Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 96714 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 484(@200wpm)___ 387(@250wpm)___ 322(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96714 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 484(@200wpm)___ 387(@250wpm)___ 322(@300wpm)
“Yes, I’ve seen them. I was the one who cleaned them up. You can judge me all you want. You don’t think I do the same to myself? You don’t think I regret not standing up for her? My father was scary.”
“And what am I?”
I stared at Cassie, but I didn’t allow her to see anything other than the pain and suffering I’m capable of.
She took a step back and placed a hand on her stomach. Tears sprang to her eyes. “I’m sorry.”
“You can go.”
“You care about her, don’t you?”
“This is not your place to ask. Leave, Cassie.”
“I know she likes you. I’ve … Rage and I were never able to make her smile, or to look forward to something. I don’t know if she cares about Halloween, but I do know she would love to enjoy a Thanksgiving. Charlotte had to be on her own during that time. Dad … Demon, wouldn’t allow her to join in. Thanksgiving always took place at the club, and he made sure she stayed at home.”
This made my anger spike.
“And Christmas,” Cassie said. “I would try to get her presents, as would Rage. If he knew how much she loved something, he’d take it from her.”
“Get out of my office, Cassie, and right now, be glad that I know my wife loves you, and wishes you to be well.”
Cassie didn’t argue with me. She had gone pale.
I could kill her and Rage easily, but that would upset Ivan, and I wasn’t in the habit of getting on his bad side. Sitting down behind my desk, my thoughts drifted to my wife. Charlotte truly was a beautiful soul.
I didn’t have a freaking clue how she’d been able to stay that way, with men like her dad constantly trying to take away from who she was. I wanted to kill him. This wasn’t the first time, nor would it be the last time that I wanted to kill him. In fact, I do think I’d enjoy it very much.
“Sir, are you okay?” Vlad asked, stepping into my office.
“I’m fine. Any news?”
“No. Everything is clear. There have been no overdoses, no missing women. No street crime. It’s clean.”
I shake my head. And that was a problem. It was never silent and I didn’t like this shit, because it meant they were plotting something else, but until Ivan said otherwise, all I had to do was run the business and stay ahead of them.
****
Lottie
“You want me to pick one?” Charlotte asked.
“Yes.”
I look at the five different costumes and then turn to Ive. It’s Halloween night, and even though I’d been excited about it as a kid growing up, and I was forced to stay at home, I did love it. There were many times I wanted to dress up, go trick-or-treating. Cassie and Rage always made sure I had candy to give out to the kids, which I did. I always pretended that dressing up wasn’t something I was into. It helped me not to feel like too much of a loser when my dad wouldn’t allow me to participate.
My first Halloween with Ive, he’d brought me not one, but five costumes. There was a bloodied nurse’s outfit. Sexy witch, complete with a hat and broom. He had even pointed out a prostitute’s outfit, at least that was what he called it. There was a fairy, complete with wings. There might also be a vampire and then there was an historical costume, which I’m not going to lie, looked uncomfortable.
Glancing over at Ive, I looked back down at the costumes. “What are you going as?”
“Myself? I think I’m scary enough.”
This made me laugh. “Then how about I go as your fairy?” I picked up the pale-blue dress.
Ive laughed. “Try it on.”
I didn’t know exactly what he had planned, but I was intrigued so I didn’t argue with him.
Ive didn’t leave the bedroom and I had no choice but to wriggle out of the jeans while he watched. I only hoped the costumes fit.
The fairy costume was not quite as modest as I originally thought. The top was a corset, and it really did push my boobs up, and made them look even bigger, if that was possible. The shorts were small, but at least I got to wear tights, and then, Ive placed the wings on my back.
“What do you think?” he asked.
I turned toward the mirror, and I there I stood, dressed up.
My hair fell around me in waves.
“I look … okay.”
“You’re not finished,” Ive said. He crooked his finger, calling me to him, and I went willingly.
Stepping toward him, I waited and smiled up at him.
I hadn’t noticed him holding some kind of makeup kit, which he did. “What are you doing?”
“The whole point of dressing up is to enjoy every single part, and that means completing the costume.”