Page 53 of Shades of Ruin

She gets me so fucking hard I can’t even wait to tie her up and whip her before I’m creaming my goddamn pants. Now that she’s helped me release some of the tension that’s been building inside me, the night is about to get even more fun. Time for Master Greyson to play with his pretty new toy.

“Too busy pleasuring yourself to say hello,mon joli?” comes a rich, heavily-accented voice from behind me.

“I’m never too busy for you, M,” I retort indulgently, turning to greet one of my favorite people in all of Paris. I kiss her once on each cheek and gesture toward Angélica. “This naughty little thing just got me sidetracked for a moment.”

“Mmm, I can see why.” M rakes her eyes over Angélica, clearly appreciating her perfect hourglass figure and the revealingdisarray of her dress at the moment. “She is beautiful, but I know it would take far more than beauty to tempt my formidable Grey from his ten years of solitude.” M looks up at me with a knowing smile. “She’s sure to have plenty of fire as well.”

“The flames of Hell dim in comparison,” I agree with a laugh that earns me a jab in the ribs from Angélica.

“So what’s the name of the girl who lost you a thousand euros?”

“Angel,” I answer with a smirk. “Even though she’s anything but.”

Angélica looks at me in confusion about my bet with M, but I plan to leave her in the dark. I’d rather not disclose that I lost money by falling for a girl who doesn’t even know how I feel. I smack Angélica on the ass, and it earns me an immediate glare. “Angel, this is Madame M. She was the first person to teach me about all of this.”

Angélica scoffs. “I think she taught you a littletoowell.”

“Ahh, Grey was a natural from the moment he picked up a whip,” M cuts in.

“A whip?” Angélica asks, shocked by what is usually my preferred implement. But everything has been different with her.

“Of course. It’s always been his favorite.” M looks between the two of us in surprise. “Don’t tell me he hasn’t given you a taste yet? Don’t you like pain, angel?”

“Y-yes.” Angélica’s panicked eyes flash up to mine, but I don’t plan on saving her. “He did use one once. But we’ve—uh—mostly played with sharper things.”

I struggle to keep a straight face as my angel tries to explain knife play for the first time in her life. She doesn’t realize she has nothing to be ashamed of when she’s with a professional sadist like M.

M’s dark eyes flash with something I can’t quite pin. “You’veused a knife on her?” she asks me, suspicion thick in her tone. “I thought you avoided them after what happened.”

Shit, I’d forgotten about that. M has gleaned enough over the years about my past mistakes to know that I’ve done everything in my power to keep from repeating them. “She’s surprised me in more ways than one, believe me,” I reply, keeping my answer and my expression vague.

M’s brows furrow. “Are you being safe, Greyson? We don’t want anyone getting hurt.”

If she’s calling me Greyson, she’s really being serious. She’s not worried about Angélica—M knows I would never harm anyone who didn’t deserve it. She’s more terrified I’ll throw away my heart recklessly like I did the last time. But my angel is nothing likeher.“Yes, M. I promise.”

“Magnifique!” M announces with a clap of her hands, the storminess in her eyes fading away. “So what are we playing tonight, kittens? We’ve only got you for one night before you scurry back to America, so let’s make the most of it.”

“What do you think, angel?” I ask, capturing her chin and drawing her gaze up to me. “What flavor are you in the mood for tonight?”

“Me?” Angélica asks, her brown eyes wide as a doe’s. She’s uncomfortable in this new environment, and I know she needs me to take control so her fear can fade into instinct. I just want her to ask me for it.

“Tell me what you want, pretty little ruin.” I feel her quiver at the words, her body tense and her thighs pressed tight. She needs another release already.

“Can you—can you whip me?” Her teeth sink into her bottom lip nervously, like she’s afraid I might say no. She doesn’t realize that’s one of the most enticing offers I’ve ever gotten.

“You want me to mark up this pretty skin with my whip,angel?” I trail my fingers down her bare back, and her eyes flutter shut when she leans into my touch.

“Yes, Master Greyson.”

Jesus fucking Christ. I never thought those three words could sound so goddamn delicious. This isn’t going to last long at all. I dip my lips down to her ear and whisper, “Go walk over to that cross against the wall and kneel beside it. I’ll be there in a moment.”

To my great surprise, she obeys without protest. I watch the sway of her ass as she strides toward the other side of the room and drops to her knees.

“She’s enchanting, Grey,” M comments with an amused smile on her painted lips. “I can see why you’re so in love.”

I scoff, fixated on the gold streaks in the marble floor. “No one said anything about love, M.”

“No, they didn’t,” she answers knowingly. “But it’s true, isn’t it?”

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