Page 46 of Assassin: Part 1

“You know, pet, when I was talking about the restraints, I recall stating that next time it would be you in them.” Her tone is almost nonchalant. “I didn’t realize the drugs would affect your cognition that much. I’ll have to make a note of that.” She lifts her head, tilting it to look at her bound wrists. “And already ready for me? Or were you hoping to have this for whatever whore you were planning to bring to your bed?”

My smile spreads further. “Is that jealousy I hear, lisichka?”

Her lips curl into a sharp, toothy smile. “It’s a warning, kotyonek.”

I try not to scowl at the nickname. I’m no more a kitten than she is. “You are not in the position to be warning about anything. Especially not who I fuck.” I rise from the bed and walk to the headboard, double-checking the restraints are nice and tight. I don’t trust her not to find some way out of it.

The blue of her eyes glitters in the lamplight, and I get the distinct impression that in her mind, she’s the predator and I’m her prey. How wrong she is.

Unable to resist goading her a little further, I taunt, “Is that what you’ve been worrying about, lisichka? Thinking of all the women in my bed? Imagining them screaming my name as I fuck them in this exact position?” I lean forward, watching the swirling jealousy and anger build. “Don’t worry, lisichka, you were never far from my thoughts.” I brush my fingers along her neck, pressing in on one of the marks already bruising. She lets out a small hiss, and my smile widens. “Or thinking of how you were going to be in this position yourself, fully at my mercy.”

“Is your plan to torture me by talking me to death? If so, you’re doing a remarkable job.” She gasps softly as I grip her throat, the desire firing back to life in her eyes.

“I will gag that pretty mouth, lisichka, if you continue to sass me. You’re not running the show here.”

I pull away and she laughs. “Threatening me with a good time? If you’re gagging me, can I offer a suggestion? Something tells me you’ll like it.” Her gaze moves to my tented boxers.

“And have you bite it off? I’ve seen what you can do to a dick, and I’m not about to lose such a valuable appendage. Especially not one I know you want.” I move to the end of the bed, watching her.

“Seems stupid of me to bite the part I want then, doesn’t it?” She rolls her eyes. “Now, are you going to get to the punishment portion of this little discussion, or should I have a nap until then?”

Why do I find her sass amusing?

“It’s coming, lisichka, but first …”

I grip the bottom of her boot, yanking it off. It’s surprisingly light despite its chunky appearance. I check it carefully but find nothing and move to the next. I watch her as I remove each sock and check the small pockets at her hips, but she grins, unconcerned. “You won’t be drugging me again,” I warn her. “And anything else you have hiding in here, I’ll find too.”

“Promise?” She lifts her hips when I reach for the button at her waistband. “Maybe this time, I’ve brought a few surprises for you to find.”

That puts me on alert, so I force myself to pay attention. I can’t trust her. The skintight pants don’t come off easily, and it takes me longer than I want to yank them off her. She snickers at my efforts, and I pin her with a cold glare. “What did you do, paint them on?” I gripe.

“Something like that. The price we pay for fashion, huh?”

I ignore her sarcasm, my entire focus on this woman wearing nothing to cover her bare pussy. My mouth waters, begging for another taste. It only grows when she widens her legs, showing me every glistening inch.

Fuck, she’s damn near perfect. She bends her legs, planting her feet, and spreads them as wide as she can. “Do you see how much my body begs for you, pet?” she purrs. “Even after all this, I’m so fucking wet. I bet you’d slide right in. And you’d love that, wouldn’t you?”

Unbidden, I crawl toward her.

Just one taste. One more. Just to tide me over.

Thankfully, the smarter side of me intervenes and reminds me not to fall for her traps. I’ll have plenty of time to taste her pussy once I find the knife I know she’s hiding.

Shifting between her legs, I move my hands over her hips to the bottom of her tight top. I brush my fingers along the band until I find what I’m looking for. The thin sheath at the base of her back attached to her shirt with a small cord.

Bingo.

She doesn’t stiffen as I pull it out and stare at the knife in my hand. The knife she held to my throat the first night we met and in my office. It’s heavy in my grasp, but she used it so easily, so I know she’s had it a long time. I lift my gaze, and she’s watching me. The flush of desire on her face is still present, but I can’t decipher the look in her eyes.

Anger? Maybe. But something else. Something deeper.

“I’ve thought of this knife so many times,” I say, bringing it up to her neck and pressing it into the same place she marked me. The place I see every morning when I shave. “How does it feel, lisichka, to be in this position and at my mercy this time?”

Her lips twist into a taunting smile. “Is that what this is going to be, kotyonek? A tit-for-tat situation?” Her eyes flash. “Do your worst, and let’s see just who wins this time.”

Blood wells under the blade before I pull it away. Satisfaction fills me, knowing I’ve marked her in more ways than one. I draw the tip of the blade along the line of her neck, down between her breasts, to the bottom of her shirt before I move under it, the fabric tearing along the blade.

“Be careful what you wish for,” I warn. She moans as I slice until the shirt is cut down the middle, gaping open to reveal her glorious tits bare to me.