Page 132 of Bake the Town Red

“Perfect? Is that right?” Dahlia remains behind him. Picks something up off the table.

A long, hard, wooden something. A rolling pin.

She doesn’t strike, not yet. Her lips curl in disgust, a sentiment that doesn’t reflect in her voice. Ben would never imagine she was about to attack him from the slow run of her fingernails on his neck.

If not for the jealousy flaring in my chest, it would’ve been easier to admire her. I’m impressed. This seductive predator is doing an amazing job of lowering her prey’s defenses.

Except Iamjealous.

She touches his skin, and I’m losing it. The need to bash his head in is as real as my love for her.

“Yes, baby.” He licks his lips as he looks at the chair that’s nailed to the floor. “Fucking perfect. You’ll be screaming by the end of the night.”

“I bet I would.” Dahlia glances to the far-end corner of the room.

I change the angle I’m standing at to see what she’s seeing. A freeze dryer. It’s big enough to store one—two bodies, tops. This can’t be where she stores them all.

Dozens of corpses would never fit in, no matter how well she’d arranged them.

“We can make it a weekly thing. You’ll bake me those Paint It Red red velvet cupcakes of yours. I’ll fuck you long and hard.” Douchebag spins to her. Slowly. A well-practiced turn meant to seduce her. “What’s that? You’re into pegging? Kinky. I like that.”

I’m shaking my head. This fucking guy. He can’t see danger when it hits him in the face.

“Another day.” Dahlia’s sweet tongue peeks to swipe over her bottom lip. “Keep guessing. Get this one right, and I’ll reward you.”

Ben towers over her. Over my woman.

“Let’s see.” He tips her chin up. I’ll have to bite her there later. Leave my mark and erase his, just like I erased Al’s. Tell her cheating men and fake seductions are off fucking limits. I’m possessive, okay? Fuck. “Did I get so lucky to land myself a masochist? You want me to spank you?”

“Getting warm.” My little savage is hidden by the Wall Street fucker. But I hear her smile. The viciousness of it gets my cock hard. “Go on.”

“No.” He throws her against the closed door. “Tell me or lose your clothes. I’m tired of this game.”

“Have it your way.” Dahlia doesn’t stay still as she talks. She launches forward, nailing Ben in the balls with the rolling pin. In his precious package.

“Bitch.” He staggers back. Doesn’t stay there. He reaches for Dahlia’s throat.

Every protective instinct in my body rebels against staying in place. I’m ready to sprint in case she needs me.

“Cheater.” She doesn’t need me at all. Dahlia spits on his face a second before hitting the side of Ben’s head.

Her grin slashes across her face as his head snaps to the side.

From this angle, I have a clear view of his eyes rolling, then closing. He blacks out, making a loudthudwhen he tumbles to the floor and crashes.

This makes everything better. My heart swells in my chest. I’m so fucking proud of her. So turned on. I pin the front of my body to the wall. Rock my hips for the friction. I’ll go insane another second without it.

“Being a rude piece of shit is a bad look, Ben-Ben.” Dahlia drags his knocked-out body to a chair in the middle of the room. “It’s gross. But isn’t as gross as cheating on your girlfriend, right?”

She’s whispering. She wouldn’t have to on any other day. On any other day, I bet she’d laugh.

On any other day, she wouldn’t have a hole drilled into her soundproofed room.

Ben, for obvious reasons, doesn’t answer. She shrugs before moving him around. She hoists him effortlessly on the chair, arranges him to her liking, and ties his hands to the back of the chair.

Then she—

I’m two seconds from banging on the wall and demanding she stop. I knew this would happen. Back home, I said I was okay with it. Understood why she had to do it.

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