Chapter 9 #2
‘No, I, uh, I'm still trying to get it open. I should have something soon.’
Is he lying to me?
He doesn’t say anything else and I move away, my mind reeling, only to be captured by Shade who takes me to the couch. He sits down and puts me onto his lap.
'We need to talk,' he says.
I blink at him, not liking the tone or the words at all. Are they breaking up with me? Do they want me to leave? Are they going to leave?
‘About what?’
'We think you need to talk about what happened at The Heath.'
I wrinkle my nose, very annoyed all of a sudden that they seem to barely speak to me, but they’re clearly talking to each other about me.
'It doesn't have to be with us,' Shade says, incorrectly guessing the reason I’m bothered. 'It could be with a therapist.'
'No, thank you,’ I mutter.
'Would you be comfortable talking to us?' Mav asks, taking my hand in his.
I lean back against Shade, letting out a long breath as I look up at him, allowing myself to pretend just for a moment that things are normal between us all.
Except for Blake. The liar is on the other side of the room, I notice, like a voyeur even in his own life right now.
'What is there to say?' I ask, pushing Blake out of my head. 'Stoke’s techniques are barbaric. Torturous. I probably have PTSD from it.' I shrug. 'But that's something I'll just have to deal with in time. We already talked about this.'
'How often were you locked down in those cells?' Blake asks from the wall like he cares and ignoring my last words on the subject.
'Only twice,' I say, keeping my reply, matter of fact. 'Once when I was about fourteen and the last time... I don't think there's any reason to talk about it,' I say again. 'It just goes around in circles. I’d rather just move on.'
Shade and the others share a look and I force my lip not to curl up as I’m locked out in yet another way. Instead, I get up from Shade’s lap, standing back on my own two feet.
'Tell us what will help,’ Shade says.
I regard him stonily and give Blake a pointed look.
'I told you. Taking them down. I want The Heath destroyed, and I want to be the one to do it if possible.
I want Stoke to be fired and never allowed to work with children or vulnerable people again.
That's the least he deserves. I want them to go to jail for what they've done. '
'We can help you do that,' Mav says just as he did before.
I barely stop the scoff that I want to release, my mood spiraling. It’s been weeks since my return. Will their help be like Blakes, I wonder? Will they forget about important things and then lie to my face?
'Good,’ I say instead, stepping away from them, wanting space and yet wishing they’d hold me, that things weren’t wrong between us. 'What happened, happened. I just need to find a way to balance the scales.'
'And that will make you okay?' Blake asks dubiously.
I raise my brows. 'I think so,' I say. My lip quirks upwards. It’s forced, but I doubt they notice.
'Perhaps I'm just a simple creature. I just want revenge.'
Blake's answering wicked grin makes my false smile widen, and I decide that if they won’t hold me, I’ll just make them. I know enough to seduce them. It won’t be pretty or practiced, but maybe if we’re all together, we’ll all feel better.
In one swift move, I have my sweater over my head, and my T-shirt underneath follows, dropping to the floor.
A moment later, I meet all their eyes and turn around to go to the bedroom, looking back over my shoulder with what I hope is an enticing expression, but they're already following. I knew they would.
'What is it that you want?' Shade asks, kissing my shoulder and up my neck.
'You,' I hear myself say, 'All of you. That's better than any therapy.'
Blake chuckles a little and goes to the closet, bringing out the black duffle bag I know. Anticipation makes my skin prickle regardless of the fact that, like my smiles, this feels forced. I try not to think of that now. I just need to be in the moment and hope they are too.
I frown at the bag. What else is in it? Have they added anything else?
Shade unbuttons my pants and divests me of the rest of my clothes.
I shiver in the cool room, my nipples puckering.
Mav's large hands cup my breasts from behind, pinching the hard peaks gently. I hiss as a clothes pin is fitted over each one, the pain somehow making me feel better. My breathing hitches and I look down, not entirely sure if I enjoy the sensation, or not.
'Color?’ Blake murmurs.
'Green,' I say.
They walk around me slowly, like predators, and I realize each of them is holding something that I can't see. Did they plan this on the way home along with their intervention?
I push the angry thought away. If I want what only they can give me, right now I need to keep my emotions in check.
'You choose,' Shade says in my ear.
‘Choose what?’ I ask breathlessly.
'Which one of us? Which would you like first?'
‘I don't understand.’
Blake chuckles. 'We each have something. You decide.'
‘But I can't see what you have,’ I say.
'That's part of the game,' Blake practically snarls from behind me.
My eyes narrow at his voice.
‘Game?’ I ask.
'Choose,' Mav says, his eyes moving over me, ‘or we’ll choose for you.’
'Shade, then,' I reply.
He answers me by biting lightly on where my shoulder meets my neck, making me squeal and giggle in spite of my mood. One side of my body erupts in goosebumps.
'Lay on the bed,' he says.
I do as I’m told, scooching back onto the duvet and lying on my back.
He stands in front of me and brandishes what he had in his hand. It's a pair of cuffs.
His brow rises, and I offer my hands to him, my eyes not leaving his face, mostly to show him that I’m not afraid of him.
'Move backwards,' he commands, and I do as he says.
The cuffs anchor me to the headboard. Then Shade proceeds to kiss my lips lightly before beginning to caress and massage my neck, my shoulders, and down my arms, moving on to my torso.
He doesn’t touch my breasts, still aching dully with the clothes pins on. Instead, he moves down to my feet, massaging the arches and even my toes. I let out a long moan, wanting to hold onto my anger, but unable to when he does something that feels so divine.
'Who next?' he asks low, kissing the bottom of one of my feet.
'Blake,' I murmur, almost dreamily.
My eyes open slightly to see what he has in his hand. It's a flat paddle, and I look at him in question.
'I thought spanking was Shade’s thing,' I murmur.
'Thought I’d try it out,' he answers, and I wonder if it’s because he wants to hurt me on some level.
Did I do something? Is that why he’s acting like this?
Shade flips me onto my front, my wrists crossing. He pushes my knees underneath me, raising me up on all fours.
I hold onto the headboard, trying to keep my balance, shaking a little on my knees. The first smack has me gasping and moving forward slightly. I turn around to look at Blake.
'Too much?' he asks.
I blink, uncertain. Is it? Does he care if it’s too much?
'Shall I do it again?'
I nod a little timidly, and when he hits my other cheek hard, I gasp loudly, my eyes tearing.
‘Color?’
‘Green,’ I snarl, all at once needing it to hurt, and I see Shade look uncertain for a second, so I make sure I laugh it off.
Blake begins to pepper the tops of my thighs and my ass with smacks. They’re not too hard, but enough to sting.
I don’t know exactly how long he goes on, but I count at least thirty before he stops and steps back, letting out a low whistle.
My skin is on fire, my ass, throbbing. It’s almost too much, but I don’t show it.
'I like it,' he says as if this is like any other time.
Maybe for them it is.
'I think I understand.'
My eyes snap up to him. Does Blake get it?
He turns to Shade. 'That’s a nice color on her.'
I look down at the bed, letting out a quiet sigh, disappointed on some level that he isn’t looking, that even now they aren’t here, and yet thankful that they don’t notice because the conversation would be impossible. I find I’m not angry at Blake about this. How could he get it when I don’t?
I look over at Mav, wondering what he has, but he doesn’t show me. He shakes his head and tuts, moving behind me where I can't see.
I feel his head slide between my legs, shoulders pushing at my thighs. I widen my knees to make room, looking underneath my body to see what he's doing.
But Blake takes me by my hair and moves my head up so I can't look.
'No peeking,' he murmurs.
Before I can react, I feel my lower lips being parted. At the same time, my mouth is opened wide on Blake’s fingers.
‘Suck,’ Blake orders, his eyes practically glowing when I do it without hesitation.
My teeth clamp down on his knuckles hard as I feel Mav probing my pussy, and I’m gratified when I hear Blake’s hiss of pain.
'Is she wet?' Shade murmurs from where I can’t see him.
'Oh yeah,' Mav says, gripping my ass with his other hand and squeezing, eliciting a small yelp from me behind Blake’s hand.
I think this is all Mav is going to do until I feel something else prodding at my entrance. I’m not allowed to look, but I can feel it moving very slowly. Then, it stops.
‘I have an idea. Blake, uncuff her,' he says.
The thing inside me is pulled away, and I make a noise of displeasure, wondering what’s happening now as I’m freed from the headboard.
Hands cover my eyes as I’m walked across the room toward a decorative column in the middle, I realize, as I’m pushed down to all fours in front of it. My body is eased backward.
I gasp as the object impales me. Their hands leave me, all except the ones covering my eyes.
'That’s what?’ I gasp out.
'Move,' Blake says with a chuckle, clearly relishing this.
I experiment with moving my hips backward and forward, feeling what I assume is a dildo inside me. Blake’s hands finally move away from my eyes, and I look back immediately, seeing a thick, black toy attached to the square column via a suction cup on the end.
So, that’s what it’s for.