Page 40 of Silk and Sirens

Good. I wanted her unsettled. She had a habit of thinking she was the one in control. Like she could bend everything around her without consequences.

“I think he wants to fuck you,” I said, my hand in her hair tightening just hard enough for her to gasp.

“Of course not,” she said, seeming to force the words out.

“Haven’t let him have a taste?” My fingers tugged at the hem of her dress. “Maybe I should make you scream for me. Show him what he’s missing.”

I’d fucked plenty of women, but I’d never felt anything like this sharp, unwelcome pull over a woman. A woman I fully intended to destroy … and yet I pressed my fingers against the lace between her legs.

“Caden …” Aeris gasped, her hand settling over mine as if ready to stop me.

Her breath hitched, and I took quiet satisfaction in it, in the way I’d caught her off guard. I’d never touched her so openly, felt her skin beneath my fingers and pulse jump at my attention. It should’ve been enough to prove a point. But it wasn’t.

Because the more I touched her, the harder it became to stop.

I wanted to punish her for fucking me over.

For getting under my skin in a way no one else ever had.

For fucking existing.

“Is he watching?” I asked, knowing he was but wanting her to acknowledge she had an audience in her submission.

Not that it mattered. No one could see her anyway, not while she was tucked so neatly beneath the table, hidden from the world while my hand stayed buried between her thighs. I wanted to humiliate her, to break that infuriating composure until she shattered.

But I didn’t share.

Not even the woman who infuriated me.

When she tried to nod, I cut her off with a single, low command. “Good. Now spread your legs.” My voice was rough, deep, causing her nipples to pebble beneath her dress.

I wondered if she resented her body’s reaction to me as much as I enjoyed it.

“Make me,” she hissed, and I almost chuckled at the venom beneath her tone.

My hand came down sharp against her thigh, the slap loud even against the heavy bass of the club. Distracted with the pain, I hooked her legs over mine, holding her exactly where I wanted her.

My cock throbbed painfully, straining hard against the confines of my zipper like a desperate, masochistic bastard. The thick length pulsed with every heartbeat, but I ignored it completely.

This wasn’t about sex.

It wasn’t even about attraction.

This was about power.

Slipping my thumb beneath the lace, I stroked against her silky skin. “Your cunt’s awfully wet for me.”

“Bold to assume that’s for you,” Aeris said, her head held against my shoulder by my hand in her hair. “It could be for any guy.”

“Hmm.” I tugged the fabric until it tore clean from her hips. Leaving her open. Exposed.

“Caden!” she screeched, my thumb circling her small bundle of nerves. Teasing without touching. “Please …”

“Please what?” I flicked across her clit, making her jump as if she’d been electrocuted. “Stop? Why would I when you’re giving such a great show.”

She froze, like she’d already forgotten we had an audience. Across the room, her bouncer stood rigid, watching us with a glare.

“Wait,” she whispered, trying to pull free until I released her hair, only to grab her throat. “If he⁠—”