Page 95 of Vicious Seduction
We’d already extracted every ounce of information from him about the Society. The sick fucks were an island shy of being Jeffrey Epstein. Every one of them had some sort of perverted kink—things way beyond a little snowballing or toe-sucking. Wellington liked to degrade his women to the point of abuse. Like father, like son. Others were into children or other non-consensual situations. I wasn’t even sure it could be called kink. These people found pleasure in the most cruel, inhumane treatment of others.
In that regard, they were all the same.
As was their solemn oath of secrecy, but only because they’d mutually agreed to provide blackmail material on themselves as a prerequisite of membership. That was the reason Eliza had offered up Lina’s virginity. It wasn’t aboutmoney. No money ever changed hands. It was about ensuring everyone stayed silent. If they were all equally at risk, they felt certain no one would talk. However, they failed to consider one important possibility. Torture.
The second one of them was forced to spill, secrets flowed like a burst water main. Not a single member was willing to go down without taking the entire group with them. Theirhonorsystem was no more reliable than a house built on a Hollywood hillside. Once the dirt started to slide, the entire foundation came crashing down.
We learned that they got together at Olympus headquarters on Sundays and planned their once-a-month fuck fests—secret nights filled with horrors and depravity. Though I got the sense their meetings were more about reveling in the anticipation than the actual planning. Not only did they keep one another’s darkest secrets, they helped enable one another either personally or through contacts like my ex-wife’s brother.
We had acquired a list of names and were working our way through it one at a time. We’d been discreet in our actions, however, so as to prevent them from catching on before we could dole out punishment. The Society’s days were numbered.
Wellington was ruined.
The Society was crumbling.
Amelie was safely home.
And most important to me, Lina was mine.
It was time to end it.
“Lawrence, I’ve come to a decision,” I said in a droll tone from behind him.
He rocked in place, not acknowledging me.
I took out my gun from its holster and checked the chamber. “I think we’re done here. Do you have any last words you’d like to say?”
He stilled and slowly peered over his shoulder at me. If I wasn’t mistaken, tears wet his eyes. He parted his chapped lips and—
With one swift motion, I cocked the gun, aimed, and put a bullet between his eyes.
“That’s too bad because no one gives a shit what you have to say.” I collected the discharged shell from the floor, holstered my gun, and walked away. As I exited the Wellington mansion, I put in a call for a cleaner, then went in search of flowers.
“Oran, they’re beautiful!” Lina leaned in and breathed deeply over the bouquet of long stem red roses. “And they smell incredible.”
“Thirty-one roses, one for each day since you agreed to be mine,” I explained. The florist had argued that it was too many stems for one vase, but I’d insisted she find a way to make it fit. The thing weighed a ton, but it looked spectacular.
Lina rocked on her heels and shot me a sheepish smile. “I didn’t have much of a choice at the time.” Her cheeks flushed. She felt awkward pointing it out and probably wished she hadn’t, but I was glad she did.
“I realize that, which is why I decided that a do-over was in order.”
“A do-over?” Her eyes rounded as I lowered to one knee.
“Lina Schultze…” I took her hand in mine. “Never in my life have I been more captivated by a woman. Your strength, loyalty, and exquisite beauty drew me to you, but I knew you had to be mine when I witnessed your compassion, talent, grace, and wit. I’ve already given you a ring, but I wanted to do something more—to make a statement about my commitment to you so you’d never have reason to doubt.”
I unbuttoned the top half of my shirt and pulled back the left side to reveal a large gauze pad over my left pectoral. When I removed it, Lina gasped.
I’d had the artist start working on the design a week earlier, then had it tattooed that morning before going to see Wellington. The skin was still red and starting to swell a tiny bit, but not enough to detract from the incredible artistry now inked over my heart.
Two chess pieces—the king and queen—stood together, the king slightly taller and positioned behind the queen enough to highlight her prominence. A thorny vine of roses in full bloom dramatically circled the two, uniting and protecting. And the final touch, a perfect rendition of her engagement ring dangling from one of the vines.
The all-black design incorporated a gothic flare that offset the feminine nature of the flowers, giving the piece a decidedly elegant yet haunting vibe. It couldn’t have been more perfect.
“Oh,Oran,” Lina breathed, hand over her heart. “It’s incredible.”
“I wanted my queen with me always.” I took her hand back in mine. “You’re already a part of my soul, Lina Schultze. Tell me you’ll be my wife as well.”
She dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around me. “Yes, I will absolutely be your wife.” She pulled back, tears pooling precariously on her lashes. “Thank you, Oran. Thank you so much for everything.”