Page 68 of The Dollhouse

I walked to his side, poking him in the rib cage before leaning on him. “I’m ready,” I said, listening to him sigh.

“I was kind of hoping you’d take all night to get ready,” Lake muttered, giving me a tiny smile, even smaller dimples gracing those adorable cheeks.

Lifting my head off his shoulder, I stared into his blue eyes, saying, “We don’t have to do this, you know. I could always call him and tell him that—” Yes, I know what you’re thinking: it’s about damn time I got Roman’s number. I mean, how many times did I see his dick before punching his name in my phone? Lots.

Of course, Roman didn’t let me keep my throwaway phone, either. He had to get me a new one.

“No,” Lake said, standing straight as he reached for my hand. “I agreed to try this, so… let’s just get it over with, right?” Even though his words said he would do it, I could tell he was still hesitant, and I couldn’t blame him. I mean, Roman did have him kidnapped.

Twice.

That wasn’t something you could just forget about.

Needless to say, I did not tell Lake about my ex finding me, or how Roman handled him. That was yet another reason I wanted to keep everything separate; I didn’t want to be involved in Roman’s work, and I didn’t want Lake to be involved, either. One of the reasons I was so reluctant to move into his big, fancy house. Lake would not be able to handle it, and frankly, I saw enough blood, being a girl and all.

I grabbed my keys and a jacket before we left, and soon enough we were in his car and on our way. My nerves were a little antsy, so I could only imagine how nervous Lake was. I glanced over to him, seeing that he was practically white-knuckling it as he drove, and I grinned to myself.

“Everything’s going to be fine,” I said, hoping it was true. This was all new to me, so it wasn’t like I had any past experiences to go on here, other than with Carter. And that… I didn’t think that mattered, because Carter was a package deal with Roman. Lake? Lake wasn’t. Lake was only here because of me, because I’d fought for him.

“I hope so,” Lake muttered. He shot me a look.

“Roman only watches,” I reminded him. “He doesn’t join in… usually.”

“Can you believe that doesn’t make me feel much better? No, scratch that. It doesn’t make me feelanybetter,” Lake rambled on.

For those of you still wondering what we were doing: Lake and I were heading to Roman’s house, where we would have sex while Roman watched. Yeah, okay, now that I actually thought it, it was a little weird, but everyone had their kinks.

This would definitely be an experience for all of us. I hoped we would all come out of tonight alive and still in a relationship; I wouldn’t put it past Roman to get jealous and try to tear us apart, or for Lake to decide this was too freaky for him and dump me right there.

So, I guess, that being said, I was a bit nervous myself.

We pulled up to the fancy house Roman owned fifteen minutes later, and Lake parked in front of the garage. A beautiful three-story house that was almost like a mansion, it was one of the nicest homes in the area, complete with security cameras and a stone fence built all the way around the property to keep others out. No neighbors to be seen.

At one point in time, his house reminded me of home, of Hillcrest and the life I was still trying to forget, but now… now when I was here, I thought of nothing but Roman and Carter, the pleasure they brought me, the craziness they brought into my life.

Getting out of his car, we walked to the front door, hand in hand. Lake paused before ringing the doorbell, and I squeezed his hand, hoping I was being supportive enough. I didn’t want to make Lake feel like we had to do this; I’d be fine telling Roman we could try again at a later date.

Don’t get me wrong, I liked being bent over and fucked while Roman watched, but there was always time with Carter. Lake was different; he’d always been different, and I’d known this from the beginning. It’s why I fought so hard for him, after I realized I needed someone normal in my life, someone so sweet he’d give me cavities.

Since Lake was too anxious to do it, I rang the doorbell after asking him one more time if he was sure about this, and he told me yes.

Okay. Come whatever may, then.

Carter was the one who answered the door, looking slick and handsome, his brown hair styled to the side, his black shirt buttoned only to his collarbone, his bare chest peeking out underneath. Knowing what he was packing under his clothes, my mind immediately pictured him naked. All those muscles… the things he could do to me made me blush, even after all this time.

“Well, well,” Carter spoke, his voice low as he studied us—me, especially. “I have to admit, I didn’t think you’d come.” He stepped aside, letting us both in. Lake practically scurried past him, but I took my time, brushing my shoulder against him as we walked by.

We locked gazes, and I looked away, fighting the heat growing inside of me. Tonight wasn’t about Carter; it was about Lake.

I clung to Lake’s arm as Carter led us through the house. Up the stairs we went, down a hall I was not too familiar with. All the times I’d been to Roman’s house, there were only a few select rooms we got busy in. The one Carter led us to was a new one.

“He’s waiting for you,” Carter spoke, stopping just outside the door, which hung closed beside us. “Apparently I’m not allowed in.” He sounded a bit bitter that time, and I couldn’t blame him. He knew stuff was about to get down in that room and he wouldn’t be a part of it. If anyone here was a sex-crazed animal, it was Carter; his hunger was never satisfied, never sated.

I let go of Lake’s hand to step toward Carter, giving him a playful smack on the cheek as I said, “Don’t pout, Carter. It doesn’t look good on you.” Before he could grab me and say something in return, I took Lake’s hand and pulled him into the room, leaving Carter alone in the hall.

The room was… well, I didn’t know what exactly I was expecting, but this wasn’t it.

Dim, no windows at all, the walls covered in velvet draperies of black and dark red. What little light there was came from light fixtures hanging between the draperies, though their light was low. A round bed sat in the middle of the room, red and black pillows on top, along with sheets that matched the draperies.

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