Page 21 of Poisoned Pawn

I slip away unseen.

A ghost. A shadow.

The ladies’ toilet is empty except the last cubicle where I can hear clothes ruffling before the whoosh of water as she flushes the loo.

As the snick of the lock opening echoes in the room, I step back into the cubicle beside hers and watch as she steps out, tugging at her jumper. She walks to the bank of sinks and switches the tap on, wetting her hands before squirting some soap into her them. She begins washing and slowly raises her head to look in the mirror. Her eyes land on me, leaning casually against the side of the cubicle, and widen. Her moment of surprise is just that, a moment, then she continues to wash her hands like I’m not here.

I smile at her attempt to cover her fear, but the way her body has tensed, locked up, is a dead giveaway. Her eyes watch me in the mirror as she rinses the soap off her hands. She turns the tap off and flicks her hands to remove any excess water, then with intent she spins around to face me.

“What do you want?” she asks, her words strong as she breaks my stare and reaches for a hand towel.

“Of all the questions you could ask you want to know what I want,” I say, pushing off the side of the cubicle and taking a step toward her. I tilt my head, watching her as she crumples up the damp tissue, balling it tightly in her hand. “You seem…agitated.” Another step forward. “A little afraid.” And another. “And I’d say a whole lot excited.”

“And I’d say you’re brave and stupid coming in here like this.” She raises her chin, but her leg twitches giving away her body’s reaction of wanting to run or step back.

“Why aren’t you running, Star?” I take another measured step toward her, and her breath hitches as I breach her safe space.

“You’d like that wouldn’t you?” Her voice waivers slightly, deepening in tone.

“You bet I fucking would,” I snap, darting forward so our faces are barely an inch apart. “And so would you.” She jumps, falling back against the sink, but regains her composure almost instantly. “Is your heart racing thinking about it?” My eyes drop to the pulse thrumming in her neck, bringing a satisfied smile to my lips. “I know it is, Star. Just like I know how much you enjoyed my cock. Taking it all like a good fucking girl.”

Her eyes drop to half closed and her tongue darts out, wetting her bottom lip, at my words. My dick hardens, straining against my jeans for another dip in her exquisite pussy, another taste of her fear as I fuck her.

“Hmmm, how easily I could slip inside you right now. And you’d let me because good girls love to be fucked,” I whisper, grazing my cheek against hers and inhaling her unique scent, one laced with intoxicating fear and arousal. I close my eyes and push my deviant thoughts away. This is not what I came here for, although I’m enjoying toying with her. “You need to leave,” I tell her firmly.

“Get out of my way, and I’ll gladly leave.” The words are breathy, almost a whisper. I love the effect I’m having on her, but I focus back on my reason for being here and it certainly wasn’t to fuck her, which is the winning need right now.

“No, Star. You need to leave town. Lay low.”

Her head snaps back in surprise and confusion. “And why the fuck would I do that?”

“Because someone wants you dead.”

“You mean you?” she laughs. “Then what are you waiting for?” she says daringly, pushing her face closer to mine.

“Oh Star, Star, Star. I don’t want you dead.” My arm snaps out, wrapping around her waist and pulling her to me. “You’d already be dead if that were true. No, I want you very much a-fucking-live so—” Voices in the hall stop me, and we both turn to look at the door. There is nowhere for me to hide or run to in here, but I have something they don’t.

With my arm locked tightly around her waist, I drag her back toward the cubicle she used, slamming the door closed and locking it as she begins to protest.

I pin her to the wall and slap a hand over her mouth, pushing my body closer to hers. “Shhh. You’re going to do exactly what I tell you.”

I can feel her fast, panting breaths coming from her nostrils against the side of my hand as they flare with a mixture of exertion and the rush I know she’s getting from me having her pinned this way. I saw it last night, and I see it now. Star Kavanagh likes the fear I invoke in her, she enjoys the adrenaline pumping through her veins from the uncertainty of what I might do, but more than any of that, she enjoys it when I praise her.

“I know you’ll do it because you’re so good at doing as I tell you.” She begins to shake her head. I lean forward and whisper my next words in her ear. “As a reward, I’ll give you what you need.” She shakes her head more firmly, trying to release her mouth from under my hand, and I let her. Our eyes lock on each other—mine telling her to be quiet.

“I need you to leave me alone,” she grits out between clenched teeth and keeping her voice low.

Before I can respond, the main toilet door swings open allowing the excited chatter of feminine voices to flow inside.

I pull her away from the wall and keeping a hold of her, I close the toilet lid before stepping up onto it and positioning Star in front of me. I take her chin in my hand, and her hands fly up to grab hold of my forearm as I tip her head back so I can see her as the two women that entered lock the door on their cubicles while continuing to chat back and forth. I release my hold on her middle and gently tug at the hem of her jumper. As my fingers brush her bare flesh, her eyes widen and she goes to speak, but my hand beneath her chin holds fast preventing her.

My fingers tiptoe up her smooth stomach, her muscles flinching with each touch. I keep going, up past her tits to the dip at her neck, and my hold on her tightens as I picture us like this a couple of weeks ago. It’s an image that has lived rent free in my mind since that night, and I don’t like it.

I don’t understand it.

I don’t come back for seconds because that complicates things, and my life is complicated enough. There is no room for women just pussy. I take what I need and leave. Being a hired killer means no attachments, no leverage, no family. It’s solitary. And that is how it needs to stay.

I’ll give myself this tonight, then I’ll fucking vanish. I’ll leave town for a few days. Let the dust settle.

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