The mouse stretched over my desk and picked up the Bible again. The makeshift shirt rode over her flat belly, and in my mind, a strange image of a rounded belly filled with babies replaced her flat one. It wasn’t any belly, it was her belly. Shame washed over me, and I gritted my teeth.
I’d never played with a human female, so the novelty was understandable. Yes, that was it. Besides, I’d suppressed my urges to fuck for far too long. Still, imagining a rounded belly on a random female felt like I’d sinned against mating. It was a dirty thought, and I didn’t want to think it again.
The mouse hopped off the table. I guessed she didn’t enjoy reading. I paced the Observatory. What now? She approached the bookshelf, ran her fingers over a row of books. Then another row of books. She placed her hands on her hips. “Pompous sexist. Not even Jane Austin is here.”
Is she talking about me? “What’s wrong with those books?” I asked Lore.
“Those are Vice’s books. He said it would make your office warmer and less primitive, so I put them there.”
She picked up a book with a purple cover and sat on the floor, leaned her back against the shelf. She began reading, and I watched her for a while.
“I told her to stay in the office. She stayed in the office and waited for me. I’m going down there to reward her.”
Just as I turned to leave, the mouse bent over, her beautiful ass the only thing to see on the screen. Lore zoomed in on it. I didn’t like that. Maybe if Lore left… I growled. Perhaps I was possessive of this pet. The girl was making me crazy. Sent here to tempt me!
The bookshelf slid open. She must’ve touched the right books to open the passage.
“Oops,” Lore said.
On all fours, the mouse scurried and hid under my desk.
I smiled. “See that? Skittish.”
She peeked out from underneath, then hid back inside.
“She’ll leave your office.”
“No way. She’s obedient and skittish.” The mouse crawled out of her hole under my desk, and peeked through the dark hallway leading to the stairs. I pointed a finger at the screen. “Don’t go in there. I told you to stay in the office until I return.”
The mouse spun around, threw her hand back, and flung the knife at the opposite wall.
I skipped.
Lore ducked.
Realizing what happened, we chuckled. “Got us both,” I said.
Black screen appeared before us. The mouse had hit the camera. “Hold on,” Lore said and brought up the visual beside my desk. The office was empty, and the bookshelf gaped wide open.
Lore extended his hand, palm up. “Twenty.”
Chapter Nine
Reagan
The first thing that crossed my mind as I stepped down the dark staircase was that I shouldn’t be doing this. Somehow, as I looked through the books, something got triggered and the shelf had opened into a hallway. I decided to descend the stairs instead of wait for Mayhem. He’d probably forgotten all about me by now. There were plenty of people to keep him occupied.
I tightened the blanket over my chest. A makeshift shirt. The stairs smelled of some sort of a cleaner, not really expected of a secret passage. The secret passages, I imagined, smelled of rot and dirt and were lined with spiderwebs. Even though I didn’t see any, it didn’t mean there weren’t any. The light at the bottom of the stairs barely lit my way, so I batted my hands in front of me.
A scream echoed.
I plastered my body to the cold wall and listened. My heart pumped blood but despite the pounding in my ears, I heard music and screaming, then the quiet resumed. I continued down the stairs and reached a dark wooden door. Judging by the scratches and the faint coat of paint, many had passed through it. I entered and closed the door behind me, then parted a red velvet curtain to step into a…a bar.
The place reminded me of the auction room upstairs, albeit with lights and loud music. Dim alternating blue and red lights crisscrossed over the ceilings and floors, and reflected over the giant mirrored globe in the middle of the room. I squinted my eyes against the glare when one blue light hit me. When it stayed on me, I squeezed between the patrons and sat on a bar chair. With the music so loud, it vibrated through the chair and my body.
“What’s your poison?” a girl asked.
I twisted around and smiled at a girl with purple hair. “I’ll have…let’s see. Um.” I looked behind her, not recognizing any of the labels.
She pursed her lips and said, “Today, honey.”
“Water, please.” I would have liked a whiskey but didn’t have money.
“You new?”
I nodded.
“Lesbian?”
“Excuse me?”
“You’re not cuffed.” She pointed at my wrists.