Page 54 of Corruption

“Yeah, but it was porn. Isn’t some of that just acting? People really do some of the more intense stuff?”

“That,” I begin, “and then some.”

I chuckle at the wide-eyed look she gives me and can’t resist pulling her into another kiss. But when I release her, she’s frowning.

“What?” I demand.

“Nothing. Just… I can’t imagine hurting someone like that.”

Nadia immediately sits up and twists around to look at Kiya. “It’s not hurting someone. Well, it is. But all parties involved consent to and like it. You understand that? You understand you didn’t really hurt me, Pretty Girl. Right?”

“No. I get it. I’m just being stupid.”

“It’s not stupid. It’s—”

Nadia winces as she tries to get up and her sore ass and thighs protests.

“Stay still, Nadezhda.” Then, I say to Kiya, “It’s not stupid. Most people aren’t wired to accept acts of cruelty on others. It can take some getting used to.”

“Not how I would have put that. But… essentially.”

“What about you?” Kiya asks.

“What about me?” I reply.

“Did you have to get used to it?”

“I’m part of the minority wired for it.”

“I find that hard to imagine.”

“I shot a man in the hand for touching you, Kitten. It’s the least of what I’m capable of.”

“Like I said. It was probably the kindest thing anyone has ever done for me.”

“Don’t mistake a few acts of kindness to you as a person for being kind. Don’t mistake me being kind to you for being kind to everyone else.”

“What makes me different?”

I smirk at her and say, “The fact that you’re you.”

She blushes. It's such an entertaining thing to see that I almost don’t want to corrupt her. Don’t want to destroy this innocence. Would like to forever leave her innocence in tact so I can make her blush like this over and over again. Because once I do fuck her, once I do corrupt her, this innocence and shame will go away.

“I’m assuming you’re okay now,” I state.

She nods. “Are you?”

I raise my eyebrow. “Didn’t we just get done talking about what a cruel man I am?”

“Seems to be even more reason to ask anyway.”

Now I’m the one frowning, not quite sure how to answer. I’m not the man people ask if they’re okay. Even before I grew up, I was never the person people asked if they were okay. It was just assumed that I could take it. That there was nothing that I couldn’t handle. The perfect brother in theBratva. Eventually, the perfectpakhan…. At least, until I wasn’t. Until I told them exactly where they could shove their expectations when I saved Nadia from a death sentence and then paid for it. Even then, people assumed I was fine. They weren’t wrong. I was fine. Even if it took months for my hand to heal because of the punishment I received.

Still, it’s nice to know someone besides Nadia is concerned about whether or not I’m okay, even if the answer is always the same.

“I’m fine, Kitten,” I assure.

When we’re done with Nadia and while she’s beginning to doze off, I straddle Kiya over my thighs. Then I pull her down and kiss her hungrily, wanting her to feel how much I want her. How much I desire to have her. How much I’m holding back.

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