Page 55 of Cruel God

My anger mounted. “Did I give you permission to look up, pet?”

“No, master.” She immediately looked down at her hands in her lap.

“Don’t look down now,” I went on. “Look at her.” I pointed toward Hope.

Piper didn’t move. Her shoulders sagged, and I noticed how her chest started to rise and fall rapidly.

“I said fucking look at her!” Both Piper and Hope jolted from my outburst, and Piper hesitantly lifted her head, looking across at Hope.

“Now you keep fucking looking at her until I say you can look away.” I turned my attention back to Hope. “It’s the best champagne in the world. Taste it. I want to know if you like it.”

I leaned back in my seat and watched as Hope leisurely took the glass up to her lips. For a moment, Hope paused and closed her eyes. Her beautiful full lips pressed against the rim of the flute, and she gently tipped the glass up. As the gold, sparkling, bubbly liquid touched her lips, her mouth parted ever so slightly. I continued to watch as her cheeks hollowed, her eyes still closed as her throat bobbed, swallowing. Finally, she let out the softest moan, and instantly my cock hardened. I never knew something as simple as drinking a glass of champagne could be so fucking erotic. It just proved that whenever it came to this woman, I foundeverythingerotic and sexy as fuck.

Hope lowered the glass and looked at me. “It’s delicious, master.”

I smiled. “I’m glad you like it.”

She held the glass back out to me, but I shook my head. “No. It’s yours.” I eased a strand of her hair over her shoulder, exposing her flawless delicate skin. My fingertips became greedier as I allowed my touch to travel up the side of her neck, my thumb gently brushing over the tattooed R below her ear. The most contented look crossed her beautiful face, and it did amazing things to my insides to know she took so much delight in my caress.

“Drink up, Butterfly. And while you enjoy your drink, look out the window. I’m sure you will love the view.”

Her eyes widened in surprise, and there was no way I could have kept myself from smiling. It was the weirdest, most twisted contradiction—the two of us. I loved punishing her, loved extracting pain from her body. Yet, I enjoyed the rare moments when I managed to make her feel satisfied, blissful…happy.But was that even real? Was she happy—really content during those scarcely valuable moments? Or was it just the trained slave in her that acted, thinking—knowing—that it was whather masterwanted.

Was that what I wanted? For Hope to experience joyful times?

So many fucking questions and it was driving me insane. As a man who loved playing mind games with others, my mind was no fortress. Some days I managed to mindfuck myself—especially when it came to her. There was no use trying to label it as anything other than what it truly was. I was a motherfucking psychopath…and I was totally okay with it.

For the rest of the drive, Hope never took her eyes off the view outside the window. She continued to drink her champagne, taking small sips at a time like she had been meant to drink champagne her entire damn life. I studied her intently as she took in everything that passed by as the limo drove through the streets of New York. There was only one word that could describe her perfectly at that moment.Mesmerized.

A man in my position should have been nervous about putting a woman who had been confined to one house and room for years out in the world. It had the potential to cause tremendous trauma and force her deeper into the cage of emotional turmoil. But right now, it didn’t look like that was the case where Hope was concerned. The beautiful brunette who sat silently by my side was utterly amazed while she experienced everything around her. The limo drive, the champagne, the view of the streets—it was everything others took for granted every single day. And here she was staring at it like she was witnessing Heaven for the first time.

The more I watched her, the more I started to doubt my plan and whether it was the best way to end this war with Anatoli. Was I risking too much? Would the end result justify the means? And would I be brave enough to do what needed to be done?

Chapter 20

Lilith had pulled all the stops as the hostess. It had always been a competition to her, trying to outshine everyone else by arranging the most lavish parties. For a woman who seemed so confident, I found it amusing that she needed to feed her secret insecurities by doing everything she could to keep her name within all the gossip and whispers.

With its black and white checkered tiles, the grand ballroom made a bold statement with gold velvet couches placed around the open space. Naked trapeze artists performed with gold ribbons that hung from the ceiling, creating the illusion of utter weightlessness.

Hope remained at my side as we made our way through the crowd. Naked men with white porcelain masks danced inside gold cages while Lilith’s whores walked freely among the crowd—some already being fucked by fat old bastards who tried to compensate for their tiny dicks by shoving it in every pussy they could get their hands on. Those were the type of men I refused to do business with as blowing up egos wasn’t my style.

We passed a table where masters sat with their pets, snorting white lines of cocaine with one-hundred-dollar bills. Everyone knew there was nothing as euphoric as fucking on cocaine, creaming pussies while you’re high.

“There you are.” Lilith walked toward us wearing a gold pantsuit ensemble, her stiletto heels clicking across the tiles. “For a moment, I thought you wouldn’t come.” She reached out and cupped my cheeks as she placed a chaste kiss on my lips.

I touched the back of my hand against Hope’s with a discreet motion, a silent way of setting her at ease.

“Oh, and who is this?” Lilith looked at Hope, who stood a few inches behind me. “I don’t think I’ve met this one before.”

The way her covetous gaze slithered down Hope’s body spoke volumes. Lilith didn’t take kindly to youth and pretty faces, which was why she had the tendency to scar her girls—whether it was a cut across the cheek or a carved-out eye.

I smirked as Lilith took in Hope’s outfit. The gold robe I had chosen for her fitted perfectly with the theme of the evening, and Hope made Lilith look like an old hag who tried too hard.

I shifted on my feet. “She’s a new girl.”Liar.

“Oh. A new girl for Rex Cain.”

“Listen,” I started, pulling Lilith to the side, “I’m not here to socialize. Is Anatoli here?”

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