Page 13 of The Bitterness of Venom

I shake the thoughts clear.

Focus on your future. Not your past. Your past does not define you.

I make it to my room undetected. The apartment is quiet. Maybe my roommates’ day was as tiring as mine. Once I reach my room, I flick my light on and fling myself on top of the bed and let out a sigh.

My phone chooses to buzz nonstop then, and finally after the fifth time, I answer it.

“Hello?”

“Meet me outside in ten minutes.” The line goes dead, and my stomach falls with it.

Ten minutes later,I’m climbing into the back of an all-black SUV. I cross my arms, an unreadable mask over my face as cigar smoke floats inside.

“Not going to lie, little one, you were easier to find this time.”

I shrug. “I wasn’t hiding.”

He laughs, eyes lowering to sweep over my body. “Very well.” He tosses a black dress at me and a pair of heels. “Get dressed. I need you to get some information for me tonight. Mrs. Davis has some details I need, and she happens to have a type. Secret, of course.”

Of course.

“And who is Mrs. Davis?” I ask as I slip my clothes off. I don’t even bat an eyelash. Clint has been using me to lure people in since he found me at my first foster home.

He hands me a picture of a middle-aged woman with short, sleek raven hair that frames her face. “Wait, isn’t this the senator’s wife?”

Clint grins. “Look at you, little one.” I try not to show disgust at his nickname for me. “And lo and behold, she happens to be an hour away at an underground location.”

“What exactly do you need?”

He folds his arms, leaning forward to expose the angry red slash across his handsome face. “I need you to find out where Senator Davis keeps his second family. I want the info for blackmail. He used me to rig the campaign and never paid up. It’s your job to get that information.”

I slip the heels on. “And how am I supposed to do that?”

He leans back, hiding his face in the shadows again. “Get her high. Poison her. Drunk. Use seduction. I don’t really care how, I just want it done.” He waves the conversation off, looking down at his phone.

I don’t have a choice. Whatever Clint wants, I deliver.

Whatever you’re picturingas an underground high-end members-only club, you’re probably right. Black leather, padded walls with gold accents. The lighting is low, the carpet dark and plush. A giant golden chandelier hangs in the middle of the vast space. There is no dance floor, just a gold bar with leather stools, high-top tables, and booths scattered about. It smells like a million different perfumes due to it beingladies’ night. I’m sure you can figure that one out. And the clientele here is high profile. Not sure how Clint got me in, but I wish I was good at pickpocketing. I could pay my tuition back to Desmond with a single necklace.

I bring my glass to my lips, making sure I have an eye on my target of the night. Linda Davis is a classy woman. In her Jackie Kennedy era with the pearls and a business suit. Her short hair is up, highlighting her heart-shaped face. She’s pretty in a senator’s wife way. Not my type. But it's not about that tonight. I catch her eyes across the bar, and she pauses, eyes roving over me.

Come on, Linda. Take the bait so I can get at least two hours of sleep tonight.

She winks before sipping her drink and talking to the leggy redhead in front of her. This woman is a cougar. Clint had that part right. And she’s obviously into women. Not that I blame her. Women are more superior than men.

My seductive smile falls as I watch her, playing the long game. Subtle hints here, winks there. Reason number one why I don’t do this shit. But finally, as I’m about to lose hope, she walks over to me. Mid-fifties with amazing skin only the rich can obtain. She looks ten years younger than she is.

She smiles as she sits down beside me, ordering another drink. “You must be new. I’ve never seen you before.” She looks me up and down. “And important if you got in here. Who are you?”

I nibble on my lip, eyes lowering. “Who I am isn’t important. What’s important is that this is your one night with me. After this,” I lay my hand on her arm, letting it drift down and over her hand, “I’ll be gone. Never to be seen again.” I lean in, making sure my lips skate over her neck, right below her ear. “The question is, are you willing to risk missing out on what I have to offer?”

I watch her throat bob, eyes darkening as she places a hand on my inner thigh, not stopping until she’s at the hem of my dress. “And what’s so special about you?” She bats her fake lashes at me.

Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, I whisper. “Why don’t youcome find out, Mrs. Senator?”

Linda is a ‘take action’woman. As soon as we enter one of the private rooms they have available for members, she is on me. Her soft lips tasting of cherries from the drink she had. Hands experienced at touching me in all the right places to turn me on. But as soon as she tries to push me down to my knees, I laugh into her neck.

“I don’t get on my knees for no one, not even you, Mrs. Senator.” I push her on the bed, pulling my dress off and leaving my heels on. Grabbing her legs, I pull her until she’s slipping to the edge of the mattress, falling to her knees in front of it. She looks up at me with wide eyes as I raise one single leg on the bed, exposing my silk-covered pussy to her. Grabbing a fistful of her hair, I jerk her to me. “But you’ll bow for me, isn’t that right?”

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