Unfold Me (18 page)

“Open it,” he says, pushing the box toward me. I pick it up and slowly pop it open.

“Katherine, will you be my wife?” he asks as I stare at a beautiful diamond ring. This is not happening. Except it is. I tear my gaze off the ring and look up at Archer.

“We can cancel our deal. Make it as if it never existed. All you have to do is say yes,” he says. “I know you love me and I love you too. I know you want to be mine. You always wanted it. You don’t have to be scared or ashamed of it. We can truly be together, and I promise you I won’t do anything you don’t want to or hurt you in any way. I will only cherish you for the rest of my life.”

I gape at him, because that’s the only thing I can do. He doesn’t know the first thing about love.

“I... I don’t...” I start to say, but Archer raises his finger.

“You wouldn’t be my slave. You would be my partner, my companion. You can keep your own slave if you wish. I would never interfere. But you know that no one will ever understand your submissive side like I do. With me, you can have it all. Think about it. You don’t have to answer immediately.”

I close the box and push it back toward him. “Keep this.”

“No.” He places it into my hand. “You keep it, and when you’re ready, put the ring on your finger. Then I’ll know you agree.” The smile on his face is hopeful and it makes me sick. “I won’t push you or ask you anything about this, okay?”

I give him a small nod and tuck the box into my purse.

“There’s something else,” he says, clasping his hands. “I’m hosting another party next week. I think the danger has passed and we have no reasons to hide anymore. It’ll be a special party for you.”

“For me?” I hate the sound of that. Last time Archer did something for me, I realized I didn’t want anything to do with him, and that he’d always be the same person who assumes he knows exactly what I want. Sometimes he’s right, but he never bothers to check.

“I’ll hire two special performers, just for you,” he says. “They’re expensive, but I know you’ll like their show.”

“Sounds intriguing.” If they’re hired professionals, then I at least hope they aren’t being forced into it.

“I knew you’d find it interesting. Believe me, you’ll enjoy every second of it.”

As long as Isaac and I don’t have to participate, and I don’t have to watch someone being forced to put on a show for a bunch of idiots, I’ll be fine.

“Are you planning to invite everyone?” I ask cautiously. “I don’t know how safe that is.”

“Not everyone, just those who have proved themselves to me.”

“What about Theo?” I tilt my head at him. “Are you going to invite him and then tell everyone what he’s done? That could be fun.”

A smile quirks his lips. “I like the way you’re thinking, but no. I won’t do that. Theo needs to realize exactly what he’s done. I’ll put him in his place.”

“I’m sure you will.” I pick up my glass of wine and take a sip. I wouldn’t want to be in Theo’s place when that happens.

The first thing Archer does when I arrive to his party is check my hand for the ring, but I’ve left the thing at home and have no intention of ever putting it on. It took Isaac only an hour to stop laughing when I told him about Archer’s proposal. Archer’s eyes darken for a moment, but then his lips spread into a smile and he welcomes me inside.

There are only ten people in the room, and they’re sitting in chairs that are spread out on the floor in front of a makeshift stage that is mostly hidden behind a red curtain. The slaves, including Isaac, are aligned by the wall, in the shadow. As expected, I don’t see Theo anywhere, but my heart skips a beat when I don’t see Ericka either. She’s the only person who has a good chance of confronting Archer.

But if he found out she was at Theo’s party and kicked her out, that’ll be a huge problem. The guy with gray hairs above his ear is here, though. Would Archer invite those who were with Theo? Or maybe he didn’t know who exactly was there. He hasn’t asked me about it either.

I take a seat in one of the empty chairs at the back and breathe out a sigh of relief when I see Ericka coming in. No one’s wearing masks tonight, but that’s not strange since everyone in here is supposed to be Archer’s close friend, or well, a person who hasn’t betrayed him yet. As for Theo... I don’t know what happened.

“Now that everyone’s here...” Archer steps in front of the stage, lifting a glass of champagne. Servants rush around carrying trays with more glasses, and everyone, including me, takes one.

“I welcome you to the best show you’ll ever see! But before we start, there’s something important that I have to tell you. From now on, Theo is banned from my parties and he’s no longer a part of our wonderful group.”

The man next to me flinches, and someone gasps in the front. Whispers break out, but Archer raises his hand.

“Don’t worry, my friends. Our agreement won’t be affected. Everything remains the same. We just won’t be seeing our
friend
Theo around here again.” Archer tips his glass toward his audience. “But now, let’s enjoy this beautiful show!”

Everyone claps, and the curtain starts to move. The lights go out, leaving everything in the dark except for the stage. Archer mentioned this one would be for me, but I’m not sure why. There’s just a mahogany table in the middle of the stage and nothing else.

The music starts, and two figures enter the stage, a girl and a guy. The girl’s whole body is covered with silver paint, the guy’s with gold. They aren’t wearing any clothes, but the guy has four scarves of some kind of black material hanging from his arms. They move like ballet dancers, whirling from one side of the stage to another. The girl seems to be running from the guy, but then she finally stops, and their bodies intertwine as they kiss and hold each other.

But then the girl points at the table, wrapping her arms in the scarves, and I suddenly know why Archer chose this. The man pushes the girl down until she’s bent over the table, then he starts to untie the scarves from his arms. He uses the scarves to bind the girl’s wrists and ankles to the legs of the table. The man rubs himself against the girl’s ass, running his hands up and down her back, then plunges his finger into her pussy.

She lets out a soft moan, and as the man thrusts his fingers in and out, the tempo of the music increases. I press my legs closer together, and I sense Archer’s eyes on me. The tingling inside me intensifies as the man shoves his cock into her, his hand wrapping into her hair and tugging back until she cries out. He pounds into her, the table inching slightly forward, and the girl moans in ecstasy.

In the corner of my eye, I see Ericka getting up and going toward one of the doors with a glowing green sign for the restroom. Archer is completely focused on the scene in front of him, so I quickly hop to my feet and follow Ericka. If Archer sees me gone, he’ll think I went to the restroom because I didn’t want anyone to see me touch myself. Ignoring the throbbing between my legs, I enter the restroom. Ericka is fixing her makeup, so I stop in front of the sink next to her and pretend to be rearranging my hair.

“You bored, too?” Ericka asks. “I didn’t come here to watch ballet and fucking. It’s boring. I don’t know what Archer was thinking.”

“Yeah, I’m not sure either. Theo’s party was much better.” I don’t even look at her, but I can feel her gaze flying toward me.

“You were there? I didn’t see you.” Her eyes widen.

“Yeah, I was.” I let go of my hair and turn toward her, lifting my finger in front my lips and lowering my voice to a whisper. “But don’t mention that here. Archer mustn’t find out.”

“Did you hear from Theo?” She comes closer. “I’ve been calling him, but he’s not answering, and I haven’t seen him for a few days. No one else has seen him either.”

“Don’t do that. If Archer finds out...” I give her a warning look. “Something happened between them. Archer said he’d taken care of it. It’s better not to piss him off. Although, you’re the Senator’s daughter, so I guess you don’t have so much to worry about. Everyone would know if you just disappeared, and your family would raise hell. All someone could do to you is reveal your secret.” I turn back toward the mirror, pretending to check if my lipstick has smeared.

“Do you really think Archer would do something like that?” Her face turns ashen.

“Nah, probably not.” I offer her a reassuring smile.

“But do you know what exactly happened between Archer and Theo? It can’t be just something simple as throwing a party and not inviting him.” She frowns.

“No idea, but knowing Archer...” I shrug. “Oh, well, better not to worry about it.”

“Yeah.” She stares at her reflection in the mirror, and I slip out of the restroom. This went well. If Ericka is scared enough, she’ll either try to find out what happened to Theo or she’ll think Archer snapped for no reason and that he’s not stable enough to keep her secret, so she’ll find a way to take care of it. And secretly, I hope something terrible happened to Theo and that the poor people he kept as animals at his house are finally free of him.

There’s no way Ericka will remember our conversation, and even if she does, she can’t prove she spoke to me or that I suggested anything to her, because I didn’t. I just hope she’ll use her father’s influence and finally get Archer thrown into jail. There’s a possibility that things will go wrong and that she’ll try to talk to Archer first.

She could make some kind of a deal with him, so that she gets special protection from him in exchange for not saying whatever she discovers about Theo’s disappearance, but I doubt Archer would take that deal. It’s more likely he’d be pissed. But if that happens, I’ll have to find someone else for Isaac’s and my plan. Hopefully, she’ll go to her father for advice and he’ll use every possible resource to take Archer down.

The show is almost over when I get back to my seat. As the lights come back on and everyone claps, the girl and the guy step forward and bow, genuine broad smiles on their faces. I wonder why Archer and monsters like him can’t just find people who are into the same things as them and practice it safely, but I know there’s one problem... I bet it doesn’t turn them on the same if they know the person is willing. Maybe Archer wants to really try it with me, but I’m sure he’d cross the line eventually. He always does.

“Did you enjoy that?” Archer appears at my side in an instant. “We’re having an afterparty in the other room.” He nods toward the door through which everyone is going. “Or, if you prefer something more private, you and I...” He traces his finger down my arm “... could go to our own afterparty. I have an apartment nearby.”

“Sounds fun, but not tonight. I’m really tired, and I have this thing I have to do tomorrow morning, so see you some other time.” I give him my sweetest smile, and wave Isaac over. Archer’s mouth falls open and he stares at me, but I just wink at him.

“Everything went perfectly. I almost can’t believe it.” I laugh as Isaac and I sit on the couch back at my apartment. “I mean, all she has to do now is ask her father or someone for help, and Archer will get arrested.”

“Don’t say that.” Isaac frowns. “You’ll jinx it. And we don’t know what Ericka will do. Archer can still get away.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” I roll my eyes. “But can’t we just be happy for a little while? Our not so brilliant plan worked!” I raise my finger. “And don’t say that we don’t know yet.”

“Okay.” He wraps his hand around my finger and tugs a little, a playful smile on his lips. “So the show tonight... You were squirming in your seat.”

“I wasn’t.” I give him an indignant look.

“Are you sure you don’t want an afterparty?” He bites down on his lip, and I watch him for a moment.

“What kind of afterparty?” I tilt my head, and he leans forward, hooking his finger under the strap of my dress and pulling at it lightly. “Oh?” I breathe.

“Is what we saw tonight...” He kisses my collarbone, then nuzzles my neck. “Is that what you like?”

“Maybe,” I admit, giving him a look through my eyelashes.

“What parts of it did you like most?” he whispers into my ear, and gently sucks on my earlobe. I crane my neck, warmth spreading through me. “Being tied up? Hair pulling?”

“Uh huh. Don’t forget the table and rough sex.” I chuckle as Isaac’s hand slides under my dress and up my leg, raising goose bumps on my skin. My eyes meet his. “Do you think that’s weird?”