Page 34 of Prey Tell
So that’s what Chase is hiding?
My whole body heats at the thought.
“I see,” I answer, looking out over the city.
“The more consuming the primal urges are, the more consuming the play will be.”
“And what, exactly, does playing entail?”
Ben grins. “I’m very glad you asked, Juliet.”
Before he can explain, several servers walk around with trays lined with black, velvet masks. They efficiently offer the tray to people, and I notice that not everyone takes one. I watch as a woman places one over her face. They’re bigger than a regular masquerade mask. It almost looks like a cat face—large, almond-shaped eye holes, pointed ears and a catlike nose, ending above the mouth and extending out to the sides of her face. With it on, you can’t make out any part of her features other than her chin. When the waiter walks over to us, Ben grabs two masks, handing one to me.
“What are these for?” I ask, my stomach clenching nervously.
He grins. “I’d put it on. Otherwise, you’re fair game.”
“Fair game?” I ask.
He snaps his on, but I hesitate to put mine on. What is this? Why are only some people wearing one and not everyone?
“Welcome to the hunt, Juliet. Do you want to be the prey or the predator tonight?”
Just as he says it, the lights dim and turn a reddish color. And then everything descends into chaos as the music gets louder. A few people scream with delight as they start to run, both across the expansive balcony and into the apartment.No wonder Jackson doesn’t want to be here during these parties.The woman I was watching a second ago chases the man she was talking to, and then Ben’s hand wraps around my forearm.
“Put the mask on or leave,” Ben urges.
What the…
“That’s not…” I trail off, snapping the mask in place over my face.
“The NDA,” Ben explains, murmuring into my ear. “You didn’t read it, did you?”
My blood turns to ice. And yet…
And yet…
My pulse thrums beneath the surface of my skin with anticipatory excitement.
As a human sexuality student, this fascinates me. The notion of turning into animals like this, chasing, hunting… but rather than devolving evolutionarily, people havefunwith it. There’s no shame associated with it—which is wonderful. Assuming the NDA grants consent, it’s actually an amazing concept. These people are higher-ups, upstanding citizens of Crestwood, and they’re partaking in something that is the complete opposite of their normal lives. Something that allows them to run on pure instinct and primal urges in a world that’s driven by competition, ambition, and logic.
There’ssomuch more to a person’s sex life than I realized.
I make a mental note to do more research on this for my dissertation—and also perhaps to learn a few things from these people. Maybe everything and everyone doesn’t fit into a certain type of box.
“I must’ve skimmed that part,” I tell him honestly. “This is fascinating though.”
“Fascinated enough to play with me, Juliet?”
I turn to face him, and he reaches out to run a hand down my arm. Cocking his head, he leers at me from behind the mask. My smile drops from my face.
Fuck.
“Oh, um, actually—”
He tugs me closer. I place my palms against his chest to try and push him away, but he only holds me tighter. He bends down so that his lips are next to my ear.
“Let me teach you.”
