AMARI'S POV
I made a deal with a devil.
Yes, that could be the only explanation on why a man could use his daughter as collateral damage for a failed business deal. I wasn't complaining as I stood at the longer end of the yardstick and she was beautiful. He had shown me a picture of his beautiful blond haired daughter and my only thought was 'damn she's hot', but when I saw her in reality, I was kind of disappointed. Her make up was smeared and the hair I had fantasies of running my fingers through was quite messy, like she could not bother to run a comb through it. She looked like she had been crying, her eyes were swollen and lips were popped up in a pout. I was supposed to feel sorry for her, no one deserved a father like Alexander, but I couldn't bring myself to care. It seemed like that part of me was gone, I could only picture her in my bed, wriggling under me and screaming my name as I took her in all positions but not like this, not when she looked like she just took a swim in the east river. Irritated, I turned to look at Alexander
"Why does she look like a drowned cat"
Alexander looked alarmed, his eyes darting around as he struggled to come up with a reasonable excuse. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, a soft feminine voice cut him off,
"I am right here, you can ask me"
I turned towards her, eyes glaring. I hated when people responded to questions I hadn't asked them, but she didn't back down. Instead she aimed one of hers back at me, she stared down at me like I was a pest, unworthy of her attention. That intrigued me, few people were able to oppose me and I could count with my fingers, how many could look at me the way she just did, none.
"Ooh let me rephrase my question, why do you look like a drowned cat"
Her eyes flashed, her fists clenched by her side like she was trying to stop herself from doing something she could regret, but it seemed like her anger won.
"Maybe to scare you off so that I wouldn't be stuck married to you for the rest of your life" she replied.
'Rest of my life' it seemed like Alexander had not filled her in on all parts of the contract. I barely opened my mouth to correct her assumption, when she continued,
"Most men would want to create a nice first impression for their future brides to remember with smiles, but not you, it seems to me that you are really the infamous cold jerk those gossip magazines portrays you as"
She had a backbone, just what I needed. I was definitely looking forward to spending the next six months with her, she was surely going to be entertaining.
I was going to possess her, mark and imprint my name on her in all shades and colors. She was going to be mine, only mine. So then I smiled and stepped closer.
&&
I watched her sign the marriage contract without bothering to read through, I am sure that she did not even notice the pre-nup which was under it. Such a prat, so trusting and oblivious to the dangers of the world. Maybe the only danger she should be worried about at this point was me, I could feel another migraine coming and I could be a devil when it hit.
The drive home was uneventful, it was quite easy it tune out her questions when I was so focused on relieving the pain in my head. I couldn't help but flinch when I saw the mansion gates. They held so many fond and bad memories for me, so I tended to stay out of it as much as I could.
The car rolled to a stop in front of the 'Remington House'. I was out of the door the moment Mark pulled the car door open, not even bothering to wait for my new bride, I made my way through the double doors.
Um.,. What exactly are we doing here?" She asked tentatively behind me.
I contemplated gracing her with a response, turning to look at her I could see that she looked unsure and confused
"This is to be your new home, at least for the next six months"
"Uh?.. here?... What about the pentho… … ."
She never got to finish her sentence, because the next moment my phone rang cutting her off mid sentence.
I slowly reached for my phone, I was enjoying the frustration which was rolling off her in waves. Pulling it out of my pocket, I checked the caller ID which displayed 'Avery'. She never called me so late, except…
Hello...."
" Hi Damon" her breathless voice sounded through the speaker, "Where are you?" she asked.
"I'm at the mansion.,.."
"Thought you never went there" she paused slightly, her voice taking a deep and sultry tone "could you come over, I have a new game I am sure you would love to try"
I smiled and then glanced down at my watch. I could make it to her place on time if I took one of the faster rides.
"In about forty minutes, give or take… "
"I am under the silk sheets waiting" I could hear the smile in her voice, I was surely going to enjoy this new game she had cooked up.
"Alright" I said and ended the call.
"I'm leaving". I announced, not bothering to look at Maya. I was already about to pull the door open when her voice stopped me.
"Where do I sleep and when will you be back?" She asked.
I pulled the door open, pausing with my hand on the handle. Still facing away from her, because I didn't want her to see the irritation on my face, her questions were never ending and were gradually becoming annoying.
"Sort it out yourself" I replied, and then slammed the door behind me.
&&
I parked my car a block away from Avery's apartment. I knew that I was going to be featured on all those gossip magazines Maya loved to read due to my hasty marriage but the media was going to have a field day if they discovered that I left my bride on my wedding night to consort with my lover. Not that I cared about anyone's opinion about me, but I loved to keep those annoying pests at arms length.
She opened the door before I could even press the doorbell, she had a sweltry smile on her face, her lower lips buried under her teeth and her eyes hooded with passion. The sort of welcome I liked and she knew it. She was dressed in a lacy red robe, it was quite transparent though, so I could see the matching set of negligee and garter which clung to her body under the robe.
I wondered how she knew I was already at the door, so I raised one of my eyebrows in question.
"Saw you walking across the street through my window, waited by the door until I could hear your footsteps" she replied, opening the door wider so that I could step in.
I grabbed her the moment she shut the door behind us. Circling her into my arms, I managed to Press a kiss on her neck before she pushed me away.
"Told you I had a game, you are going to ruin the fun"
"What is this one about '' her bedroom games were always fun and exciting, this was why I kept her around, she surely knew when to spice things up. Especially now that I was hot and bothered, walking around with a half mast under my pants for the same woman who I had left at home. I was a crazy bastard, no denying that, I had no real reason for leaving Maya alone at the mansion. She was the sort of girl Mother would have approved of and that made her untouchable, just for the moment though because I was still going to possess every inch of her, I was only biding my time to do so. She was willing, I was willing but that's what made me a crazy bastard because I wanted her to be delirious with desire when I finally took her.
"Two minutes in heaven" she replied, pulling me out of my reverie.
"Isn't that a game for horny teenagers to get laid" I asked seemingly uninterested.
"Nope, this is quite different" she argued, showing me little cards with 'his clothes' and 'her clothes' labeled at the top. The card was numbered from one to six, she also had a dice.
"What are those for" I asked
She then proceeded to explain the rules of the game to me. It looked fun, well for those who considered themselves romantics, but not me. Although I couldn't risk telling her that if I wanted to get laid tonight, I couldn't risk going home with cold balls.
The game proved to be hotter and more erotica than I anticipated, before long I had her moaning my name as we rode fast, high on the throes of passion. The sex as usual was great, but I felt unsatisfied as I scrambled around for my clothings. It seemed as if something was missing but I wasn't going to stay around long enough to find out. I never did, Avery knew that, it was part of the deal we made, great sex with no feelings attached. So she watched me as I put my clothes on. She had that look in her eyes as though she wanted to say something but was still unsure of how I was going to react to her words. I wouldn't say I knew her well, but we had been friends since we both were in diapers so that counted for something.
"What?" I asked, my voice sounding snappish.
If she noticed she didn't react to it, she sat up from the bed the silk sheets falling away to expose her upper body, she has never been one for modesty, perfectly content in her own skin.
"Damon, can we….. ooh….. forget it"
I knew what she wanted to ask of me, the one thing that I couldn't give her. Maybe I didn't try hard enough, but she knew what she was getting into when she proposed that deal to me. I wouldn't say she wasn't special, she was. She was the only one who could get away with calling me 'Damon'. I hated that name but she claimed that it suited me, my personality. So I let her, she was the one person I could never bring myself to hurt, nor could I ever love her. Her world revolved around mine like a shadow, always there but never quite part of mine and I planned on keeping it that way for as long as I could. I couldn't taint her, no, not after everything her father had done for me.
Sitting at the edge of the bed completely dressed, I gathered her into my arms pressing a kiss on her forehead.
"No Aves, we can't," I replied, pulling her against my chest.
"Why," she whispered.
"I am already married, my wife is at the mansion" I stated, still holding her in my arms. I could feel the moment she stiffened, I closed my eyes and got ready for the storm.