“And you also know,” he continues as he sucks on the tip of my ear, “that Wonderland is invite only.”

Deciding the only way I can quiet the maddening terror in my mind and body, I morph into the picture of the woman I pretend to be when I’m at my most vulnerable. I switch something inside of me as a way to shield. I prepare for battle. I go to war. Not me. Not the real me. But I’ve mastered a way of bringing a hidden demon to the surface when I need to. I stop being Lyriope and turn into the woman no one wants to fuck with. Is it fake? Do I pretend?

Yes.

But I must do what I have to in order to survive.

I lower my hand and place it on his thick cock tenting his pinstripe pants. I squeeze hard enough that I hear him inhale sharply. “Then invite me in.”

Chapter Four

Nick

“Not yet, my girl. Not yet,” I growl as my dick hardens and I nip at her pouty bottom lip.

“I thought you wanted to fuck me.” Her dark eyes look up at me, and I see a story in them I desperately want to read. “It’s my payment. The deal with the devil, right?”

“Oh yes. I do want to fuck you. But Wonderland is more than just fucking. You have to earn an invitation to my world.”

I release the hold of her hair and take her hand in mine. Without saying another word, I escort her to a couch on the other side of the room near massive shelves full of unread books in hard covering and gold spines.

“You aren’t ready for Wonderland,” I say as I reposition my body so I can look directly at her. “And Wonderland isn’t ready for you.”

She crosses her arms and looks out the window to our left with a slight pout to her lips.

“But don’t worry,” I say as I take a piece of her dark hair in my fingers and twirl. “You’ll be safe.”

Her eyes lock with mine. “For a night. For a price.”

I smile, move my fingers to the nape of her neck, and pull her face to mine. “But what a night it will be. And everything in life has a price.”

“Do the Sidorovs know I’m with you right now? Do they know why you’re protecting me?” Every word releases a puff of air that caresses my face, and I can’t resist looking at her lips as she speaks.

“I’m sure by now, they know you’re with me. Do they know why?” I lean forward and kiss her softly. “No. What happens tonight is between you and me. Our dirty little secret. How dirty it is will be decided soon enough.”