Chapter 4 Aniyah #3
Gripping his hand, I guided him through the maze of couches, ottomans, and lounging clusters. Music played in the background while shadowed, sinuous bodies in white masks moaned and contorted on every surface.
Everyone in the room was in a state of undress that suited their pleasure.
Some fully clothed, content just to watch, while others were dressed in sultry lingerie or elaborate costumes.
Many were completely bare, as if shame had no place here.
At the Winged Palace, every kind of desire was welcomed.
He tugged gently at my hand, halting me beside a trio of fairies. One caressed another’s wings while rhythmically thrusting into the mouth of a third. I watched him instead, and despite the scene unfolding beside us, his gaze was pinned entirely on me. The attention made my heart stutter.
His hand rose slowly, fingering the white mask covering his face. “And these masks?”
I took his hand and pressed it to my cheek, letting my skin linger against his palm before casting him a sultry glance. “They're for your protection.”
His eyes gleamed with sudden interest, and I turned slightly, gesturing to the fairy now having her pussy devoured by a kneeling lover. “The X means look but don’t touch… unless invited.”
Spinning on my heel, I pointed to a vampire draped across a velvet settee, their mask marked with a blood-red drop. “Those indicate an interest in blood play. If the drop has a circle around it, it means you consent to having your blood taken, anywhere, by anyone.”
I drifted closer, letting the warmth of my body press against his as my hand glided up his chest—slow, deliberate—fingertips tracing over muscle and fabric. My eyes stayed on his as I licked my lips, then toyed with the bold black X on his mask.
“This one,” I murmured, voice soft and low, “tells everyone you’re just here to watch.”
My finger slipped beneath the edge of his mask, stroking the sharp line of his jaw. His muscles tensed beneath my touch, his restraint humming just under the surface.
I pulled back with a knowing smile, the absence of my touch just as intentional as the caress itself.
Teasing was an art form, a delicate dance of want and need. Knowing how far to go, to tempt without yielding, to bring someone to the edge and hold them there. To be wanted so fiercely but never seized—not until I wished it so. That was the game I craved most.
“You’ll receive a packet once you sign up.
It includes all the mask types and customization options.
One mask of your choice is included in the membership fee, but you’re free to purchase more if you'd like. Everything will be waiting in your numbered locker.” I winked at him. “It helps us keep things organized.”
I turned smoothly, guiding us along the main tour path, away from the tangle of bodies and past the stage—my stage.
“Up here,” I said, gesturing with a soft sweep of my hand, “we host themed nights and special performances. You'll be notified through a monthly newsletter as some of these nights have capacity limits. The newsletter is encrypted, with a one-time-use password to make sure it can’t be forwarded or shared. We value our privacy here.”
“I heard,” he said, his low voice meant only for me, “you have a spot on that stage…”
Leaning back into him, my hand resting lightly on his upper thigh, I gave him a slow, sinful smile.
“I didn’t know I’d become the subject of gossip.” Lie.
“But I do have a small spot.” Another lie.
“When the mood strikes me.” Big, fat lie.
“And sometimes…” I turned in the air, wings snapping wide with practiced flair as I hovered over his shoulder, voice a whisper against his ear, “…I invite a lucky member on stage.”
I felt his breath catch, just barely, and when his hand twitched toward me, I bolted, flying toward the row of elevators like I hadn’t just deliberately set his blood on fire.
My heels kissed the floor just as the air around me shifted, and I felt him, lust and intention wrapped in male flesh.
Mr. Lucus Kingsley stood right in front of me, smiling down at me like he was taunting me, proving that I couldn't get away from him that easily.
“Would you like to continue the tour,” I asked, my tone laced with suggestion as I took a step forward, “or have you had enough?”
This was the moment. I knew it. Not just a flirtation or routine evaluation for membership…. This was a test to see if he was worth my interest.
He might have a banging body, the outline of a dick I would ride like a stallion, and enough money to fill my indulgent side, but would he keep my interest past a conquest?
His expression shifted, and the heat in his smile melted into something darker. His body tensed, rippling with energy, and a heartbeat later, he was behind me.
A cold, hard arm wrapped around me in a flash, yanking me back into his chest, possessive and unapologetic. The air left my lungs in a gasp, swallowed by the solidity of him, yet I didn’t fight it.
His fingers gripped the side of my waist before they slid up my side until they brushed my throat. With two fingers, he lifted my chin like he owned it, like he wanted to own me.
My body arched into his touch, breath hitching as my thoughts ran through my mind.
What if I let him? What would he do if I gave in? What would I do?
His lips hovered at my ear, his hot breath creating a burning bonfire of hunger and temptation.
“Enough,” he murmured, deep, dark, and full of sin, “is not a word in my vocabulary.”
And just as fast as he came, he was gone.
Cold air rushed in where heat had been, and I spun around in a daze, pulse pounding in places that called up my animalistic side, telling me to take him here and now, only to see him calmly studying the elevator panel like he hadn’t just set off a goddamn riot inside my body.
“What’s on these floors?” he asked casually.
For a second too long, I couldn’t answer. My whole body throbbed, every nerve singing the word mine. And worse, some wild, reckless part of me wanted him to be.
But that was impossible. Dangerous. Stupid.
Not with the pact I’d made with my siblings the night we became bosses.
Not with the weight of the Syndicate on my back.
Not when attachments were liabilities I couldn't afford. I wasn’t a woman who got to fall into attraction with abandon.
I was the madame, a wolf in a silk dress, and he…
was just a man with a tempting body and an equally amusing personality.
I looked down at my rings and my shoes, studded in those diamonds, rubies, and sapphires I enjoyed. Something that could sparkle to catch the prey’s eye.
He might be a great fuck—maybe even unforgettable—but that was all he could be. That was all I would let him be.
So, I put on the smile I’d perfected through years of power plays and bedroom games, strutting toward the elevator like he hadn’t just made me question my sanity.
My watch buzzed against my wrist, telling me it was midnight and reminding me of the person waiting for me upstairs. Biting my lip, I eyed this posh Englishman and had an idea.
“Oh, this…” I said with a purr and a wicked glint in my eye, “this is where the fun really begins.”
* Song: Push/Slap by Yummynoodz