Page 42 of The Devil

“Yes, Sir,” he replies with a quick nod of his head. I try and stifle my laughter over how relieved he looks, but then he turns to eye me with suspicion, just before exiting the deck altogether.

“Yep, I’m definitely the prostitute!”

I gulp back a large mouthful of champagne to soften the embarrassment. Lucius laughs wickedly, then shuffles up closer, doing it in such a way, he manages to make it look like I’m trying to get nearer to him instead of the other way around. It must be unusual for Lucius to actually have to make an effort with a woman.

“So, is it serious with this guy who’s crap in bed?” he asks, snapping me out of my unpleasant thoughts of him being with other girls.

“I don’t know,” I answer non-committedly with a sad shrug. I never thought I’d be discussing Evan with Lucius of all people. “He spent last week out here with me, and he seems pretty keen.”

“I’m sure he is, Topolina,” he says while slurping back on champagne like water, not a bottle that probably costs the same as my weekly pay packet. “I mean it when I say you are very beautiful. He no doubt thinks he’s scored one hot fuck!”

“Gracious as always, Lucius,” I tut, frowning over his crudeness.

“But tell me, if he is so bad, why areyousettling?”

I clear my throat, because hearing those words out in the open, blunt and honest, makes it all the harder to stomach.

“Settling? What do you mean?” I ask, acting affronted by his accusation, even though it is precisely what I’ve been doing. Then again, Lucius is somewhat responsible for my lackluster feelings towards Evan.

“Oh, come on, Helena, I can see you have, at best, lukewarm feelings for the guy! Why else would you admit he doesn’t get you going between the sheets?”

“Maybe lukewarm is all I’m looking for. Maybe it’s easier that way,” I reply contemplatively. “It took a lot of painful migraines to get you out of my head.”

Way to be cool and distant, Helena, a real fine effort you put in there.

To my surprise, he casts his eyes to the deck floor, almost guiltily, but then quickly lifts them back up to meet mine and smiles tightly. I can’t help but wonder what that look means, if anything. I shouldn’t care, but I do. However, the moment passes, and neither one of us says a word about what passed between us.

“You deserve more than lukewarm, Topolina,” he says quietly, “and that body of yours deserves hot, passionate, scream-into-the-sheets sex. I can at least deliver that to you.”

“Well, too bad that’s not going to happen,” I say determinedly, as tempting as it sounds, “and whether I stick with Evan or not, you can keep your thoughts to yourself.”

“Evan?! Is that the asshole’s name? He sounds like a preppy, boring piece of shit,” he says with an unflinching, serious expression. I simply sigh, looking away from his smug expression before I bite. “You do realize he’s probably boning everything in a skirt while you’re away. Spreading his mediocre sexual talents around other poor, unsuspecting women.”

“Sounds like you’re the one who is jealous now, Lucius,” I tell him with my own smug expression. “Besides, we’re not exclusive, so if he is, I have no right to complain. I’m the one who’s been holding back from getting serious. Even my parents love him.”

“Oh, fuck, it just keeps getting better and better,” he laughs, “be a good little girl, Helena, and shack up with the fucktard that Daddy Carter approves of. Your life will lack any kind of spark or passion, but at least you’ve made a sound choice.”

His cocky attitude is beginning to piss me off, so I stand to leave, but no sooner than I have, he runs out in front to stop me. I get no further than the end of the stupid, pretentious rug with golden filigree patterns woven into its border before he’s grabbed hold of my wrist. I look at him with a stony glare, even when he cups my face and looks at me with softness in his eyes.

“Stay here with me,” he says, stroking my face with the back of his hand. I try really hard not to lean into it, but I’m fast losing the battle, which would only lead to devastation. “Give me the weekend and I will show you what sex should be like. I will worship you, Helena.”

I heard that from Evan and it was a complete farce, but something tells me Lucius isn’t bigging up mediocre talents. No, Lucius Hastings will be completely mind-blowing between the sheets, and after weeks of totally unsatisfying activity with Evan, I need to know what it can really feel like.

“Not a chance, Lucius,” I fire back, but even I can hear the weakness in my voice. With that in mind, I try to appeal to his emotional side, even though I doubt he has one. “I’ve only just managed to get you out of my head. I’m not going back to that place again.”

“This is just sex, Helena, one hurrah before you go back to prep boy for frustrating sexual experiences,” he says with a raise of his brow, daring me to just give in. My own wicked little devil. “Live a little, remember?”

I try to pull down his hands to get them away from my face, but they won’t budge. Besides his obvious physical advantage over me, I’m much too tempted by his offer to put any real effort into it. Alarm bells are ringing in my head, but I don’t want to listen to them. There hasn’t been anyone who has heated me from the inside like Lucius, just as he’s managing to do now, and with only his words and icy blue eyes. We look at each other, with unapologetic lust; after all, I am not a virgin this time and I want so much more.

Sensing my doubt, he rests his forehead against mine, weakening my resolve completely. I close my eyes if only so I can’t see him looking as sexy as sin. Mentally, I want to flick that naughty little devil off my shoulder, but he’s very much glued to me, whispering words of temptation to just let go with the man who I have been in love with since that summer atHastings Villa. This is self-annihilation at its best.

“Just say yes, Topolina! I can see it’s on the tip of your tongue,” he tempts me. “You remember what I can do with my tongue, don’t you?”

He begins kissing my cheek with gentle fluttery kisses. He presses his hard cock against my core, making me breathe just that little bit harder.

“Three days of carnal, unadulterated, animal pleasure on every deck, in every room, in any position we feel like.”

His tongue darts out and my eyes instantly home in on it. He presses his wet mouth momentarily on top of mine; a little taster of what he has to offer.

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