The Original Sinners: The Red Years

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Tiffany Reisz

Год написания книги

2019

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“He hurt his wife.”

“Then you know what you have to do.” Søren smiled proudly at her. She was always his best pupil.

“Make him hurt me?”

“Yes, little one. Make him hurt you.”

* * *

“So you’re Nora’s new Maxwell Perkins, right?” Griffin asked Zach.

“Well, I am her editor. But Perkins and I have quite disparate philosophies of editing.”

“Good. I’d hate to see her books get all fucked up because her editor can’t keep his hands off her prose.”

“So,” Zach said evenly, “you read?”

Griffin shot him a dirty look.

“I may be a slut, Max, but I’m not a dumb slut. I read Nora’s books. They’re amazing. Of course, my favorite book of hers is the one she hasn’t written yet.”

“And that is?”

“The Nora Sutherlin Story.”

“It would be a page-turner,” Zach agreed. “Is he actually going to keep her all night?”

Zach glanced at his watch. Nora had been gone only a short while but he was already impatient for her return.

“If he wants to. The minute he steps into this place, martial law is in effect.”

“Does she come here often?”

“Used to come all the time. Had to. But she dropped off the face of the earth about a month ago.”

“That was when we began work on her book,” Zach explained.

“And when she began work on you, too, huh?” Griffin grinned at him. Zach tried not to let himself be embarrassed. After all, Nora and Griffin were clearly occasional lovers.

“What do you mean she had to come here?” Zach asked after a moment’s silence.

But Griffin only laughed and slapped him on the shoulder.

“Come on. Let’s check out the pit.”

* * *

“I really should get back to my guest.” Nora didn’t want to leave Søren, but she knew she needed to. God only knew what Griffin was telling Zach right now.

“Not quite yet. We still need to plan how to celebrate our anniversary next week. Or have you forgotten what next Thursday is?”

“If I forgot every other day of the year, I would remember that one. But we aren’t celebrating it. Not this year or ever again.”

“I see.” Søren gave her a cool, appraising stare. “Was last year not to your liking?”

Last year…what he did to her that night was beautiful and brutal and it hurt to even remember.

If you come back to me, will you run or will you crawl?

I’ll fly.

Nora shook her head, tried to forget how much she still wanted him.

“Last year was a mistake. It shouldn’t have happened. It went too far.”

“You are never satisfied until it goes too far.”

“I nearly lost Wes over that night.”

“Yes. What was that promise you made? That if you ever gave yourself over to me again he would leave you? Was that it?”

“You can’t blame him, can you? He doesn’t understand us.”

“I am certain he does not.” Søren reached out and caressed her cheek. Those fingers, she thought. Those hands. Hands that knew every corner of her body as their owner knew every corner of her heart. “My Eleanor…such a creature of Divine Discontent.”

“Divine Discontent?”

“God’s dirty little secret. He will make you suffer, little one, until He makes you wise.”

“No more sermons. Please,” she pleaded.

Søren responded with only the merest suggestion of a smile on his lips. “If you won’t come see me on our anniversary, I suppose I’ll have to give you your gift early. Good thing I brought him with me.”

He pulled something from his pocket and opened his hand for her. A key with a delicate white ribbon in place of a key chain lay across his palm.

“What is it?”

“The key to the White Room, of course. It’s where your anniversary present is waiting for you.”

His hand still open and waiting, Søren took a step toward her.

“He’s a virgin, Eleanor,” he whispered into her ear. “You can close your eyes and pretend he’s Wesley.”

Nora wanted to withdraw, wanted to push Søren away. Zach was out there waiting for her. And she knew better than this. Søren’s gifts were always double-edged swords, and there was no way to take them except by the blade. She heard the voice of reason reminding her that she should find Zach and get him out of here. And then she remembered what she promised him—to show him a place of no regret, no shame and no fear.

She took the key from Søren’s hand.

“I see He’s not finished making you suffer,” Søren said.