Page 26 of The Invite
Breaking my number one rule.
The vile and immoral proclivities I have, I hide well during the day, but at night, everything and everyone is fairgame. It’s no lie when they say monsters hide in plain sight and come out to play in the dark.
I’ve seen the living proof.
Iamthe living proof.
But even at my worst, I have boundaries and malignant urges that I control. Because if I let them have the power to rule it will be the end of me. All these years, I’ve kept a tight leash on them and trudged carefully. I knew getting greedy would be deadly but I didn’t realize that one momentary lapse of temptation could be so fatal.
Because every limit I had, I crossed them all when I chased little Miss Nessa. Every rough exhale, soft whimper, flutter of her long eyelashes, inner turmoil, and vivid lust gazing back, fed the hungry monster inside me.
I wanted to take everything from her.
Eat her alive.
Make her my pet.
When I let her escape, every instinct I had roared at me to go after her but I had to rein in the urge. The compulsion to make a full meal out of her, not just get a taste. That was nothing but a taunt. A red flag in front of a bloodthirsty bull.
Seeing her standing in class, dressed in a red blouse and a tight black pencil skirt, staring wide-eyed at me, was the last straw.
The chain on my cravings unleashed.
The power I had over her was addictive. One meeting and she became my muse.
A muse I wanted all to myself.
A dangerous craving to have.
Now, everything is fucked.
My business is in danger of being exposed. She thinks she’s won, but she lost.
I have a singular goal in my life, one that was fed and trained into me since I was a baby. I will one day be the mayor of my town. It’s my family’s legacy. One I need to uphold. Leading a double life is written in stone.
Every politician worth a damn has one.
Little Miss Nessa was the only thing standing between my two lives converging.
Her tripping into my path was all it took to dismantle the thin wall I kept between them. Now, I’m going to use the same jagged pieces to slice her perfect little world into scraps.
She’s an enthralling little creature I’ve encountered. A magnificent mix of shy and brave, a scared mouse yet sassy, expressive yet holding secrets dear to her heart.
She chose the worst man to make an enemy out of in this town.
I’m not just going to destroy her world, I’m going to annihilate it.
Through the window in her living room, I watch her bid goodbye to Ace—her colleague, whom she’s befriended at the school and hung out with the entire day today.
Too bad, I don’t intend for him to be in her life for long. I will ruin everything good and peaceful that comes her away.
Until I become the monster she hates but can’t live without.
The devil she serves and obeys.
The shadow that haunts her for the rest of her life.
It wasn’t tough finding where she lived, much less duplicating an extra set of keys to her house. Privacy is a luxury she can no longer afford.
