Page 7 of Kiss, Kill, Thrill Me, Daddy

“You’re safe,” I assure him. “This is what’s going to happen to you. In a moment, you’re going to feel warm all over. It’s a lovely feeling. Enjoy it.” Our agency has multiple variations of this serum, though they all have the same primary function—to lower inhibitions until the truth slips out. A few versions of the drug render its recipient unconscious within minutes. Some sooner, some later. The batch I have creeps upon its target slowly, prying out admissions over time rather than all at once. I lean in and offer him a quick peck on the mouth to put him at ease. When I pull away, I trace the curve of his lower lip and smile widely at him. “Once it fades, you’ll feel fearful, but I promise, you have nothing to be scared of. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

“Why?” he whimpers.

I want to tell him he needn’t worry because he’s mine now. I’ve obsessed over him for days. I’ve masturbated to his profile picture more times than I can count. I’ve always pictured myself with a woman in the end, but now I know that won’t happen. Not as long as Tatum St. James is breathing. There’s no retreat—only surrender.

“Once the fear settles, you will not be able to lie to me.” His eyes widen, and, again, I try to ease his mind. “I won’t ask you anything that doesn’t pertain to your friend. I won’t use it against you.”

“I will,” Fee interjects.

“You will do no such thing,” I say without taking my eyes off him. “You will go into the other room, and you will let me handle it. I have this.” My finger continues fucking him slowly,and I can tell it must be reassuring, because he doesn’t look as frightened as before.

Fee exhales heavily but she finally relents, grabbing her burner phone and heading into Scotty’s bedroom. And now, I’m alone with him. God. Why does it feel so right? Why doeshefeel so right?

When the door closes and I’m sure it’s just him and me, I lean in and press a quick kiss to his cheek. To my surprise, he doesn’t fight against me. He doesn’t slap me, though I would happily welcome it. I like the way he tries to rough me up. He’s such a little man, it’s not as if he can do much damage.

His eyes close, then open, much slower than before. “Abi,” he says, and it almost sounds like a prayer. His fingers crinkle against my stubble like he’s scratching an unscratchable itch on my behalf. “I feel warm.” I watch as his hips roll, rocking back and forth against my finger. He doesn’t seem to be doing it for sexual release; it’s almost like my finger is a security blanket of sorts.

“I know, baby. I said you would feel warm all over. Remember?” I place my hand on his stomach and rub my palm in slow circles. Leaning in, I kiss his forehead. He doesn’t back away. “Tatum?”

His breathing is slow and heavy. Little bursts of bubblegum that invade and intoxicate my senses. “Yeah?”

“Will you tell me what you know about Scotty?”

He lifts his hand to my face and traces my eyebrows. “You have really pretty eyebrows.”

“Thank you,” I say with a laugh, but his expression remains serious.

“No, I mean it. I’m a makeup artist. I know these things. You can tell you spend a lot of time on them.” His fingers trail down to my cheekbone. “And these things? They’re fucking statuesque.” He sighs, but it’s one that’s filled with affection. “You must have had work done. No one has cheekbones like this. It’s just ...” His eyes close, and he kisses the air. The action is bothsilly and seductive, and I have to resist the urge to lean in and place my lips on top of his. “Perfection,” he whispers. “Can I ask you a question?”

I’m the one who should be asking questions. He’s already failed to answer the most important one I can ask, but I can’t bring myself to ask it again. Tatum wants to know about me. There’s a question he needs an answer to, and I’m more than happy to oblige.

“Anything,” I say.

“Are you going to kill Scotty when you find him?”

I say nothing at first, because I don’t wish to lie to him. In all honesty, I don’t know what we’ll do to his friend when we find him. I know Brody better than I know myself. He protects those he loves with ferocity. If he truly loves Scotty Levinson, he won’t allow us to kill him. There are other options, of course. Perilous paths we could take. I don’t wish to spend time worrying about those now, though. Not when Tatum is resting in my lap, hoping for me to put him at ease.

“I’ll do everything in my power to make sure that doesn’t happen. I promise.”

He nods, but he doesn’t seem that convinced. “I don’t know where he is. Before he left, we weren’t exactly on the best of terms. I told him over and over that your friend was trying to kill him, but he was a real jerk about it. Kicked me out of his apartment and everything.” His fingers are on me, rubbing up my chest, letting the hair spike between his fingers. His eyes are focused on my porcelain skin like my body is a work of art. I wonder if he likes the view. Other lovers have endlessly rained down praise on my appearance, but it’s never felt as if the entire trajectory of my life rests on one person’s opinion.

“I love your hair,” he says, combing his fingers through my short dark-brown hair. His fingers feather down the side of my face. “Your eyes are beautiful. Big brown bundles of sunshine.” He closes his eyes and exhales. “Actual perfection.”

I snicker. “You think so?”

“Know so,” he says. His eyes journey down to my hand, and his smile fades. “Put it back.”

“Put what back?”

Rather than answer, he grabs my hand and leads it back to his ass. “You said it’s where you belong.” If this is what he wants, my finger is his for the taking. He’s loosened up a bit already, so I’m able to slide in with ease. As I slowly fuck his hole with the digit, I focus on the pleasure spreading across his face. Honestly, I don’t think he’s even doing this for sexual release. He just enjoys having me inside as a reminder.

“I’m mad at him,” Tatum says as his thumb brushes against my nipple, making me shiver. “But I don’t want him dead. So don’t kill him, okay?”

I place my hand on top of his and squeeze. “Like I said, I’ll do everything I can to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

He nods, but he seems a million miles away. “Good. Yeah, that’s great. Thanks, Abi.”

I lift his hand to my lips and give him a kiss. “You’re welcome.”

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