The Unfortunates (Unfortunate #1) (14 page)

“There’s a bowl in the bathroom. Fill it with warm water and soap, and bring it back to me.”

With a nod of my head, I do what I’m told. When I return, Kade is sitting on one of the large, mahogany couches, twirling a piece of fabric around his finger.

“Sit,” he says, tapping a long, thick index finger on his knee.

I swallow hard, but I don’t protest him. Sitting on him beats sitting on coal locked in a fireplace. Holding the bowl tightly in my hands, I lower myself onto Kade’s hard lap. I shuffle, without spilling the water, until his legs are firmly between mine and my knees dig into the back of the couch. He holds my weigh on his legs without strain
. I slowly expel a breath of air in an attempt to calm my racing heart as Kade takes the bowl from me and sits it on the neighbouring cushion. I watch, cautiously, as he dips the cloth into the clear water.

“Dress.”

I drag an inhale through my nose, a failing attempt to seem confident, and slip the thick twists of blue fabric off my shoulders. It pools at my waist and exposes my chest to Kade. He doesn’t do a double take, he doesn’t even look at them. Instead, he acts as if they don’t exist and begins rubbing the warm cloth against my chest, unaffected by my bare flesh. Drops of water run down my skin as he pushes ever so slightly. I look past his head, focused on the painting of a forest. The greens swirl so beautifully with the brown and I’m lost in the painting, until the cloth leaves my chest and the water cools, hardening my nipples. He dips the cloth in the water and brings it back to my chest. I watch this time, as he circles the faint berry marks on my skin.

“Why are you rubbing it off?” I ask. “I thought you liked it.”

His lips twitch—a subtle movement I almost miss. As soon as it happens, it disappears, hidden under a frown.

“Your skin needs to be flawless
,” he says. “Because there’s something I need you to do for me.”

My entire body tightens, and if he noticed, he chooses to ignore it. I won’t panic, not yet. It could be something as simple as wearing another revealing dress. I stay silent and watch his face as he scrubs my skin harder, starting on the beginning of his last name now. In his wake, he leaves violent looking red marks that still spell out his name.

“Are you ill?” he asks, clearing off the ‘s’ and ‘a’ letters.

“No, why?”

“I tell you I need you to do something for me and you remain silent. Not your usual behaviour.”

I shrug. “Do I really have a choice?”

“Everyone has a choice. It’s just in your case, the wrong one will get you killed.”

I know, deep down, that I’m too stubborn to let a Fortunate kill me. I’d fight them down to my last breath. Despite my silent thoughts, there’s a depressing, deflated feeling floating around my stomach… the feeling of loss.

“It makes you happy? Sharing me with others?” It’s a question I never planned on asking, but around others, he seems territorial of me and I can’t help but wonder if he’s even capable of sharing me.

“I don’t like sharing my things, but this is business.”

Business
. The relationship between my Fortunate and me is strictly business… that has to be a first, surely. At the end of the day, I can go into this willingly. I can squeeze my eyes shut and open my legs and wait for it to be over, or I can fight it. If I fight, I’ll suffer punishments worse than I ever imagined. If I’m useless to Kade, he’ll get rid of me… he’ll put me in the ‘black house’ (whatever that is) or worse, he could give me to Vince. Despite it all, I want to please Kade. I want him to be proud of me and I want to know what it feels like.

“If you do this for me, I’ll promise you something in return.”

I frown. “You want to strike a deal with me?”

I find it strange he would offer me something in return when I don’t have choice but to do it anyway
.

“I’m not totally
selfish. What I’m asking will be difficult, especially for someone like you.” He pauses, his beautiful brows furrowing. “If you do this for me, I’ll give you a way out of this life as an Unfortunate.”

Bullshit.
“There is no way out.”

He nods, finishing off on the ‘o’ of his last name. “T
here isn’t, not literally. I mean, I’ll keep you. I’ll make sure you don’t get passed down to Vince or to anyone else. Once I take over my father, you can live with me in the city. Of course, you’d have to do things I ask when we’re in public, but when we’re home, you’d be free to do whatever you want.”

Why? Why would he do this for me?
My chest tightens as hope tries to force its way in. If there’s a soul killer more potent than a Fortunate in this world, it’s hope. He is my Fortunate, but I can’t trust him. I can feel that he’s different… I can feel it in my stomach that he’s not like the rest of them, but I’m smart enough not to trust him wholeheartedly. He quirks an eyebrow and the movement slams into my chest, shortening my breath.

“I offer you the deal of a lifetime and you look terrified.”

“How do I know I can trust you?” I keep my eyes on his as he pinches the tip of my hair between his fingers and toys with it.

“You don’t
and you can’t.”

I look deep into his oily irises, searching for something, anything, that’ll tell me if he’s telling the truth. I don’t see the truth, but I do see something else, something… wicked. In his beautiful, pitch back irises, I see the slightest
sliver of honey flare.

“But I get the feeling you’re low on options.”

I
am
low on options, but I’m not fussed about that. What’s concerning me more, in this moment, is the pulsing between my legs that’s consuming me inch by inch. “I’ll do it…”

“No complaints?”

Strangely, I feel a piece of my soul die. “None.”

The warm, wet cloth no longer touches my flesh. In its place, I feel the rough pad of his finger glide ov
er the lower side of my breast and just like that, he’s locked me in place. My stare falls to his mouth. His full, supple lips are so gorgeous they almost beckon me closer. In this moment, he could put his mouth on me and I’d do nothing to fight it. I hate it. I hate that at the end of the hall, Thirteen is being forced into things she doesn’t want to do and yet here I am, silently willing my Fortunate to press his lips to my burning skin. This is different than the last time he wanted to kiss me. I was afraid of him then. This time, I’m more afraid of me. I’m terrified of the feelings churning in the pit of my stomach and throbbing between my thighs. Sitting on top of him doesn’t help, either. In fact it magnifies my feelings tenfold and my fingers twitch against my thigh as I fight the urge to push them into his hair.

“Seduction is key
,” he states, almost under his breath. “You need to seduce your targets, get them to do whatever you want, and then close the deal by giving them what they want.”

“And if they don’t want it?”

“That’s the power of seduction. It isn’t a choice of the brain or the heart. It’s a choice of the body.” He flicks a thumb over my nipple and I shiver. “You have to manipulate the body to do what
you
want.”

In a painfully slow movement, Kade swallows the distance
between my breast and his face. The second his hot, wet mouth closes around my nipple, I shamelessly suck in a breath. I lean back, trying to get away from the amazing sensation. It feels so wrong for it to feel so damn good. Kade grips my back, his fingers digging into the flesh as he forces more of me into his mouth. His tongue flicks over my sensitive bud, causing arousal to frisson through me as his teeth scrape the delicate skin. Involuntarily, my back begins to arch, wanting more of his skin to touch mine. My body is alight with a fire I’ve never felt before and as a low moan falls from my lips… he stops. With a soft kiss, he pulls away. Not a second later, our eyes lock, causing my breath to hitch. He looks like sin… like the smirk on his mouth was hand painted by the devil himself. It does crazy things to me… causes my cheeks to burn bright and my blood follows suit.

“You
all right, Nine?” he drawls, making my blush deepen.

“I’m fine
,” I utter, still caught in his pull.

H
is hand snakes up my back and grips the back of my neck, holding me in place. Underneath me, I feel him hard against the apex of my thighs and without warning, he crushes his lips to mine. I gasp, opening my mouth wide enough for him to push his tongue inside. I get the feeling this isn’t about learning anymore. This is what
he
wants. He tastes citrusy, like strawberry and orange. I squeak as he flicks his hips and pushes me onto my back and into the cushion, pinning me under his body. I hear his shoe connect with the bowl and warm water wets my feet. He doesn’t care that he wet his pretty couch, and I don’t care, either. As the water cools, it’s a welcome sensation on my otherwise burning skin. His tongue tastes me, savours me, and I become dizzy with the intensity, but my head begins to clear the moment he pulls his mouth from mine.

“Your turn
,” he says, grinning down at me.

I blink, trying my hardest to come back down to planet Earth. “What?”

Kade licks his moist lip in a way that makes my head spin one last time. “I said it’s your turn.”

I swallow, slightly embarrassed by how hard I’m panting. “For what?”

“To make me want you.”

I feel my eyes widen as all seeds of arousal slip from my body, replaced by complete fear. “You want me to do to you what you did to me?”

“More or less.” He pushes off of me, straightens his tie, and stands beside the couch.

Instantly, without his body heat crashing into mine,
I feel out of place. I sit up and sheepishly pull the twists of fabric back up my arms, shielding my breasts from view.

“Al
l right.” My hands tremble and I bunch the fabric of my dress in my fists to stop them from alerting Kade. I don’t want him to see how scared I am… I want to please him on the first go. I rise to my feet. “What do I do?”

He takes a couple of steps back and suddenly the air around me seems cold
, empty. “Seduce me.”

He says it simply, but
his tone still manages to seep into my pores and ignites my cheeks. “But I don’t know how.”

“I’ll teach you,
eventually. For now, show me what you’ve got.”

I
drag in an inhale and step closer. Slowly, I reach for his tie, but he slaps my hand away. Heat prickles across my skin and I snatch my hand away, glaring at his amused expression. “Ouch!”

“Don’t be a baby
,” he teases, smiling slightly.

I
almost falter in my movements. I don’t believe it. Is Master Kade being playful with me? I reach out for him again, for his hand this time and he smacks me away again. Each time he does it, his wolfish smile grows wider. Pulling away, I caress the back of my hand.

“You’re going to slap me every time I get something wrong?”

He shrugs one shoulder as he fingers the end of his tie. “If you’re lucky, I’ll pinch your nipples, too.” I take a small step back and he smiles victoriously. “I’ll give you a tip. Removing clothes is stage two.”

There are stages?
“Stage two?”

He nods. “
There are four stages of sex; seduction, removing clothes, foreplay, and sex.”

I frown.
How is this so hard? How can he have me on my back in seconds with no protest on my part but I barely affect him?

“What do I do?”

“You don’t touch, not at first. Seduction is in the way you talk and walk. You have to make me want you
before
your skin comes into contact with mine.” He steps away and I breathe easier. “The initial contact should light a fire under me, propel my actions.”

“You touched me
.”

“I wasn’t trying to seduce you.”

I fold my arm tightly across my chest. “Then what were you doing?”

Kade’s eyes narrow and he steps closer. He snatches my wrists in his hands and I wince as he pries my arms apart and pushes them behind my back… where they should be. I don’t know what it is about him that makes me forget everything I was taught. Maybe it’s the way his jet black hair sits
on his head or the width of his broad shoulders. Maybe it’s his full, kissable lips, or his height, or the way his crisp shirt clings to his chest that makes me want to abandon everything I’ve learnt and just go for it—go for him. I clasp my hands together, but I don’t look away from him.

“
I was having fun,” he states, adjusting the fabric rolled to his elbow. “Now try again.”

I step closer and reach out for the one millionth time. He pulls his hand up and brings it down to slap me. Before he does, I snatch his wrist. The forced contact of his skin has me inhaling sharply. The touc
h alone is enough to spur me on—and it does. I throw his arm away and launch myself at him. My body crashes into his and before he can tell me to stop, I press my lips to his mouth. My blood hums—buzzes—with power, as if I’ve smeared my body in honey and laid down on an ant nest. It’s a power I can feel infecting me, addicting me. Kade grips my hips and parts his lips, allowing me to slip my tongue inside. I taste him as thoroughly as I can before he decides to stop this. This, what I’m doing, is forbidden—punishable by death, usually. To touch a Fortunate so erotically on my own whim, for my own pleasure, is suicide. A week ago, I’d be petrified, but I get the feeling Kade won’t do a thing about this. He
likes
it. I can feel it in the way his skin hums against mine. He likes this—me—he likes me being in charge. I marvel over the controlling, commanding Kaden Sario being awfully passive, letting me touch him—taste him—however I want.