Depths of Depravity (22 page)

“
This is the secret,” he whispered to me. “This is what you were looking for.”

“
Was it?”

“
Yes. And now that you’ve found it, do you regret it?”

“…
I don’t know. I… I’ve never done anything like that before.”

“
Well, you don’t have to make any decisions right now. Just enjoy this moment.”

He leaned into me and kissed me again. With my arms free, I wrapped them around him and brought him in closer. I didn
’t want to think about anything else at the moment. I just wanted to be here.

Chapter 22

I wasn’t sure how I managed to wake up the next morning. My eyes were closed but I could feel the grin practically tattooed upon my face. I writhed on my mattress in some combination of ecstasy and agony. The memory of my experience with Luther still fresh in my mind, it took me several moments to realize that I was back in my apartment, in my bed and by myself.

I stumbled my way into the bathroom. The water washed away more than the sweat. I felt like
I was re-energized. What I had just been through might have been too traumatizing for the faint of heart. Had I not experienced it firsthand, I might have thought that it was completely disturbing. This was the kind of stuff I only read about before. When I stepped out of the shower, I was given a reminder that everything was real. I looked down at my wrists and could see the light imprints of the rope Luther used upon me. I wiped the steam away from the mirror to look at my reflection. The shower had done a good job of cleaning almost everything up. My ass was red and bruised from how hard Luther spanked me. Faint streaks of red and purple along my neck remained like evidence of a rough make out session. I lightly put my hand up against my neck and the memories started to come back to me. I closed my eyes and thought about Luther.

It was wonderful…
It felt so good… He was amazing…

I grinned, thinking how lucky I was. And there were so many people there to witness it. It was like I had won the right to pleas
e him. I couldn’t stop myself from smiling.

But I knew that I needed to focus. I quickly through on a pair of sweats and a matching sweatshirt then made my way out to the kitchen. I began cleaning out my coffee pot, knowing that I would need every bit of c
affeine I could get if I was going to get this story finished. Mr. Kelsey would be happy to see that I had something done well ahead of schedule.

My intercom buzzed. I looked over at it and it buzzed again. I set the coffee pot down and made my way over to
it, curious as to who would be here to bother me so early in the morning.

“
Hello?”

“
Victoria.”

“…
Luther? What are you doing here?”

“
Can I come up?”

I hesitated for a moment. I was seeing so much of him lately that I wasn
’t sure if this was a good idea. I knew how much he affected my focus. And I had to work today. The last thing I needed was the biggest distraction I’ve ever had in my life.

“
Um, yeah. Just a second.”

I couldn
’t just tell him to leave though. I buzzed him into my building and patiently waited for him to come up to my loft. I didn’t understand why I was so anxious. As I listened to the sound of him climbing up the stairs, I looked around for something else to wear. But there was nothing within reach, so I reluctantly answered the door in my lazy day outfit.

When I opened the door, gone was the familiar suit and tie I had always associated him with. He was wearing a pair of blue jeans and a plain black t-shirt. He still looked as gorgeous as he always did but now
it was more difficult to tell how much money he was worth.

“
Hi, Victoria. I’m not bothering you, am I?”

“
No. Of course not. Come in.”

Luther walked into my loft with both of his hands full. He looked
around and made his way into the kitchen, setting all of his bags onto the table.

“
What is this?” I asked.

“
Well, I figured I owed you for that cup of coffee. And since heading out to that small restaurant would probably bore you, I thought that I might embarrass myself and use your kitchen.”

“
What?”

“
I thought that maybe I might cook something up for you. Breakfast is the easiest meal to prepare. Unless you don’t want—”

“
No! I mean, of course. I don’t mind. Do you really want to do this?”

“
Why not?”

“
It’s nothing. I just… I don’t know. Do you need any help?”

“
No, I think I can figure out where everything is. This kitchen isn’t too fancy.”

He smiled at me as he started to remove all of the groceries. I looked back at him, everything that just happened last n
ight still vivid in my mind. To see him switch from a man so dominant and in control to a man that was preparing me breakfast was strange, to say the least. I almost felt guilty about having someone like him.

“
Luther…”

He looked up from all of the grocery
bags. I looked at him, not sure of what to say to him. He walked forward to me and kissed me softly on the lips. I closed my eyes and remembered just how wonderful he made me feel.

“
You don’t have to do this,” I whispered to him. “I’m… I’m still going to write the piece.”

“
I know,” he nodded. “You have to work. I understand that. While you write, I’ll make you something to eat.”

“
Luther, it’s not just that,” I sighed. “About last night…”

“
We’ll talk about that when I’m finished. I promise. For now, you should probably get started. When you’re ready to take a break, I’ll have something for you. Okay?”

“…
Okay.”

In the morning sunlight, Luther
’s light blue eyes seemed to shimmer. I was constantly fighting a battle to try and think straight every time I was around. Even in such plain clothes, I still felt so self-conscious, ashamed and undeserving of him. It didn’t matter what he said to me. But at this point, he wasn’t leaving my apartment. It was what I wanted. Now I wondered how much work I could actually get done knowing that he was right there.

I made my way back to my computer and took a seat. The sound of Luther whistling just behind me joined the chorus of food cooking and flames burning. I laughed and shook my head as I thought about what Luther probably
looked like at this moment. I took a deep breath then finally started to get to work.

* * *

It didn’t take long for me to get distracted like I thought I would be. The smell of the food coming from the kitchen quickly filled my nostrils. I was barely able to organize my notes and type out a few paragraphs before Luther called out to me. As usual, there was no point in trying to argue with him.

I made my way out to the kitchen an
d saw the elaborate spread he had prepared for me. There was more than enough food for two people.

“
Don’t worry about the mess,” he said. “I’ll clean-up after myself. Have a seat.”

I did as I was told, smiling the whole time. Seeing this side of Luther was
strange.

“
This all looks really good,” I said. “I’m surprised.”

“
Surprised? Well, I guess I did say that I wasn’t very good at this…”

“
No, that’s now what I meant,” I laughed. “I just… I just didn’t think a man like you could have this kind of side to him.”

“
A man like me? What kind of man am I, Victoria?”

“
Well,” I shrugged. “You’re a billionaire, for one—”

“
So a billionaire means that I’m not capable of doing something for someone he cares about?”

“
No, I…” I couldn’t help but laugh at him. “Let’s just forget this. Thank you for making me breakfast.”

“
Yes, let’s forget all about this and try to enjoy it.”

He smiled at me and continued laughing. I was in such a good mood. Everything seemed so wonderful. The plates in front of me were loaded. Pancakes, waffl
es, French toast, sausage, bacon, fried eggs, browned potatoes. Everything you could imagine for breakfast and more. He piled some of everything onto my plate. I happily took some of the food onto my fork. As I ate his food, Luther stared at me with wide eyes.

“
This is…”

“
Be honest now,” he said.

“
This is really good.”

“
Well, I guess it’s not that surprising. How hard is it to make eggs?”

“
Not very. But these are different. You must have been paying attention to your chef when you saw her do this.”

“
I guess so.”

Luther smiled at me as I ravenously ate all of the food he had prepared. I could use everything I could to regain my strength. After everything that happened last night and waking up late, I was hungrier than I thought I was. I grabbed a glass of jui
ce and washed some of the food down. I hadn’t forgotten what I wanted to say to him. Everything was still fresh in my memory.

“
So…” I started.

“
So?”

“
Last night…”

“
Last night.”

Luther smiled at me, repeating everything I said. He knew what was on my mind b
ut I couldn’t say it as easily as he probably could. I started to blush just thinking about it. I remembered what he looked like when he was on top of me. He looked the same, the only difference was the small mask that covered his face.

“
Did you enjoy yourself, Victoria?”

“…
I did.”

“
Good. I’m glad. I wouldn’t have done anything to you that I didn’t think you would enjoy.”

“
I know. It’s just that… It wasn’t what I was expecting.”

“
Life is only interesting when something unexpected happens,” he smirked at me.

“
I suppose you’re right.”

I remained silent as I continued to eat my breakfast. Something about last night was bothering me. I had a great time with him. It was just such a strange experience that I was having trouble accepting it.

“What’s wrong?” he asked me.

“
What?”

“
Something is bothering you. I can see it on your face, Victoria.”

“
Was it that obvious?”

“
No. But I could imagine what’s going through your mind. I’m assuming that was your first time with that type of experience.”

“
Which experience? The bondage, the spanking or the audience?”

“
All three.”

“
Well… You’re right.”

“
Victoria, there’s nothing wrong with admitting that you enjoyed yourself. It doesn’t make you any better or worse than anybody else. That’s the truth. I didn’t let you experience that just because I knew we would both enjoy it. I did it because you needed an angle.”

“
An angle?”

“
For your article. You wanted to know what the big deal was. I showed it to you.”

“
Yeah, you did,” I sighed.

“
Victoria, listen to me. I’m here to help you. You have to understand something. This article you’re working on… It isn’t about me or Landon or even Platinum. It’s about you.”

“
What?” I exclaimed. “What are you talking about?”

I nearly jumped out of my seat. I never put myself into anything I wrote. I was
only an observer. If I got close to anything, it was only to report the facts. It was the most important thing to me to never be part of a story.

“
Don’t you see?” he said. “You had a firsthand account of everything that happens. Most people just see a line of wealthy businessmen waiting to get inside. You actually worked there. You actually
were
one of the women that these men paid to see. And you got to experience everything that the most beautiful women in the club get to experience… And you enjoyed it.”

“
That’s not… I…”

“
There’s no shame in admitting it, Victoria. You hold yourself back but I know how much you desire the experience. We have a connection. It’s more than having sex in front of a bunch of people. But that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy such simple, carnal pleasures. That’s what this story is about. You were looking for something. You were trying to uncover a secret hidden deep within the club. But more than anything, what you really discovered was yourself. Your true self.”

I thought about ever
ything he just said to me, looking down at my plate in embarrassment. Luther moved and took a seat next to me. He wrapped his arm around me and held me close.

“
Don’t be ashamed,” he said. “It only means that you’re human just like everybody else.”

“
I’m not… like that. I’m not a whore.”

“
Nobody said you were. And nothing you did makes you one. Victoria, you’re looking at it the wrong way. There’s a reason we wear masks. What happens there, stays there. That’s not who you are. What happened was just a good time. Why is it so hard for you to admit that?”