Chapter 10: The Lesson

Frustration thickened his blood as he stared at his unmade Unfortunate. She was a gift for his birthday and yet, she didn’t look like one. He couldn’t believe she had the nerve to show up undressed. Nine shivered in her tunic, the red gown he hand-picked for her clenched in her fist. Shadows, cast from the fireplace, nestled in the hollows of her cheeks and under her covered breasts.

“Is there a reason,” he began, sliding his teeth together. “you are not dressed?”

She didn’t answer and that thrust his frustration in the direction of rage. He gripped his bottom-heavy glass and dragged an inhale through his nose as he stepped closer.

“I asked you a question,” he spoke, hoping his dark, low tone penetrated her flesh and speared sense into her. “It’s in your best interest to answer it.”

“Yes,” she whispered, swallowing hard. “It exposes more than—”

“Speak up, Unfortunate.”

Nine lifted her head, her pretty violet eyes flaring in a way that quelled the frustration in his blood. “It exposes more of me than I feel comfortable with.”

“Comfortable?” He laughed under his breath and closed the distance between them until he was in danger of crushing her toes under his shoe. “What part of your existence is meant to make you feel comfortable?”

Nine flinched, dropping her gaze to the floor. Kade caught her chin and tilted it up. Her skin was soft, even on the tips of his fingers. He hated he noticed that.

“Why do you want me to wear something like this?” she asked, and blush swirled furiously in her cheeks.

It wasn’t for him. Having her dressed this way was all part of his plan. Nine was the juicy slab of meat he would dangle in front of lions. He’d use her to get everything he ever wanted. Of course, he couldn’t tell her that yet.

“You have twenty seconds to put the dress on, or you’re going out there naked,” he threatened, tightening his hold on her face.

Nine’s delicate, pointy nose twitched and he released her from his grip. Kade flicked his head toward his bathroom, a silent demand, and without a word, she obeyed.

When she shut the door, he exhaled and sauntered toward his desk. He retrieved a new, clean glass and filled it with his favourite whisky. His thoughts fell onto his party and he grunted before shooting back the golden-brown liquid. He hated birthdays and parties. To him, they were a waste of time and resources. His brother, Vincent, however, loved a good birthday party. He jumped at any opportunity to drink until he was paralytic and fucked women who weren’t in any state to enthusiastically consent to the act. Vince was a bad guy. He lost his humanity when their mother was killed and could no longer guide him down the right path. Vince was too young to remember her lessons, but Kade remembered them well. Though society groomed him into the cold man he now was, he was still his mother’s son deep down. He remembered every lesson and every point she ever made. He wished he didn’t. Life would be so much easier if he didn’t.

Kade poured more whisky into his glass and moved across the floor, dropping into his favourite armchair. He placed his glass onto the small, round side table and pinched the bridge of his nose with a sigh, hoping it’d relieve his throbbing headache.

The bathroom handle shimmied, and he cast his gaze to the door. He couldn’t help but hold his breath as anticipation seared down the back of his neck. In the next heartbeat, his Unfortunate stepped into the main room. Kade stopped his index finger against the table surface and drank her in, inch by inch, dragging his stare up her long exposed leg jutting out from the slice in the fabric, her slim hips, and narrow waist, before stopping at her breasts. Among the distraction of red fabric and glistening sequins, he saw her nipples. Barely. But they were there. Her long, wavy hair framed her feminine face and sat haphazardly over her shoulders, their ends curling around the sides of her generous bust. She was a vision. Finally, he pulled his sights to her expression and analysed the slight furrow between her brows. Her pouting lips were pursed into a flat line and her violet gaze burned with resentment.

Kade shifted forward in his seat. “You look like you want to say something.”

She clenched her jaw and stared at him with eyes so intense, it made his heart race. She gave her head a minute shake.

“No?”

Nine dragged a subtle inhale through her nose, then blew it out, lowering her shoulders with it. “No, Master Kade.”

Liar. Excitement lifted the hair on the back of his neck at the thought of punishing the auburn-haired woman. He had to send an Unfortunate to retrieve her. How many Unfortunates did she pass on her way here, undressed and disobedient? He couldn’t let her get away with defying him. She could tell other Unfortunates. It could come back on him. It could catch on and spread like the plague. Exhaling, Kade reached for his glass and swallowed its contents.

“You disobeyed me,” he said, returning his cup to the table.

“I am wearing the dress, as requested.”

“As requested?” He cut his eyes. The nerve of her. “I had to threaten you.”

Nine’s jaw flexed, but she didn’t dare utter another word. She balled her fists at her sides, her flesh sinking into the chiffon fabric at her thighs. Her gaze remained locked on his and he held her there, not daring to be the first to look away. She shouldn’t even be making eye contact with him. Yet, here she stood, not backing down for a second. The air became charged with tension, her threat ringing as a challenge in his ears. He abhorred physical punishment. It made him uncomfortable in every layer that made up his complex being, but it was something that came with being a Fortunate. He had to get used to it. He had to endure it—survive it—in the same way an Unfortunate would.

Parting his lips, he let out a soft exhale and relaxed into his chair. Placing his arms along the thick armrests, he curled his fingers over the edge and gripped the leather. “Get down on your hands and knees, Unfortunate.”

She lifted her eyebrows, the purple fire in her irises snuffed out. “But—”

He shook his head and she pursed her lips against her protest. She exhaled and slumped as she lowered herself onto her hands and knees. The red fabric threatened to swallow her frame, like a bee in the centre of a rose, and she downcast her gaze to the hardwood floor.

“Crawl to me.”

She snapped her head up and, whatever she saw in his expression, forced her to keep her mouth shut. If he could keep getting away with a single stern look, then perhaps he’d never have to resort to physical punishment.

Swallowing pride he didn’t know Unfortunates were born with, Nine crawled toward him. Her auburn hair cascaded down her arms and circled around her palms, their ends kissing the shining wooden floor. Eventually, she knelt at his feet and lifted her chin to lock eyes with him. Kade knew he should commend her for coming so far and to let her go…

...but he couldn’t.

There was something about her that called to his soul, something that gripped his gut and squeezed.

“Closer,” he demanded, keeping the arousal he so strongly felt from his voice.

Nine inched closer until her body was pressed against his leg. She was warm, he could feel her radiating through the leg of his pants. He leaned forward and hooked a finger under her chin. She gasped at his touch and he guided her to her feet. With the tip of his index finger, he brought her into his personal space. Her dressed swallowed them both as he encouraged her into his lap, her thighs squeezing his, her warmth lulling him into a stupor. A stupid fucking stupor.

Unable to take his eyes off her pretty face, Kade touched his hands to her waist and felt the natural curve of her body. Nine’s chest rose and fell with quick sips of air as he pushed through the chiffon and cupped her backside. Her lips parted with a gasp. The sound seized his hands and he gripped her tight and rocked her against him. She splayed her hands against his chest and, deep in her throat, she made a sexy noise. The sound penetrated the fabric of Kade’s suit, seeped through his skin, and ignited his blood. He knew better than to play with something as deadly as the Unfortunate straddling him. Nine was dangerous. A Trojan horse. A weapon of mass destruction. She was the pleasant poison he was going to force-feed some poor bastard. He must treat her as such.

Desire hot enough to rival the sun flared deep in his veins, and he dropped his stare from her eyes to her pouted mouth. As he stared, Kade wondered if she’d ever been kissed, and how? Without thought, perhaps drawn by something he didn’t understand, he leaned in and grazed his lips along hers. In his hold, Nine tensed, as if the gentle brush of his lips hurt her.

“Please don’t kiss me,” she murmured, curling her submissive open palms into fists against his chest.

Don’t? He pulled his head back with a scowl. Unfortunates had no right to request such things. Don’t wasn’t a part of their vocabulary.

As if awaking from a spell, he let out a single, quiet laugh. “Don’t kiss you? You’ve spent so much time in the garden, you forgot who owns you, have you?”

“No, I—”

“I’ve been very lenient with you, Unfortunate,” he cut in. He gripped her by her slender biceps and pulled her forward until their foreheads touched. “I haven’t taken from you. I haven’t ordered you around. I haven’t beaten you.” Kade squeezed her tight, so tight he was pinching tiny slices of her skin in his grip. “A kiss from me is the least of your concerns.”

“What…” She swallowed thickly, and concern etched her delicate features. “What are you going to do to me?”

“Nothing. You’re not mine to play with.” Her face crumpled with painful confusion and it irritated him. “You are going to save my house. You’re gonna boost me, and my family name, higher than my father ever has.”

Blush swirled in her cheeks, and heat grew in her skin as frustration built under the surface. “And how will I do that?”

She asked the question, but she already knew the answer. “By sleeping with the enemy.”

Nine pulled back as if he’d slapped her in the face. “I’ll do no such thing.”

“You’ll do as you’re told.”

“I’d rather die.”

“Careful, Unfortunate. That is a request easily fulfilled,” he warned, flexing his fingers around her arms. “Off.”

She slipped from his lap, took a minute step back, and lowered her head. Her lips were parted, her eyebrows furrowed. Kade hated he had to give someone as marvellous as Nine away to people who’d only brutalise her, but it was the only way to ensure his survival. Freeport was abuzz with whispers about his auburn-haired, violet-eyed Unfortunate, and he needed to take advantage of her allure.

She stood before him in the silence, every thought in her head manifesting on her face as frowns and sour pouts.

“How many?” she whispered, not daring to look at him.

“How many, what?”

“Enemies. How many do I have to sleep with?”

“As many as I need you to.”

“Give me a number,” she demanded, lifting her head and drawing her shoulders back, pulling herself to full height.

Kade’s heart raced at her forwardness, at her disobedience. Panic seized his veins because he was losing control of the situation. He hadn’t felt like this in years. How dare this insignificant Unfortunate make him feel like he owed her a reason. She crossed the line and needed to be physically reprimanded.

“Maybe one,” he told her, knowing better than to indulge her. “Maybe one hundred.”

Her eyelids fluttered as a single, rogue tear dripped down her cheek. “You can’t make me.”

“I can make you do whatever I want,” he retorted, frustration and stress pulling the skin behind his ears tight. His gut twisted with violent resolution. “And I’ll prove it.”

Kade gripped his belt and Nine took a defensive step back. Her eyes went round as fear spread across her face and froze her features, but it was too late. He had to act. He wished she was more submissive. He wished she simply nodded and he didn’t have to resort to unreasonable brutality.

“What are you doing?”

He didn’t look at her as he tugged at the expertly crafted leather. Instead, he sank deep into his thoughts in search of the Fortunate ideology he swore to never betray again. He remembered his mother and her lessons of patience. He remembered their long talks about compassion and forgiveness. When she died, he learned those things had no place in the new world, and he learned it the hard way.

Kade handled the situation with Nine as best he could. He’d been patient with her. He forgave her for showing up to his room undressed, for misspeaking, and for her demands, but enough was enough. He had to push his mother’s lessons to the side and do what society demanded of him. If he didn’t, both he and his Unfortunate would suffer the consequences.

“Get on your knees, Unfortunate,” he said, managing to keep the anxiety he felt from his tone, as he opened the fly of his pressed slacks.

“And if I don’t?”

He swallowed hard. “I’ll force you to, and, when I’m finished, I’ll give you to Vincent.” He relaxed in his chair, placing his arms along the rests. “He won’t be as tolerant of your disobedience as I have.”

She stared at him until her stubbornness melted away. There was nothing to contemplate. Kade knew she’d never willingly go to Vincent. No one of a healthy mental state would.

She stepped forward and his brow twitched. She lowered herself to her knees, kneeling between his legs. Unease swirled in his stomach, clashing with sickening bursts of arousal he didn’t want to feel. He stared at her, cautious, as she submitted.

“You expect too much of me,” she murmured, peering up at him through long lashes.

His nose twitched. How was he expecting too much? As an Unfortunate, her role in sexual intercourse would be passive. All she had to do was open her legs for the Fortunate pawing at her. She should know that already since it’s mandatory all Unfortunates complete their schooling.

“You attended all your classes, did you not?”

“Religiously, but the lessons are theoretical, not practical.” She cleared her throat. “We’re taught what goes where not how to entice Fortunates into a situation we’d rather avoid.”

Kade simmered in thought. It made sense. Why would Unfortunates be taught how to instigate a situation that brought them no pleasure? He sat forward and touched her hair, brushing wild wisps of it off her cheeks, then he caressed her face. Her skin was soft under his fingertips and as smooth as porcelain. Kade watched pulses of confusion billow through her body at his gentle touch. She’d never been caressed, nor petted, and he deduced, by the pink blush visibly spreading through her body, that encouraging her into an intimate act wouldn’t be so hard. All he needed to do was show her how to elicit erotic desire in others.

“You don’t know how to make a man want you?” he asked, ignoring the growing pressure between his legs. “Is that your concern?”

Nine nodded.

“Then I’ll teach you.”

Her eyebrows lifted, curving in surprise. “Teach me?”

Humming his affirmation, he guided her into his lap once more, forgetting his open slacks and the debauched punishment he was about to inflict on the Unfortunate. Nine’s chest rose and fell with sips of air as their chests pressed together, their mouths a hairsbreadth away.

“There’s no time for pointers tonight,” he told her, gingerly tucking her hair behind her ears. “We’re already late.”

Nine licked her lower lip, a quick swipe of the tip of her tongue, and Kade shifted under her. The tick of his grandfather clock slowed, each second dragging into a minute the more the warmth of her body soaked into the fabric of his clothes, the fabric of his being. He knew better than to keep her on his lap. He knew better than to stare at her lips and allow the urge to kiss them take root in his soul, but…

...she was his Unfortunate after all. For lesson's sake, he should know what he’s dealing with.

He tilted his head, a silent threat of an illegal, intimate kiss, and the emotion in her violet eyes was far different from the fear swirling in their depths earlier. Kade swallowed hard and Nine lifted her chin, encouraging him. An assessment. That was all it was, all it would be. All it could be.

“Kissing isn’t hard,” he told her. “You’ve been kissed before, surely.”

The enraptured Unfortunate shook her head. “No…”

No? Her answer changed things, and Kade knew he was in trouble. Apprehension grew in the pit of his gut. An air of caution prickled down the back of his neck. Was there harm in claiming her first kiss if it was an assessment? Or would kissing her be the beginning thread of a web that’d grow out of hand, a web he’d become trapped in?