His eyes continued to roam over her face, trying to read her, but she didn’t waiver. She couldn’t or else, God only knows what the consequences would be.
Bringing his fork to his mouth, his facial features relaxed and he responded, “I’m good at it.”
She let out the breath she had been holding, proud of herself for having played his game his way, and gulped down the non-alcoholic Asian pear sparkler that he had ordered for her.
“But do you enjoy it?” she repeated.
He lifted his shoulders in a shrug, “Certain aspects. How about you? Do you enjoy your job?”
Her insides tingled. Victor was engaging her in normal conversation, something everyone took for granted – but not her. Not with this man. “Most of the time. I enjoyed it more when I had coworkers to bounce my ideas off of. I thought I would enjoy the solitude, but…” she trailed off, feeling like she might be sharing too much. “I’m easily distracted,” she whispered while she began to pick at her food.
“I’m well aware of that,” she heard from across the table.
When she looked up, he was sitting with his hands in his lap and watching her pensively, probably thinking about what he was going to write next about her or how he was going to compare her to his other ‘Chapters.’ Her thoughts were on the tip of her tongue and if she were to just open her mouth the slightest bit, all of them would spill out. She bit her bottom lip to prevent that very thing from happening when Victor spoke.
“What’s on your mind?”
Thinking quickly, she responded, “How normal you seem outside of 2500 East Grace Street.” The sweet sound of genuine joy floated up from his throat, a deep and throaty laugh escaping his mouth. “Even though I’ve been told ‘normal’ is a subjective trait,” she grinned.
He laughed louder. “Touché, Elsa.”
***
Victor didn’t do ‘normal,’ but he supposed this was about as good as it would ever get for him. He was quite enjoying dinner with Eight. She was engaging and friendly with nervous energy bubbling just under the surface. He liked her that way – always on the edge of her seat, wondering what was coming next.
The choice of attire he had chosen for her had brought out her soft reserved side, a side he didn’t see often, but he liked that she didn’t enjoy freely showing herself off in public. The other Chapters, particularly Three and Four were all too eager to flaunt themselves in front of anyone who would look their way. Though he enjoyed Eight’s modesty, in the privacy of the bedroom is where he drew the line. There – he wanted full exposure without hesitation.
Victor gave a quick look in the direction of Drew who kept glancing over at him and Elsa. He hadn’t liked the way Drew had blatantly ogled Elsa and he felt disrespected. He just had to bring up Chapter One, too, didn’t he? Motherfucker. He’d never liked that man. On too many occasions Drew refused to file charges against people because: A. Either he was too damned lazy and didn’t want the hassle, or ,B. He was too concerned with his public image to risk trying a case he might lose.
He took a swig of his whiskey and Coke when the Cambridge case popped into his mind. Thankfully it was a federal case and, therefore, would be tried in a Federal Court of Law and the S.O.B. Drew Matheson would have nothing to do with it. If the killer was ever caught.
Fucking Anthony Bruce. Why hadn’t that asshole contacted him yet? He made a mental note to get in touch with him by Tuesday, at the latest. He and everyone involved in the case was already doing everything they could on their end and he was tired of waiting for that cock sucker’s assistance.
He felt a warm touch on the top of his hand, drawing him out of his thoughts.
“What’s on your mind, Victor?”
He liked the way his name sounded coming from her unspoiled mouth. Of course, he also enjoyed being called his alter ego’s name. But for now, his given name would be just fine considering the circumstances.
“A little bit of this, a touch of that,” he answered mysteriously. “Did you know that sexual arousal is also subjective, Elsa?” he added for fun.
She shook her head and pinched her eyebrows together.
“It is, in fact. However, for me, sexual arousal is my main objective.”
“Isn’t it for most men?” she asked ironically.
Another laugh caught him by surprise. This woman had a sharp, dry sense of humor, even if she didn’t realize it herself.
“Yes, I suppose,” he nodded in agreement as he waved the waiter over for their check.
Dinner had been short, but he had a plan of action that was beckoning him. Elsa had a voyeuristic side to her – something they shared in common and a revealing detail he hadn’t foreseen. But as always, he was quick on his feet and he had been plotting out something sinful all during dinner. He would kill two birds with one stone while both pushing her limits and achieving his main objective.
***
Elsa was disappointed their dinner had ended so quickly. She wanted more time with Victor while he was still in his ‘normal’ state of mind. She grabbed her shoes as they left the restaurant, deciding to walk the three blocks back to 2500 East Grace Street barefoot. The sidewalk was dirty, but the cool pavement felt good on her soles.
Victor took her hand again and led the way. She stopped several times in front of shop windows to peek inside, but was pulled along like the tides of the ocean by the moon. Peaceful and content to be tagging along behind the enigmatic and dangerous man known as Mr. Black, she had forgotten about everything he had put her through. Well maybe not so much as forgotten, but pushed the things Mr. Black had done to the back of her mind in favor of the time she was spending with Victor. She just wanted to enjoy the moment while it lasted, however fleeting it may be.
Her attention was somewhere other than on what was in front of her when Victor unexpectedly pulled her into a dark alcove and shoved her up against a brick wall. There was no time to think or to comprehend what was going on when his mouth and hands ravaged her. She felt the heady sensation of his lips against her neck and her blood pounded in her temples when he hauled her skirt up an over her hips. Dropping her shoes, she let out a small moan and fisted his hair.
His mouth seared a path down her neck to her shoulders and worked its way down. Kneeling between her legs, he savagely began to suck at her clitoris. Closing her eyes, the feeling of arousal wrapped itself around her like a warm blanket until she heard voices only a few feet away. Her heart lurched into her throat and her eyes darted to where the sounds were coming from. She could see the shadows of people walking by only a mere few feet away and her body tensed with mortification.
“What’s the matter, Elsa?” he let out a short breathy laugh against her damp folds. His tongue flicked her clit and he sunk two fingers into her making her bite her fist to try and stifle her groan of pleasure.
She grabbed his hair harshly and tried to drag his mouth away from her when she heard giggling to her right. She couldn’t be sure there were people watching her or not, but she didn’t dare look in that direction for fear of finding out the truth.
“Victor, please. People might be watching,” she whispered loudly.
“You like to watch, but you don’t like to be watched?” he nibbled at her now swollen pearl.
Was this another one of his damned games? She tried to escape his oral attack only to have him grip her waist forcefully and hold her in place. He glided back up her body and turned her away from him as he pressed her body against the scratchy and cool wall. She pushed her ass out trying to get him away from him, but soon regretted her action.
“So that’s how you want it?” she could hear the smile in his voice. “I aim to please, Ms. Cassidy.”
Like hell he did. He aimed to humiliate and embarrass her. She could hear more shuffling near the street and whispers in the distance and a wave of apprehension swept through her as she gasped and panted in terror. Victor was a known public figure. Yet even in the shadows, people could possibly see them. In the age of YouTube, could he really afford to have sex on the street when it was possible he would be recognized? Didn’t he care or was he just so reckless in his quest to get his way and play his game that he ignored the obvious?