SWNOVELS Alluring Darkness: Chapter 8
Keeping my distance from Raina is harder than I anticipated. All I want to do is to launch attack after attack, chipping away at her defenses until she is reduced to a trembling ball of fear, begging me for mercy. But to do that, I have to build up anticipation.
She can’t possibly think that I would let her little stunt in the car slide, so she’ll know that I will be coming for revenge. And sometimes, waiting for the other shoe to drop is worse than the act itself. So I have been keeping my distance, leaving her to constantly have to look over her shoulder. And building her fear and paranoia. Soon, it will be time to strike.
Chatter comes from the open doors to the canteen up ahead. I roll my shoulders back, trying to dispense the restless energy inside me. It works poorly. I really need to find someone to take that out on.
“Your grandfather called yesterday, by the way,” I say, casting a glance at Rico from the corner of my eye.
While we continue towards the canteen, he raises his eyebrows and turns to face me. “He did?”
“Yeah. I talked to Dad this morning, and he mentioned it.”
“Huh. What did he want?”
“A report on your progress.”
Rico snorts and rolls his eyes. “Of course he did. I swear, I love the guy, but damn he can be so fucking bossy.”
“Well, there’s a good reason for that,” Jace comments from my other side as we enter the packed canteen.
“Still, that doesn’t—” Rico begins before being cut off.
“Hey, isn’t that Connor?” Kaden interrupts.
We all turn and follow his gaze.
Sure enough, Connor Smith is stalking out the doors on the other side of the room. I only have time to see the back of his head and half of his jaw before he disappears from the canteen, but it’s enough to confirm that he is still sporting an impressive number of bruises.
A grin spreads across my lips.
Some of my best work, that. Lots of pain but nothing permanently damaged. Which means that I can do it again soon.
“So, he’s out of bed, huh?” Jace says, running a hand over his jaw. Then his eager eyes find mine. “Should we…?”
“I think we have a more pressing problem,” Rico replies before I can say anything.
He jerks his chin towards our table, and we all tear our gazes from the doorway where Connor disappeared and look at the empty metal table and the six chairs around it.
Except, it’s not empty.
Surprise flashes through me.
There, seated in one of the chairs in the very middle, is Raina. She has a tray of food in front of her and she’s eating calmly as if she doesn’t have a care in the world. I scan the tables around her. A few people flinch and snap their gazes back to their own plates, as if they’re worried that I might take out my anger on them for not making sure our table was clear.
To be fair, I am tempted. I had planned to give Raina a bit more time to worry before I struck, but who am I to pass up an opportunity to punish her if she just delivers herself to me like this on a silver platter?
Tense silence spreads through the large room as the four of us prowl up to Raina. She doesn’t even bother looking up from her food. Instead, she simply cuts a piece of salmon and pops it in her mouth.
Only once we’re standing right in front of her on the other side of the table does she deign to look up and meet our gazes. After swallowing the bite of food, she arches a dark brow at me. “Can I help you with something?”
Instead of answering, I just hold her gaze while Kaden and Rico pull out the chairs on her left and right, and sit down. Jace takes a seat opposite her.
“There are other tables, you know,” she says, flicking her wrist to motion at the empty ones scattered around the room. Then she shrugs. “But if you’re that desperate for my company, then by all means, join me.”
The silence in the room is now so prominent that I can almost feel it pulsing against my eardrums. Everyone seems to be holding their breath, waiting to see how this will play out.
I study Raina. But I can’t get a read on her, so I’m not sure if she’s challenging me on purpose, or if she truly didn’t know that this is our table. Given what she did in the car, my money is on the former. But I still decide to inform her, hoping to see the color drain from her face in fear as she realizes her mistake.
“This is our table,” I tell her.
“Your table?” She snorts and rolls her eyes. “What is this? High school?”
Okay, so she’s definitely doing this on purpose.
All around us, people are staring. Waiting to see what I will do. I know exactly what I want to do. But I’m not sure if it’s the best move. On one hand, there are a lot of people here, and I can’t let them see her disrespect go unpunished. But at the same time, there are a lot of people here, which means that there are a lot of witnesses.
“Leave,” I grind out between gritted teeth while trying to keep a tight hold on my restraint.
A small smirk plays at the corner of her lips as she holds my gaze. It sends a spike of alarm through me. Because for a moment, I swear that those perceptive green eyes of hers can see straight through all my bullshit and read exactly what is going on inside my head.
But all she says is a simple, “No.”
“I’m—” I begin, but she blows out a frustrated sigh and cuts me off.
“I swear, it’s like you only have two braincells left and they’re both fighting for third place.”
The cafeteria sucks in a collective gasp.
And for a while, all I can do is stare at her.
Then my restraint at last snaps.
Raina shoots up from her seat as I advance on her, but my brothers stand up as well and block her path before she can slink away. Rounding the table, I grab her arm and drag her towards the table’s short side. She growls curses at me, but she’s no match for my strength.
Positioning her hips against the edge of the table, I plant my palm between her shoulder blades and shove her face down over the table.
“Hold her,” I tell my brothers.
Jace and Kaden immediately place their hands on her wrists, holding her arms stretched out before her and trapped against the table, while Rico locks his fingers around the back of her neck. She tries to yank against their grip, but all she can do is to wiggle her ass.
I stare at that ass, that perfect ass hidden by a black skirt, as I slide my leather belt out of my pants. It produces a snap as I pull it out sharply and then fold it across the middle.
Raina’s gaze darts towards the sound, and her eyes go wide with shock as she sees the belt in my hands.
“Don’t you dare,” she warns.
Moving up beside her, I efficiently push her short black skirt up to her waist and then pull her panties halfway down her thighs. Then I whip her bare ass with the belt.
Raina gasps. And so do the people around us.
I whip the belt again. It produces a snapping sound as it connects.
“Act like a brat…” I begin.
Snap.
“And I’ll spank you like a brat.”
Snap.
She yanks futilely against my brothers’ hold on her. When that doesn’t work, she grits her teeth and presses her forehead down hard against the table. I spank her with the belt again. And again. Until at last, a whimper spills from her lips.
A shuddering breath whooshes out of her afterwards, as if she knows that she has just lost. She wiggles her ass, as if trying to relieve the pain. My cock stirs at the sight of her now pink skin.
I watch her freshly spanked ass while I slide my belt back into my pants. Then I move so that I’m standing right behind her. Another small whimper escapes her when I press my body harder against her sensitive skin. I glance at Rico, and he immediately takes his hand away from her neck and steps back.
Bracing one hand on the tabletop, I lean forward over her body and grab her long black hair. She tries to pull her wrists free again, but Jace and Kaden keep her firmly trapped. Winding her hair around my hand, I keep going until it’s tight enough that I can pull her head up from the table. I grind my thighs against her ass, and watch as she bites back another whimper.
With my hand in her hair, forcing her to crane her head back like that, I lean down farther over her and place my lips next to her ear. “You have no idea who you’re playing against, princess. Better wave the white flag now while I’m still willing to accept your unconditional surrender.”
She laughs. It’s not a scared sound. It’s smug and full of challenge.
“Playing?” she says, that mocking tone back in her voice. “Oh we haven’t even started playing yet.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes.”
I let out a dark chuckle, and it sends a shiver through her body. “Then why are you bent over a table with your ass freshly spanked for everyone to see?”
I expect her to blush in embarrassment. Or maybe growl a curse. But only a sharp smile curls her lips.
“Because you and I are just getting started.”