Page 39 of Roots of the Wicked

“I was filmed before, without consent, when I was younger. I was exposed to the world when I didn’t want to be. I didn’t have the means, or even the know-how, to stop it. Because of that, I find it difficult to trust people, so the few people that are in my life, took a long hard road to get there.”

He stared, searching his mind for a reply to my surprising yet vague reveal. It would take time and my willingness to open the vault of haunting secrets to tell Chase why I lived the way I did. The reason I had pursued a career in IT had been spurred by my past. They say the past shapes us, I believe my past was still carving out my angles.

“Do you feel like it’s something you’d like to share in detail, if not now maybe later? We can talk about anything you want,” he added, his voice encouraging.

A memory I tried to force away pushed into my mind before I could give him an answer.

“Keep still. It’s just rope you little dumb bitch. It’s not going to kill you, but if you keep fighting me, I’m going to put it around your fucking neck.”

Sixteen years and I could still feel the rope digging into my wrist, cutting off my circulation and burning like a dry flame. Rubbing my wrist, I shook off the haunting memory.

“I appreciate your interest, but it’s not something I would like to discuss.”

The empathy expressed on his face spoke to something in me. It made me want to share my secrets with him when all I wanted was to forget them.

“Maybe one day,” I offered, because I appreciated him trying, brimming with a genuine interest to know me. However, there were parts of myself I desperately wanted to forget, wishing I could pay someone to wipe the thoughts from my brain.

He changed the subject, recognizing my difficulty in talking about my past.

“What did you do to me in that hotel room?” His keen expression suggested that he truly wanted to know the answer.

“Whatever do you mean?” I asked, playing coy.

He leaned closer, lowering his voice. “My dick wouldn’t go down. Usually, I come, it goes down, and re-up after a brief rest. With you, I came three times back-to-back. For a moment, I wondered if you spiked the ice cream you fed me or was it something at dinner?”

I’m sure the smile in my eyes was as big as the one on my face. “I don’t know what to say Chase. When it’s good, it’s good. Once I started, I couldn’t stop. I was possessed, ravenous. My body was tired, and I know that yours was too, but I was chasing the highest high until I found it.”

“It was incredible.” He said, eyeing me like he was about to snatch me out of my chair. I would have let him too.

Chase had one of the most splendidly made dicks I had ever seen. Long, thick, and I believed, masterfully sculpted specifically for my pussy. The first sight of it had caused my ovaries to stand up and do the Nae Nae.

“Where would you like to go on our next date?” His teasing smirk had me fighting back a smile.

He had smoothly ignored the part about this not being a relationship.

“Let’s call this what it is, Chase. It’s all about our egos. You and I are accustomed to being in a position of authority, taking charge of what’s put before us.” I glared at him hard, but softened my features, realizing I was being defensive for no reason. I don’t think he meant any harm, he was just cocky.

“You have no idea the amount of restraint it took for me to allow you to take me like you did, do you? If it wasn’t so good, I would have taken control, but I didn’t want to. Thinking about what you did in that bathroom makes my nipples hard and my pussy wet.”

I enjoyed his reaction. The tension tightening his lust-heavy eyes, the way he swayed in his chair, angling to get closer. His gaze never dropped even as raging hunger took up residence in his eyes.

“What I said our first night about sharing control, authority, whatever you would like to name it. Would you be open for it?”

He was determined, I gave him that. I considered his question. For lack of better words, he was requesting we be a mutually reciprocating couple. I prepared to give my most truthful response.

“If I say yes, I want it understood that I’m not agreeing to a relationship of the conventional kind I’m agreeing to sex and maybe allowing you a pinch of control whenever the hell I feel like it.”

Chase made an attempt to stifle his smirk, as amusement and a hint of surprise rode his handsome face. He was going to challenge me every chance he got. I was a handful, but for reasons unknown, I believed he could handle me. His unwavering gaze held mine.

“Okay. Sex, dominance, and you submitting to me whenever the hell I want you to. I think I can deal with that.” His cocky grin brightened his features.

This time, I was the one holding in a teasing smile.

“If you think I didn’t hear the way you phrased your last sentence, you better think again. I plan on doing whatever the hell I want, and based on your grin, you damn well know it.”

His laughter burst free, causing me to join him. The strange effect he had on me was difficult to shake, but I overcame it to concentrate on the menu. The waiter had smiled his way to our table twice and we had been so engaged in our conversation we had not even considered our orders.

I ordered the caramelized mud-crab and seafood rice. Chase ordered the stuffed flank steak with prosciutto and mushrooms. He’d hardly glanced at his plate after it had arrived because he was so busy eyeballing and attempting to squeeze more information from me. As much as I hated to admit it, I was eating up the attention he lavished on me. I loved the idea of making a man like him forget about all the power he possessed and concentrate on just me.

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