Page 74 of Corruption
“It’s the kisses!” she screamed, causing me to step back, bewildered.
“The kisses?”
“Yes, you know I despise it most when you kiss me because, believe it or not, I do believe in love and marriage. I even believe in soulmates.”
I let out a mocking laugh, and she shoved her hands against my chest, but I didn’t budge an inch.
“I do!” she yelled.
“That doesn’t exist!”
“You’re wrong! And even if you weren’t, it doesn’t matter. I believe it, and it infuriates me even more that you make a mockery of what I hold dear. No, my marriage isn’t perfect, but it used to be. I had it almost within reach. Despite it going south, I knew I had it. I knew it was real, even if just for a second. And now you use me to act it out as if it were that simple, as if it were that insignificant. I know that I might seem naive for believing in true love and all that, but that doesn’t mean I don’t. And you trample all over it,” she confessed, leaving me utterly astonished with each word she spoke.
Alison had always been this icy, unfeeling bitch in my life. I couldn’t discern a heart or an ounce of warmth in her. She was a monster from my nightmares, one that continued to haunt me even years later. She remained the specter lurking in the dark corners of my room. I had this certain image of her, and she was slowly shattering it. The more time I spent with her, the more I delved into the woman before me, the more layers I uncovered. I despised that I even noticed it. I loathed that she had this almost endearing quality to her. A romantic... I’d never have associated that word with Alison. I believed her marriage was another card up her sleeve, another way to perfect her image. But no matter how much I tried to deny it or claim I didn’t believe her when she swore it wasn’t a lie, I couldn’t. I knew Alison too well. I could tell when she was playing games and when she was being sincere. In that moment, nothing but truth flowed from her sweet pink lips.
“But go ahead, tie me up, flog me, cut me, do whatever you need to do to punish me for walking away and getting angry. We know it’s coming,” she challenged.
Alison looked almost drained, too weary to keep up the fight. Once again, I’d found a way to breach her defenses, bringing them down to the point where she simply surrendered herself to me. However, it wasn’t as gratifying as it should have been because, for the first time, she was truly vulnerable. Something I never thought possible, but there it was. I reached up, caressing her cheek slowly, watching her eyes flutter closed as if she anticipated my next act of cruelty. Yet there was no need for pain to break through to her. I’d already plunged the knife deep into a wound, and now I needed to be the one to mend her. Leaning closer, I pressed my lips gently against hers, eliciting a soft gasp from her. Not only was the tenderness of the kiss unexpected to her, but the kiss itself caught her off guard. I moved my lips slowly against hers, granting her that brief moment of warmth. However, as I attempted to pull away, Alison reached for me, clutching my shirt and pulling me back to her. Our lips met once more, this time with greater intensity. With every passing moment, our desperation grew. I had to restrain myself before losing myself in the sensation. I seized her wrist, pushing it against the door as I parted from her.
“Don’t forget who’s in control between us, slave,” I whispered, my voice lacking authority as I panted.
Alison leaned closer to me, our lips nearly touching again. “Weren’t we married?”
I couldn’t restrain myself. As she presented that tempting offering before me, that little excuse to taste her once more, I captured her lips with mine, pressing her against the door and feeling her warmth meld with mine. I was acutely aware that I shouldn’t succumb to what she was offering. I shouldn’t let her manipulate me, but the desire to give in was overpowering. It made everything so much simpler. Distance might have provided some relief, but one taste and I was ensnared once more by the allure of these forbidden desires, the overpowering need to possess Alison. The temptation was simply irresistible, yet I had to resist it. Reluctantly, I pulled back, hearing her whimper while I maintained my grip on her wrist.
“Soon someone else will have me,” I reminded her, hoping to rekindle her anger, but her reaction was unexpected. She seemed intrigued.
“Why?” she inquired.
“To ensure peace. To ensure we can both return to our former lives,” I explained.
“You sold yourself? How ironic,” she whispered. Although she attempted to sound taunting, her words carried an underlying sadness. When she gazed at me, there was no joy or satisfaction in her eyes. It was as though her eyes mirrored the emotions swirling within me. I hung my head, feeling all my strength drain away as I slowly sank to my knees in front of her.
“Jared?”
“I don’t want it...” I confessed, uncertain why I was sharing this with Alison. I felt utterly drained. I had assumed that our games would empower me, provide me with a sense of control. However, it hadn’t unfolded the way I’d anticipated. I couldn’t escape the relentless march of time. I had believed that only Alison had something waiting for her, a grim future she couldn’t avoid. Yet it appeared that a similar fate awaited me. I leaned closer, resting my forehead against her stomach, simply relying on her presence. I hadn’t anticipated finding myself in this position, but the relentless ticking of the clock never ceased. “Tell me it’s as simple as playing this game tonight. Tell me I can endure it.”
“You’re making it sound like you’re preparing for your own execution,” she whispered, and I chuckled in a somewhat melancholic tone.
“Close...” I sighed before I felt her fingers gently combing through my hair, soothing the tension that gripped my body. I reached out, grasping her hips and drawing her closer, inhaling the scent I had loathed for so many years. It had once been enough to make me nauseous, and now I was drowning in it, craving more.
“It’s just marriage, right?”
“I can’t believe those words coming from you, especially after you revealed you believe in love,” I whispered. “I know you don’t mean it now because you think it can be found—a soulmate.”
“But just because I believe in it doesn’t mean you have to. You can still have a partnership. I work well together with my husband, despite what I know. I’ve found something that still functions.”
“No, you’re just doing damage control,” I said, shaking my head against her.
"Fine, maybe you're right, but others make it work. They find partnerships. Love might not be part of the deal, but shouldn't that only matter to you if you want to find it?" she asked, but I didn't answer because her question confused me. I had been absent from love for ages. I didn't know what it meant anymore. Therefore, I never thought I would want anything resembling it, but then why did my heart ache a little from her words? "Jared? You don't want love... right?"
"I don't think I can love," I admitted. "I don't even know what it means."
I felt her fingers freeze for a moment before she quickly continued running them through my hair again.
"Well, maybe your new wife can teach you. Maybe she can love you both enough," she suggested, but I began laughing at the idea because Alison hadn't met Astrid. She didn't know the hard woman, the one wanting men to bow to her and serve her. I understood her reasons for it, but I couldn't be that person, nor could I see Astrid ever turning away from those kinks. "Why is that funny?"
"It just is," I sighed before nuzzling myself closer to Alison. I was so familiar with her body already. It was scary how I could find solace in it, but that was what familiarity did to you. It felt comfortable because you were used to it.
