The Sect (31 page)

T
HERE
WERE
thirty days left of the seminar. I had hopes that if things continued the way they had; I would never face the ending I was threatened with.

I was only inside the lobby of the theater for a moment before I was handed a key by Nadine.
 

I went to the house alone, recognizing the number imprinted on the keycard.
 

Inside the familiar home, Mrs. Sherman was available to greet me. She held up a champagne glass with a smile. “I’m hightailing it out of here earlier than the rest. It’s my last night in Rebirth, Keaton. I thought since you and a particular gentleman had such great chemistry, I could finally get my fantasy fulfilled and happily”—she looked at the view—“never return to this crazy place again. Reven spouts a bunch of crock if I’ve ever heard it. Quite a few associates referred me here, stating that the place left them renewed. As it turns out, I’m quite glad I came. Not for the reasons most do, but…I happened upon a more fulfilling reason.” She handed me the glass of champagne. “To true love and contraband.”

I took it quickly but paused when I looked at the cameras.

“Off per my request. Whatever the member wants, the member gets.” She balked waving her hand at something invisible. “I refuse to label myself as others do. Followers of Reven. F-O-R’s.”

I sipped the champagne slowly, relishing in the taste. I almost choked on it when Noah stepped out of the bedroom, wearing a tuxedo shirt unbuttoned at the top and dark slacks. I wanted to look away, but his appearance, the glow of his bronze skin, cleanly shaven and almost flawless was hard to ignore. Under the jagged edges of a twisted and unpredictable individual lay a very delusively prepossessing man.
 

I closed my eyes, remembering how I bared witness to his evil acts. Ugly acts from an obviously very broken man.

“Ah, that’s wonderful to see,” Mrs. Sherman said. “You don’t see it too often here.”

I looked at Mrs. Sherman with question, but didn’t want to ask and receive a punishment for daring to do so.

“I had a chance at love,” she explained, “although he was never able to be my husband and our relationship was chaste, he was the love of my life. He died in a car wreck caused by a drunk driver.” With her eyes welling up, she pointed inward. “While I was left with nerve damage”—she cleared her throat, roughly rubbing the tears on her cheeks—“he…never woke out of his coma. I know I don’t deserve it—believe me, I relive his death every single day—but if I could just witness what should’ve been, I think I can die a happy woman.”

Suddenly, I wanted to give it to her. Beneath the ugly and sinister nature of the place, she wanted something beautiful and meaningful. I was touched enough to forgive Noah, to forget all the horrible acts he’d done to me and many others. Not only to help a grieving woman, but because I hoped after all was said and done, I would procure the one thing I wanted the most.

I nodded my compliance and turned my gaze back to Noah. He grabbed a black box from the coffee table and sauntered to the kitchen, placing it on the counter.
 

“You look mighty frightened,” Mrs. Sherman beamed. “I hope you don’t mind, but I know chemistry when I see it. Given what I used to do”—she cupped his hand over her mouth—“but we aren’t supposed to talk about that.”

Noah approached me, leading me to the box and lifted off the top. Gauging my face for a reaction, he studied me carefully. When I looked down at the black, long cylinder shaped glass with a thick middle and a smaller attachment that looked like bunny ears, I wasn’t sure whether I should laugh or be very frightened.

The moment my head turned to give Mrs. Sherman my ire, my arm was grabbed. Noah leaned down, warning me without saying a word. He tugged, forcing my reluctant feet to shift into the kitchen. He removed a black scarf from the box while Mrs. Sherman made herself comfortable in a chair that gave her a prime view. Grabbing both of my arms, he forced my wrists to touch and tied them together in front of my body. He kept his eyes on me the whole time, speaking words without sounds. It served to relax my body even if my mind was on the brink of a war.
 

After he was done he turned me around, directing me to bend over the counter. I felt the smooth, cold glass move down my spine to the cleft of my behind through the thin silk fabric of my dress. Distracted, I looked over my shoulder, watching Mrs. Sherman, who seemed pleased with the show. Noah reached over and jerked my chin, forcing me to look forward at something less interesting.

I felt the tool underneath the dress at my sex. I jolted only to be shoved back in position. It rocked there, slowly, gently. I clasped my hands together as I remained bound. His grip firmed at my thighs forcing them to open. Fear and discomfort forced my body to chill, erecting trembles from within. His warm hand pressed against my spine, serving as comfort and warmth. The cool glass manipulated my lips, making them part and give it unfettered access to my slit. He rocked the toy up and down, teasing my clit and making me wetter.

My eyelids became too heavy to keep open. A moan moved up my throat, shocking me, moving the pending war in my mind into a chaotic battle that would likely be lost to what I needed. The sounds of my wet sex resounded. The slickness allowed my clit to be fully stimulated. It throbbed and hardened, turning sensitive. Turning me around, he wrapped his arms around me and propped me up to sit on the edge of the counter. My legs were splayed to the side, allowing Mrs. Sherman a view. Noah placed my linked arms over his head to rest on his broad shoulders while my wrists remained tied behind his head.

Our eyes locked, and I found myself unable to look away from the warmth of his hazel-blue gaze. Inside them was something new that entranced me. The room began to disappear. My war began to wane. My less happy memories began to fade. A safety I had never felt or seen here threatened to take over my fear.

Reminding me of what we were here for, the tip of the glass rocked at my opening before gently urging its way inside. My hips receded only to have him pull me back down with his arm hooked around me. He lifted my chin over his closed fist, forcing me to look at him again. The cool glass moved slowly, in and out; the ears of the tool manipulated my clit. He looked down between my legs, visibly taken by the sight of my sex surrounding and welcoming the glass scepter. He leaned forward, grazing his nose against my cheek.

The electric pulse began to strengthen, pervading from my core. My soft moans became more ragged and increased in volume. My body writhed, confused as to whether to take the pleasure or run away from what I shouldn’t have been able to feel.

“Noah,” I whispered, scared of what was happening to my body.

His teeth sank into his bottom lip, a small skewed smile appearing. His eyes asked if I was ready, and I wasn’t sure what for. Until it hit me.
 

My body arced, my neck became weak. Sounds came from my mouth that could’ve been screams. The fire was consuming, burning, and strong. His movements never stopped, rocking the tool inside my wetness with ferocity. The sloppy wet sounds added to my cries of pleasure. I shook rigidly around him, weakened, almost falling off the counter with my erratic movements. His arm wrapped around me, holding me close as he slowly removed the toy.

My eyes popped open, staring at him as he stared at me. Biting the corner of his smirk, he touched his forehead to mine, gazing at me. “Do you still feel like an object, Keaton?” His words draped me in warmth, relaxing me, and drawing me at the same time.
 

I shook my head, whispering, “Please give me more.”

His smirk brightened. “The toy or my cock?”

“Neither.” I swallowed back the dryness in my throat as uncertainty took over.

He pinched my chin, forcing me to continue with his inquisitive eyes.

“I don’t want the toy and I don’t want just your cock,” I said softly. “I want you.”

His eyes flickered for the briefest of moments. He quickly grabbed my ass, forcing my legs to wrap around him for fear of falling. He walked with me wrapped around his body and set me down on the arm of the couch, unzipping and pulling out his erection while never taking his eyes off me. He grabbed my head while he flexed his hips, shoving his way inside.
 

I responded with a moan and a shudder. He stroked inside me with a force between rough and gentle, commanding and controlling me with every flex of his hips. My bound hands remained locked behind his head, keeping me close to him and him close to me.
 

I stopped fighting the reaction, allowing him to bring me to wave after wave in quick succession. Every peak a little better than the one before.

He suddenly tensed, his eyes freezing on me. Lurching forward, he clenched the swell of my bottom lip between his teeth and exploded inside me with a hoarse, sexy groan. I shook with him, feeling as though his pleasure exacerbated mine. With panting breaths, we slowly kissed each other.

“Smile for me, princess,” he whispered against my lips as he tried to catch his breath. “Every time I make you come, it’s more intense than the last time. Careful with the way you’re looking at me, I might start to think you’re feeling what I predicted you would.” His panting breaths flittered about my nose as he raked his lips down the length. “Be
very
careful. I want your pussy, not your heart.”

“I have nothing to compare you to,” I stated hoarsely, my voice softer than his. “I just know I’ve never felt anything like I do when I’m with you and I might not again.”

He blinked and looked very displeased with my response. “Are you putting on a fucking show? Because you can stop now. She can’t hear you.” I lost his eye contact as he removed my arms from around him and untied them.

Mrs. Sherman’s clapping startled us both. “Well done. I really enjoy seeing you two together. That might be a problem for me, seeing as though it’s the last time I’ll see you both.”

“It’s never a problem, Mrs. Sherman,” Noah assured her, no longer able to look at her. “We never know what will happen in the future, right?”

Concern crossed her face as she reached up and touched the side of his neck. A wistful smile pressed across her lips as she bobbed her head once. “Well…I’ll certainly miss you both. A favor returned for a favor earned. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have last minute preparations to make for my flight out tomorrow.” Before disappearing into the bedroom, she said to me, “You may use my bathroom before you leave.”
 

Noah seemed to have an issue with allowing me to go inside the bathroom by myself to clean up. He pushed the tails of his shirt back into his slacks and warned me against doing anything stupid. I watched the door close shut behind him before I made a move.

In the bathroom, I looked in the mirror, seeing a face familiar to me but wondering what happened to her—the girl who had the fight in her when she came here. I closed my eyes as the tears fell, thinking maybe I never was that woman because with every problem I ever had, I was never able to face it head on.
“Never make a scene, be demure and smile no matter how you feel inside,”
said my mother on my many occasions. If I had to be demure to get away, then that was what I’d do. I waited until I could hear Mrs. Sherman’s voice before I exited the bathroom to meet her in the living area.

She gave me a smile and chucked me on the shoulder. “Thank you. That was beautiful. You can leave now.”

“You have to help me,” I pleaded with her. “Can you please take me with you when you leave tomorrow? I’m here against my will. Most of us are. My name is Keaton—”

She covered my mouth and the genialness in her eyes disappeared. “That’s not my problem, kid. I’m pretty sure you weren’t supposed to tell me those things. This is supposed to be paradise and about my fantasy for absolution after all.” She rolled her eyes, making fun of the thought. “No one here cares about what’s behind the curtain.” She shrugged as she dropped her hand from my mouth and retrieved her suit jacket from the back of the overstuffed chair. She smiled at me, caring very little about how stupefied I was. “It’s a beautiful place and you seem well-taken care of. Be patient with all of it and you’ll be fine. If you’ll excuse me, I’d like to turn in early.”

Abject sadness hit me in the pit of my stomach making me double over. I glanced at the now very operational camera. The position had changed and recorded it all. The moment I stepped out the door, the sight of Noah leaned up against the banister on the porch startled me. He removed his hand from the earpiece in his ear to glower at me. He clucked his tongue as he shook his head. “You failed the test, princess. I warned you. Reven warned you. Everyone warned you, but you just don’t give up.” He spun to face me and blocking me against the exterior wall of the house. “Do you know what’s going to happen to you now?”