Page 33 of Avidian
You need to work on your alcohol tolerance, Kat,I think bitterly. Or better yet, make a deal with the bartender next time for soda water all night.
Eduard leads me out of the study, and we weave through a maze of rooms. I think we pass the bar, but the crowd is a mess of swirling color and blurry faces. I can’t believe Orin hasn’t come looking for me. Or maybe he did and didn’t spot me in the chaos. Either way, it feels strange to be without a shadow tonight, and the unease nags at the edges of my drunken thoughts.
Eduard pats my arm reassuringly. “We’re almost there.”
Before I know it, we’re in a guest bedroom I don’t recognize. The fireplace clicks on with a flick of a switch, warm flames licking at the edges of the room. The heat makes my already flushed cheeks burn hotter.
“Fuck, you’re gorgeous,” Eduard says, his gaze hungry as it sweeps over me.“There’s a drink cart in here. Want me to get you something?”
“No, thank you.” I reach out to fiddle with the lapel of his suit coat.
Stay focused. Keep him comfortable. I need answers, not another drink.
The firelight moves across his face, highlighting the greedy glint in his eyes. He’s completely oblivious to the real game at play, and that’s the only advantage I have right now.You can do this, Kat. Let him feel like he’s in control. A little longer.
I lean in close, letting my tongue trace a slow, deliberate line up the side of his neck, twirling around his earlobe until he lets out a soft, guttural moan.
“You know what really turns me on?” I whisper, my breath warm against his ear.
“Oh, fuck, tell me, baby,” he groans, his hands greedily caressing my hips and pulling me tighter against him.
“With my ex,” I begin, low and sultry, “we used to make our Avid watch us. Being in control of something so powerful, forcing it to witness me...getting off... There’s something about it that was so exhilarating.”
It was easier to say than I thought, leaving me disgusted with myself.
“I knew you were going to be kinky the moment I saw you bending over in this red dress,” he growls, his hand sliding up to my strap. He toys with it, running his fingers along the fabric a few times before pulling it down my arm, agonizingly slow.
The moment my upper body is exposed, he takes a step back, licking his bottom lip as his eyes roam over me like I’m a meal set out for him.
I swallow hard, forcing myself to hold my ground. I wouldn’t be able to do this if it weren’t for the alcohol numbing the humiliation. I need him to take me to the Avids before he pushes things too far.
“If you’re good,” he says, nearly giddy, “I might tell you a secret.”
Bingo. That’s exactly what I want to hear.
I trail my hands up my neck, letting them glide over my collarbone before moving down to my breasts, all the while keeping my eyes locked on his.
“I love secrets,” I say, pulling my bottom lip between my teeth and biting down to add to the performance.
Eduard’s breathing deepens, his eyes glued to the movement of my hands as I continue to touch myself, hoping to keep his attention fixed on watching me instead of touching me himself.
“Care to share one?” I ask.
His lips curl into a crooked grin, and I see it—his guard lowering. I’m reeling him in, and it’s working. For now.
“How about this, baby? Let me have a little taste, and then I’ll take you to where we can have an audience that won’t disappoint for the finale,” Eduard says, sounding like the sleaze he is.
I’ve got him.
He’s going to show me what I want, and I didn’t even have to be sober to pull it off. In your face, Malachi.
But wait.
Now I might actually have to kiss this guy. My chest tightens, but I try to focus. At least he smells good and has nice teeth.
“That sounds perfect,” I murmur, and he grips my hips, lifting me onto the bed and positioning himself between my legs.
I tip my head back, looking up at him briefly before closing my eyes, preparing for what I have to do. But instead of feeling his lips on mine, I hear his voice again.
