The Game by L.P. Lovell
8
The next morning I’m ordered to dress, again in an outfit the two men have chosen—a pencil skirt, heels, and a crisp, white dress shirt. Then we head to the looming tower of Six Degrees Media where Tobias and Preston part ways. I follow Tobias into the elevator, and we go straight to the top floor and into a conference room. The men surrounding the massive table in the center of the room look up from the paperwork spread out in front of them.
“This is Ella, my assistant,” Tobias says. He takes a seat at the head of the table, then jots something down on a piece of paper and passes it to me. “Ella, dear, would you go grab us coffees?”
I stare down at the paper. It’s a coffee order.
“Is there a problem?” he asks.
“I need a way to pay for it.”
His gaze drags over my body. “I think you can figure out a way to pay. Let's call it a game, shall we?”
Of course. Why not? I force a smile on my way out of the office, a newly forming hatred for him bubbling away. I think he just likes my humiliation, and why not? He’s paying to watch me squirm after all.
I wait in line at the coffee shop, then place my order, trying to work out a way to pay for these coffees without money.
“That will be twenty-six and forty-five cents.”
I look up at the guy behind the register who is smiling like it's the best day of his life.
One million dollars hang in the balance. I glance down at the note in my hand then feel around on my dress as I anxiously glance around the floor. “Shit!” By now, two of the five drinks are already at the register. I spin around and retrace my steps, dragging my hands through my hair and hoping to god it makes me look distraught before I make my way back to the counter. “I must have dropped my card.” I take a breath, purposefully not looking up at him. “It's my second day on the job. And my boss—These are for this big business meeting of his...” I think about Sawyer. I let that hurt and betrayal seep through me until tears blur my vision and my cheeks heat. “I’m going to get fired…”
A tear rolls down my cheek when I finally glance up. The cashier offers a sympathetic shrug, already fishing in his pocket. “Let me get them for you.”
“You don't have to—”
He smiles the sweetest smile. “It's no problem really.”
“Thank you so, so much.”
He pulls his card from his pocket and swipes it through the register. A few minutes later, I walk out of the coffee shop with five coffees, a smile, and one guilty conscience. When I get my million dollars, I'll be sure to come back and give him way more than twenty-six bucks.
When I get back to the office, Preston is at the table, passing out coffee. The small smile on my face fades when Tobias glances up at me. “How thoughtful of you, Ella, but we already have coffees.”
Preston grins as he reaches in his back pocket for his wallet. He hands me a fifty-dollar bill. “Hope that covers the cost.” Then winks before taking a seat.
I want to scream. None of this makes sense. I sit in that room, listening to them go over business proposals. I fetch their lunches, at least this time Tobias provides me with money. When the meeting adjourns around two in the afternoon, everyone files out of the room except for Tobias, myself, and Preston.
Preston glances at his phone. “I have a meeting with Thompson.”
“I'll take Ella, then.” Tobias starts toward the door. “There's something I want to show her.” The sinister way he smirks makes me feel like an animal caught in a trap.
Preston stops me as I pass, pressing a gentle kiss to my forehead. It’s disarming, to say the least. “I'll miss you, sweet Ella.”
I follow Tobias outside the building and into the sweltering heat of the bustling city. “Hope you don’t mind a walk…” he says, then leads me down the sidewalk. Eventually, we pass by my apartment. The eviction notice tacked to the door burns its way through my mind. Of course, I’m sure I could get the apartment back after this little arrangement is over, but I think maybe I’ll move away. Start over. Maybe Fort Lauderdale or Key West...
Eventually, we get caught at a crosswalk. I stare straight ahead even though I feel Tobias staring down at me.
“Did it destroy you when Sawyer left?”
I squint against the sun when I glance up at him. Is there anything about my life this man doesn’t know?
“All those posts you made on Six Degrees. The quotes about lost love, about lovers turning into strangers, the songs, all sad and pathetic, reminiscent of heartbreak.” He smiles like he enjoys the twinge of pain coursing through my chest at this very moment. “Did it destroy you?”
It did destroy me. I was heartbroken, angry, ashamed, and Tobias knows that. “It hurt,” I say just as the crosswalk turns green.
“As it should have.” People press in around us as we cross the street, and he takes my hand, sweeping his thumb over my knuckle like he’s some lover. “He was fucking around on you for nearly a year.” He glances down, studying me like he’s waiting for me to break. I’d known Sawyer was cheating on me, but a year… I fight the emotions I don’t want Tobias to see.
“Her name is Maria,” he says, slowing his stroll to lean by my ear. “And you know what, Ella? She knew about you, and she didn't care.”
My heart rate steadily picks up. I don’t want to know these things.
“How does that make you feel, little lamb? Does it make you angry that she didn't care, that she thought she was better than you?”
I want to tell Tobias to fuck off. I want to slap him, but I can't, so I just keep holding his hand as we make our way down the busy sidewalk until we stop outside of Elmo’s restaurant.
“I have a surprise for you.” Tobias points through the window at a brunette. “That's Maria. She's waiting on Sawyer just like you used to do. Same restaurant. The same booth even. It’s almost like she has your old life.” And although the question of how he knows all of this presses in on me like a shrinking room, I can't ask it. I watch Maria through the window, trying to force out the idea of Sawyer, but soon enough the floodgates break and I’m bombarded with memories. I can still smell the crisp scent of his Chanel Blue. I can still hear how low and rough his voice would drop when he'd whisper he wanted to fuck me right on that table. Glaring through the restaurant window, I swallow. I’m all too certain he tells Maria the same things. His painting that once hung over our couch, may very well be over her couch now—their couch. Things that were once mine are hers, and I hate her for it.
“Wonder where he is...” Tobias coos in my ear.
As if on cue, Sawyer walks out from the restroom and takes a seat next to the woman. He grabs her jaw and kisses her with passion and want as her fingers trail through his dark hair. That metaphorical knife jabs me deeply, leaving me no choice but to fight back the tears.
Tobias guides me away from the window. “I wonder what kind of person he told her you were?”
Why would he do this to me? What is the point?
“It must be frustrating, unable to ask any questions.” He laughs as we continue down the city sidewalk. “Just know, there are reasons for everything, Ella. Reasons for everything in life.”
We walk the next several blocks in silence, and as hard as I try, I can’t get the image of Sawyer kissing Maria out of my head. I hate that he can still hurt me. I hate that I care.
We pass by shops and hotels until Tobias finally stops in front of a brick-faced building. Whistling, he types a code into the keypad beside the entrance and the door pops open. A gust of cold air hits me when we step inside the bare entrance. I follow Tobias through another door into a pitch-black room. His hand lands on the small of my back, guiding me through the dark. There’s the jingle of keys, then another lock clicks. A door swings open, revealing a large, dimly lit bar on the other side. Men line the counter. Women in tiny, rhinestone dresses carry drink trays around the room.
“This should be more than interesting,” he says on our way toward the bar. And I have no doubt it will...
When we stop at the counter, the bartender glances up from the register. “Mr. Benton, so good to see you this evening.” His attention shifts to me on a crooked smile. “And you must be Ella. A pleasure to meet you.”
It’s as though there’s an entire underground society Tobias is the center of, all-knowing and ever-present. The man takes a set of keys from a drawer beneath the counter and passes them to Tobias. “Pod three,” he says. And with that, we turn from the bar and make our way across the room.
“Are you curious yet?” Tobias asks.
Questions swim in my head. So many questions, none of which I can ask, so I settle with: “I'm always curious when it comes to you, Tobias.”
We go down a narrow hallway where a series of neon blue lights hang above the line of doorways. The first sign reads Pod 8. We pass the door, then the large picture window beside it. When I glance through the glass, I see two people fucking on what looks to be a small stage, and in the corner of the room, stands a single man. And each room we pass is the same. Behind the glass, people carry out sexual acts while others watch.
We stop at Pod 3 and Tobias unlocks the door. I’ve barely made it inside before he directs me toward the leather sofa against the wall. “Sit, Ella.” I do as instructed, facing the bed with stage lights aimed at it. Tobias joins me just before a hidden panel pops out from the wall and two girls strut in, a blonde and a brunette, both in lingerie.
The blonde’s gaze locks on Tobias as she crosses the room then lies on the bed. The brunette follows suit, but instead of lying on the mattress, she straddles the other girl. The two women kiss each other as they undress. Something tugs inside my stomach as I watch the brunette’s slender fingers trail over the rounded part of the blonde’s breasts; as I watch their tongues meet, aggressive yet delicate. It’s sensual, forbidden.
“Does it make you uncomfortable, Ella?” Tobias drawls beside me.
“No.”
The dark-haired woman takes the blonde’s hand and places it between her thighs. A moan rustles through a speaker behind the couch. I shift in my seat, squeezing my thighs together to rid myself of the warming feeling there.
“Do you want to be one of them?”
“Why?” I ask, “Are you paying them a million dollars?”
“Strike two.”
I face away from him, clenching my jaw on a mumbled, “Fuck.”
“Such a dirty mouth for such an innocent little thing.”
“I'm not innocent,” I say.
He grips my jaw and turns me to face him. “You're pretty when you blush.” Then he leans in close enough his lips almost touch mine. “And endearing when you try to lie. Now watch the show.”
The dark-haired girl's face is now between the blonde's thighs. Each breath, each subtle beg is amplified next to my ear. My cheeks grow hot and I shift in the chair, repeatedly crossing and uncrossing my legs as a deep ache settles in my lower stomach. I want that. I want to feel the lash of her tongue, that euphoric bliss that the blonde woman is now feeling.
“Don't touch yourself.” Tobias grabs the hand I wasn’t even aware was so dangerously high on my thigh and shoves it away. “Watch them,” he says, his fingers trailing along the inside of my thigh. I’m ashamed to say that I find myself shifting, spreading my legs a tiny bit more in the hopes he’ll touch me.
“Tobias,” I almost whimper.
“Do you need something, little lamb?” I know he's playing me. I know that this is all just another trick in his bottomless box, but I can’t help that I want him. “Well?” His fingers move inches from where I want them, then stop.
“Please...” I shamelessly pull his hand toward me. Maybe it’s pathetic, but I know he can release the need building in me. “Please touch me.” .
He fists my hair, yanking my head to the side as he brings his lips to my ear. “The second you want it is the second you've already lost, little lamb.” His touch creeps higher and higher. The warm pad of his finger brushes over my panties and my muscles clench.
“Women are beautiful, aren't they?” he says, drawing circles over me through the lace. “So sensual. So soft.” He slides a finger along my seam and his lips quirk. I know he must be able to feel how wet I am through the material. “Imagine how she tastes, Ella. Imagine how it would feel to have her tender touch brush against you… Her long hair trailing over your naked body. Her supple breasts and hard nipples against yours.”
And that pressure, that sinful heat builds and builds until I'm left aching and desperate. Without warning, Tobias shifts to his knees in front of me and spreads my legs wide. I nearly come unglued when he pushes the lace to the side. “So wet for them, Ella,” he says, leaning closer and closer until the heat of his breath blows across me. “So fucking wet.”
He presses a single, long kiss to my clit. It’s just enough to coax a low moan from me, but then he pushes to his feet. “We should go.”
Go? I’m wound so tight, the thought of getting myself off right here crosses my mind. But that would be against the rules, so instead, I ignore the throbbing need between my legs and I follow him out.
With each step, I question myself, wondering what I'm allowing myself to become, certain that it's the anonymity of this arrangement that has me coming unhinged; wanting and needing this man in the most feral of ways.
We make our way across the bar, through the series of doors that lead into the bare, nondescript foyer. And, as if on cue, the moment we step outside, a black car rolls to a stop at the curb.
Tobias holds the door open for me. “Can't wait to see what state you're in by this evening.”
I duck inside the limo and settle into the seat beside Preston. Before Tobias is fully in the vehicle, Preston’s hand is on my thigh, his mouth on my neck. Then suddenly, he drags me into his lap until I’m straddling him. “Undress me, Ella.”
Without thought, I shove his jacket over his shoulders, scrambling to undo the buttons of the shirt beneath it as I press myself against his hardening length. He's too much—Too perfectly masculine, and while I know this is a game, at this exact moment, I don't care.
I slam my lips over his, aware this is not my submission. I may have to allow Tobias to taunt me like some pet, but Preston is a different animal. Less tame, far more unpredictable. I yank at his belt, pushing onto my knees enough so I can shove his pants down.
“You're so fucking sweet, Ella,” he murmurs against my lips when I reach between us and wrap my hand around his cock. I work over him for a few seconds, but he doesn’t make a move to touch me, and it’s driving me insane. They couldn’t keep their hands off me last night...
Taking his free hand, I shove it between my legs, but still, he doesn’t touch me.
“Make me come for you, sweet Ella.” He grabs onto my hand and guides it over his cock. Harder. Faster.
“Come for me, Preston,” I say.
He throws his head against the seat, groaning as stream after stream of thick, white come spurts over his stomach. When he's done, he drags a finger through the sticky mess, smiling as he raises it to my face. And like the obedient little toy I am, I open my mouth and allow him to slide his come-covered finger inside.
“You make this hard,” Preston mumbles as he pulls a pack of tissues from a side compartment in the car door. He takes one out and cleans himself up, then yanks his pants up and buckles his belt.
I've never felt so completely unhinged and desperate. A bone-deep longing for him to touch me incinerates me from the inside out. “Preston...” I start.
He pulls me close and presses his lips to my forehead. “While I love the feel of your tight little pussy coming on my hand, that's not today's game. And don't ever forget that is all this is— a game. Because the second you do...” He leans in, bringing his lips to my ear as the car turns onto a highway. “You've already lost.”