Page 22

CHAPTER 21

W ilder

My Lady Butterfly took another sip of her merlot, her throat drawing my attention every time she swallowed. The monster inside of me longed to wrap my fingers around her long neck, not for the intent of killing her, but because that’s what she was longing for.

My rough touch.

My full control.

The taste of her sweet lips lingered, yet I longed to thrust my tongue inside all over again. The itch and the ache were even stronger than before.

Cassandra was digging, trying to find answers even as her body continued to surrender. Soon, her mind would do the same.

I could see such torment in her eyes, dozens of questions written all over her face.

Some were questions I couldn’t answer.

Right now, what I wanted was to rip the dress she was wearing to shreds and fuck her all over again. I had her thong in the pocket of my jacket. Maybe I’d keep it as a souvenir.

At least she’d grown more comfortable being inside my house, now standing barefoot in the middle of my kitchen. The arc of excitement remained between us, her hardened nipples pressing through the thin material of her dress while the scent of her longing assaulted my senses.

“What is the Obsidian Society?” she asked.

We were still standing in the kitchen under harsh lighting, yet I continued to think she was the most beautiful woman in the world. At least she’d cut through the bullshit asking me directly when so many others tiptoed around. At this moment, there was no apprehension in her eyes. Just a desire to learn the truth.

I thought about whether I should be honest with her or quote the typical line from when anyone else asked, including reporters who’d hounded us before. Why not see how much she knew. Of course the hunt itself had been risky, but it had certainly been a vanilla version of what we’d done before.

“You read the ridiculous article.”

“Oh, come on, Wilder. The hunt? Is it true it’s a very secretive environment, men and women from all across the world vying for a chance to play your twisted games?”

“If you mean Dark Nights, they can do that with a simple online subscription.”

“When do you decide if the candidates involved in the hunt are acceptable?”

I had to laugh. She was tenacious as hell. “Soon.”

“What then? Another test?” She folded one arm across her chest. She wasn’t nearly as formidable in appearance with her nipples poking through her dress. But my mouth was watering.

“Yes. Another test.”

“But you won’t tell me what that is?”

“We decide depending on the group and the situation.”

She was weighing whether I was telling her the truth. “Whatever the case. I think I did a good job and would like to be considered.”

“For a job.”

“Why not?”

When I took a single step closer, she tilted her head, refusing to back down to me. “Why does it appear that your curiosity is more about handling an actual investigation of my firm and my family?”

I’d managed to catch her off guard, but only for a split second. “Perhaps I’m interested in a change.”

“No, you’re not, Cassandra. Don’t think of me as a fool because I’m not. Whatever you’re looking for, be careful.”

“Is that a threat, Mr. Blackwell?” Her slight smile gave her away. She was enjoying pushing me.

“I would think by now you’d know me better than that. At least I would hope. I’ll be honest with you, Lady Butterfly. The Obsidian Society is simply a method of providing an opportunity to find new blood and talent for our company. We’re always searching for topnotch people to provide us with creative ideas. In doing so, we offer an exceptional work environment including unusual perks. In doing so, we pave the way for loyalty. Are the games often considered… savage in nature? Yes, they are and our reputation is vital in keeping our pace ahead of our competition. For that purpose, we need to hire those unafraid of delving into taboo areas.”

She looked at me and slowly a smile swept across her face. “Taboo. By using a primal hunt? By terrifying people?”

“We provide the type of entertainment that mirrors our reality games. I take it you haven’t played Dark Nights or the previous games.”

Her mouth twisted, hating to admit the obvious. “No. I’ve been too busy with work and school before that.”

“As you should have been. The potential employees need to experience the feel of blood rushing to their brains, the kick of adrenaline. Offering a controlled real-life experience offers them much more than the video game.” Only part of what I was telling her was a lie. Some of those who’d won had maintained their own lifestyles and livelihood, but not as many as in the beginning.

“And you expect me to buy that bullshit? Don’t think of me as a fool, Wilder. Whether the article is one hundred percent correct or not, I’m going to take an educated guess that you and your brothers needed an outlet for your rage and thoughts of revenge that wouldn’t land you in prison. You can hide behind your rhetoric all you want, but one day, even the secret society won’t be enough to maintain your humanity. What then?”

What then was the correct question. If only I could provide her with the honest truth. Maybe I couldn’t because I didn’t know or couldn’t bring myself to accept the reality.

She was many things including direct. She didn’t mind telling an executive her thoughts or feelings. My admiration for her increased once again. There was a level of eagerness to her reply, a forceful push goading me to react. I closed the distance, our bodies now only a few inches apart.

She tilted her head in anticipation of the actions she expected me to take. The moment she flinched, another wave of anger was a solid reminder I’d deal with David after our time together was finished.

The air between us was dense, the light breeze from where I’d opened the set of French doors wafting into the room. The wind rustled through her long strands of hair. When I lifted my arm, she tensed even more than before.

Her reaction wasn’t only about what had occurred with her ex, but also about her lack of trust with me. Not that I blamed her. From what she’d read and heard, I was likely considered the antichrist. Even though our chemistry was off the charts.

“Be very careful, my beautiful attorney. I’ll say it again. There are questions where the answers will go against the Puritan beliefs that were ingrained into you in law school. As they should. What we share is our love of the darkness. It’s the fuel that lights the fire between us. Learning the truth will change all that.”

“Maybe you underestimate me. Perhaps I crave something that’s completely outside my comfort zone.”

And there it was, an admittance. She was more like me than I’d originally believed. The videos had once provided her with a satisfying taste but had faded into the same boredom I’d been experiencing.

I curled my fingers, rubbing my knuckles across her face as gently as possible. The draw to her was so strong she quite literally took my breath away. “There isn’t a single person on this earth who hasn’t either craved or tasted a hint of darkness. That’s what keeps our lives exciting, allowing for our continued push forward in hopes of achieving our goals. The Blackwell Group simply provides different avenues of entertainment, some darker than others. I assure you what we provide is very legal. But you already know that, my butterfly. Don’t you?”

When I crowded her space even more, her lower lip quivered. She was doing everything in her power to push away her feelings, only recently realizing that wasn’t possible.

Cassandra learned into my hand, her breathing irregular. But when she closed her eyes, allowing me to caress her soft cheek, I knew she was finally succumbing to her needs.

I rubbed my thumb across her jaw as my cock pressed hard against my trousers. “So enchanting. So amazing. You can trust me, Cassandra. I will never allow anything to happen to you.”

“I know.”

She kept her eyes closed even as I removed the wineglass from her hand, placing both our glasses on the counter. While she’d remained stiff, her body soon began to relax as I stroked her soft skin. It was so easy to become lost in the moment, to forget that she could possibly help lead to the demise of my company and my family. Yet everything with and around her seemed worth the risk.

I slowly pulled one arm of her dress over her shoulder, taking my time to lean over and press my lips against her chiseled bone. She shuddered at my touch, turning her head to the side. It was almost as if she was still embarrassed by her reaction to me.

From her desire for a killer.

“Wilder,” she whispered.

Hearing the way she said my name brought a rough swell of emotions into my system. I almost demanded she called me Stalker, but that’s not who I was with her on this night.

Tonight I’d opened myself up to a level of vulnerability that had never occurred before. On the dark yet star-filled night, I was simply a man enticed by a woman.

The thought was strangely alluring yet damning in a way she could never understand. She didn’t want to see the man inside of me, the broken creature whose only method of survival had been death.

She’d already come to the conclusion that’s what I was.

Her breathing remained ragged as I tugged her other sleeve down her arm. While the dress was form fitting, the moment she swished her hips back and forth, the material flowed down and over her hips, falling silently to the floor.

There was a strange sense of shame in her eyes, but only briefly. She pressed her hand against my chest and I slowly lowered my head, staring at her fingers for almost a full minute.

I slowly rolled my hand down her side, never allowing my eyes to leave her or to blink. She sucked on her lower lip when I lifted and placed her foot on the edge of the counter. With her other leg outstretched almost to an awkward point, she was forced to grip my shoulders. Her sweet, nervous laugh was surprising.

Tilting my head, I rolled the tips of my curved fingers down from the ball of her foot to the curve of her calf, making certain I tickled the underside of her knee before continuing.

Cassandra’s breath was skipping, her long eyelashes skimming across her rosy cheeks. Her chest was rising and falling as I brushed a single finger up and down her pussy. But only once.

I sensed she was surprised when I slowly dropped to my knees, placing my hand on the underside of her leg. She arched her back even more in response, panting as I blew a single puff of hot air across her slickened folds.

“Fuck,” she whispered, swallowing loudly as another wave of nervousness took over.

This wasn’t about rushing, although my cock ached like a son of a bitch to be inside of her. Still, I forced myself to take time as I darted my tongue across her clit, slowly at first, finally flicking it like the wings of a bird.

How I adored hearing her soft moans and the way she clenched her fingers around my shirt. Perhaps she believed she was holding herself in place.

I nipped her tender bud before pulling the sweet tissue into my mouth, sucking as if it was the perfect lollypop. Only the taste of her was much sweeter. Soon she was dripping the scent driving me wild. I could easily do this for hours.

But I wouldn’t.

No, my hunger was escalating.

I continued sucking until she was bucking hard against me. When I dragged my tongue all the way down her sweet slit, she issued a nervous laugh. The woman was trembling in my arms and I found that as adorable as everything else about her.

She was truly nervous in my presence.

My tongue was slathered with her cream, but I was a thirsty man. I lapped at her pussy, moving up and down in a slow and easy pace.

Every moment she rocked against me, I was pushed into a savage, uncontrollable feeling of nirvana. I kept one arm wrapped around her extended leg while I eased the other to her bottom. At first, I cupped and squeezed her rounded flesh, but when I buried my tongue and face into her wetness, I drove my thumb into her tight asshole.

“Oh, shit. I…” She laughed again, but I now knew better than to think my thick digit was too big for her dark hole. My cock would be there soon enough.

I thrust my tongue into her tight channel at the same time I pumped my thumb into her asshole. Every rocking motion was the perfect rhythm, her breathing extremely labored.

I’d learned her body, the highs and lows of what made her tick. That had been done on the first night we’d been together. I brought her close to an orgasm more than once, but pulled away, wanting her to remain completely on the fringe of bliss.

“Fuck. Fuck. Fuck,” she managed, stretching her muscles more than she’d done before.

My God, if she only knew how beautiful she was at that moment. I stared up at her, studying her pinched face and the way her lips pursed from pleasure and a hint of annoyance.

She both loved and hated the way I orchestrated her body.

I licked savagely, rougher than before and she seemed to love it. Her moans were loud and husky, her face glistening from perspiration.

She undulated against me, jutting her hips forward so her pussy was smashed against my face. I feasted like a king, finally allowing her to fulfill her needs.

As her body began to shake uncontrollably, I drove another finger into her asshole. My delicious creature threw her head back, her scream almost as primal as any I’d heard before.

She wiggled as if trying to escape, but there was no chance in hell. I continued licking her as she gyrated and bucked. As her shaking began to subside, I pressed kisses against her thigh, still drinking in her heavenly smell.

Her eyes were closed as I rose to my full height. Oddly enough, she was the one licking her lips even though her juice continued to stain mine.

I lowered her leg to the floor, rubbing both hands down her arms until she was steadier on her feet.

“Go outside,” I told her. My tone was commanding. There was no wiggle room. She would obey me.

She didn’t ask me why or issue her usual rebuttal of retaliation.

She simply walked outside.

Her scent lingered in the air, a tempting combination of vanilla, exotic spices, a touch of jasmine, and something much more carnal in nature.

Desire building to a firestorm.

There was no way of explaining to anyone else, including my brothers, what this moment of surrender felt like. As if I’d finally found someone who could abate the dark shadows always following me, always grasping at portions of my life. Maybe the demons were aspects of my psyche, feeding on my soul as they sucked every ounce of humanity from me.

Not tonight.

Tonight I’d feel alive again, just like I remembered from a long time ago.

Even though violent urges gnawed at me, on this night, I’d recapture every ounce of control.

For now.