Page 42 of Sadist

“Good girl,” she crooned, working me through aftershocks that had me twitching and gasping. “Look at the mess you made of me.” She withdrew her dripping hand as I fought to drag breath back into my tortured lungs, giving me a wicked smile as she sucked on her finger. “That’s three. Let’s see if you can make it to five. You’re not done bleeding for me yet.”

15

THEO

Ileft Octavia sleeping in my bed just as the sun began to rise, loose-limbed and sprawled out in exhaustion. She had earned her rest, taking everything I had given her and begging for more, her skin decorated with the evidence of how well she had behaved for me. I had tested how far her boundaries went, but the deeper I had gone, the more she had responded to me, and there had been no hesitation. Not even when I had wrapped my fingers around her throat as I strapped her savagely, squeezing until I controlled everything. Her pleasure. Her pain. Even her god-damned breath was mine, andfuckI had savored every moment of it.

Checking the time on my screen, I sat, putting down my coffee as it steamed in the dim morning light. Tomorrow, I was going to have to report to The Triarchy and figure out how to salvage the mess I was rapidly creating.

We still held the cards. A stronger hand, in fact, with evidence that Vanguard had intended to sacrifice his only daughter to further his empire. I could ruin him, putting myself into a near untouchable position within The Triarchy in the process…and all it would take was one call to Erryn.

One call.

I picked up my phone, bringing up the most recent number and staring at it.

One call, Theo. To the woman you owe so much.

I had earned every bit of respect I had gained from the Chairs. But Erryn had given me the opportunity to be seen. Held me to the high standards I was now known for…and had trusted me.Didtrust me enough to let me closer to her than anyone I had seen.

Erryn Loxley ruled the London chapter of The Triarchy with an iron grip and a stone heart. No one dared to question her. No one but me, and I had never played by her rules. It was that lack of control over me that both infuriated and seduced her. Our trysts had been volatile and entirely on her terms, taking what she wanted from the encounters and leaving again. And that had been fine. It was a mutually satisfying arrangement because going toe-to-toe with me at my worst took a rare type of person.

But Octavia had followed me into those dark little corners and danced with my demons like no one else had. Her presence lit up something deep inside me that I feared had broken long ago. She made mefeel.

One call.

The number taunted me from the screen.

One fucking call, Theo. You have known this woman for two weeks. Your loyalty is to The Triarchy, and this is how you ensure the integrity of crucial information that could be its downfall if exposed.

So why couldn’t I do it?

Putting the phone down, I swiped a hand across my tired eyes and glanced across at Octavia’s sleeping form. The possessive little ember that had been steadily growing in my chest flared.

I couldn’t. I couldn’t do it.

***

The repetitive beep from one of my monitors woke me, and I sat up with a start, my mind taking a moment to catch up as I blinked at the sun streaming in the windows above. I had fallen asleep reading in Octavia’s nest on the couch, the noon sun warming my skin as I had attempted to make the most of the last day of my impromptu holiday.

Padding groggily across to the monitors, I logged into the surveillance system and swore quietly when I saw the sleek black Mercedes waiting at the garage doors. I let her in, pulling my phone out, ready to allow Erryn access through the system of doors and the elevator it took to get in, striding to my room as I did.

“Sweets,” I said, pulling back the cover Octavia had burrowed into and running a hand down her arm.

“Hmmm?” The sleepy hum was followed by a soft sigh as she stirred.

“I need you to get up,” I said urgently. “Someone is here who can’t see you.”

“What?” Octavia sat up in alarm. “Who?”

“Up,” I said, as I thought rapidly. “Quickly.”

I couldn’t put her in the cells. Erryn had no reason to go looking in them, but still. The risk was there, and if she saw her, every atom of trust I had worked so hard to build would be gone—and Erryn did not have a forgiving bone in her body. There was no way I could get her into the sub-basement without meeting Erryn coming up, and the living quarters were too open to hide her anywhere. My eyes fell on the repurposed walk-in vault sunk into the wall that served as my wardrobe, and I winced. It would easily fit four people; the heavy door was a smaller version of the one to my room, which I could close securely.

“I need you to get in there,” I said, pointing to the vault.

“What?” Octavia said again, her brows drawing together. “No. I’ll go to the cell?—”

“No, Octavia,” I said firmly, pushing my discarded T-shirt into her hands. “Put this on and get in there. Be silent until I—and I alone—open that door and let you out.”

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