Her face was bright red with embarrassment and maybe even shame as she rushed toward me and shoved the clothes into my arms. I tried not to smirk at her discomfort, but it was hard not to. Especially when I glanced over at Montgomery who was clearly holding back full-on laughter. My buddy found the humor in this situation just as much as I did.
I opened my mouth to ask where Portia’s clothes were, and if she was expected to be naked, then so would I. Mrs. H put her hand up to stop me.
“Not another word out of you, young man!” Her tone was sharp enough to cut, and I obediently shut my trap. “Your mother would have a stroke if she knew I allowed you to stand here in the Oleander stark naked. Get dressed. This instant.”
The rest of the members entered the billiards room—some chuckling, some scowling—as I put on my pants. I wasn’t going to fight this spitfire of a woman, and I had already given the members of the Order the shock I had intended, so there was no need to go to war with the woman in the hallway who wouldn’t hesitate to box my ears regardless of what age I was.
“Better listen to the woman,” Montgomery said as he joined the others in the room.
“I swear, Sully. Sometimes…” she said as she spun on her heels and left me to finish getting dressed.
I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face as I joined the Order.
One point: Sully VanDoren.
As I poured myself a glass of bourbon and took a burgundy velvet chair near the roaring fire, I said, “Well, gentlemen, what madness do you have in store for me tonight?”
I hated to admit it, but I did feel more comfortable now that I was fully dressed in my tux. I felt like I had a little bit more power as I crossed my ankle on my knee, casually leaned back in the chair and sipped the liquor as I waited to see what was next.
A blowjob maybe? Although oddly the thought of having some Order hooker sucking me off made my stomach sink. It seemed like I would be… cheating? Portia and I were not an official monogamous item… far from it. And yet, I couldn’t explain why I only wanted her lips to be the ones wrapped around my dick.
“Yes, why don’t we move on with the rest of the festivities for the night,” one of the Elders said as he took a seat next to me. “Let’s gather around and enjoy our evening movie.”
He pointed to the empty wall on the west side of the room at which a projector was pointed. All the members who had been milling around either took a seat or positioned themselves in a place they would be able to view the projected film that had just been turned on.
The sound of Portia’s screams filled the room before the image of her came into view. It took me several moments to make out what I was seeing before me.
It was Portia. There was a video camera wherever she was.
Screaming and scratching at wood above her. She was trapped somewhere.
“Let me out!” she howled as dirt fell upon her face. “Help me. Someone! Sully! Sully!”
The sound of her pounding against her wooden cage had me jumping out of my seat, my eyes locked on the image of her in misery and absolute terror.
“What the fuck is this? Where is she?” I boomed.
I stopped staring at the projection on the wall to look at the members of the Order for some sort of explanation but could still hear the cries of Portia echoing off every inch of the billiards room. Her distress reverberated off my bones as the horror of what was occurring sank in.
“Where is she? What are you doing to her?” I demanded as I lunged toward the closest Elder. I took hold of his collar and shouted, “Where the fuck is she?”
The Elder simply shrugged as he smiled at me in a taunting fashion. He knew I wasn’t going to hurt him, and even if I tried, he knew the other members would step in before I could do any real damage to the man. I considered punching him just to wipe that smug look off his face, but Portia’s continuing screams for help had me looking to another Elder for answers.
“I can’t breathe,” she cried. “I can’t breathe!”
“Tell me where she is,” I shouted. “Or I swear to God I will burn down this house right now!”
An Elder stepped forward and said very calmly, “Sully VanDoren, as powerful members in our society, we are often called upon to help others. It will be expected because of who we are and the resources we have.”
He took another step as he pointed to the screaming woman clawing at the wood above her. “It is your job to save the belle. How you choose to do so is up to you. You can choose rage and try to demand answers you won’t receive. Or you can choose a much more…” He paused and smiled. “Or you can actually help the belle.”