Page 45 of Twisted Empire

He stepped over to the wall and pressed a button on a white keypad. The curtains swung back, revealing another high-definition screen in place of the window. On the screen was a sweeping panoramic view of a city at night with bright twinkling lights and skyscrapers in the distance.

“Wow. I still can’t get over how real it looks,” I said breathlessly.

“Just wait,” Elias said. “Watch this.”

He pressed another button on the keypad. The screen changed. Suddenly it was daylight outside and our apartment appeared to be situated in a beautiful garden.

It was magical. The artificial light somehow looked completely natural, and the sight of the sundrenched blanket of pink, red and yellow flowers just beyond the window seemed to warm the room. White butterflies flitted amongst the blooms, levitating midair. In the distance was a fountain with a statue, a stone path winding through a patch of trimmed green lawn, and a thick clump of tall fir trees.

“Holy shit,” I said, eyes widening with incredulity. “This looks even realer than the last one.”

“We’re not done yet.” Elias pressed another button.

We were in New York. Then Rome. Then Fiji. Rio de Janeiro, Prague, Barcelona, Melbourne. He kept going through the locations, each one more stunning than the last, and I marveled at the sights, feeling like I’d actually traveled to each and every one of the gorgeous places all within the last few minutes.

“You can choose between day and night, and you can basically be anywhere in the world you want,” Elias explained. “For now, we should probably stick with night so we don’t mess up our sleeping patterns. But the location decision is yours.” He paused and looked at me, eyes twinkling. “So where would you like to sleep tonight, Doll?”

I smiled shyly. “Let’s go to Paris.”

With the click of a button, the Eiffel Tower glittered in the faux night outside our room. Close by, a wide river glinted under the moonlight, and colorful city lights stretched endlessly into the distance. Just ‘below’ our window was a baroque stone bridge with pedestrians crossing over it, looking like little ants as they swept past.

I relaxed my shoulders and breathed deeply as I took in the gorgeous view. For the first time in months, I felt truly safe. Unrestrained. Like we were really in France, staying in a luxury hotel without a care in the world.

It was bizarre how I could feel so much freer in here—a shelter several hundred feet inside a mountain—than I did in the outside world, and yet that was exactly how I felt. But I wasn’t complaining. This place was amazing.

“I need to have a shower.” Elias nodded toward one of the passageways. “It’s been a couple of days since my last one.”

I smiled gently. “Well, somehow you don’t smell bad at all. But a hot bath would be good to help you relax.” I squeezed one muscular arm as I spoke, running my free hand up his hard chest. “There is hot water, right?”

“Of course.”

“How does the whole water situation work here, anyway?” I said as I padded into the bathroom after him. In the center of the tiled room was an enormous freestanding marble tub, big enough to fit four or five people.

“There’s a massive tank with enough water for several years farther inside the mountain,” Elias said. “Everything that gets used in sinks, showers and baths goes down the drain into another area where it can be purified and reused.” He scratched his chin, brows drawn together in thought. “From what I remember, there’s also a huge underground freshwater reservoir near the area, and the shelter has pipes leading to it. So if the tank water ever ran out for whatever reason, there’s enough to last forever in that reservoir.”

“So I can draw you a bath without any guilt?” I said, raising a brow as I crouched down and turned the hot water tap on.

“Yes.” Elias watched me as I filled the bath and flicked on the whirlpool jets on the side, making the water bubble and froth like a hot tub. “I like you like that,” he said in a low voice, taking one step closer to me.

“Like what?” I looked up at him. “Near a tub?”

“No. On your knees.”

I flashed him a demure smile. “Maybe I like it too.”

“I know you do.” His eyes gleamed with dark lust. “Now strip.”

“What?” I raised my brows.

“You heard me. Strip. Then get in the tub on all fours and wait for me.”

“But the bath is for you. I was just going to go to slee—”

Elias yanked me to my feet and cut me off, one hand clamping over my mouth. I could feel his cock straining against the front of his pants. Thoughts of him fucking me suddenly clouded my vision, and I moaned against his hand.

“I need you,” he muttered in my ear, one hand cupping my ass. “I need to fuck you. So do as I say, Doll. You know better than to deny me, don’t you?”

I shivered with anticipation and nodded before sliding out of my clothes. Then I stepped into the tub and waited on all fours, my nipples stiff in spite of the warm water they were dipping into.

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