Page 19 of Stalker

I rolled my eyes. “Let me get this straight. The Obsidian Society, once a privileged honor to be invited into, has now been turned into a glorified, albeit darker version ofTheBachelor.”

Both Zach and Xander chuckled.

I wasn’t kidding.

“Call it what you want, but an additional limited questionnaire will weed out the crazies and the reporters. I can spot them a mile away.” Christopher held up his drink. The man had a shit-eating grin on his face.

We had endured a number of reporters in the past two years determined to learn all our dirty little secrets.

“Fine. I don’t care. Create the account. Just let me know when the candidates are weeded out.” I’d grown weary of the same company bullshit over the last three or four years. Boredom wasn’t in my best interest. Or that of those who pissed me off for that matter.

“I agree. That’s fine, Chris, but it’s your baby. Finish it and if there are any contestants left after you get through with weeding them out, let us know.” Xander was forever acting like the CEO of the company. That used to piss me off. Now, I honestly didn’t care.

Maybe the boredom had ripped away what had been left of my ability to blend in and be normal.

“How’s the movie?” I asked Zach. Also nothing I cared about. However, the production on the thriller blockbuster based on Dark Nights could turn out to be a lucrative venture if it did well at the box office. As if we needed more money.

Zach shrugged. “Sara has the production team eating out of her hand.”

Sara, his supportive love interest, a woman who could handle his dark proclivities. Both my brothers had mellowed out after finding the right women.

“Don’t invite me to the premiere,” I told him.

“Speaking ofThe Bachelor,” Xander threw in.

I lifted my head, noticing he was grinning as if he held a goddamn secret. “What?”

“Did you forget about the charity event?” Zach asked. “Isn’t that like two weeks away?”

Xander nodded.

“Obviously, I attempted to block the ridiculous event from my mind,” I answered. “Since when do soulless sociopaths give a damn about charity?” The charity event was nothing but extreme pomp and circumstance for the rich and famous. They were allowed to play while appearing as if they gave a damn about whatever cause was being highlighted.

“Since it helps keep the reporters confused and the police from bursting in through our doors.” Xander’s answer was a decent one, but it didn’t mean I cared. “You volunteered since this is a bachelor auction. We certainly can’t participate.”

“Naturally, or the women who have your dicks in a tight vise will castrate you.” I had volunteered after a night of debauchery and booze. I never lost control of anything in my life and that night had proven to me why it wasn’t a good idea.

“Think of it this way. It’s a masquerade party as well. At least you can wear a mask.”

Zach was teasing, but his words were another reminder of how much I was itching to assume a role play.

Only the play was very real.

And very dangerous.

CHAPTER5

Cassandra

“Ten days, baby. Ten days and we finally get your tight pussy drilled.”

I spit out a huge gulp of coffee, barely missing my computer screen, choking from sucking a good half ounce into my nose. I scrambled to grab a handful of tissues from the holder on my credenza before the liquid stained the file I’d been working on. Penny Parker was definitely one of the few women who could make me snort a liquid under any circumstances.

“What?” I managed and blotted the surface.

“You heard me. It’s been four desert-dry months for you. Four months of your best friends hearing you whine about that deadbeat ex-prick that you carried on your back. When you rewarded your besties with an appearance.”

“Ha. Ha. You know I was working night and day on that case.” That case. The one that had almost broken me. The one where the killer had been awarded bail and had attempted to stalk me. Thankfully, I’d been prepared for his one stupid mistake and the police had swept in like vultures. The fucker was going to rot in prison for the rest of his life.

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