Page 27 of Sinner

I skipped over that one, curious where this was going. The further down I read, the creepier I felt. There was something very off about the line of questioning. They were asking some very dark questions about my sexual preferences, including what kink I preferred. If I enjoyed the thought of being kidnapped in a consent-non-consent play.

Whoa. This was very much like the game, but when hiding behind Desdemona, no one knew a thing about my real life. This was… invasive. How many people would read my answer? Then they’d actually know the secret cravings I’d had for years, things I would never consider doing in real life. But in fantasy? All bets were off.

Did they know people might lie? That happened all the time on questionnaires like this. People did their best to tell them what the prospective employer wanted to hear in hopes of getting hired. It was another hmmm moment. Is that what I should do? I wanted the job, of course, but seeking retaliation had been on and off my mind for years. I wasn’t a bad person, but the son of a bitch deserved to pay.

I wanted to witness his total failure after allowing everyone in his small circle of friends to know what he’d done to my sister.

Maybe tonight wasn’t the best option for making the decision. I was angry and scared, uncertain of both my future and if the masked man was going to kill me. No, what I needed was more wine and a good book. That might give me some clarity in the morning.

I moved away from my laptop, laughing bitterly while grabbing both the bottle and the glass. Maybe having a fuzzy head in the morning would bring everything into a better perspective.

Take that, masked man. And fuck you.

I turned on the light, determined to follow through with my plans, yet the questions continued to nag in my mind. I stopped inside the doorway. A wave of butterflies had invaded my tummy. With the warm glow of the screen reflecting off the white wall, I thought about the questions all over again.

Do you enjoy kinky acts within your sex life?I wouldn’t know since I’ve never tried any, at least in real life.

Would you enjoy being kidnapped and taken to a secluded location?I wouldn’t know since it’s never happened. Not in real life. Not in virtual reality.

But I wouldn’t mind trying.

Do you enjoy sexual gratification during asphyxiation?Only if I believed I would live.

How would you handle being sexually accosted in a funhouse, carnival, haunted woods, or mansion?I’d do everything I could to escape. But would I?

I had a twisted mind that should never be allowed from its cage. There was one thing I could no longer deny. What had happened on Saturday night had changed me forever. The masked man had awakened the dark side I’d been able to place behind locked doors in my mind. He’d brought it out in the open.

My heart was racing and I tilted my head over my shoulder enough I could see the screen. It beckoned to me, calling me out for all the ugliness furrowing inside. I stared at it for several seconds.

Then I walked away.

CHAPTER 9

Xander

“I know, Christopher,” I said from where I was lying on the weight bench. I took in a deep breath, exhaling as I lifted the bar. I was pushing myself a little too hard in my attempt to ease my aggression. My muscles were burning, the ache exactly what I needed.

Sadly, the workout, while good for my endorphins, wasn’t doing anything for my libido. Not one damn thing.

“I’m just reminding you we need to get this going. The game is coming out in three days.”

After the incident in the office, I was surprised the fucker was wasting his time talking to me.

I dropped the two-hundred-ten-pound bar onto the steel holders, the clang likely driving the man crazy.

“What the fuck are you doing?” he asked, half laughing. We’d never be friends because I chose not to have any. Yes, he was agood member of the team, but I wasn’t the kind of man to be challenged on any decision. However, he’d also gotten us out of a few lawsuits before they’d gotten out of hand. That alone was worth the tension between us.

“Lifting weights. Try and remember with Merrick gone, the timing isn’t as much of a priority.”

“That’s some shit that man was into. Did you hear the cops found a scathing photograph of him fucking a clearly underage girl at the murder scene?”

I grinned and sat up, immediately reaching for the towel hanging off the end. “I’m not usually privy to the same things you are as an attorney, my friend.”

“This isn’t client/attorney privilege. It’s all over the gaming community.”

“Don’t believe everything you read. As to your concern. The questionnaires have already begun to trickle in. The contestants have until tomorrow around this time to return them. We’ll go from there. You’re very eager this year.”

“Good entertainment value. Along with our game, we’re standing on an icy precipice,” Christopher chortled.

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