She Used Me for a Dare… Now I Own Her Mother

Chapter 190: My Poor Catherine

”Ah—hn...”

The sound that escaped Victoria’s lips was somewhere between a gasp and a moan... sharp, involuntary, shocked by its own intensity.

Her hands braced against the marble countertop, knuckles white, breath coming fast as sensation rippled through her body from where Alex’s fingers had touched the side of her neck.

Just a touch. Barely any pressure. Three seconds at most... yet her body reacted like he’d set fire to her nerves.

”Oh my God,” Victoria breathed, her voice unsteady in a way that would have embarrassed her if she’d had the presence of mind to care.

”What... what was that?”

Victoria whispered, and there was no accusation in it. Just genuine wonder mixed with something that might have been need.

Alex stood behind her in the bathroom’s early morning light, his reflection visible in the mirror beside hers.

His Enhanced body was relaxed, controlled, but his eyes held something that might have been satisfaction mixed with curiosity.

His smile turned mysterious... not smug, but knowing. Like someone who’d just confirmed a hypothesis they’d been almost certain about but needed empirical evidence to verify.

”A perfect weapon,” Alex murmured, eyes on her reflection. ”For people who think they can’t be touched.”

Victoria turned to face him, still catching her breath, her professional composure thoroughly shattered by whatever he’d just done.

Her dark eyes searched his face with mixture of confusion, arousal, and something that looked almost like alarm.

”That wasn’t...” Victoria swallowed, trying to steady her voice. ”Alex... was that a new skill?”

She hated how the question sounded... like she’d already lost ground... but there was no other explanation.

Because whatever that was... it wasn’t just touch. It was a command.

Her breath shook once.

”It felt like my body was being told to give in completely.”

Her eyes met his in the mirror, sharp but shaken.

Alex didn’t move, didn’t speak... just watched her struggle to process a sensation she clearly wasn’t prepared for.

His smile widened slightly, and he reached up... slowly, telegraphing the movement... to touch her face.

Just fingertips against her cheek. Gentle. Almost chaste in its simplicity.

Victoria’s breath caught again, pupils dilating despite herself, and she felt warmth spread from the point of contact like he’d somehow reached directly into her nervous system and turned sensation up to levels that shouldn’t be possible.

”It’s called Serpent’s Whisper,” Alex said quietly, his Enhanced voice carrying weight.

”A merged skill. Two abilities that fused into something more powerful than either was alone.”

His eyes never left her face, but Victoria had no idea what he was actually seeing.

Because overlaid across her body... visible only to Alex’s Enhanced perception... was a breathtaking display of color-coded information that transformed her from woman into tactical map.

Deep crimson zones glowed along the curve of her neck where he’d first touched, pulsing slightly with intensity that indicated maximum sensitivity. Primary erogenous areas that would respond most powerfully to contact.

Amber shimmer traced the line of her collarbone, the small of her back visible where her silk robe had shifted, the inner curve of her wrists. Secondary response zones... still highly receptive, still capable of creating significant effect, just slightly less intense than the crimson.

Soft gold highlights marked her temples, the tension points along her shoulders, the base of her spine. Places where touch would relieve stress, create comfort, make her body associate his presence with relief rather than just arousal.

And beneath all of it, barely visible but definitely present... pale silver traces that seemed to pulse in rhythm with her elevated heartbeat. Psychological vulnerability points.

Places where touch would bypass conscious thought and speak directly to emotional need.

Alex’s fingers twitched once, instinct urging him to test another point... to see how far the reaction would go.

But he didn’t.

He lowered his hand instead.

This skill wasn’t designed for someone like her.

He knew that very well... on a normal person, it hit too hard.

His gaze softened, almost apologetic.

It was meant for people like Catherine. Women who can’t be moved by anything... unless something like this exists.

”And it does what, exactly?” she asked, her voice steadier now as professional curiosity overtook physical response. ”Make your touch feel exceptional? Or something deeper.”

Alex didn’t answer.

Instead, his eyes met hers in the mirror.

”Tell me how it feels to you.”

Victoria drew in a slow breath, but it didn’t help... her pulse was still racing, skin still sensitized where he’d touched her.

”It feels...” she began, then stopped, regrouping.

”...addictive. Like your touch is too right. Like my body decided it wants more before I even had a chance to think about it.”

”It felt... right. Safe. Like this touch of yours was exactly what I needed even though I hadn’t known it until this moment.”

Alex nodded once, satisfaction flickering openly in his eyes... confirmation, not arrogance.

See this something clicked in Victoria’s expression.

Her breath paused.

Her eyes widened.

”Wait—” she stared at him, realization hitting hard.

”Don’t tell me you’re planning to use that on Catherine.”

For a heartbeat, they just held each other’s gaze.

Then Victoria let out a disbelieving laugh... half amusement, half horror.

”Ohhh, my poor Catherine,” she said, pressing a hand to her forehead. ”She has no idea what’s coming.”

Alex’s lips curved, just slightly.

Victoria shook her head, still laughing under her breath.

”Alright,” she said, regaining composure.

”Don’t worry... I’ll set the stage. I’ll make sure you get the perfect moment to use that skill.”

Her smile turned wickedly supportive.

”And when you do... even Catherine Blackwood won’t stand a chance.”

For a moment, Victoria didn’t move.

Her eyes sharpened... excitement sparking there, unmistakable and almost dangerous.

The idea of watching her untouchable, emotionally bulletproof friend slowly fall for her man...

It thrilled her more than she expected.

Victoria was already assembling strategies in her mind...

not just one opening, but multiple precise opportunities to steer Catherine toward him:

the right setting, the right moment, the right emotional angle.

The first step would be everything. And she intended to make it flawless.

Then she blinked, snapped out of it, and checked the time on her phone.

Her expression shifted... amusement dissolving into urgency.

”But right now, we need to move.”

Victoria stepped back, gently pushing Alex toward the door.

”Catherine values punctuality almost as much as she values political maneuvering. If we’re late, she’ll be irritated before you even walk through the door.”

Her tone carried warning beneath the lightness.

”And trust me... you don’t want to meet Catherine Blackwood for the first time when she’s already in a bad mood.”

Alex allowed himself to be ushered out of the bathroom, Victoria’s hand on his back guiding him with gentle insistence.

”Twenty minutes,” she continued, moving toward his bedroom. ”That’s all we have before we need to leave. So shower, get dressed... wear the charcoal suit, Catherine appreciates good tailoring... and be ready to walk out that door.”

She paused at the threshold, and her expression softened slightly.

***

Alex stood under the shower’s hot spray, letting the water cascade over his Enhanced body while his mind worked through everything that had led to this moment.

Last night, Victoria had informed him:

Catherine wants to meet tomorrow morning.

They had one hour to get there.

Plenty of time on paper...

but no room for mistakes.

The nervousness had been immediate and visceral... walking into the private fortress of someone positioned to potentially lead House Blackwood, surrounded by Peak Enhanced security who would eliminate perceived threats without hesitation, with explicit intent to seduce her using capabilities she wouldn’t recognize.

But alongside that nervousness came something far more powerful:

Opportunity.

Not just to meet Catherine Blackwood. Not just to potentially create connection with someone at the highest levels of Sacred House politics.

A chance to climb higher than I ever imagined possible.

To move from surviving on the edges of their world to actually operating within it. To prove that what he was building wasn’t just ambition backed by luck... it was real power that could challenge the existing order.

And if I really want to become something big, Alex thought, the decision crystallizing with absolute clarity, I have to stop being nervous and start actively acting.

Not eliminating the nervousness... that would be foolish when walking into genuine danger. But choosing to act despite it. Choosing confidence backed by preparation over hesitation backed by fear.

Alex shut off the water, his Enhanced body moving with unconscious efficiency as he dried off and began dressing.

Day before yesterday, Alex recalled while pulling on the charcoal suit Victoria had recommended. Viktor’s intelligence briefing. Everything I needed to know about Thornhaven Manor.

The information had been comprehensive... forty-eight hours of intensive work by people who’d spent fifteen years gathering intelligence for House Blackthorne.

Thornhaven Manor. Twelve acres of grounds.

Main structure twenty-five thousand square feet. Gothic Revival architecture that looked more like medieval castle than modern residence. Three stories. Central tower. Two wings extending outward like protective arms.

Not just beautiful. Defensible.

Every sight line calculated for security.

Every entrance monitored with both technological and Enhanced surveillance. Perimeter walls reinforced beyond normal construction standards. Landscaped grounds that prevented unseen approach while maintaining aesthetic beauty.