Page 19

CHAPTER 18

“ A nd after all, what is a lie? ‘Tis but the truth in masquerade.”

—Lord Byron

Xander

Lies were a part of everyone’s existence whether they knew it or not. Maybe some believed that telling a loved one they liked a Christmas present they didn’t want, or that a terrible dinner just prepared was delicious weren’t lies, but they were. Often, the act of deception was used for protection, fearful another person would learn something that would destroy their life. However, in the case of Jessica Waldrop, she’d told a purposeful lie to keep me from discovering her true identity.

The question was why.

It wasn’t impossible to believe. She obviously knew who I was and what I’d once meant to her father. But she’d been so fucking young. Or maybe I hadn’t been paying attention. I’d managed to block out the majority of details regarding that period of my life. The day I’d left Baltimore, I’d promised myself I would never look back or relive either the good times or the tragedy.

Wasn’t there some ridiculous adage about never being able to run away from your past sins? I snorted at the thought as I strode through the ballroom, nodding politely to guests attempting to hide behind garish masks. Yet I knew every single person in the room. Human traits were easy to track, their foibles allowing for instant identification. That had certainly been helpful during my darker days.

Jessica. She held no resemblance to her father, but as soon as the information had been dumped on my computer, I’d noticed she had her mother’s eyes.

And her sister’s.

Why the fuck was she here? Yes, Jessica was extremely talented, but for her, working the system to possibly garner a job was for an entirely different reason.

What had Michael told her? I was fairly certain he likened me to the devil himself.

I’d get to the bottom of it during the night of the carnival. While patience wasn’t a virtue in my world, the frightening challenge would provide the truth. I was certain of it. She was doing what so many others did.

She was hiding behind a mask.

But now I knew it wasn’t just because of the darkness ebbing and flowing inside of her, but something more personal in nature.

Masks.

As I moved through the ballroom, I fixated on the many styles from festive to gory.

I found the fact Wilder had insisted the celebration of our successful endeavors included a requirement of wearing masks amusing as hell. He did have a rather sick sense of humor. I’d almost selected one of Sinner’s for the event just to get under my brother’s skin. But I’d chosen a stylish Phantom of the Opera instead.

The evening wasn’t about bringing attention to the Obsidian Society. In fact, doing so would likely drown our offices with hate mail and could cause our sales to fall. This was all about playing the political game to keep our name in the papers.

And to warn our competitors to back the fuck off.

Fortunately, the first day Dark Nights had been on the market had been wildly successful, record sales all across the board.

I’d heard cheering in various offices throughout the day and quite frankly, I’d left early due to my level of annoyance.

The ballroom was packed. Anyone who thought they were someone had deemed it necessary to be a part of the event. I still found the entire necessity of pretending as if these people were our equals beneath me.

“Masks, Wilder. Really?” Zachariah asked as soon as he closed the circle of the three of us. He fiddled with his. I found his choice of the same one I’d used when meeting with Merrick amusing. “A little too on the nose, don’t you think?”

Although coming to the event with a full mask might scare people given the ones we each had stored in our collections.

Wilder, on the other hand, appeared quite regal in the gold mask with horns. He believed himself to be the devil in disguise. From what I knew about him, I’d consider that truthful.

He’d once told me a story about killing his older foster brother who’d sexually abused him for a number of years. I couldn’t say I blamed the man for disemboweling the bastard.

We each had our own crosses to bear, memories that would destroy almost anyone. But we weren’t like normal men.

In so many ways we were gods among men.

“You’ve told me since we’ve known each other that I have a wicked mind. I thought I’d prove you right for a change.” Wilder was in rare form, wearing his red tuxedo jacket while Zach and I had retained our traditional white and black look.

“Yes, well, you should know I’m always right.” Zach lifted his glass. We were all scanning the ballroom full of people. “A festive crowd.”

“Mmm… You mean boring,” I piped in. I’d waltzed in all of fifteen minutes earlier and so far, I’d been propositioned by three women and had two male individuals try to impress me with their knowledge of Dark Nights.

I’d simply walked away from all five individuals. I wasn’t here to pick up anyone or pretend as if I cared about what they had to say. This was my single obligation I’d accept for the remainder of the year.

Unless one could consider the upcoming true Dark Nights event a required event.

I took a sip of my whiskey, marveling in the taste.

“At least there are several beautiful women here tonight.” Wilder was definitely enjoying the scenery.

“Yes, but none of any interest to us.” I was certain about that. They would run screaming to their rich fathers should we dare suggest a night of sin.

“I’ve heard Merrick’s company is in a free-fall given his dirty little secret was revealed.” I continued nursing my drink as I scanned the people coming through the door. I was itching to spend more time with the lovely Desdemona, but with the release, I’d been too busy to take any additional time for myself. It bothered me. A lot.

Zach inhaled while Wilder kept the grin on his face. “Yes, you heard correctly. Their stocks have plummeted, sales bottoming out. It’s amazing what a well-placed story can do. And we have you to thank for that.”

I shrugged. “I did what was necessary.”

“You’re a cold-hearted bastard,” Zach told me. “I’m curious where you got your information on Merrick.”

“I have my sources.” I did. The information on Merrick had basically dropped into my lap, but he hadn’t gone out of his way to hide his addiction either.

“Well done,” Wilder told me. “Here’s to our phenomenal success. The early reviews are also in and people are blown away.”

It would take time for them to unlock the truly depraved side of the game. I wondered how the critics would feel then. “Here’s to many more years of profitability and taking what we want.”

“And to additions to the Obsidian Society,” Zach added.

I laughed at my brother. For someone who had no intention of playing any of our games, other than as an auxiliary player, he was certainly more interested this year. Granted, he was a very distinctive hunter in his own right, often more vicious than either Wilder or I.

“Did the final invitations go out?” Zach asked immediately afterward.

Wilder glanced at Zach, lifting his glass. “They did.”

“The event is set for?” I asked.

“Next Friday night. Two men and three women. Various destinations.” He looked me directly in the eyes.

I laughed as I shook my head. “You knew I would decide to join.”

“I think we both knew,” Wilder countered, his eyes twinkling. “I could tell by the way you were looking at Ms. Turner.”

“You mean Ms. Waldrop,” Zach chided me. “Are you going to grill her on why she’s lying?”

“Why bother? If she wins, it will be necessary. But I’m eager to see how she handles the event first.” And I was. I’d mentioned her deception to both men. We’d never had a single person attempt to hide who they truly were. Except while hiding behind the headset, of course.

“What burning secrets did you discover about the lovely Ms. Waldrop?” Wilder asked.

“Nothing to convince me to remove her from the list. However, she will tell me everything I want to know in time.” Even I lied to my family if I knew it would benefit me. They certainly wouldn’t approve of her addition if they realized she was a direct link to my past. While we had nothing to fear from either law enforcement or competition, we also prided ourselves on being careful men.

And conscientious killers.

“Just be careful. You know how glitches and betrayal affect each one of us.” Wilder wasn’t wrong. We didn’t take kindly to anyone going against us.

They usually ended up finding themselves in a difficult predicament.

“I’m always careful. You should know that by now.” Perhaps the only exception was a few nights before. Given I hadn’t been placed under arrest, I would assume my sweet little lamb had truly enjoyed our time together. In one week, we’d enjoy some additional time. That’s the moment she would surrender to me completely.

Body and soul.

If I could wait that long.

“Have you selected her… test?” Wilder asked.

“I believe I have. Something she’ll find quite different than what she’s expecting.”

“Does that mean different from the session on Dark Nights?” Zach was fishing.

I turned my head in his direction. “I do enjoy tasting my food before ordering it.”

“Whew. Good for you.”

I took another gulp of my drink while noticing we had a few people heading in our direction. “Time to play.”

The meaning of the expression was different in the two applications we usually gave it. In this regard, it was a reminder to act as if we gave a shit. When involved in our various twisted games, it meant something else entirely.

“The Blackwell princes. I wanted to come and congratulate you myself.”

Jonathan Porter was a low-level prosecutor who was making his way up the totem pole. He was aggressive in how he handled his cases and well-liked by those above him. But it had been easy to recognize the man was a snake who’d bite his own mother if he believed it would help in his endeavor for greatness. I was repulsed by his choice in masks. The plain black cloth likely meant he was attempting to represent Zorro.

He’d failed.

Another reason I wanted to snap his neck.

I reminded myself we’d determined it was good to keep him on a short leash. Killing him wasn’t on the menu. Neither was a hunt.

What a shame.

“Jonathan,” I started the foray into fucking with his mind. “I heard you were on the prowl tonight. Who is the lovely woman you’re with?”

She was a traditional platinum blonde who’d decided she’d arrive in a full costume appearing as a nineteen-twenties flapper. Only she had porn star vibes.

“A colleague of mine. Sherry Jasper, meet Wilder, Xander, and Zachariah Blackwell. Trust me, darling. You’ll need to keep a distance from them. They are true vultures.”

She laughed and eyed me directly. “I could say that about you, Johnny boy.” She offered me her hand. I took it, amused at her attempt to use a firm manly style handshake. I could crush her small bones easily if I wanted.

“Johnny refused to allow me to play your game. Can you tell me why?” she asked, keeping her lips pouting and her eyelashes skimming across her collagen-filled cheeks.

“I’m surprised you indulged in one of our games, John,” Wilder said, clapping him on the back. “I would think it too advanced for your… skill level.”

“Very funny. I enjoy playing games, Wilder. You should know that by now. I must admit the three of you have truly outdone yourselves. Hard core.”

“Then I want to play. Please?” Sherry begged and I was disgusted.

“We’ll see after I’ve made it through another few levels. You could find the game overwhelming.”

If only he had any idea. He wasn’t talented enough to make it but a few additional levels. By then he’d grow bored and decide to move onto something else.

I wanted to tell him good luck, but was distracted by a stunning copper-haired beauty entering the room with another woman.

Jessica…

Her name remained on my lips and I dragged my tongue across it, imagining the taste of her from a few nights before. My cock was immediately awakened as hunger ripped into my system. My desire only increased as she rubbed her hands on her dress, taking careful steps. She was completely uncomfortable in her surroundings. The vulnerable side of her was extremely attractive.

Filthy thoughts lingered in my mind.

She was with one of her friends, a girl I’d seen several times. I was quite curious how either one of them had managed an invitation. Perhaps her friend had connections that I should check. The woman was more than just an enigma at this point or someone of interest that had sparked so many deep emotions within me.

She was becoming more of an obsession. The realization had fascinating side effects. I wanted to get to know her, and not just in my more primal methods of doing so.

So, what could I do tonight other than drive her to the point of utter need? It was apparent she’d yet to put all the pieces together. I wondered how making the connection would affect her.

Would she be furious that I’d hidden myself from her, taunting her from afar, or would she do exactly what I anticipated? Fight with everything she had to win?

The question was delicious and created a need even stronger than I’d experienced the night before.

Zach had managed to slip away from the unwanted guests, joining me as I continued staring at the two women, using every ounce of my control to keep my distance. They made their way through the crowd, Jessica constantly searching the groups of people. Even with her mask, I’d recognize her anywhere.

“What are you salivating over, oh brother of mine?” he asked as he took a sip of his drink. When I didn’t answer, he studied the crowd, finally chuckling under his breath. “I see. Did you invite your prize? Do you plan in fucking her in the hotel restroom?”

“Why would I sully her in a disgusting environment? She deserves much more.”

He laughed. “That never stopped you before. A delight to see her.”

“Yes, but I’m quite curious how she obtained an invitation.”

“Perhaps the girl she’s with has connections.”

“Perhaps.” I studied the way she was walking, attempting to have an air of confidence as if she belonged at such an event. In my mind, she was more regal than the plastic people who were just eager to grasp onto a few minutes of fame and glory.

At our expense, of course.

Another reason I loathed these events. They brought out the worst in people.

“I think I’ll go talk with her,” Zach said as he started to move away.

“Not a chance. She belongs to me.”

“So possessive.”

I threw him a look. “I have every right to be. We have a strong connection.”

“I’m curious. Does she know that? Does she know the real you or only Sinner?”

“She is aware of what’s necessary at this point. You know how I enjoy playing games.”

“Yes, I know quite well, but be careful. She appears innocent, even vulnerable, especially to a man capable of such heinous things.”

“You ought to know, but in her case especially, looks can be deceiving.” Which was a truthful statement. I sipped my drink as she continued milling through the crowd. There were various stations set up for a brief sampling of the new game, although the upper tiers had been locked down. We certainly didn’t want anyone to have a heart attack when facing their own demons.

As expected, Jessica gravitated toward one of the consoles, becoming animated in whatever she was explaining to her friend.

I headed in their direction, forced to stop a few times to pretend I cared about whatever the guest was spouting off.

“A masterful game,” Jeff Plant exclaimed as he popped his glass into my arm. He was already half drunk. He was one of our toughest critics and had been for years.

I glanced down at my jacket where he’d splashed a few drops then back to his eyes.

“Oops,” he said as he brushed his hand on my arm.

“May I offer you an experience at our headquarters? You might find it more illuminating.”

He was surprised. Little did he know I’d ensure his experience was terrifying. “I’d love that.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed someone I loathed swooping in, suddenly monopolizing Jessica even as she was attempting to convince her friend to enjoy a few moments of the game.

Dorn Franklin was a piece of shit as far as I was concerned. Considered a womanizer to the point of disgust, he someone managed to sweet talk women into bed then posting of his adventures on his TikTok videos and Instagram reels. He was a goddamn reporter for a small but influential gaming magazine, yet thought he was God’s gift to women.

There were too many people that believed the bullshit he spouted off.

An instant bad taste was left in my mouth.

I pushed my way through the crowd until I was standing right behind them.

“Come on. Just one drink,” Dorn pushed. I was pleased to see Jessica holding her own, even more so that she wasn’t taken by the jerk.

“I’m here with my friend. Thank you for the offer, but I’m just not interested.” Jessica was polite but firm.

Good girl.

He made the mistake of grabbing her arm, pulling her away with a hard jerk.

“Hey. Don’t you know who I am?” he barked.

“An asshole?” she responded.

I was proud of her, but far too angry to allow the moment to go unnoticed.

Or unpunished.

I snapped my fingers around his arm, digging the tips into pressure points.

The hold was instantly painful. I could tell that by the way Dorn winced. I did my best to hold back my anger as he tugged him toward me. “The lady isn’t interested, Dorn. I suggest you realize your limits.”

I was being kinder than I’d thought I had in me. I sensed Jessica was irritated instead of being thankful I’d intervened.

He jerked his arm away, adjusting his tuxedo jacket as if I’d somehow sullied his attire. “I know it’s your party, Xander, but you don’t own me.”

“Are you certain about that? Let’s be clear. You wouldn’t have a job if it wasn’t for our reality games. You know that. Everyone knows that. Your invitation was as a courtesy, but can be revoked at any time. You will not accost my guests.”

“King of the world. Aren’t you, Blackwell? One day you’ll get what’s coming to you.” He turned his attention back to Jessica and I crowded his space.

“I’m only going to say this once. Do not touch Ms. Turner or I will toss you out myself and trust me, it won’t be a pleasant experience.”

He snorted and acted like he was going to continue pushing my buttons. Fortunately for him, he decided otherwise and stormed away.

“What a jerk,” Jessica muttered.

“An asshole,” her friend said.

I watched him walking away before slowly turning my attention in Jessica’s direction. Seeing her in the stunning, form-fitting red dress with a long slit up her perfect leg, I found it difficult to act like a gentleman myself.

Yet she had a scowl on her face.

“Mr. Blackwell, while I do appreciate you looking out for your guests, I’m a big girl and I’ve been known to kick men like that to the curb.”

“I’m certain you have.”

Her friend was watching our banter with excited interest.

Jessica walked closer, the tall heels only requiring her to tilt her head by a couple of inches. “Yes. I learned a long time ago most men think women are weak. We are anything but.”

The friend cleared her throat. “Sophie. Aren’t you going to introduce us?”

It was interesting to note her friend was in on the ruse. Good for both. They were tight, something I admired, but had learned from sharing far too many secrets with the wrong man that I would never allow myself to become close to anyone ever again.

“Stephanie Winters, meet Xander Blackwell, one of the owners of the Blackwell Group.” When Jessica stated my name, it was done with a hint of repulsion. I wondered what I’d done to her prior to meeting her in the office. There was something familiar about Stephanie, yet I couldn’t pinpoint if I’d met her before. Maybe in passing during a gaming event.

Winters. Ah, yes. How could I forget? Her father had attempted to join the Obsidian Society. Another well-kept secret was that on rare occasions, we accepted members who had nothing to do with the company, but their influence could provide us with important connections. We’d turned him down cold and since then, he’d been a thorn in our side. Fortunately, he’d been smart enough to maintain the requirement of the NDA.

Stephanie stuck out her hand purposely, eyeing me with caution. Jessica had obviously mentioned her dislike of me. There were so many filthy things that were running through my mind of what I’d like to do to the beautiful woman that it was obscene.

“It’s lovely to have such stunning women light up the room.” I wasn’t a man to give idle compliments to anyone, but I wasn’t lying. They were exquisite.

“Be careful, Steph. Xander is a snake in the grass. If you’ll excuse us, Mr. Blackwell, we’ve yet to grab a drink and right now, I need one.” She wasn’t asking permission nor was she willing to wait to hear my response. She took long strides away from me and my desires turned even darker than before.

Oh, yes, soon she would be asking for permission for everything, including whether she could come. She would also be begging me to fuck her.

My mouth salivated at the thought.

Right or wrong, after the society event in a week, she would be mine.