Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Elena

I have lost my goddamn mind—it must be the reason. All this shit with Blake has messed with my brain. Don’t get me wrong, screwing strangers is fun and all, but when Mr. Gray Sweats—as he is now known—walked out in that tight white shirt, sweats with a dick imprint, and that fucking balaclava, I was literally drooling. With zero shame.

I’m like a bitch in heat, and I’m one hundred percent here for it. I take a seat across from the grumpy one, who is staring at his phone. It’s no use, there is still no signal. I push his black coffee toward him.

He must feel my stare because he looks up from his phone. He, too, wears a balaclava—I guess the glow masks must be uncomfortable to wear all the time.

“What?” he grumbles.

“Nothing... well, I was just wondering if it you think it’s too early to start day drinking.”

He glances at his watch, which looks expensive as fuck. Maybe Eliott is onto something with his online stuff because this guy clearly has money. He doesn’t answer me, and I really hate the uncomfortable silence.

I snort at the fact he is still wearing his Santa costume and his whiskey-colored eyes snap up to mine. “You can borrow some of my uncle’s partner’s clothes if you want. He is about your size.”

“Thanks,” he mutters, picking up his coffee.

The man in the gray sweats plops down beside me. “Don’t mind him. He hates not working; it makes him grumpy.”

“You know, you can take your balaclavas off. I promise I’m not a stage-five clinger and won’t stalk you. Shit, I have enough man problems at home. But if you want to work, I’m not opposed to you putting on a mask and playing a game of hide-and-seek.”

Mr. Grumpy’s eyes snap up to meet mine, and I feel trapped. His gaze demands attention in a way that feels like all the air has been siphoned from the room, and a heavy weight settles on my chest.

“Is that what you want? I don’t think a girl like you could handle a man like me.”

That makes me scoff. “You have no idea what I can handle. Forget it, I can’t pay you anyway. My ex controlled all our money, and I’m currently jobless because he was supporting me through college. Speaking of college, I’m flunking since he put his cock in his receptionist, which is so fucking cliché, if you ask me.”

“He sounds like a real keeper.”

I lean my head back, and the man from the kitchen places a plate of food down in front of me. My stomach grumbles. “Thank you. I thought he was. I mean, I thought we were good.”

Food guy places a plate in front of Mr. Gray Sweats and heads back toward the kitchen, returning with a plate for Mr. Grumpy and himself.

“Was the sex bad?” Mr. Gray Sweats asks. “Not that it’s an excuse, of course.”

“It was regular sex, and we spent a lot of time together. We went on dates and our families have been friends our entire lives. We were each other’s firsts. It was what I thought was perfect.”

“Is that why you’re here?”

I really need to find a better nickname for food guy. His voice embodies what sex would sound like if sex could talk, so Mr. Sexy Voice it is then.

“Yes. My uncle thought it would be good for me to get away. He was supposed to be here, though I think he just wanted to babysit me, so I don’t drink myself into a coma. Day drinking has become a new hobby of mine since... Blake. Which led to ‘drunk me’ thinking it was a brilliant idea to screw my ex’s older brother.”

Mr. Grumpy shocks me with a deep chuckle. “Sounds like a great revenge plan. Anyone stupid enough to cheat on their partner deserves everything they get.”

It makes the other two men laugh, and Mr. Grumpy snaps at them to shut up. It’s clear I’m missing something.

Mr. Grumpy sighs. “My ex-wife is fucking my father.”

My mouth falls open. “Wow, that’s messed up. Did she get weird about you being a sex worker?”

All three men laugh this time. “No, she just thought he had more money than me, but she will realize really soon he doesn’t.”

“Sucks to be her. I hope you got payback. And I thought my family get-togethers would be awkward—I can’t imagine yours. Ugh, what are the chances one of you is free on Christmas Day and wants to earn some money pretending to be a felon? My ex would have a heart attack. But you can’t do any face coverings.”

“I got my payback. They just don’t know it was me, or at least they can’t prove it. My lawyer has all the proof I need that she cheated, so she doesn’t get a cent due to our prenup. Let’s just say that my mother likes to fuck with my dad, and their divorce agreement went in her favor, so there is no chance my ex will get anything from him. Family get-togethers are rare, but my mother makes sure they are humorous.”

“What about you two? Any ex stories to share?”

Mr. Sexy Voice snorts. “Nope, nobody ever stuck around long enough, and I spent a bit of time in and out of prison.”

I gasp and stare right at him. I’ve never been around anyone who has been to prison. “What did you do?” I whisper, and he smiles. Thankfully, their face coverings show their eyes and mouth, unlike the glow mask.

“That isn’t something I like to talk about. We,” he says, motioning between himself and Mr. Gray Sweats, “met in prison, and Daddy gave us a job.”

“I really wish you did face-to-face jobs. Real-life criminals would be so perfect.”

“If we could take the job, we would,” Mr. Gray Sweats says. “But as soon as the storm passes, we have other business to attend to.”

“Well, you are very good at what you do. I don’t think I have come so hard in my life.” I laugh at myself.

“Fuck it,” Mr. Grumpy says, making us all look at him. “Fuck the money. While we are here, we are going to own you. When you leave here and spend Christmas with your loser ex, you will have forgotten all about him. You will remember your worth and still feel us on your skin.”

I shiver at his words, but I don’t know if they can erase Blake in such a short amount of time. We were officially a couple for almost seven years, and even before that, we were always together.

“What do you mean, own me?”

Mr. Grumpy smirks at me. “Exactly what I said—own you. You will do what we say when we say it. You can use your safe word if you need to, but otherwise you submit to us.”

I pretend to think about it because I don’t want to come across as a desperate bitch, but I need to stop thinking about Blake. Even if there’s a small chance this will help me forget, then I’m in. “What’s in it for me?”

Mr. Gray Sweats leans into my side. “Orgasms. Lots and lots of orgasms.”

I shiver at his whispered words.

“Getting to explore things you haven’t had the courage to try before,” Sexy Voice adds with a smirk. “Dig deep, little gift. What’s something you think you might like?”

All I can do is blink at him. I haven’t thought about it, not when sex became something routine Blake and I did because we were together.

“Maybe being spanked?” I finally admit, heat rising in my cheeks. “I do like the masks as well.”

“That’s a good start,” Sexy Voice says.

“And maybe the whole masked Santa thing. I love Christmas.”

I can’t wait for the phone reception to come back, so I can call Ana and tell her—though maybe not all the details. This kind of shit doesn’t happen to people you know. It’s always stories online, and you daydream about being so lucky. The sensible part of my brain tries to warn me these men are strangers, but the other side is screaming, You only live once! And surely, if they were going to murder me, they would have done it already. This will be an experience I look back on with zero regrets.