Page 20 of Brutal Kingdom

Reaching between us, I slip my hand inside his pants, which are already undone. He’s flaccid. Something I’ve never experienced before. “You know they’re gonna leave you here, like this all night, don’t you?”

He grinds out the words. “Fine. By. Me.”

“You think this helps you reclaim your position with your friends? With the school? It won’t, because anyone can see the only reason you resisted those women is because you’re not attracted to any of them. That’s gonna hurt a lot of feelings.”

“You think I’m still attracted to your conniving ass?”

“It doesn’t matter.” Licking the shell of his ear, I say, “Because I’m gonna make you come, anyway. Then I’m going to walk away, knowing it’s me that got under your skin.Again.”

“Let’s not rewrite history, Jordanna. I made you sing for me time and time again. And even with the hate you feel for me, I could make you beg if I wanted to. But this is ten minutes in hell for you, just as much as it is for me. I’d never give you the satisfaction of letting you think you got to me, just so I can prove a point.”

“That’s not what I’m doing.”

“Sure it is. You’re just like the rest of them. A hole to fill and I’m not interested in another uninspired fuck.”

He’s rejecting me because he can, but I won’t let him win. Uninspired, he says. I shut down the side of my brain, screaming for me to leave. I don’t know how much time has passed or how much time I have left, so I have to act fast. Climbing off his lap, I sink to my knees, and before he can register what I’m doing, I take him into my mouth. Putting my hands behind my back, I do the last thing I want to do, but the one thing I suspect will flip his switch. I take him back as far as I can, activating my gag reflex, my hands still crossed at the wrist behind me.

“You want to be a dirty slut?” His hand grips my head, pushing me down further. “Fine. You can choke on this.” We both ignore the tears forming in my eyes as he fucks my mouth. “If you bite me, I’ll ask them to open the doors and unblock all the glass so everyone can see just what kind of whore you are for my cock.”

Out of spite, I scrape my teeth along his shaft.

He jerks forward, hissing, “I hate you. You filthy cunt. You ruined everything, and I fucking hate you.”

My eyes lift to his, letting him know I feel the same way. But that doesn’t stop the tingles running along my spine, or the comfort I feel being overpowered by his smell. I hate that I’ve found myself in this position, but I’m glad it’s with him. I don’t know if I truly would’ve been able to do this with anyone else. He’s close, I can tell, and I brace myself waiting for it. For him to pull out and defile my face or body. Or to hold me down, forcing me to swallow. He does neither. He shoves me off his cock and tucks himself in his pants as if nothing happened.

Meeting my confused gaze, he sneers at me. “It was fun, but not enough to make me nut.” He sits back in his seat, a bored expression on his face. I didn’t win. Even after he let himself enjoy it, he still shut down. I scramble to my feet, narrowing my eyes at the hateful bastard.

The door opens, and Hal motions for me to exit. I hold my head high, walking towards him. “Sorry, kiddo.” He says when I get closer. “Nice try though.” Nothing in his tone suggests he’s sorry. If anything, it sounds like he’s sorry I didn’t stay in there longer.

“You said the rules and decisions made at The Rift are separate from the ones out there, so I need to hear it. My sister is off limits, and there are no loopholes where she’s concerned. Is that clear?”

“Don’t worry. Little sis is safe at her school.For now.”

In my room, I brush and rinse Logan’s taste from my mouth while coming up with a new plan. This isn’t how I expected my night to go, but following Frankie and Hal wasn’t a total bust. Frankie, running off at the mouth, gave me a peek into their current group dynamic and he doesn’t even know it. Obviously, I knew Bella ordered them to throw me into the pit, but Logan was there because he was being punished, too. Loyalty and respect among them is a joke. It’s obviously every man for themself.

I have to operate under the assumption that the threat of those files is a dead issue. Even if my tech guy can rebuild them, Bella would find a way to get out of our deal. They couldn’t have known I was showing up tonight. That means they have someone watching Summer, and were already working on a way to bring her into this twisted web. I can take what they throw at me. Bringing my sister into this was the worst thing she could have done.

Pepper’s right. The corruption festers throughout this campus and town, and as Hal said, they wield influence all over the world. Time to dive back into the trenches, and this time I’m bringing this whole fucked up kingdom to the ground.

NINE

LOGAN

Bella kept me in the crucible for another hour after Jordanna left, finally accepting nothing she threw at me would work. She should know me better than that. No matter what anyone thinks, I’ve never been ruled by my dick. Tossing Jordanna at me was well played, but not even the soft glide of her mouth was enough to distract me from my goal.

My family’s position in life, our plans are all in danger because of Jordanna, and I’m suddenly promised to Bella Lance. Who can nut with that reality hanging over their head? Tonight was good practice for if this marriage happens. I can resist the most tempting of touches, so you can guarantee I won’t be fucking Satan’s hell spawn. Kids will be a condition of our arrangement, and for that we’ll be visiting the tried-and-true method of the petri dish.

In the shower, I let the water unfurl the knots in my shoulders, finally letting my body relax.Jordanna.She came the closest tonight to making me give in. On her knees, compliant. She looked incredible, and it was so fucking smart to play it that way. Everyone else after her tried the same thing, but it was the underlying hate and my need to demean and punish her that made me react. Why was she at The Rift? And why would she agree to play their games, unless her being at school was an elaborate ruse all along and tonight was just one more attempt to pick at my carcass?

I’ve lathered twice and I still feel used. Like I can’t wash the memory of this evening off of me. I guess I’ve finally gotten a taste of what it’s like to be everyone I’ve ever used in the same way. Without the games and defilement, who am I? Will I even enjoy sex? I did, with Jordanna, but when we started experimenting I never once considered if what we had in the beginning was truly enough.

Thinking of her still makes my dick hard. I could’ve let go tonight. She wanted me to, and it would’ve felt so good in her warm mouth. We could’ve gone back to the hate tomorrow. So why didn’t I? Now that I’m alone evaluating everything that’s happened this evening, the truth behind my hesitation sinks in. I still wanted to protect her and didn’t want to share that part of us with anyone watching. That realization is more troublesome than the position I find myself in with my friends.

Hal smacks me on the back when I pass him. It’s neither comforting nor malicious. “Dude, the way you held out the other night. I didn’t think you had it in you. I never would’ve been able to do it.”

That’s because when he’s partying, he’s usually too stoned to control his emotions, let alone his dick. Instead of saying that, I concede, “They put in a good effort.”

“Jordanna made a good one too?”

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