Page 20 of Phantasm
“Overreacting? Oh, my dearest husband.” Airy laughter bubbles from her chest as she steps out from behind the pillar. “Buckle in, because you haven’t seen anything yet.”
The book goes sailing, bouncing off my other shoulder. She flips me off and screams when I hurl the axe in her direction.
It lodges deep in the bookshelf beside her, and she stares at it while I run a hand through my ruffled hair.
“You threw an axe at me.”
“There you go, overreacting again. I threw it in your direction. Not at you.”
“An axe? You threw a fucking axe.”
“Would you prefer if my choice of weapon were books?”
Her face turns blotchy red, and I swear she’s two seconds away from stomping her foot like a petulant child. Why I’m entertaining her mood swings is beyond me. No one else would get away with such unruly behavior, but I like her fiery spirit for some mysterious reason. People are too quick to kiss my ass in this world. With a snap of my fingers, I get what I want. Power has its quirks, but it gets boring fast, and my wife is the only woman I’ve met who has a spine.
“Now,” I say, loosening my tie, “if you’re done with your temper tantrum, it’s time for your punishment.”
Her eyes blow wide. “You can’t be serious?”
I step toward her, and she inches back. “You’ve destroyed hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of art pieces, thrown books, and damaged a door. A pussy spanking is the least you deserve.”
“I didn’t take an axe to the door. You did.”
“I wouldn’t have had to if you’d let me in like a civilized citizen.” Another step. Cecilia looks around, nervous. “Are you coming to me willingly, or will I have to capture you?”
The sentence has barely left my lips when she pivots and runs deeper into the library, disappearing into the countless rows of books.
I gesture for the Pawns to block the entrance, and they take up position.
“There’s nowhere to hide, wifey,” I call out as I move forward on light feet. “I’m starting to believe you enjoy being chased.” Kicking a book out of the way, I scan the rows of shelves, then take a left. “Running is what you’re good at, after all. You’ve doneit for the last ten years. Did you really think the Exodus wouldn’t find you eventually?” I’m goading her on purpose, hoping she’ll give away her location.
I pass another two rows, hands clasped behind my back. “You’re lucky it was me and not one of the other Elders. With a family fortune like yours and such a powerful bloodline…” I whistle. “You were already promised to the highest bidder.”
My shoes are now silent on the marble flooring as I enter the next row, walking on light feet along countless leather spines. “I would have paid triple the price of the highest bidder.”
Cecilia will never know her true value to a broken man like me. She’s priceless.
The moment I laid eyes on her, I knew I would burn down the world to make her mine. Mr. van der Meer’s daughter was always destined to end up in my clutches. He made sure of that.
I turn slowly, pushing a book forward with a single finger to reveal a startled Cecilia on the other end, and when the book topples to the floor with a loud thud, she yelps.
“Boo!” I say, and she runs away, but I’m faster, catching her as she comes flying from the end of the row.
I slam her up against the bookshelf with such force that a surprised gasp slips from her plump lips.
“Darian?” There’s a question in her voice, a hint of fright.
“Shut up!” I yank her dressing gown from her shoulders, tossing the flimsy material onto the floor, her generous breasts nearly spilling out of her low-cut balconette bra. “I caught my prize. Now it’s time for my reward and your punishment.”
My eyes find hers as I run a finger along the elastic hem of her lace panties, and with a quick flip of my wrist, I tear them off and stuff her mouth.
“I see my wife missed me,” I say, palming her cunt and squeezing it.
She’s sopping wet.
Her eyes glower as I lean in to suck on her dusky nipple through the sheer lace. I bite and nibble on the hard pebble, looking up at my wife through my lashes while palming her fine ass and dragging my other hand along her needy core.
Cecilia is so responsive, even when she doesn’t want to be—or maybebecauseshe doesn’t want to be. She likes a good fight with an opponent stronger than her, someone who’ll hold her down and take what they want. She proves as much when she grabs a book off the shelf and whacks me in the head before kneeing me in the balls. Luckily for her, her aim is off, so she misses my jewels by a hair’s breadth.
