“I never said you were,” he replies casually. “You’re a woman who will do anything to survive. And well… tonight, you know exactly what that is in order to do so.”

No. I’m a woman who is pissed off at myself. How did I let it get here? Why would I put myself in this situation?

“And I know you. I’ve studied you,” I counter.

“I wouldn’t expect anything less. I’d be disappointed in you if you hadn’t gotten hold of the guest list and studied every single person in attendance.”

“And you did the same, I take it?” I ask.

“But of course,” he says. “I know all about you. Every last thing except one.” He clears the remaining distance between us, takes hold of my hair, and pulls my head back. He brings his lips to my mouth so close I can feel his breath, and then he returns the lick I gave him. The wetness of his tongue strokes over my lips in a tease. “I don’t know what you look like naked. And I’d like to fix that tonight.”

“Here?” I ask, not trying to break free from his grasp. The sting on my scalp ignites the desire for more, and I hate myself for it.

I shouldn’t allow this. I should resist. But do I really have a choice?

“The door’s locked.”

“Why not Wonderland? Why don’t we leave and go there?”

He laughs and continues to lick down my neck, nipping on my flesh as he does. “Maybe later. That all depends.”

“On?”

“You’ve done your research on Wonderland, yes?”

“Yes,” I answer, struggling not to push my body next to his for more connection than the tantalizing trail of his tongue and teeth.

“Then you know Wonderland doesn’t allow innocence, it doesn’t allow goodness, and it sure as hell doesn’t allow virgins through the doors.”

“I’m none of those,” I say as he tightens his grip on my hair and pushes me back against the wall.

He laughs manically. “Yes, my girl. You are. But we can change that. I don’t mind soiling you up.”

I want to leave the Morelli mansion desperately, and Wonderland feels like a far-off place that no one can reach me in. It could be my tower that no one can climb. Right now, it feels as if Maxim is on the other side of the heavy door of the study. I want to be safe. I want to live. And yes… Hudson is correct. I’ll do anything to survive.

He continues on. “And you also know that Wonderland only allows people with the dark, the extremely dirty, and the most fucked-up sexual tastes past its threshold.”

I don’t answer but a tiny mewl escapes my lips as he kisses the side of my neck.