Page 80 of Love Thief

“You better not,” Kellen shouts frantically at me, struggling like mad to get out of his binds. “Don’t you do it, Evie. I’ll fucking kill you. Don’t you dare.”

I look over at James, and he has tears of laughter in his eyes. I’m relieved. Thank god for my boys. They love the drama as much as their dad. Their support, bolstering my antics, is all I need to turn it up another notch. I turn to John with a devilish grin, spinning him around so he’s facing the boys and can’t see who’s behind him.

“Evie, don’t you fucking dare,” Xan’s voice joins Kellen’s, amping the volume and the intensity. “I’m warning you, don’t you whip anyone else.” He’s trying to give John a kick now, and everyone is crying with laughter.

“I need to practise,” I tell them as I crack the whip with a too-practised air.

The blonde looks at me with a raised eyebrow. “Impressive,” she states.

“Lots of practice,” I call out to the crowd. “They,” I point at Kell and Xan, shouting louder so everyone can hear, “are very naughty boys.”

The crowd are hysterical now, and Gabe and Levi have literally fallen off their chairs laughing. I hand the whip to the ringmaster and point to John, opening my hand in a gesture of be my guest as I step back, grinning.

The blonde’s swing is beautiful, the movement graceful and effortless, as she flicks him three times. He looks like he’s died and gone to heaven. The flogger she brings out next is so soft to touch, and she rubs his back with it. He closes his eyes, ecstasy etched on his face.

Xan and Kell are watching him, grinning at him. He opens his eyes and I can see he’s trying to goad them, making them jealous. He thinks it’s me that’s whipped him. They side eye each other, their eyes alight.

“You better look who it is behind you,” Xan tells him.

Confused at first, he spins and sees blondie, grinning at him. Not missing a beat, he jumps up and begs her, “Marry me.”

The whole crowd is in hysterics, except for the toxic trio. I stand my ground and look at them. Hatred, resentment and hostility, and total fucking jealousy is staring back at me. Not breaking my stare, despite the glares they’re sending my way, I see them for who they are and what they were trying to do.

Knowing I’ve made my point, I pull my attention from them and walk over to Xan and Kellen. They look up at me, sat upright, still tied to the chairs. “Fuck woman, I’m going to come in my jeans,” Kell groans.

“I already have,” says Xan, chuckling maniacally

Showtime done, I finally let them loose. James and Bucky come over and are ribbing them. Jude is calling them every name under the sun in mock contempt. He can’t believe they went along with it. Isobel stands at the back of the crowd, her eyes wide with amazement.

Orla comes over to me and says, “You are magnificent. Well done. I would’ve shrivelled up and gone home.” She hugs me tightly.

A voice over my shoulder grabs my attention. “I’m happy if you want to get together,” the ringmaster says to me.

“Back off our woman,” Kellen replies in a playful tone before I can get a word out.

Her laughter is seductive, with a beautifully melodic quality. “I meant she could come with me and we could do some serious damage.” She has a cheeky grin on her face.

I like her, her attitude is so amazing. She seems like a genuine person. If not a bit wild with that whip. I wink and say, “I’ll get your details.”

“Christ no, she’s lethal enough with no training,” says Kell. “She’s flayed me once already.”

Gabe and Levi come over, laughing at Xan and Kell. “You two are useless,” Gabe cackles. “No wonder Evie runs rings around you both. I’m asking the ringmaster out on a date. Do you think she’ll want to come on tour?”

“I’m asking her,” Levi counters with light in his eyes. “She’s amazing.” They start pushing and shoving each other like schoolboys as they go over to try to persuade the ringmaster to come on tour instead of marrying John.

Xan bends to pick his shirt up, but I swipe it up before he can. “Leave it off. And you,” I point to Kell. ”The jeans can stay open. May as well have some benefit for my efforts.”

A group of girls laugh behind me as they come up and start talking to me, completely ignoring the boys. I’m amazed. I can hardly string a sentence together, never mind hold a conversation, when they’ve no shirts on.

I hear Jude telling them to get dressed.

“We can’t,” Kellen laughs. ”She’ll get that fucking whip back on us.”

Tim comes over to me, smiling for the first time since the celebration began. “Well, well, you’re full of surprises, Miss Evie. Quite a show you put on. I always thought this lot were the craziest people I knew, but I reckon you may give them a run for their money. I heard about the Ferrari, the dining room, oh and the pony in the pool, but tonight took the cake.” He grins at me, says, “Good work, keep it up,” and walks over to the bar. In seconds, he’s taking the mickey out of John Clayton, who is drowning his sorrows as the Ringmaster said ‘no.’

As I turn to move, I feel a hand on my arm, and as I pull in one direction, it tugs really hard in the other. The toxic trio are standing shoulder to shoulder, facing me.

“You think you’ve won, don’t you? Taken over, made us all look invisible,” Becky snarls at me. “Well just you wait ‘til your sordid fuckfest with all of them hits the papers. Let’s see who likes to be invisible then. What will everyone think of pure, upstanding Evie Fucking Greystone?” She goes to push me backwards. “We’ll do an interview and say we left ‘cos you fucked them all in one night in one go.’” Her eyes are alight with wickedness.

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