McNuggets for dinner, Viking rooms, labyrinths, bellhops. I feel like I’ve been transported to another universe, and in a way, I think I have.

We’re in Blair’s own little world. This is probably a physical approximation of her mind, as close as we can get to the little drawers and filing cabinets inside her brain. This compound is Spine and it’s Blair and it’s the center of everything, the key to our project.

If only I could see how it all fits together and unlocks.

I take a shower and let the warm water stream down my skin. I try not to think about Justin this time, about his body and his wily smile, about his humor and his mind. I have to ignore him, keep it all together, because the project is more important.

It’s like we’re in a game and Blair’s trying to distract us with each other. I’m not going to fall for that trap.

After my shower, I dry off, put on comfy clothes, and slip into bed. The sheets are surprisingly comfortable, not at all the starchy, scratchy sheets you usually get in a hotel. I guess in Blair’s world, everything looks like what it is, just slightly tilted off-center when you peer a little more closely.

I decide to flip on the TV and let myself be a zombie until sleep comes. The screen comes on, but it’s all snow. I flip through the channels and it doesn’t take long before I realize that there’s only one channel, and it can’t be native to this island.

It’s a public cable access channel from the Chicago area, circa 1990s. I’m guessing this is what Blair used to watch when she was a little girl.

The current show features two old women trying to learn to crosshatch, which keeps my attention for a shocking amount of time. Four episodes slip past, and I’m still wide awake, wondering what the next crazy thing is going to be.

A knock at the door rips me from my thoughts. I sit there, totally still, wondering: is this another test sent by Blair? Maybe Rick with a rifle, telling me we need to hunt down a crocodile that got loose from the crocodile room?

I get out of bed and pad on over to the door, opening it without looking through the peephole. Justin grins at me, his eyes a little wild.

“You have to come with me.”

I hesitate. This is worse than some crazy test sent by Blair.

“Why?” I ask.

“I found something pretty amazing.”

“How long have you been wandering around?”

His turn to hesitate. He looks at his watch. “I don’t know. A couple hours. Who cares? Come on, Remi.”

“I’m not dressed.”

He looks down at my body, at my short cotton shorts and my loose t-shirt. “That’s perfect.”

I bite my lip. “Justin.”

“Remi. Come on. You’re going to like it, I promise.”

I sigh, but for some reason, I believe him. Probably because this compound is hiding way more than I’ll ever guess at.

“Fine. Hold on.” I slip back into my room, grab a pair of sandals, and slip them on. I find him waiting impatiently in the hall.

“This way.” He sets off back toward the Viking room.

We travel down a few hallways and finally come to a dead end. Tara’s there and she nods as we approach, pulling down what looks like a normal lighting fixture. Something clicks and a door appears in the wall, swinging inwardly with a creak.

“Hidden doors,” I say. “Of course. Since we’re in a funhouse anyway.”

He laughs. “Come on.” He takes my hand and we follow Tara into the room.

I let him lead me down a set of roughhewn stone stairs. The modern hotel disappears behind us as we plunge into what I can only describe as a dungeon. The space is lit by torches, actual torches with actual fire, spaced out maybe every twenty yards. We keep going, descending down and down, turning corners, practically spiraling.

Finally, the stairs end and the room opens out into a cave. I can hear water trickling ahead.

“Fire it up,” Justin says to Tara, and she nods. I watch as she walks over to a nearby control panel set into a wall, presses a series of buttons, and the whole room comes alive.

At first, the light dazzles me. We just traveled by torchlight, so it takes a second for my eyes to adjust. When I can see straight, I stand there, gaping.

Pillars fill the room, intricately carved and painted. They depict battle scenes of some lost and ancient people. In the center of the room is a pool, circular and deep blue.

I follow Justin toward the pool. “What is this?” I ask him.

“It’s exactly what it looks like.” He releases my hand suddenly and takes off his shirt. I stare at his body, at the rippling muscles and his lean but hard lines. I have the sudden urge to press my palms against his chest, to feel his tough abs against my lips.

“Come on,” he says. He pulls off his pants next, leaving himself in just a pair of boxer briefs.

“What are you doing?” I blink, shocked. He’s in just his underwear, and it basically doesn’t hide anything. I can see the outline of his massive cock, straining the thin cotton. His thighs are beautifully sculpted and the V-lines leading down toward his cock send shivers down my spine.

“Come on,” he repeats, turning his back to me, showing off more bulging muscle. He steps up to the edge of the round pool and dives in.

I look around for Tara, but she’s gone. In her place are two towels and two robes hanging discreetly from the wall.

Justin pops up and grins at me. “It’s amazing,” he says. “Geothermally warmed. Almost a perfect temperature. Take your clothes off and come on.”

“No way,” I say.

“Underwear and bathing suits are the same thing.”

“That’s what every guy says when they want you to take off your clothes.”

He rolls his eyes. “I do want you to strip, but that’s not really my goal here.”

I watch him swim backwards lazily. “I’m not wearing a bra,” I finally admit.

He stops swimming. “Huh. Well, whatever. Come in. I won’t look.”

I dip a toe into the water. “Maybe. It is pretty warm, I could just—”

I don’t finish my sentence. He suddenly lunges at me, grabs my ankle, flies up from the water, and pulls me in by my waist.

I topple into the water, landing on top of him. I sputter, kicking and pushing him away as he laughs.

“There you go, problem solved,” he says.

“You fucking asshole!” My clothes are soaked. My shirt, too big to begin with, balloons around me, a sodden mess.

“It’s fine, don’t worry. We’ve got robes to walk back in.” He gestures back toward where they’re hanging on the wall.

“Forget the robes. You can’t just pull me in like that, asshole.”

“Too late.” He swims toward me, moving to my left.

I sigh. “You’re such a prick.” I swim back toward the edge.

“Come on. Isn’t it perfect in here?”

I hesitate, hanging on to the side. He’s right, as much as I hate it. The pool is a perfect temperature, not too hot or too cold. It’s like they somehow figured out our exact body temperatures and set the pool for that.

I kick my feet as Justin floats toward the center. I watch him, my anger slowly subsiding.

It’s actually pretty pleasant. I hate to admit it, but it’s nice. He looks at me, a little wicked grin on his lips.

“Told you,” he says.

“Told me what?”

“You’d like it.” He starts to drift back toward me.

“I never said I liked it,” I grumble.

“Come on. Look at this place. It’s like some kind of temple to a water god or something.”

I look around. He’s right. There’s even something that looks like an altar toward the other end of the room with a single light shining down on it.

“Where’d Tara go?” I ask him.

“I told her to make sure we have total privacy,” he answers.

“Why?”

He shrugs, making little waves. “We’re in our underwear, I figured you’d be more comfortable that way.”

I nod a little. He’s right about that much, at least.

I release off the edge of the pool and swim into the middle. Looking down, it feels like it never ends, like it’s water inside of a bottomless pit.

“It’s only like twelve feet deep,” he says to me, “but I think the bottom is made of glass or something.”

“Seriously?”

He nods. “Yep. Go under and look. You won’t need goggles, the water’s fresh, and I’m pretty sure there’s no chlorine.”

I dive down. Normally I wouldn’t open my eyes, but this time I go for it. Everything’s a little blurry, but Justin was right, my eyes don’t sting at all like they would in a chlorinated pool.

I swim downward and am surprised by my own reflection swimming toward me. I get to the bottom, the pressure just starting to push against my ears, my breath starting to run out, and I kick up to the surface.

I break the water. “You’re right,” I say. “This is amazing.”

“See?” That smile again. I almost hate it. “Gorgeous.”

We swim together lazily, floating in the middle of the pool. “How much do you think this all cost?” I ask him.

“Millions,” he says. “Honestly, I don’t know how she affords it. Spine does really well, but not this well.”

“What do you know about her? You know, before Spine.”

“Not much,” he admits. “I did some research but there’s really nothing out there. She says she’s from Chicago and lived with her uncle for a while, but that’s pretty much it.”

I nod once, unsurprised about the Chicago bit. “I was thinking. This compound, it’s Spire, but it’s also Blair. I mean, this is like her world inside the game, but made into a real place.”

“So each of these weird rooms has significance to her.”

“I think it all does,” I say. “Every little detail.”

“Hm.” He splashes toward me. “What does this room mean?”

I look around, at the murals on the pillars, at the altar, at the breathtaking tilework. “No freaking clue.”

He laughs. “Maybe she’s some kind of pagan priestess in her spare time.”

“Wouldn’t put it past her.”

He kicks over toward me, surprisingly graceful in the water. I feel silly with my shirt billowing around me. I’m tempted to take it off, but I’m not sure I can handle his stares. Not because of modesty, but because of what I might do if I let him see my body.

“You seem to have her all figured out.”

“She’s familiar to me.”

He looks thoughtful. “If you had a compound, what would you have in it?”

I laugh softly. “You’re not getting in that easily.”

“I think you’d have gel pens and track meets. You’d have a creek running down the middle with big fat bullfrogs. You’d have laser tag and arcade games and Skechers and skateboards. You’d beat up boys and laugh at all the girly girls.”

I lean back in the water, looking up at the ceiling. “You’re not too far off,” I say softly.

“I know you, Remi. Even if it’s been a long time.” He’s close to me, I can feel it. I can feel that spark.

“Not anymore. You know the little girl. You stopped wanting to know me.”

“I never stopped wanting you,” he says softly.

I look over at him, and he’s inches away in the water, his face partially submerged. I’m lost in the beautiful pools of his eyes. I remember how he made me feel and how I feel right now, tingling for him, wanting to reach out and run my fingers along his stubble.

“Come here,” he says softly. He takes my hand and we swim together to the other side. There are steps leading out and we climb up onto them, getting up onto the other side, closer to the altar.

We stand and he pulls me along. We step up onto the dais and stop in front of the altar itself, six feet long, solid stone. On close inspection, I realize that it’s inlaid with tiny blue gems all over it in a whirling pattern.

I stand close to Justin, feeling the chill now that we’re out of the pool. He looks at me, head tipped, as I press close against his body. I’m intensely aware that he’s almost naked, aside from his boxer briefs.

He runs his hands through my wet hair and stops, fisting it, pulling it taut. I gasp softly, head tilting back. My shirt clings to my breasts, my hard nipples showing through the thin fabric.

He kisses me. For a second, I think about running away.

Instead, I kiss him back, slow and deep.

I don’t know how long the kiss lasts, but I feel it build. I press tighter against him and he pulls my shirt off, slipping it over my body and tossing it onto the floor nearby. His hands are on my full breasts, feeling my nipples, teasing me. I moan into his mouth as he kisses my neck.

I reach down and find his cock already hard. I slide down his boxer briefs and he kisses me hard, pushing me back against the altar. He hoists me, gets me up on the top. I wrap my legs around his waist and take his cock in both hands, stroking him, shocked at his length. I can barely fit him in both hands, and it only wants me to feel it even more.

I’ve wanted this for so long, but the voice in the back of my head’s still there, telling me to get away from this bastard.

He’s my boss. His father destroyed my father. He betrayed me, ran away from me, ignored me when I needed him the most.

I hate him. I despise him.

His hands slip down the front of my shorts, sliding under my panties, and he finds how much I really despise him.

I’m dripping wet. He rubs my clit, sending pleasure rocking through my whole body. I groan as he pushes two fingers inside of me, back out, working my clit, kissing my neck, hand still gripping my wet hair.

He suddenly pushes me back and grabs the top of my shorts. I let him pull them off, followed by my panties. The stone is surprisingly warm underneath my bare ass. He spreads my legs apart, kissing my inner thigh.

“I’ve dreamed about this for years,” he whispers, “and you taste even better than I guessed.”

“Bastard,” I whisper back, gripping my fingers in his hair. “I should hate you, you know.”

“You can hate me, as long as you don’t stop me.”

I groan as his tongue does its work. He clearly has practiced this. My clit’s ringing with pleasure as he licks it, sucks it, moving in different directions, alternating pressures, driving me absolutely wild.

He spreads my legs wider and I feel so exposed. I’m on top of this strange altar in the middle of this pool, and anyone could be watching. The thought only drives me crazier, makes me want him even more as he slides two fingers deep into my pussy.

“Are you thinking about getting caught?” he whispers, driving his fingers deeper.

“Yes,” I whisper back, stifling a moan. “Someone could walk in right now.”

“Good. I want them to.” He kisses me, burying his fingers deeper before going back down to tongue my clit while fucking my pussy.

I’m moaning wildly now, and I can’t stop myself. I know I should try and at least control something, but I can’t. He’s pushing my limits, taking me past where I’ve ever been before.

He suddenly pulls back and gets me down off the altar. I turn around as he spins me, pushes me over, my palms flat on the stone. He pins me there, his hands on top of my hands, and I feel his big cock between my legs.

“I’m going to take what I’ve been wanting for a very long time,” he whispers in my ear. “Hate me all you want, there’s no stopping it now.”

I look over my shoulder and kiss him, the only response he needs.

He pulls back, teasing my pussy. I brace myself as he slides his enormous cock between my legs.

I groan, a mix of pleasure and pain striking through me. He slowly pushes himself deeper, deeper, until I’m so full I can’t believe it. He pulls back now, fucking me in and out, starting slow, kissing me over my shoulder.

I’m exposed. Completely exposed. He pulls one leg up, putting it up onto the top of the altar. It’s only a few feet high, but it opens my ass wide as he starts to fuck me faster.

He pulls my hair, grunting his pleasure. He pushes one of my arms behind my back, holding me down against the stone. I can feel it against my face, my legs both back flat, as his cock slides faster.

He fucks me rough and slaps my ass, keeping me pressed down to the stone. It feels so fucking good. I love being controlled and dominated like this. He’s the kind of man that could destroy me, completely wreck me, and that thought only makes me want it even more. I crave that sweet oblivion that only a huge cock can bring.

I buck my hips back, grunting and moaning. I’m wild, losing my mind with pleasure. He spanks my ass again and it must be bright red. I feel him pull my hair, yank me back to standing again, my breasts pressed together between my elbows.

“Every night for years, I’ve pictured this ass, this body. Every night I’ve imagined what I’d do to make you beg my name.”

“What would you do?” I whisper, panting, my mouth open.

His smirk is pure desire and I’m afraid to find out the answer.

He fucks me harder, and suddenly I feel a finger slide into my ass. I groan, but I go with it, letting his cock fuck me, his finger up my ass. I keep moving my hips, needing it so fucking bad. He pulls his finger out and slaps my ass hard before wrapping his hand around my throat.

Adrenaline spikes as he squeezes, not hard, not enough to choke me, but enough to control me. My pleasure doubles, triples, as the intensity rolls through my skin. He keeps fucking me, hand on my throat, other hand spanking my ass, and I know I can’t stop myself any longer.

I let him push me forward onto the altar and I come. I come hard, begging his name, just like he wants. I say it again and again, my voice pitched low, my whole body ringing with a world-blackening orgasm.

I hear him groan and he pulls back. He spins me, turns me, gets me down on my knees in front of him before pushing his cock into my mouth. He’s too big but I suck him anyway, tasting my own pussy as I stroke and suck him.

He pulls back and comes. He covers my chin and breasts in thick spurts, groaning as he does it. I gasp and taste him on my lips, salty and warm. I lick it up, get some off my breasts with a finger, and put it in my mouth.

He groans and kisses me, pressing his body against mine. We hold each other like that, leaning against the altar.

When we’re done, he steps away and dives back into the water, completely naked.

I follow him. The water cleanses us, cleans us off. We swim to the other side and climb back out. I scurry over to the towels and the robes, drying myself off enough before putting the robe on.

He takes his time, watching me, a smile on his lips. “Even better than I imagined,” he says softly. “I’ve been wondering when I’d get your clothes off you.”

I give him a look. “Don’t get used to it.”

“I never want to,” he says back.

“This was a one-time thing. Just a… just a weird thing.” I step away. “We’re still coworkers.”

“And you still hate me.”

“Right.” I can’t meet his eyes, beautiful deep pools of desire. My orgasm is still ringing through me, ghostly and pale. “Let’s just forget about it.”

As I go to step away, he grabs my wrist and turns me. He kisses me, biting my bottom lip. “Go ahead and try to forget.”

I watch him leave the room first, walking fast. I put my fingers to my lip and they come back, pink with watery blood.