six

Jennifer’s POV

My chest heaved, the stiff plastic of the new mask dipping sharply into my cheek as my brain short-circuited.

"Your soap or perfume? It sounds so familiar."

The words slammed into me like a physical punch. His fingers were still hovering right at the jawline of my mask, mere millimeters from exposing my lie, exposing my face, exposing everything. Panic hit my bloodstream like ice water, but the heat from where his thumb brushed my skin was absolute fire. Panicked and completely out of options, I did the only thing I knew would stop his hands: I moved.

I rolled my hips directly against his, letting out a soft, deliberate gasp right against the warm crook of his neck. He froze. A low, dark groan ripped straight from his chest, vibrating against my ribs. His hands on my jaw hitched, his fingers tightening in my hair instead of pulling at the edge of the mask, anchoring me to him as his heavy breath burned my bare skin.

"Lots of girls wear sweet vanilla, Marcus," I breathed back in that raspy, forced whisper, tilting my head back just enough to break the dangerous path of his fingers.

But Marcus didn't pull his hands away. Instead, his thumbs pressed harder against the soft skin right underneath my ear, his dark eyes locking into the eye holes of my mask with a fierce, terrifying focus that made my knees go weak.

"It's not just vanilla, little dancer," he murmured, his voice dropping into a dangerous dark register that sent a shiver straight down my spine and pooled heat between my thighs. "It is you."

His other hand moved around my lower back, arching my waist until there was no space left between us. Every line of his body was hard, unyielding, and completely consumed by the sight of me. He pulled me down further onto his lap, his hips shifting beneath mine until a sharp, breathless cry escaped my lips. The physical closeness was overwhelming, suffocating, soaked in the heavy scent of his whiskey and expensive cologne mixed with the faint lavender of my cheap soap. By day he couldn't stand to breathe the same air as me; by night he was breathing me in like a man dying of thirst.

"Look at me," he growled low in his throat, his teeth brushing the delicate slope of my neck just below the mask edge. "Stop hiding behind this damn plastic and look at me."

"I am... I'm here, aren't I?" I gasped, my fingers involuntarily digging into the fine fabric of his suit jacket as his lips dragged a trail of liquid fire up to my jaw. "You bought your 30 minutes."

"I don't give a damn about 30 minutes," he whispered against my skin, his bite turning into a slow, possessive suck that made my core ache with a terrifying, helpless need.

His large hands slid down my spine, cupping my hips and grinding me back against him with a deliberate, agonizing slowness.

"I want the whole night. I want to know why you tremble every time I touch you. I want to know why you look at me like you already belong to me."

My heart thumped so violently I was sure he could feel it shattering against his chest. I was terrified he would tilt my chin an inch higher and recognize the texture of my hair…..terrified he'd realize the stepsister he treated like dirt at the breakfast table was the same woman moving in his arms. Yet my body betrayed me completely when his hand slid lower, squeezing my thigh and pulling me closer to his hard length. My hips rolled into his touch of their own accord. A dark smirk touched his lips as he felt my surrender. His hands moved back up, his fingers hooking under the stiff edge of the mask near my ear, pulling it up just a fraction of an inch.

Just then, a knock came at the heavy door, slowly sliding open and shattering the air like a gunshot.

"Time's up, sir," Marco's voice echoed nervously from the hallway beyond the curtain.

I stood up as fast as I could from Marcus's lap, watching as he instantly relaxed back on the couch, heaving a huge sigh of frustration.

"I never knew 30 minutes could go by that fast," he said, his attention not leaving me for a second.

He gave Marco a weird glare before smiling. I could tell he wasn't satisfied with how everything turned out, but at least I wasn't hesitant like usual and instead gave him the chance to touch me. I stood there not knowing what the next move was, but I really wanted to leave his presence as I was too frightened to stay any longer.

"Fine, just give me like a minute. I need to tell her something," he said softly.

Marco looked at me, trying to get reassurance that I was safe and could stay another minute with him. I nodded slightly, and that was all Marco needed to walk away.

"What do you want with one minute? You can't get anything out of me, and I am not taking off the mask for you," I muttered, trying to sound as gentle as I could, even though I was in such a panic I just wanted to leave.

He stood up swiftly, pulling me in again, his hands wrapped around my waist and his breath so close to mine. He wasn't ready to give up.

"Stop!" I pleaded.

He noticed I wasn't ready to go any further and slowly let go of my waist, instantly giving me an unexpected kiss. Even though it was more like a peck, I guess he got what he wanted.

"I'm leaving now," I stuttered, not able to brace myself correctly.

I couldn't believe he just kissed me like I was not just a call girl to him, but more than that.

"I will come back again, and when I come back next, I'm not going to ask for 30 minutes. I'm going to make you mine. Not under Marco's club or anything…..you actually become mine. And if you keep these masks on for months, I don't care. You still belong to me," he threatened, his hands gripping tightly to mine.

I tried to pull away from him and leave, but his grip was just so tight.

"Let me go!" I pleaded again.

Just then, I felt him forcefully put something on my wrist. I looked immediately, frightened of what his next move would be, but it was just a simple bracelet. Then he let go.

"I'll find you, and I want you to make sure that you keep this bracelet on at all times," he commanded.

I was already too hyperventilating to say anything else and instead scurried out of his presence.

The moment I stepped out, Marco was already about to make a move, but I pulled him and we went straight back to the dressing room. I immediately took off the mask after Marco had made sure the door was locked.

"How did it go? Did he... did he touch you? What did he do?" Marco said, concerned, immediately moving close to inspect if anything was wrong with me.

"What do you expect? The man is obsessed with me. He won't hurt me. I'm fine anyways. Nothing is wrong with me," I explained to him, and instantly Marco relaxed, taking a breath of relief.

"What is that on your wrist?" he questioned immediately, his eyes fixed on what Marcus had just placed on me to claim he would find me anyway, even without my mask.

"It's just a stupid bracelet he's using to threaten me. When I get home, I'm going to take it off and he will never find any information about me. I don't know why he thinks wrapping a bracelet around me will make any difference," I said, showing Marco the bracelet.

But I noticed Marco wasn't listening to any of my words and instead seemed completely speechless. He pulled my hands closer and could not even shut his mouth.

"What do you mean it's just a bracelet? Do you even know who made this bracelet? He wrapped your wrist with pure diamonds and you didn't even notice that?"