The Dark Forest: A Collection Of Erotic Fairytales(147)
“Do you believe he’s a monster now?”
She avoided his gaze, but she nodded. It was a painful admission to connect the man who had seemed to love her, the man she had good memories of—with this monster who the files described.
“That’s what I wanted, princess.” He moved away from her, and she peeked at him through her hair. There was nothing to do but watch him as he dug in a bag and pulled out something black, and then opened a small fridge and moved back towards the table with an armful of stuff, and two cups.
The large bottle of vodka in one hand was welcome, the two cups he set on the table had a clear purpose, but the oversized t-shirt that he held out made her pause.
“We’re going to drink now, and you’re going to put on this shirt because otherwise I’m going to fuck you—and trust me, as wet as I’m sure you are, now is not the time.” He shook the shirt at her and she took it, glaring at him as she pulled it on. It took a moment to draw her long hair through the neck, but then she was covered. For the first time in days. “What do you say?”
“Thanks,” she whispered, but he just made a noise of acknowledgement as he poured a few inches of vodka in each cup, lifted his, and waited. She sighed, lifted hers, and then they both drank. It was cheap, but she didn’t even care as he started to talk again.
“You know, that wasn’t the whole truth.” He breathed out as he stared at the pages scattered all around them. “I wanted you to know he was a monster, I wanted to tear down his empire, but I really did want to destroy you too. I’ve hated you both for so long. Up in that fucking tower, high above the city, while my family was barely able to get by. After my mother died, it was all my father could think about, all he could ever talk about. Destroying Daniel Sinclair.”
“You’ve made your point, I get it.”
“Tell me then, did I destroy you?”
She rolled her eyes and finished her vodka, reaching to refill. The question hung between them, and her mind was such a convoluted mess of questions that she felt exhausted even trying to answer. “Honestly, I don’t know.”
“Well, you’re still the golden heir to Monarch Systems. What’s left of it anyway.” He smiled into his drink, and she stared at him, waiting for him to continue, and then he finally did. “It took him a while to start responding, but I knew if I could get you I could get him to destroy his own company piece by piece, destabilize it to the point that it could get picked off, because you’re a part of him. His blood. His legacy to leave behind, and he’s too prideful to let you go.”
“I’m not so sure about that.” Rebecca flinched, remembering all the times her father had missed the deadlines the man across the table had set. If she were really so important, so vital, why had he dragged his feet? Why had he waited and waited and waited to make decisions?
“After all this you still don’t believe me?” He gestured at the room. “Every file in this room is about you. Every fucked up thing is a piece of your history. The history of Sinclair spending millions to get you, to make you. Shit, you’re the most valuable thing he owns.”
“Right.”
“If it makes you feel any better, I find you valuable too, but mostly because I really enjoy making you suffer.” A small smirk lifted his perfect lips as she looked up at him. “I mean, if I’m honest with myself, this was about fifty-percent wanting to break your father, to tear down his empire, and about fifty-percent just wanting to have you. To have you scream, and cry, and moan, come underneath me over and over.”
His voice had dropped into a low, purring growl, and her body responded to the call. Heat bloomed at the base of her spine, making her pussy clench with the memory of his tongue, the weight of him above her, the cruel pleasure he seemed to inflict without effort. The blush was back and she glared at him as she upended the cup, letting the cold burn of the vodka carry down into her empty stomach. “That doesn’t make me feel any better, actually. So, what are you going to do with me now? You still haven’t really answered that question.”
“I’m going to let you go, like I always planned to.”
Rebecca stared at him, and he sighed and stood up, wandering back to his bag. “You’re just going to let me go. Even though I’ve seen your face.”
With a lopsided smile, he approached her again, and shrugged. “That was always the plan, although I have to admit I did not expect you to go for my mask. That was pretty fucking stupid, because I could kill you.”
“I know.” She swallowed hard, but he seemed almost amused.
“I’m not going to kill you, Rebecca. This was supposed to end differently, but I just don’t care anymore what happens to me.” The use of her real name made her twitch as he laid something down on the table in front of her, but he kept it covered by his hand. “This will make it easier when you go to the police.”
“What is going to help—”
The kiss silenced her instantly, and stole her breath away. His lips were soft against hers, and warm, and for the briefest of moments his hand slipped into her hair to gently hold her still. It was like the cool rain after a forest fire, so shockingly different in nature that she wasn’t even able to respond before he stepped back. Ending it as quickly as it began, except now her heart was stumbling over itself. And as if she weren’t stunned enough, on the table in front of her was a driver’s license.