“You took your time,” Kade grumbled, pissed she’d kept him waiting.
“Well, I was offended that you wanted to fuck in the Black House.” She pressed an index finger between his legs and circled her long, red nail against the fabric, causing Kade to strain harder against his zipper. “Consider my tardiness your punishment for bringing me here.”
He dropped his glass against the carpet, spilling the liquid into the rug, and rose to his feet. He walked away from the fucking couple, and into the next room. It was empty, filled only by a large bed and elegant wall hangings. Kade didn’t care much for interior design and obvious words like ‘rug’ or ‘gold curtains’ was all he cared to use to describe such furnishings. He didn’t care what they looked like or what they felt like, because to him, it didn’t matter.
Elizabeth closed the door and leaned against the wood while Kade pulled at his tie, loosening it.
“Dress. Off,” he demanded.
Kade wasn’t in the mood to peel it from her and he didn’t have time. All he wanted was a quick release and he hoped it would be satisfying enough to keep him in his bed and Nine out of it.
“No wining and dining?” she teased.
“I haven’t wined and dined you since I was sixteen years old.” He yanked his jacket off and threw it to the floor. “Remove the dress.” Kade began rolling up the sleeves of his shirt before pulling at the buttons that lined his torso.
“Are we fucking here so your new Unfortunate doesn’t see us?”
The snarky tone in her voice didn’t pass Kade by. “You’re jealous?” he wondered aloud, smiling slightly.
“Of an Unfortunate?” She laughed once. “Don’t be stupid. I’m better looking than her.”
Kade surveyed Elizabeth’s long, blonde curls and didn’t deny she was beautiful, but she just wasn’t… different. He’d known Elizabeth her entire life and when he looked into her face he still saw that same little girl, only now she wasn’t so little… or innocent. Kade’s father had always wanted him to marry into the Miller family, but Kade openly detested the Millers, much to Elizabeth’s anguish. Kade didn’t want to marry into any family and he didn’t want any other family to marry into his. He was positive he could make his family the ruling family on his own… and he would. The only thing weighing him down was his brother, Vince. He didn’t care about society or the family. He wanted the glory and dominance that came with being one of the four houses, but Vince was a stupid boy who followed his cock in whatever direction it was, and at the moment it was pointing at Nine. Kade wouldn’t let Vince jeopardize Nine’s virginity. Nine could be a very powerful tool in the eventual climb of the Sario house. Cocks would follow her in any direction… and if she tasted as sweet as she looked, victory was his.
“Perhaps you didn’t hear me,” Elizabeth growled, her body noticeably tensing. She was such a vain creature, always needing praise and validation.
“I heard you.”
“I’m better looking than her,” she repeated, crossing her arms over her chest.
“Yes, Elizabeth.” Kade sighed, unbuckling his belt. “You’re beautiful.” He was beginning to regret this whole situation. He didn’t have the patience to play Elizabeth’s games of vanity. He never did.
With a proud smirk, she sauntered closer. “Do you think she’s beautiful?”
“Of course I think she’s beautiful,” he snapped. “I wouldn’t have accepted her otherwise.” Kade had never thought of himself as a shallow man… until that sentence fell from his lips.
“Do you want to fuck her?”
Yes. Nine was the reason Kade was about to fuck Elizabeth twice in one day. He never fucked Elizabeth twice in one day. The last time he did, she went ahead and assumed she meant something more to him, telling people they were together. Kade had clarified to Elizabeth before they started having sex that it was only to quench his desire to come and she accepted that fact. It had been years since that conversation, nine years to be exact, and Kade never let Elizabeth forget it. Kade dropped his pants, allowing his hard erection to spring free. Elizabeth’s blue gaze dropped to his cock and it twitched in response.
“I’ve been fighting this erection since she stepped into my room, and the second you mention her name, I get hard again.” Elizabeth’s eyes thinned into jealous slits. “You tell me if I want to fuck her or not.”
She stepped forward, pulling at the lace that held the bodice of her dress together. Slowly, it started to unravel and Kade found himself eagerly waiting for her alluring breasts to be free from the inconvenient fabric. “Well, she’s not here. All you have is me.”
Kade ignored the possessive tone of her voice. Elizabeth had always claimed Kade as hers, but she knew damn well he couldn’t be claimed. He was free to do whatever the hell he wanted—whoever the hell he wanted—and no woman would change that. Elizabeth’s generous bust poured out of the fabric, making Kade’s fingers twitch against his thigh. She had the perfect nipple to breast ratio—even he appreciated that.
“All I have is you?” Kade muttered, flicking a finger over her hard nipple. Her breath caught in her throat and she inched closer. He ignored the tone in which Elizabeth said ‘all you have is me.’ He could prove her wrong this second and drag in the girl who was being fucked from behind ten minutes ago and prove that assumption incorrect. She stepped even closer and Elizabeth’s usual clove and daisy scent filtered through him, but it didn’t set fire to his blood like Nine’s cherry smell did. He wanted to fist her auburn locks as he took her roughly from behind.
“Dress off. Bed now.”
Elizabeth slipped her dress down her petite frame and over her narrow hips. Without anything but a sexy glance over her shoulder, she climbed onto the bed. Kade was on her in a flash, gripping her thighs and rolling her onto her back. He kissed her, crushing his lips to hers and tasting nothing but wine and cherries. The taste alone was enough to make him come. His hand found its way between her legs and he slid a finger between her bare, wet lips. Elizabeth shuddered against Kade’s body and he smiled. He’d always enjoyed making a woman feel good. Nothing made him feel manlier than making a woman come on his cock or fingers.
“You’re a big boy now,” Elizabeth purred underneath him as she slipped a hand between their bodies and grabbed a hold of his length. “I don’t want to come on your hands.”
Kade pulled his hips back to allow for more room as she dragged the very tip of him across her wet, slippery entrance. She was wet—she always was for him. Minimal foreplay went into sex with Elizabeth and if he was being honest, Kade hated skipping foreplay, especially when he didn’t intend to make the woman come through sex. How do you build up the excitement and the pleasure without foreplay? To him, foreplay was the opening scene, and sex, the secondary act. If you don’t have a girl writhing and screaming your name before sex even starts, you’ve already disappointed her. Women are difficult creatures; for example, when a woman touches a man’s cock, it feels good—everywhere. On the head, on the shaft, at the base and even the balls, but when a man touches a woman’s pussy, he has to hit the right spots. It’s like guessing the right code to a safe by going off the sounds and vibrations it emits. Get it wrong and it’s a wasted effort. Get it right and you’re open to endless possibilities and pleasures. A well-wound, aroused woman will do anything for her release, her reservation drops away and she’ll moan, scream, and beg for you to make her come. She’ll show you exactly what she likes, taking all of the work off you and putting it on herself. That was Kade’s base line to epic sex. Please her, and she’ll take you to places you’ve never been before.
He felt her opening stretch as she slowly slipped his cock lower, and without hesitation, he thrust, sinking himself deep inside her with a husky groan. Elizabeth pulled her hand away and immediately sank her sharp nails into his backside as she moaned and pulled him harder into her. He gritted his teeth as her nails began to cut the skin; it was a pain that Kade loved. It was the pain of passion, a mutual passion.
 
; Kade wanted this to be over quickly, but once he was inside her tight hole, sliding in and out so seamlessly, he wanted the feeling to last forever. That wasn’t going to happen, however. Kade had things he needed to do, maps he needed to study, so he began to thrust harder, faster, deeper, until Elizabeth’s walls began to squeeze and milk him for all that he had.
“Yes,” Elizabeth panted, her arms squeezing her breasts together.
He felt it in his balls, the familiar tightness, and his shaft swelled, leaving even less room inside her. She was tight and he grunted every time he had to force himself that little bit deeper. She began to gasp, shutting her eyes and clawing him harder.
“Yes!” she cried out. The noise, the sound of a woman nearing climax, was fucking sexy and it pushed him to the edge. As Elizabeth came, Kade sucked a breast into his mouth and bit down as he spilled himself into her. His climax was nice, but boring, in a way. Foreplay. It all came back to foreplay for him. He wanted to be wound up to the point of combusting before feeling the velvety insides of a woman. Kade pulled himself out and off of Elizabeth, who rolled happily onto her side. A shower and bed was now all he needed for a good night’s sleep. He put his clothes back on and headed for the door without another word. It wasn’t because it was awkward or because he disliked her. Kade liked Elizabeth, she was one of his dearest friends, but they’d been at this for nine years and there was nothing new to say to each other. To be honest, Kade didn’t want to linger just in case she decided to read into it. He wouldn’t put it past Elizabeth to have a wedding planned and ready by the morning.
Kade pulled the door open and stepped out.
“You’re welcome,” Elizabeth called, forcing Kade to turn around.
He laughed once, peering around the edge of the door. “Let’s not pretend. We both know it was I that did you the favour.”
She opened her mouth and Kade shut the door before she could speak her retort. That would keep her up tonight. Elizabeth never could handle someone else getting the last word in.
∞
Master Kade strolled up the wide hallway, ignoring all of the paintings on the wall. He’d been wandering these halls since he was a kid and he knew every detail of every painting. He was sick of it, sick of this house. He wanted to be right in the city, with his father. Kade’s father lived in the Sario building in the middle of the city. Coincidently, it was the tallest building. Only the figurehead of a main house could live there. He didn’t envy his father too badly, not when he thought about all of the bullshit his dad had to deal with. In the new world, there wasn’t much work for the Fortunates. The Unfortunates took care of everything. They did the farming, they ran the shops, and they served the Fortunates. Every Unfortunate was born with a number and every slave had a place. If the slave wasn’t where it was meant to be, then it was located and killed. Fortunates didn’t have the time for renegade slaves. It was rare that anyone escaped Freeport. Those that did were either tracked and killed or left to die out in the wild. The moderators were half Fortunate, half Unfortunate, and although birth control was compulsory for all Unfortunates, sometimes things slipped by. It wasn’t right to treat the offspring like Fortunates and it wasn’t right to treat them like Unfortunates, either, so they created a medium. That medium turned out to be very helpful. Fortunates didn’t have to degrade themselves and slum it in Unfortunate camps or on work stations while the Unfortunates picked the food or sewed the clothes, the moderators did instead, and they were paid well for it.
Kade’s shoes scuffed against untiled flooring and the noise brought him back to reality. He glanced around the dark room and heard a sleepy sigh. He took a step back, at first, when he realised his unfocused state had brought him to Nine’s quarters. She had her own room, his father had apparently sorted that out for her. Most personal slaves shared a room connected to their master’s room, but Kade wasn’t open to the option of having someone so close to his personal space.
It was his animalistic nature that forced him forward again. He kept going until his shins pressed against the low, thin mattress. If he listened closely, he could hear the slow, relaxed pattern of her breathing. It was the first time since her arrival that he’d heard her breathe at a normal pace. He decided he liked it quicker… he liked affecting her. He stuffed his hands into his pockets to prevent from touching her. He wondered how she’d react if he stroked her between her legs or played with one of her nipples. He recalled earlier when he released her from her dress that she attempted to cover her breasts. She wouldn’t like to be touched against her will at all—that was obvious—so Kade didn’t touch her, but she’d have to learn to like it. If she was going to help him and his family, she was going to have to like being touched whenever and wherever a Fortunate saw fit, and in order to make her like it, he was going to have to gain her trust. He had to pick the right moments to seduce her, to break her down and put her back together again. Kade was certain that when he was finished with her, she was going to trust, love, and fear him.
Kade turned on his heel and left Nine’s room. Behind him, he heard her shuffle on the bed, and he hunched a little as his weariness began to take over. He ran his hand over his face and thought about his large bed as he climbed the wide staircase to the second floor. He loved night time—to be specific—he loved the time when he could climb into bed and forget about all the shit he had to deal with. The only time he could rest was alone in the dark. He didn’t like company in those times. He didn’t like light, either. The darkness was his ally. It allowed him to be still and content. It was only in darkness that he found himself truly at peace, and when the light began to seep through the curtains in the morning, he put his face back on and hid his peaceful nature behind his assertive front. It became apparent to him as a teenager, after his mother was murdered, that he needed to be hard in order to survive. The weak fall… the strong prosper, and that was the way the new world went.
Chapter Five
Nine
Two weeks. I’ve gone two weeks without being summoned by Master Kade. I spend most of my day in my room, waiting around just in case he calls me. He hasn’t yet. By lunch time, I step out into the garden just to touch things. I like the feel of the dirt between my toes and the smell of the leaves. I can’t describe the scent that emanates from a torn leaf… it smells green—no—earthy. Earthy is a much better word. And the flowers, the flowers smell amazing, like nothing I’ve ever smelt before. We hardly saw flowers in the Unfortunate camp… we hardly saw anything except mud and dirt. I push my tongue against the roof of my mouth. I can still taste the mud in the back of my throat.
“Hey you!”
I startle, yanking a handful of grass from the ground. I didn’t realise I’d sat on the ground to feel the grass. A female Unfortunate jogs over to me. Her frizzy hair bounces around her shoulders and the sun gleams against her gorgeous, dark skin. I quickly pull myself to my feet and drop the handful of grass. I’m careful not to get any dirt on my purple dress.
“Nine, right?”
I recognise her from the branding ceremony. She poured Kade’s drink while I got towels to clean up the alcohol she spilt. I don’t remember telling her my name, but we work in the same house, so I guess it wouldn’t be too hard to figure it out.
I nod. “Yeah.”
She smiles, exposing a set of perfect white teeth. She seems so upbeat and happy… why can’t I be upbeat and happy? Will I be, eventually?
“I’m Portia.”
I frown. Portia? I was expecting a number or something a little more degrading.
“Portia?”
She hooks her arm around mine and pulls me along beside her. My heartbeat quickens and I peer over my shoulder. Are we allowed to walk around so casually? Touching and chatting like the Fortunates do?
“They replaced my number when I started here. Sometimes, they run out of numbers and give you a name instead so they can reuse the number in the system.”
“They have a system?”
“Absolutely.” She
giggles. “They’re not total barbarians.”
Aren’t they? Why doesn’t she think so? Questions form in my head one after the other and as I open my mouth to voice them, I see Master Kade walk by.
“Look, there’s Master Kade. It’s his birthday today.”
I freeze and dive into a near bush so he doesn’t see me. As soon as I’m hidden and sticks jab into my body, I regret it. What the hell am I doing? There’s a stick poking right into my brand, thankfully, it’s almost healed, but that doesn’t make it hurt any less.
“Portia?” Master Kade demands, his voice getting too close for comfort.
Through the branches, I see Portia peer nervously at me. I shake my head, begging her not to tell him. She clears her throat. “Yes, Master Kade?”
He strolls up to her, his handsome face pinched into a frown. Cold sweat trickles down the back of my neck and bubbles over my top lip. I ignore the leaves tickling my nose and the stick prodding my ass.
“Make sure Nine gets her dress.”
She nods, dropping her head. “Yes, Master Kade.”
He walks off without another glance in her direction and when he disappears inside the house, I force myself from the bush. When I’m out, the cool air stings new scratches on my arms and legs.
“Are you insane?” Portia scolds me, her thin eyebrows furrowing. “If he saw you we both would’ve been done for.”
“He didn’t see me,” I say, running my hands over my dress and plucking off stray leaves. “Thank god.”
She folds her arms. “Why’d you hide?”
“Because I’m avoiding him. Obviously.”
She shakes her head. “You can’t avoid him, silly child. You are his. If he wants to find you, he will.”
If he wants to find you, he will. The words make me shudder. Avoiding Kade isn’t the only reason I hid from him. I hid because it’s his birthday and I don’t know what that entails, exactly. Will he want things from me? Am I expected to do things for him? To him? Do I say happy birthday?