Page 22 of Kings of Desire
‘He’s watching you, isn’t he?’
Busted again!
‘Ace is an idiot. I’ve lost a fucking bet and this shithead took advantage of that. Now, I’m stuck with you, so unless you’re in for a threesome when Aria returns, I suggest we get out of here.’
Well, that thinking quickly brought me to my senses, as l kept confusing Cole with a human being and not the jerk he truly is, while hislet’s get out of hereseemed to be a weapon with two blades. I hope he didn’t mean to a room.
He left, and I was constricted to follow, exiting through another part of the house, to an interior garden where a swing bench was waiting for my tired feet.
‘What are we doing here?’ I asked, balancing my body on the swing to catch a little momentum.
‘I didn’t have anything particular in mind, I just wanted to escape from the house, but I’m sure that I can think of something.’ Every single one of his words had a double meaning, always testing out the waters and implicitly my reactions.
‘We could just talk...,’ the dumbest idea must have come to my mind since I’m sure the talking was far by being his favorite activity.
‘Ok talk,’ he shrugged, waiting to see what goes on in my head.
And there was a question that I wanted to ask all night ‘I was curious what was the bet about?’
‘Hmmm,’ he trailed his fingers over his lips as if he was thinking of something, coming up with the most absurd request ‘Kiss me and I’m going to tell you.’
I wasn’t that curious...
Though he decided to continue what was turning into a ravishing torture ‘You can do it here,’ he raised his shirt, revealing a sculpted V-line and placing an index finger right where it was beginning ‘or here,’ his hand went up along with his shirt, showing off the exquisite art of his tattoos, then stopping right on his pecks, above a silvery metal piercing ‘It doesn’t count as losing the bet as long asyou’re the one kissing me.’ He was playing games, under the delusional impression that I could ever be one of his pawns. No matter how mesmerizing his muscles shone under the moonlight, they were far from being enough to get me to consider such a thought.
‘Does it have something to do with the fact that you no longer have money?’ I tried to get him in the direction of a more normal discussion, but apparently, I screwed things up.
‘What the fuck did you say!?’ He roared, entirely changing his attitude, catching the string of my swing and making it stop while keeping my body above ground.
‘I’m sorry, I didn’t realize what I said,’ and in all truth, I didn’t. I just thought he would understand it was safe to talk about something like this with me since I was probably the only person he knew that wasn’t in a position to judge him.
‘My father just put a lot of money into some congressman’s election. It’s just a matter of time before we will cash in on it.’ He suddenly was calm again. Too calm if you ask me...
‘Which brings me to my next point...,’ he continued raising the corner of his mouth so diabolically high that I recognized on spot that nothing good could come from what he was about to say next. ‘There is something about you that I want, and there is also something that I have and you need.’
‘What could you possibly have that I need!?’ This wasn’t about money since I knew about him having his own problems, and even if it was, I would have never accepted. And for the other part, I just chose to ignore it since I had a feeling that nothing good could come out of askingthatquestion.
‘Protection. You said something about needing the money to get custody. I can get you custody and all the legal protection you may need. My father owns some politicians. And I control my father. No one institution would dare to come after you in this city. And no money necessary.’
‘You would do this?’ The foolish girl forgot for a second that she was face to face with the devil itself.
‘For a certain price, of course.’ There had to be a catch as some prices don’t need to be paid in money. ‘You think that what you tried to pull on me tonight would go unpunished, Mouse? You think that I could let things go after you talking back to me?’ It was the Cole I knew at the Academy. The cold insensitive bastard that thinks he can always get what he wants. ‘I could always have charmed my way into those pretty panties of yours, but it will be a lot more fun like this.’
‘Like what, Cole? You think that I would sleep with YOU?’ The thought made me laugh. ‘You said yourself that I’m the Virgin Mary.’
‘And I will let you have that… For now.’ He talked with the certainty of a man that already had the deal in his pocket.
‘Sorry to disappoint you,’ I looked at his whiskey bottle to convince myself that he was drunk, yet it was almost full. Strange.
‘Don’t need to be. You’re not going to,’ he let go of the strings of my swing and I drifted away from him. ‘You will agree to be mine for a month and I, in return will give you what you need.’ So determined that even I was having difficulties not to believe him. ‘Now run away, Mouse. Our time together is over... for the night.’ He caught on to the strings again, halting the swing so I could get out and leave. And who was I not to follow his command when it meant my freedom?
‘Go fuck yourself,’ he roared towards Ace who was watching over us from the distance, then sat himself on the swing, taking his whiskey bottle to his mouth as I walked out the door.
I couldn’t believe that even for a second I thought of him as human. That’s what I get for trying to see the best in a person when sometimesthe bestdoesn’t even exist.
Leaving the party behind, I finally found a cab to get me to my apartment and crashed the instant I saw the bedsheets. It was an agonizing evening, but I just brought a thousand dollars home and that was all that mattered.
I was one step closer to winning and three steps closer to losing myself.
