Page 59 of The Devil We Know

I adjust my arm so I grip her head more firmly, one hand delving into her hair and pulling her head to the side so I can lick and nibble her ear as I say, “Do you like knowing those dirty fuckers are watching?”

She shakes her head, and I pull back, shoving back inside with more force, and another sob falls from her lips. I do it again and again, enjoying her sounds and the slap of our body together. She clutches at me, her nails digging into my skin, and then sheshifts so her heels are digging into my lower back as she tries to pull me deeper.

“None of that now,” I tsk, adjusting myself over her so I’m no longer stimulating her clit with each inward thrust. “This is all just for show. There will be no coming for you. No one else gets to see your pleasure.”

I raise myself up on my arms so I can see her face, her eyes scrunched closed as she frowns.

I move myself up even more and then sit back on my haunches so just the tip of my dick is still inside her. Blood and my own cum glistens along my length. I scan back up her body, now racked with tiny shivers, until once again, I’m staring at her face, but now she’s looking at me through the slits of her eyes.

I see determination there, but her bottom lip quivers, and a shadow of sadness crosses her features. I can handle her anger and even her disgust, but sadness. No.

“Fuck this,” I spit out.

I slide back to the end of the bed, standing as I turn, wiping my hand along my dick as I step down from the altar. I yank my pants up with my free hand as I walk toward Matteo’s father with my blood-smeared hand outstretched. “Is this fucking proof enough for you?”

He glares at me and snarls, “You didn’t finish it.”

“I don’t have to finish shit.”

The older man looks around as if he’s waiting for someone to also demand that I get up there and keep going. Everyone remains quiet, and finally, Kaian speaks up, “There are no rules on how far it goes. All he has to do is show proof, and you can see that on his hand.”

I hold it up even higher so it’s right under the old man’s nose as I ask, “Would you like me to make you a fucking painting with it?”

The man says nothing. He just continues to glare at me, his jaw clenching and unclenching in time with his fists.

Kaian hands me a towel, and I wipe my hand on it, and then take it and put it in my pocket before turning and scooping up Jessica’s dress.

I walk back to the bed, moving to the side and kneeling beside her. “Sit up,” I mutter.

She raises her head, and I slide the dress over, helping her put her arms through the holes and then sliding it down her body as she sits upright. I help her to the side of the bed, and she puts her feet on the floor. I kneel so I can watch her face and ask, “Can you stand?”

She nods, but she’s shivering, so I rise to my feet, gripping her hands and helping her stand on shaky legs.

She takes one wobbly step before I stop her, stooping down and lifting her into my arms, careful to scoop the dress beneath her ass. She doesn’t struggle or attempt to get away. She just leans into me, much like she did long ago when we first met.

I heft her up higher up my chest, and her head settles on my shoulder. I feel puffs of her breath against my neck as I walk off the altar and head to the door.

One of the old men shouts, “Where the fuck do you think you’re going?”

I stop, turning and glaring as I reply, “Any business you all have with me will be addressed tomorrow. If anyone wants to challenge me, that’s your time.”

Without another word, I turn and walk out the door.

25

A Devil’s Reflection

Jessica

I’m weightless.

Suspended in the air, my physical body is held aloft by strong bands as I float along haphazardly.

Pain blooms in my chest. A hard knot of anguish unfurls in my guts, and then warm breath fans my cheek as Matt whispers, “Breathe, sugar. You’ve gotta breathe.”

I open my mouth to respond, but nothing comes out, and then I’m briefly suspended in the air as he jostles me violently. Hedoes it again, this time tossing me bodily so I land back against his chest sharply, forcing the oxygen from my lungs on a sob.

He stiffens in preparation to do it again, and I manage to drag in a short breath, spitting it back out almost immediately and dragging in a deep, ragged, and painful one.

---