Page 64 of House of Deceit

Lucas stands in his khakis and boat shoes, the All-American Olympian.

“You both received two votes to save you.” He turns. “Cain, you will be the deciding vote. Please make your way to the interview room.”

He stands and turns to us, putting on a sad mask.

“I want to say something before I cast my vote. If I had the ability, I would save you all. This is a family and I want my family to stay together. But I hope you understand, if I don’t save you, it’s not from a lack of love.” He walks off toward the interview room and I want to vomit at both his fake speech and the fact the fate of one of my favorite people in the house is left up to my least favorite.

None of us talk while we wait for Cain to return. Once he takes his seat, my back muscles tighten.

“Lucas, will you please step forward,” Jacob Jacobson instructs. “Cain has cast his vote and you will”—he pauses, dragging out the suspense for the home audience—“not be continuing on. Keith, Cain voted to save you.

“Lucas, Raven, Mary Ella, Ava, Colyn, Ezra, Mateo, I’m sorry, but you have been eliminated from the House of Deceit.”

Relief floods me and I don’t care what Cain thinks he can accomplish by keeping Keith in the house. I take three steps and fling my arms around my grandpa, happy tears wetting my eyes.

I stand outside the interview room door, debating running away and ignoring Alec’s summons. Maybe he didn’t see me on camera and I’m just being silly, but I can’t seem to make myself reach for the door handle. Wasting a few more seconds, I hear Courtney’s voice in my head telling me to suck it up and face him.

The door is ripped open, Alec standing there, looking down on me.

“Don’t just stand there,” he says, “get in here.”

As he turns his back on me, moving into the room once more, I wonder if maybe he didn’t see my little show. The door clicks shut and I decide to pretend like nothing is different. As we settle into our respective chairs, I relax at how normal he seems. He reaches up and flips on the camera, launching us into the interview.

We do take after take until I’m afraid I’m going to cry from exhaustion and all the emotions I was forced to go through, Alec wanting to make sure we had the exact right shot.

“Okay, enough of that,” he says, shutting off the camera and I slump in my chair with relief.

Finally.

“Charlie, you are mine for the duration of this show. I watch everything you do. Every moment, I see it. You and me, remember?”

“Yes, I remember.”

He leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees, making sure I’m looking straight into his gray eyes. Alec quirks an eyebrow at me, an evil smile starting to light his face.

Embarrassment tries to take over, but I don’t allow it. I’m not embarrassed. I know he enjoyed watching and I’m not going to let him shame me for enjoying my body.

“Were you thinking of me?” he whispers, his voice deeper than usual.

I was wondering if he was going to ever bring up what happened out on the daybed. I was starting to think he never would and our connection was all in my head.

Lust fills me as he lets his professionalism slide away. The lights in the room are bright and a bead of sweat rolls between my breasts. Alec’s smug reaction emboldens me and I know this is the make-or-break moment. I arrange my face in a mask of satisfaction and lie with everything I have in me.

“I was thinking of Parker. His skin was so slick the other day. Feeling his abs, having his cock pressed against my ass. Any time I moved, it would jump. His fingers dug into my skin and I just knew that it was taking everything in him not to sink into me. Did you see him watching me? Did it make you jealous he got to be there with me?”

His face darkens.

“I thought so,” I say into the silence. “Did you wish it were your fingers in my pussy? Tell me you came watching me.” I stand up, moving toward him. Nervous butterflies attack my stomach, but I don’t stop. I’m tired of this dance. He leans back in his chair, tilting his head back so he can see me.

“Did you come watching me while I touched myself to another man?” I straddle his lap, rubbing myself against his hard cock, and run my fingers through his soft hair like I’ve been dreaming of since day one. He leans into my hand briefly before surging up, grabbing onto my thighs.

The chair crashes to the ground. I give a startled gasp as he pushes me against the wall, his body holding me up, as his strong grasp encircles my throat like a necklace. I shamelessly grind against him for only a moment.

“You’re lying and I hate liars. Now tell the truth.”

“Okay, okay. I confess. It was me who forgot to feed the class pet in third—”

He cuts me off. “Were you. Thinking. About. Me?”

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