Elegant Sins (Dark Secret Society 1)

Taking a risk, I whispered, “What’s your name?” I figured if the Elders heard and it wasn’t allowed, they would quickly silence me.

“Grace,” she quietly replied.

“Montgomery,” I said, though I was pretty sure she was aware of that fact. It still seemed like the polite thing to do.

One night stands and meaningless hookups weren’t my particular taste. I actually preferred to at least know something about the women I slept with, and I often preferred to taste over and over again. And even though tonight wouldn’t be a one-time fuck with this woman—the Order would make damn sure of it—the situation felt like one.

Cold. Emotionless. A lack of any real connection or desire to go beyond the act of sex itself.

I didn’t want tonight to happen. Although, I had a feeling this was just the beginning of things I didn’t want.

When we entered the spacious room on the second floor, I instantly recognized it. The truth of the matter was that I had been in all the rooms of the Oleander at one time or another playing tag or hide and go seek as a boy. Odd that I was now entering as a man about to begin my Initiation.

This room was by far one of the largest and even had its own fireplace. The large king size, four-post canopy bed barely filled the massive space. There was plenty of room for a sitting area with a small couch and two high-back armchairs that sat before the handcrafted mantle.

The large window with flowing drapes overlooked the pool and rose gardens of the expansive grounds. The room had colorful rugs, rich-toned wood furniture, collectible books in a custom-made bookcase, and antiques dating from the Civil War era.

My favorite part of the room had always been the bedspread that simply screamed The Order of the Silver Ghost. It was rich-toned silver that matched the cloaks the members wore with gold embroidery hand sewn by a seamstress long past. Rumor was that the gold thread used was actually made from treasures plundered in the medieval days of battles fought and won. I never imagined that I would not only be sleeping under the fabric but having sex on it.

I hadn’t looked at Grace fully since leaving the ballroom other than a quick glance here and there out of the corner of my eye. Side by side we stood as the Elders gathered at the foot of the bed, and I knew the poor girl had to be terrified. How could she not be? But I wanted to see for myself and stole a full look upon her face.

If she was afraid, she hid it well.

Stoic beauty.

I knew what to expect as the Order clearly spelled this ritual out in our society’s handbook. I knew every step that would occur, and I wasn’t sure if it was a blessing or a curse that Grace had no real idea what was coming.

The first beat of the cane announced it was time for the consummation to begin.

Silver cloaks, beady eyes, and fucked up appetites stared upon the empty bed waiting…

There would be no privacy.

Prolonging the inevitable would only torture us both, so I took hold of Grace’s shoulders and turned her to face me. I would offer her one last chance to give me any signal to stop. Show me distress and I would walk her out of the Manor myself. This was her chance to use her safe word, to cry, to snap some sense into herself, to do anything but go down this twisted path.

But the stoic beauty remained.

I had no choice but to continue on.

Step one: strip the belle naked.

Tonight would not be about the art of seduction. Taking it slow would not benefit either one of us as we had a line of men watching our every move.

Taking hold of her blue gown, I began its removal as if I were a robot. I didn’t want to concentrate on the how but more the chore of it. It was just a step. The first step. Get her naked and we could just get this over with and the Elders would leave us alone.

The quiet of the room was maddening, and I needed to move fast. Grace stood in place with her arms at her side. It was clear she wasn’t going to fight me, but she sure as hell wasn’t going to help me, and I didn’t blame her one bit.

As the dress pooled at her feet, I couldn’t help but admire the lingerie-clad woman before me. I would be lying if I said my body didn’t react to the sight. I also would be lying if I didn’t also feel some relief when my cock hardened because I had actually considered stealing a blue pill from my father’s medicine cabinet to help me get through this night but couldn’t bring myself to do so. The last thing I needed was performance issues to occur as I fucked—or tried to fuck—in front of the Elders during my Initiation. I’d had no idea if my body would revolt or respond.