Wicked Steps (11 page)

I felt shame and remorse. My agenda was out in the open. Coco knew almost everything. And even though she wasn’t totally onboard with it, she accepted the fact and hoped I knew what I was doing. I hated deceiving her further, but she saw right through me. I couldn’t explain it or understand, but I did have feelings for Kieran. I had no idea whether it was passion or pity, but I was infatuated. There was something in those deep emerald eyes that drew me to him, and it angered me that he abused his entitlement but still had the ability to make me care. Maybe it was my years with Hartman. He had weakened me and left me in a vulnerable state.

Whatever these emotions were, I couldn’t give in to Kieran. He already had too much control. I had to find a way to take it. I needed to get the upper hand. He hadn’t known his father for ten years, but I’d been married to the man. If nothing else, I had gained some skill sets. I had to set Wicked’s world on its axis. His threats had mentally incapacitated me, but that ended now.

He wanted to pretend I was his stepmother. I guess he hadn’t read any fairytales, so he had no idea. Not a fucking clue how wicked a stepmother could truly be.

Kieran

I got back late in the morning. It had been three days, and I missed our banter. I had seventy-two hours of nonstop fucking and oral. I might have gotten in a little anal, too. Amidst all the booze, it was hard to refine all the particulars. Among the much-needed sexfest, I considered my game plan for the next month.

I had to know how far I could intimidate Ellery. Just how desperate she was to keep her gallery. I had no parameters, but how far would she let me go? Would I have total reign over her body, or was I restricted to just fucking her? Of course, I’d made up the directives; I knew all the things I wanted to do. But would she allow them? Was doing anything else but lying beneath me that invisible line, the one she wouldn’t dare cross? I fantasized, wondering how many rules she would break, and how far she was prepared to go in order to save her livelihood.

Landy and I had shared a plan. I didn’t bother giving her details. She was rather a free spirit and up for anything. In between our sexual activities and room service, I told her what I had in mind. She appeared more than eager to please me, especially when I invited her to the house. As with most women, she read more into that invitation than I meant.

I normally was up front with women. I let them know ahead of time that ours was a mutual desire for sex. I had no intentions of anything extended. True, I’d made an exception in Landy’s case, but my objectives were clear, at least to me. I needed her for my scheme, and I wasn’t opposed to the idea of more fucking. But once our business was concluded, so were we. I’d always walked away. Women could take it or leave it. Finding willing candidates had never been an issue for me.

I lied and told her my stepmother enjoyed voyeurism, among other kinky things. If Landy seemed astonished, she hid it well. She was ready to do my bidding. I’d chosen this woman well. She had no boundaries. Just the way I liked it.

I sent Ellery a text, letting her know I was home. I waited for a patronizing comeback, but it never came. She responded with what time she would return. As I set down my phone, I wondered why she was so accommodating. There was no scathing retort in her reply. That in itself would make any other man nervous, but I saw it as a sign I was breaking down her resistance. I laughed. There wasn’t a chance in hell she would give it up so easily. I was beginning to question my own motives. Was having her in bed truly about my father and justice for my mother, or did I want to touch something socially taboo?

Since the minute I became old enough to fuck, all women, including older European ones, were always attracted to me. There was a time I came to realize that most mature French women thought any man with a pretty face and a nubile body was a natural escort. But a seasoned woman just didn’t do it for me. I liked them young and malleable. Until I saw Ellery. Her body and face hadn’t caught up with her actual age. Every time I looked at her, I realized she didn’t flaunt her assets. The woman was naturally stunning. She hardly wore makeup, and other than the gallery opening and dinner, she appeared to prefer casual attire. She took care of herself by going to the gym and maintaining what appeared to be a healthy lifestyle.

I almost had to choke down that image because I couldn’t imagine a world where my father’s whores didn’t drink heavily and do drugs.

This woman, my stepmother, was a chimera. I would have to peel back many layers to get to the center. I licked my lips in anticipation. I liked that idea.

Tonight would be interesting. I couldn’t wait to find her point of no return.

Kieran

I had a taxi pick up Landy and deliver her to my front door precisely at four thirty. She was dressed in some halter-type knit mini that was inappropriate as hell for the weather but easy access for me.

“Wow, you weren’t kidding when you said you had money. This place is amazing.”

I shrugged. Immense wealth had never impressed me. It was merely a means to get what I wanted. “Would you like a glass of wine? Champagne?” I asked, taking her purse from her and moving toward the kitchen.

“That would be great. So does this place belong to you or your stepmother?” she asked while her eyes scanned the wall decor.

“Not a question easily answered. Let’s just say it’s up for negotiation,” I responded, handing her a flute of bubbling champagne. I grabbed the ice bucket with a full bottle of Perrier-Jouet. “Now, shall we go to my room? I want tonight to be a surprise for my stepmother.”

I padded toward my room with Landy in tow. I couldn’t have Ellery arriving home to find me with a woman. As I closed the door, I could feel fingernails as her hands drifted under my shirt. My cock hardened as she increased the pressure. I turned around and rotated her against the door.

“You want to fuck, little girl?” I cooed.

“With you… always.”

I reached under her dress to find nothing but an enthusiastically wet pussy. “You are such a dirty girl.” I chuckled.

I reached in my pocket and pulled out a condom, then quickly unzipped my pants. I sheathed my shaft and sank deeply into her. I closed my eyes, knowing I’d never get release without envisioning another face. It had been like that for almost two weeks now. Landy and I had fucked at least a dozen times, and I hardly ever came unless I thought about her. It was always visions of Ellery sucking and licking my cock.

I was totally fucked up mentally, but I couldn’t find a way to shut it down. The need to be inside her was etched into my brain. I could think of nothing else. That’s why I went away for three days, hoping I could screw away my obsession. The woman I was currently balls deep into was beautiful, with a tight young body and a sexual appetite to rival my own. But it wasn’t enough. My stepmother had gotten under my skin instead of allowing me into her cunt.

“You’re doing it again, Kieran. Stop. It hurts.” Hearing Landy’s cry, I realized I’d gripped her too tightly.

“I’m sorry. You get me so turned on I can’t help myself,” I said apologetically as I rolled my eyes, hoping my explanation would indulge her. I always became physically overwhelmed when I thought of Ellery. This had happened several times now, and I didn’t want my bizarre behavior to force this woman to leave because she feared me.

“That’s okay, baby. It’s nice you get carried away when you’re with me. Just don’t play so rough. I can’t have any bruises on me. I have a shoot on Monday.” Her tight smile reminded me she was a nude model, among acting. Any marks I left on her would require an explanation to her agent.

My dick decided the moment had passed. I pulled down her dress as I passively led her toward the bed. She shrugged out of it and allowed it fall to the floor, absent of everything but black stilettos. Any other time, my cock would be drilling a hole through a wall. I was getting worried that at my age, erectile dysfunction had struck me and that little blue pill was just around the bend. I silently groaned.

I heard Ellery. She tried to be quiet, but I sensed her. Hell, my dick rose to full attention. Her pussy was like a damn homing beacon. Whatever
this
was, it ended tonight.

I put my fingers to my lips in an effort to silence Landy. “I’m going to give her thirty minutes before I go and get her,” I whispered.

She nodded as her hand grasped my semi-hard cock.

I slapped it away. “We don’t have time for that. We’ll play when she gets here.”

She bent her lips close to my ear. “I’m kind of excited. I normally don’t do this kind of thing. At least, I haven’t for a while, but your idea sounded like fun, and it will be kind of hot having your mother join in.”

“My
stepmother
, Landy—not my real mother. My mother… was decent and respectable.” I felt my jaw tighten as my lips thinned in anger. I was livid.

“I’m sorry, baby. I forgot. I know how you feel. My mama’s dead, too.”

I threw the flute against the wall, shattering it. “She didn’t just die. My father killed her.”

I stared at her with what I was sure were rabid eyes. She cowered at the top of the bed like a frightened animal. I could be terrifying, wicked. This trollop had reminded me why I was here. That everything I did was for my mother.

She started to say something as I pulled her toward me, pinning her with my elbow against her throat. “Let’s not talk about our mamas anymore, all right?”

She nodded as a tear leached from her eye. I was sure I was scaring the piss out of her. She had already witnessed moments when I’d become agitated and rough, but what I felt at this instance bordered on psychosis. The mention of my mother had snapped me back to the real world and prompted me toward my goal. My sole purpose and why I was here and what the result should be. I’d lost track of why I’d come back to the States.

Ellery had bewitched me. Now it was my turn to alter her reality. The quicker she submitted, whatever this had become would end. I grew tired of waiting, wondering, and wishing. I’d never been a man who waited for anyone, and I wished for nothing but a conclusion. I yearned to return home and paint, unburdened by the memories of my father and all he’d stolen from me.

“I once again apologize profusely. If everything tonight goes as planned, I’ll take care of you.” I lied, taking my hands from her, and rolled off the bed. I pulled my pants on, not bothering with a shirt.

“Baby, put something on. I’m not sure how my stepmother will react to a naked woman in my room. I want you to be a surprise. Can you do that for me?” I surveyed her carefully. I needed to handle her delicately after frightening her.

I retrieved a dress shirt from my closet and handed it to her as I placed a kiss on her mouth. Her grin was a sign of forgiveness.

I was a walking contradiction—eighty percent asshole, twenty percent charming. I used my charisma to balance out my negative traits. Women were so easy.

I hummed as I left the room in search of Ellery. After I bolted up the stairs, I stopped at her door. I pressed my ear against it, wondering what she was doing. I tapped softly. She answered, dressed in sweats and a tee, holding a towel. She must have just come back from the gym.

“Why is it you don’t use the fitness room here?” I asked, leaning against the door to keep her from slamming it in my face. I watched as she wrapped the towel around her neck and retreated toward her dresser.

“I like the social element of a gym. Believe it or not, I do have friends. Peers that respect and admire me. We work out together,” she said over her shoulder, matter-of-fact, as she rifled through her purse before tossing it on the bureau.

She was treating me as though I were inconsequential. What the hell? I was the one who should be tactless and disrespectful. Since when did she suddenly grow a pair?

“I see you’ve gotten a shot of confidence. Did you forget I can dismantle your entire life with just a snap of my fingers?” I asked as I snapped two fingers impatiently.

“Do it,” she retorted with brisk sarcasm in her voice. “I’ve had time to stew over your wishes. Exactly why should I believe you’d keep your end of the bargain? I’m weary of fighting with you, so do what you must. Now go away so I can take a bath,” she muttered as she shooed me out.

I was dumbfounded. What happened during the three days I was gone? Was Preston behind this? She’d obviously never gambled, because bluffing was never a good idea. I always won.

I reached her in two strides, pulling her flush against my bare chest. Her body felt as though it belonged there, and I felt my cock stir with expectation.

“Let me go. Manhandling me isn’t going to further your cause. This is a game to you, and I don’t wish to play anymore. If you want to fuck, then let’s do it and be done with it so both of us can go our separate ways. You’re not the first man I’ve had sex with that didn’t appeal to me.”

“Ouch, that hurts, but we both know it’s a lie. You opened this Pandora’s box the moment you let me finger your cunt. I know having me here has made you question your morality because you crave me. There’s nothing wrong with giving in to temptation and desires. You don’t need anyone else’s permission to receive pleasure. It can’t be the arrangement itself, because I don’t see you as a hypocrite. You married and slept with my father for money. How is what I propose any different?”

Her face colored with rage. “God, you’re such an asshole. You have a beautifully wrapped exterior, but your interior is hollow and vindictive. You’re a creative genius, but that’s all you have to offer. I won’t bother to lie. I am drawn to you for reasons I can’t fathom. But that goes for you, too. You can keep telling yourself this is all payback, but in reality, you just want to dip your stick where your daddy had his.”

I shoved her away. She’d clipped a nerve. “Go take that bath and know I’m aware while you’re touching yourself, it’s my face you see, my fingers that are exploring your body. You can’t hide the fact that you’re starving for what I’m offering. Did he not fuck you properly? Could he no longer make you come? Was there no satisfaction in lying with an old, wrinkled, dying man? I can give you ecstasy beyond anything you’ve ever dreamed of.”

Her face blazed as she glared at me with a fury I hadn’t witnessed before. “Get out. Get out of here right now before I kill you,” she shrieked as she trembled, reaching for a vase that probably cost more than a million.

I was taken aback by her threat. “Jesus, we were having a conversation. I didn’t come up here to start a fight. Tonight’s the night. Let’s just say for argument’s sake that I want you and you reciprocate those feelings. I’ll stick to our agreement. You have my word.”

As she handled the vase, she laughed. “Your word, like that means shit. I don’t even know you. I had your father’s word, too, and look how that turned out. He forgot to mention he had an egotistical prick for a son.”

I smirked. “Whatever I am, do
not
compare me to him. Preston will make sure our agreement is binding and followed through to the letter. I promise not to fuck you—well, at least legally.”

“So tonight. Right now, or can I at least change?” She looked at me with suspicion and hesitancy.

“Go ahead and take your bath. Although, honestly, I love the taste of salty sweat on a woman. Wear something loose and comfortable. Maybe a dress. You needn’t bother with shoes.”

“Anything else, your majesty?”

“No touching yourself. I want you ravenous. I want you to ache for me.”

I had to chuckle when she rolled her eyes with contempt as she shoved me out the door.