Page 27 of The Phantom's Vice

“Who I am is a man in a mask—and one who wishes to remain that way.”

My throat bobs as I feel behind me, praying the handrail is within reaching distance. No luck. “You-you should leave. There are a dozen federal agents upstairs. They’ll wonder where I’ve gone, and?—”

“The only person of any consequence to me in this building is the one standing in front of me.” He interrupts, his voice much closer than before. “Some would say the whole wretched world.”

I jump, smacking my head into that same pillar when I have nowhere else to go. Suddenly, a gloved hand wraps around my neck, using the thumb and middle finger to squeeze my jugular veins. My breath hitches as my vision swims, and a delicate heat builds in my core.This feels good—too good.

“You—”

“Shhh,” the masked man murmurs, brushing the tip of his mask against my cheek lovingly. It’s pointed and hard…almost like a bird's beak.

“Oh my God,” I gasp. “You’re the server. In the plague mask.”

“Mmm,” he murmurs, taking a deep breath in through his nose. “You smell heavenly. Good enough to taste. Toeat.”His voice drops at least an octave as he utters the last word, and every last hair on my body stands on edge. Whether in desire or terror, I’m not quite sure. “God, how I’d love to take just a little…”

“Ow! What the fuck!” I screech, jerking back to no avail. “Did you—did you justbiteme?” I reach up to the crook of my neck, wincing as my fingertipsmake contact with the area. I pull my hand up to my eyes, and though there’s no light, when I rub my fingers together, there’s something slick. “I’m… bleeding…”

The man takes another deep breath, this one accompanied by a moan that has my knees trembling. To my surprise, he grabs my hand and forces my fingers into his mouth, where he sucks them clean, making the same euphoric noises as before.

I’m frozen in disbelief—in crazed, unadulterated desire as his tongue swirls around my digits, savoring me.

“Fuck. This is so wrong,” I moan, arching my head back as he steps forward, pressing the length of his rock-hard body against mine. “So, so wrong.”

The man doesn’t answer, just loses another infuriating chuckle. His hand reaches up, palming my breast before slipping past the thin material of my gown. His fingertips dance over my nipple, toying gently with the sensitive nub while his mouth descends on my neck. I let out a cry as his mouth covers the fresh wound, the pain of contact intensifying when he sucks at the area.

“I—what the fuck?” I yelp, stars sparking in my vision as my face is pressed roughly into the pillar to give him more access. A minute later, he yanks myhead back, and his mouth crashes against mine, a metallic taste mingling on my tongue with each sweep of his.

“You taste so… so…” Instead of words, the man lets out agrowl, pushing his abdomen impossibly tighter against my chest. “I’m going to die if I can’t be inside you in the next five seconds.”

Whoa, hold the fucking phone.

I shake my head like someone just dumped a bucket of ice water over me, blinking desperately to clear the fog. When I’ve regained a sliver of my senses, I push against the man, needing some space before my body decides I need to do something impulsive like that again.

“I’m sorry. I don’t—I don’t do that,” I murmur, suddenly grateful for the darkness so he can’t see the color of my cheeks. To reiterate my point, I push against him again.

He doesn’t budge.

“Um. Hello? You gonna let me go?”

“Not if I can fucking help it.”

Okay, I must have imagined that last part. “What did you say?”

“I said you look very beautiful tonight, Brett.”

I frown, unable to help but notice how hestillhasn’t given me any space. “Um. Thank you. I—” Myface pales, and a shudder runs through my body as a terrifying thought crosses my mind. “I never told you my name.”

“No, darling, you didn’t,” he whispers, brushing his lips lightly against mine. To my horror, I find myself closing my eyes and wishing he’d close the rest of the distance. “I am one of many. The many are me. Who am I?”

I jerk away, my appendages going numb.Oh my God, no. No. No. NO.

“I’m enjoying this game very much, Brett. But we’re only just beginning,” he whispers, planting soft lips against the apple of my cheek before pulling away—body and all. In the next moment, he’s gone—lost to the shadows from which he came. Leaving me to deal with my state of mind or lack thereof.

I groan, closing my eyes as I rest my head against the pillar. The room is spinning, even in the dark, behind my eyelids. It's spinning, spinning, spinning.

And I fall into oblivion.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

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