He catches my lip between his thumb and forefinger. It stings, but I do nothing to free it. “Get out,” he orders, staring a second too long at my mouth.
When he releases me, I whirl on my heel and march to the door. “You know where to find me,” I call over my shoulder with a wave. I approach the door, ignoring the rapidly rising panic of the outside world. I haven’t left the room in weeks. On the other side of the wood, Vince exists—dangers exist—but I’m too proud to turn around and ask Kade to let me stay. I had to go the course. I had to show him that I’m capable of making my own decisions and that I’m not one hundred percent controllable, and I never will be.
∞ Kade ∞
Kade slumped into his chair. Nine was becoming harder to control, harder to keep in line. She’d always been different, always curious and proud, but it had progressed tremendously over the course of her stay. Kade knew it was his fault. He knew he let too many things slip with her, but he hoped she was smart enough to remember her place when other Fortunates were around. If it were witnessed, Kade would have to punish her… and he really didn’t want to. He tapped his fingers along his bare desk. She cared for him, trusted him to protect her, but he knew better. There would eventually come a time when Kade wouldn’t be able to help her and she’d be as good as dead. It was inevitable.
At the meeting this morning, Kade’s father discovered that fault in mine one. He said the team Kade sent down was barricaded in tunnel twenty-seven, probably crushed by the weight of the earth. He yelled at Kade in front of everyone, and it took all of the resilience in Kade’s system not to kill his father right then and there. He recalled Vince smiling smugly at him from across the room as his father stripped Kade of all rights to the mines. Kade smiled back. He knew the change would never be passed. He knew his father would never make it back to the city, not this time. Tomorrow night, Nine would get Michael alone and distract him long enough for Kade to take his father’s life.
∞
Kade spent the rest of his day at his computer, filling in incident reports for all who were killed today at the mine. Once this disagreement with his father was over, Kade made the decision to travel to the mine and blow it sky high himself. He was sympathetic towards Unfortunates, most of the time, but if they’re messing with his shit, all the sympathy he had meant nothing. Only those loyal to him deserved respect.
The sun was setting low, but Kade made no move to turn on any lights. He knew if he left his chair, he’d go right out the door and march all the way to Nine’s room. He’s grown accustomed to her being here, lounging around his room. She never said much, but when he was here, she’d watch him and ask the occasional question that he never wanted to answer. When he came in late, she was awake just waiting for him. It was a nice feeling knowing someone depended on you to make their day. In the night, on most nights, he held her close to him. Her body was warm and firm, fitting with his so perfectly, and in the morning he’d lay and watch her for a few moments. When his chest began to stir up feelings and he’d twitch between the legs, he’d leave and go about his day, ignoring it all. Kade was doing his part. She was helping him, now more than ever, and he was going to let her live with him for as long as he could. Anything else was pointless and he didn’t want to hurt Nine. The feelings she developed on her part where her own problem and he refused to acknowledge them. To encourage such emotions would be catastrophic, to the both of them. Kade had been shot once and he didn’t fancy going through it again.
A slight knock on the door pulled Kade from his thoughts and he hit ‘send’ on his very last incident report. His stomach growled, but he ignored it and didn’t bother shouting for the knocker to come in. He was too tired and the thought of opening his mouth seemed to be too bothersome a task. Slowly, the small metal handle turned and the door creaked open. He watched intently from the shadows as auburn hair fell through the crack first, followed by a face—Nine’s face.
“Master Kade?” she asked, her sights scanning the room until they finally landed on him.
Without a word, or permission, she stepped inside and closed the door. He didn’t pull her up on it. He’d much rather listen to her beg to stay rather than apologize for intruding.
“It’s dark in here,” she muttered, taking in the surroundings.
“I like the dark,” Kade replied, drinking her in.
She was wearing the yellow dress, the one he forced up her thighs this morning.
“I know… and maybe I like it now, too.”
Nine made her way closer to Kade and he noticed immediately that her steps were too calculated for his liking. She had something planned… something he couldn’t decipher. As she stepped closer to him, he detected a small, sexy smirk that hinted at her lips. It was mischievous, a look that had his heart racing and his fingers digging into the arms of his chair.
“You look nervous,” she stated, running her index finger over the very edge of his wooden desk with a smile so playful it made his pants tighten. He remained still and said nothing. Have I fallen asleep? he thought. It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve had dreams that start off like this. He realised quickly then that it wasn’t a dream. In his dreams, she never wore clothes. She rounded the corner of his table and swallowed the distance between the desk and his chair. His brows furrowed as her delicate fingers brushed over his arm and up his shoulder, heating his blood along with it.
“Relax,” she whispered, bringing her mouth close to his ear.
His entire body tightened and hummed, and he swore he could feel the pulse of her heart thrum through him from the tips of her finger. What was this? She added another hand and moved them up and down his arms, caressing him through the fabric. The longer she made contact with him, the quicker his self-control slipped away. As her tongue glided over the shell of his ear and sensations tore through his body like nothing he’d ever felt, he realised what she was doing. She was trying to seduce him… and surprisingly she was succeeding. He had to give it to her. He was as hard as stone. She moved from behind his chair and promptly sat her ass down on his desk in front of him, putting her feet on the space between his legs. The sides of her toes brushed against his inner thighs, sending arousal, white and hot, throughout his body.
The second her knees fell apart, Kade leaped from his chair, forcing himself between them. “I know what you’re doing,” he said, his voice rough and low.
She grinned, exposing her perfect white teeth. “Took you long enough.”
Her finger tightened around his tie and she tugged him closer. It irked him that she reached for his tie first, yet again, but judging by her glistening eyes, she did it on purpose. She liked antagonizing him and he knew that. She liked receiving reactions for her actions. She liked having the smallest taste of control, just like a Fortunate. He’d smile at the thought if he wasn’t so on edge by her actions.
“Stop it,” he demanded, his voice hardly convincing.
Nine batted her eyelashes at him, drawing him in even further. “Why? This is what you want… which is subsequently what I want.”
He swallowed hard, his lips suddenly grazing hers. “Not like this. Not on my desk.”
“Then take me to your bed, Kaden.”
Kade snatched her thigh and she squeaked as he tugged her hard against him. Her eyes never left his as he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her hard against his body. He could feel his belt buckle pressing hard between her thighs and she bit her thick bottom lip as he pressed his hips even harder into her. He should tell her off for calling him by his real name, but in this moment, it didn’t matter. It only fuelled the desire swelling inside of him. Pulling her off of the desk, Nine left his tie alone and raked her fingers through his hair. Her stare flicked between his mouth and his eyes and he saw her confidence waver ever so briefly. Suddenly, the last thing he wanted was for her to change her mind. He was too far gone, too tightly wound to stop. Kade crushed his mouth to Nine’s and she willingly opened her mouth to him. She tasted good, like orange an
d chocolate, and Kade knew Nine had spent the day with Portia. Oranges and chocolate was Portia’s favourite treats. Kade usually let her indulge in it when his father was in the city.
He marched Nine over to the bed with his tongue buried deep in her mouth and dropped her onto the mattress. Quickly, he shrugged out of his jacket, tossed it to the side, and draped his body over hers. Her legs wrapped around his waist and squeezed him against her. Unable to stop it, he groaned once into her mouth as he ground his hips into hers. His cock rubbed against his pants and the friction wasn’t pleasant but it was something, at least. Her warmth radiated through his slacks and her moans penetrated his flesh. Kade had never wanted anything so bad in his life. He’d never beg for sex and had never had to, but he was certain that if Nine stopped this he would plead, he would get on his knees and beg for her to let him between her legs. It was finally happening. What he thought about every night when he held her and dreamed about when he slept was finally happening. She was beneath him, completely at his mercy and she wanted to be. Electricity flowed through him like never before and their bodies stuck together like static. Her hands wrapped around his neck and her soft fingers dancing on his flesh, enticing him to go further, and he would. He’d have her, of that, he was certain, and he no longer cared about the consequences. If she fell for him, that was her problem. If she stayed in line and remembered her place, it’d make no difference to him.
Nine began moving her hips against his, harder and faster. The faster she moved, the closer she brought him to the edge, an edge he wasn’t ready to fall off, but god she smelled so good, like cherry, always like cherry. Her fingers dug into his shoulders and an unmistakeable tremble vibrated her legs.
“Don’t,” Kade warned her, ashamed by the sound of his own breathless voice. “Don’t do it.”
He stopped moving his hips in protest. If he moved any more, he was certain he was going to ruin his pants and he’d never done anything so teenage in his entire life. Nine growled in frustration and flicked her hips, pushing Kade down and rolling herself on top of him. Her fingers dug into his shoulders and his immediately gripped her hips. She rocked her hips back and forth, over and over and over until her legs began to tremble once more.
“Nine,” Kade groaned as tingles flared across his scalp, down his spine and between his legs. This was not how Kade wanted to start or finish this encounter. He wanted to come, sure, but not like this.
Her fingers buried themselves into his shirt and she balled as much of his fabric as she could into her hands. He watched, too mesmerised to stop as her lips parted and her eyes thinned. She was beautiful, even more so with the pink flush burned into her cheeks.
“Kaden,” she sighed, rocking her hips desperately. “Please let me. I need this.”
She arched her back, lowering her mouth to his and he found himself pulling and pushing her hips, trying to get her to move faster—harder—against him. It felt too good to stop now, his balls were too tight, his shaft to hard and his brain too foggy to even think about the aftermath of letting her come right now… of letting himself come right now. It built up too quick for him to realise and Nine’s eyes closed as she bit her lip, her body went rigid. His own orgasm hit him like a tonne of bricks and she moaned as Kade squeezed her harder against his shaft.
“Fuck,” he groaned as he poured himself into his own pants. It felt good to finally have a release, but he didn’t want it like this. The realization cooled his body down and the sight of Nine smiling smugly down at him irritated him beyond belief. When his breathing slowed, the anger began to push through his ribs and surface.
“Are you happy now you’ve embarrassed me?” he barked out, rolling her off his body.
He could feel his sticky fluid touch his bare skin and it repulsed him. He was a grown man, not a boy. She made him into an amateur, one thing Kade knew he wasn’t when it came to sex.
“I returned the favour, Kade, and I showed you I can do it.”
“Congratulations, you can make a man come,” he deadpanned, lifting himself off of the bed. “I’m sorry to say it, Unfortunate, but you’re not the only one.”
“Not like that,” she rebutted. “I’m willing to bet my life that no one has made you come like that.” Red flared across her face before pooling in her cheeks and she lowered her violet eyes. “I thought I did good…”
Sympathy rolled through Kade and he inched closer to her, but stopped himself. He needed to get a handle on this situation. What just happened was not okay. Her disregard for rules and regulation was not okay and it infuriated him that he had to repeat himself over and over.
“I’m going to shower.” He turned away from her. “I trust you know where the door is.”
Kade didn’t peer over his shoulder to see how badly he’d upset her. He wasn’t sure he could stomach it. Nine was fighting desperately for his affection and she had it, she had to know that, but things were different with him. In this world, beyond sex, it would never work out. He offered her freedom, that was all she’d wanted, but now she wanted him. In the beginning, she couldn’t stand his touch and now she craved it, just like he said she would, but now, this entire thing was becoming a disaster… one that could blow up and kill both of them.
∞ Nine ∞
I lay on my bed replaying the events in my head over and over. It’d be a lie if I said what transpired after our ‘situation’ didn’t hurt a little. I’d upset him, which was far from what I wanted to do… then again, I didn’t plan on dry humping him, either. It was all Portia’s idea. I went for a walk along the tree line by the lake and found her eating oranges and chocolate high up in a tree—or, she found me. She’s an expert at picking your brain. With a few expertly placed questions, she opened me up and read me like a book. I told her everything I could about Kade and what we’d done—excluding the plans about his father. From there, Portia launched herself into a speech about survival. She swore to me that Kade was the only Fortunate I’d be safe with, which I knew already. She also told me that Kade never invests his time in something that isn’t worth it. It was a warning I heard loud and clear, a warning that now leaves me lying in the wake of my own mess… and now that I think about it, perhaps I read too far into it. What the hell was I thinking? Kade was right. I did embarrass him, but I was so caught up in my own heat, too aroused to stop. He pulls me in and I can’t help myself. It’s in his scent, his movements, his perfect body and serious demeanour… I can’t get away even if I try.
It’s late. Not even a mouse stirs in the large manor. Guests from dinner have returned to their own mansions or are still passed out on the grass out the back. The Unfortunates have finished putting away the tables and chairs and most have retired back to their rooms… which makes me wonder about Thirteen. I haven’t seen her in so long. Worry turns my stomach at the thought of Vince punishing her for what went down weeks ago in the Black House. As the worry progresses, panic begins to stir. I haven’t slept alone in weeks, not since that night. What if Vince knows? What if he knows I’m down here alone in my bed?
I shoot up and swing my legs off the bed. The bare soles of my feet touch the cold stone and I realise my door has no locks… I can’t stop him even if I try. Desperation clenches my organs. I need Kade. I want to be tucked up in his large, soft bed and wrapped in his strong, thick arms. The thought alone is enough to have me on my feet and out the door.
The halls of the manor are dark and long. I move as quickly as I can, letting my fingers graze against the smooth walls. The last thing I want is to get caught out here alone. No good will come from a Fortunate or Moderator who spots an Unfortunate sneaking about a manor at night. The conspiracies they’d spin with that would be endless.
When I reach the stairs, I move quicker than ever before, putting all of my weight on the tips of my toes. Not only is this Kade’s part of the manor, but it’s Vince’s, too. The second my foot presses the very first floor board at the top of the stairs, I hear a door open and close, then the unmistakeable sound o
f a girl swallowing her own sobs. The sound lights a fire under my ass and I launch forward, sprinting across the hall in front of me and into the first door I see. Inside, it’s dark and quiet, but I don’t waste time looking around, instead, I peer through the crack that I left. My quick pants of hot breath collide with the cool wood and blow back onto my face. In the dim light, I see her, Thirteen, treading as softly and as quickly as she can, desperate to get away from Vince.
“Thirteen!” I whisper, but she doesn’t hear me.
As she passes my door and her shaky fingers reach out for the railing, I open the door a little and peer out. I’m aware my neck is so far extended it could be slit at a moment’s notice if I’m caught by a Fortunate. I suck in an inhale, ready to call her name again until I see him. Vince, shirtless and completely happy with himself treads lazily to the stairway. Even in the darkness, I see his lazy grin and notice his satisfied gait. I pull my neck in as quickly as I can and press my back hard against the wall adjacent to the gap in the door and clamp my hand over my mouth. My heart thumps loudly, so loud I’m certain he’s going to hear me. With my back to the wall, I’m forced to see more of the room I’m hiding in and holy shit there’s a sleeping Fortunate in the massive four posted bed on the other side of the room. If my heart was racing before, it’s absolutely flooring it now and I have nowhere to go, nowhere to hide. This was a bad idea… I should have stayed in my bed, not venture out to climb into Kade’s. How could I’ve been so stupid?
“It’s late, Unfortunate. I trust you’ll make it back to your room without waking anyone up,” Vince says and I dare myself to have a little peek between the crack.
“Yes, Master Vince,” Thirteen responds, then silence falls.
I wait with bated breath. The sleeping Fortunate shifts in their bed and I squeeze my eyes shut. If I can’t see them then maybe, just maybe, they won’t be able to see me. Thankfully, whoever it is doesn’t wake up, and after a few solid minutes of silence, I push myself to my feet and step out of the room. The cold, metal door handle squeaks inaudibly in my hand, but I manage to get the door shut without any major disturbances.