“And what have I found?” she cajoled, taunting us with her knowledge.

  “If I told you monsters, would you run when given the chance?” I leaned closer, running my finger from one side of her jaw to the other.

  She slowly turned her head in my direction, the look in her eyes almost as predatory as the one I knew I had for her. “No.”

  I wasn’t certain what she was attempting to do, but I reveled in her ability to allow her inhibitions to fade away. As an electric wave pulsed through the back of the SUV, I longed to pin her to the seat, releasing the pent-up anguish of my self-proposed hell, refusing to give into my carnal needs. Now, I wanted nothing more than to cut her panties to shreds, unleashing the feral side of me.

  “So be it. Be careful what you ask for around us, sweet Rose. The secrets that lie beneath the sophisticated façade could ultimately mean your demise,” Cain told her in his cold, stark manner. Only he could turn a night of passion into foreplay for manipulation.

  “Are you trying to scare or warn me?” she continued, her voice little more than a raspy purr. The woman knew exactly what she was doing to each one of us, using her feminine wiles as a mastered craft. But with her, it wasn’t merely an attempt to get what she wanted. Her reactions to us were as uncontrollable as ours were to her.

  The ultimate prey.

  “Both,” Cain muttered.

  “Then duly noted.” She gifted us with a laugh before settling back into the seat, sipping on her champagne like the queen she should be. “But that’s what I want.”

  Jesus. The hard press of my trousers against my cock was becoming unmanageable.

  I shifted in my seat, the three Damned studying each other from our respective corners. Who would be the first to claim her? That’s what we were thinking. Blood roared through my head as my pulse increased, the rush of adrenaline fueling a fire I’d put out a long time ago. Now I feared Pandora’s Box had been opened, the hinges snapped from the lid, which meant the insatiable man inside, the one labeled a savage killer, would never be locked away again.

  As she gave each one of us a hated look, I could swear she was more of a manipulator than I’d originally believed. There was a crazed need building, an intense and raw sense of understanding that very few couples achieve. We were defying the odds, and I barely knew anything about her.

  Sexual tension was yanking at my resolve, tearing away every possibility of self-control.

  The saying ‘one kiss wasn’t enough’ continuously flowed through my mind as Cain’s driver left the resort area bound for the suburbs of Glenco. I wouldn’t have expected Cain to live in any other location.

  As the glistening tall buildings made of steel passed, a strange dreary series of clouds formed in the distant sky, an ominous foreboding forming in the back of my mind. I sipped the smooth scotch my buddy had offered, musing over the fact that no one would ever consider me a romantic. I didn’t date women, I fucked them just to satisfy my needs. Or when spilling blood had begun to bore me. I’d turned into my father’s son, brutal and unforgiving, and during the last ten years, the Cartel lifestyle had suited me.

  However, now that my father was dead, I had significantly more responsibility on my shoulders. The weight of being the Cartel leader while trying to bring my father’s corporation into the next century had taken a toll. I was tired of coming home to an empty house or waking up with a girl whose name I couldn’t remember.

  I couldn’t take my eyes off Rose’s face. The fact that she was mesmerizing didn’t amaze me. What did was how down to earth she was, refusing to fall into the diva mode like so many superstars I’d met.

  While I’d never seen her in concert, I had two of her CDs in my collection, the dramatic difference of her heavy metal songs compared to the subdued ballads leaving me with a haunted feeling. Her music suited my usually dark moods. To date, I’d found no other musician who could take away the ugly, burning need for violence affixing itself to my soul, a leech draining my life’s blood.

  I’d seen the look of admonishment in Hunter’s eyes at the news about my father. I felt no guilt, only partially because I’d freed my mother from a life of abuse and disrespect. Far too many bones had been broken by his hands. Finding him choking her had been the last straw.

  What I’d also learned was that the demon plaguing him, driving him to his contorted view of humanity, had been greed. The ugly beast had twisted his blackened soul into a disfigured creature. He’d attempted to make me believe that every human had been born in the womb of violence, his lifestyle just following the example set.

  Maybe I’d had far too much of his poisoned Kool-Aid, his death the antidote, but I’d been struggling with needing more for months. Five minutes spent with this sensual creature and everything about my world was about to change.

  It was ironic as fuck.

  I’d found myself ravenous with the kind of hunger that could drive a man to madness in trying to satisfy his needs.

  That was almost as unusual as the intense connection between the four of us. I’d never believed in the concept that there was only one person for another. If that were the case, the world wouldn’t be so overpopulated. What I did believe was that if one was lucky enough to find what great scholars and other idiots called their ‘soulmate’, they could rule the world. For all my riches, billions that I could never spend in a lifetime, estates in four countries and the most expensive sports cars in the world, I’d only been happy once in my life.

  But as with all evil men, happiness wasn’t allowed.

  However, I’d allowed myself a single ounce of something that had never been in my vocabulary.

  Hope.

  It was quite possible Rose had come into the lives of three savages for one reason.

  A single offer of salvation. If so, I for one wouldn’t be stupid enough not to grab onto it as a lifeline. In learning to be more philosophical over the last few years, I’d come to realize that I’d made myself devoid of emotion to survive the vast displays of human pain, but it had taken a significant toll. The darkness that had once provided comfort now prodded me with the red-hot end of a fireplace poker on a regular basis. A reminder that I’d spend all eternity in Hell.

  Not one kiss, nor a single taste would be enough to endure the damnation I deserved.

  I shared in Hunter’s concerns that the game we were playing would have dire consequences. I had one regret in my life, something that if I had an opportunity to change, I would jump at it. I’d abandon everything and everyone I knew, donating every penny of my wealth to resurrect Sage from the dead.

  Remorse doesn’t look good on you asshole.

  Maybe not, but history wouldn’t repeat itself.

  With my eyes remaining locked on her shimmering face, I gulped the remainder of my drink, jamming it into the holder. “Come here.”

  Rose knew instantly I was talking to her, a slight flush painting her lovely cheeks. The hint of embarrassment caused my balls to tighten. I decided to give her one more opportunity before I took matters into my hands. “I said, little pet. Come. Here.”

  She purposely ignored me, staring at the window as if she’d find answers to some puzzle I’d seen forming in her eyes.

  God, I wanted this woman, my cock swelling.

  When she didn’t comply, I grabbed her arm, easily tossing her over my lap.

  “What are you doing?” she squealed, immediately struggling to break free of my hold.

  “You were told you are to obey the rules, yet you ignore them.”

  “You didn’t tell me the rules.”

  Hunter chuckled. “They’re quite simple. You do anything we ask you to do.”

  “And since you failed to do so, a punishment is required.” Tonight, my sadistic needs wouldn’t be satisfied. That wasn’t the point of our evening. Part of what the Damned had hoped to accomplish had already been achieved. I’d orchestrated a crowd in the lobby, fans eager to catch a single glimpse of a rockstar. I’d even been so evil as to call a local news station, who’d eagerly accepted the opportunity to grab some vivid footage of the massive star.

  To say anything else was icing on the already sweet cake was blasphemy. I planned on enjoying every moment of making certain she knew that her world had also just shifted to the dark side. There was a good chance she already knew it given the obvious distress tearing at her mind. She was churning in a dark abyss of emotions, most of which I couldn’t read.

  I jerked up her dazzling emerald green dress, revealing a matching lacy thong. She looked entirely different than her larger-than-life persona on stage. Leather pants. Clunky boots. Shimmering crop tops. This was the woman I could fall in love with.

  Laughter threatened to give my thoughts away, but I shoved them back into the ugly vortex of my demented mind. Instead, I rolled the silky thong over her buttocks, taking my time to shift them to her knees.

  “This isn’t fair,” she said, although there was limited conviction in her voice.

  “‘We must always remember that it is when passions are most inflamed that fairness is most in jeopardy,’” Hunter said quietly as he sipped his drink. When I lifted my brow, he grinned. “Susan Collins. One of my favorite quotes. In other words, our little lamb, there is no such thing as fairness in the face of serving three masters.”

  I parted her legs, pressing down on her back with one hand as I brought my other to her bottom. Within seconds, the scent of her desire wafted into the confined space. I issued three swats without blinking an eye, the twisted man inside of me striving to break free. She was far too delicate, an innocent woman in a sea of sharks. Hurting her permanently would serve no purpose.

  Creating an addictive need for domination would, perhaps even one to pain.

  As she squirmed in my lap, throwing her hand back more than once, I glanced from Cain to Hunter. They both had voracious appetites, eager to sink their razor-sharp teeth into her skin, sucking out enough of her essence to feed their own. We were truly sick individuals, which was what made our friendship unique.

  The light glisten on her skin was a clear indication of her arousal, her need to submit even if she wasn’t entirely certain why. She shuddered in my hold when I caressed her skin, adoring the deepening blush as well as savoring the heat on the tips of my fingers. If I had my way, they’d be seared from the deep lashes crisscrossing her perfect porcelain skin.

  “Does this feel good, Rose?” I asked, the dusky whisper barely audible.

  “Of course not.”

  I adored her defiance.

  I brought my hand down again. And again. This time I made certain not only did the sound create a wave of anxiety, but the pain would quickly turn into a rush of anguish. I repeated my actions, aware that neither man had taken their eyes off me. Even the driver found it difficult not to keep his gaze glued to the rearview mirror.

  She would endure bouts of humiliation during her time spent with us. My mouth watered in anticipation. The thought was a powerful aphrodisiac. “I’ll ask you again. Does this turn you on?”

  Rose moaned in a subtle way, yet to me it was as amplified as her rapid heartbeat. I felt it in my throat as well as the heated sensations of her desire between her long legs.

  “Never.” Her tone of voice had changed, almost lilted like her laugh that I could listen to for hours.

  “Your body betrays you, little pet.” I eased my finger between her legs, rubbing it up and down, taunting her to deny she was wet, glistening with her juices.

  Her single whimper managed to be amplified given the stark quiet in the SUV, the bulletproofing also eradicating most sounds of traffic. In addition, neither one of my buddies had been this quiet before. There was a moment of reverence that seemed to take all three of us aback, as if the footprint of the harem we were developing had been set in concrete.

  I thrust my finger into her tight channel, immediately rewarded with a series of husky moans. Inhaling, I held the scent of her perfume and her desire in my nostrils as I returned to the spanking, smacking one side of her bottom then the other with precision. She beat her small fists against the leather seat, still undulating her hips. The friction was about to drive me insane.

  I’d yet to ask how long until we arrived at Cain’s McMansion, but I honestly didn’t care. The need for her was creating a fissure in my sanity. At this point, I needed blissful release, or I wasn’t certain I could be responsible for my actions. I plunged several fingers deep into her pussy, savoring the sound made from driving into her with brutal thrusts.

  Rose now rocked on my lap, bucking against my hand. Control wasn’t a strong virtue, but I pulled out, cracking my palm against her bottom six more times, a reminder that she would never be allowed to take a single moment of control.

  Cain’s chest rose and fell, his breathing labored. I’d seen the same look in his eyes once before. The moment we’d tasted sweet perfection on our tongues and in our hands, one so satisfying that everything else would be bitter in comparison.

  But the greatest high had been turned into a devastating low, a crushing blow not one of us had ever recovered from.

  I was almost frantic in my need, sliding my finger under the elastic of her thong and with a single snap of my wrist, alleviating a problem. Then I pulled her into my lap, forcing her to straddle me.

  My pulse sped up with lust, a kind so dark and demanding that for a few seconds, I was pulled into the strangling images of my past. “What do you want, little pet?”

  “Fuck me. Just fuck me.”

  CHAPTER 18

  Rose

  I no longer recognized myself.

  I wasn’t entirely certain I wanted to.

  Telling the three predators to fuck me was the most out of control I’d been for years, maybe my entire life. I’d craved their touch, ignoring the signs of danger the entire day. I’d thought of nothing else, weaving a powerful moment that we would share into another story. At least it was one I hadn’t dared to write down. I’d shoved the mystery piece into my suitcase, embarrassed by what I’d written, but not enough that I hadn’t read it in its entirely twice.

  I’d been impressed with myself.

  As I shifted in my seat, a feeling of discomfort sent a thrill through me.

  The spanking had been just the appetizer, an act that had almost pushed me into a raging climax. To think that three men had that much control over me was crazy, but even so, it also allowed the feeling of freedom to continue.

  “Pull off your dress,” Cristiano demanded.

  An immediate and very intense heat bloomed in my core from the darkness woven in the simple command. I quickly glanced at the front of the SUV. There was no partition like those installed in limos, the rearview mirror positioned for the driver to be able to see what was happening. Should it bother me? Yes, but I’d never felt so eager in my life. I tugged the silk over my head, tossing it aside.

  The intensity of his gaze pulled at every deep emotion, igniting a fire that would burn brightly for some time to come. My core throbbed to the point that I squeezed my thighs against his, gasping for air. He wrapped his hand around the back of my throat, pulled my head down until he was able to capture my mouth.

  As he’d done in the elevator, he became ravenous, his mouth devouring mine. The sense of silence was deafening, the hard thudding of my heart now echoing in my ears. We were already insatiable, but there was a different vibration as the two men looked on, waiting their turn. I knew predators had little patience.

  Cristiano dug his fingers into my skin, the hold completely possessive. As he sucked on my tongue, I was stripped of the lingering inhibitions, the need to have one then the other inside of me as intoxicating as their combined musky scents.

  He broke the moment of intimacy, yanking me to my knees and spreading me wide open with his hands. I was forced to wrap my arms around his head as he buried his face in my pussy. I threw my head back, his actions managing to steal the air from my lungs. The ache deepened, my pussy clenching and releasing. As a string of vivid lights flashed across my eyes, I couldn’t stop panting.

  The way he was devouring me was frantic, every sound he made guttural. Within seconds, I was crashing, the wave of pleasure a crescendo of want and need that had kept my vibrator busy. This was so much better.

  “Oh…” I struggled to keep my eyes open, the rapture ebbing and flowing like a tidal wave. I’d never experienced such a powerful orgasm, but I wanted more. Panting, I struggled to reach his belt buckle, determined I wouldn’t stop even if he commanded me to do so.

  Three masters.

  Three men who wanted what only I could give them.

  The thought was gloriously enrapturing. I fought with the zipper, finally freeing his cock. I wasted no time, pumping the base like a crazed animal in search of her first meal in a month. His labored breathing was a clear indication that my desire to touch and explore wouldn’t be allowed for long.

  He glanced into my eyes, and I heard Cain growling from behind.

  “Hurry up, brother,” he said. “Or I’ll steal her from you.”

  I tossed my head over one shoulder, licking my lips at the sight of Cain’s hand wrapped around his thick shaft. He was huge, long, and thick. I shuddered from the sight, concentrating on the piercing he had.

  A jolt of electricity soared through me, a single image flashing into my mind. I’d never been with a man who’d had a piercing. Yet…

  “You can try,” Cristiano answered, cutting through the third moment of déjà vu. He rolled his hands down my sides, giving me a commanding look. “Slide my cock inside you.”

  When I played with him, rubbing the tip up and down my wet pussy, he cracked his hand on my ass. The sound forced a whimper from my lips, and I immediately sensed we were being watched by the way the SUV drifted across the road. I did as he demanded and as soon as the tip was inside, he pulled me down with such power that I issued a sharp yelp, the brutal impact forcing me to quiver.

  My muscles stretched to accommodate him, the slice of pain given how tight I was quickly becoming a dancing array of dazzling sensations. I half laughed as I struggled to breathe, wrapping my fingers around his hair. The image remained, boring into the back of my mind.