THE CONTROL: An Arranged Marriage Romance by Elena Monroe (ebook reader android .txt) 📕

“You should be scared.” Malice was born from my voice. Standing up, I exhaled the smoke in her face, boxing her in against the railing, as my eyes found her lips. “Give me a taste of what to expect.”

I watched her swallow and her lips turn dry. I was hurting her in front of my friends, and I liked how it felt to watch her be the one hurt instead of me, pulling all the focus. “I could be naked, dripping in Hennessy, and you still wouldn’t touch me so if you want a taste… I’m not wearing any panties so get on your knees.”

A smirk tugged at my lips when my husky voice spoke between us, “Welcome back, Evey.”

Lowering myself to the floor, I let my hands hover without touching her legs. I wanted to be close enough to taste giving in but not dumb enough to fall into it. All my weight pressing into one knee, I held her gaze, knowing I was eye level with her pantie-less pussy.

My hands wrapped around the backs of her thighs covered in fishnets when I slowly lifted her one leg, letting it fall to my shoulder, giving me a perfect view of her butterfly tattoo. Leaning into her, sticking out my tongue, I traced the wings lightly, so lightly I wondered if she could feel me touching her so sinfully.

The sweet way she tasted was making all the blood rush to a dangerous place when I dropped her leg back down. “Too bad I don’t like the taste of absolution.” Leaving a brave kiss in my absence on her thigh, I got up in one motion. “I’m not recanting my sins. Join the celebration or call a cab because I’m not going home until I forget about our unholy union.”

Behind me, Vic barked my name like a warning when my face was so close to Eve’s I could feel the heat in her rosy cheeks waft off her skin.

Slumping back down in the same spot she rose my dead body from, I snatched the bottle off the table, watching her squirm in place.

She was ready to sign her soul over to the devil, but I wasn’t accepting applications.

Her princess manners went out the window as she strutted over to me, standing right between my open legs, her hand stealing the handle of liquor from my me and pushing it to her lonely lips.

Turning a chair around directly across from me, I watched her straddle it the way she’d rather be straddling me when she downed another hard mouthful of Hennessy before speaking, “So who’s responsible for my Bowey turning into this nightmare? Vic the Dick, Spoiled Brat, or Reaper?”

Pointing the bottle at each horseman like we weren’t powerful and dubbed elite, she waited for a response. Nothing scared Eve once you peeled back the poised exterior she didn’t have before.

Grace basically doubled over laughing at the obvious origin of all our nicknames. She may have left for Denmark, but those stuck like glue.

None of the guys copped to anything when she gleaned in their direction. “Oh, really? I just leave thinking you’d all have his back, and this is what I come back to? You all used to be family.” Standing up from the chair, I could see the anger on her. It was stunning, a kind of armor that my thick skin never seemed to develop.

“Remind me why we like her?” Vic leaned over the booth, assessing the damage we all took from the firestarter making her way over to Abigail.

EVE

Abigail was a tawny beige dream that sat so politely like I would have if Bowen didn’t ignite something within me with his damn tongue.

She was sober, makeup still all sealed in place, her hand gently resting on top of Grimm’s on his thigh and looking like she wasn’t supposed to have any fun. So, I leaned down, pressing my lips to hers.

I knew what I was doing, but the Henny was driving, and I was just here for the ride. I yanked her upright and dragged her behind me to the pole that was oddly empty for a bachelor party.

Hijacked Jack and Jill now.

Taking a lazy spin around the pole, I looked at the guys, each so different it felt like three different kinds of happy accidents seeing the dynamics unfold.

Khaos was making Grace laugh in this contagious way that only elevated when she convinced him to give her a lap dance around her baby bump. They seemed perfectly balanced, and I could tell their happiness was genuine. There was a deeper connection beyond the light fun and laughter they shared.

Smoothing my hands down Abigail’s thighs, I noticed Justice, the bitchy attitude wrapped in pink hair, competing with the stripper occupying Vic’s lap. I guess she’d had enough of just watching as she practically crawled up to him and invited the stripper in for a three-way kiss. Vic’s hands grabbed a handful of both their asses and smiles broke out between their kisses. Clearly, they had no boundaries.

Grimm shot up like he wanted to rival me when I rounded the pole, standing next to Abigail who was swaying absentmindedly to the music. I tilted Abigail’s chin up and sloppy poured Henny into her mouth, only none of it made it in her mouth at all, instead I soaked her chest in liquor.

Now I understood how hot being covered in the sticky substance could be as I followed the trails down her perky breasts pushed up in that lacey bra.

That went in my how to crack Bowey folder in my mind.

Grimm’s eyes went dark, the same way Bowen’s did when he was angry. “Abigail.”

Her name was a warning, but all I heard was a cheer