Page 126 of Captive Souls

Looking longingly at the most delicious pasta I’d eaten in my life, I reached up with my napkin to dab at my mouth.

Feeling Stone’s eyes on me, I pushed out of my chair, noting him tense as I rounded the table. He turned his body toward me, as if he expected me to attack at any moment.

The small knife that Elizabeth had given me was tucked into the garter belt of the exquisite lingerie I was wearing. It had been slightly weird to put on the lingerie of someone who I had just met, however nice they were, but she’d assured me that it was brand new and had been custom made so there was a spot for the blade so thin, I barely felt it. Except for the cold brush of steel against my inner thigh every time I crossed my legs.

It was a risky spot for the blade, not entirely easily accessible and not good in a pinch, but we’d reasoned that any other kind of weapon would’ve been noticed by the men who had indeed searched me for weapons when I had first arrived at the restaurant.

My hands ached for the blade, thirsting to embed it into Stone’s neck. Patience… I had to be patient. I was not going to be a slave to my anger, let it push me into hasty decisions. No show of brute force would save me there. I needed a delicatetouch. I reached back for the zipper of my skirt, bile replacing the aftertaste of the pasta as I shimmied it down to my ankles, revealing the garter belt, stockings and white, lace panties

I’d inspected myself from this angle to see if the blade was visible. It wasn’t. And I was hoping that Stone might be too caught off guard to look too hard at the wrong places.

My hunch about him being a big, old pervert before he was anything else proved correct when his gaze focused in on where my panties leftnothingto the imagination.

He pushed his chair out, splaying his legs open with the arrogance of a man who knew that the gesture itself was an invitation, an order and a threat all in one.

I licked my lips and forced a seductive smile onto my face, as if I were hungry, wanting instead of trying to fight back vomit.

I took measured steps toward him before giving away all of my pride and kneeling at his feet, my hands going to his zipper.

His hands went to my hair, fisting it and tugging it back brutally. Nothing in the pain was erotic; it was a grip meant tohurt.

Stone’s mouth was stretched into a satisfied smile as he forced my eyes to meet his. “On your knees for me, Piper. This may be a fruitful union after all.”

My scalp screamed with pain and tears filled my eyes, but I forced myself not to grimace. “I think after I’m done here, you’ll understand how badly I want to serve you.” It wasn’t a lie. I did want to serve a man’s whims. Wanted to kneel at his feet. Just not that man. And I’d serve Knox in the way he preferred. With blood.

Any moment now, I told myself.Any moment now he’s going to see through me.

This was a ruthless, educated man, the head of a powerful crime organization. There was no way a woman baring her pussyand getting on her knees in front of him was enough to make him let down his guard, let go of all sense.

He kept hold of my hair a second longer, pulling even tighter.

This is it,he’s going to hurt me now. It’s over.

He let go of my hair to roughly shove his fingers in my mouth. They were hairy and large and tasted sour.

I forced myself to dutifully suck them even though I wanted to vomit. He moved them roughly, penetrating the back of my throat with a spear of pain, activating my gag reflex. Panic crawled up my throat as he made it hard to breathe. Spots danced in my vision as I fought against my instinct to bite down on his fucking sausage fingers.

Smiling with ill-gotten male satisfaction, he removed his hand in order to unzip his trousers.

My hand on his wrist stopped him. It was bold of me, breaking the sexual tension, and I instantly noted the way his body stiffened, and his eyes glowed with irritation at my action.

“Won’t we be …interrupted?” I asked, still speaking in that faux-raspy tone, eyes darting to the door that Giovanni came in and out of.

Again, I waited for Stone to get suspicious, to understand what I was doing. Ensuring no one was coming in to savehim.

Instead, he smiled. Why wouldn’t he? He didn’t think he needed to be saved. He was the one who had the powerless female on her knees. “Shy? I wouldn’t expect that from you.”

I ran my tongue along my front teeth. “If you want me to be yours, I’m just yours.” What I was doing was risky, considering the Knox-shaped elephant in the room. “I’m not a toy.” I forced myself to inject agency into my tone, trying to impersonate the way in which a mob wife might speak. “If I’m yours, I’m yours. No voyeurs.”

Stone smiled wider and leaned over to type into the phone that had been lying beside his plate. I waited with bated breath.

He returned to his stance, leaning back, seemingly relaxed.

With a thundering heart, I went to where his dick strained against his slacks, unzipping it then reaching into his underwear to free it completely.

I circled the base of his cock, gripping it tightly, earning a groan of pleasure from Stone. I looked up at him purposefully. “It’s your power,” I whispered to him. “I couldn’t resist how fucking powerful you are. It makes me so hot.”

My other hand was busy between my legs, finding the small, sharp blade. But from the casual observer, it could have appeared that I was touching myself.

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