He grunted and moaned as he took me, his fingers gripping the back of my neck harder and harder. His dick thickened inside me just a bit right before the release. The explosion was sudden, his hips bucking slower as his moans filled my bedroom. His seed was dumped inside me, filling me until it spilled out over my thighs.
That was it.
He pulled out of me.
The handcuffs were unlocked.
It was over.
He got off the bed and pulled on his bottoms before he dropped the handcuffs into his pocket. The red tint was still noticeable in his skin, along with the pronounced appearance of veins in his arms and hands.
I righted myself, circles around my wrists from the bite of the metal. “Excuse me?”
He turned to look at me, his stare as cold as it was the first time we met.
“You’re just going to leave me hanging?”
“That’s not my problem.”
“Not your problem?” Cauldron was now worse than he’d ever been. “You fucked me so hard I could barely breathe.”
“I fucked you exactly how you wanted—like a whore.”
I’d traveled back in time.
Now I was an unwelcome guest in the house. I had a single purpose, and unless that purpose was being fulfilled, I was ignored.
Cauldron always seemed busy, either working in his study or leaving the house altogether. He’d be gone for hours, leaving me unaccompanied and unprotected. Conversations were brief, but mostly nonexistent.
I’d never felt lonely staying with Cauldron, but now I certainly did. Cauldron used to be my friend, and I realized I’d lost his friendship as well as everything else. Now I lay around and tried to find something to do, tried not to eat too much, even though it was the only hobby that interested me.
I went downstairs and looked through the open doors to his study.
He sat at the desk, his eyes focused as he read words across a screen. The crispness of fall had finally set in, but that didn’t stop him from wearing nothing but his bare chest as clothing.
I approached the desk, and he didn’t seem to hear me because he kept reading.
I sat down, and that caught his attention.
His dark gaze focused on me. “Yes?”
“When are you going to kill him?”
He closed his laptop halfway to make sure it didn’t obstruct his vision. “I’m working.”
“You’re always working.”
“Because I have shit to do.”
“You didn’t answer my question.”
“What do you want me to say?” he asked coldly. “Tuesday at nine?”
“I want to hear you say you have a plan.”
“Plans never work out the way you want.”
“So, you’re just going to wing it?” I asked incredulously.
“That’s what life is. Winging it.”
“But you must have spoken to him at some point.”
“No, actually. But I will.”
I was eager to get away from this empty vessel. The callous man I’d first met had returned, and I’d forgotten how much I hated that guy. “Why do I feel like I’m being played?” I sat in the chair, arms across my chest.
He sank back in his armchair and tilted his head slightly. Storm clouds were in his eyes, and thunder was about to erupt. “You think I want to keep you here forever? As beautiful as you are, it’s not as much fun to fuck someone who hates you. The only reason I’m upholding my end of the deal is because I think you deserve better. If you go back to Grave, you’ll never be free. The life you dream of will forever be out of your grasp. A part of me, somewhere deep inside, still cares for you—just a bit.”
The next day, we packed our bags and flew to Paris.
Cauldron didn’t even sit next to me on the plane. He sat toward the front, his laptop on the desk in front of him. He talked on the phone, responded to emails, had the full attention of the flight attendant, who seemed interested in more than a tip.
I didn’t ask what our agenda was, but it could be anything. It could be business. It could be a fancy party. It could be Grave. Anything, really. Now that we didn’t speak, those answers eluded me.
We arrived in the City of Light then made our way to his Parisian apartment. At the three-story building with a private entrance, we parked the car then entered the mansion in the heart of the city. Pius greeted us with champagne and caviar, treating me warmly like I deserved to be there. Hugo didn’t insult me anymore, but he always looked at me like some kind of sewer rat. “Mademoiselle Camille, wonderful to see you again.”
“Thanks, Pius.” I took the glass of champagne then kissed him on the cheek before I walked farther into the apartment.
Pius stilled and looked at Cauldron fearfully.
Cauldron took his champagne then entered the main room, his stare heated and cold at the same time.