CHAPTER 42
C HAPTER 42
MADDOX
“At least pretend you’re having fun.”
I shot Lydia a glare, but she was too mesmerized by the girl dancing on the pole in front of us to notice.
“I organized the perfect party for your birthday.”
Perfect? For who?
It looked more like she’d organized the perfect party for herself.
My eyes followed hers, tracing the path of her hungry gaze locked onto the naked woman on the pole. The dancer wore a matching sheer lace set in white that left very little to the imagination.
Hardly a surprise. All the women here were barely dressed, either swaying on poles or grinding against guests in the dim, crowded room of one of our clubs.
This was Lydia’s kind of celebration.
If it were up to me, I wouldn’t even be here.
Everyone else seemed to be having a great time on my birthday— except me. Jamming a knife into my throat felt like a more appealing way to celebrate.
My gaze drifted to Angelo, seated to my right. A dancer straddled his lap, grinding against his pants as her lips grazed his neck. His hands gripped her ass, and his head tilted back in pleasure, his expression almost serene.
Disgusted, I forced my eyes away, shaking my head.
This room was full of people I would rather kill than celebrate anything with. I let my dark thoughts consume me, sinking deeper into the void they offered. Then, my attention was drawn to the pole directly in front of our table—or rather, the woman.
With no top, her pierced nipples glinting in the flashing club lights.
Her long blonde hair was pulled into a high ponytail that swung with her movements. She wore nothing but black bikini bottoms and high heels. And for a fleeting second, despite the suffocating disdain that filled my chest, I couldn’t look away.
I guess she took my stare as an invitation.
The next thing I knew, she was approaching me, hips swaying with practiced intent. I leaned back against the couch, my arms draped casually over the backrest, waiting to see her next move. Her attempts at seduction were laughable, almost painfully so. Whatever allure she thought she had, it didn’t work on me—not from her.
But I played along.
She fluttered her lashes and bit her lip as she closed the distance, a not-so-innocent smile tugging at her glossed lips. Slowly, she straddled my lap, careful not to touch me, her hands planted on the couch behind my shoulders for balance.
Smart move. Most of the women here knew I didn’t like being touched.
Her body moved rhythmically on top of me, her almost bare center pressing against me and her breasts grazing my chest as she shifted.
Soft moans escaped her lips, so close to my ear that they should’ve made my blood burn.
But they didn’t. Nothing.
The old Maddox would have taken her right here, in front of everyone, without a second thought. No hesitation, no restraint.
But now?
I clenched my jaw, frustrated at the hollow ache where fucking desire should’ve been. This was exactly what I needed— a quick, detached fuck.
Something to drown out the chaos in my head, to silence the demons clawing at me. Yet my body refused to cooperate. Every part of me rejected her, just as it had rejected every other woman since Allyn.
Fucking pathetic.
I leaned my head back, closing my eyes in defeat—and immediately, there she was. A pair of deep, chocolate-brown eyes stared back at me. Long brown hair spilled messily over her flushed, innocent face as she pressed herself against me.
Her lips, full and swollen, trembling as if begging to be claimed. I heard her moaning my name. The sound hit me like a drug, intoxicating and devastating in equal measure.
Allyn.
The woman who had ruined me for anyone else.
The moment I let her in, let her kiss me, touch me, consume me in ways no one ever had—I was done for.
The dancer on top of me shifted, her body brushing against my lap, trying to pull me back into the moment.
I clenched my jaw, forcing myself to feel something. Anything that will make it easier.
Desire. Lust. The hunger to take her, to claim her.
But there was nothing. Not for her.
Not for anyone but the ghost who haunted me every time I closed my fucking eyes. It’s a fucking curse — the moment I stopped imagining Allyn in front of me, it was over.
“I heard you’re the birthday man,” she said, her voice echoing in my ear. “Looks like I’m the lucky one tonight.”
I wanted to laugh at her words. If only she knew how unlucky she was to end up in my hands. She’d run for her life.
“Oh, really?” I played along, amused by her delusion. “And why is that?”
“Because I’ll be in your bed tonight,” she whispered, a smile against my ear as her tongue grazed it. “You look like a man who knows how to please me.”
I chuckled darkly, shaking my head.
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”
“Yes,” she purred in my ear.
I could feel how desperate she was, her body betraying her as she melted at the slightest touch. I grabbed her ponytail, pulling it back so she had no choice but to meet my gaze. Her body went stiff.
Now she understood how unlucky she was to have chosen me.
“Too bad I have zero interest in fucking you,” I muttered, venom lacing my words. “Get away from me while you still can.”
Fear replaced the warmth in her eyes, the confidence vanishing. She nodded, then silently stood, turning her back to me as she disappeared into the crowd, seeking attention elsewhere.
I met Lydia’s disappointed gaze. I shrugged.
Fuck that.
This whole orgy happening in this room was more than I could bare.
I left the room, exiting the club, heading to the entrance hall, where all the gifts—gifts I’d never bother to open—were piled up. They look like garbage, unwanted and meaningless.
“It’s rude not to appreciate my effort.”
Lydia ran after me on her hills.
I turned back to look at her.
“No one made you do this shit, Lydia, stop whining like a bitch.”
“I wanted to do it to cheer you up,” she defended herself, raising her voice. “I can’t fucking stand you lately.”
“It’s mutual.’’
‘‘You are such a dick.’’
She’s furious when she looks at me next.
“Is this all because of Allyn?”
There it is again—that gut punch in my chest every time I hear her name. The only name that can provoke this reaction from me.
I fucking hate this. I hate her too.
It wasn’t enough that I’ve had this nightmare about her every damn night for the past month. I have to listen to my brother obsess over bringing her back.
And now this.
It’s been a whole fucking month.
One month— and nothing has changed.
She steps toward me.
“You can fool everyone else, but you can’t fool me.”
I hate it when people try to invade my personal life, and my little sister is doing exactly that right now.
“I think you should go back to your party, Lydia,” I muttered, turning my back to leave this hellhole.
But her next words stopped me dead in my tracks.
“You fucked her, didn’t you?”
I took a deep breath, struggling to look at her without wanting to kill her. My eyes locked on hers as I turned around.
“Lydia, you’re pushing my patience right now,” I growled through gritted teeth. “Go back to your fucking party.”
“Answer me, yes or no?” she pressed, feeding the demons inside me. As if to make it worse, she stepped closer, her gaze daring me to break. “But I think I already know the answer.”
“Lydia, get out of my sight.” I said as a warning, my voice dropping another ten degrees.
“I thought you were smarter than that, Maddox,” she said, her face showing disappointment. “I wonder what Angelo would say about this. Or our father?”
“Is that supposed to scare me?” I laughed in her face, clicking my tongue.
I didn’t even realize when I moved closer to her, face-to-face. My heart pounded in my chest, the same way it does right before I pull the trigger.
She’s crossing the line, and she knows it. I f she wasn’t family, I would’ve had her head on a silver platter by now for the audacity to threaten me. Does she really think she can scare me?
Fear’s not something I’m familiar with.
“You want the truth? I don’t think you can handle it.”
She narrowed her eyes, staying silent, daring me to continue.
“The truth is, I fucked our brother’s innocent fiancée.” I hissed, watching her clench her jaw as a smug smile spread across my face. “I made her choke on my cock countless times, and she loved every second of it, begging me for more while still wearing her engagement ring from our brother.”
I didn’t spare her the details. I wanted to see the disgust on her face when confronted with the truth. She wanted it, didn’t she?
It was satisfying to watch her shocked expression, like she forgot how to speak.
“What are you going to do about it, hmm?” I cracked another grin.
Her whole body trembled in front of me, furious at my confession. Her eyes turned black and that gave me an indescribable satisfaction.
“That’s right, you’ll do nothing,” I taunted, rubbing my selfish grin in her face.
I leaned in closer, hovering over her, but she didn’t back away.
“Because you know that Angelo and Father may be bad, but I’m much worse.” I gave her a hard look before shoving her away from me.
She stomped back, her eyes shooting daggers at me.
“Now get out of my fucking sight.”
I heard her mumble “fuck you” under her breath before she turned and headed back to the party, she’d organized for herself.
She was having more fun than I was in that shitty place anyway.
I exhaled sharply, trying to regain my composure, but my mind was too far gone to focus.
The solution was somewhere far away from me. Hiding.
It’s embarrassing to admit how often I’ve caught myself thinking about her. Even more embarrassing to admit that I don’t want to fuck another woman since she’s gone.
To be more accurate—I can’t. It’s like a curse. I thought things would get better with time. That it would be easier now that she’s gone, but the truth is—it’s only getting worse.
I stared down at the pile of unnecessary gifts, lost in my thoughts.
By pure chance, one of them caught my eye. It stood out from the others. A large black rose encased in glass. A black rose that was wilting. It reminded me of the one from the movie Beauty and the Beast, except this one was painted black.
My heart pounded harder.
“I love black roses, you know,” I overheard Allyn telling Tamara on the phone as we walked through the mall, searching for the perfect dress for her engagement party. “That’ll be enough of a present.”
I picked up the glass, afraid it might slip and shatter. A black piece of paper was attached to it, and my attention was immediately fixed on it.
“Happy 26th Birthday, Maddox King.
Until we meet again.
Trust me, we will meet again.”
The letter wasn’t signed, but it didn’t need to be.
I knew exactly who it was from the moment my whole world seemed to turn upside down as I read the words over and over again.