Chapter 16 The Fall
ALICE
I knew watching the show was a filthy damn thing to do, especially since I was standing right next to a man who showed interest in me and clearly was trying to communicate something to me by bringing me here, but I couldn't stop.
I couldn't look away.
I was well aware that there were aspects of sex that I'd never familiarized myself with. When I was younger, I'd read all sorts of books filled with smut, imagining how my sex life would be once I became sexually active.
To say that sex disappointed me would be a lie. I'd had good sex. Benjamin was good at it, too. He wasn't exactly the kinkiest man on the block, but he fucked with heart, and that counted a lot.
He also always made sure I came.
But this...this was something I wasn't familiar with, and maybe that was the reason why I was so intrigued. I hadn't even realized it when Todd stepped away from me. I could smell his cigar, and that was the only indication that he was still close to me.
The woman on stage was moaning loudly. I heard pain in her voice, too, not just pleasure. Being fucked so hard was sure to hurt at some point, and when he flipped her around and I saw the monster dildo in her ass, that was when I understood that this woman was truly in some degree of pain.
It was a barbaric scene. She was tied up. Her skin was red from slaps, most likely. Even her face. Yet, it did strange things to me. I found myself clenching my thighs. The throbbing between my legs was...insistent.
I felt an intense desire to be touched and fucked in exactly the same way as her. Feel both pleasure and pain. The man fisted her short hair and forced her head down on the mattress before wrapping his head around the dildo and pulling it in and out of her ass while fucking her even harder. Her cries were louder than the creaking of the bed.
I was turned on.
More than I would ever care to admit.
I felt Todd's presence behind me. For a wild, crazy moment, I had this sudden wish for him to get closer. It was gone as soon as it sank its claws into me, because what the hell was I asking for here?
I should've turned on my heel and stormed toward the exit. Lust was doing strange things to me. I'd never felt anything like this. Being so turned on that I wanted anyone to touch me? This was the kind of thing I'd regret for a long, long time if I let it happen.
But then I felt his warm breath against my neck and shuddered. My clit throbbed with need. He was so close that I felt the warmth of his body. It made me cold.
My eyes closed just as he stepped even closer to me. I felt his hard-on against my lower back and it should've repulsed me, but it didn't. I couldn't lie to myself, could I? Then, his lips were close to my ear again, just as they were earlier.
"That's what I think about doing to you. Every second of every fucking day."
I opened my eyes and whirled around. Instead of coming face-to-face with Todd, as I'd expected, I found myself staring at Mr. Linden-Hawthorne's face. His expression was smug, and the lust in his eyes...
"What's the matter, Miss Rhodes? You weren't complaining a moment ago."
I pressed my lips together and ran right past him. It was a miracle that I didn't break my ankle on my way up the stairs. I was aware that he was hot on my heels, but I didn't stop.
I couldn't.
Shame was making my face burn like hell. I knew I had to get out of that place when I had the chance.
Now, he was pretty convinced that I wanted him, even though I didn't.
Or rather, I shouldn't.
"Miss Rhodes!"
I kept on running, not caring about how ridiculous I seemed. I reached the door and opened it, racing right past the men who let us in. It was even colder outside, so much that it felt like my cheeks were being sliced open by thin razors. But I didn't even have a chance to put my coat on.
How could I if stopping wasn't an option? He'd just catch up to me and I didn't want to deal with him.
My despair to be rid of him backfired when I slipped on the sidewalk and hit my ass on the frozen ground hard. Before I could even think of getting up, he was right next to me. He closed his hand around my arm and I tried to free myself, but he just tightened his grip.
"Let me go!"
"See what you've done!"
He pulled me up to my feet. My ass was cold and sore, and when I stepped on my ankle, I felt a sting of pain. I hurt it after all.
Just fucking great.
"What's wrong?" he asked when he saw me raising my ankle above the ground. His eyes met mine. "You're hurt, aren't you?"
"I'm fine," I gritted out.
Frowning, he slipped his hand inside his pocket and retrieved his phone. He called the driver, and we waited for about two minutes for his arrival. Meanwhile, the jerk hadn't let go of my arm, and I had to tolerate his touch while dealing with my pain and the cold.
I hated him. The feeling was so intense that it burned my chest.
The car was parked a few feet away from us, and he started walking. I took a step and my shoes slipped on the ice again. His grip on me tightened, and before I knew it, he picked me up, hooking an arm under my thighs while the other wrapped around my waist.
I was wide-eyed and shocked. "PUT ME DOWN!"
"You're hurt, Miss Rhodes."
"Because of you!"
"No—you hurt yourself because you were running from the truth."
I kept my mouth shut at this. What could I possibly say? I was too angry. I'd end up saying the wrong thing.
And a tiny, tiny part of me knew that what he was saying was true, to a degree.
Ugh, fuck him.
"Besides," he added with a wicked grin, "I'm a gentleman. I help ladies in need."
I scoffed and remarked harshly, "Ha! You're no gentleman!"
"And you're no lady. I'm glad we're on the same page about that."
He managed to open the back door of the car, and we got in. I sat right next to him, inching closer to the other door to put some distance between us. He glanced at me with a look that made my mouth dry. I could just read his filthy thoughts. I made things worse by running and showing a reaction.
He still thought this was a game, and I was playing right into it.
Oh, dammit. What had I gotten myself into?