I moan out loud as he gives me what I need, and in return, I let him have me for the night. I don’t know if this is one of many nights to come, but there’s no need to worry about that now. Not when I’m delirious from his kisses.

  When his hard-on pokes my entrance, I gasp, and when he thrusts, I feel complete.

  “God, you feel so good,” he mutters, as he slides back out and in again.

  “Yes,” I moan. “Fuck me, Arthur.”

  “Fuck?” he says, stopping his kisses for a second. “I don’t want to fuck you, Vanessa. I want to love you.”

  I frown. “It’s the same thing.”

  “Not in my book.” He smiles, sliding aside a strand of hair from my face. He presses a kiss on my nose. “I want to love you for everything you are and give you what you need.”

  “What I need now is you, inside me,” I whisper. “Please, do it. I don’t want to think anymore. I want to feel you.”

  He groans as his cock pulsates, and then he thrusts again. “All right.” He presses his lips to my mouth and consumes me with a deep kiss. “I love you, Vanessa. Not just today. I always have.”

  “I know, Arthur … I know.”

  “Let me love you, let me in,” he murmurs as I feel the tension rise.

  “Yes.” The thrusts come faster and faster, and I’m reaching my climax soon.

  “Give everything to me,” he says.

  “I’m going to come,” I moan, grabbing him tight.

  We exchange hot breaths, moans, and whispers as we’re both about to burst. I look him in the eyes, knowing what we’re doing and enjoying every single second of it. The way he gazes at me, completely enraptured, so intense that it makes me fall apart right underneath him. My body rocks with the rhythm of his thrusts as I come apart at the seams, convulsing, disappearing into bliss. And then he explodes, and I feel his warmth filling me up. A few more thrusts and he sinks down on top of me, hugging me, panting heavily. I wrap my arms around him and close my eyes … For the first time in a long time, I feel loved again.

  CHAPTER 10

  VANESSA

  The next day, sunset

  Spending the night with Arthur was just what I needed. Recuperating much-needed energy, my body felt renewed and ready for the counterattack. Phoenix may have set me up to make the police believe that I killed my husband on purpose, but that doesn’t mean I’m not able to do the same to him.

  I hold my pink dress hat tight as the wind almost whisks it away. I’m sitting at a table outside a bar, right across the street. With a steaming cup of tea, and the sun shining brightly against my sunglasses, I watch the scene in front of me unfold.

  Phoenix steps out of his apartment building with a horrid look on his face, and he marches toward his car. I check my watch, which signifies it’s been thirty minutes since he arrived. Took him long enough.

  My father texted me the address last night, so when I came home this morning, the first thing I did was pay Phoenix a visit. Too bad he wasn’t there. Luckily, he’s here now. Just in time for the show to start.

  I wait and drink my tea until he comes back with his car, parks it in front of the door, and goes back inside. I wonder what he’s doing, but I don’t have to wait long for an answer. Within a few minutes, he’s back, this time with a tent bag that is way too large to actually contain a tent … and much heavier too, it seems.

  I guess he really doesn’t give a shit who sees him. In broad daylight, he throws the bag into the backseat of his car and jumps behind the wheel.

  Taking a last sip, I put down a few bills and leave my seat. Before I get into my car, I walk into an obscure alley away from the crowd and grab my phone. Swallowing and sighing, I try to make myself out of breath before I dial the numbers.

  “Hello, is this the police?” I ask, trying to make my voice sound erratic.

  “Yes, do you want to report a crime?”

  “He’s trying to kill me!” I yell.

  “Who is? Where are you, ma’am?”

  “Route fifty-five. Please, come quickly!”

  “The cars are on their way, ma’am, hold on.”

  “Hurry up,” I scream between, “Help!”

  “Ma’am, stay on the phone, please. We’re coming to your location as fast as possible.”

  “I can’t! He just killed this other girl, and now he’s coming after me.”

  “Ma’am, please do not hang up the phone.”

  “I can’t …” I make gurgling sounds, choking myself while doing so. Then I turn off the phone and walk away. Putting on my sunglasses, I jump into my car and drive after Phoenix.

  I don’t need to see his car to know where he’s going.

  It’s where he always goes.

  ***

  PHOENIX

  I can’t believe I have to fucking do this again. Burying a corpse isn’t one of my favorite things to do, especially not when it’s my fucking girlfriend. But there’s nothing else to do about it. She’s dead anyway, and I can’t leave her in my apartment. The stench would make people call the police, and I can’t have them on my back right now. Still, it’s sad that she had to die this way. I didn’t mean for it to happen, but I guess there are always unforeseen casualties in this business.

  I park my car near the edge of the road and jump out, so I can open the back door and pull out the bag with her corpse in it. It’s quite a strain on the muscles as I pull her out and drag her toward the sand far from the road. It’s taking all my strength to get as far away as possible, but once my energy is spent, I drop the bag and take a few moments to breathe.

  Right then, I hear another engine roaring behind me.

  I look up and to my side and see a car parked right behind mine.

  Well, fuck me.

  Visitors? I guess someone’s having a bad day, and it isn’t me. Oh well, one more kill isn’t going to make a difference.

  I walk back to the car, leaving the body behind because she’s dead anyway and there’s no one out here to steal her body. I’m far more interested in the person who came to snoop in on my business. I wonder if there is a certain death wish floating around, or if I have an admiring fan. That would be a fun surprise.

  Instead, I get a grumpy Vanessa Starr stepping out of her car with her shades tucked into the rim of her dress. Fucking hell, if it weren’t for the fact that she looks like a walking fuck-doll, I would grab my gun and shoot her for even daring to come here. But I’d much rather enjoy her figure for a while; might as well while she’s here anyway. And I know she wants it.

  “You again,” I say. “How did you find me?”

  With a smug smile, she says, “Easy. This is where we always bury our secrets.”

  Goddammit. She’s really getting on my nerves now, bringing that up. “Didn’t you hear me when I told you to fuck off?” I growl.

  “Oh, I did, but then again I’ve never been much of a good listener anyway,” she says, wearing that fake smile like she always does.

  I want to fuck that pretty little smile off her face.

  Narrowing my eyes, I walk toward her as she leans against her car. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

  “Following you,” she says.

  With furrowed brows, I say, “Playing with the devil will get you killed, Princess.”

  I place my hand on the car as she puts her back against it. “I’m not here to play games, Phoenix.”

  “Aw, really? Shame, because I was really starting to get into this game of catch.” She tries to push me away, but I don’t back off that easily. “Wow, settle down, girl, you don’t want to enrage the beast.”

  “I think I already have, so I don’t care anymore,” she says, and then she slaps me in the face. “That’s for killing my husband.”

  I cock my head. “You had to go and do that.” I grind my teeth. “You fucking bitch.”

  She spits in my face, so I grab her hands and pin them to the door. “Make one more move and I’ll fuck you up, right here, right now.”

  “Let’s go, baby,” she taunts.

  I breathe through my nose, attempting to calm myself because I’d rather not kill a beauty like her, but damn … she’s really getting on my nerves now, especially after what she’s done.

  “Wanna fuck me, boy?” she says.

  “Been there, done that,” I say, smiling at her. “I wasn’t too impressed.”

  The look on her face goes from seductive to rage within the snap of a finger. “Fuck you!”

  She kicks me in the balls. God-fucking-dammit. That fucking hurts.

  She runs past me, so after catching a quick breath, I go after her. It doesn’t take long for me to catch up. I jump on her back, causing her to fall into the sand and roll around.

  “Get off me!” she yells.

  “That’s the first time I’ve ever heard you beg me to not be on top.”

  She tries to slap me again, but I grab her wrists and pin them down. “Not again.”

  “Yes, again. Think I’m going to stop? After what you did?”

  “Yeah, I thought my knife on your throat was a good warning. Apparently not. Jesus Christ, all you girls are the same.”

  “Are what?” she says.

  “Pitiful …” I spit.

  “Why did you kill him?”

  My nose starts to twitch, feeling the urge to kill. “Oh, there are plenty of reasons why I killed that son of a bitch, and now I have plenty of reasons to kill you, too.”

  “You fucking murderer!” she yells.

  “Oh, that’s precious, coming from a girl like you,” I say, making a face. “Pretentious, fake little princess. Jesus fucking Christ, you really have outdone yourself this time.”

  “Shut up, you don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Except, I do, or did you forget everything?”

  She’s quiet for a moment, taking a deep breath. “As if I’m the only fake one here. Phoenix Sullivan? Is that the name you go by now?”

  “So, you do remember.” I eye her from top to bottom, getting closer as I smell her intoxicating scent.

  “I don’t want to remember.”

  Frowning, I stare at her, anger seeping into my pores until I no longer feel anything but hatred for her. Again, she’s proven just how much of a bitch she can be. Just by uttering those words, she’s torn open a long ago closed wound that I’ve been trying to cover up for years.

  “You bitch,” I mutter. My hands immediately go for her throat.

  I want her gone. I want her dead. I don’t want to think about her anymore. Screw her, screw everything. She has to die. She has to be gone from this world. She has to pay for what she did … everything she and her husband did. It’s all I can think about. Kill … kill … kill!

  My fingers wrap so tightly around her neck that I can hear her choke on her own breath. Her fingers pry at mine in a desperate attempt to free her from my grasp, but I hold on mercilessly.

  It’s not until the sirens in the distance come that I realize what I’m doing. By the time the police come near, my hands are pulled from her throat, and I hear her raspy breath before I’m taken away.

  She’s done it. She’s outwitted me. She knew I’d go for it … and I knew it, too … and yet I did it anyway.

  CHAPTER 11

  VANESSA

  The next day …

  In the police station, I stare at the wall, drinking water from a plastic cup, thinking about Phoenix. He’s been on my mind for ages … ever since I saw him at the party … the moment I knew he was back in my life.

  Yes, I’ve known Phoenix longer than just a few days. Longer than weeks … months … even years. Our history goes way back, except back then he wasn’t a ruthless killer going under the name Phoenix Sullivan, and I wasn’t the coldhearted bitch that I am today.

  When I said he was a stranger, I meant it. I don’t know him the way I used to, and neither does he know me for how I am today. However, I have a feeling this is far from over.

  Even though he is in a cell right now, it only takes one moment for him to escape. Now that I’ve seen what he’s capable of, I know this is just the beginning of the end.

  It didn’t always used to be like this. There was a time when he was just as innocent as I portray myself to be. But like everything else in this world, we changed as time passed, and so did our personalities … our appearance… our goals.

  When I saw Phoenix at the party, I knew he was a changed man. I didn’t know to what extent, but it didn’t matter to me. I was still attracted to him … like I’ve always been. We’re like magnets, two opposing forces clashing with each other again and again.

  Only this time I came out on top.

  The police found the girl’s body in the sand, and ultimately traced it back to his apartment, where conveniently the poison that also killed my husband was found, stashed underneath the couch. Put one and two together, and you have a murder case solved.

  My name was cleared, even though one might argue that I’m sleeping with my husband’s brother and had therefore planned everything with him in order to get rid of Phillip. However, it turns out the case of the curious killer, aka Phoenix Sullivan, is a much more believable plot. Especially when combined with photos that I took of my husband with his girlfriend. His motive became unquestionable.

  How fortunate for me.

  But here’s the truth: I’m as much conniving as this supposed killer.

  One could argue who of us two is the real killer.

  I guess things like that will always stay inconclusive.

  As I walk through the hallway of the police station, still drinking my water, I take a peek through one of the interrogation room windows; the one Phoenix is in. And for a moment, he gazes into my eyes, which are filled with delight upon seeing his hands chained to the table. He screams, “Vanessa! I’m going to kill you for this!”

  Smiling at him, I wink and blow him a kiss. Then I turn around. Throwing my plastic cup in the bin, I can’t help but think ‘let him try.’

  CHAPTER 12

  VANESSA

  Yesterday, before the arrest

  “Pablo, I’m going out. Lock the windows for me, will you? And don’t let anyone in unless it’s me,” I say as I put on my white gloves.

  “Do you need a lift, madam?” he asks as he watches me put on my coat.

  “No, thank you. I’d rather go alone.” The truth is that I don’t want anyone snooping around while I’m hunting for a killer.

  Time to pay Phoenix Sullivan a visit. I’m going in broad daylight because I assume he won’t be home during the day and probably doesn’t expect me to come at this time. Always surprise your enemies.

  I jump in my Aston Martin convertible and drive off, putting the address into my TomTom as I race through the streets. I’m just below the speed limit, so I won’t get a ticket but still able to get to his house quick.

  When I get there, it’s not at all what I expected. A small apartment building in the middle of town, with noisy cars racing by, streetlights shining through the windows that probably keep the tenants awake, and an awfully rotten smell hanging in the air. Damn, I didn’t know killers could live like this. Well, the more you know…

  I park my car somewhere hidden from the apartment building and then make my way to the front door. Before I go in, I check if there’s anyone following me or looking at me. When I know the coast is clear, I enter the building and go up the stairs.

  Number fifteen is just above, and the closer I get, the harder my heart is beating. I’m starting to wonder if he’s really not home. I mean, would killers kill in broad daylight? Maybe not. Maybe he’s home, waiting for me so he can strike me down where I’m vulnerable … in his own home. I’m walking into my own grave.

  Except, the moment I realize this could all go to hell, I’ve already knocked on the door.

  I wanted to make sure nobody was home.

  What a stupid move.

  I want to slap myself in the face for even considering it, but now it’s too late. The handle is moving, the lock fiddled with, and then the creaky door opens. I swallow away the fear seeping down my throat, which feels blocked as I face the person who steps forward.

  It’s a woman.

  Confused, I part my lips, but I have no idea what to say. I wasn’t expecting anyone to be in here, let alone a woman. I’m a bit flabbergasted.

  “Hi, can I help you?” she asks.

  Frowning, I gaze at her. She looks so familiar, but I don’t know why.

  “Uh …” I briefly shake my head to pull myself together. “I’m sorry, I’m a bit confused. I thought a guy named Phoenix lived here?”

  “Yeah, he does, but he isn’t here right now.” The door closes a little, and I get the sense that she isn’t so keen on actually helping at all.

  I place my hand on the door. “Wait.”

  She looks up at me with frightened doe-like eyes, her fingers clutching around the wood in an attempt to brace herself for what’s coming. And that’s when I realize why she looks so familiar. Those eyes, that voice, the way she moves … My jaw drops.

  “It’s you …” I mumble. “You live in his house … You’re Phoenix’s girlfriend?”

  She looks confused. “Yes, but please leave now.”

  Oh, my god. I can’t believe it.

  Phoenix’s girlfriend is the same woman who slept with my husband.

  Within a second, my gloved hands are around her throat as I push her inside and slam the door shut with my heel. No one needs to see or hear what’s going to happen in here.

  ***

  PHOENIX