Killer Queen: A Painted Faces Novel (14 page)

Her body tensed, and a small gasp escaped her.
“Nicholas, shut the fuck up.”

I was about to say more when Harry interrupted us by
calling Fred over to join him. He’d brought his brother Colm along, and I
wasn’t very happy about the way the guy was eyeing up Fred. In fact, I disliked
it immensely.

Fred seemed relieved for the distraction and went to
Harry. I wasn’t going to let her get away that easily, so I followed.

 “Fred, you're looking well,” Colm complimented her
as she sat down.

I had to hold in my laughter when I heard her
mumble, “Piss off,” under her breath. It pleased me that she wasn’t enjoying
his attention. I briefly wondered if I came across quite so slimy when I
allowed my gaze to wander. I hoped not. I liked to think I had a certain level of
charm to make up for the lewdness. Harry gave Fred a reprimanding look for
speaking to his brother like that. I thought I saw her roll her eyes at her
friend before she decided to be polite.

 “Thank you, you're looking quite dapper yourself,”
she said.

“Do you think so?” Colm preened and came to sit on
the other side of her. He was clearly the last person she wanted to sit next
to, so it amused me to watch how the whole thing played out.

 “It feels like I haven't seen you in ages. When was
the last time?” Colm said to her, and actually, I was a little pissed by how
close he was sitting. Those strange possessive instincts were rising to the
surface again.

“Um, Harry's birthday, I think,” Fred muttered in
reply.

“Oh, I remember now. You were wearing this great
pair of jeans,” he said, leering.

I sat back and allowed my elbow to brush off Fred’s.
I wanted her to know I was still here, that I was listening to everything they
said. A moment later she turned to me, and she seemed frazzled. Maybe she
didn’t enjoy being the filling in a sandwich of two men who wanted her.

 “Viv, would you mind putting together a plate of
food for me? I'm starved,” she said.

I knew she was trying to get rid of me, but I agreed
nonetheless. “Not at all. I'll be right back.”

I kept my eyes on her as I filled a plate with the
finger foods she’d prepared earlier in the day for the party. I was no expert,
but I could tell from her body language that she wished Colm would leave her
alone. As I returned with her food, I caught the tail end of a conversation
that involved Colm asking her if she’d like to be his date to a dinner party he
was attending next Saturday.
That
wouldn’t be happening if I had
anything to do with it.

“Fred works with me on Saturday nights,” I cut in,
and reclaimed my seat beside her. I wanted Colm to fuck off now, so I decided
to play dirty. Picking up one of the sandwiches I’d brought for Fred, I held it
to her mouth and murmured seductively, “Open wide.”

She looked surprised and confused, like she didn’t
know what to make of the fact that I intended to feed her. It was actually kind
of hilarious.

Colm seemed disappointed that I’d ruined his plans
to get Fred to himself. “Oh, yeah. Harry mentioned something about your new
job. Couldn't you take the night off? I promise you won't regret it.”

Before Fred could answer, I butted in again. “She
can't, I'm afraid. Saturday nights are the busiest. I wouldn't be able to spare
her.”

Her eyes flashed to mine, and she finally took a
bite out of the sandwich. It was an aggressive bite, but a bite nonetheless.
The approving look I gave her said
good girl
. It thrilled me when she
narrowed her gaze and nipped at my fingers in revolt. She knew exactly what I
was up to, trying to scare Colm away. I had half a mind to tell her she should
be thanking me. After all, it was obvious she found him about as appealing as a
pair of dirty old gym socks.

We were partaking in a silent battle of wills when
Dorotea decided to saunter over. She had brought a friend with her, a woman she
worked with, but I couldn’t for the life of me remember her name. Fred was
taking up every inch of space in my thoughts. I had no room for new names.

Dorotea slid onto the couch beside me, which meant
we all had to scooch over. It also meant that the entire side of Fred’s body
was plastered to mine, and it went without saying that I wasn’t complaining. I
gave her thigh a cheeky pinch, and she elbowed me in return. I really was
enjoying teasing her tonight.

When I looked at Dorotea, I noticed her eyeing Fred
unhappily, her gaze narrowed. I wondered what her angle was when she
complimented Fred’s outfit. “Freda, that's a beautiful dress.”

“Thanks, the same goes for your suit,” Fred replied
with a small smile before continuing, “You didn't happen to bring your furry
friend along with you tonight?”

Dorotea brought her attention to me. “Is she
propositioning me, do you think?”

She was being drunk and annoying, and I was quickly
running out of patience. I had, after all, spent the entire week trying to let
her down gently, but she was determined for me to fuck her again, and it was
playing on my last nerve. My reply to her was clipped. “She's talking about
your ferret, Ollo.”

When we’d first met Dorotea in the park, she’d had
her pet ferret with her, and Fred had been quite taken with the little fellow.

 “Oh, Ollo!” she exclaimed. “My mistake, I thought
you were making a double
entendre,
Fred. No, I left him at home.”

Fred pursed her lips and suppressed a smile. I felt
like she wanted to make a joke but was trying not to. I could smell the alcohol
on Dorotea’s breath when she leaned into me and tried to sound enticing.
“Nicholas, would you help me in the bathroom for a moment? I spilled some wine
on my sleeve, and if I don't rinse it out, it's going to stain.”

That was it. My patience had officially run dry.
“I'm sure you can handle it yourself,” I said to her before standing and going
to replenish my drink. I didn’t want to leave Fred, but Dorotea was suffocating
me, and I couldn’t take much more of it. I didn’t understand what was
happening. Normally, I could easily handle overzealous women when they were
pursuing me, but right now I just wanted the whole world to go away.

The whole world with the exception of Fred. I
momentarily wished I hadn’t thrown this party at all and instead invited her
for a private dinner. I could have laid my best moves on her and finally
seduced her in the way I craved. I wanted to sink myself into her soft,
welcoming body and get lost.

My feelings for her were growing by the day, and
there was nothing I could do to stop them. I tried to give her some space for
the next hour or two, occupying myself by chatting with my other party guests
and making sure everyone was having a good time. All the while I was hyperaware
of her presence. She was like a drug I craved but was being forced to abstain
from.

After a while, Dorotea found me again and became
glued to my side. She whispered naughty things in my ear and tried to lure me
away from the party. She wanted me to bring her to my bedroom and lock the door
so she could suck my cock. I had no desire to let her give me head, but her
mention of locking doors gave me an idea.

My gaze landed on Fred, who was sitting alone on the
couch, eating and watching the party guests. My heart squeezed with fondness as
I looked at her. Some might have interpreted her behaviour as antisocial, but I
saw it for what it was. She was shy, despite how brash she could come across,
and large gatherings made her withdraw, so she was seeking comfort in food.

From what I could tell, having gotten to know her
these past few weeks, she was an emotional eater. When I caught sight of her
making her way to the bathroom, I knew it was time to make my move. I gave her
a moment to take care of business before I turned the handle and stepped
inside.

“I'm in here,” she said as she washed her hands. I
closed the door and turned the lock. When she looked up, her gaze widened.

 “Um,
ocupado, occupé, occupato
– any of
those ring a bell?” she went on with a nervous titter.

I allowed my eyes to sweep over her body before I
spoke. “I apologise for barging in, but I've been dying to get you alone all
night, Freda.”

She turned off the tap and dried her hands. Then she
stood by the sink, staring at me through the mirror as I came toward her. She
still had her back to me, and when I reached her I pressed my body into hers,
enjoying how her arse fit perfectly against my crotch. Her eyes were on pinned
on me, her cheeks flushed and her breathing quickening.

I couldn’t handle the sight of her perfect breasts
in that dress a second longer, so I brought my arm around her body and palmed
one. I wanted to feel her skin then, and in my haste I pushed the front of her
dress aside, freeing her breast.

She let out the tiniest whimper.

 “Exquisite,” I told her, my eyes burning into hers.
For a long moment, neither one of us could look away. My cock hardened, and I
turned her to face me, bringing my mouth to her breast. I sucked on her nipple,
and it tightened beautifully. Her heavy gasp was a reward in itself.

“You're not playing fair here,” she heaved.

I gave her a dark look. “And you are? Look at this
dress. You might as well have a sign over your head that says ‘fuck me.’”

When her blush deepened, I knew I’d hit the nail on
the head. She’d worn this dress to tempt me, torture me.

I brought my mouth back to her breast and laved at
it with my tongue. I palmed it, loving the weight of it in my hand, how full
and heavy it was. I had a sudden urge to see how wet she was, so I ran my other
hand up her thigh. When I felt the lacy underwear she had on, I growled and
pushed the fabric aside, sinking my fingers inside her gorgeous cunt. She
moaned at the invasion, and her hands gripped my shoulders. I smiled as I
flicked my tongue over her nipple. I had her now, and I wasn’t letting go until
I showed her exactly what she’d been missing. I needed to feel her skin, so I
brought my face to her neck and nuzzled just below her ear.

“We've been dancing around each other for two weeks.
I can't take it much longer,” I rasped, sliding another finger inside her and
enjoying the way her pussy gripped me. I pumped in and out, and couldn’t hold
back. “God, you're so tight and soft, Fred. I want to lick you all over.”

“You're scandalizing me, Viv,” she breathed, her
eyes finding mine. There was the tiniest hint of a smirk on her pretty lips,
and I returned the expression.

“I told you I like to corrupt, and you are the
perfect candidate with those innocent fucking eyes of yours. What will it take
for you to scream my name? Do you need my cock inside you for that?”

Okay, so when it came to sex, I was a talker. In
fact, dirty talk was my forte. I couldn’t help but say what was on my mind, and
I loved the different reactions I got. With Fred, I was met with embarrassment,
and for some reason, it was my favourite reaction of all. I loved the idea that
I was making her all mucky. Tarnishing her innocence.

“Oh, God, shut up!” she said with a gasp.

I continued to finger-fuck her hard and fast, and
devoured her pleasure with my eyes. She was letting go, and I relished being
the one to make her do so. I wanted to see more of her, so I pulled her dress
up past her thighs and knelt down, bringing my face to her mound and nuzzling.
I would have killed to make her come with my mouth. In fact, I was planning on
doing just that when a loud knock sounded on the door.

“
Fuck
,” I swore, the word coming out deep and
guttural. Reluctantly, I drew away and stood up.

Interruptions always ruined the mood, and I suddenly
remembered the apartment full of guests on the other side of the locked door.
Frowning, I brought my hand to her mouth and rubbed her lower lip with my
thumb, loving how soft it felt. I kissed her briefly and bit lightly at her
plump lip.

“If we weren't in the middle of my housewarming
party, Freda, I would so spread your legs and eat you out right now,” I said
huskily, and she swallowed.

Several thoughts flickered past her eyes as she
stared at me, then finally said, “We’ better go back out.”

She looked away then, and pulled the skirt of her
dress back down. I hated that we had to stop what we were doing, but there was
nothing else for it. When she moved to leave, I grabbed her wrist and swung her
back to me. She was so out of it that she’d almost walked into the party with
her breast still exposed. She stood still as I took my time fixing her
appearance and complimented her with a dark smile, “Great fucking tits, Fred. I
can't wait to suck on the other one next time.”

I gave her one final lingering kiss before reaching
past her and unlocking the door. It was Sean who’d been waiting to use the
bathroom, and he chuckled when he saw us.

“Sorry to interrupt, but I really need to take a
slash.”

Fred hurried away, mortified. I laughed and raised
one eyebrow at Sean. “Go and take one, then, you little shit.”

I was fucked off that he’d interrupted us, but at
the same time I was planning on convincing Fred to stick around until everyone
had left. I wanted to continue this chapter, as it were. For the rest of the
night, though, she studiously avoided being near me and wouldn’t even make eye
contact. God, this woman and her shyness were going to drive me to the brink.