Page 24

SARIEL

At first, it feels like I’m dreaming. Everything is fuzzy around the edges.

A door opens and closes quietly. Then the mattress dips under someone’s weight before he spoons me.

I exhale, feeling all languid and sleepy.

Despite my sore throat and sense of anguish, the tension melts away as soon as Uri’s familiar scent envelops me.

The weight of the arm around me isn’t as familiar as it used to be when we were kids, but it soothes me the same, and I fall into darkness.

When I open my eyes, pain hits me hard like a knife slicing my frontal lobe. The blazing sun sends another stabbing pain straight through my eye sockets. I throw an arm over my face as my stomach rolls. My throat hurts and my mouth feels dry.

Oh God, where am I? I push myself up on my elbows first, letting my heavy head adjust, then I sit.

I’m in a place that I don’t know that well, but somehow recognize.

Uri’s bedroom. I’m wearing one of his long-sleeve cotton shirts—it smells like him— and underneath, my blue panties.

I was wearing the cream pair yesterday, wasn’t I?

There’re two pills and a glass of water on the nightstand with a note: To help with your headache.

It’s Uri’s handwriting. I swallow them down and then walk unsteadily to the ensuite bathroom. As the cold water from the basin hits my face, memories from last night come back to me in 4K resolution. Going to the bar with the guys, the two beefy men, the fight, the cocaine shower.

Oh crap, I inhaled cocaine! But what happened after that? Did I embarrass myself? Did I do something stupid? Was Uri there? Everything feels nebulous. The images are confused. My head is still hurting fiercely.

My eyes find my reflection in the mirror. I look pale. My long hair is loose on my shoulders, the corners of my mouth sting for some weird reason, and I have a small purple bruise on my neck.

My hand shakes as I hit the tap shut. Maybe one of the guys can tell me what the heck happened last night. While braiding my hair, I walk back to the bedroom to look for my phone. It’s on the dresser.

I look at the time on the screen. Nine-thirty. I should be at work. There are no missed calls from the office, from Sandy. Raph probably let him know what happened last night.

I try calling Michael.

“Sari,” he answers in a groggy voice after a couple of rings.

“Did I wake you?”

“No. It’s been an hour since I got up, but I’m still trying to get my brain going.” I know what he means. My head still feels foggy.

I start descending the stairs. “Last night was…”

“Fucking crazy!” Michael almost steals the words out of my mouth.

“My memories are fuzzy.”

“I think you and Ollie breathed a larger quantity because of your position. Even though Lori acted really out of his mind.”

He’s sort of crazy on a normal day. Cocaine must have taken him to another level of madness.

“What happened after we inhaled the drug?” I ask him. I feel the incessant urge to know.

“Mine are not very clear as well, but I remember a very weird conversation, then jumping on Raph’s back and then Uri lifting you, and you humping him…”

My broken brain freezes in front of Albert E.’s room for a moment before re-starting again too fast. “I’m sorry, wh-what? I did what?” I force down the rock inside my throat. I must have misheard him. “I humped Uri?”

“More like rubbed your dick all over his belly,” Raph deadpans, painting a vivid, horrifying picture with such a careless tone.

“You had an idiotic smile on your face.” He keeps digging my grave.

“Not idiotic, Raph! It was…sweet,” Michael tries to make me feel better, but it does the opposite. I wonder what the non-pathetic, non-deeply embarrassed people are doing today.

A memory of Uri’s dreads gleaming under the bar lights hits me, or were his hazel eyes that shiny?

“You even tried to ruffle his dreads,” Michael adds. “See? Sweet.”

“I did?” Oh, yes. I did.

“And then?—”

“There’s more?” I cut Raph off; apprehension leaks from my voice.

“No,” Michael replies. “I mean Uri was pretty pissed, but then you took off together all cozy…”

His words suddenly slow as my brain is bombarded by images of Uri and me in his car—X-rated images.

The memories are confused and blurry and so…

hot. Did I really do all that? Said all of that to Uri?

Or did the drug bring one of my dirty fantasies to life?

It felt so real, though. I perfectly remember his taste, the sound of his excited grunts, his fingers pumping inside me, the commanding way he drove his pierced dick down my throat.

My hole clenches, and I feel a slight sting. I swallow hard, sensing the soreness in my throat, the corners of my mouth are burning. It was real. Uri and I…

“So did something happen afterward?” Michael’s question halts my shocking train of thought.

“Can I call you back? I have the worst headache.” My voice trembles.

“Of course. Tell Uri to give you a lot of water and rest as much as you need.” The doctor in Michael quickly comes out.

After a hurried thanks, I hang up. I push Albert E.

’s room door open. He’s sleeping on a fluffy bed near the big wheel, looking all cute and snuggly.

Skinny pigs are usually not liked for their looks, but Albert E.

’s smooth skin, the wrinkling around his legs and neck, and that fuzzy white hair on his little nose is what stole my heart the first time I saw him.

He’s also very docile and social, and enjoys being with me; he even falls asleep on my lap when I work.

I think of him more like a tiny dog than a guinea pig.

I check the water fountain and the level of food.

Uri must have taken care of both before he left.

Because he left, right? A sense of anxiousness overwhelms me.

He could be in the pool or in the gun room.

Can I face him after what I’ve done? I practically pounced on him.

Begged to…pleasure him. But dear God that spanking felt so good.

It was the confirmation I needed. Feeling pain really turns me on.

But I wonder how much further can I take it?

A short laugh leaves my lips. It’s filled with relief and dread.

I’ve tried so hard to push down this part of me, but I can’t simply flip a switch and be somebody else.

I really am as fucked up as my brothers, maybe even more.

Because, holy hell, I’ve never felt more alive than when Uri was choking me on his big dick.

Those few spanks, though, weren’t remotely enough. I need more.

There’s still the possibility that the extreme ecstasy I sensed might have been caused by the cocaine.

It increased the dopamine in my body, enhancing my sexual arousal and gratification.

But it was Uri. Uri! Even without drugs, I’m sure the pleasure would’ve been out of this world.

My body feels all tingly and ready for another round.

I bite my lower lip; the movement makes my mouth ache. My head feels slightly better as I make my way to the kitchen, but my whirling thoughts are not helping with the recovery.

No trace of Uri. In the fridge, there’s an aloe shake. A note on top reads: To help with the sore throat. Wait for me…or else.

I let out a trembling breath. Desire explodes inside my belly as I read the promise of punishment in the note. That or else at the end sends a shiver down my spine. My legs turn to jelly for a moment, and I shoot my arm out to avoid hitting the fridge frame.

A moan resounds in the kitchen—it takes me a couple of seconds to realize it came from me. There’s an urge inside me to defy his order. To provoke him into doing his worst.

The question is: would he give it to me?

I suddenly frown as another memory hits me. Did I puke in Uri’s car?

An hour later, I’m at Bear-Stone Labs.

From the record player, I can hear Chris Stapleton singing about love and whiskey—country music usually helps me concentrate.

Not today. I’ve been thinking about what happened yesterday on repeat.

Not seeing Uri this morning has only made me hungrier for him.

I sent him a text when I left the lake house in a hurry.

I didn’t come alone, Phoenix is still out there and even though I didn’t hear from them since I moved, my stalker might be lurking, as well.

That’s why I called the car company Gabe uses for Lori to stop him from driving.

Uri’s reply was promising. I’ve been vibrating with excitement since I saw his text.

Uri

I’m on my way. DON’T FUCKING MOVE!

When I arrived at work and met Raph in the lobby, he told me Uri was at the car wash. So emptying my entire stomach on his dash and car door followed by my loss of consciousness wasn’t a drug-induced nightmare.

I’ll never accidentally inhale any kind of drug ever again in my life.

I hear the sliding door opening and then Sandy’s voice. “I’ve gathered all the mail on your table and scheduled your appointments for next week. There were some journalists camped outside, but I dispersed them. Anything else you need? Your usual tea?” he asks.

“Yes, please.” I raise my head to look at him.

His hair is green now, and he’s wearing a pink suit with a cute bow around his neck.

“You’re so good to me. I know I need a new assistant, but I barely have time these days.

” Sandy is technically Raph’s PA, not mine.

But after Clark left, he’s temporarily taken the position.

“Don’t worry. I contacted the HR department; they already gave me a list of promising candidates. The interviews will start in an hour. Do you want me to take care of it?”

“I trust your judgment. I’ll tell Raph to raise your salary.”

“He already pays me generously, but I can’t say no to that.”

“I’ll miss you, you know?” I tell him before he leaves the room.

“No, you won’t because I’ll find you a mind-fucking-blowing new PA!”