Mistress A-0002

W as love valid if mixed with hate? Was it divine if warped by devious intent?

What Elec and I had couldn’t be matched. On special occasions, we burned for each other. He was mine, and I was everything he needed. It didn’t matter that he battled me in our everyday lives at the Gardens. It didn’t even matter that he didn’t know what we shared. I was the bad guy. Someone had to be. It was trivial. It wasn’t like his needs mattered anyway. This was about me. This was what I wanted.

“It’s been days. You’re avoiding your sessions.”

Elec’s features hardened as he spotted me, and he slowed in his approach.

“I called. I told you I was busy.”

“Busy doing what? Planning around June’s arrival?”

“I answer to the Council. I don’t answer to you.”

Agitation flashed in his depths, forcing me forward, churning the lustful rage even more. Our game was push and pull. Sword and seduction. If only he knew how wrong he was.

“I’m your doctor. We’ve talked about this.”

“And I told you to mind your own damn business.” Elec’s tone was deep, not at all acceptable. My eyes narrowed at my suspicion, sweeping his expressions as he continued. “I said stay out of my way, Melissa. I know what I’m doing. I’m fine.”

“That remains to be seen. Your appointment is in the morning. You’ve rescheduled enough. I will see you, then.”

“I haven’t forgotten. Nine o’clock sharp.”

Sound rustled off to the side, and I glanced over. Master Eleven was shifting, waiting for the Main Master. Elec didn’t hesitate to head Ethan O’Brien’s way. The anger inside heated as I wanted to continue baiting him, but I’d have time later. A lot later. And he’d pay for putting his focus on June. If she wasn’t somehow immune to me… damn Elec . He had to have something to do with it. She responded to him just fine.

I reached for my phone angrily as an alert sounded from my clutch. The moment I pulled it up and spun for the stairs my smile from the text alert was fleeting. How could joy and impatience keep such good company?

I knew how.

Blood didn’t come without wounds. Plans didn’t evolve without intent. Time. It was the basis of everything, and it was running out for my patient, Braddock Pierce. So many games, but I needed something new. Something better than destroying the last of an elite line. I’d already done that a long time ago, and Braddock had been too easy. Too susceptible to my gifts. Now that I’d destroyed his sanity, my fun was wrapping up.

One more slave for him…

I bit my lip through the smile that came at the thought. One. More. Death. Not for him. For me. It was almost time for another ‘episode’ and when he succumbed to my persuasion, he’d give me what I wanted. He’d do anything for me . Destroy. Decimate. There’d be nothing left of the poor girl when he finished…and then… I’d finish him . But not yet. I had to plan. I needed Elec to confirm my findings. Ending bloodlines in our elite circle was not done. Maybe that’s why I wanted this so badly. The first wasn’t intentional. I hadn’t planned it. It just happened like magic. But this was different. I was doing this just to see if I could. To see how far I could get away with destroying a man and making him lose a status so profound that it would never survive.

Kill. Yes. Mind killer. Sanity stealer. That was me. Braddock wasn’t worthy of a bloodline. His father was weak. He was weak . Everyone in our circle was pathetic, except for Elec. But that was thanks to me. No one could hold a candle to my power. Not even the man I trained. But Elec was getting good at bending people to his will and locking their minds from me. I hadn’t taught him that part. He had learned it on his own. He was smart. Too fucking smart sometimes.

I rounded the corner, trying to push away the fact that he was with June and Rhett. He’d pay later. I’d make sure of it. Tonight was my night.

“Mistress Two.”

I didn’t make it two steps into the lobby before heads turned my way. Masters stared, waiting for a nod or a bat of my eyelashes. Mistresses smiled, showing me the admiration I deserved. I slowed as Master Two-fifty-eight approached. Adrian Bulvere wasn’t part of our elite circle, but a patient who was handsome and rich, and that was enough for me to pull him into my web. He was hard to crack at first. A challenge, and not an ideal candidate, but I got to him like I knew I would. Not to the degree I wanted, but the extreme lust was enough. For now.

“There you are. I’ve been waiting for you. You’re looking extraordinarily lovely in your silk gown. The ivory looks…exquisite against your pale skin. You are every bit the goddess you portray.”

Light brown eyes were zeroed in on my neck as he breathed heavily, breaking only to travel down towards the modest square neckline. But my dress wasn’t really his focus. Adrian was lowering to fixate on my breasts. On what I wouldn’t give him access to underneath the dress. Withholding had to be done to set my hook deeper. When he took me in, my features wouldn’t appear plain like they had in the beginning. With each meeting, I was more the object of his desire. A tempting woman of perfection. One he thought he was falling in love with. The more I fed his need, the more his want of me grew. The more powerful I became over him. It was a pattern, and given his expression, it wouldn’t be long before we were at the end. Had I won again already?

“You flatter me, Master .”

“What I say is the truth.”

“The truth based on a lie. You want to have sex with me, but that’s where it ends.”

“No,” Adrian said, shaking his head in offended confusion.

I glanced around, coming back to meet his gaze as he let it rise to my lips. “It’s lust. Greed. That’s all you feel. Too bad there’s no respect. Pity, actually. I was really hoping…I mean….”

My bottom lip pushed out the smallest amount as I surged forward. Adrian rushed to keep up, staying at my side as I nodded at Masters and Mistresses I passed.

“You don’t think I respect you? Of course I do . I think of you highly.”

“Highly,” I repeated. “Not good enough.”

“Would you rather me say I adore you? Melissa, if you weren’t married?—”

“But I am. You keep writing these little notes on the gifts you send. If what you wrote was true, it would mean you didn’t care about my husband. You obviously do because you haven’t proved anything to me. Thinking about me. Hoping to see me .” I rolled my eyes. “Friends say that.”

“I don’t want to be friends. I want more. I don’t care that you’re married. I mean, I did, but not anymore. And I know divorce is out of the question. You’ve said that, but?—”

“Don’t.”

I put on a fake mask, dismissing the Master as I flashed a dazzling smile at Mistress Three and her blank slate. They were stepping from the elevator in the distance. The male she held to was covered in tattoos and every bit the killer she’d turned him into. Charlotte Wyce looked happy, and from what I heard in her sessions, she was.

Slowing, I let out a sigh.

“Go back to the auction. I’m busy. I have to deal with something for work. It’s going to take a while.”

“No. Wait.” Fingers added the smallest amount of pressure to my bicep, and I came to a stop just outside the elevator doors, sweeping the empty lobby before pretending sadness. For seconds, I kept my stare down. When it rose, Adrian’s mouth stayed open, lost for words as my doe-eyed stare entranced him, pulling him deeper into my spell.

“Master, I have to go. There’s nothing left to say.”

His head shook. “Stop being so impersonal. I told you to call me Adrian. Melissa, I respect you. What I feel for you…” He stopped, his lids lowering even more as he lost himself in my gaze. “It’s more than words. It’s more than I can even wrap my head around. Come to my place. Come see what I got you.”

“More gifts?”

“Always, and this one is better than the diamond earrings. It’s better than the rings or stupid flowers. None of that impressed you.”

“Property? Land?”

“You won’t know unless you come.”

I took in the deserted room. Everyone was at the auctions.

Stepping forward, I closed the distance, pressing my breasts into him. Adrian’s hands flattened on my lower back, pulling me in even more. His chest rose and fell quicker as he kept my gaze.

“You feel something? More than wanting your cock inside me?”

My words were like suction, pulling his length deeper into my throat. A moan left him, and he dug his fingers into the back of my silk gown, curling the top part of his body around me. His lips hovered just above mine.

“You have no idea. I swear I do.”

“Then let me help you out with future gifts. Beach house. Penthouse. Big beds with bigger views. Diamonds. Gold. Designer labels and dollar bills. Lots and lots of dollars. That’s on the outside. Down here…my gifts are like the pretty bows that wrap my presents. If it doesn’t bleed, I don’t want it .”

Multiple expressions passed over his face. Slowly, he drew back, studying me more than I liked. Yes, I had him, but Adrian held a lot more power than he usually showed. When he was under my influence, he was in deep. But he had the ability to draw back when triggered, and something I said had him cautiously trying to get a read on me.

“ Adrian , I understand if what I’m asking is too much.” I kept eye contact, pulling back even more, dislodging his hands. “Not many Masters would be comfortable killing in front of another person. Death is intimate. Private. No one understands that more than me. I just…” I bit my bottom lip, flattening my palm on his sternum, easing my digits into the button-up he wore under the suit’s vest and jacket. “I want it because it’s what…couples do. And if you liked me more than someone to just have sex with, what more profound way?—”

“Man or woman?”

My mouth opened, and I stepped back as the elevator dinged. The doors opened and I threw a smile to the three Masters who stepped out and headed towards the auction rooms. Only when they were through the threshold did I reach for Adrian, pulling him off to the side to be out of view. He didn’t need a verbal cue. Our lips met hungrily, and he grabbed my ass, pulling me back into his body.

“Woman,” I moaned. “Dark hair. The prettiest one you can find.” Adrian went back to kissing me like I was something he couldn’t live without. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

“Melissa.” My back hit the wall as his powerful body tightened around mine. He was holding securely. Possessively. So much like Elec did when we were together. “Two slaves. I’ll buy you two.”

“And you’ll kill them for me? Any way I want? You’ll prove your devotion?”

“I’m going to do a lot more than that. It should be me asking if you’re sure you want me to. Melissa, I…You’ve heard my sessions. You’re my doctor. When I start—When I get in that mindset, I’m not the man I am now. Hearing it is one thing. Seeing is quite another. You may never look at me the same way again. It’s going to be bad. Really, really bad for the slaves.”

“I know.” My lips pulled back into a half smile. “ I’m counting on it .”