Unfold Me (12 page)

The next morning I tiptoe into the kitchen and grab myself a snack, but when I get to the living room, Isaac is already there. He’s sitting on the couch and watching TV, and he briefly looks up at me before focusing back on the screen. For a moment, I wonder if I should just go back to my room, but then realize how stupid that is. We just had sex. That shouldn’t change anything between us, or should it? I settle myself on the other side of the couch, with enough space in between us.

“Want some?” I break the silence, turning the bag of chips toward him.

“Sure.” He dips his hand into the bag and takes a handful.

“Chocolate?” I push the chocolate bar toward him, and he raises an eyebrow at me. Instead of answering, I take a small piece of chocolate and put it in between two chips, then pop it into my mouth. A smile tugs on Isaac’s lips, but he doesn’t take the chocolate.

“We need a superhero,” Isaac says a few moments later. “Someone who could take care of the bad guys instead of us. Someone who won’t accept a bunch of money or power and cover up things for the bad guys.”

“Yeah,” I say, as I stare at the TV screen. The vigilante discharges three arrows into his enemy, who drops to the ground. Could I ever let an arrow or a bullet fly in Archer’s direction? I don’t even know.

“What you said yesterday...” Isaac turns his head toward me. “I know you want to stop our mission, but the party is tonight and... I’d like you to think about it once again. We don’t have superheroes who can take care of this, and if we don’t do anything, Archer will just continue hurting people and being a threat to everyone, especially to you and your family. Even if Raphael goes down, Archer won’t. He’ll never pay for what he’s done to us and to everyone else. Do you really want him to get away with everything?”

“No.” I sigh. “But Archer wants me to prove that I’m serious about this whole owning a slave thing, and I can’t really prove what’s not true. I don’t know what he’ll ask of us, so if we go to that party, we’ll confirm his suspicions and everything will go down the drain. He was a bit... pushy with me yesterday, so I could say I changed my mind and don’t want to have anything to do with him anymore. He won’t think that’s too odd.”

“You’re wrong. We won’t confirm his suspicions if we act our parts right,” Isaac says. “Look, I pretty much know everything that can happen at a party like that because I’ve been to many, and I know that whatever happens, I can handle it.”

“And what if you can’t? What if you change your mind when it’s too late?” I give him a pleading look. “Just trust me on this. I don’t think we can do it.”

“I told you already, you own me, so you can always stop whatever you want under any pretext, especially if your property could get damaged. And you’re not a slave, so they can’t force you to do anything. If I want you to stop something, I’ll give you a sign, like we agreed.”

“I...” There’s a rolling feeling in my stomach. “Are you really sure that’s what you want? And that we really have a chance to do something against Archer?”

“Yeah, but you have to believe it too,” he says. “If we let this opportunity slip, we won’t get another, and Archer will just become more suspicious. And at that party, we have a chance to see who Archer is hanging out with. Once we do that, we can figure out if we can use them or the information they give us against him. I’m sure there’s at least one person in his group who’s not satisfied with the way Archer is leading things. When they see how much Archer trusts you or they get to know you, it’ll be easier to manipulate them so it looks like we did nothing wrong when they decide to betray him.”

“I’m not so sure about that. We don’t know if things will go how we want them to, and we could end up getting mixed up in things that we want no part of.”

“Okay, let’s say we just don’t go to the party, and you tell Archer you changed your mind, and he never gets proof that you’re serious about owning a slave. When Raphael gets arrested and Archer finds out your best friend had her fingers in it, guess who’ll he find most suspicious? Do you really want to risk that?”

“Shit.” I close my eyes for a moment, clasping my hands in front of me. If Archer even begins to suspect that I bought Isaac because of Lilith and that I want to free him... I don’t even want to think what he’ll do.

“We have nothing to lose if we go to that party. We can only gain,” Isaac says.

“I hope you’re right.”

“Does that mean we’re going? You’ve changed your mind?” He gives me a hopeful look.

“Yeah, we’re going.”

“You should try to talk to some of Archer’s friends, and maybe gain their trust. That way you might have someone on your side in case Archer turns against you, especially if he still thinks you’re doing all of this just to impress him or get close to him.”

“Yeah, I’ll try. Maybe they can tell me something useful about Archer that we don’t know, but there’s something else about him... I don’t think he’ll mind much if I prove that I’m like him and his friends. He knows things about me and... I think he’d like it even more if it turns out that I can enjoy being a mistress to others, because he knows that with him...” A lump forms in my throat, but I swallow past it. “...that I’d still be just his slave. Never superior to him. I’ve been thinking about it... and since he took me to parties as his companion, but he himself still treated me as a slave... I think this would excite him.”

“That’s good. He might drop his guard around you and let something slip. Just don’t let him manipulate you into doing anything you don’t want to do.”

“I won’t.” I can see the doubt on Isaac’s face, but I know there isn’t much I can say to reassure him. Archer has his ways of getting to me, but I’ll deal with it. I have to.

I have to wipe all emotion off my face to hide my surprise when I realize none of the party guests are wearing masks. I assumed I’d be given one in some hallway, but instead of a hallway, I have stepped into a room filled with people. It looks like Archer actually trusts me enough to let me see the faces of his friends and associates, or maybe he thinks the hold he has over me is enough, so he doesn’t have to fear I’ll reveal anyone’s identity or say anything.

What I don’t know is if I can trust them with my secret. The press would go wild if they ever found out what kind of parties I’ve been visiting, and that’s even without knowing anything about my past, but I hope Archer will control them, because if he still wants me to be his, then he can’t risk pissing me off.

This room is much smaller than the ones I’ve seen, and there’s barely enough room for two bigger and four smaller couches, and a table in the middle. A man and a woman are sitting on the couch and chatting loudly, but the rest of the people, about six of them, are standing in a circle in the corner of the room.

A thud of wood against skin and a moan that follows makes me realize what’s going on. Those people are watching a slave being punished. For an actual offense or for pleasure, I don’t know, but I’m not about to go closer and check. Archer is nowhere to be found, but neither are other slaves. There’s a hallway with two doors, but they’re both closed.

I don’t know what else to do, so I sit on the empty couch. The woman and the man stop talking and stare at me. Great, hasn’t Archer told them I’d be coming? Or are they trying to figure out if they know me? Isaac was right. These people won’t easily accept my presence here, especially if they know nothing about me.

“Ah, you came,” Archer says from behind me, and I nearly jump off the couch.

“Yeah, I couldn’t resist.” I crane my neck and offer him a smile. “You host the best parties.”

“Indeed I do. Would you come with me for a moment?” he asks, and my brow furrows, but I get to my feet and follow him into the hallway.

“Why so secretive? Don’t want your friends to overhear?” I peer above Archer’s shoulder and see the others are trying to look casual while they gawk at us.

“I didn’t know if you would be coming, so I didn’t tell them anything, but you don’t have to worry about privacy. They are all very discreet, as are you.” He gives me a warning look. “You’ll meet them all tonight.”

“Of course.” I spread my lips into a smile. It’s a good thing he didn’t tell them anything. That will certainly make them more suspicious of him. If he usually lets anyone into their circle without telling them first, I doubt they fully trust him. This little group is probably sticking together because of Archer’s threats and blackmails rather than because of any real sense of loyalty and friendship. Once Archer uses their fantasies and desires against them and lures them in, it’s impossible to escape. All I need is to find someone who desperately wants a way out.

“You’re not listening to me, are you?” Archer says dryly, and I blink at him. “You keep looking over my shoulder.”

“Yeah, well, sorry. People are staring, and I just want to let them know we aren’t doing anything interesting here.” I cross my arms, and Archer’s eyes go to my cleavage. “So, you were saying?”

“The party tonight is titled Pain and Pleasure,” he says.

“How very creative. I guess you don’t have to explain to anyone what that means.”

A smile traces his lips. “That’s where you’re wrong. You see, this is a bit different. You don’t see your slave or many others here, do you?”

My whole body goes still. He hasn’t done anything to Isaac, has he? “No, I was wondering where everyone is.”

“Don’t worry. No one’s touched your property without your permission.” He lifts his chin. “The slaves aren’t here because we’re having a special performance. We’ll bring slaves one by one and see who can entertain our guests the best. If you were serious about what you said, I’d like to have a special performance with Isaac... with your permission, of course. I loved Isaac when he was with me, and I really miss his high pain tolerance. I think he would be perfect for tonight’s show.”

I swallow. That doesn’t sound too good. “Okay.”

“Wonderful.” Archer’s face brightens so much that I want to throw up.

“Just don’t seriously damage my property. That would piss me off.”

“I won’t. I’m not a monster, Katherine,” he says.

I force myself to smile.

“Go get yourself comfortable. Our show is about to begin.” He winks at me and goes for one of the doors. I drag myself over to the nearest couch and take a seat. Two men dressed in white shirts and black pants bring in a spanking bench, and Archer trails in behind them. I spot a wooden chest lying in the corner.

“Hey, careful with that,” Archer snaps when his servants lower the bench with a loud thud. “Or I might tie you up to that thing.”

“Don’t threaten the employees, Arch. They’re not your slaves,” a woman with long light brown hair says, and I take a better look at her. What is she to Archer that she calls him out like that? She’s not his type... I bite on my lip. God, I didn’t come here to be upset that Archer might be close with someone, did I? I focus on the woman’s light blue eyes. Why does she look vaguely familiar?

“I was joking,” Archer says.

“I’m afraid they didn’t get that. Look at the poor guy.” She nods toward one of the servants who stares at the ground, his face red. I watch her as she collects her hair as if she were going to tie it into a ponytail and lets it drop around her shoulders. Oh God, I know who she is. She’s Senator Marxon’s daughter. I’ve seen her accompanying him a few times, but she was always wearing conservative dresses and had her hair up.

Now she’s wearing a red dress so short that it barely reaches her thighs. She has nice, long legs, though, so I can see why she prefers this type of dress. I think she’s around my age, which makes me think... My father has done everything possible to hide the truth about me. What would Senator Marxon do if he found out where his daughter likes to spend her evenings? I don’t know about him, but the media would roast them both alive. She could be the key to Isaac’s and my plan.

“Let the show begin! Miranda, your girl goes first!” Archer says, and a woman with shoulder-length curly black hair nods at him, a smile spreading across her bright red lips. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her anywhere before, but I bet she’s rich.

The two servants return, but this time they are trailing behind a naked girl with big brown eyes and short black hair. The girl stares at the ground, but her eyes dart toward the rest of the room, a half-smile on her face. Something tells me she’s willingly come into this, and probably has no clue that the other slaves haven’t.