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  On the stage, the leader climbed off of the pedestal while another red-robed man moved to take his place between the captive girl’s legs. There was no movement from the girl now as the second man raped her.

  Joey looked up to see the shock she felt on Will’s face. “We have to do something,” she whispered.

  Will seemed not to hear her, just stared at the nightmarish scene with wide darkened eyes.

  “Will,” she whispered as loudly as she dared, grabbing his arms to get his attention. They had to get help -- Joey feared for the girl’s life. As the noise grew louder and some strange exotic scent captured her senses, she shook him gently until his gaze met hers. “Will!”

  A myriad of emotions flashed in his eyes as they moved over her face, down her body. A wave of fire swept over Joey under his gaze, an intense sensation tightening her nipples, creating an ache in the dampened flesh between her thighs. The heavy scent of sex and something she didn’t recognize enveloped them as time stopped and they studied each other in electrified silence.

  What was wrong with her? With him? They should be running to get the police, to help the girl on the stage. Instead Joey stood motionless as heat and desire ravaged her body like a fever. She’d never felt anything like the dark lust that had her in its clutches.

  Will felt it too. His hand was hot as he lifted it to caress her cheek and slide down the column of her throat to the swell of her breast beneath the white lab coat she wore. Her nipple was an aching point, straining toward his palm as he gently squeezed her. The pleasure his touch evoked was excruciating and she leaned into his hand, wanting him to kiss her mouth, slam her against the wall and fuck her for all he was worth --

  “You have no business here!” Rafe Bowen’s voice hissed as he broke into Joey’s thoughts. His hand was rough as he grabbed her upper arm and yanked her back into the entranceway and out into the hall, leaving Will to follow them.

  Chapter Two

  Rafe pulled Joey down the hallway, his grip on her arm painful, until they reached the lab. He shoved her into the lab roughly and turned to wait with a murderous scowl on his face until Will caught up. She watched him push Will through the door and slam it, noticing a strange humming in her head. Just the sight of Will had her body burning again, tingling from currents of desire that raced through her limbs to the aching flesh of her pussy. She didn’t know what had come over her. It was insane, but her lust was quickly becoming unbearable. She wanted Will’s cock inside her, needed him inside her, right now!

  Glaring at his watch and then up at the lab clock, Rafe ran his hand over his normally serene face in agitation. The clock still said five minutes to six. His face was a dark mask of rage as he ripped the clock from the lab wall and hurled it to the floor.

  Joey felt no emotional investment in his actions. No, she was more interested in Will as they moved toward each other and she could feel the heat of his desire, perfectly matched to hers as they came together. When Will lowered his mouth to hers she moaned in ecstasy because she needed this kiss so badly. His lips were soft at first, his tongue penetrating the seam of her lips as he pulled her body tightly against his. Who’d have thought a scientist would know how to kiss like that? Or that Will Martin would ever be kissing her? The taste of him, the feel of hard arm muscle beneath his lab coat and clothing only made the uncontrollable need for him grow, as moisture flooded her panties.

  Rafe’s eyes were on them, watching them as Will pulled back from her, his eyes ocean deep pools of desire. Will yanked off her lab coat before his strong fingers began working the buttons of her blouse. Somewhere in her mind there was shock at what was happening -- that Will was undressing her in the lab with Rafe Bowen watching them in intense silence. But she was powerless to stop it. Shock and disbelief were buried far beneath the surface, held captive by the dark, unfamiliar craving unleashed in her body. Joey didn’t want to stop Will from pulling her blouse off her shoulders and tossing it to the floor. Her body begged for his large hands on her breasts as they slid beneath her bra, needed his lips to continue the burning trail down the flesh of her neck. Her entire being begged against her will for release. In the distance her heart and mind cried out in protest. That she wanted Will she couldn’t deny, but not this way. Not like this!

  Joey’s gaze locked with Rafe’s as Will’s tongue traced lazy circles on her shoulder and the hot, hard length of him pressed insistently against her upper thighs. There was a sheen of sweat on Rafe’s brow, his lips slightly parted as he watched them, his eyes darkened with desire, the colors blending like a witch’s brew. This isn’t right, Joey’s mind protested. But her mind had no control over her body at the moment. Rafe’s eyes darted to her naked breasts as Will roughly yanked the bra from her chest, darkened more as Will captured her nipple between his lips, laving it openly with quick flicks of his tongue.

  Her legs buckled and Will caught her the minute she started to fall. Scooping her up in his arms, he carried her to the counter where he prepared most of his experiments. With a great sweep of his powerful arm, the microscope, the cultures, everything crashed to the floor. She was vaguely aware that Rafe moved about the room closing the blinds. The cold surface of the counter against the flesh of her back felt so good as Will pressed her down on it. She was so hot…

  Will had her jeans off in seconds. The rough pads of his fingers slid into her panties as he leaned over her to take her mouth in a kiss that left her breathless, eager for more. His fingers slid over her sensitive flesh through the wet folds of her pussy, finding the delicate little nub that was the center of her pleasure and teasing it mercilessly while he leisurely explored her mouth with his tongue.

  Joey squeezed her thighs together, her hands lost in the silky locks of his hair, while Will’s fingers continued their relentless movement, teasing her clit until her hips shot off the counter. Heat coursed through her body as she rode his strong fingers, her nipples beading hard. Joey cried out as her body tightened and she came harder than she ever had in her life.

  Her cotton panties gave way with a quiet rip as Will tore them from her body. Grabbing her hips in his large hands, he jerked her lower body up from the counter and took her with his mouth. Unbelievable waves of pleasure swelled as his tongue slid between the wet folds of her cunt to find her swollen clit. With quick teasing flicks of the tip of his tongue, he tantalized the sensitive little peak. Joey writhed mindlessly on the hard countertop, grabbing his head and pulling his frantic mouth tighter against her. Her fingers sank into his hair, holding him there for all she was worth as he continued licking, teasing. The whole world spun away save for the feeling of his tongue sliding in and out of her passage, stiff and quick and making her long for something bigger and harder.

  Joey cried out when his mouth left her. Will seemed to share her urgency. He shrugged out of his lab coat and frantically pulled at the belt of his slacks. She wrapped her legs around his waist before he could free himself, pulling him toward her the instant he had his ready penis in hand. He was marvelously wide and longer than average, stretching her as he slid into the hot, wet flesh of her pussy. She was filled completely with Will’s hard, hot length, delirious as he began a steady rhythm that pushed her up the counter until her head nearly hung off of it.

  When Will leaned down to tongue her nipple, her inner walls clenched around his cock and she came hard. Her hands were wild in his hair, dragging his shirt upward until she found the damp, muscled flesh of his back beneath. He sucked her nipple into his mouth and desire shot through her and down to her pussy as he drove on inside her. The orgasm lasted and lasted, crashing over her in spiraling waves of need for release from the dark lust consuming her.

  It took a moment as she recovered to realize that another mouth had closed around her other nipple and it gave her a start. Rafe Bowen leaned forward from the other side of the counter by her head, lashing her other nipple in a determined rhythm with his tongue. She would’ve been shocked, mortified if she hadn’t been on the verge of coming again.


  Her pussy ached and burned, grasping Will’s cock with each driving thrust. Having her cunt completely filled and her breasts tantalized by two teasing mouths pushed her over the edge, had her screaming as she climaxed. The power of the orgasm was stronger than the last. Her nipples were diamond hard points that ached all the more for the wet mouths stimulating them. Will’s penetration was deep, his balls slapping against her again and again. And already she felt ready to come again. Wanted more, more, more…

  Will’s weight abruptly left her and he pulled himself from her body. His cock twitched as he came, and white streams shot across her belly as he moaned. Joey’s hand slid down her body, through the pool of his come to her pussy which still burned even more when he pulled out.

  Rafe’s mouth lifted from her and he rounded the corner of the counter to get to the other side, unfastening his slacks as he approached. His cock stood at attention, long and hard as he lifted her knees high and wide in his hands. All thoughts of their employee-supervisor relationship were gone in her need to have him inside her, to have a man inside her. Her fingers continued working her clit the way she’d always enjoyed when she was alone. Rafe’s hard length entered her and she came in an instant. Her entire body quivered and shook and she let her head hang off the table as he began to move within her, rode wave after wave.

  Joey lost track of how many times she came, how many times Will and Rafe alternated trying to slake her lust and their own. She only knew that the more she climaxed the worse the craving in her body became, and the stamina of the two men suggested that they experienced the same thing. Finally, she didn’t know how much time had passed, exhaustion claimed her as Will pushed inside her and she held him close.

  The pounding of his heart against hers was the last thing she remembered.

  Chapter Three

  Joey awakened the next morning snuggled in her warm bed with the feeling that she’d slept a long time. She opened her eyes and the hands of the old-fashioned clock on the table by the bed confirmed her suspicions. It was nine o’clock in the morning. Bright sunlight filtered in through the white lace curtains of the large bedroom window. Her heart started racing and not because she’d missed her history exam.

  The four-poster bed she was lying in wasn’t hers.

  Panicking, Joey shot up in bed, her eyes frantically scanning the unfamiliar bedroom filled with antique furniture and old black and white photos in fancy frames. The white walls and large lace covered windows gave the room a surreal, dreamy quality.

  Only this was no dream. It was a nightmare. Everything that had happened the evening before flashed in her mind. The girl bound to the pedestal and the ritual she’d stumbled upon in Cranford Hall. They had to get help! That girl was probably dead by now. She’d been on her way to find help but she’d run into Will and then Rafe had taken them back to the lab…

  Joey’s face went up in flames as she recalled having sex with Will and Rafe after they returned to the lab. No, it wasn’t like that, she told herself. God, she was sore in places she couldn’t name. Something from that ritual had affected her, she was sure of it. She’d had no control over the burning in her body, the powerful lust that had held her in its grip. Whatever had taken hold of her had gotten to Will too because she couldn’t imagine him throwing her up on the counter and fucking her brains out in front of their boss otherwise. And Rafe…

  Burying her face in her hands, she shook her head. How could she ever face either of them again?

  And where the hell was she?

  She didn’t have long to wonder. The bedroom door quietly opened and Rafe walked in carrying a tray covered in dishes and flowers. He was dressed as he always was in a starched white shirt and neatly pressed trousers. She caught the scent of his cologne, a cool, elegant scent.

  He smiled at her, his hazel eyes warm as they moved over her. “You look lovely this morning.”

  Oh, God! Was she dressed? Her hands flew to her chest. She was dressed and in a lacy ice blue negligee no less.

  Okay, this is fucking weird.

  “I brought you some breakfast,” Rafe explained gently as if it were a common thing for him to serve breakfast in bed to a freshman who worked in his lab and had just had wild sex with him. “I’m sure you’re famished.”

  Setting the tray down at the foot of the bed he approached her and Joey’s entire body tensed, wondering what he intended to do. Her heart hammered in her chest as he arranged the pillows behind her and then gently clasped her shoulders in his warm hands and urged her to lean back against them. When he seemed convinced she was comfortable he picked up the tray and moved it over her lap so that she was looking down over the assortment of breads, fruits and eggs. The scent of the freshly cut flowers, tiger lilies, in a sparkling crystal vase blended well with the aromas of the food he’d brought for her.

  Joey’s mind scrambled to piece everything together. Rafe had brought her here, dressed her this way? Modesty was a moot point because he knew the lay of land after last night. But the one thing she couldn’t get her mind around was why. Why had he brought her here? Why was he looking at her like a lover now?

  Where was Will?

  Rafe pulled a white painted spindle back chair next to the bed and sat down. Joey was grateful that he maintained his distance because it made it easier for her to stay calm. One of the most important lessons Joey had learned in the Army was to keep her head in any situation. Panic was her enemy. She knew there would be an appropriate time for action.

  “We have much to talk about.” Rafe folded his hands in his lap. “There are many things I’ve wanted to tell you, planned to tell you… What happened last night was a situation I couldn’t have anticipated. And I’m so sorry you had to go through that.”

  What exactly was the situation? Joey eyed him warily but said nothing. Another valuable lesson from her time in the military. Questions put people on the defensive. Silence invited them to say more.

  “Please, eat,” he urged, smiling at her again like a lovesick teenager.

  Joey picked up the fork and picked at the generous helping of scrambled eggs before her. Appearing to eat seemed to satisfy him.

  “What you saw in the auditorium,” he began slowly, “was a ritual. A ritual that has been performed for hundreds of years in secret.”

  Well, I sure as hell knew it wasn’t an awards ceremony.

  “No one is harmed,” Rafe explained carefully. “I assure you that the girl you saw on the stage is perfectly fine. In fact, she is better than fine. Today she is beginning a new life that will have no limits for her. That is what the ceremony does for the lucky ones who are chosen. It frees them from all of the anxieties and hang-ups that prevent us from realizing our full potential every day. The ritual is a celebration of that person’s liberation if you will and the participants themselves are renewed by it.”

  Joey slowly ate the small bit of scrambled eggs on the tines of her fork. It was a pretty concept he was trying to sell her. But she knew what she saw and it wasn’t a lucky person being liberated while a group of people toasted her. She saw a girl strapped to a pedestal being gang raped by a bunch of weirdos in red robes while more weirdos in black robes had an orgy!

  “The chosen ones become our finest students,” he went on. “They go on to excel in academics and athletics. They enter the world ready to take on the biggest challenges and succeed as CEOs, politicians, scientists.”

  There was such pride in his voice as he uttered the word “scientists” that her stomach clenched. He thought it was all okay? If it was such a good thing for that girl to be a ‘chosen one’ and she had been a willing participant, why had they strapped her to the pedestal? Why had she been blindfolded and gagged? The girl had looked pretty unwilling to her.

  The chosen ones become some of our finest students.

  “The super-geeks in the blazers,” Joey thought out loud.

  Rafe’s chuckle was deep and just a little nervous. “Yes, exactly.”

  Oh, my God! They
had done this to all of those students? Male and female? The tiny bit of egg she’d eaten threatened to come right back up as the enormity of what he was saying hit her. How often did they do this? How did they select the ‘chosen ones’?

  Maria. An image of her roommate in the hall yesterday drifted across her mind. Had they done that to Maria?

  “Dr. Bowen?” Joey fought to keep her voice calm, even.

  “Rafe,” he corrected her with that love struck expression that made her want to belt him.

  “Rafe,” she said. “Where’s Will?”

  Though she’d tried to keep her question as innocent and emotionless as possible, it still struck a nerve. Rafe’s expression darkened and his jaw tightened ever so slightly. He shifted in his chair, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. The intensity of his gaze got her attention and she knew she wouldn’t like what he had to say.

  “Josey, I want you to listen carefully.”

  Josey? Did whatever the hell was going on cause people to totally forget other people’s preferred name? He’d never called her anything but Joey. Was he hallucinating? Did he think she was someone else? Her apprehension grew by leaps and bounds under his stare. Her eyes scanned the tray for anything she could use as a weapon. Nothing but the fork and a butter knife as far as utensils. Damn! The crystal vase might be useful.

  “You’re a smart girl.” His deep voice broke into her thoughts. “You just might be able to get past me but you wouldn’t get far. You have no idea of what you are dealing with.”

  Something about his menacing tone combined with his crisp British accent forced a chill up her spine. She imagined the devil himself sounded just this way. Joey met his gaze squarely, rested her hands on the edge of the tray so he couldn’t see that she was trembling.