“What are you doing here?” I ask her as she finally reaches me, even though I willed her here.
I’m sitting on a leather couch, my cane placed over my lap as if I can use it as a weapon against her. But nothing can truly protect me from this woman. Every single time I see her, I get weaker and weaker. It won’t be long until I wave my white flag and beg for mercy. Especially with the way she looks tonight. I could just lick her, bite her, devour every last piece of her flesh.
She bends down and kisses me briefly on the cheek as if we are simply acquaintances and nothing more. She’s being polite and I hate fucking manners. “Sasha convinced me to come. She said there was an open invite for Morellis and—”
“You feel like you’re a Morelli now?” I ask, taunting her with a quirk of an eyebrow and a slight smirk. I’m not being fair, and I know it. But I’m getting sick of playing by the rules.
Ignoring my question, she sits down next to me and looks up at Harrison with a smile. She gives a devilish grin and brushes her dark hair off her shoulder to show off even more flesh. My eyes narrow on Lyriope, knowing damn well she picked this dress to wear out just to mess with me. I can’t allow my mind to go to the dark places of picturing other men watching her in the streets of New York or I’ll go mad.
I nod at Harrison to signal he’s not needed.
Harrison turns to leave, but first tells me, “You said you’d be attending the private birthday party in room two. Do you want me to inform the host that you’re occupied?”
Lyriope’s eyes widen, and quirks an eyebrow. I see the jealousy flooding from every pore on her face. “Private party?”
Harrison’s eyes dart to mine and he frowns. He knows he could have just fucked up. I smile so he knows I’m not upset. “They can start without me.” I want to keep Lyriope on her toes, but I also don’t want Lyriope to believe I was going to have sex with anyone.
No one can compare to her. But fuck if I’ll admit to that.
My eyes lock with his, and he’s a wise enough man to know to get off the topic and leave. “I’ll let the host know,” Harrison says as he takes the opportunity to spin on his heels and leave.
I smirk at how flustered the man got when he worried he just got me busted for cheating or revealing a more sinister plan. Not that I’d be cheating. It’s not like Lyriope and I are shacked up. There isn’t a ball and chain around my ankle. But still… I had no intent of touching anyone. Something about the idea seems off-putting.
“Quite the exit the other night. You just left,” she says, swirling her pearl necklace around her finger.
“Seemed like the perfect ending to such anexplosivetime with you.”
She smiles with not only her mouth but her eyes. The twinkle in them can be seen as the laser lights swirl around her.
“Sasha told me that tonight is going to have a lot of sex parties in private rooms.” Her eyes lower to her hands that are folded into her lap. “I didn’t mean to prevent you from participating.”
“Like I said, I was only going to attend. Show my face. Be visible in my Wonderland.”
“I don’t want to keep you, then.”
“We’ll leave the fun for others,” I say, sipping my drink. “I’m here with you now.”
“I like fun,” Lyriope cuts in, giving me a bashful look as she says it.
“It’s a type of fun I’m not sure you quite understand.”
What I really want to do is take Lyriope home so I can fuck her hard and punish her naughty ass for coming to Wonderland dressed in that little black number for all to see. My cock twitches at the thought, but I need to compose myself and save my dark intentions for later. Right now, we have a plan in place. A role to play. A war to start.
“Why would you assume I wouldn’t want to attend a private party?” She leans back in her chair with her arms crossed against her chest. I recognize her look, and I know this is the expression she gives when she’s trying to mask her nervousness. She’s trying to play the part. She’s trying to pretend her way through it.
I signal for the waitress I have stationed upstairs, to be there for my needs, to bring me another drink and also one for Lyriope. I have a feeling we both are going to need it. “These private rooms are for those who like to get dirty in front of all. I don’t think you truly know what that means.”
“I’m not so naïve to not know what a private party room means. It could be fun.”
“Says the girl who was a virgin before me,” I say as I swallow the last of my drink, anxious for our waitress to return with a new one. Something with the way that Lyriope is looking at me is making me nervous.
“I’ve come a long way,” she says with a Cheshire Cat grin. “I’ve been taught by the best.”
Lyriope is most certainly in a mood tonight. I’m not sure if I should love it or be afraid of it. Some of it is for show. It’s all a façade. I know her well enough to see this. But at the same time, I see a spark of something different. Almost like she’s starting to find herself. Maybe hanging out with Sasha has been good for her. Maybe having the Morelli name isn’t as much a curse as I expected and rather it’s helping my flower bloom. Something is different. Something has my curiosity piqued.
“It’s a sex party. The theme is the delicate balance between pain and pleasure.” My eyes are examining every perfect feature of her face. I’m looking for any clue as to what she’s really thinking, and what she really wants out of this night. To see if she’s taking the bait I’m leaving out…
“I like… pain and pleasure,” she says with a quirk of her upper lip.