CHAPTER 3: THE RULES OF THE GAME

(POV: BRIANNA)

The silence inside booth seven was so thick I could hear the rhythmic ticking of the gold watch on his wrist. The man who called himself Ares never took his eyes off me. It was a gaze that didn't just look at me; it stripped me bare, evaluating me like a prized possession.

"You will call me Ares in this club, little bird," his deep, raspy voice cuts through the dim light. "And you will learn to obey my name."

"Lie down on that chaise," Ares ordered, pointing toward a black leather lounge chair pushed against the velvet wall. "Now."

My hands shook so violently I nearly lost my balance in my heels. I walked over to the furniture and lay down on my back, the cold leather sending a shock against my exposed skin. I felt utterly vulnerable. I felt naked, even with the lingerie still on.

Ares walked over to me. He was in no rush. He circled the chaise like a wolf evaluating its prey. Stopping right beside my legs, he leaned his body down, bringing his face dangerously close to mine.

"Has anyone ever touched you, little bird?" he asked. His voice was a dark whisper that made every single hair on my body stand on end. "Has any man ever felt the heat between those thick thighs?"

"No... no, Sir," I answered in a breathless whisper. "No one."

"Then I will be the first," Ares declared. The sheer tone of possession in his voice made me squeeze my eyes shut for a second. "I am going to touch every single inch of this skin. I am going to mark every single curve of this delicious body until you realize that you belong solely to me."

I took a deep breath, feeling panic and an unknown spark of arousal battling inside me. Ares noticed my agitation. He brought his large hand to my face, dragging his thumb across my cheek with a torturous slowness.

"Relax, little bird. I won't force you into anything," he said, though the dark glint in his pitch-black eyes screamed otherwise. "I don't need to use force. Because once I start teasing you, you are going to beg me to keep going."

I blinked, completely bewildered.

"I’m going to... beg?" I stammered.

Ares flashed a slow, wicked smirk. A predator's smile.

"Yes. You are going to beg me to fuck you in every single position possible. You will beg me to stretch and fill every single hole of this virgin body until you can't even remember your own name."

I felt my face burn hotter than it ever had in my life. My heart hammered wildly against my ribs. I had never heard such raw, filthy words spoken so directly to me. The shock must have been written all over my face, because Ares let out a low, dark chuckle.

"You are so beautiful when you're terrified, do you know that?" he murmured, sliding his hand down to my throat and squeezing the skin there with a possessive firmness. "But there's no need to fear. You are going to be my private little bitch. My obedient little slut. That is exactly how I like my women."

The impact of those words hit me like a physical slap. Bitch. Slut. They were terms I had only ever associated with something dirty, but coming from his mouth, spoken with that elite accent of wealth and absolute authority, they made my body react in the most obscene way. I felt a sinful, slick wetness begin to pool between my thighs.

"You've never heard words like that before, have you?" he asked, noticing my shocked silence.

"No... never," I admitted, my voice cracking.

"Then you better get used to it," Ares countered coldly. "In my booth, we call things by their proper names. If you want my money to save your brother, you will accept my language and my will."

Before I could even process his words, the man raised his free hand and delivered a light, firm slap to my cheek. The sharp crack against my skin made me gasp in shock. It didn't hurt, but the sheer weight of the humiliation and control left me breathless.

My skin stung where he had touched me. My heart was racing so fast it felt like it would tear right through my chest. A cold sweat broke out over my skin, and I felt physically sick from pure nerves in the face of such raw intensity.

Ares scrolled his fingers down to my jaw, firmly pressing my lower lip down.

"Open your mouth, little bird. I want to see your teeth," he commanded, his voice dropping into a dangerously raspy growl.

I obeyed instantly. I parted my lips, my mouth trembling and my tear-rimmed eyes locked onto his mask.

Without a single warning, he shoved two long, thick fingers deep into my mouth, pinning my tongue down. The taste of his bare skin and the raw power of the gesture made my eyes widen.

"Suck my fingers now," he commanded, his dark eyes flashing with pure, unadulterated lust. "Use your tongue. I want to see how well you can swallow."

My cheeks ached, but I did exactly as I was told. I began to suck on his fingers, wrapping my lips tightly around them and using my tongue to lick them clean, a cold sweat bead rolling down my temple. The wet sound of my lips against his fingers echoed in the dark booth.

He gripped the back of my neck firmly, pushing his fingers a bit deeper, testing my limits and forcing a muffled whimper from my throat.

"Yes... harder, good girl," Ares growled, his jaw tightening with arousal as he watched my absolute submission. He pulled his fingers out of my mouth with an agonizing slowness, leaving a thin string of saliva connecting my lips to his fingertips. He wiped the moisture against my chin and whispered dangerously close to my ear, "Because that is exactly how you are going to take the head of my cock. Just like that."

I closed my eyes, my entire body trembling on the chaise, knowing that my training had only just begun.