The Secrets of a Sin, page 30
“Take me back.” I cry out. “Take me back to my room. Now.” I heave as more tears fall, and her face contorts into worry.
“Here. Take a sip of this.” She shoves a glass in my face, but I immediately shake my head no. “This will calm you down, Charlotte, please. Then we will leave.”
I didn’t want to calm down. I wanted to scream and kick until my toes were broken and my lungs collapsed. I wanted a different kind of pain other than what I was experiencing right now. Snatching the drink from her hands, I greedily swallow every last drop of the burning liquid until the sounds of air getting sucked out of the straw fill the air. She eyes me warily before taking the glass out of my hands and setting it down on a table beside us.
“There you are!” A loud voice interrupts from behind Annalise as a familiar face pops up over her shoulder. “I was looking around everywhere for you.”
Priscilla’s head rests on the curve of her neck while her arms circle Annalise’s waist in a tight grip. My hazy vision makes it nearly impossible to make her out, but I can sense her stare drift towards me.
“What’s her problem?” She nods in my direction with a chuckle as the rage I feel deepens into the very pit of my stomach, causing my body to fill with malice. Arsen wasn’t the only one trying to mar me tonight with their actions. Priscilla wanted to open my wounds further and inflict more pain. By my tears and somber expression, she knew I was vulnerable and was going to use it against me in any way she could. She relished in my humiliation and grief. She twisted my misery and made it into her own personal source of vitality.
“We need to get her out of here.” Annalise shrugs her off and comes to steady me with her arm on my back. Priscilla growls in frustration as she takes in our closeness but remains stoic in front of us. “Now.” She demands, and this time Priscilla listens and places herself on the other side of me. With them both now steadying me, we walk towards the club’s entrance, and as soon as my feet hit the pavement outside, something bizarre strikes me hard and fast. I fumble on my feet, sagging in their arms, but they hold me up with their strength and continue to pull us away from the vicinity of the club. I first notice the change in my head. The inner thoughts I was having were now jumbled and slowed down to the point I couldn’t even think any longer. It was as if my brain was completely shut off, and I was left in my own silence. My vision was the next to go, blurry and foggy. My surroundings are nothing but shapes and lights. I keep trying to adjust them and widen my lids, but the more I seem to try, the worse my condition gets. Suddenly, I feel my body sag into Annalise, and the sound of them talking flows through my ears.
“Hurry up and get us a fucking cab!” Annalise shouts angrily, and in return Priscilla snarls right back.
“This was your idea, anyway, so don’t rush me when all you’re doing is holding her up.”
What the hell did they do to me?
Groaning, I try to move my arms and shove her off of me, but Annalise tightens around my waist. “Shhh, just relax.” She coos in my ear. “We’ll take good care of you.”
My eyes were desperate to fill with tears, but it was as if my body was now completely powered off. My mobility, emotions, and the ability to talk were non-existent, and I was left only making grunting sounds that did nothing to help me. I was completely renderless and at their mercy right now. Whatever sick, twisted idea they had in store for me was going to happen, and there was nothing I could do to stop it, physically or mentally.
I feel my feet move as I’m being pushed towards a car, and then gradually, I’m helped inside until I feel my ass hit the back seat, and my head falls over onto a pair of thighs. Groaning, I try to get anyone’s attention, but a palm over my mouth silences me.
“She alright back there?” A man’s voice asks, who I’m assuming is the cab driver, and all I can do is try to moan again to capture his attention. But sadly, the hand on my lips stifles me entirely.
“She’s just drunk, asshole.” Priscilla snaps from beside me. “Doesn’t know how to handle her liquor yet.”
I can hear him mutter something under his breath, and before I know it, the car is moving. I am officially doomed. I’m helpless in Annalise’s lap, who now begins stroking my hair with her free hand like I'm some kind of barbie doll.
And maybe that's what she wants. A compliant doll that won’t stop her from getting what she wants from me. If she can’t have me sober, she’ll have to poison me. But ultimately, a sense of fear overcomes my noncoherent body because not only does the realization that all three of them were evil pummel me, but so does the realization that there’s more to their unholy ways than I could have ever imagined.
27
ARSEN
Three hours earlier
After leaving St. Catherines and running into Annalise, I could barely concentrate on anything other than her words. They wiggled their way deep into my skull, implanting themselves into my brain so I wouldn’t forget.
What makes you so sure I haven’t had her yet?
Her repulsive words are on constant replay in the back of my head, violently thrumming in my eardrums to the point I have the urge to bang my head against a wall just to get rid of them. The whole day was a fucking torment. Hallucinations of Annalise and Charlotte together were burned into my cranium, further torturing me into an insanity, which created in me a burning animosity towards both of them. Images of them grinding onto each other surfaced, along with Annalise telling Charlotte that I would never be enough for her.
That all she needed was her.
I almost got in my car and drove back to St. Catherine’s to confront Charlotte, but I stopped myself before I could make a scene and make a complete fool out of myself. This was what Annalise was trying to do. She wanted to plant herself deep inside my head and wreak havoc on my already unstable mental health. She knew exactly how to get to me, and I was letting her win.
She couldn’t possibly be telling the truth. No way would Charlotte subject herself to that malicious woman. No way would she fuck Annalise and like it. Even before I claimed her as mine, she knew I was it regardless of her indifference towards me. What we have is more than sexual. It’s bone-deep and written in the fucking stars.
Now, as I’m waiting for the clock to somehow magically jump to midnight. I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket and pull it out.
Unknown: I see a pretty little brunette in front of me that belongs to you
What the fuck? Who is this?
Me: Who is this?
Unknown: A pretty little redhead who wishes you chose her instead.
Redhead? The only redhead that came to mind was the girl who came up to me at St. Catherine’s.
How the hell did she get my phone number, and how does she know about Charlotte and me?
At this point, it didn’t matter. I just knew I needed to leave.
Unknown: I’m sure you can figure out who this is, Arsen. I just thought I should warn you that Charlotte is at Club69 getting a little too frisky.
I immediately rise to a standing position, wondering why the hell she would be at a club right now.
Without me.
Was she with Annalise?
Infuriated and raging with intent to kill, I rush around to grab my keys and head for the front door.
Me: Keep an eye on her.
My driving is reckless and negligent, but the thoughts swirling around in my head are far worse. I was fucking murderous with a bleeding heart, and I intended to put her over my knee for her brash behavior. Beyond livid, I park directly in the front of the jam-packed building and run towards the entrance, not giving a single fuck about having onlookers. The bouncer eyes me from far away and lifts his heavy chin in intimidation as I approach him.
“Line’s back there.” He nods towards the crowd of people behind me. “Just because you drive a fancy-ass car doesn’t mean you’ll get special fucking treatment.”
I almost laugh at his foolishness and attempt to bully me. Little did he know my madness had completely taken over every rational bone in my body. Anything and everything that got in my way was the enemy. An obstacle that needed to be destroyed to get to Charlotte. So, with lethal eyes, I scour the length of his fat body.
“I wonder what your boss would say about the special fucking way you’re turning me away?” I scowl, reaching into my pocket and pulling my phone out.
“The boss isn’t here now, is he?” He raises a brow and laughs like a hyena along with the other bouncer beside him.
“Probably not.” I shrug, scrolling my finger across my screen. “He likes to spend most of his nights with his wife Cynthia, my associate. But don’t worry, I’ll be sure to let them know the fat fucking pig at the entrance of their club turns their colleagues away.”
His eyes instantly widen in fear and confusion. Cynthia was the curator for my art galleries. So, over the five years that I’ve known her, I became somewhat close with her husband, Preston. The owner of Club 69. So, it was only in my best interest to let him know his employee was ignorant.
“I uh… Go on inside, sir.” He quickly sidesteps, giving me the room to enter the club.
That’s what I fucking thought.
Not bothering to speak another word, I brush past him and make my way inside the overly crowded club. Multicolor lights flash everywhere, and a large disco ball hovers over the center of the dance floor. Once upon a time, I came here to find an easy, vulnerable woman that I could sink my claws and cock into for the night, but now the thought just sickened me. How I so easily let myself use and abuse the bodies of women who enjoyed the pain.
How they would let me do everything and more to them until they all left with a broken piece of me. They knew I was never going to settle. So, as I took from them, they took from me.
My impatient eyes scan over the sea of strangers, hoping to find Charlotte somewhere stuffed in the crowd, but I don’t. So, making my way around the perimeter of the club, I scour for the person who greedily owns my soul. Every brunette I find is unsuccessful. Not one of them is the woman that makes my heart batter painfully.
“Arsen!” A voice shouts, and I quickly shift my head around until my eyes land on a redhead. I couldn’t for the life of me remember her name, but I knew who she was. Dressed in a pair of tightly-hugging blue jeans and a white crop top, she takes me in with hungry eyes that are dazed with inebriation.
“Where is she?” I snarl, skipping the question of how she got my number and how she knew about Charlotte and me.
“Woah.” She chuckles while messing with her long curly locks. “Calm down there, buddy. She’s fine. I promise.”
I wasn't in the mood for her drunken state or the little games she was trying to play. My one goal was to grab Charlotte and drag her out of here and to the fucking school.
“I’m not fucking around.” I take a step towards her, causing her sea-green eyes to glaze over. “I’m not interested in touching you, fucking you, or anything that involves your pussy. So, it would be in your best interest to tell me where she is.”
Waiting for fear to strike her or even tears, but they never come. Instead, her red-painted lips tilt up into a smirk.
“A lucky girl, Charlotte is.” She chews on her lower lip. “It’s a shame she doesn’t value you as much as you do her.”
What the fuck does that mean?
Glowering into her eyes, all I can see is the resemblance to Annalise. The mind games, the fucking devious smiles. They are one and the same, and they both want to get to me.
“Quit trying to fuck with my head, and just tell me where she is!” I shout, trying to use the minimal amount of sanity I had left to tell me she’s lying.
“Drink this, and I’ll tell you where she is.” She shoves the drink in her grip into my face, and I repel.
“I’m not drinking that.” I snarl, glaring at the clear drink that’s still in her hand. I was half-tempted to smack it out of her hold, but she scowls right back.
“Drink it, or you can fuck off and find her yourself.” She snaps with fire in her tone. “I’m sure Annalise is keeping her company right now.”
Red.
All I see is fucking red at the mention of Annalise.
Was she only trying to get a rise out of me, or was she being truthful? Every fiber in my body wanted to believe that it was a lie, that Annalise was nowhere to be fucking found, and Charlotte was here alone, but another part of me felt betrayed. My already ruined heart was cracking even further, to the point I could feel the beating slowly diminish into nothing.
“Drink it.” She demands again. “And I’ll take you to the precious little mouse.”
My skin burned along with every shattered organ inside my body. I didn’t want to take demands from a fucking five-foot-nothing girl, but I knew I had to. I had to give up my control for the woman who would forever own me.
Snatching the glass from her grip, I toss it back. I let the burning liquid flow down my throat until I empty the cup and shove it back in her face.
“Take me to her.” I growl angrily as another smile filters across her face. Nodding as if she’s impressed, she nods for me to follow her.
I trail closely behind her, impatient as fuck, and still glowing with rage. We weave through crowds, pass the bar, then end up in a corner where people are standing around mingling. She comes to a stop near the middle and spins around till she’s facing me.
“Where is she?” I survey our surroundings, and there’s still no sight of Charlotte.
“I told you she’s here, didn't I?” Her eyes linger on my lips, and suddenly, my eyes feel heavy. Shaking my head, I glare back down at her.
“Then where the fuck is she?” I shout once again as my head starts to pound violently, and my legs feel like jello.
What the fuck is going on?
My vision becomes hazy, and I try to adjust my eyes to focus on Verity, then suddenly, she leans in too close for comfort.
“She’s here, Arsen.” She breathes out in a slow voice that sounds entirely offbeat. I stare into her incredibly green eyes with fury, but I can’t seem to formulate any words. She closes the distance between us, dancing her red lips over mine softly. “She’s ours now.” She ghosts her eyes off to the side before slamming her mouth down on mine.
I can’t even fucking move. I can’t muster up the strength to push her off because my body feels as though it's useless. The need to hurt her consumes my thoughts. I want to get her mouth off mine and find Charlotte.
But I'm stuck at an idle, with murderous intent coursing through my veins.
She drugged me.
This wasn't just a coincidence. This was fucking planned out, and I was their prey. Charlotte was their prey too, and we were both hopeless to escape.
She then tears her mouth off mine, and I find myself slowly sagging into her.
“Foolish man.” She chuckles wickedly. “You should have just left her alone.”
28
CHARLOTTE
I was lying on a bed. A soft, familiar-smelling bed that I desperately wanted to sink into until I could escape from the nightmare of tonight. I would rather disappear off the face of this earth than lie here vulnerable in the clutches of two girls who I once thought were my friends. Two lionesses in sheep's clothing. They lured me in with their companionship and empathy until I practically fell headfirst into their devious trap.
The three of them weren’t just girls from St.Catherine’s. They were far worse than I could have ever imagined. Manipulative, toxic, and deadly. They were never going to stop until they had me at their mercy. And they finally got what they wanted.
As my nostrils began to fill with recognizable scents, I realized that we were in my room. And while I was tossed onto my bed, both Annalise and Priscilla were hovering above me with clear intent in their eyes.
“Is it really that fucking hard to admit you want me?” Annalise questions in an angry tone that causes my stomach to twist. I tried to kick my legs and thrash my arms, but nothing was working. I was stuck.
“That you want both of us?” Priscilla adds as Annalise rests her frame against her side. They both watch me with the same expression, and all I can do is lie there immobile and frightened. I was petrified over what would going to happen next or if it was on their agenda to hurt me.
Groaning, I swivel my head around in frustration. As I do, my hair falls over my face and covers most of my vision, blocking the perception that I had of both of them. And now, without it, I start to panic.
“I told you we should have just brought her into the woods.” Priscilla mumbles, annoyed and slightly aggravated, as I hear the sounds of shuffling feet on the floor.
“We’re doing this my way. My goddamn way, and if you don’t like it, you can leave.” Annalise shouts frantically as her voice completely shifts into a psychotic rage. Her tone is high-pitched, but the intensity of it makes my body cower lower into the bed.
I hear Priscilla curse under her breath before stalking closer to the side of the bed. “Fine, but we’re covering her fucking mouth. The last thing I need is for someone to walk by her room and hear us.”
Oh my god.
They were going to kill me. They were going to cover my mouth so my grunting and moaning would be silenced, and whatever fucked-up scheme they had planned for me could be done without disturbance. In that moment, all I could think about was Arsen. How even though he completely screwed me over, I still felt the same powerful attraction towards the man who would forever own me. When or if I die here tonight, would he miss me at all? Would my absence even cause a shift in his life? I was starting to believe that I was going to die loving a man who would never feel the same towards me. Out of all the pain and misery that tonight was going to bring, Arsen’s rejection was by far the worst.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, a soft cloth of some kind is gently wrapped around my mouth as my head is lifted off the bed. Twisting my head back and forth, I try using my teeth and make frantic movements to stop them from covering my mouth, but with a sharp tug of my hair, I groan and surrender. “Relax, little mouse. We’re only doing this for your protection.” Annalise mutters from above me as she ties the fabric around the back of my skull.
