Page 2 of The Vixen's Vice

He presses his masked face against my neck, taking a deep inhale of my scent as his hand dips lower, teasing my clit with a single gloved digit. “Mmm.Mydirty girl.”

I nod again, desperate to feel him lower, to feel himinside.Instead of the pleasure I expect, I gasp, my eyes flying open at the pain radiating from that sensitive area.

He laughs darkly, increasing the pressure in his fingers as he continues to pinch my clit. “But you’renotmy dirty girl, are you? You’rehis.You’re everyone’s. And I don’t fucking like to share my toys.”

My heart crashes to a stop as something cold and hard presses against my neck, drawing a sharp slice of pain as the blade digs into my flesh.

“X marks the spot,” he murmurs. I gasp as he leans in once more, taking another deep breath accompanied by a moan. “If you’re not mine, then you can’t be anyone’s,” he whispers, a manic laugh accompanying another slice of his blade as he marks my neck with a perfect bloody X. “You have three days, my sweet Carlotta. And then I’m going to collect what belongs to me.”

There’s a snap as the blade retracts, and I fall forward, clutching my neck as my heart threatens to beat its way out of my ribcage. Hot, sticky blood pools through my fingers as I straighten, my eyes wild and searching the shadows of the alley.

But he’s not there.

He’s gone.

CHAPTER TWO

After a fitful night’s rest,I wake in the bed my fiancé and I share. Well, weshouldbe sharing it, but last night, Landon stayed at his latest tryst’s house, texting me he was too tired to drive home.

I’m well aware our relationship is anything but conventional. It used to be one of the things that attracted me to Landon—how free he was, how open he was to all kinds of experiences, sexual and otherwise. So when he asked if we could transition into an open relationship a year ago, of course I said yes. I didn’t want to stifle this man who was so full of love, so full of life—especially when he promised me nothing between us would change. We would still be Carlotta and Landon, happily-about-to-be-married couple, but we could eat our cake, too.Literally.

I’m not going to lie, itwasfun—for a while. But lately, things have been different. Landon comes home later and later, if at all, and he doesn’t seem particularly interested in having any “fun time” with his fiancée. Either too tired from who he was with, or not interested in general, it’s been two months since Landon and I have slept together.

I’m not going to think about how coincidental the timing is. About how around the same time we stopped, I met the masked man.

Zay.

Like a dark angel, he came into my life when I was wanting the most. When I needed someone to protect me from myself, from the dark thoughts always swirling in my head.

Only, those thoughts have grown into a storm of their own. Not a day passes where I don’t think about the man in the red mask—where I don’t daydream about all the horrible things he could do to me. My stomach heats as I reach and cup my neck, gingerly fingering the large bandage that’s covering the X he left on my skin last night. A mark.Hismark.

I jerk in bed, brought out of the thoughts by the front door clicking open. A scowl works its way onto my face as I throw my legs over the bed, preparing to face Landon afteranothernight away from me. Fromus.

“Hey,” he greets, sweeping his shiny blond hair off his forehead and giving me a million-dollar smile. “I brought you coffee.”

Looking at the paper cup in his hand, my expression lifts. I trot over to him, grabbing the cup with a smile that mirrors the brightness of his own.

This. This is why I stay. Because even if things aren’t perfect—even if they’re not good, he still shows me he cares. Just this little gesture?—

“Ugh!” My face sours as the taste of hazelnut coats my tongue. I try to school my features, but it’s too late.

“You don’t like it?” He frowns, looking at the tab on his own coffee to make sure he handed me the right one. “Did they leave out the hazelnut?”

“Oh no, they didn’t leave it out,” I say, trying to force a smile. My lips are quivering from the vile taste still swirling around my mouth, so I don’t think I’m very successful at looking grateful.

“What’s wrong then?” he asks.

“It’s… nothing,” I assure him, not wanting to seem ungrateful or to appear hurt that he forgot how much I hate hazelnut. After all, it’s just a stupid coffee—so what if he forgot? I should focus on the fact that he was thoughtful enough to bring me one. “Thank you for this.”

“Of course, Lottie,” he says, his smile back on his face as he steps over to me. He presses his lips to my cheek briefly before pulling back, his bright blue eyes gleaming as he gazes at me.

“Did you see the outfit I laid out for you, Lottie?”

A scowl tries to work its way onto my face, but I fight it. I had forgotten about our debauched plans at the Neon Flamingo tonight, too shaken from my encounter with Zay last night to mentally prepare for it.

“No, sorry. I’m sure it’s just as good as the others, though.” A tight smile. Another peck. I try not to think about the fact he hasn’t commented on my bandage, and I fail.Did he just not notice? How could he not notice?

Landon beams as he heads toward the fridge, pulling out ingredients to make his morning smoothie. “You’re going to look sexy as hell. Caleb is super excited—he’s been texting me all morning about it.”

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