I take deep, hard breaths, filling my lungs with warm oxygen as I grab onto the sink and look at myself in the mirror.
I’m doing the right thing.
I’m going to win.
I have to win.
22
Langston
I really do hate Liesel.
And yet, I’ve never wanted her more.
As frustrating as that was, it was also the most erotic moment of my life.
I’ve spent my entire life needing to fuck Liesel and yet not having her. That was the closest we’ve ever gotten, and it was nowhere near enough.
Hearing her, smelling her, seeing her, but not being able to touch her, that was my own special kind of hell. One I hope to rectify soon.
Five minutes.
That’s how long we have to the next round. I watch Liesel dart out of the room. Immediately, I sprint after her, leaving Phoenix still tied to the bed.
Of all the ways I’ve imagined Liesel and me fucking for the first time, this isn’t what I’d choose. Minutes after we were both forced to fuck other people in the same room while being watched by strangers isn’t exactly ideal.
Five minutes isn’t long enough either, but at least it would be our choice.
I chase Liesel down the hallway.
She slams a door shut.
I run after her.
My pants are still undone as I chase her.
I grab the doorknob and turn, but it doesn’t open.
She locked it.
“Huntress?” I ask through the door.
I wait for her to answer.
She doesn’t.
I press my hand against the door as I feel the seconds ticking by. Our time to choose is ending.
If we both want to continue the game, we’ll end up fucking each other. It’s what I want, what I need, but I didn’t want it this way.
But nothing between Liesel and me is ever what I want.
Five minutes tick by before Liesel opens the door.
She’s not surprised I’m standing here. She knew.
She knew I was here. She knew and chose to keep the door shut.
Her eyes are full of apology.
I nod.
“Ready?” I ask.
“Are you?”
I have no fucking idea. The woman I’ve wanted all my life is about to agree to fuck me in a wicked game. I have no idea how to feel about that.
A soft smile spreads on her lips as she reads my thoughts.
“Me too,” she says, and then she walks past me. Her hips sway extra hard, like she’s trying to seduce me.
Although, she’s had me under her spell since I was thirteen. She doesn’t need to try to get me to fuck her. All she has to do is say yes.
I walk down the hallway, redoing my pants even though I know they are probably going to be ripped from my body soon.
What will it feel like to fuck Liesel? Like a fucking atomic bomb going off.
Liesel walks back into the room two seconds before I do. The setup is the same, but now Phoenix and Waylon are gone. I should be worried about Phoenix, but I’m not. She told me she came here voluntarily, and she can take care of herself. Plus, I don’t want to think of anything else while I’m with Liesel.
“Read your cards, and the game starts in five minutes,” the voice says.
We see the cards with our names on it once again on the table, and exchange glances at each other. After this moment, everything is going to change.
I pick up my card reluctantly and flip it over.
Fuck her like you’ve always wanted to. Take no mercy. Make her hate you. Make her fear you. Make her say her safe word.
I suck in a long breath. Somehow, I knew what was on the card. I knew the card would make her hate me if I were to succeed. The one positive is that Liesel already hates me, so that part wouldn’t change if I complete my challenge.
I don’t know if I’m going to be able to fuck in her a way that makes her say her safe word, though. She’s been through a lot, me taking her control away and fucking her hard wouldn’t force her to quit.
Fuck her like you’ve always wanted to.
That was the first order. So first, I can fuck her how I’ve always wanted to—a loophole.
First, fuck her like I want to.
Then, fuck her to make her fear me, to get her to say her safe word.
I’ll worry about the second part later, but I’ve been dreaming about the first task since I hit puberty.
Liesel doesn’t look at me. She’s still staring at her card; her lips are moving along with the words. I’ve never wished more that I could read lips.
Look at me, huntress.
She doesn’t.
She drops her card and stares at it on the ground as our time ticks down.
“You may begin. You have as long as it takes until one of you says your safe word,” the voice says.
I take a step toward Liesel, and she takes a step back.
I frown.
She’s already afraid of me.
That or her card…?
I take another step. She takes another step back.
“I’m not going to hurt you.”
“Yes, you will, killer.”
Her words sting, but they are also the truth. I’m always hurting her. Why would she think this would be any different?
I take another step, and she trembles.
I may have done too well in the previous round if she’s this afraid of me.
“Huntress, I won’t hurt you.” I won’t do anything you don’t want me to do. Someday, I’ll have to kill you, but that day isn’t today.
Another step, and I have her boxed into a corner. There is nowhere for her to go.
“Trust me,” I whisper.
I reach out my hand slowly to touch her, and she cringes away.
It crushes me.
So instead, I grab her wrist and place it against my heart.
“I’m scared too.”
She swallows her pain, trying to lock it inside. Really, I want her to unleash it on me. I deserve to feel her pain as much as I need to feel her pleasure. I’ve fucked up as much as she has. I deserve to die just like she does.
She
