Page 14 of Poisoning Ivy
Killian.
Oh my god. Killian and Monty, and that means that the man standing slightly off to the side is Theo. It has to be.
Realizing I know the identities of the men out to torture me doesn’t offer me much comfort. I know these guys, and they’ve been cruel from the start, confusing me with kindness that dulled their cruelty, only to be more vicious the next time our paths crossed. They made my summers here both highly unbearable and also slightly tolerable. They bullied me, teased me, pushed me around, and made me cry.
And after years of dancing around our attraction to one another, they all took me together, shared me, and then they left me.
They weren’t there when I needed them, proving they weren’t the good guys part of me thought they may be, down deep, beneath it all. They didn’t even try to help when Cody’s dad showed up and dragged me away to my new life.
I was dumb enough to believe they cared. I was dumb enough to think that they’d look for me, that they’d find me and bring me back here so that we could pick up where we left off, ignoring the world and living in our own slice of heaven. I was stupid; I probably still am considering I’ve stayed with Cody this long. But I’m not stupid enough to believe that knowing who they are means anything. It doesn’t make this any less real, and as Killian’s hand slides to my breast, his thumb running over my nipple and coaxing it to harden beneath his touch, I know they’re not going to give up the game.
“Vows, Bambi.” Killian snaps, pinching my nipple and making me squirm; though this time, it’s different than before. It stirs something deep in me and awakens the resentment I’d nearly forgotten I had for them.
“To have and to hold…”
I swallow as he skates down to grab a handful of my pussy, trying to stave off the humiliation. I can’t help jumping as he cups me in his hand, but I don’t know if it’s the threat or the promise that makes my stomach twist.
“What next?”
“For better or worse.”
“Mmm.” He nods, his breath hot on my neck through the mesh in his mask. “Tell me, Bambi. Is this better or worse? Another man holding your pussy? Seems better to me, but…”
I clench my teeth together, refusing to dignify that with a response. “For richer or poorer.”
“Yeah,” Killian chuckles darkly. “That’s a good one for you. How’s your inheritance? You’ve got daddy’s money, so I guess you’re not too concerned about the ‘or poorer’ part, huh?”
“Fuck you.” I snap, trying to hide the tears that are threatening to spill. They make my vision blur as I stare at Cody’s feet, refusing to let him see me in tears. He doesn’t fucking deserve them. None of them do.
“Patience, Bambi. I’ll fuck you the way a husband should, teach him a thing or two. But I think there are more to your vows, hmm?”
I suck in a breath at the idea of him fucking me in front of my husband. “In sickness and health.”
“Hmm. You’ve got that one down, I think. What kind of sick fuck kicks his wife in the pussy?”
My face goes hot at the realization of how much he knows now, and the betrayal somehow hurts more than the original injury. I glare at Cody. “Youtoldthem?”
“That you’re a dumb whore who gets herself off to fictional characters in books?” He sneers. “I did now.”
Shame burns me from the inside out, making my stomach churn and my body hot. There’s silence between us all as Imarinate in the awkwardness, wishing I could flip myself inside out to stop their gazes crawling over my skin.
The one with the intricate painting on his mask steps toward me, and I brace myself, waiting for him to throw me on my knees and demand a performance or something. Instead, his knuckles brush against my hip, ever so lightly, as if he’s trying to offer me a little bit of solace. It wouldn’t help right now.
As if being naked in a room with almost every man I’ve ever doneanythingwith wasn’t bad enough; they know my secrets. Not only do they own my most intimate moments, they now have access to the ones that came along after them.
“Sorry,” Monty says, clearing his throat. “You’re saying you kicked your wife in the cunt because she was… masturbating?”
I’m going to die of shame before any of them can kill me, but I almost would rather take a knife to the chest or drown in the bathtub. My mother’s puritanical values pretty much started and stopped with carnal knowledge. When she found my vibrator and realized I gave myself the occasional orgasm, she locked me in the basement without clothes for a month, telling me whores didn’t need clothes since they spent their lives naked on their backs.
Maybe there was something to her sentiment, given where I am now.
“She’s disgusting.” Cody agrees, nodding. “I mean, grinding herself all over the pillow like that because of abook. Fucking gross.”
Killian’s laugh murders another piece of my dignity. “I’m not so sure you like women after all, Doc. Tell me, do you like the taste of your wife’s pussy?”
Cody stutters, glancing around at the masked faces to try and determine the right answer. “I—I never—”
“Please,” I whisper, a tear dropping from my cheek and rolling down my breast. This hurts worse than any of the things they did to me before I finally fell into their trap. “Please, stop.”
