I don’t respond. I just lean forward and kiss him.
Irvin picks me up and lays me on the couch. He pulls himself free from his pants and pushes into my mouth. He fucks my mouth hard and deep, and I gag, choking as tears spill down my face. When he comes, I swallow, breathless. Then he flips me onto my back, pulls my hands behind me, and something snaps. Metal digs into my skin.
“What are you doing?” I ask.
He doesn’t answer. He slides inside me, stretching me open.
I moan, groan, gasp his name. I don’t want him to stop. He fucks me hard and long, and I realize in that moment that I need Irvin more than anything in this world. He’s the only man I would ever let control me—mind and body. Heat spills down my thighs as he finishes. He undoes the handcuffs, and I pull him into my arms, kissing him softly, lips lingering.
His touch feels genuine, and I love this part of him—the tenderness, the quiet moments when it’s just us in our bubble. He pulls me against his chest as he turns on Hulu. Then he lies by my side, warm and heavy, and drifts off to sleep. I follow soon after.
Irvin
Iwake up, and my head feels foggy. In the middle of the night, I received a message from an unknown number to meet at the American Billionaire Club. The next thing I know, something strikes the back of my neck, and I pass out. I glance around, and my vision is hazy. It appears that I’m in some kind of chamber. The air is thick, making it harder to breathe, and the floor hums under my feet, throwing me off balance. The sound of water splashing and mist curling around my feet clings to my skin like leather.
Something brushes against my skin, and I realize that I’m in a wetsuit. It happens again, to my face this time, but I don’t see anything. My muscles twitch, and my heart pounds against my chest. The mist thickens, and the sound of water swells. Before I know it, my body feels submerged, and I’m grasping for air, trying to hold onto something that isn’t there. My lungs tighten, and my vision tunnels. I feel as if I’m about to puke. My chest constricts as though I inhaled water. It feels as if someone istrying to pull me under, drown me, but I hold my head up. There isn’t any fucking water in here. Cold mist burns my clothes.
Control yourself, Irvin. Fuck. Control yourself.
Water fills the chamber, and I go to the door, trying to pull on it, but it’s no use. The water rises slowly, inching toward my neck. I hyperventilate, unsure if I’m about to drown. I don’t know what’s real. I don’t know what to believe. I bang my hand on the door, then swim to the glass window, banging some more.
“Open the fucking door, now!”
The more I panic, the faster the water rises. I stop, then start again. Before the water overtakes me, I inhale deeply, holding my breath.
I need a plan.
Realization hits me like a ton of bricks: I need to stop panicking. Panic controls the water, so I close my eyes and try to steady my breath. Though I feel the urge to panic, I have to remain still. So, I stop. I allow my bones and skin to ache with the water’s pressure. The water shocks me, and for a few seconds, it pauses before slowly receding. It feels as if a million lightning bolts strike me. I continue to steady myself. I count backward:
Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.
The water is completely gone.
I don’t like being vulnerable, and I don’t like feeling helpless. This shit sucks—the board members have control over my body. My body trembles. I sweat. I gasp, coughing up water. The chamber pulses to a rhythm—my heart’s rhythm. My heartbeat thumps fast, and suddenly, water fills the tank again.
I close my eyes and think about my sweet princess. I’m doing this because I tricked her into marriage, and I want to see her when I get home. My heart slows, and the water disappears from the tank. The mist dissipates, the sound of the water fades.I collapse against the floor, my body trembling, but I fucking made it.
The chamber door opens, and I run out. The board members and Snow stand there. One of the board members claps.
“Congratulations. You passed the second trial.”
I lie there on the concrete, trying to catch my breath. Fucking bastards.
“Well, we’ll notify you when your next trial is up,” Snow says.
My obsession and manipulation have consequences beyond my control. The truth hits harder than the near drowning I just endured. They control my life, my every move, my marriage with Lilac. It could all be taken from me in the blink of an eye. And there isn’t a damn thing I can do about it.
If I don’t figure out the theme of the next trial, it’ll be my last—and it’ll end in death.
Lilac
Istand outside the steps of Perkins Hall, where I know Jameson will be. I walk around the elegant water fountain three times. Irvin says he didn’t kill anyone on campus, and I don’t know if I believe him. I don’t know what to believe. I know what I saw, but I need to speak to Jameson since he knows about technology. Maybe he can confirm whether I was hallucinating. I read online that you can check the digital print of any device. If the messages I saw were real or if I hallucinated, I will find out.
The sun shines brightly in the clear sky, and students rush in and out of the building.
He steps out with his book bag strapped to his back, wearing a dark shirt and jeans in this sixty-degree weather. I approach him as he heads in the opposite direction. I tap his shoulder, and he turns around, smiling.
“You told me you weren’t going to tell Irvin about our meetup last time,” I snap.
