Page 46 of Red Velvet

I'm used to whisking them away, to keep a girl at a distance once she's overwhelmed with emotions that have no place for the kind of play I'm looking for. This dance has always been part of the game, reinforcing the power structure between me and the girl.

Lila is denying me that supremacy by stopping the dance before it even begins—and I hate how much that’s bothering me.

She closes her eyes again, taking a deep breath as she sinks deeper into the mattress. My eyes are glued to her, observing the peaceful expression on her face, relishing the pride that fills me at knowing I put her in that place.

No one’s ever showed this level of selfless gratitude to what I have to offer. No one’s ever appreciated me like she seems to.

It's hard to ignore that.

Chapter 24

Kade

My brother doesn't give up easily; I have to give him that. He and that Damon guy. I've been so busy, my mind jumping back and forth between yet another idea to advance e-commerce technologies for existing online stores and my exploration with Lila, that I almost forgot about the invitation I received earlier this week.

It was another dinner invitation, but this one was more formal than the previous one, and it didn't come from my brother. The sender was one Damon Graves and his new wife, Elene, and it was directed to me personally. I called my brother right away, confirming my suspicion that he was also invited and this dinner was to serve as another opportunity to talk me into something I’d already said no to.

A no that wasn't taken seriously by either my brother or Damon.

A no that stood on shaky ground and could still be turned into a yes.

I hate how well my brother knows me. I've been fighting my whole life to distance myself from my family and the things they deem desirable. As the second son, I was never considered to take over my father's business, so I was never groomed in the way my brother was. I have to admit, it bothered me during the years when I switched from childhood to adolescence, watching my father spend so much time and focus on his firstborn while neglecting me almost as much as my always-absent mother did. I didn't deserve their attention as much as Greg did, and I only received it when I acted up in a way that called for action from their side.

They started to treat me like the bad seed of the family, a defiant rebel, the kind every family of good standing seems to have. But at least they finally saw me.

I'm not sure if I still am that kind of person, that angry boy who messes up just to get his parents' attention. Do I still fit that image, even after all the success I've had? My decision to spend my trust fund on traveling and partying through Europe right after high school might’ve been the last truly rebellious act I had in me.

Maybe that's why I thought it so odd to hear the word from her. Lila might’ve had other reasons to call me a rebel, but she unwittingly hit a sore spot with that choice of word. She saw something in me that I myself may no longer pick up on. And her attentive perception is getting to me just as much as the pictures she sent me the day after I tied her to the St. Andrews Cross at The Velvet Rooms. I told her I’d want to see proof of how much she loved our little session, and she reciprocated like the perfect good girl I knew she could be. She sent me pictures of her bruises from all angles, her hiked skirt revealing she wasn't wearing any underwear while at work.

She's such a naughty lure, knowing all too well how to please a mind like mine. The vision of her is haunting me even now, when my head should be entirely elsewhere.

As if tonight wasn't going to be tough enough already.

The urge to say no to my brother and Damon was more of a reflex than an actual response to their consideration. I'm so used to saying no to my family that I felt inclined to do it, even though the idea sounds intriguing. It was true when I told Greg that I'm not like him, that I don't crave the same things and chase the same business-related dreams.

But I can no longer deny that I inherited a very specific business sense that, while different to my brother's training and skills, is no less promising. In fact, we could complement each other very well.

I just need to be ready to admit that, to consider their proposal and make an informed decision about it instead of acting on impulse.

But for that, I need to know more. And I need to gain a better grip of Damon Graves and his role in all of this.

That’s why it only makes sense to show up when I'm asked to dinner at his house. I know what tonight is about, and I'm ready to face it.

I'm the last to arrive and don't fail to notice the triumphant smile my brother sports when I step through the door, joining him and the Graves couple in the seating area next to the dining room. It's the first time I’ve seen Lila's sister since the wedding, and as soon as I lay eyes on her, a shower of cold apprehension runs down my spine.

Did Lila ever tell her about us? She mentioned that Elene used to work at The Velvet Rooms and has a past as an escort. Plus, they're sisters, and possibly rather close. If there was anyone Lila would talk to about the things we've done, wouldn't it be her sister?

I'm so stunned by my sudden worry that it requires all my focus to rattle off the obligatory greeting as I walk through the room shaking everyone's hand one after another. There's no clue on Elene Graves’s face that would tell me anything about her state of knowledge. If her sister’s told her anything, she's very good at hiding it.

"It's good to see you again, Mr. Armitage," she says, as if we've ever exchanged more than a single sentence. I only walked up to her and her husband at the wedding for a few minutes, congratulating them, as I was instructed to do, and enduring a handful of sentences of painfully boring small talk with Damon before I secluded myself—and felt up her drunk sister a few minutes later, something she may or may not know about.

I try to read it in the way she looks at me. Is there anything hiding behind that smile? Does understanding sparkle behind those eyes that are just as bright as her sister’s?

But as much as I try, I can’t see anything. It shouldn’t surprise me that a former escort is good at hiding things and pretending she knows nothing despite being very well informed.

As the evening progresses, I notice the young Mrs. Graves is quite anxious to portray the perfect high-society wife. Every sentence she utters, every look, every motion seems well rehearsed and somewhat unnatural, showing a woman who’s still learning to adapt to a life that must be very different to the one she had before marrying her patron.

I wonder of Greg knows about their story, and whether he'd care if he did. He probably doesn't. It's odd to think that the only person at tonight's table who isn’t involved in our potential business deal is also the one who has the highest level of knowledge regarding the kinky ventures that color the lives of so many involved.

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