Page 11 of Stained In Sin (The Twisted Trilogy #1)

Evelyn

I sit on my side of the booth, sitting next to Astra. Harmony and Amara sit across from her.

“So tell me what happened at the club.” Astra is getting right to the point today.

“There’s nothing to tell. I went upstairs, curious as to what the private rooms were, and no one was in them.” I try to keep my smile genuine, even though I know I am hiding things from her. She has been bothering me about it ever since, but I have successfully avoided the topic until now.

“I think you’re lying. You were gone too long, Ev. Tell me already.”

“Seriously, just tell us what happened,” Harmony chimes in. Amara sits there silently as she scrolls through her phone.

“Fine. I went into the Voyeur Room. There was a man and a woman. That’s it. I saw it. I left.”

Amara’s eyes dart up from her phone, and Harmony’s eyes widen in disbelief.

“You did what! Did you like it?” She asks with a devilish grin.

“I was uncomfortable, Astra.” My voice is quieter now.

“Suuuuure you were. You don’t have to lie to me, we all like someth ing a little different.” She winks at me, and Harmony giggles.

“You don’t have to tell them anything, Ev. You do you,” Amara offers me comfort. Honestly, I don’t want comfort. I want to vent. I take a sip of my water before I spill what is actually on my mind.

“I do like something..” I admit softly.

Everyone stares at me, patiently waiting for me to elaborate on my vague statement.

“Well, not something… someone,” I state dryly.

“Well, who is it? If he hurts you, I’ll kill him, you know,” Astra speaks to me in a motherly tone.

“I…I don’t know.”

Amara knits her brows together. Harmony tilts her head to the side, trying to read me, but Astra— she knows me.

“It is not the masked psychopath. Please tell me you are joking.” Astra stares at me intensely. I look down at the table, and a blush paints my cheeks.

“Oh my god. I knew you were a freak! It’s always the quiet ones,” she jokes.

I shove her playfully.

“I’m not a freak. He makes me feel alive. Like… like a constant adrenaline rush.”

My friends all giggle at each other, as if they know something I don’t. I stare at them, confused. Harmony speaks up first.

“Well…. I hate to burst your bubble, but that feeling that you get isn’t adrenaline…”

The harsh reality hits me like the mist from a waterfall, and I am standing at the edge. It’s not an adrenaline rush. He turns me on. My flesh burns from the embarrassment.

“It’s okay. Everyone has their own thing, you know?” Amara grins at me sweetly.

I nod my head.

“Yeah, Ev. If he is good to you, then go for it,” Harmony joins in. Astra, however, stays silent.

“Where did you get that necklace?”

I should have known she would notice. Astra is always attentive to detail.

“Um.. he.. gave it to me,” I admit.

“Are you sure about him, Ev?” Astra continues to question me, making me doubt myself. I know she cares about me and wants to protect me, but I answer truthfully.

“I don’t know… but I’ll never know if I don’t try.”

She nods to herself and takes a small sip from her water.

“Excuse me, ladies, am I interrupting something?”

We all look up, not expecting anyone else to join us. It’s Lucien.

“Hey babe, I didn’t know you were coming out today, I thought you had to work?”

“Work is canceled, and what better way to spend my evening than with you?” He winks at Astra. She’s putty in his hands.

“Hey, Evelyn, I think someone is out front to see you. He’s driving the Aston Martin.” He smirks at me and nods towards the door.

“I’ll go see who it is,” I say to Astra, sliding out of the booth.

“Ev, be careful. Please.” I nod in her direction and head for the door.

I step outside and see the car parked directly in front of the doors.

I step up to the passenger door, and the driver’s side door opens.

It’s him, still wearing a goddamn mask. He opens my door for me, and I slide into his car willingly.

I have never acted on my forbidden desires before, but if I don’t act on this one, I might regret it.

After all, I always have the option to run.

He won’t always be there to catch me. Like he said, this is his game. I’m just trying to learn the rules.

* * *

I sit in the passenger seat, staring at the man across from me.

He wears his mask, and I want to ask him to take it off.

I want to know who he is. I had many chances to ask him before, but putting a face to him makes him real.

I wanted nothing more than for him not to be real, but now I need to know it’s real.

“Will you take off your mask?”

“No.” The word is clipped, as if he is about to snap.

“Why not?”

He doesn’t say anything. He shifts the car into drive as we leave the parking lot.

“Will you at least tell me where we are going?” I cross my arms in front of my chest. I feel incredibly anxious about this entire situation. I feel disgust creeping its way into my pores already. I shouldn’t be here. I shouldn’t be entertaining him like this, but I am.

“You’ll see.”

His cryptic answer is infuriating. Why can’t he just be direct? The only time he is direct is if he is threatening me. I let out a deep breath, and turn my attention out the window. I can feel his eyes burning holes into the back of my head.

A warm hand finds its place on my thigh, and my legs instinctively snap together. He lets out a chuckle. I don’t remove my gaze from the window. His touch is possessive. Deep down, I wish he were touching me in other places.

We drive for about twenty minutes in brutal silence, and we are met with an iron gate. He rolls down his window and enters a code. The gates open smoothly, not making a sound. He creeps his way past the gate, and his car crawls up the steep driveway.

It’s beautiful. The home sits on the edge of a mountainside. It is black and has deep brown wooden accents. It is very modern and dark. Like him, it looks cold. Beautiful, but frigid.

He pulls the car around the side of the home, leading us into a garage that s its beneath the house. I take note of how we got in, just in case I need to know how to get out. After all, I just got in the car with a monster, and he has taken me to his lair.