21. Amorette #2
Parker and the girl were gone, no longer putting on a raunchy show for the crew below.
Since my brain was an asshole, thoughts started crowding the forefront of my mind, slowly killing my high. One thing stood out above all the others, and I couldn’t keep it to myself. I was too curious.
“You could have fucked me.” I had been so horny, so desperate for a release, I would have let him. I wanted him to…
Grey straightened up, pulling me with him until we were both standing tall. He used two fingers under my jaw to tip my head back and slightly toward him.
He slowly dropped his head, brushing his hot, dry lips against mine.
I’d never been someone who needed human touch or affection to survive and thrive. But this kiss, after what he just did to me, was the intimacy I hadn’t realized I craved. Especially after watching how cold Parker was with that girl.
The scene had been hot. Hot enough to have me throwing my good sense out the window, but it didn’t take away the fact that it was emotionless and a means to an end for Parker.
He could have had any girl in his arms, and he would have been the same, touched her the same. They were all interchangeable to a man like him.
But Grey hadn’t made me feel like I was just a hole to fuck. Hell, he hadn’t fucked me at all. Every touch and pinch had been for my pleasure and my pleasure alone.
I was still drifting on the lingering endorphins swimming through my blood when he pulled back and met my gaze with turbulent green eyes.
“When I take you, and I will—you can’t deny it will happen now—I want you to know it’s my cock inside you, and not you wishing it was my brother’s.”
* * *
I splashed cold water over my face and tried to calm down the outrage and embarrassment that wouldn’t disappear. It had been hours since Grey ruined the moment we had shared.
But, fuck him. He was an asshole if he thought that was the kind of woman I was. Maybe those were the only types of women he had experience with, but too fucking bad.
He had doused any tender feelings growing inside me with gasoline and lit the match with his asshole words.
I had used every ounce of strength I had, which against his large frame wasn’t much, and pushed him away as I shrieked all my pent-up anger to the ceiling.
Grey knew he’d pissed me off. He just didn’t care. Didn’t see anything wrong with it. When I turned back around to face him, he was leaning against the glass next to my messy handprints with an arrogant smirk painted across his face.
A lock of his blond hair had fallen in his face, adding to his bastard aura.
The rest of the day, he’d pretended I wasn’t fuming as he’d taken me on a tour of everything except how to leave the building. Then he sat me down close to the ring as he took calls and spoke to a few more workers. The fighters—or who I thought were the fighters—had also come over to chat with him.
I’d pretty much ignored him and everyone he spoke to. It only served to amuse him, and any time he sent me a knowing smirk, I devolved further into the petty mindset I knew would get me into trouble, but I couldn’t help it.
Since I’d been taken, I’d finally allowed myself to let go, and trusted him enough to take me there. Then he ruined it with his remark.
Like I wanted his brother. Please, it was like any random porn playing in front of me. Only it had been hotter, because they gave fuck all about anyone around them.
Now the music was booming and the floor was so packed there was standing room only. Grey stood and pulled me to my feet with a hand on my arm.
“For the fights, we’re going to watch from over here.
When they start, people jostle to get closer to the ring,” he explained.
The crowd parted quickly, either because they recognized who he was or because of the dangerous vibes he was throwing off.
As he led the way, his fingers trailed down my forearm to link with my fingers.
I quelled the urge to rip away from him, because honestly, I knew I was being ridiculous. And two, as much as it rankled me, I enjoyed the familiarity. Funny how small things I never thought about or even thought I’d have again meant something.
He took us to the back where Parker had stood earlier. The section was now roped off, with guards standing at the corners. Parker was already sprawled in one of the foldout chairs on his phone. He didn’t even look up when Grey lifted me over the rope before stepping over it himself.
“Why not watch from the box?” I asked, willing my face not to heat.
Grey shrugged. “The box is removed from the action. If I have to be here, I want to hear flesh slapping against flesh.” He grinned, and the blush I fought against raged to the surface.
I went back to ignoring him as I took a seat a few places down from Parker. I’d be damned if I gave him any reason to throw insults around again.
Grey took the seat next to me and draped his arm around the back of my chair.
“Nice to see you two fabulous lovebirds together,” Parker said without looking up from his phone.
At least in this, Grey and I were on the same page because we both fucking ignored him.
“So, what exactly do you do? You’re the manager of the fight club?” I left my indignation at the door and injected as much interest as possible into my questions. Which wasn’t hard, since I was interested in what he did. For information’s sake, if nothing else.
“Something like that.” He grinned and twirled a lock of my hair around his finger.
I lifted a brow and waited, hoping he would humor me and not try to piss me off more.
Blowing out a breath, he shook his head once, then came closer and lowered his voice. “There are different factions in the Institution. Each faction runs a different type of business. You could consider me the CEO of this particular sub-company. Does that help?”
Yes and no.
“How many factions are there?”
He tapped my nose and gave me a closed-lip smile.
I scrubbed a hand down my face and turned my body to look directly into his eyes. “If you’re the CEO,” I tried really hard not to sneer over that word. I failed. “Then why can’t you shut down the other faction? Get rid of that business altogether.”
His good mood sobered just a little as he dropped his hand to my leg, his thumb brushing against the bare skin of my inner thigh.
“It doesn’t work that way. Even though I run a sub, I’m not at the top of the food chain.
And I never will be. Sure, I could attempt to go after Maikel, but then I’d die.
Why would I risk myself—and lose—for people I can’t help in the long run anyway? ”
“Because it’s the right thing to do,” I whispered, knowing my words were falling on deaf ears. The funny thing was that I was beginning to waver on my conviction too.
Not that I didn’t want to save the women. I would if I could.
Not that I didn’t want to escape. I would take the chance if it came.
Suddenly, I was realizing a truth about myself that became clearer the further I was removed from the horror. I did want to live, and I wanted that so bad that even the evil I’d railed against initially was starting to fade into the background.
It was easy to pretend now.
“Ah, my wicked love.” One side of his mouth curved up in a mocking grin. “We covered this. There is no right and wrong in this world. There’s alive, and there’s dead. There are queens, and there are pawns. You just have to ask yourself which side of those lines you want to fall on.”
With no response to that, I dropped my gaze to his hand on my leg. The music kicked up even louder, and the MC came over the speakers. It was time for the fights to commence.
“I love how you’re educating her, Grey. You might actually be able to keep her if she listens to you,” Parker said absently as he continued to scroll on his phone.
Why was he even here?
Grey fired back at him in Spanish, an insult, I was sure. But instead of getting fired up, Parker belted out a laugh, glancing at Grey for the first time since we arrived.
“Shit.” The laugh on Parker’s face fell as he stood up. “Vicente’s here.” He hopped the rope and worked his way through the crowd. The crowd didn’t open for him the way they did for Grey, but they still moved out of his way.
“ Hijo de puta ,” Grey muttered as he stood. Smoothing his hand down his shirt, he glanced down at me. “You’ll want to stay here, Amorette. You can use the time to think about which side of those lines you want to be on.”
Then he was gone too.
My heart raced inside my chest as I searched the room for them, but they had both disappeared.
Minutes passed slowly. It must have been at least thirty to forty-five minutes by now, and there was still no sign of them.
The guards had already had a shift change.
Even the rope seemed unnecessary now that the fights were well underway.
Everyone apart from the guards was pushing closer to the ring, knocking over chairs and pushing people down.
“Excuse me,” I called, leaning toward one of the two guards. If I tried to leave, would they stop me? Could I convince him I needed to get a taxi since Grey left me here?
The man glanced down, then around him as if he wasn’t sure I was talking to him.
“Do you speak English?”
“ Sí, un poco .”
I told myself I was done with half-brained ideas, but I was in a city. In a hotel, with taxis outside. If I didn’t take this chance, I didn’t know when I’d get another opportunity.
Putting on my sweetest smile, I stood and stepped closer to him. “My boyfriend isn’t going to be able to come back tonight. Can you walk me to a taxi?”