Page 132 of Hate You Up Close

That’s right.Spooky. I should have remembered that because he scared the shit out of me the last time I was here. Damn…So much has happened since then. So much has changed.

“Hey, Spooky,” I say in my regular voice, speaking to the cat as if he understands me. He stares up at me through yellow eyes that look like they would glow in the dark.

“Are you in on this little surprise, too?” I smirk, arching a brow.

He extends his paws out in front of him, digging his claws into the rug beneath the table. He narrows his slanted eyes at me as if to say,“Don’t fuck with my mom.”

I narrow my eyes back at him.

“She’s mine too, Spooky,” I say, staking my claim against this motherfucking cat. “I’ll fight you for her if I have to. I’ve never brawled with a cat before, but I’m not beneath it.”

“Meow,”he purrs lowly.

I swear this cat understands the human language because he arches his back and shows me his teeth like a threat.

Spooky’s eyes soften as he comes out of his hiding place beneath the low table. He sits back on his hind legs, his eyes sparking like he’s smiling or some shit. Just when I think Spooky has started to warm up to me, I feel a presence behind my back. A familiar presence that always causes my spine to tingle.

I grab onto the back of the couch and turn my head, looking for Roxanne. In the blink of an eye, darkness floods the apartment at the same time I hear the light switch off. It’s pitch black, and I can now confirm that Spooky’s eyes do, in fact, glow in the dark

What the fuck is going on?Are Spooky and Roxanne about to sacrifice me or some shit? Is Roxanne secretly a witch?

“Roxanne?” I mutter as I hear her bare feet pad across the wooden floor.

My heart picks up speed when I’m met with silence. The only sounds I’m able to register are the light thumping of her feet and Spooky’s soft purrs.

“Roxanne, what are you–”

Suddenly, a lamp is turned on from the corner of the living room. Roxanne must have one of those color-changing light bulbs because the room is instantly flooded with a red glow. I blink my eyes, adjusting to the dark crimson hue.

“Alexa,” Roxanne hums sexily. “Play ‘Naughty Girl’ by Beyoncé.”

My eyes snap to Roxanne as the song starts booming through the speaker at full blast. She’s standing next to the lamp, allowing the scarlet light to dance across her body and…

Holy. Fucking. Shit.

I’m a dead man.

This might actually kill me.

I won’t survive this.

I think I’m going into cardiac arrest.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

Fuck. Me.

I can’t tell if this is my own personal heaven or hell. Either way, I want to stay here forever.

“Happy Birthday, Mr. Thompson,” she rasps, slowly striding towards me and swaying her hips to the beat.

She’s wearing skimpy, black lingerie that resembles a corset. The material is lace and completely see-through. Even in the dim light, I can see the outline of her full breasts, pink nipples, toned stomach, and smooth pussy. Small clips connect the corset to sexy, sheer stockings that reach her mid-thigh.

Her dark hair falls around her shoulders in loose curls, the ends brushing against her ribcage. My eyes roam across every inch of her body as she slowly makes her way to me.

God, she couldn't be more perfect.

This woman is everything I’ve ever wanted. She’s everything I've been missing.