Golden Crown Series 02: The Twin Dragons (5 page)

He turned and looked back to me.

“I insist, I mean that we repay you. Come to dinner, tonight,” I said and Ryan sighed and then looked back at him raising his hand up.

“Yes, my wife insists,” h
e said as he glanced back at me and I cleared my throat and walked past him to catch up to Mani. Ryan picked up my fur and followed as if he was now just a servant and maybe for the first time in forever he was just that and not at the forefront of my mind.

Chapter Seven

The Bitters R
ise

I lined my lips with lipliner and then filled them in slowly with a bright red. I pressed them together and then stared at myself in the mirror. Thank the devil for Botox, funny how those who seem to have everything always need more. I know this now much more so than I ever did before. I swear that wrinkles are just a constant reminder of life and its emotional baggage
. I could assign each one that had snuck up on me with each time Ryan had taken a whore to his bed or each time I had a nightmare about Miko or Father. I touched the corner of my eye and pulled on it slightly, the skin moved a bit and I wished I had made an appointment to fix it before tonight. My mother had aged prematurely as in the grey started to pop up on her head while she was in her 30’s. With her it made her look more stately, she was a beautiful woman anyway, absolutely stunning in so many ways. Her features were perfect, I am certain many wanted her as she hit her teens and wandered into her twenties. I know that Father had wanted her for years before he finally tricked her into binding herself to him. Father had come from money but not the kind my Mother had been born into. His merger with her was the smartest business move he ever made as far as I am concerned.

“Red huh?” Ryan said as he suddenly appeared behind me in the mirror and I turned to him and sighed.

“I guess that knocking is something you won’t do anymore.”

He glanced back at my door of which he had left cracked open and turned back and smiled at me.

“Well hold on,” he said as he walked out and shut the door while I rolled my eyes and turned back to the mirror. I did not want to smile, but I almost did, as he had not shown this much youthful flirtation in years. The knock came to the door and I stood up and walked to it as the knocking continued. I reached out and turned the handle, opening it up to him as he leaned against the door frame with his hand above him. I know he is trying to look sexy and to a certain degree he does. His head hung lower and he eyed me like I had known a decade earlier. I kept my emotions in check and looked him over.

“Yes?” I asked him and he pulled a red rose and held it out to me.

“Just one?” I asked him and he grinned at me.

“It is not quantity but quality that matte
rs,” he said quietly.

“I heard the opposite,
” I said as I took it and smelled it quickly.

“Are you flirting with me?” he asked and I turned and grinned as I knew I was acting differently
, but I cannot say it was him that was on my mind, it is funny how men sometimes smell another man approaching. Ryan has always been a hunter and I am sure he is just circling me due to Mani showing up unexpectedly. I heard the door close and turned back to see him standing there with his back to the door. He reached up and loosened his tie as I watched him.

“What are you doing
, Ryan?” I asked him and he pushed from the door and pulled his tie off slowly and let it drop to the floor. I watched it as if it was moving in slow motion.

“I know what you want
, Beth,” he said and I placed my hand on my hip and looked him over. The sun filled my room and my silhouette showed through my thin white dress which hung from one shoulder. I had not bothered to put anything on under it yet as I was about to try on as many things as possible until I found the perfect outfit for tonight. Ryan’s eyes lingered down my frame and I shifted from one foot to the other and his eyes rose and locked onto mine.

“What would that be Ryan?” I asked him and he took one step towards me. I stepped back and he watched me as the corner of his mouth curled a bit and I knew as well as he did that this was his preliminary game before
trying to fuck.

“My cock is hard.”

“Mine isn’t,” I said and he laughed as he reached down and rubbed the front of his pants and I ignored it. I refuse to give him much although I will not lie and say it is not making my nipples a bit harder watching him try so hard with me. It has been so many years since he acted as if I even had a pussy, let alone one he wanted to be inside of.

“Bethany,” h
e whispered as a small moan rose up in the back of his throat. I shook my head.

“I am leaving,
” I said as I tried to walk past him but he caught my hand. As my fingers flexed, his grip felt hard and slightly familiar against my skin. He slowly brought my hand to the front of his pants and I stared forward as if nothing would distract me. My clenched fist first felt the bulge in his pants and then my fingers relaxed a bit as he pulled my hand open slightly with his fingers and pressed my palm against his cock. It twitched beneath his zipper and I sighed as the memory of him taking me beyond my limits started to slide into my mind. I loved to fuck him, be sure to notice that I said “loved” and not love. This is past tense and I need to remind myself of who we are and what we had become before this becomes just another regret I get to swallow. I then grabbed his cock firmly and he hissed as he bent over. I leaned into his ear and let my breath and my bottom lip tease his ear as I spoke slowly to him.

“I can
taste you on my tongue,” I whispered to him.

He moaned as I tightened my grip and then loosened up a bit only to repeat it and it was making him harder. He has always been above average in size so I need to remain in control or dropping to my knees and taking a cock I always adored into my mouth could happen without me wanting it to.

“Fuck,” he said as I wrapped my hand around his cock through his pants and stroked it. His body tensed up and he was no longer in charge of this situation as I hoped would be the case.

“Tell me something
, Ryan,” I said as my lips remained at his ear.

“Anything,” h
e said and I jerked on his cock with a grip far beyond his limits as he hissed and bent forward even more.

“How does it feel to want something you will never have again?”

I let his cock go and walked towards the door, opening it up and waiting for him to stand up straight and turn to me. I knew he would be one of two things. He would either let his anger make him mean or he would be hurt. I could only hope I had hurt him somewhat, but it would shock me if I had in anyway come close to it.

He stood up straight and then turned to me and with a bit of surprise his face looked softer as if we were standing in his old apartment years prior and he had finally allowed me to see him for what he was. He then cleared his throat and started to walk towards the door
, but he stopped next to me and then allowed his hand to reach out and he touched my side as I tried to ignore his compassion.

“I will make you want me.
I know it is in you, Beth…I have tasted you on my lips a thousand times and your taste has never left me. I think of you no matter who is in my bed.”

I took a breath and he let his fingers rise on me until he stopped right und
er my breast, almost as if it was his choice to give me what he wanted to and nothing more. He then smiled and left me there, my heart beating hard in my chest and my pussy suddenly aching like a fucking idiot. I hate him, I always have and I hate the game he’s so good at playing with my heart.

****

“I say red, black and white,” Zane said as he rolled onto his back and looked up at the sky. Cas sat there and smiled at him as the sunlight played off of his skin. Cas knew graduation was coming as well as his next step in life, that of college. Zane had no aspiration of going any further with his education. In that way he was much like Ryan and would simply live on the money that existed, maybe investing in things to gain more but never taking a step towards building his own kingdom of sorts. This bothered Cas to a certain degree because he never truly respected his father and hated to see something so similar in a boy he truly loved beyond anything else in this world. Love. Cas smiled and reached out as Zane looked at him and shook his head slightly reminding Cas they were at school on lunch break. Cas pulled his hand back and then looked around to see all of the kids he had no interest in. Hiding his love was becoming a bother and he wished he could just announce it to the world, but he was ashamed to a certain degree and had no idea what it would do to him or better yet to Zane. Zane had made it clear that no one was to know of them being together as his mother was against anyone like them and would cut him off if she knew he was gay.

“Red black and white it
will be then,” Cas said as he fingered through the magazine and landed on something he absolutely loved. He smiled and then looked at Zane who sat up and smiled back at him with his perfect white teeth and beautiful features. “Look,” Cas said as he turned the magazine to Zane and he sat up and nodded to him.

“That looks like satanic ritual,
” Zane said as he laughed and Cas turned the magazine back to look at it and smiled as he stared at the models with masks and robes on.

“I could wear this with nothing o
n under it,” he whispered and Zane raised an eyebrow and grinned at him.

“I w
ould love to fuck you like that,” he said and Cas felt a bit flush on his cheeks as August ran up to him and snatched the magazine from his hands. Cas yelled at him and stood up as August stopped and looked at the page while grinning. Zoey walked up slowly and wrapped her arms around Cas from behind as he smiled and shook his head.

“It is rude to steal things
, August.”

“Since when is it possible for me to steal anything from you? We
are twins,” August said and Cas looked at Zane who watched August closely.

“What is this shit? Some Satanic ritual stuff?” he asked as he held the magazine up and studied the models on the page. Cas pulled from Zoey and stepped up to him, snatching the magazine back from him and closed it as he sighed.

“I am planning our party.”

“So are we having a fucking orgy or what?” August said and Zoey lay down and placed her head on Zane’s lap as he touched her hair.

“I just think the idea of not knowing who is who is intriguing.”

August looke
d at Zane and then back to Cas.

“I love it,” h
e said and Cas smiled at him.

“Really?”

“Of course I do,” he added and Cas sat back down and stared at Zane who grinned back at him.

“See, I told you,
” Zane said and August watched them both as Cas grinned at him and August tilted his head.

“I was thinking of going to Moonchaser's P
oint tonight and taking the telescope with me,” August said as Cas ignored him.

“Cas,
” August said a bit loud and everyone looked at him.

“Moonchaser’s P
oint,” he said and Cas shrugged his shoulders.

“You love that shit,
” August said and Cas looked up at him.

“I loved it when we were ten, August. B
esides, I have a party to plan…our party and Zane is coming to help me tonight, at the house.”

Zane stood up as Cas joined him. They started to walk away, shoulders close to one another as they looked at the magazine and continued to talk. Zoey clapped her hands loudly and August looked at her.

“I would love to,” she said and he stared at her in confusion. “Moonchaser’s Point,” she said and he relaxed a bit.

“Oh, okay then. Why don’t you come with your brother to have di
nner and we can go afterwards.”

“Really?” she said and he grinned at her.

“I mean, I want you to meet my parents.”

Zoey smiled as he glanced towards Cas and Zane who seemed to be in their own world as always.

She nodded as he walked away, sliding his hands into his pockets. Zoey caught up with him and wound her arm into his as they headed back to classes, but August seemed distracted and as she smiled at him. All he could do is stare ahead and watch Cas and Zane as they walked into the building together. He could not help but feel a bit pushed aside and he did not like the feeling at all.

Chapter Eight

Small Steps