The air freezes. Her gaze flickers between us, and for one terrible heartbeat I swear she sees it—every dirty secret, every mark, every lie.
Her throat bobs. She opens her mouth, and I cut in, calm, flat, practiced. “Do whatever you want, Katie. You always do.”
Her eyes linger on me for a second too long. Then she snorts, downs her juice, and pushes off the stool. “Fine. I’ll call later.”
Her footsteps fade again, up the stairs this time.
Only when her door clicks shut do I let myself move, leaning in close, lips grazing the shell of her ear, voice a growl only she can hear.
“She’s circling closer, baby girl. One wrong word, one wrong look and she’ll know her best friend’s already mine.”
The second Kate’s door shuts, I shove the mug away and catch her wrist, yanking her off the stool.
She stumbles into me, eyes wide, lips parting like she’s about to speak. I cover her mouth with my hand before the first syllable slips out.
“You almost ruined everything,” I growl against her ear. “One blush, one stammer and she’s already sniffing at the edges. You want to be caught, is that it? Want to be exposed like the desperate little whore you are?”
She shakes her head, whimper muffled against my palm.
“Then you’ll learn.”
I march her toward the hall, pressing her against the wall hard enough that the picture frames rattle. My hand slips from her mouth to her throat, just enough pressure to remind her where she belongs.
“Say it,” I order.
“I’ll—learn,” she gasps.
“Louder.”
“I’ll learn!”
I smirk, dark and cold. “Good. Then we’ll practice.”
My hand trails down, curling between her thighs, finding her already trembling, already wet. “You’ll stand here. Quiet. Perfect. While I take what’s mine. And you won’t make a sound because if she hears, baby girl, you’ll lose more than just me. You’ll lose her.”
Her breath hitches, panic and lust colliding in her eyes.
I slide into her without warning, muffling her cry with my palm again. The stretch, the sting—it tears a sob out of her throat, one she can’t release.
“That’s it,” I whisper against her temple. “Hold it in. Take it. Let me fuck you right here, with her just upstairs, and prove you can be silent when I tell you to.”
Every thrust is punishment, sharp and merciless, driving her against the wall, the frames rattling louder. She claws at myshoulders, desperate, her muffled moans breaking against my hand.
“Pathetic little thing,” I taunt, low and feral. “I can feel it—you’re about to break. Go on, cum for me. Cum silent. Or I’ll make you scream and let her hear exactly what you’ve been doing with her daddy.”
Her eyes roll back, tears spilling down her cheeks as her body convulses around me, soundless, perfect—her mouth wide open behind my hand, but not a single cry escaping.
I bite her neck, brutal and claiming, holding her there until the tremors fade.
Only then do I release her, letting her sag against the wall, breathless, ruined.
“Good girl,” I murmur, brushing a strand of hair from her damp face. “You learn fast when the stakes are high.”
She slumps against the wall, trembling, sweat cooling on her skin, eyes still glassy from the silent storm I dragged her through.
I don’t let her slide down. My hand clamps onto her chin, forcing her to look at me.
“Open.”
