Chapter 15
ANNIE
The walk back inside was a blur. I’d barely registered that the room Cipher had pulled me into was his bedroom before the door clicked shut behind us and the waiting ended. Cipher backed me hard against the door.
“Did you wear this dress for Finley, Bishop?”
I hesitated because while the feral intensity from the roof was still there in his eyes, there was something that looked like anger mixed with it.
He already knew I’d come here to seduce Finley and rub it in his face that I wanted normal so I didn’t think it would do any good to lie to him. “Yes,” I said finally.
Without a second’s hesitation, his hands went to the neckline and he ripped my dress down the middle. I cried out as it gave way and pooled uselessly at my feet.
I blinked down in shock at the remains of my nicest dress then back up to him. His gaze had caught on my body, on the soft pink bra and panties that I’d picked out for the night.
His eyes darkened the longer he looked, the muscle in his jaw going tight.
“Did you wear this for Finley, too?”
I really didn’t want to answer him. Not after what he’d done to the dress because the truth was going to piss him off worse.
But we were both tired of hiding. I didn’t want to be the good girl who did all the right things all the time, and when I’d put my bra and panties on tonight, I wasn’t being good at all.
“I wore it for you,” I finally admitted, lifting my chin. He wanted me to drop my mask, to stop hiding. Let’s see if he actually liked what was underneath. “I wanted you to see it and know you couldn’t have it. I wanted you to suffer.”
The smile that spread across Cipher’s face was nothing short of savage.
“Is that so?” His voice dropped to a dangerous purr. “Whose fucking bedroom are you in right now, Bishop?”
Heat flooded my face, but I couldn’t look away from him. He reached out, slipping his finger beneath my bra strap, stroking the thin pink lace with a gentleness that contrasted sharply with the fury in his eyes.
“Not Finley’s,” he answered for me, pulling the strap down my shoulder until my breast fell free of the cup. His gaze snapped to it, and I watched something in him shift. The rage didn’t disappear, but it transformed into something hungrier.
He brushed his thumb over my nipple and I couldn’t stop the small gasp that escaped my lips at the spark of pleasure from that one small touch.
“Such a shame,” he tsked, voice low and rough. “You had to act like a fucking brat tonight.”
I startled when he moved, too fast to track, and tore the delicate lace of my bra down the middle.
Before I could process it, his hands were at my hips.
Another sharp tear, and the tiny straps of my panties gave way.
The remnants of my underwear joined my dress on the floor, leaving me naked before him.
I’d fantasized about this moment countless times, but the reality of standing exposed in front of him was too much. I moved my arms to cover myself, one across my breasts, the other dropping lower.
“No.” The command froze my arms in mid-motion.
Cipher stepped back, his eyes traveling over every inch of my body.
“Look at you,” he breathed, the words barely audible. “Fucking perfect. Every inch.” His eyes lingered on the curve of my waist, the swell of my hips. “I knew you’d be beautiful, but Christ, Annie.”
Despite not quite knowing what his mood was, anger or desire or some volatile mix of both, I felt myself relaxing under his gaze. The appreciation in his eyes was genuine, and it made me feel powerful in my nakedness rather than vulnerable.
“Turn around,” he ordered, making a circular motion with his finger. “Slowly.”
I hesitated for only a second before complying, turning in a careful circle. The weight of his gaze trailed over my skin—my back, my ass, my thighs. When I completed the turn to face him again, his pupils had gone wide, so much that his eyes looked almost black.
“Go stand next to the bedpost,” Cipher ordered, his voice leaving no room for argument.
I glanced at the massive four-poster bed that dominated the room, my stomach tightening. The dark wooden posts rose toward the ceiling. I hesitated, not wanting to turn my back on him, not wanting to look away from the predatory intensity in his eyes.
“Now, Annie.”
I moved reluctantly, each step heightening the awareness of my nakedness. Behind me, I heard the distinct clink of a belt buckle being undone, then the sharp whisper of leather sliding through belt loops. My pulse kicked up, a confusing mixture of fear and excitement surging through my veins.
I turned to face him, my back pressed against the post. Cipher stood there, belt dangling from his fist, his eyes tracking every minute shift of my body.
“Put your hands up,” he said, nodding toward the top of the post.
“Why?” I challenged, though my voice betrayed me with a slight tremor.
The corner of his mouth quirked up. “Because you came to my home and attempted to seduce another man right in front of me.” He stepped closer, the belt swinging slightly with his movement.
“You’re going to have to live with that mistake, but I can’t let that behavior go unpunished.
” His voice dropped to a dangerous growl. “Put your fucking arms up.”
“Are you really going to punish me for being afraid of what I want?” I demanded. “For being afraid to stop hiding myself?”
Something flashed in his eyes, recognition maybe, but it didn’t soften him.
“I’m punishing you for trying to punish me,” he said, moving closer.
“For flaunting yourself in front of me while Finley gave his pathetic attempt at seducing you.” His free hand came up to grip my jaw, tilting my face up to his.
“Now put your fucking arms up. This is a punishment. This isn’t for fun and it sure as hell isn’t for your fucking pleasure.
This is the consequence of your actions tonight. ”
I swallowed hard, then slowly raised my arms above my head. My breasts lifted with the movement, and I watched his gaze drop to them, hunger plain on his face.
Cipher wrapped the belt around my wrists and secured them to the post. The leather was warm from his body, the binding tight. When he finished, he stepped back to admire his work.
I tugged experimentally at my restraints. They didn’t budge. I wasn’t going anywhere until he let me.
“Tell me something, Annie,” he murmured, his metallic gaze dragging down the length of my body, lingering between my thighs. “Did you honestly think Finley was going to make you come tonight?”
I scowled at him, twisting my wrists against the leather belt. “I chose you, not him.”
His smile sharpened. “You willingly came here to taunt me with what I couldn’t have. You wanted me to suffer.” He tilted his head. “Those are your own fucking words, Annie.”
He closed the distance again and leaned in. The heat of his breath whispered against my neck, the phantom pressure of a kiss that never landed. He trailed his open mouth down the sensitive line of my throat, ghosting over my collarbone without ever making actual physical contact.
“But look at you,” he whispered, his voice a dark purr against my skin. “I fucking have you.”
He pulled back, his expression hardening.
“So answer my fucking question, Annie. Would Finley have been able to make you come? Would he have dragged his tongue over your clit and treated your pussy the way it actually needs to be treated? Would he have you screaming yourself hoarse while he fucked you?”
“No,” I gritted out. I couldn’t lie to him. Not when I was strapped to his bed and dripping for him.
I had spent my entire adult life faking perfection, pretending the fumblings of my perfectly normal partners were enough for me. Finley would have been exactly the same. He would have a careful, boring rhythm that would have left me unsatisfied.
Cipher brought his face level with mine.
“Finley would have made love to a woman that didn’t exist,” he stated, his eyes cold and distant.
“Fuck you.” His words were meant to carve straight through to my insecurities and they’d fucking hurt.
Cipher smiled but it didn’t reach his eyes.
“He had a fucking gift handed to him tonight.” The cold smile vanished, replaced by a look of fury.
He dragged a single knuckle down my throat, pressing hard enough to make me swallow.
“You wrapped yourself up in silk and offered yourself to him. He should have dragged you out of that party the second you looked his way.”
His silver eyes darkened with disgust. “He looked at a masterpiece and treated you like a polite conversation piece. He didn’t see the fire in you, Annie. He didn’t see the desperate creature begging to be broken. He wasted the opportunity to worship you.”
“Shouldn’t you be happy about that? His loss, your gain, right?” My voice was shaking with anger, but I was genuinely curious. Cipher seemed like he was actually pissed that Finley hadn’t managed to seduce me.
“Why the fuck would I ever be happy about someone mistreating you?”
“I—” I didn’t know what to say because in no way, shape, or form had I expected that response. He was enraged that another man hadn’t appreciated the exact darkness I had spent my entire life trying to hide and I didn’t know how to feel about that.
“He called you pretty,” Cipher hissed, looking like he was ready to actually fight someone. “So yes, Annie, you were fucking mistreated. No man in his right mind would ever look at you and think you are just pretty.”
His thumb stroked over my lower lip.
“A sane man would have seen a woman demanding to be consumed. He would have seen exactly what you are and dragged you into the shadows to take what you were offering. Instead, he insulted you with a polite compliment.”
He pulled his hand away and let out a slow breath like he was trying to reign himself back in.