Page 5 of Once in a Lifetime, Part 2

The smile left her face. “I want you,” she said. “Now.”

Mano blinked hard. In nothing but his trunks, the exposure hit him all at once. The room closed in. The silence pressed down.

“Take them off.”

What could she possibly do to him? She was smaller than him. Four years younger. He could lift her with one hand if he wanted to. He was stronger. Taller. Bigger. He was a man. And she was just a small woman. She couldn’t actually force him to do anything… Right?

Before he could stop himself from thinking any further, he grabbed the waistband of his trunks and yanked them down, throwing them onto the floor with a sharp motion.

He stood there, completely naked.

Stella leaned back against the pillows, watching him from the bed. Her gaze moved over him. Piercing. Obscene.

Mano’s shoulders tensed.

For the first time since he walked in, he looked away, blinking fast. His hands shifted instinctively, covering himself.

“Don’t tell me you’re shy now,” she said with a mocking smile. “I’ve seen you naked plenty of times.”

Mano’s hands remained where they were. He kept his gaze fixed somewhere past her shoulder, refusing to meet her eyes. “What do you want?” he asked, his voice tight. “Why are you doing this?”

Stella tilted her head, watching him. A cold satisfaction spread through her. Because I won’t stop until I ruin you. Until I see you lose that arrogance. That power you always thought you had over everyone. Until I break you.

She pulled down her shorts along with her underwear.

Mano’s eyes widened.

Then she crooked a finger at him. “Come here.”

He didn’t move. Something dark flickered through his mind, fast and sharp. Cross the room. Grab the phone. Smash it. Or grab her by the throat and make this stop. The image burned in his head. But then he saw the screen again. Anna’s name at the top. One tap and Ody would be the one caught in the fallout.

The memory of Ody’s voice echoed in his mind. “I trust you.”

He shut his eyes, his jaw clenching. Then he forced his legs to move. One step. Then another. He stopped at the edge of the bed, staring down at her.

“Lick me.”

The words hit him like a slap. “You’re…” he breathed. “You’re sick.”

“I’m thinking of adding a few spicy details to my message to Anna,” she said pretending to consider it seriously. “Maybe I’ll tell her someone saw the two of you fucking.”

Mano’s vision darkened. God knew how he managed to stay where he was instead of launching himself at her.

“Oh,” she went on. “Don’t tell me you forgot how to eat pussy. You must be used to sucking Ody’s dick lately, huh?”

“That kind of talk doesn’t suit you,” Mano spat, disgust twisting his voice.

“Start,” she demanded.

His mind raced. Ody had been terrified of Anna finding out like this. Mano didn’t want that either. There had to be a way out.

If he moved fast enough… grabbed her wrists… pinned her down… Yes. He could take the phone. Delete the message. He could even call the police.

But then what? Would that really stop her? What if she told Anna afterward? What if this only made her angrier? What if she destroyed them anyway?

The possibilities spun faster and faster, closing in on him. He felt trapped. Exposed.

There was only one way to make sure she kept her mouth shut. Do what she wanted. For now. Maybe then… everyone would be safe.