Insatiable (Inferno Games #3)

9. Damn It Rowena

9

DAMN IT ROWENA

FELIX

“ W hat were you two talking about?” Anthura has been silent the whole ride up to the penthouse and now her voice grates on my nerves.

“Who two?” I ask as she steps off the platform to her door.

“You and him. Robert. I saw the two of you whispering when we left the Earthery.”

“I left the Earthery five seconds before you did. What do you think we were talking about? An in-depth conversation about Shakespeare’s best plays?”

“Don’t be facetious,” she snarls. “Are you coming in or not?”

I don’t want to come in. I want to go to my room and sleep and maybe think about what the fuck I’m doing without Anthura constantly up in my grill, but to say no would make her suspicious and I need to get Rowena out of this circle, if only for the sake of the baby. I’m not having a son or daughter of mine spending their days watching George stuff his face while he or she withers away to nothing. It’s a fucking baby, for fuck’s sake. I step out onto the ledge next to Anthura. She gives me a curt smile, then opens the door.

I make to follow, but she’s turned and is blocking the doorway. “If I thought for a second you were thinking of fucking that freak and are using me to help him, I’ll send you into the fiery pits of Hell where you belong.”

“I’m so confused,” I deadpan, not confused at all. “I thought we already were in the fiery pits of Hell.”

Anthura’s faces turns down into a scowl. “I’ll take you all the way to Satan himself and then don’t beg for my mercy.”

I put my hand to the doorframe and step closer to her. “Anthura. That’s exactly what we’re trying to do. Get to Satan, or have you forgotten? You can’t get to Satan any more than I can without going through these bullshit games, so just cut the crap and let me in. I push past her and she doesn’t try to stop me. If she didn’t want me in her apartment, she’d have pushed me off the moving platform when it went past my floor. She just likes to think she’s winning these little fucked up games of hers. I stride right over to the kitchen and grab a couple of cookies which I pocket for Rowena’s breakfast tomorrow morning, then I pour myself a healthy measure of Dragonfire whisky.

Anthura sidles up next to me and wrenches the glass out of my hand.

“I was drinking that.”

Anthura smirks, her eyes glinting. "You're not afraid of me, are you Felix?" she murmurs, her voice low and seductive. She holds the glass to her lips and downs the whole thing.

I’m not afraid of what Anthura can do to me. She’s full of shit about taking me to Satan, but if she thought for a second there was anything going on between me and Rowena, she’d have her out of the games and there wouldn’t be a thing I could do about it. I glare at her, wondering where she’s going with this.

“You know what, Anthura? I’m done. I’ve eaten like a pig and my stomach feels like it’s about to burst. Maybe I should go sleep it off.” I take the empty glass from her hand and place it on the counter. “Maybe you should too.”

I turn to leave, but she grabs my sleeve. “It wasn’t sleeping I had in mind.” As though she hasn’t tried this move a thousand times, her hand travels up my arm, then down my body to my very unwilling cock.

She arches an eyebrow as she cups me through the fabric of my pants. “Looks like you might need a little encouragement.” She bends down to her knees, then starts to unzip my fly. I pull back before she gets the zip half way.

Her look of surprise turns very quickly into anger.

“You never say no, Felix. Don’t tell me you were arranging to meet up with that freak?”

I pull the zip of my fly to the top. “I’m not in the mood, Anthura. I’ve just eaten my own body weight in food. I can hardly move.

She licks her lips, then stands. “You’ve not been in the mood since we got to Gluttony. Let me make one thing clear, Felix. I don’t like playing second fiddle and I won’t do it to that freak. If I see you as much as look at him, I’ll have you both out of the games. I won’t need Satan. Hades will do it.”

“I don’t doubt it, Anthura, but I’m not seeing Row…Robert.” I cringe inwardly. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

This time when I try to walk away, she lets me. I let out a long sigh as I press the button to call the moving platform. Anthura might be full of shit, but some of what she’s said is true. She could have both me and Rowena thrown out of the games and she will if she suspects us. I leave the cookies on Rowena’s doorstep like I’ve done for a week then head back upstairs to my room where I lock the door behind me, then pull the night stand in front of it in case Anthura decides my excuse to not fuck her wasn’t good enough and she uses her Portal to try to get inside.

I sit on the edge of my bed, fists clenched, a mixture of frustration and longing swirling inside me. All I can think about is Rowena and how desperately I want her.

I can almost feel her warmth against my skin, the way her laughter dances in the air, wrapping around me like a spell. Her eyes, full of mischief and something deeper, tug at something primal within me. I run a hand through my hair, trying to dispel the heat rising in my core, but it’s no use. The ache for her is undeniable, intoxicating.

To go to her would be madness. I lean back, letting my head fall against the pillows, but it does nothing to ease the storm inside me. The more I think about her—her laughter, that fierce spirit of hers—the more I want to lose control. I let my hand drift down, the anger mixing with desire. Images flash through my mind, raw and vivid: Rowena standing before me, defiant and unapologetic, her hair cascading around her shoulders. I can almost hear her voice, the way she challenges me, pushing all my buttons. It fuels something dark and primal within me. I can’t help it—I need her. My fingers wrap around myself, and I start to stroke, each motion filled with a desperate hunger that matches the ache in my chest. I envision pressing her against the wall, pinning her there, claiming her. The thought of her gasping, wanting me as much as I want her, drives me further into madness. “Rowena…” I growl her name, my frustration spilling over. I imagine her biting her lip, the way she teases me with that look in her eyes, and it ignites a new wave of anger. And I've only got myself to blame. My hand moves faster, each stroke pushing me closer to the brink, but the anger only intensifies my desire. I picture her beneath me, her body arching, her breath hitching as I take control. My heart races as I imagine her surrendering to me, and the tension coils tighter within. Rowena will never surrender to me, and that's probably what makes her irresistible. I've always gotten my own way, gotten what I want... until now. With every stroke, I push against the frustration, the need to make her mine, to show her who she truly belongs to. I’m lost in my thoughts of Rowena, the images blurring as the anger surges, fueling me until I can’t hold back any longer. “Damn it, Rowena!” I shout, the tension snapping, pleasure crashing over me like a wave.