Page 84 of Villainous Rise

I’d built this place years ago, a place to extract information through pleasure or pain. It had seen surprisingly little use because I’d never found anyone worthy of bringing here.

Until Annie.

I reached up and removed my mask, tossing it onto a nearby table. She needed to see me. All of me.

“You’re not taking mine,” she said immediately, fingers flying to the edges of her mask.

“No.” I stepped closer, taking her wrists gently. “You keep it. For now.” She needed the barrier between herself and what she was about to do.

Her eyes darted to the restraints, then back to my face. I could see the war behind them, desire fighting duty, need battling propriety.

“This isn’t⁠—“

“Don’t,” I said, not unkindly. “No justifications. No excuses. No overthinking.”

I slowly circled her. “You’re wound so fucking tight you’re about to snap. I can feel it. Everyone can feel it.”

Her shoulders tensed as I moved behind her. “Tonight, you get to break. Scream. Fight. Hate me. Want me. Whatever you need.”

Annie’s chest rose and fell rapidly. “I don’t hate⁠—“

“You do.” I cut her off. “You hate me for betraying you. You hate me for making you feel, for making you want things you’ve told yourself you shouldn’t want.”

Her hands clenched into fists at her sides.

“So hit me.” I stepped closer. “Scratch me. Bite me. Fuck me. Whatever you need to do to get it out of your system.”

“I shouldn’t⁠—“

I spun her around, gripping her arms. “Shouldn’t what? Feel? Need? Want something for yourself for once in your goddamn life?”

Her eyes darted around the room, trying to look at anything besides the truth right in front of her.

“Try to hurt me. I can take it. I’ll take all of it.” I released her abruptly, stepping back to give her space to choose. “Or you can walk out that door. But we both know you won’t.”

Annie stood frozen.

“You’ve spent your whole life being perfect. Your whole life being what everyone needs. Tonight, I’m giving you permission to be selfish. To take what you want.” I spread my arms wide, offering myself. “So take it.”

I watched the panic setting in behind that mask, and her breathing coming harder.

“You’re overthinking again,” I said, reaching for the seam at my collar. “Let me make this easier.”

I disengaged the suit’s connections and piece by piece, I removed the technological shell I’d crafted to hide behind, tossing each component carelessly aside.

The undersuit followed, peeling away from my skin to reveal the linear tattoos that guided the automated system. I didn’t rush and let her watch, let her see exactly what she was denying herself.

“No more barriers. No more excuses,” I said, standing naked before her.

Her eyes hungrily tracked over my body, lingering on the defined musculature of my chest, my abdomen, lower. The mask concealed most of her expression, but nothing could hide the way her breathing changed, the slight parting of her lips.

“You’re still frozen.” I took a step toward her. “Still paralyzed by what you should do instead of what you want to do.”

She swallowed hard. “I don’t know what I want.”

“Bullshit.” I moved closer. “You want to hurt me. You want to fuck me. Maybe both at once. You’re just too afraid to admit it.”

“Hit me,” I challenged, tapping my chest with my fingers. “Scratch me. Or kiss me. Touch me. I don’t care which, just do something, Annie.”