I feign ignorance.
“Be careful with that one, kid.” Samir’s Middle Eastern features creak with concern, and it forms dread at the bottom of my stomach. Samir might act like a tough boss, but he’s always been a light-hearted man. It’s the first time I see him this concerned.
“What do you mean?”
A deep sigh escapes him as he uncrosses his arms. “I’ve known Dominic since his early twenties. He’s not a bad man per se. He’s just wired wrong.”
As in sociopath, wrong. I don’t think Dominic is the type who actively works to hurt others, but I also don’t doubt that he’d step on people to get what he wants.
“He skipped grades and worked like a maniac for his research career.” Samir sounds thoughtful.
“He skipped grades?” How come Nancy never mentioned this?
Samir taps his head. “Dominic is a genius. He skipped more than four grades. Not everyone can become a researcher at thirty.”