Page 25 of Sadist

“Ahhhh,” she whispered, smirking. “I thought so. Masochism looks good on you, Sweets. Now put your hands where I told you to. Don’t make me tell you again.”

I slid my hands back under me, my eyes glued to the sight of Theo as she fucked herself slowly on my lap.

And it was the most erotic moment of my life.

9

THEO

Octavia was a drug, and I was her willing addict. I hadn’t even tasted her yet, hadn’t even kissed her, and I was hooked. And it was a fucking problem.

I had straddled her lap, edging her with enough pain that should have left her writhing. But she hadlovedit, and her eyes had never left me once.

Arousal and I have an odd relationship. I find pleasure in intimacy, but to reach that truly aching need that takes over your entire body…for that, I need to dip into the darkest side of me. I need control. All of it. I need to take someone and push them to their limits. But what really makes me wet is when someone willingly suffers for me…wantsthe pain that I can wield like an art form synonymous with pleasure.

And fuck she had wanted it.

Octavia hadn’t said anything when I stood afterward, stripping my top and bra off, and dropping them on the ground before walking to the shower to wash away my sins. I had needed to get away from her for a moment before I completely lost my mind and did something outrageous like kiss her.

I did not kiss. I barely even touched. It was why Erryn and I hadn’t worked even though we were explosive together. We both needed the control that neither was willing to fully give up. Erryn had kissed me once, and I had pulled away. It was too intimate. Too vulnerable. But I needed to know what Octavia’s lips felt like, and I had a feeling thatnotknowing would haunt me until the day I died.

I had pulled clothes on my still-damp skin and was toweling off my hair, when my phone buzzed, and I glanced at the blocked number before swiping the screen to answer.

“We have comms from Vanguard,” O’Malley said in his usual brusque manner. “He has agreed to send a tech to remove the software. But he has demands.”

I scoffed, stepping out from behind the shower and locating Octavia. She was by the kitchen sink with her back to me, and I was amused to note she was wearing a fresh T-shirt of mine that had been in the dryer. The little minx had been snooping.

“Of course he does. What are they?”

“The girl is to be witnessed by their man beforehand. Somewhere public, where she is to remain while their tech does the removal.”

I hummed softly. “When?”

“Today.”

I shook my head. “Too rushed, the meeting point will need recon first. I’ll need to update Loxley, and set u?—”

“Zichen already confirmed with Vanguard and set up access to the system with Loxley,” O’Malley cut me off. “He has it in hand.”

“—Excuse me?” I said after a long pause. “He fuckingwhat?”

“Look, just bring the girl. Location’s been sent.”

The line went dead, and I stared at the dark screen, a wave of anger nearly sent the small device hurtling into the wall, and I was still staring at it when Octavia’s voice snapped meout of it. She wasn’t looking at me and seemed to be deep in contemplation as she gripped the side of the sink.

“Was that about me?”

“Uh-huh,” I said, studying the delicate blades of her shoulders beneath the thin T-shirt. “It seems your father would like you home after all.”

She stiffened, still not turning to look at me, the muscles in her arms flexing as she gripped the sink tighter.

“So, you’re taking me to him?”

She sounded…I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. But there was one thing entirely missing. Relief. There was no relief in her voice.

And there should have been.

Pulling the vehicle to a stop at the location O’Malley had sent me, I sighed and shook my head, immediately cataloguing the numerous strategic issues with the site.

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