Page 40 of Vicious King

Elias showed up for dinner earlier than expected. I was still in gym clothes, but that was fine. It actually suited my plan.

He wasn’t alone. A few maids were with him, fussing over a little table that they’d brought in for our dinner. They set it up by the window with two chairs.

“Hey, Doll,” Elias said, arching a curious brow as he took in my yoga pants and tank top. “Been exercising?”

“Yes. You look very pleased with yourself,” I replied, looking back at him. His eyes were alive with excitement.

He smiled. “I got some good news earlier today.”

“Oh?”

He waved a dismissive hand. “I’ll tell you another time. No need to get into it now. Anyway, take a seat. Dinner will be ready any moment.”

“Will there be wine?” I asked in a hopeful tone. Please say yes.

“If you like. Red or white?”

“Red. But only if that’s okay with you,” I said demurely.

He nodded and muttered something to the maids. They left the room. I sat down at the table with Elias, and a few minutes later, two of the maids returned. One had a bottle of pinot noir and two wine glasses, and the other was pushing a cart with multiple silver cloche trays.

“I’ll serve it,” Elias said, dismissing them.

When they were gone, he pulled two plates off the cart and put our dinner on the table with a flourish. Wagyu beef tenderloins with hand-cut fries, truffle aioli, and salad on the side. Simple but pricey.

“Thank you,” I said with a shy smile. “It smells delicious.”

“You’re welcome,” Elias replied, returning my smile as he filled our wine glasses.

I felt a pang of guilt at what I was going to do to him. Ever since he rescued me from the storm and brought me here, he’d acted like a changed man. So patient and generous. He only punished me when I wanted it, only hurt me in the ways I liked and craved (even though he’d probably never admit that in a million years), and he seemed to be making a real effort to have things run smoothly between us.

My feelings for him were growing stronger every day, and I had a sneaking suspicion that he was beginning to return them. But at the same time, I knew he would never let me go. I would always be his prisoner.

As much as I might care for him and want him, I still wanted freedom more.

I picked up my glass and took a sip of wine, licking my lips as I swallowed. Sensually, slowly. Then I flashed Elias my best attempt at a seductive smile. “Would you excuse me for a minute? I think I should change into something more suitable,” I said.

He nodded. I stood, still holding my glass, and headed out of the main room, letting my hips swing invitingly.

I knew there was a chance he might follow, so I moved as fast as I could once I was in the closet. I hurried over to the writing nook and held the glass at the front of the desk so I could sweep the powdered Benadryl into it. As I waited for it to settle into the wine, I changed out of my gym clothes and into a sexy black dress which pushed my breasts up and together to give me killer cleavage.

“Wow.” Elias raised his eyebrows when I stepped back into the main room. “That looks fucking incredible on you.”

“Thank you.” I gave him a shy but coquettish smile. “I figured it would be better for tonight than sweaty gym clothes.”

“Damn right about that.” He crossed over to me in a few powerful strides and wrapped his arms around me, one hand groping at my ass. My glass tipped to one side, and the wine very nearly spilled.

“Oh, careful,” I murmured, trying not to let any panic seep into my voice. I held the glass out and away from us, keeping it as steady as possible.

“Fuck the wine. Fuck dinner. I want to have you now,” Elias growled.

Shit.This wasn’t part of the plan.

I tried to think of a way to get him to sit back down but failed miserably. My mind had gone completely blank.

Luckily, Elias drew back when I didn’t respond. “Wait… I promised you this dinner, didn’t I?” he said, a frown creasing his forehead. “And you’re probably hungry after all that exercise today.”

I swallowed hard and nodded. He led me back toward the table, but not before giving me a hard slap on the ass. “Naughty little tease. You’ll pay for that later,” he said. “But you were probably hoping for that, weren’t you?”

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