Chapter 7
SEVEN
LOGAN
The other team never stood a chance. I didn't think they did, even before they started to play. They saw what she did and how she looked, and it had them rattled as fuck.
As for me, I couldn't tear my eyes off Tash. Between the tight pants hugging her ass, and the way she grunted whenever she hit the ball, I was hard as hell.
Thank fuck Sanun and I beat our opponents before she played. Playing ping pong with a raging hard-on would be impossible to say the least. Not to mention I didn't want to give those smug prick twins anything else to laugh at. They had enough ammunition from this whole so called Tournament.
Who thought up this bizarre torture anyway? I'd bet every last cent I had in the bank it was the twins' idea. I wouldn't be surprised if their older brother, Reuben, had no idea what was going on here.
I could picture that conversation in my head.
"I told you to kill them," Reuben would say.
The twins would grin and say, "But this was more fun."
The end result would be more or less the same, lots of dead people who'd pissed them off.
As if pissing off Reuben Brantley was such a difficult thing to do.
He seemed to wake up pissed off. If the man tried to smile, his face would probably crack in two.
He left that to the twins as well, smiling like a pair of snakes.
Sometimes I wondered how they'd lived this long.
Presumably they got lucky. Unless they were made of stone or something.
Plenty of people wanted them both dead. I knew a lot had tried.
And yet here we were. Both of them were alive and well, worst luck.
No doubt their bullshit would catch up with them sooner or later.
I didn't give a shit.
"They might win," Sanun said softly. He was sitting beside me now, rather than behind. His eyes glued on the match in front of us.
"They will," I said firmly.
"Then we have to beat them." He didn't seem to like the idea.
"Better than dead." I wasn't sure if I believed that myself.
Tash showed a lot of spunk. Bruno too. They deserved to walk out of here as much as I did. Not more than I did, mind you. I could fall for the woman, but I didn't have a death wish.
This whole situation was conflicting as hell.
I was starting to wish I hadn't touched that gun shipment. All the signs were there. I'd ignored them. All I thought about were the dollar signs. The big payday that came if I got away with it. If I knew I'd end up here, I would have thought twice. Maybe three times.
Maybe I still would have done it.
Tash moved back and forth, her hips swinging. Groaning when she missed a shot. It sounded like she was coming. Watching the other two guys fuck her might just be worth dying for. If she won and she let me, I planned to be next.
Yeah, I know it sounds screwed up to think about fucking someone you might have to kill an hour later, but these were the cards we were dealt. We might as well roll with them.
Tash didn't miss the next shot. Or the shot after that.
She and Bruno were playing like they'd played together for years.
Was it possible they had? I wouldn't put it past the twins to plant them both here to fuck with the rest of us.
Tash and Bruno might be working for them, making sure we lost so we could be killed, as intended.
I scowled at them both. No, there was still a hint of desperation in their gameplay. Still a burning desire to win to save their own asses. Not to mention, why would Tash fuck someone she was here to mess with? She said she liked sex, but that was weird. Not impossible, mind you. But weird.
"They only need two more points to win," Sanun said, as if I wasn't paying attention to the score.
I was watching closely and carefully. Not just the score, but the way they played. What do they say? 'Know your opponent.'
I took a mental note of every feint, every serve. The way they both held their paddles and used them. Every flick of the wrist. Every step. I committed all of it to memory.
"One more," I said.
A minute later, Tash served the ball, slamming it right over the net and past her opponent, taking the match for her and Bruno.
Only Sanun and I clapped.
We were the only ones left to clap.
Her face was expressionless as Hunter handed her the gun. There was less hesitation this time, but she clearly didn't like killing. Me, I'd done it enough that I barely gave it any thought anymore. She was new to this.
Sometimes I hated this town. It ruined the best people. And the worst. I'm not going to say I arrived in Dusk Bay sweet and innocent. But Tash was another story. If she beat Sanun and me, she wouldn't come out of this unscathed.
If she lost, she definitely wouldn't.
Like all the others, Hunter and Parker dragged the bodies away. There must be a nice pile of them out the back by now. Probably already starting to stink. Would they be cremated, or handed back to their families? Hell, they might throw them into the bay for all I knew.
They wouldn't cry over any of it, that was for sure.
"Nice work." Hunter wiped his hands on his suit pants and grinned at the four of us. "You've come this far. I'd love to tell you I'm proud of you. Or some shit."
So fucking sincere. Not.
Parker snorted.
"Yeah, that would be bullshit,” Hunter agreed. "Let's have another two-hour break before the final match."
"Can't we get it over with now?" Bruno asked.
Hunter turned to him and grinned. "Of course not. That would be way too easy. It's much more fun if you sweat for a while longer."
"Yeah, exactly," Parker agreed.
Why had no one killed them yet? When I got out of this alive, I might have to fix that. Although, then I'd end up dead shortly after. Whatever, it might be worth it.
"How about I order us some dessert?" Hunter suggested. "How do you all feel about chocolate chip muffins?"
"I love muffins," Bruno said enthusiastically. Of course he did. He seemed like a muffin kind of guy.
"I like them too," Sanun said, his voice, as low and soft as ever.
Did he ever shout? He gave the impression he didn't know how to. He was used to being quiet and blending into the background. Unlike the rest of us. We could probably learn a thing or two from him. Or maybe not, since he was here too. Trying to be invisible didn't work out so well for him.
Hunter rubbed his hands together. "Great. I know a place that makes them. Parker and I will be back soon."
He clapped Parker on the shoulder and the pair headed back out of the Arena.
"Looks like we have the place to ourselves." I rose to my feet, trying to look casual. "How strong do we think this ping pong table is?"
I strode over to it and placed my hands on it, trying to wobble it back and forth.
"Nice and strong," I said approvingly.
Whoever made it did a good job. Of course they did.
The Brantley twins wouldn't buy some cheap shit from…
Wherever cheap shit ping pong tables came from.
To be honest, I wasn't up with the places that sold them.
The only time I ever saw them was in online marketplaces.
Those were usually old and well-loved. Or the miniature kind that kids used.
No, this one was good and solid.
Tash eyed me speculatively. "Are you thinking…" she said slowly.
I picked up one of the paddles and tapped it against my palm.
"Seems a shame to waste the paddles and the privacy," I said. "Why don't you be a good girl and take your clothes off so I can bend you over the ping pong table?”
For a moment I thought she'd refuse. But then she was slowly shimmering out of her leather pants and corset top. By the time she unhooked her bra and slid it down her arms, my cock was throbbing. Her panties were next, joining the rest of her clothes in a puddle on the floor.
With a swing of her hips, she walked over to the table, leaned forward and placed her palms on the surface. Stretched out until she was almost touching the net with her fingertips.
"Like this?" she asked.
"Just like that," I agreed.
I took a couple of deep breaths to keep from coming in my pants. If I was going to die today, it wouldn't be with a wet patch of embarrassment for everyone to see.
My hand around the handle of the paddle. I brought it down on her ass cheek, not too hard at first. I didn't want to hurt her unless she wanted me to.
She groaned. "Harder," she insisted.
"Good girl," I said softly.
I smacked her harder with the ping-pong paddle, hard enough to leave a red mark on her round cheek.
She moaned. "More."
I gave her more, two more smacks on that cheek and a few on the other, until her ass was glistening red.
Hard to the point of unbearable, I tossed the paddle aside and pushed my pants down my thighs, letting my cock feel the rush of cool air. I pulled her upright before turning her around and picking her up to sit on the edge of the table.
A smile on her lips, she wrapped her legs around my waist, positioning her entrance right in front of the tip of my cock.
I didn't want to rush, but I couldn't stop myself from sliding into her. She was hot and wet, tight around my cock, gripping me so hard I almost came immediately.
"You feel so fucking good," I whispered.
"So do you," she whispered back.
She hooked her ankles behind my back, pressing into me as she pushed me deeper into her. So deep I may never come back out again.
I was here for it.
Starting with small rolls of my hips, I thrust into her, sliding out a fraction before pushing back in. I kneaded her breasts with my hands, making her nipples hard under my touch. Even after fucking two other guys, she was still responsive, still eager.
Still mine.
While we were both alive, that was.
I lowered one hand to her pussy, stroking her clit. Watching her eyes roll back in her head as I drove her toward coming. Closer and closer. I saw it in her eyes. Heard it in every pant of her breath.
As long as I lived, the sound would echo in my ears, the sound of this beautiful woman coming apart around me. Her ass sliding back and forth across the ping pong table. The place that would decide which of us lived and which of us died.
If I only had hours left on this earth, I'd have no regrets. Not now. I'd been to heaven. What more was there?
She dropped her head back and came against my thumb. Her pussy tightening, clenching around me, squeezing me so hard I had no choice but to give in and come, my release blasting out of me. Filling her. Making her wetter and hotter.
I lied.
I had one regret.
Why did I have to meet this woman when one of us was about to die?