The Taste of Revenge (War of Sins Book 1)

‘Bad, bad girl,’ his smooth voice does something to my senses, making me both breathless and a nervous wreck at the same time. ‘You’re such a bad little tease, you leave me no choice but to correct your behavior,’ he continues, the corner of his mouth lifting up in a satisfied smile as he leans down, his breath caressing my earlobe.

‘Wh-what do you mean?’ I stammer.

‘It’s time you learned what happens when you invite danger but aren’t quite ready to face the consequences.’

My legs are wobbly, my knees almost buckling at the mere touch of his skin on mine. My breath catches in my throat, and I can only stare at him in awe, my entire being betraying me.

‘We should talk,’ I blurt out—anything to ensure this doesn’t go further.

‘About what?’ He gives me a crooked smile. ‘All the ways I’ll fuck you?’ he intones and I pale. ‘I think I’ll start right here, against the wall. What do you say about that?’ His voice is teasing, but there’s still a hint of danger.

‘I…’ I trail off, feeling completely out of my comfort zone. ‘I think we should sit. I have a fear of heights, you see,’ I give him a feeble smile, belatedly realizing the idiocy that came out of my mouth.

‘A fear of heights?’ he repeats, amused, and before I know it, his hands grab my waist, lifting me in the air and settling me against the wall. My legs fall open of their own accord, and he steps between them, his hardness making contact with my center and making me gasp, my eyes widening at the fact that this might be happening.

This can’t be happening.

But as soon as that thought surfaces in my head, it flies out the window at the smallest contact with his erection, my mouth opening on a silent moan.

‘Are you scared now?’ he inquires in a mocking tone, and my eyes snap open—when had they closed?

‘Yes?’

‘Good. You should be scared,’ he chuckles. ‘Because it would be so easy, little liar,’ he continues, trailing his hand down my neck and to the valley of my breasts. He doesn’t stop, however, as he goes even lower, to the place that holds the seams of the bodysuit. ‘I’d open your suit,’ he drawls in a wicked voice, his fingers snapping the mechanism open. Air whooshes in my private area, meeting my wetness and making me whimper in a small protest.

I gulp down, my eyes seeking his and pleading with him to let me go as my mouth fails to verbalize my objection.

‘I’d impale you on my cock in one swift thrust, making you yell in pain. Because I wouldn’t care if you were wet, or ready to take me. Although,’ he chuckles, ‘you would be, wouldn’t you? You’re too much of a cock slut not to be dripping. Am I right, Noelle?’

I can’t speak. His words ring in my ears, but I can only shake my head at him, unable to reply to his taunts.

He’s not touching me there either. And it would be so easy for him to confirm just how wet I am. A sob catches in my throat at the realization. Because I’d been trying to make him slip, but I am the one who slipped.

‘I’d fuck you so hard you wouldn’t be able to sit down for days. You certainly wouldn’t be able to flash your ass to anyone, because they’d see. They would all see. The marks on your flesh. The prints of my palms…’

The more he speaks, the more I feel myself slipping, his words a mix of intoxicating lust and a devastating promise of retribution.

‘Stop,’ I finally manage to utter.

‘What was that, little liar?’

‘Stop, please.’

‘Why? Didn’t you want me to fuck you? Well, congratulations. You’re getting fucked. But it’s on my terms. And that means you don’t speak. You don’t make a sound. You take it all like the bad little tease you are and you let me use you like my obedient slut. How is that, huh?’ He wraps his lips around my earlobe and tugging it in a small bite.

‘Raf…’

‘How does that sound, Noelle? Will you let me use you? Work my hate on your body until you can’t walk anymore? Until you’re so thoroughly fucked you won’t ever think about enticing another man? You’d like that, wouldn’t you?’ he continues in a perverse voice, and a shiver goes through my body.

‘N—no,’ I whisper.

‘You don’t sound very certain,’ he chuckles. ‘I’ll even make you a deal. I’ll pay you for every service rendered, since you seem to prefer it that way.’

‘I’m not your whore,’ I force myself to say, my voice tremulous.

‘Then whose whore are you?’ He leans back, raising an eyebrow at me. His finger is in my hair as he twirls a strand around it.

His emotionless eyes are watching me intently—predatorily. He knows he got me backed into a corner and he’s enjoying my discomfiture.

‘No one’s,’ I answer confidently, pushing my chin up and meeting his gaze head on.

He looks at me for a second, his expression serious, before he bursts into laughter.

‘You could have fooled me,’ he laughs, and before I know it, he’s off me, dropping me to the ground and taking a step back, watching me as I fall to the floor.

I’m breathing hard, my pulse out of control. Still, something inside of me doesn’t want to accept that I’ve lost.

He’s staring at me expectantly as I pull myself up, turning my gaze towards him.

‘You’ll pay for this,’ I sneer at him, making to leave the room—regardless of my state of undress.

‘Not so fast, little liar. It’s you who still has to pay,’ he smirks at me, bringing the tie up and playing with it in front of me.

‘No,’ I shake my head. ‘We’re done here,’ I state before turning.

But I don’t manage to take another step before he has us both on the velvet bench. He maneuvers me around in such a way that I’m lying face down on his lap, his erection nestled against my lower belly.

‘Wha—what?’ I barely have time to ask the question as he wraps the tie around my hands, quickly securing them above my head.

‘You need a lesson, Noelle. And it seems that words don’t work with you,’ he tells me, and before I can question what he means, his palm makes contact with my ass.

Startled, I yelp in pain, jerking out of his lap and trying to move my immobilized hands.

‘I told you,’ he pauses, and another palm connects with my ass cheeks, the sting bringing tears to my eyes. ‘I’d paint your ass red.’

‘Stop,’ I croak just as he spanks me again, but this time his hand lingers over my battered bottom, slowly moving up and down.

‘Does it hurt?’ His tone is brisk.

I nod. ‘Yes.’

‘Good. It’s supposed to hurt,’ he states before he slaps my ass again, this time harder.

I’m pretty sure my ass cheeks are already a stringent red, and as he continues to spank me, each time taking a break as he slowly caresses my flesh, I realize I truly misjudged him.

‘It’s supposed to show you that every action has a reaction,’ he speaks again, just as he spreads his palm over the swell of my ass, moving lower until he dips his fingers between my legs.

‘Well, well. I didn’t actually think it would be true,’ he chuckles derisively. ‘But you are dripping.’

Mortification burns at my cheeks, and as the lesson comes to an end, I have to admit to myself that for all my confidence in dealing with Raf, I’d been wrong about him.

So very wrong.

It’s a few days later that I get to experience the full extent of Raf’s cruelty when everything backfires against me. All along I’d been trying to make him snap, and now I fear I’ve pushed him too far.

‘I don’t understand where you’re taking me,’ I tell him as he more or less shoves me in the car, barking some instructions to the driver.

‘You don’t have to understand,’ he raises a brow as he leans back, making himself comfortable in his seat. ‘You should thank me instead. I’m merely giving you what you want.’

‘What are you talking about?’ I frown.

‘Hmm,’ he smiles, a dangerous smile that doesn’t reach his eyes.

He scans my figure, his mouth curling up in satisfaction at what he sees.

My brows shoot up in question and I fold my arms over my chest. I’m wearing a black mid-thigh dress, and its bodice, while tight, covers every inch of skin.

His perusal unnerves me, especially as I don’t think there’s anything in particular that he can see.

We spend the entire journey in silence, and I have a hard time grasping what he’s trying to do. I know it must be some sort of punishment, or humiliation, since from him I can’t expect anything better.

After all, he’s already embarrassed me in front of my family, making me seem like a besotted fool who can’t tell right from wrong. And so far all my attempts to rectify that have backfired.

I would have thought that if I turned the tables on him and acted as he expected me to, I would have had an advantage. Instead, he’s only managed to repeatedly disarm me, and show me that for all my bravado, I’m all talk and no action.

It is the truth, though, isn’t it?

I’d tried to entice him with my body thinking it would embarrass him, but I’d ended up being the humiliated one.

What did I expect when I had no experience to back up my words? I’d put on a seductive front to fluster him and make him flounder. He’s a man after all, and as we’ve proved, one that isn’t immune to me—or at least my body. I’d based my behavior and actions on things I’d read on the internet and seen in movies, and for a while the femme fatale persona I’d assumed had given me a freedom unlike any other. But it had also backfired on me, putting me on the spot and showing me exactly what happens when I’m backed into a corner with my own weapons turned on me.

My cheeks heat as I remember the way my body had reacted to his nearness and to his obscene words.

I should have been scandalized, yet instead, I’d been turned on.

I’m a mess.

He turns me into a mess.

Out of everyone in the world, why is it that I have to react like this to him? Why is he the only one who’s ever awoken these types of feelings in me?

My thoughts are interrupted as the car draws to a stop. I peer out the window in an effort to gauge what he has in plan, but all the buildings are nondescript.

Taking hold of my arm, he pulls me out of the car and towards one building.

‘Does my brother know where you’re taking me?’ I ask, suddenly concerned. He could kill me, and no one would be wiser.

‘He doesn’t need to,’ Rafaelo smirks. ‘He trusts me with you,’ he chuckles, as if it were the most absurd thing. And it is, because my brother may have very well signed my death warrant.

There is a long hallway as he all but drags me towards a pair of double doors at the end of the corridor.

Opening the door, I find myself in a dark room, a kaleidoscope of colors on the wall, the only source of light—but even that is dim at best.

There’s a chair in the middle, and by the side I see five men lined up, all with a number tag on their shirts.

‘What…?’ I turn to Rafaelo, alarm written all over my features.

‘Since I’m not going to take you up on your offer, I thought these men would,’ he smiles.

‘What do you mean?’ The words are softly spoken as I refuse to believe what he means to do.

‘What do I mean, Noelle?’ He takes a step towards me, his thumb under my chin as he tips it up. ‘Since you’re such a horny little bitch, I thought I’d give you a present. Of course. The best thing about presents is the element of surprise,’ he grits right as he brings me to him, my back to his front as he keeps me flush against his body.

‘Look and memorize their faces,’ he whispers in my ear. ‘Any one of them could be your lover for the night. Isn’t that what you wanted? Why you threw yourself at me?’ His chilling voice makes me shudder, terror engulfing me as I realize he’s not joking.

‘No, no,’ I shake my head.

‘Yes, yes,’ he mocks, and out of nowhere, he places a blindfold over my eyes, the material obstructing my view and making me blind to the world.

‘You think you’re such a seductress, well…’ he trails off, amusement infusing every words. ‘Seduce away,’ he laughs.

Panic overtakes me and I start flailing my arms around in an effort to get away from him and get rid of the blindfold.

But I don’t get to do anything as he has my wrists secure, a handcuff clicking into place.

‘Let the game begin,’ he chuckles. ‘And don’t worry. I’ll be here to give them instructions,’ he says as he throws me over his shoulder. I keep struggling, but it’s in vain as he places me on the chair I’d seen in the middle of the room.

And before I can think to stand up and run, he has my feet bound too, ensuring I have no freedom of movement.

‘Rafaelo, please no. Please don’t,’ I beg him, the desperation in my voice clear. ‘Anything but this, please.’

‘Tsk, tsk, Noelle,’ his tongue clicks with the sound. ‘Not so brave now, are you?’ his laugh becomes more and more distant as I realize he’s moved away from me.

‘Too late, little liar,’ he says from afar, and my anxiety skyrockets.

Suddenly, music starts blasting in the room, the sound masking any other noise around and making sure I don’t know what’s going on around me.

And then there’s his voice. In the speakers.

‘Number 1. It’s your turn.’

My eyes widen behind my blindfold, my heart drumming in my chest. The music is so loud I can’t hear anything—not steps on the floor indicating movement, nor breathing next to me, a sign that someone is near.

I’m completely in the dark.

But that’s what he wanted, didn’t he?

He wanted my terror. He wanted to push me beyond mere fear.

The absence of all my senses is already messing with me, and when I feel a hand touch me, I jump up, startled.

But the hand is not deterred. If anything, it becomes even more insistent as it glides all over my body.

I scream.

Or I think I do.

I can’t even hear myself above the deafening sound of the music. My throat vibrates, but my ears don’t pick up anything.

The pressure of the hands increases as they settle over my breasts, prodding, pinching and poking.

‘Please, stop,’ I utter the useless words, tears burning at the back of my eyes.

But my cry for help is in vain.

The hands continue to assault my body, and I feel them everywhere.

My neck.

My breasts.

And lower.

‘Number 2. Let’s spice things up a little,’ Rafaelo’s voice blares through the speakers, and I have a small reprieve from the roving hands—enough to draw breath again.

But that is short lived as I find myself out of the chair and laid on the floor on my stomach.

I struggle against my bounds, though I know it to be useless, all the while, Rafaelo’s chuckle reverberates through the room, the sound of his derisive laugh the only thing making it past the barrier of sound.

My dress is pushed up my ass, and that’s when my true terror begins.

The cold air hits my skin, goosebumps appearing all over. And it’s then that I feel them again—foreign hands that roam all over my flesh.

My cries become more urgent, all in hopes he will be able to hear me and stop this madness—stop it before it goes too far.

But that’s not his goal.

No, his goal is to humiliate me and strip me of any bit of human decency I have left. Isn’t that what he said? That he would make me rue the day I ever crossed his path?

On the sidelines, Rafaelo encourages the man to continue, become bolder.

And he does.

Gripping my panties to the side, he rips them from my body, my most intimate place exposed in the most degrading way possible.

‘No, no,’ I keep shaking my head, hoping this isn’t true. That it’s just a bad dream. That it’s not actually happening to me.

‘Number 3. Your turn.’

I gasp, breathing deeply as I try to focus on this moment of reprieve. My hands are bound behind my back, but I don’t let that stop me. Not as I keep bashing my wrists against the cuffs, thinking that broken bones are preferrable to being raped.

I push and I pull, everything in an attempt to get myself free of them.

And though my flesh bruises and my joints twist, I realize it’s all in vain.

Especially as a cold touch sears itself into my skin, fingers trailing lower down my ass before dipping between my legs.

A strangled sound escapes me, but it’s muffled by all the noise around.

Though I scream and scream, nothing works.

A finger probes between my legs, gliding over my folds before pushing inside.

My body freezes, my throat clogged with revulsion.

‘Please no,’ the silent plea escapes my lips, but there’s no one to hear it—much less listen to it.

I buck against the person, trying to push the hand away. But one firm grip on my hip and he has me in place, playing with me to his heart’s content.

My breath is coming in short spurts, my anxiety already at its peak point as I realize everything I do is useless. Whether I want or not I will be raped.

And Rafaelo is undoubtedly gloating by the sides, watching me get assaulted by the random men he hired.

Sobs rack my body, a low tremor engulfing me and making me shake uncontrollably.

‘Number 4. Let’s take this to the next level,’ his voice resounds, full of amusement.

This time, however, not even the break between the switches is enough to help me calm down. Instead, I’m hyperventilating because I know what’s coming. I know what the next level is, and my mind is already dying on me as it tries to make me block everything out.

But how can I, when the next time I’m touched it’s to feel something hard against my ass.

My mouth opens, but this time nothing will come out.

He straddles me, his erection between my ass cheeks and that’s when I know I’m fighting a losing battle.

It’s only a matter of time now.

And as he separates my cheeks, gliding the hard length between them before positioning the head at my entrance, I squeeze my eyes shut.

‘I want to die,’ I whisper to myself, a prayer to a void that won’t talk back.

‘Stop.’ Raf’s voice booms. ‘I have a deal for you, Noelle. Number 4 can continue. Or,’ he pauses, and the anticipation is killing me—already willing to do anything to escape this.

My blindfold is already soaked from my tears, my throat sore and painful.

‘Submit to me,’ he continues. ‘Crawl to me and beg me to spare you and I will,’ his malefic laugh echoes above the music.

He doesn’t let me ponder his offer as he adds. ‘Lift your hands if you agree. You have three seconds.’

One humiliation or the other. In the end, I’m not walking away unscathed.

But there is no choice as I immediately lift my hands up.

And just like that, the man is off me.

My cuffs give way as I move my hands and I realize my feet have been freed too.

Scrambling to put myself together, I pull my dress over my legs, quickly removing my blindfold.

I blink.

The sudden change makes it hard for my eyes to accommodate to the new light. But as I blink some clarity into my eyes, it’s to see there’s no one else in the room but me and Raf.

There are no men.

Not one soul.

He’s sitting on the chair, his legs apart, his hands on his knees as he stares at me intently.

One hand turns, palm up, as two fingers beckon me to him.

He wants me to crawl.

I swallow hard, every cell in my body rebelling at the thought.

But the threat is still looming over my head, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned in my twenty-two years of life it’s that you should know when to pick your battles.

And this is already a lost one.

Positioning myself on my knees, I drag myself towards him.

His eyes narrow at me as he looks at me with an air of condescension. There’s no doubt that he wanted me to crawl on my hands and knees, not just like this. This one small act of rebellion is the only way I can still keep a piece of myself, and so I am not willing to compromise.

Moving towards him, I lay at his feet when I reach him, waiting for his decree. It’s when I’m by his side that I notice something. His pants are unbuckled, his zipper lowered, and I note the hard outline of his cock.

My gaze whips back to his, the question written all over my face.

He merely smirks, placing his two fingers under my jaw and bringing me closer. Using his other hand, he produces a small remote. And as he clicks on one button, his voice resounds in the speakers.

‘Number 1. It’s your turn.’

My eyes widen as I realize what he’d done. Everything had been pre-recorded.

But why?

‘You’re mine to torture,’ he says cruelly. ‘Mine to torment,’ his mouth tugs up in a twisted smile. ‘And now mine to own,’ he chuckles.

‘You’re a bastard,’ I spit at him, trying to wrench myself from his grasp.

‘And you’re caught, little liar. This was just to show you you’re at my mercy.’

He lowers his face to mine.

‘I can end you anywhere. Anytime,‘ he rasps against my lips. ‘So think twice before you try your wiles on me, Noelle. Because next time,’ his nostrils flare. ‘It might not end with this.’

He flings me away from him, and I fall to my ass. I stare at him unblinking, somehow unable to react.

Adrenaline keeps pumping in my veins, the scare from before still strong in my mind.

He rises from his chair, heading to the door as he barks at me to put myself together. My gaze follows his retreating back, and I don’t know what prompts me to inquire, but somehow my mind needs the confirmation.

‘Was there ever…another man in here?’ I ask, my voice groggy, my throat hurting with every syllable I utter.

He stops, only his profile visible as he half-turns.

‘No,’ the harsh sound echoes in the room. ‘I told you, Noelle. Only I get to hurt you,’ he grits out before he’s gone.