Page 26 of Accidentally Joining His Cult (Chicago Awakenings #1)

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Cody

P retending that everything is normal for the past few days has been harder than I expected.

I’m mentally questioning everyone that I talk to— do they know? Are they a victim, or are they helping him? Am I hurting them by not somehow stopping him sooner? I’ve tried to stop that line of thinking because I can’t change the past, and I do think that almost everyone here is a victim to some extent.

As much as I hate to admit it, I’m sure there are probably people within the upper management team who are actively helping Viktor blackmail people or squeeze more money out of them. But then there’s also me, and I had no idea. I don’t know what he’s told people to justify his actions, and until I have more information, it isn’t my place to pass judgment.

“Here’s another external hard drive that’s been uploaded,” Beck says as he hands it to me to put away and find another.

Beck and I have been attempting to download any and all information that I have access to as a member of upper management into a cloud that he and Jordan can both access from anywhere. Viktor’s distrust of cloud technology means nearly everything is stored on external hard drives, which works in our favor.

Beck has been pretending to work in my office, just like when we first arrived, but now his only task is uploading as many files as he possibly can. Adrian’s been a lifesaver, covering for Beck’s actual work back in Chicago, allowing him to focus on our plan here. Meanwhile, I’ve been uploading my entire email history to the cloud.

We both agree we want to be in Linna for the least amount of time possible. The goal is to take as much information as quickly as we can and then sort through it when we’re safely in Chicago.

I’m not sure when that will be, but we’ve packed go-bags in case we need to literally run. We each have one in the trunk of my car and another at my house. I have no idea what Viktor is capable of—whether we’re in physical danger or if we’re being dramatic—but I’d prefer not to find out.

The hardest part has probably been my guilt over not telling Nick. I’m certain he’s just as much a victim as I am, and keeping him in the dark feels wrong. Beck actually suggested that I tell him because he can see how much it’s been bothering me to keep him out of the loop, but ultimately, I agree that it’s safer for now if we don’t.

“It’s almost time for my meeting with Viktor. I should head down there,” I say, handing Beck the next hard drive.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you in case he starts asking questions?” Beck asks me for the hundredth time.

“I’m sure. I think it’ll seem less suspicious if I’m alone, and if I can’t answer a question, he’ll assume it’s because I’m not great with money. He already knows that about me,” I explain.

“Fiiine, I’m sure you’ll do great, I just hate you being alone with that asshole,” Beck mutters, and I lean in for a quick kiss before leaving my office and heading down the long hall toward Viktor’s door.

I knock three times, just how he prefers, two short knocks followed by a long third, then wait for him to say I can enter. It’s such a small, strange demand and one of the countless ways he asserts control over everyone. Things like this seemed harmless before, but now they feel ridiculous. I hear the short click of the door unlocking, something I know he can control from his desk, and I step inside.

“Come on in, Cody. I’m so glad that you suggested this meeting today,” Viktor says, sounding so genuine. I’m sure that’s how he’s conned so many people . “You wanted to talk about a business opportunity?” he asks, motioning for me to sit in the chair opposite his desk.

It’s smaller than his. Everything about this place, the size of the giant office, the mini bar on one wall, the full conference table set up, and a sitting area with plush couches, supports the image of how important he is.

“Yeah, Beck mentioned it to me,” I reply, trying to sound casual and like my usual cheery self without overdoing it. “He has so much money that other people handle it for him, but I’d told him about the money I have from my parents and that it’s just been sitting in my account, not doing anything,” I say, starting the speech I rehearsed with Beck. “I’ve been thinking I’d like to use it to help people somehow.”

“That’s a great idea, Cody,” Viktor nods, squinting his eyes a little as he meets my gaze like he’s really concentrating on what I’m saying. “And it couldn’t have come at a better time, I’ve been thinking about ways to help even more people learn about Kyla’s programming. I know there are so many people out there who could improve their lives with our courses, but they don’t know about them yet. That money can be used to spread our knowledge, can help so many people,” he says, as though we’ve already agreed to use my money this way.

“Really?” I ask, perking up, trying to make it seem like we’re on the same page.

“Of course, I’ve had so many great marketing ideas that we’ve had to postpone due to limited funds,” he explains.

“Well, when I mentioned it to Beck, he suggested that I invest it first so that I can have even more to help people with,” I add hesitantly, like I’m waiting to hear Viktor’s opinion.

“Investments can take a long time to see results,” he warns.

“That’s what I thought, too,” I enthusiastically agree. “But, he told me about this business he’d planned to invest in and said that I could do it instead if I wanted to use the money for good,” I continue with our script.

“There’s this small business that went viral on social media,” I explain as I pull out my phone to the fake webpage Adrian made for us. Beck and I told him everything, and he immediately offered to create an online presence for the company we’d made up for this scheme.

“Apparently, they’ve designed an at-home frozen yogurt machine that sells out every time they post about it, but it’s just two guys making them, and they don’t have the money to buy the supplies to make more than a few machines at a time.”

I show him some pictures of “the guys” and “the product” as I talk. In reality, it’s actually just pictures of Adrian and Parker posing as the business owners on the fake social media page Adrian set up for Froyo-yo-yo.

The website and social media page have a lot of aesthetically pleasing frozen yogurt photos that I'm sure they purchased at a shop and then transferred into pretty bowls to place in front of the countertop machine. The machine he actually bought from a frozen yogurt place near his house after paying them three times what it was worth, then covered in the fake company’s logo.

He did a great job of making it look like a home appliance instead of one you’d see in a store. I’m kind of convinced that Adrian can do anything at this point.

“Beck had already reached out to them to find out if they’d be interested in an investor to split the profits with if he paid for the supplies they needed to create more. They said that making them is super easy, and there’s a large profit margin; they just don’t have the money to buy enough supplies to meet demand. They’ve agreed to split the profits evenly if someone funds them,” I say, hoping to convince Viktor to sign off on the “investment” so that I’ll have his approval to transfer a bunch of money out of my bank account into a new one he can’t access.

“So you want to give these random guys on the internet a bunch of money and hope they’ll use it to make more of their product, sell it, and actually pay you back?” he asks skeptically.

We’d anticipated Viktor questioning the idea, so I stick to the plan. “Beck was going to do a trial run with a smaller amount, and then if it worked out, invest more heavily. His lawyers had already vetted them and drawn up a contract, so he’ll do it if I don’t.” We’d talked about using an excuse to need a much larger amount of money and only doing one transfer, then running. But, we ultimately determined that this plan would allow us the best chance of him agreeing, while also giving us time to gather intel.

I’m worried my practiced responses sound too eager, so I try to tone it down a bit as I remind him about the potential for more money. “Beck just saw how excited I was about the idea of helping people, so he wanted me to be able to do as much as possible,” I say with a shrug.

At the mention of me reinvesting the profits—profits Viktor no doubt assumes will go to Kyla—he perks back up. “I think that the smaller initial investment sounds like a solid plan,” he agrees, and a huge weight lifts from my shoulders. He agreed! I won’t need to rely on Beck’s money. I literally pinch myself under the table where he can’t see, hoping the sting will distract me enough to keep a smile off of my face. “How much were you hoping to initially invest?” he asks.

“Fifteen thousand.” I found out that the bank allows transfers of up to ten thousand dollars before alerting Viktor. We want it to need his authorization so that we can test the process, but not be so large that it would seem unrealistic to quickly spend.

Viktor nods, “I’ll be sure to approve the transfer when the bank calls. Is that all then?” he asks, turning back to his computer in a dismissal.

“That’s it,” I answer with a big smile. “Thanks, Viktor. See you at dinner.”

I wait until I’m all the way back in my own office before breathing a sigh of relief. We checked pretty thoroughly, and the only security camera in my office is pointed at the door from behind my desk. Viktor could potentially see what I’m working on, but he’ll just see me with my emails open. The desk that Beck has been working at is perpendicular to mine, so what he’s doing isn’t visible. I know none of the security cameras have audio because Viktor has complained about it to me before, so we’re free to talk in here.

“He bought it,” I say as I shut my door behind me.

Beck perks up. “Really?”

“Yeah, he was too excited about potentially having more of my money to ask any tough questions,” I explain with a laugh.

I head straight to my computer and log in to Village Bank’s website. I enter the details to transfer the funds into the new online account we set up on Beck’s laptop, and as I hit “confirm,” a sense of relief washes over me, leaving me feeling lighter than I have in days.

* * *

“I still can’t believe that the grocery stores don’t have any actual food,” Beck complains as we get ready for bed.

“There’s plenty of food,” I say with a laugh as I start to undress, but his side-eyed glare makes it obvious he disagrees.

“Fine. There isn’t any good food,” he amends. “I’m a healthy guy, I watch what I eat. But zero processed snack options? Not even a diet soda? If we hadn’t realized this place was a fucking cult already, one trip to that store would have clued me in,” he huffs.

I can’t hide my grin in response to his temper tantrum. “We won’t be here much longer,” I remind him.

“Thank fuck for that. I’m exhausted. If you want to have sex tonight you either need to ride me or fuck me, because I don’t think I have the energy to do more than just lay there,” Beck says as he strips off his clothes.

“Wait, seriously?” I’m frozen in place where I stand naked at the foot of the bed as I process what he just said.

“Um, yeah? I have no idea how you have so much energy with how fucking busy we are and how little food we get,” Beck groans collapsing onto the bed.

“Not that! You’d let me fuck you right now?” I ask, practically bouncing onto the bed next to him. My tone is definitely not hiding how shocked and excited I feel at his suggestion. Obviously, I’ve fantasized about topping him, but I haven’t gotten around to actually asking if he’d want me to. I’ve always been so eager to have him inside of me when we make it past using our hands and mouths, that I’ve never remembered to bring up topping him in the moment.

I don’t know why, but I assumed it would be a bigger deal, an exception on a special occasion if he was even interested at all. Not a random night because he was tired.

Not that I’m complaining. At all. I’m very much on board with this suggestion. Bottoming with Beck is the best thing ever, but I’m also eager to have this new experience with him too. I want everything with Beck and the thought of being inside of him has my already eager cock twitching.

“Did you think I wouldn’t bottom if you wanted me to?” Beck asks, sounding alarmed as he sits up to look at me. “I’m sorry if I gave you that impression. I thought you were just enjoying bottoming too much to want to change anything.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve definitely been enjoying it. That was a very accurate assessment,” I agree, nodding my head. Hopefully, from the giant smile on my face, he believes me. “I guess I didn’t think that you wouldn’t, I just wasn’t expecting it right now.” I lean in to kiss him, intending for something soft, but I’m quickly consumed by his taste and end up tackling him back onto the bed in my enthusiasm.

Our rock-hard erections line up as I cover his body with mine, managing to maintain the kiss. The feel of our cocks rubbing together is amazing and I grind my hips down into his to create even more friction. Our mouths devour each other, and I know that Beck joked about not being an active participant tonight, but he’s fighting me for control of the kiss. I love it.

“How do you want to do this?” I force myself to ask before I can get swept up in this position, his hands are now roaming my sides and when he squeezes my ass I almost ask to start with him inside of me, but I’m way too excited to risk finishing before I get the chance to be inside of him.

“Do you want me like this?” he asks, moving his mouth to my neck to leave a sloppy kiss before continuing. “Or, would you rather me get on my hands and knees, so that you can watch your cock filling me up for the first time?” he offers in that deep tone that he only uses during sex.

I let out a groan as that image fills my mind and I try to focus on what he asked me, pretty sure there was a question in there. “As much as I want to keep kissing you, now that you’ve put that picture in my head, I think I need to see the real thing.” My voice sounds whiny and desperate, which might be embarrassing if I didn’t know how much Beck loves it.

He chuckles before repositioning himself on his hands and knees on the bed while I grab the lube from my nightstand. I get on my knees behind him, sitting back on my feet to stop and really enjoy the view for a moment.

“Babe, I hope you know how hot your ass is,” I say as I squeeze the perfect round cheeks in my hands. It’s not the first time I’ve admired his bubble butt, but it is the first time I’ve looked at it knowing I was about to be inside of him, and I seriously need to hurry up with how much my dick is already leaking just thinking about it.

“It’ll be even hotter with your cock splitting me open,” he taunts and a whimper escapes from my throat.

“Okay, I’m going to start with a finger,” I warn, adding some lube and slowly rubbing it into his rim. He relaxes his head down onto his forearms, and this position has definitely gone straight to my head. Having Beck, a man who is so strong and confident, so commanding, on his knees, waiting for me to fuck him, is seriously blowing my mind.

I know that Beck loves me, and that he sees me as an equal partner in our relationship. I’m so grateful for that. But honestly, I usually like him taking control. Sure, neither of us holds back, and we’ll fight for dominance when we’re kissing or teasing each other. But, when it comes to who is fucking who, I’ve been more than happy to welcome Beck inside of me.

So I was definitely not expecting to have this dramatic of a reaction to swapping our positions. I’m not about to declare myself a top and give up bottoming or anything, but the control this position implies is super hot.

I add pressure to my finger as he relaxes and I work it in until he’s shifting his hips back to meet my hand. The feeling of his tight warm body squeezing around me, even when it’s just a finger, has my cock weeping.

I repeat the process with two fingers and then three, spreading them around and using plenty of lube to get him relaxed and ready for me. As eager as I might be to swap out my hand for the real deal, I don’t want to rush things and end up hurting him. Beck always makes sure bottoming is so good for me, I want him to enjoy the experience too.

My fingers brush over a soft spot that must be his prostate, and Beck lets out a soft moan as he moves his hips back to meet my hand more forcefully. It’s so hot seeing him like this, I’m so lucky to be able to share this with him.

“Baby, I need you to be a good boy and fuck me already,” he commands. I love that even on his knees, with his ass in the air ready to be fucked, Beck is still so in control.

I withdraw my hand, adding more lube before gripping the base of my swollen cock to guide the tip to his entrance. Slowly, I push my way in past the tight ring of muscle and I have to stop myself from slamming home as his ass seems eager to swallow my dick. “Fuck Babe, you’re so tight and warm, it feels absolutely incredible. There’s no way I’ll be able to last long like this,” I warn him.

Still, I force myself to take my time, slowly pushing in deeper, allowing him time to adjust to my cock inside of him. Then he shifts his hips back, forcing me the rest of the way in, and another whine escapes from my lips. I don’t move, afraid I really will finish too soon.

“Baby, I promise that I’m fine. But I won’t be if you don’t move and actually fuck me in the next two seconds.”

I laugh as I pull out a little before working my way back in, repeating the motion and picking up my pace, trusting that Beck won’t let me hurt him as I give into my pleasure. I grab his hips to pull him back into me, meeting the movement of my thrusts, all caution completely gone and forgotten. The bed is rocking, knocking into the wall with each motion, but I can barely hear it over the moans and gasps coming from the two of us.

“Fuck. Yes. Baby, just like that. Harder. Such a good boy. Faster. So good. I’m so close,” Beck praises between gasps as I fuck him harder than I thought I was capable of. One of his arms has shifted so that he can stroke his leaking cock as I continue to thrust into him. As much as I want to be the one working his dick, I don’t think I’m capable of slowing down right now to reposition myself. His tight, warm hole feels incredible squeezing my cock— I can’t believe I’ve lasted this long — I try to make sure my angle is working his prostate, noting his sounds of pleasure when I get it right, and eventually I feel Beck’s muscles tense. He lets out a strangled moan and his ass clenches around me, the intense pressure around my dick sending me right over the edge with him. My cock jerks and I fill him with my release as I continue to fuck him through our orgasms, trying to draw it out as the pleasure that had been building in my spine consumes my entire body.

We both collapse forward, completely wrung out. I hate that I can’t remain inside of him for hours, for the rest of the night. I roll off of him, but watch where my cum is slowly leaking out of his hole. I scoop it up and copy what Beck loves to do to me, gathering my release and pushing two fingers back inside of him, remaining there in a comfortable silence as I rest my head on his perfect ass like it’s my pillow.

Eventually, Beck breaks the silence. “That really was so hot, baby.” He’s mumbling, like he’s already half asleep. “You did such a great job fucking me, filling my hole with your cum, and marking me as yours from the inside out.”

I feel like I could float away with how light his sleepy praise makes me feel. I push myself up, crawling to place a kiss on the back of his neck before finally standing, intending to get wipes to clean him up. Beck grabs my wrist as I turn, stopping me from leaving, and pulls me back to him. His eyes are closed, but his lips are pursed, and I laugh before bending down for a soft kiss.

I still can’t believe that just happened. He lets me go, his hand falling away slowly like maybe he’s already asleep. I get us both cleaned up before snuggling in, bringing the blanket over us both. I’m way too hyped after that to sleep, still I force myself to try. Beck wasn’t kidding about how little rest we get around here.

I’m so glad that even in the midst of so much negativity and all of the problems we’ve been uncovering about Kyla, Beck and I have still been able to find these moments together.

I’m so in love with him and I’m so grateful that I get to call him mine.