“You are such an asshole,” Audra whispers, scratching her nails down my back, gouging my skin with painful gashes. I can already feel hot blood running down my flesh, snaking over my ass and plopping onto the floor with a barely audible splash. “But you feel so damn good.” I fight the urge to bite her throat, let my teeth graze her flesh and pierce the skin – I don't like to be the only one who's bleeding – but I haven't initiated Audra as an actual client yet. There are no safe words between us, no rules, no talks about pricing. I haven't even asked her for the mandatory STI check that I require. I should be using a condom, but should is such an arbitrary fucking word, isn't it? I'm only fucking her because I'd rather be with Audra than with Clarice. The lie hits my head with a sour note, drawing a rare growl from my throat.
In an instant I'm sliding from Audra's hypnotic heat and dropping her to the floor with a flurry of protests, her voice cutting through Clarice's needling voice.
“What the hell are you doing?” she asks, moving after me as I step from my slacks and remove my shoes. I hit the hot water of the shower with Audra Holiday on my heels, body pressing into my back as I lean my head under the spray and try to wash myself clean. “Lucas.” I ignore Audra and grab a bottle of shampoo, pouring a generous amount onto my hair and letting the excess trail down my body. “Lucas.”
“What?” I ask, surprised to hear my voice come out calm and cool. When I turn around, Audra is standing at the edge of the shower, arms crossed over her chest, face curious and far too introspective for my liking. Her brow is pinched, the lines on her forehead spelling out a question I don't want to answer. You said your demon can't be burnt away, but why? You said you can't live without 'her'? Who is 'her'? Tricky, little bitch. I knew this woman was going to be trouble.
“Are you okay?” I laugh – I don't mean to, but there it is – and the sound echoes around the tiles with a bitter sharpness that cuts into my own ears and makes me frown. My fingers try to curl into fists, but I force them to my hair and lather up the shampoo instead.
“What a ridiculous question,” I say, my voice smooth, my face expressionless. “I helped you clean up your mess, didn't I?” I don't bother to whisper; Clarice couldn't possibly hear anything over her raging screams. “And this is my world, isn't it? Just follow along and try not to get in the fucking way.” I turn away from Audra and rinse the soap from my body. At least for the moment, I'm clean. Even though I know it won't last long, I revel in it, running my hands down my arms and closing my eyes against the spray. In the haste of burying Mark, I've forgotten my briefcase and all of the tools inside of it. I'm going to have to improvise. Not a problem. The taboo doesn't require chains or knives to be carried out – it's all about the monster inside. All I need is my body, and my black, bloody little heart.
“Yeah, okay, fine. Whatever.” Audra huffs in frustration as I glance over my shoulder. She leans against the wall with a frown locked in place and a curious expression dancing in her eyes. I don't have the time to read into it right now, but I'll figure it out, eventually. Whether we like it or not, Audra and I have a temporary future together. I have to follow my instincts and take her as a client; she needs my help to control the darkness. It's unavoidable. “So what do you want me to do? I just got fired from my job. I could use the money.”
I turn off the water and step out of the shower, following behind Audra as she grabs a stack of black towels from the counter and throws one at me. I catch one and keep my expression neutral.
“Dry yourself off and get dressed in one of Mrs. Braxton's dresses, one of the nice ones. Take your pick – you'll be keeping it. Consider it hazard pay.” I dry my hair and wipe the moisture from my body before tossing the towel to the floor. Without waiting for Audra, I move into the bedroom and crack Mrs. Braxton as hard as I can across the face, tangling my fingers in her blonde hair. I use the split second of stunned silence from her to make my point. “If you threaten my life again, I will take you down with me.” I shake the bitch just to make sure she's understanding where I'm coming from. And that I'm deathly serious. The beast splits my skin open with wicked claws and climbs out, sliding across my skin like a plague. I look into Clarice's blue eyes and gauge her level of acceptance. An almost imperceptible flick of her tongue across her lips gives me all the answer I need. She wants this. Thank fucking God.
I release Clarice's hair and step back, feeling rather than seeing Audra Holiday creep around me and pause questioningly by the armoire. I don't bother to acknowledge her. If she can't figure out that that's where the clothes are kept, she can go fuck herself. If I don't get some of this anger out, I'm never going to be able to fuck Audra. That, and I may very well just implode from the heat of my own rage. Too many memories are being stirred up right now, and I have no clue why. Robbie. Her face appears in my mind for a moment before I'm tearing around the bed and kneeling between Clarice's legs, plunging my erection into her heat before I can think better of it. The bullet vibrator inside her cunt teases the head of my cock with a gentle buzz completely at odds with my rapid thrusting.