Page 32

THIRTY-ONE

After the restaurant, Draco dropped me off at my apartment with promise to pick me up later. I didn’t correct him on what he said about me not taking my clothes off for money. There is no point in arguing. He shouldn’t care less at what I do and I couldn’t care less on how he feels about it. I have bills to pay. But what has me confused is, the sudden change in him. Him showing up and taking me out to eat. Asking me questions about my past. More specifically who I know or if I’m attached to anyone. If I had a boyfriend. It wasn’t a big secret. How could I have possibly had a boyfriend one when I was locked up my entire teenaged life. I didn’t mention Rose because she is none of his business but I was glad he didn’t ask about my mother. I’m sure he can figure out what my relationship with her is like now from the media. It’s not like she was crying when I was sentenced. Relived that justice was served. It was a clear indication on how she felt and whose side she chose to stay on.

I’m zipping up my bag to leave for my shift at the club, when there’s a knock on my door. I peer through the peep hole and don’t see anyone. I open the door and then my phone buzzes in my pocket.

Unknown: It’s Draco, I’m downstairs waiting.

Athena: How did you get my number?

I don’t know why I asked. He must have gotten it from Kaden.

Unknown: I get what I want. Eventually.

Ha, ha.

Athena: I can’t. I have work.

Unknown: Do you want me to come up and change your mind?

That is the last thing I should let happen even though my body hums with want.

I grab my bag, lock the back door and head down to the parking lot where his black car is idling. The two bright headlines causing me to squint as I walk across the parking lot. I hear the car door open and the silhouette of his figure as he walks around the car top open the passenger door right before I reach it.

“I’m not sure if I should thank you for coming.”

I look up at his handsome face. “Why is that?”

He leans close. His breath tickling the side of my neck. “I was kind of hoping I would have had to go up there and convince you.”

A heavy chill slides down my neck. The scent of his rich cologne filling my nose reminding me the way his soft tongue felt between my thighs. A delicious want settles between my thighs like a vampire with bloodlust.

Not wanting him to see how he affects me, I slide inside the car and let out the breath I was holding when he closes the door.

“What am I doing?” I mutter.

I shouldn’t be going anywhere with him. Especially at night.

When he gets in and start to drive, I ask, “Where are we going?”

“You’ll see,” he replies, making me nervous.

What does he want with me? I thanked him for the food. It was nice. Normal even. Maybe he was feeling guilty? I didn’t think he was going to follow through with his offer to see me later. It’s why I got ready for work instead of looking out the peep hole every few minutes. I’ve heard of guys telling girls they’ll call them just to be nice when they really aren’t going to call.

I have no idea where we are headed. I just know it’s not to the club or out of town. My palms begin to sweat when the bright lights of the carnival come into view like a giant spotlight in the night sky. This is the last place I thought he would take me but then I remember he’s been trying to convince me to attend his show.

It must really want me to see him perform. I don’t know if I should protest or go along with it. It’s not that I don’t want to see the Circus of Freaks perform, it’s what it would mean if I did. What would happen next?” Will he tell me to fuck off? Will I like it? Will I ever see him again?

My thoughts hit pause when he pulls into a road where a security guard is manning a gate. He doesn’t have to pull the window down. One look at the car from the burly man with a black winter jacket that read Security is all that is needed to have the gate sliding open.

“You want me to see your show,” I state the obvious.

“Yes, it would mean a lot to me if you did.”

“Why?”

“It’s only fair. I got to see you perform.”

“That’s not the same thing. It’s not something I like to do. I mean, not like that.”

“How would you then?’

“What? Like to perform?” I shrug. “I’m not sure. I’ve never thought about it. It was the only place hiring when I got out. It beats the park bench.”

He parks in front of a huge trailer reminding me of a tour bus celebrities use to travel from city to city. It’s black and magnificent. I bet he has everything he needs inside. There are four others just like it parked behind one another.

“Would you like something to drink? I have plenty of options inside.”

I nod before getting out. “Sure.”

I am thirsty. I haven’t gotten around to go grocery shopping. I had to tackle the green goblin for a refrigerator in my apartment first before risking putting anything inside.

I follow him inside the trailer and I know it belongs to him because the scent of his cologne is stronger. He takes a few steps to a fridge, opens the door and pulls out different sodas, juice, water, and wine.

“I also got beer if you prefer.”

“Water is good.” I need to keep my head on straight around him and I could always show up late to work after his show. I doubt it goes on all night. I can still squeeze a few dances in and make a few bucks.

I look around the space. It’s nice. Modern. Warm from the heating system. There is a bed in the back with a fluffy white comforter and one of the clown plushies sitting on top with red and white striped legs. A wide grin staring at me like this is where all the fun happens.

There is a couch across a decent sized flat TV. You can see the entire park with all the surveillance that is on the screen. Different windows showcase every inch of the park. The squares flicking in and out from every camera. There are even ones inside the houses. It reminds me that he could have been watching me and Rose the other night.

“You can see everything, huh.”

He glances at the screen after shutting the door to the fridge. A can of Coke in his hand. “Pretty much. I have to know what goes on and when.”

“Is that how you knew where to find me when I showed up?”

He gives me a dark grin. “I have people for that.”

I raise my brows. “So what? People call you if I set foot on fairgrounds.”

He smiles but it doesn’t reach his eyes causing me to sweat. “Something like that.”

I open the bottle of water, squeezing the cap in my fist letting it dig in my skin as I take a sip letting the cool water slide down my dry throat. I’m not sure if I should be nervous, scared. I’m not sure of anything when it comes to Draco. All I know is that he makes me feel things I shouldn’t feel. Things that don’t make sense. He awakens something inside that has been with me all along. Something inside I have has since I was born. Like it was waiting for it to be awaken. I told myself the fortune teller was full of shit but I’m not sure of anything anymore because when I am with him, I feel safe. I feel want. Need. Lust. A deep want for something I can’t place but want desperately.

I’m taking to a special VIP seating area. The tent is packed with people eager for the show to begin. The tent is air-conditioned.

Girls are dressed in sexy costumes walking around with trays of shots in tubes. People are buying, taking them back. Laughing. You see the glittering excitement under the colorful lights all around.

There are five rows in stadium styled seated expertly placed around the stage. There is a catwalk like a runway show. Harnesses dangling from above secured by metal bars. Music is pumping through invisible speakers. Anticipation is clawing in my gut to see him in all his glory. I’m almost positive he will be magnificent. I’m sure I’ll see Dahlia. I’m not sure what I’ll feel. Jealousy? Nothing? I haven’t seen the others. I’m not sure what to expect but so far, this is nothing I expected it to be. You can feel the excitement floating in the air.

The lights dim, and then fire shoots out of what looks like cannons in the air eliciting gasps, and screams.

“Welcome to the Circus of Freaks,” a dark voice announces through the speakers.

I glance at the people in the rows next to me, to the left and right. Everyone craning their head not to miss anything. “My name is Draco. The lord of fire. First up is Kaden, the illusionist.”

I smile not knowing that was what he did. What he was known for. A tall figure walks up on stage and I recognize Kaden in a black coat. He is shirtless underneath and I didn’t realize he has so many tattoos like Draco.

He stops in the middle of the stage staring straight ahead. His face is painted black, his eyes white. His mouth blood red. His eyes float around the room until they stop directly on me. My heart starts hammering inside my chest. He tilts his head, smiles and looks up. All eyes follow and then, a dark figure wearing a black coat appears slowly like he is flying.

Gasps echo around the room as Draco lowers slowly by a harness with a single red rose the color of blood in his hand.

I smile and a wave of heat flows through my veins when he says, “come back to me.” He places the rose in my lap and images flip through my mind like a picture book. This stage, laughter from the people on them wearing makeup. Wide smiles from women and men. I can hear myself laugh leaning on a man with a broad muscled chest. I keep laughing and it’s not until the lights shift that I see them. Three men hanging with gags in their mouths.

“Do you think it hurts,” I hear Draco say next to me.

“It should hurt,” I hear myself say. “I hope it does.”

“You saved her,” Draco replies.

“We all did.”

I blink rapidly as the images fade. The three men cut up and bloody. Their eyes haunted in agony from the pain.

“Are you alright?” Draco says.

My eyes dart around the room. Everyone is watching us. I look down at the rose and pick it up. It doesn’t have any thorns. Like the last one. They never do.

“Yeah. I mean, yes.”‘

He leans in. “They should always hurt when they take something so precious.” Then he’s gone. Back to the show.

Dahlia appears on stage beautiful as ever. The others in the Circle of Freaks perform but it’s like a mirage as I process what I saw. What I felt.

It was like he was in my head and could see what I saw and felt, but that’s impossible.

After the show, security brought me back to Draco’s trailer. I take a seat and look around but the place is so clean, it looks like the model as a dealership. The only indication that someone stays in it, is the clown smiling on the bed, the fully stocked fridge, and of course the smell. His smell. Bergamot.

I get up and walk to the bed and sit on the edge picking up the clown. I smile liking the way it smiles. Like it knows secrets. I lay on my side, staring at its eyes and I didn’t realize how tired I was because I find my eyes drifting off. I try to keep them awake until he shows up but it’s futile. I’m so tired and his bed is so comfortable. The white fluffy comforter feels like I’m floating on a cloud.

Something severs my deep sleep. Lips soft and warm over the skin on my neck. Goose bumps envelop my skin. My eyes open and I met with intense dark eyes. I can smell his damp skin fresh from a shower. His fair skin with no trace of makeup. I must have fallen asleep for a while.

“Can I?” he asks as he slides his hand over my winter tights and stops at my hip.

My body felt alive. My mind relaxed in the wake of sleep. It was like my past didn’t matter but in a way it did because this moment was linked to it somehow without realizing it. It was a crossroad of what I wanted and shouldn’t do. But I wanted it. I wanted him to be everything my heart hoped for. I wanted to be held by him. Be loved by him for whatever reason and this was the beginning. The beginning of my life. What happened in my short life didn’t matter. Only this. Him and me. At this moment.

It was a connection I couldn’t escape from. It didn’t matter if it was wrong or right but it felt right.

“Yes,” I hear myself say.

I didn’t have to tell him it was my first time having sex. It was like he knew, like he pieced it together.

He removes my shoes, my tights, my panties, and finally my shirt and bra. I’m naked and he’s shirtless. My nipples rub lightly against the smooth muscle of his chest as his gaze slowly slides down my naked body.

“You’re beautiful, Athena,” he says softly.

“Is that what you tell all the girls?”

He smiles and my chest squeezes at how gorgeous he is. He raises himself up on one arm and picks up the clown. “You should ask him? He knows but to answer your question. No. I don’t tell all the girls they’re beautiful because there is only one. In my eyes, there will only be one.”

“How do you know that person is me?”

“I admit I wasn’t sure but then…” he trails off.

“Then?” I ask looking between him and the stuffed clown.

“I couldn’t stand anyone touching you. I can’t…” he closes his eyes like he’s in pain. “I can’t imagine what someone else might do to you and that can happen. I can’t sleep if I don’t know where you are.”

I glance at the camera and I know. My stomach drops like a rope being cut and I’m falling to the ground fast. He’s been watching me since I got here and he saw me for the first time, or I’m crazy and I’m imagining things.

“Draco,” I whisper. “Am I crazy?”

He shakes his head slowly. “No. You’ve just been waiting for me like I’ve been waiting for you. I was just too stubborn to believe in it.” He swallows and then continues, “I wasn’t me, Athena, but you were always you.”

I don’t know what he means but I can’t think when he kisses me. His lips are firm and soft at the same time. I drown in his scent. I drown in him with every breath. I breathe him in. The scent of his sweet breath, the scent of his skin. Intoxicating.

My body is on fire by the time he settles between my thighs. His warm hard cock pressed against my wet pussy. His hands holding my hips.

“Grind your pussy on me,” he says and presses his thumb on my clit.

I gasp. “Draco,” I moan.

“Trust me. You’re going to need to be really wet because when I take you, Athena, I’m not going to be able to stop. I need you to be sure this what you want.”

I can tell he is struggling. The pads of his fingers from his right hand digging in my hip as he tries to hold back. I grind my hips, hid nose flares and his abs flex.

The head of his cock is hot and wet. I can feel it between the lips on my pussy. All it takes is a small thrust and he’s inside. It feels so good, my clit throbs each time I move my body begging for more.

“Athena?”

I’m staring at his huge cock between my open thighs trying to see how it’s going to fit. “Yes, Draco.”

“Don’t be afraid. I won’t hurt you but I can’t promise that I won’t hurt other people who try.” He kisses my sweaty temple and rasps, “I’m sorry if I ever hurt you. I’m so sorry I wasn’t there to protect you.”

He means with Chris. Tears fall.

No one has ever said those words to me. No one has ever cared. It doesn’t matter if I don’t know him but something inside me tells me I do. I know him more than I know myself. I’m trying to figure out how. It’s like there is a wall in the recess of my mind that doesn’t’ allow me in. It’s a wall I need to break down.

I blink and it’s like time fast forward or went in the past. I’m not sure. But on all fours staring at the clown mocking me with his smile. Draco is pounding me from behind. His big hand wrapped around my neck. His cock sliding in and out. My pussy swollen and pulsing with the need to come.

“Such a good girl when you bleed for me,” Draco rasps against my skin.

My eyes drop and there is blood on the white sheets. My virginity on display. I’m not sure how long we’ve been fucking. But the quiver in my thighs tells me it’s been a long time. I checked out for whatever reason. I’m not sure why it happens but it does. I close my eyes willing the memory to come back.

He slides in and feel him stretch me open. My pussy wrapped around his huge cock. The piercings disappearing one by one. I moan. I gasp. I beg. He pinches my nipples sending shocks down my stomach to my aching clit.

“Fuck me, Draco.”

He slams into me and it’s when I must have checked out. I remember moaning. The slapping of skin. Me begging for him to go faster. The warm trickle of blood mixed with how wet I am.

I come back to the present when his thumb is in my ass. His cock fucking my pussy fast and hard.

He turns my face so I can look at the clown. “See, he knows things. Secrets. He’s your favorite.”

“What secrets?” I ask out of breath on the edge of coming.

“How many times he’s seen you like this. Always begging. Letting me do what I want because you love it.”

“What do you mean,” I ask confused.

He responds with a deep thrust that has me screaming when my orgasm slams into me.

“Draco!”

“Fuck, Athena.” He slams into me and then fucks me in rapid thrusts. I can feel his cum rushing inside me he grips my hips holding me still.

He flips me around on the bed not caring about the bloody wet sheets. Lifts my legs over his shoulders. His cock hard between my legs.

“Can you keep going?” he asks.

I’m a little sore but pole dancing has helped my muscles. I’m not that sore and I don’t want him to stop.

“A little.”

“Okay,” he says kissing my cheeks my mouth. “I’ll go slow.”

He does.

He enters me slow and makes love to me.

Right before I doze off, my eyes heavy with sleep, I catch his words. “Come back to me.”