Page 12 of Their Cruel Love

“Then we will keep her occupied.” Though I’m not even sure what I mean by that.

“Without you touching her?”

I grunt. He has a point. “I’ll watch you.”

“You’ll watch me play with her?”

“Double the bet then, unbeliever.”

“Done. Why are you doing this, Brutus? Why so needy concerning her?” He comes closer, raises his hand, andVs his fingers, pointing at his face. “I’ve seen a hunger in her eyes, thatlooksomeone gets when something they’ve desired, fantasized about, is within their reach for the first time ever. But you? Why this girl? Revenge? Lust? Both?”

I blink. And I begin to doubt. I open my hands where they rest on my knees and stare at my palms. Maybe they have the answer. “You’re right.”

I’ll leave. I’m obsessing over her.

“I’ll go. I shouldn’t be doing this.”

“Oh, shut up and stay put. You sound like a sick puppy denied a fucking meal. She’s coming.Shhh.”

The man is infuriating. He hits a button, mashes it, then this? I dismiss my turmoil. I’ll deal with it later.

No… I’m in.Final decision.I’ll deal as the situation demands.

Her footsteps echo down the hallway then she pushes open the doors and enters wearing a black dress. It’s modest with a high, buttoned-up neckline, but she knows we have other clothes for her.

I press my lips together to remind myself not to speak then touch the mask to be sure it hasn’t moved.

“Come here, sweetheart.” That pet name again. My jaw tightens. Razor beckons, and she barely hesitates. He hands her the white shopping bag with the clothes wrapped in tissue paper. A gold ribbon flutters to the floor as he backs away. “Undress and then dress for us, here.”

Generous of him to include me in that. Phoebe baulks, looking from us to the bag. Already this is sending familiar tingles to my stiffening cock as the blood rushes in.

“Tonight there are a few rules. Obey them or stay behind.”

Her face stills. “You keep making up new rules.” Then she delves in the bag and pulls out the package. “Tell me them. So I can decide.” Her words are clipped.

“You can choose now. You can consent now or refuse, but after this, if you agree you obey the rules.”

The prospect of seeing her moving about at the party, watching and learning, being instructed to try things—it’s going to be exquisitely tempting. As a sadist, I like holding myself back, and this night will be the pinnacle of restraint.

I also don’t simply beat women who have angered me.

A small revelation: I want to find out why she did what she did. I thought I knew her, and I did not. I ache to find that out, as much as I want to do other things to her, to bring her down, humiliate her as she did my family.

I exhale, slowly.No. Anger.

“You wear what I say you wear.” Razor is detailing his rules. “You will come with me to observe others. You will try a few activities.”

She mouths the wordactivities, as if she’s wondering what those will be.

“Let’s limit it to four, maximum. And you will wear my collar and leash when I say to. That is to protect you from unwanted attention.”

After ten or twenty seconds where she pales and looks stunned, where I’m waiting for her to gasp outno, she nods, stiffly. “I agree.”

Well, well. Phoebe is dedicated to this, and I can’t recall her ever being this zealous over anything. Has she changed this much?

This missing friend, Milli, is the key.

“Good.” He gestures. “Strip off the dress. This is partly a security issue. We need to know you aren’t bringing anything extra. Phones and similar devices are banned.”

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