Chapter 22-A: You think you're so clever, don't you? But you're just a coward who steals from rapists instead of stopping them. ***
The door clicked shut behind Akari, and Vanessa whirled on Eli, her glare sharp enough to cut glass. He hadn't moved—still propped against the doorframe like a lazy cat, kneading the tension out of his own neck like none of this mattered.
"What was that for, Eli?" she hissed, her voice low with genuine anger. "Why do you treat her like that? For God's sake, she got assaulted, like, days ago. And you're manhandling her like some fucking drill sergeant? Is tormenting her your new hobby or what—you collecting trauma points now?"
Eli cut her off with a bored look. "I had my reasons." He pushed off the frame with a grunt, rolling his shoulders like he was bored. "It's to toughen her up. Iris and Elara have been babying her since it happened. You coddle someone after shit like that, they break. The world's not gonna pat her head and call her brave. That's not how the world works."
Vanessa's nails bit into her palms. "So your genius solution is to—what—re-traumatize her? Jesus. Next you'll tell me water's wet."
"Give it a year," he said, scratching his chin. "she would start to hate men. She'll freeze up every time some guy looks at her sideways. Or worse, start swinging first. I'm doing her a favor." He stretched his arms overhead with a lazy yawn. "Better she learns now that people aren't cruel because they hate you. They're cruel because they can be and it mostly affects good people."
The bathroom light snapped on as she flicked the switch with unnecessary force. "That," Vanessa said, "might be the stupidest goddamn thing you've ever said."
She stormed to the dresser, yanking open drawers. "Cut the psych major bullshit. We both know why you're doing this. I wasn't born yesterday. You're just proving you can break her and get away with it. Why…because that's what excites you." Eli smirked, but the amusement didn't reach his eyes as he watched her.
"Oh, I can break her," Eli said with a smirk, leaning into Vanessa's space against the dresser. "But last I checked, I'm the one asking questions. What happened while I was gone and what's your deal? Two seconds ago you were practically shoving our business in Akari's face with that proactive guestures of yours. What gives?"
Vanessa paused, examining a nonexistent thread on her sleeve. She couldn't just tell Eli that the girl had tried to blackmail her? That would ruin the plot and make the game bland with no anticipation. Where's the fun in that?
"She walked in while I was changing," she lied smoothly with a shrug. "Got an eyeful of all this. And since she saw me, I thought I could get all comfortable with her." She grabbed a handful of her own tit for emphasis, making Eli snort.
"And yeah, maybe I wanted to mess with you both. Now, can we stop all this unnecessary questions and get ready? You're pushing the clock with your bullshit."
Eli stretched, rotating his shoulders. "I'm ready already. You're the one stalling." His eyes lingered pointedly on Vanessa's skintight leggings before flicking up to meet her glare. "Unless you're getting cold feet now that we've got an audience." He tilted his head toward the closed door where Akari was waiting.
Vanessa squinted at him, her lips curling with impatience. "Fine. I don't want to argue. I'm already in the mood and horny as fuck. Ahh... But first, clean that scratch before it drips on my sheets." She tossed him a damp cloth from the dresser, watching as he dabbed carelessly at the jagged red lines Akari had left.
"You are quite the tough guy, aren't you?" Vanessa muttered, half-amused, half-disgusted as she watched Eli wipe the last trails of blood from his forearm without so much as a grimace. He then crumpled the stained cloth and tossed it into the wastebasket with pinpoint accuracy. "Pain's all in your head," he said, flexing his hand. "You just gotta stop giving a shit."
He couldn't help but chuckled, reaching onto the bed to toss the half-mask toward her. She caught it and secured it over the upper half of her face with the lace making her eyes look sharp and mysterious. Then she dug through her bag, pulling out a small camera and throwing a second black mask at him.
"The hell's this for?" Eli asked, turning the mask over in his hands.
"I want to be on top today," she said, her voice voice turning husky. "Since your face would appear in that position, I thought it would be better to cover it. Unless you want Elara to recognize you by accident? Trust me, lonely widows watch weird shit at night?" Eli snorted but pulled the mask over his nose and forehead.
His smile was sly, like he'd just figured something out. "You sure you can handle this?" he said, voice low. "All the heavy lifting's on you—won't back out last minute, will you?"
She inhaled sharply. "I'll manage. It's not my first rodeo," she shot back, eyes dipping down his body. Just imagining him filling her up had her thighs trembling already.
Eli took the main camera and placed it in a suitable position near the side of the bed, ensuring the angle captured the full space. He gestured to his phone. "And this is for transitions. I'll use it for close-ups when needed." He studied his mask again and climbed onto the bed, positioning himself. He set the main camera to record.
He then held his phone, pressed record, and placed it strategically on the mattress to use when needed. His masked gaze locked onto Vanessa, impatient. "Well?" His fingers tapped against his leg. "You're the one who picked this setup. Get moving."
Vanessa wasn't a pro yet, but she'd done this enough to know the drill. She crawled onto the bed, straddling his hips. Leaning in, her breath tickled his ear as she murmured, "Just lie back and let me take care of you."
Eli smirked as Vanessa started slow—gentle kisses along his jaw, her tongue flicking out to taste him. She worked her way up his neck, nipping at his lip while rolling her hips against his growing hardness. Her hands knew what they were doing—peeling off his hoodie without disturbing the mask, then roaming down his chest as she arched into him, the friction of her leggings drawing a low groan from his throat.
She leaned in to kiss his chest, rubbing her dress-covered breast, which had her nipple almost poking through the fabric against him while inhaling his scent. With a chuckle, her hand moved towards his belt buckle before she looked up at him with her half-lidded eyes. "You know," she murmured, her fingers tracing slow circles over the hard ridge in his pants, "Akari is probably listening to every moan and every wet sound we make."
Eli exhaled as a look of annoyance settled over his face. "So?" He grabbed her wrist, stopping her teasing strokes. "You think I give a damn what she hears?" His other hand slid up her thigh, fingers digging into soft flesh hard enough to leave marks through her clothes. "Focus."
She chuckled and with a tug, unhooked his belt, the leather sliding free with a sharp hiss. The bed creaked as she shifted, her fingers working his zipper down with practiced ease—never breaking eye contact with her chin up like she was daring him. Her hand found him through his pants, warm and already hard, and she smirked when she heard his breath catch. "Tell me to stop," she taunted, giving him a slow squeeze that made his hips buck before he could stop himself.
Eli arched a brow, keeping his cool even as she pushed his buttons. "Don't get ahead of yourself," he muttered, one hand squeezing her hip while the other fumbled for his phone beside them. He held it up as Vanessa pulled his boxer briefs down, the lens capturing the moment his cock sprang free which was fully hard and flushed with the tip glistening under the dim bedroom light. Vanessa licked her lips unconsciously, her fingers tightening around his length as she tilted herself toward the lens.
She tucked her hair behind her ear with one hand, then leaned down, taking her time as she slid him into her mouth. Her tongue swirled around the head before sinking deeper—just enough to coat him with her saliva without triggering her gag reflex. His hands fisted in her hair, not pushing, just seeing how far she'd go as she sucked hard, then pulled back with a filthy pop, her teeth grazing him lightly on the way up.
She grinned and gave him a few teasing strokes before finally leaning in for real, stretching her lips wide as she took him down. She pulled up to suckle the tip before taking him deeper, her tongue pressing against the underside of his shaft—her mouth tight and her cheeks hollowed out as she worked him. Her eyes watered a little when she hit her limit, fighting back the urge to gag as she pulled off with a wet pop, spit still connecting her lips to his shiny, slick cock.
Eli gripped her hair with one hand, phone still recording with the other as she took him deeper this time. He groaned as the head of his cock nudged past the tight squeeze of her throat and watched her eyes widen, tears welling at the corners. She didn't pull back but she started bob her head faster, her lips sealed tight around him as she swallowed him down, all while stealing quick glances at the camera. Eli bit back a curse, his grip on her hair tightening as he fought the urge to shove into that slick, hot throat.
Her moans vibrated around him as she moves—every slide of her lips wetter than the one before with spit trailing down her chin onto his legs. She pulled halfway off, swirling her tongue right where he was most sensitive before taking him deep again, her cheeks sucking in with this messy, sloppy sound that made Eli's fingers tighten in her hair. He shifted the camera slightly, making sure it caught the way her puffy lips stretched around him, all red and swollen and looking completely wrecked.
She pulled away suddenly, breath catching, swiping her mouth with the back of her hand before settling back onto his lap again to grind him through her clothes. With sensual movements, she began to remove her shirt, tossing it to the side before unhooking her bra—the straps slipping down her shoulders before she let it drop.
She leaned forward, pressing her full perky breast against his chest, her nipples hardening against his skin while she rutted against him—the friction of her leggings rubbing his cock between them.
Eli tossed the phone aside and grabbed her tits with both hands, squeezing hard enough to make her gasp and arch against him. His thumbs dragged over her nipples which were already stiff, rolling them between his fingers as she rocked her hips down—her leggings were soaked, warm and sticky between her thighs. "Fuck," she breathed, shuddering when he pinched one hard, the sharp pain sparking right down to where she was already aching for him.
He hauled himself up, mouth clamping onto her nipple with a bruising suction while his other hand tugged at her leggings. The awkward angle kept him from pulling them all the way off, drawing a frustrated groan against her skin. Vanessa let out a breathy laugh, hips shifting back just enough to slide the damp fabric down her thighs—exposing the slick pink heat between her legs. Eli's breath hitched at the sight, fingers digging into her waist as she hovered above him, the tip of his cock nudging against her. "Someone's in a hurry," she teased, rocking her hips to rub his wetness against her clit.
Eli snatched the phone back up, tilting it to get a shot of the slick slide of her arousal as she teased him—her hips moving in slow circles just to drive him crazy, stopping just short of letting him slide in. "Stop screwing around," he growled, fingers digging into her thigh hard enough she'd probably bruise later. She let out a shaky laugh, rocking forward until the tip of him pressed right where she wanted, then teasingly pulling away again.
Honestly, she was still kinda nervous; he was bigger than she was used to even though she'd tried it once, and that hesitation kept creeping in. She took a breath, lining herself up over him—her legs shaking a little as she finally guided him inside, hissing through her teeth at that first tight stretch. Elijah just watched, eyes dark and hungry, as she eased down onto him bit by bit, biting her lip hard while her body adjusted.
When she finally took him all the way, her muscles clenched around him tight, pulling a sharp gasp from her lips. "Ohh fuck," she muttered, her nails scraping his chest. He tossed the phone aside and sprawled back, hands behind his head like he was settling in for the best damn show of his life.