The Game by L.P. Lovell
9
The day goes on. Tobias leaves to tend to business and Preston continues to wind me up, never giving me release. By the time night rolls around I’m ashamed of how desperate I am. I slip into an evening dress and follow Preston into the limo, riding in silence to an impressive estate on the outskirts of the city. Three stories. Landscaping. A Bentley parked out front.
We’re shown into a breathtaking marble foyer by a butler then led past the winding staircase and down a long hallway. Preston glances at me and smiles, but there's anticipation behind that smile. And that makes me nervous.
We're shown to an ornate dining room. China and crystal have been set on the large banquet table which only has three people sitting at it. A man at the head, a dark-headed woman in a red dress to his left, and at his right sits Tobias.
Both men stand when we enter the room. I feel so out of place, underdressed, and too low-class. The Butler pulls out the heavy wooden chair next to Tobias, and I take a seat.
Tobias motions toward me as he takes his seat again. “This is Ella, Ella this is David McDonough, and Nadia, his wife.” He leans over my shoulder and places a hand on my thigh. “Isn't she lovely, Ella?”
“Stunning...” Preston says as he takes his seat on the other side of me, and soon enough, the men are talking business. Trends in stock and advertisement inflations, and all the while Tobias's hand creeps farther and farther up my thigh. He squeezes, and I nervously glance at him. “Game two should prove very interesting. But there's a dilemma you may not like.”
And then he’s right back to business. I sit, staring down at my dinner plate and wringing my hands beneath the table. What is the point in all of this? How can any of this be worth a million dollars to them? Honestly, I'd expected to fuck them for seven days straight, let them spank me and pull my hair, call me a whore. But I’m quickly learning that is not what this is. Inhaling, I close my eyes. What would I do for a million dollars? Isn't that turning out to be quite the question?
Maybe this is just what happens to a man when he has everything he could possibly want. Perhaps screwing with people less fortunate than themselves is their drug of choice.
After dinner, Tobias pulls out my chair. He taps the face of his watch then threads his fingers through mine. “Excuse us for just one moment, Davide. I want to show Ella the Monet you have in the parlor.” And with that, he whisks me out of the dining area. The moment we turn the corner, he grabs me by the shoulders and pins me to the wall, and slowly wraps his fingers around my throat. Fear trickles through me when his grip tightens. I wonder if he lied before when he said he wouldn’t hurt me.
“You are so tempting. So pliable.” The warmth of his tongue trails along my neck and sends a confusing want coursing through me. “Since we met, all I've wanted was to be inside you. And when I get that chance, I am going to fucking ruin you, little lamb.” He drops his hand from my throat and steps back, continuing to lead me down the hall.
I fight the nerves buzzing around in my chest, and keep reminding myself that no matter what happens tonight, no one will ever know. How bad could it possibly be? Tobias leads me up the stairs, brushing hair from my shoulders when we reach the top. “And don't worry, Nadia and David don't mind at all. We've paid them nicely to use their guest room.”
Why in the hell is he paying someone to use their spare room when he has a penthouse in the middle of Manhattan? It’s that thought that causes my stomach to knot because I don’t believe he’s taking me up here to fuck me. After last night, I know it’s not just about sex with him.
When we reach the top of the stairs, Preston is waiting. The three of us head into one of the rooms at the far end of the hall. I’m barely inside when Tobias quickly closes the door without turning on the light. “I’m warning you now, Ella,” he says. “Whatever you do, don’t scream.”
Preston’s warm hand covers my mouth and I jump. “Just a reminder to keep quiet.”
Adrenaline fires through my body while anxiety sets in my gut. And then, the light turns on. I find myself clawing at Preston's hand, gasping against his palm as I stare at the gagged and bound naked girl tied to the four-poster bed.
“It's fine, Ella. She's not hurt,” Preston says before releasing me.
“Yet,” Tobias adds. “You remember Maria?”
Of course, I remembered the woman who ruined my life. A surge of anger and jealousy mixes with a toxic sense of guilt. I’m not sure I want to know what this game entails, but whatever happens to her will be my fault. “I want to leave,” I whisper.
“So Soon?” Tobias coos. “But, you don't even know what the game is, little lamb.”
“I don't need to know. I'm sorry.” I move toward the door.
“Did you forget you're homeless?”
I stop. Maria fucked my boyfriend, took what was mine, and in a roundabout way put me here. This is my opportunity to get my life back. My chance at one million dollars. Am I really going to give it up for her? “Tell me then.” I slowly turn to face the two men. “What is the game?”
Tobias thrusts his hands deep inside his pockets, an ominous smile lingering on his lips. “You have two choices. You can fuck her, or you can kill her.”
“What?” The word leaves my lips in a rush. He can’t be serious. He wants me to murder someone...
“I'm going to let that question slide. Chalk it up to shock.” Tobias glares at me.
Preston moves to the side of the room, giving me an unobstructed view of Maria bound to the bed behind them. “It's a simple game of what do you want more, sweet Ella?”
“We know you hate her for what she did to you.” Tobias’s smooth voice is like the devil luring me to hell. “For what she took from you…”
Preston approaches me, trailing his fingers over my cheek when he stops next to me. “But we also know how painfully pent up you are.” His hand slides beneath my dress to cup my pussy, but only for a second. When he moves his hand away, I almost whimper at the loss of contact. What the hell is wrong with me?
“You have two choices,” Tobias says. “Fuck her or kill her”
Preston presses a finger beneath my chin and forces me to look at him. “Or walk away with nothing. Homeless. Alone. Unloved.” He kisses me gently, then steps back. “I would miss you, sweet Ella. So very much.”
They can’t be serious. I glance at Maria. Tears roll down her cheeks as she fights against the restraints. I’m not killing her. Absolutely not killing another human.
“If you walk away though,” Tobias says, dragging my attention to him as he inspects his cufflinks like this is nothing more than a business merger. “We kill her.”
Preston laughs. “It's like Duck, Duck, Goose. Only...Die, Die, Fuck.”
My stomach knots and kinks, bile rises in my throat.
“Oh, come on. It can’t be that hard.” Tobias moves toward the bed. “She steals your boyfriend, then you lose your job, and because you are all alone, you lose your home.” He ticks off each horrible detail on his fingers, one by one. “You lose everything until you are in such a piss-poor situation, you land in our laps.” A wicked smile crosses his face. “I'd kill her.”
“I'd fuck her,” Preston counters.
It’s like a devil and angel on my shoulder situation, only my angel left me with two devils.
They told me I could leave at any time when I signed that contract, but I have a feeling there will always be stipulations to that agreement. Freedom is such a vague term. I walk away and they kill her. “I'm not free to leave then,” I whisper.
Tobias quirks a brow. “Is that a question?”
“No.
“Then, by all means...” Tobias gestures towards the door with a jerk of his head.
“I leave, and you kill her. My freedom is hinged upon stipulations, so I'm not free.”
“Ah, sweet, innocent Ella.” Preston smiles. “You should be more concerned for yourself.” He glances at Tobias as both men move toward me. “There is something quite appealing about that innocence though, isn't there?”
Tobias drags a finger down my chest, zigzagging across my stomach. “She won't be innocent by the time we're done with her.” He slaps my pussy before moving to the side of the bed. “Tick-tock, Ella…” Then he leans over Maria and removes the gag. “What do you think, Maria? Would you rather Ella fuck you, or would you rather one of us kill you?”
“Fuck me, please. Just fuck me. Don't let me die.” A sob breaks through her lips. “Please...”
“Aw, she's begging you, sweet Ella,” Preston murmurs as he circles me like the bleeding prey I am. “Does it make you wet?”
Tobias throws the gag to the floor and holds out his arms. “She'd rather not die tonight, so what shall it be Ella? What decision can you live with?”
Bang. Bang. Bang.My heart echoes in my ears. Time seems to slow, possibly stop…
“Come on, Ella.” Tobias snaps his finger. “It's not that hard of a decision, surely? She ruined your life...” On a sadistic smile, Tobias taps his finger over his chin as though he's pondering some philosophical prose. “So why not ruin hers?”
“Or just take away her dignity as she stripped away yours,” Preston’s hand slips between my thighs again, caressing, stroking. “Take it away. Little by little. Have her grovel. Make her pay just enough to never forget who you are. Every time she closes her eyes, she will remember you. You'll haunt her dreams like I'm certain she's haunted yours.”
No matter how much I hate her, I can’t let her die. My stomach churns as I slip out of my dress and panties. When I bend to take off my heels, Tobias stops me. “Leave the shoes.”
And so, I do. I take a few unsteady steps toward the bed, then halt. How the hell am I supposed to do this? I crawl onto the bed, glancing at the ropes holding her in place. “I'd like her untied.”
“Don't think so,” Preston says. “And we almost forgot, if you want her to live, it has to be believable, Ella. Sexy and hot and dirty.”
I grit my teeth. I want to scream at them both for being so sick and cruel.
Tobias moves around the bed, stopping beside me. “Here, allow me to help you.” He takes my hand and rubs it over her thigh before he forces it between her legs. “Isn’t she smooth and warm?” I can hear the amusement in his voice. He takes my finger and swipes it over her pussy. And she's wet. What the fuck?
I scrunch my brow. Tobias must notice because he laughs. “Fear can be quite the aphrodisiac. Now. Fuck her,” he orders as he steps away.
This is the woman that Sawyer left me for. My hand travels over the flair of her hip, the curve of her waist. The woman he fucks every night. I brush my hand over her breast, her nipple hard beneath my palm. I should hate this. I do hate this but, at the same time, an odd sense of power thrashes inside me. She'll die without me fucking her. What sick monster am I to find the slightest bit of satisfaction in this?
Her eyes lock with mine. “Please,” she whispers, and suddenly she no longer seems afraid. She bites down on her lip and thrusts her hips toward me, her warm pussy grazing my stomach.
“Fuck her, Ella,” Preston whispers from the side of the bed.
“Please, fuck me, sweet Ella,” she says. “Touch me. Feel how wet I am for you.” I freeze in place. What the hell is going on? “Make me come,” she moans.
Shamefully, that all too familiar pull ignites between my legs when I brush my finger over her pussy and slowly press a finger inside her.
“Isn't she beautiful?” Preston asks. “How sweet she must taste.”
I lean down with my finger still inside her, and I slowly swipe my tongue over her clit. She hisses out a breath. Her hips buck. Tobias and Preston round the bed, both stopping on either side of the headboard. I glance up, watching as they untie her wrists.
“Don't stop,” she moans just before her now free hands fly to the back of my head. She grabs my face and forces my mouth over her. I lick and suck, all the while fucking her with my hand until she's moaning and screaming, her pussy clenching around my fingers.
“Now,” Tobias says, untying Maria’s bound feet. “Your turn.”
As soon as she’s freed, Maria sits up and forces me onto my back. The bead of her nipple brushes mine as she lays over me, kissing me before sinking between my legs. “Can I taste you, Ella?”
I should say no. But I don’t want to. Her thumb rubs circles over my clit, the sensation catching my breath. I barely notice Tobias as he shifts beside me. “You want her to eat your pussy, don't you, Ella?”
“You like the way she feels,” Preston adds, his hand trailing over my breast, tugging at my hardened nipple. But I don't answer. I can't answer.
Her warm mouth hits me. Preston and Tobias grope and suck my breasts while her tongue licks over me.
I moan, my hips bucking from the bed when her slender fingers sink inside me. Within seconds, I’m right on that edge, my nerves buzzing and humming. “Stop!” Tobias’s demand booms around the room and Maria freezes. It takes everything in me not to thrust up against her face in search of more friction. “Get dressed, little lamb.”
He can’t be serious. My jaw tightens as my pussy throbs. Nothing about this makes sense. They wind me up, then fuck with my head. Tell me to fuck or kill the girl my ex cheated on me with, then wind me up some more.
Maria slips off the bed and dresses while I lie here with my head spinning. Tobias passes my clothes to me then walks to the door with a smirk. “Nothing is as it seems.”
After we’re dressed, the four of us descend the stairs. When we reach the bottom, Tobias grabs Maria's arm, escorting her to the back hallway.
“Let's leave then, sweet Ella.” Preston leads me toward the front of the house.
David and Nadia are nowhere to be seen, there's not even a trace of the butler. I want to ask where Tobias is taking Maria—where everyone has vanished to—but, again, I can't. So I simply leave the house in silence.
As always, a car is waiting out front. And, as always, the driver opens the door for us. Once we’re inside the interior light dims, and that’s when the panic kicks in. Tobias took her. Just like he took that man from the bar. What if he kills her? Was it not convincing enough, because it sure felt like it.
“Tell me he won't hurt her,” I whisper. “I held up my end of the game.”
“That you did.” Preston’s fingertip sweeps over my cheek. His grin catches on the moonlight streaming in through the window. “But we can't have her talking, now can we?”
My stomach rolls and I fight away the sick feeling eating through me like acid. Surely that was just a threat, a bargaining chip he used to make me bend to his whims? Would he kill her? I truly don't know what he and Preston are capable of. They are strangers, and if they could simply kill someone as part of a game, then I'm in way over my head.
For the next ten minutes, I keep wondering what Tobias has done with her; how I can get out of this. If it’s even safe for me to try to get out of this...
Finally, Tobias emerges from the front entrance, smiling as he makes his way toward the car.
The second he slides in beside me and closes the door, the car screeches away. I eye him, looking for a drop of blood on his clean, white dress shirt, but the fine cotton is pristine.
We weave through the empty streets and merge onto the interstate. I may have signed that contract, but murder... “I'm not a murderer,” I say.
His gaze slowly drifts to me. “Little lamb, you are whatever the fuck I say you are.”
Heat rattles my insides, stinging down into my bones. I should leave, but this isn't a choice any longer. This is survival, and without that money, I have no hope to survive.
“Go easy on her, Tobias. She's had a rough day,” Preston laughs as he pulls me against him, pressing his palm to my cheek and cradling me to his shoulder like I’m a child. “You were such a good girl. You did so well. I'm proud of you. My sweet Ella.” The condescending tone makes my fists clench, my nails biting into my palm. Preston’s lips brush my hair, and a curious smile stretches over Tobias’s face.
“Don't get attached, Preston. You know they never last past day three.” Something dangerous flares in Tobias’s green eyes as he sweeps his hand over my thigh; soft then rough until his fingers dig into my flesh. “Pretty things lose their luster after a while.”
“But they don't lose their functionality.” Preston holds my head closer to his shoulder, skimming his lips across my forehead. “It’s been a while since I felt a pussy that tight.”
The leather seat squeaks when Tobias leans in and places his lips against my ear. “It won't be that tight after we fuck her though.”
I shove away from Preston, done being their source of amusement for the moment
Preston drags a thumb over my lip. “If you're lucky, I'll make you squirt for me.”
Heat flames my cheeks when Tobias smirks. “Oh, let's not, Preston. We're making our little lamb uncomfortable.” Without warning, Tobias yanks me into his lap, making me straddle him. And I hate myself because just like I’ve been drugged, I fall weak for him. I ache for his pleasure as he grabs my ass and forces me against him. “We shouldn't be so crude, but sometimes we can't help it.” His gaze drops to my lips on a low groan. “I want to do so many things to you, Ella. And frustration is a terrible way to try a man’s patience.”
Then he kisses me with such reverence, such tenderness it momentarily melts away the hatred taking root in my heart for this man. It makes me feel as though he wants to love me, makes me feel cherished. And when the kiss ends, Tobias slowly pulls away, eyes still closed as though he’s savoring the taste of my lips. “So pretty,” he says. “So perfect. If I were able to keep you, I think I would.”
Confusion swirls through my head, a violent tornado intent on wreaking havoc. He told Preston not to get attached, yet here he is saying he'd keep me if he could. One moment he's condescending, the next he's trying to woo me. And, at the base of it all, I feel as though every second that ticks by in their presence taints me. It eats away at my morals. Right and wrong—is there even such a thing with these two men? The whole of New York passes by the window, so unaware of the crisis I’m having.
“What did you learn today?” Tobias asks. Learn? What did I learn? Is he serious? That I’d rather fuck the woman who ruined my life than kill her. I remain silent because I don't know how to answer that. “Ella,” he sings into my ear, his fingers dancing up my thigh.
I search his eyes, hoping to see what it is he wants me to say, but Tobias gives nothing away. When I glance at Preston, Tobias takes my chin, turning my attention back to him. “Don't look at him for answers. Did you feel power today, my precious little lamb?”
Power. I felt powerful when Maria's life was hinged upon my decision, when her mouth was on me, her face between my legs. I swallow at that acknowledgment. “Yes. Sex is power.”
“Sex is currency, sweet Ella,” Preston adds. “I could tell you liked it.”
I shift my gaze out the window, unable to look at either of them because I’m ashamed that I liked it. Especially considering the circumstance, but maybe— maybe that was just my mind trying to rationalize it all. Maybe that was a defense mechanism, something to help me forget why it was that Maria was between my legs, why it was that she begged me to touch her.
I continue to focus on the traffic passing by. I don’t want to think about this anymore. Then Tobias takes my chin in his hand. “Sometimes, once the chains of moral construct are removed, we surprise ourselves with what we are capable of.”
“I'd hardly call anything to do with that situation removing the chains of moral construct,” I mumble.
“Wouldn't you, though? I gave you no choice but to fuck her… Moral construct, gone.” He holds his hands up like a magician who's just done a card trick. Then he laughs before touching my forehead and smoothing his thumbs over the frown lines.
“Tell me, Ella,” Preston says, drawing my gaze toward him as he adjusts himself. “Are you to the point where no matter how horrible you may think we are, all you can think about is having our cocks buried deep inside of you?”
Right now, with Tobias’s hardening cock beneath me, the answer is yes. Wanting him is akin to begging for the devil, bartering your soul for something you can never keep. I subtly grind against Tobias, desperate for the friction, but he stops me. “Patience is a virtue, little lamb.” His hand creeps up my thigh, my skin igniting from his touch. “How quickly will you come for me? If I let you, that is.”
The car bumps along the road as Preston runs his fingers down my back. “We picked you, Ella. Out of all the beautiful women, we chose you.”
“How does that make you feel?” Tobias asks.
“Does it make you feel special?” Preston whispers, twirling a piece of my hair around his finger.
“Privileged?”
“Like something prized?”
“Does it make you feel powerful, little lamb?” Tobias thrusts up against me, and I nearly lose it.
The air is thick with a sin-tinged passion. There is no doubt they are alluring and charming. They promise so much, but at what cost? I want them to want me, to need me, because when men like them need you...my breath hitches. I don't know that there is anything more addicting than the way these two men touching me feels. This is sex. Living, breathing sex. As the city passes by the window, these men sit here, touching me, kissing me, whispering how special I am to be theirs. And although I know I am free to leave at any point, I don't know that I could now. With these two, a woman could quickly become an addict. And this is one sick addiction there is no rehab for.