Fuck, this really is so goddamn complicated. If he knew what I was thinking before—what Leo said, what I was considering—he’d probably leave me with Ari in his playroom. And I’d let him, because he deserves more than I can give him right now.
But I’ll take this too—for as long as he’ll let me. For as long as I’ll let myself.
“Go get in the bath,” he says, then drags his lips down my neck until he’s biting my shoulder. “I’ll be in to collect you when I’m done with those three.”
I shudder, tempted again to skip the bath and watch, but I have a feeling if I obey, it’ll be worth my while.
Chapter 2
JAMES
There’s no greatertorture than sitting through a cake tasting with my cock choked by a tight cage and a massive butt plug stretching me until I’m gaping. But I also know there will be no sweeter release than when Kane finally decides that I’ve learned my lesson enough to finally come.
It was worth it—all the edging and orgasm denial and service we’ve had to perform for our god and goddess. Because it meant we got them there. It meant Kane cracked and put his mouth on her, and I knew the moment he did, he’d become just as addicted to the taste of her as we all were.
I wanted to see the look in his eyes when he realized she really was one of us, and it finally happened after these long, impossible weeks of him fighting it. It just took stealing her panties and fingering her in front of him to the point he was ready to bust a nut in his trousers.
Stroking Phoenix and describing to him in vivid detail what Kane was doing to our precious girl was maybe the best and most frustrating moment of my life because I knew what was coming next. The wedding planning appointments were expected—and necessary. Doing Alice’s laundry by hand madeher happy. Bathing her, getting her off, massaging her—those were all things I’d do willingly.
But the torture of not being allowed to touch or be touched was only the second worst I’ve suffered at Kane’s hand.
Ari, of course, got off light for not being part of the dinnertime attack. He was allowed to come while Kane was edging Phoenix and me to the point of no return.
And I’m pretty sure Phoenix has gotten off by now. He looks a little smug as he sits next to me and nibbles on the various chocolate cake offerings, but I’m not surprised. He always has been and always will be the favorite. It’s not something I’ve ever needed or wanted, and honestly, I think Kane knows that this is the only way I’ll ever feel absolved of my sins.
The punishment makes me feel like he’s constantly aware of me, even if his brand of retribution is leaving my balls aching and my dick chafed from the cage. Even if I’m going to gape for days once he takes out this plug and stops giving me an enema every morning and every night.
Fuck, if I could get hard, I would.
Instead, I take a bite of the black forest cake and grimace. “Not a fan of the cherry,” I say.
Alice, who looks a little zoned out, blinks up at me. “Sorry. What?”
“Do you want to go home, love?” I ask, worried about her. She’s been out of it for days, and I’m not convinced when she quickly shakes her head.
Phoenix stiffens beside me. “Alice?”
She waves us both off. “No, no. Just…this hormone bullshit.” I’m not sure she’s telling the truth. Not entirely. The baby isn’t making her sick like some people go through, but it is making her pee every ten minutes, and it’s making sleep at night hard and exhaustion powerful during the day.
There’s something else, though. She’s distracted, and I’m starting to wonder if it’s Rhys’ punishment that’s bothering her.
He’s suffering, but he hasn’t been tortured even close to breaking just yet. He’s been sleep deprived, half-starved, forced to sit in his own filth for long periods of time, and stuck with blasting airhorn for hours. But those are tame compared to what Ari will do when he gets his hands on him.
And that looks like it’s about to be inevitable.
He’s given us almost nothing except that he and Leo are lovers, and he keeps repeating the same thing: they’re trying to take down Guido and Marco and end the Romano madness in our city.
Kane isn’t ready to believe him, and even if he was, Rhys still betrayed his family. If Rhys had come to him with their plan—even if he was fucking Leo—Kane would have listened.
Of course, I understand Rhys, even if I would never say that aloud. If I’d fallen for Alice outside of Kane’s plan to bring her into our fold, I would have been shit-scared of his reaction. Because at the very least, he would have given Alice to Ari to deal with. At the worst, he would have made me watch for being so stupid.
But I don’t know if Alice is aware that Rhys is even in our house. I know Leo has sent her messages. Hell, I suspect he’s even found a way to speak to her in person. What I don’t know is how that’s affecting her and what he’s told her.
If she betrays us…
No. That’s not something I can bring myself to think about. I wouldn’t survive it. I doubt any of us would. But I’ve said nothing because I want to see how it plays out. I want to know that our girl—our precious goddess—will make the right choice in the end.
That it won’t even be a choice.