Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Revenge, I Just Love It

Chapter 11: Wicked Games

*Knock Knock

"Daniel, you should get the door" Emily murmured, lifting her eyes up from her phone to glance at him, with cold, unfeeling eyes, "I mean...unless you want me to drag it out even longer."

"Oh how you love games" Daniel muttered angrily in reply with a taut expression on his handsome face, as he slowly began walking towards the door, trying to steady his nerves from the anxiety he felt. How did one confess to the police that they were the perpetrator who shot their own wife, on the night of the wedding?

He didn't know...no matter what he said, in the eyes of the police, he wouldn't just be guilty, but he would also be the cruelest and lowest of men. While Emily, would appear to be the innocent and tragic wife, who was forced into marrying him, and then staying with him afterwards, oblivious to the fact that it was him, her own husband who had shot her.

Opening the door, trying to steady his composure, as the two police officers came into view, he felt the noose around his neck tightening even further... that's what it felt like, like he was strangling, like he was struggling for a breath of air. But not just any air, he needed clean air that could renew his self, instead of the polluted air that he had been breathing in for far too long, plaguing his body with cruelness and madness.

If he confessed he knew he could rid that air and cleanse himself, but with the noose tied so tightly around his neck, squeezing out the words seemed like an insurmountable action.

"Mr. Grayson, how have you been holding up?" Officer Laine, the female police officer who had been working on the case kindly asked him.

Daniel blinked in surprise, expecting to hear animosity from her voice instead of friendliness, as if she could smell out the guilt on him. Of course she couldn't though, or else he would have been in hand cuffs, a lot sooner than today.

Trying to force some words out in reply, he slowly mumbled, "not too well to be honest".

She looked at him with empathy, "We'll find the perpetrator" she assured him, as her partner Officer Hunter, added, "With the information your wife can give us today, we're hoping that it will be a big clue in helping us solve the case and when we do, you can be assured that the perpetrator will be punished to the fullest extent of the law."

"And what would that be?" Daniel asked apprehensively, cursing himself after the words had stumbled out of his mouth. He knew he shouldn't have, the knowledge would do but nothing but further hinder his already weakening will to confess.

"The person guilty will be charged with attempted murder, and will therefore receive a life sentence."

"Murder" Daniel whispered horrified, his whole face having whitened, he hadn't attempted to murder Emily when he had shot her. The alcohol he'd consumed, his anger and his fluctuating emotions had led him to react on impulse, and that impulse was wanting to hurt her, like he was hurt at the time. But attempted murder...he knew his impulse was cruel, but even in the deepest, most hidden recesses of his mind, it couldn't have been that dark, that twisted. He refused to believe that, not with knowing how much he had truly loved her.

"The perpetrator fired not one but two shots to the center of your wife's body. She was unarmed and in no way a threat to the perpetrator. One shot could have killed her, but the perpetrator fired two, hoping to assure her death. This was definitely attempted murder, and honestly it's disgusting." Officer Laine stated, her lips curling up in distaste.

"It was a miracle that Emily survived" Ben added in respect to her, "she must be a real fighter."

Daniel slowly nodded his head, the noose around his neck now fully tightened; marring any inclination he had of confessing.

"Speaking of Emily, where is your wife?" Officer Laine asked, "Can we come in?"

Daniel ushered them into the lobby, not wanting to seem suspicious, as he plundered his shaken mind for a suitable way out of all this.

This was Emily's expertise though, not his, the lying, the manipulation... the way she could handle any social situation, with a calm exterior and a quick response. He'd always admired that about her, she never seemed to panic or feel rattled by people or their words, not even his mother's, which was a rare trait to come across in people.

Because of this, when he was working in Grayson Global and looking for new investors, he had always used to love taking Emily with him on his business meetings. With her by his side, he had felt confident that he'd get their so called "alliance" and often he did. She was charming, well informed and she always knew the right thing to say, often more than he did himself. After the meetings, when they went back to the hotel room, since often the meetings were out of town. He'd grab her by the waist pulling her closer to him and whisper in her ear, "it's not fair, you're so much better than me at my own job."

Flashback

"Em's" Daniel murmured affectionately as he threw his jacket on the armchair to his side, "because of you this is my third investor I've brought in this month, so thank you so much"

She turned around and faced him, her lips curling up into a smile, "I'm sure Conrad will be happy".

He nodded his head in agreeance, as he walked towards her, "I'll give you credit"

"It's not my job, you don't have to" she replied lightly, as she felt his arms wrap around her waist, pulling her closer to him.

"I still will" he answered resolutely, his hand beginning to play with the bottom strands of her blonde hair as he leant further into her so that his lips were against her ear, "it's not fair" he moaned in a whisper, "you're so much better than me at my own job."

She laughed softly, "you underestimate yourself, you could do this without me Daniel, you just don't want to, you have too much fun with me by your side."

"Well you're right about that" he murmured seductively, as he began to press his warm succulent lips against her neck, moving slowly down until he reached her collarbone, his eager hands having slid the sleeve of her blouse to the side, eliciting a soft moan from Emily's mouth.

As Daniel rose his head back up to meet hers, his brown eyes gazing at her with desire, she cursed herself for giving in too easy, for loving him too much...it could only end badly, that she knew, for as much as she tried, she wasn't the perfect lover he thought she was, and she didn't have the courage to let him in to all of her; to her memories, to her pain and ultimately to her vulnerability. She gave him bits and pieces of her true self, what she wanted, what she could handle, but relinquishing all her control, and baring her whole self in front of him, it was too hard.

"I love you Emily" he whispered lovingly, the corners of his mouth tugging up into a warm smile before his lips crashed back ardently against her own. He further deepened that kiss, as he slowly began to push her body towards the bed, and in response Emily wrapped one arm around his back, her cool hand touching bare skin, as she slid it underneath the light but expensive material of his blue shirt, while her other hand lay pressed against the back of his neck, her fingers brushing up against his dark brown hair.

As her back hit the soft surface of the bed and his body fell against her own, Emily's breath hitched in anticipation and her eyes flickered up staring into the fervent brown eyes of her lover, as her lips slowly parted, giving way for his name to escape her succulent lips.

Flashback End

"The thing is..." Daniel started, feeling the need to say something, to fill the awkward silence that had transpired from his lack of quick thinking, "my wife is not feeling well at the moment and she needs rest, I'm sorry but it's best you come back later."

"She was the one who called us Mr. Grayson, we'll speak to her briefly before leaving her to rest and wishing for her best recovery." Officer Hunter countered, not accepting what he had said, "I'm sure you want this case solved up as soon as possible, and this new memory of hers may help us."

Twitching with irritation from the authoritative tone of voice, Officer Hunter had used on him, Daniel refused to be phased by it or let it negate the lie he'd previously told.

He disliked Officer Hunter a lot, as cops went he seemed like a fair one who believed in the system and stuck to the rules, but he was also a man who seemed to like his wife a bit more than he should. Daniel had seen it, how his hand would linger for a bit too long on her shoulder when he wanted to assure her of something, or how he always seemed a little too eager to be as helpful to Emily as he possibly could. He could tell even in just the simple way Ben looked at her, and it irritated him... it really did.

It didn't help that between Officer Hunter and Officer Laine, Officer Hunter seemed to be the officer who was the most skeptical of him. Daniel knew that he had to be extra careful, with what he said and did around him, for he knew that Ben would have no qualms about putting Daniel back on the suspect list, if he felt there was reason for it.

Daniel could not give him that reason, not after he'd backed out on setting himself free through confessing. And so just like what his parents would do to cover something up, or what Emily would do to manipulate somebody, he had to lie, and convincingly. "Of course finding a suspect is important, but even more so than that, is my wife's recovery. She is worried, and she is stressed, and she is tormented from the shooting. Talking to the police only intensifies those feelings, negating her recovery. Of course it is necessary and cannot be avoided if we want a chance of finding the suspect, but today, it can be avoided, and so today she is going to rest. This should be something even you can understand, Officer Hunter."

"I understand" Officer Hunter replied slowly, "Have Emily call us back when she has finished resting, if not then we will be back this evening" He declared, as he looked towards the Grayson with a look irritation before he left with Officer Laine.

"I knew you didn't have it in you to confess" Emily murmured with animosity, as she walked up behind him from the shadows she'd been lurking in, "a coward, through and through".

Daniel turned to face her, looking as if he wanted to say something nasty in reply, but instead he held her gaze as he candidly said in reply, the one thing that had truly disturbed him ever since he'd heard Officer Hunter's statement, "Emily, that night when I shot you, I know it doesn't change anything but I still need you to know that I didn't...I wasn't trying to murder you?"

He saw as her eyes widened in surprise at the issue he'd brought up, but then she shook it off, "It doesn't matter" she responded, "you still shot me and I still nearly died".

"I know and I'm sor..."

"You're pathetic" Emily said callously, her voice dripping with disgust, "Were you not just yelling at me before the police came, telling me that you were done with the guilt and with me. You said that you wouldn't let your past feelings interrupt with how to best deal with me now, yet it looks like even those words you can't adhere to. Come on Daniel, since you choked on your confession, we're playing by my rules now, and you'll make it god damn easy for me if you don't start hating me."

"You're just scared that if I don't hate you then you might start forgiving me?" Daniel retorted, as he moved closer towards her, "admit it Emily, you're terrified, so much so that you want me to hurt you further to prevent that."

Emily pursed her lips and backed away from him, her eyes avoiding the penetrating gaze, he chose to stare at her with.

I know you're in pain Emily" he continued "and with that anger induced pain, for reasons I can't comprehend, you feel like you have to do this instead of simply letting go, or hurting me in one solid shot. So you vow to be cold and unfeeling, you vow to ruin me, in this twisted game of yours, which neither of us will win. You're the one who's pathetic Emily, pathetic for choosing to adhere to all this extra pain that will come to you."

She glared at him fiercely not knowing how to respond in words as he smirked slightly and pointed his finger towards her, "I see you, Emily, I see you"

She shook her head in disbelief, "See me" she uttered, "not once have you seen me, the real me, all of me; not when we first met, not one we fell in love, not when you proposed. I hid myself from you and you didn't notice, you were too dumb, or naive or simply disinterested to try and even break through my walls."

"I did try" he persisted "again and again and again...but you were just..."

"But you just gave up" Emily replied fiercely, interrupting his sentence, "and then turned your back on me to start your affair with Sarah."

"I see you too Daniel, you're weak... you have ideals, you have dreams, you have values..." she paused for effect before finishing off with the words, "but you don't fight for anything!"

With that she began to walk away from him, heading towards the staircase, but Daniel quickened his pace, to catch up with her, grabbing her arm tightly to force her into facing him. "Emily, what do you want me to fight for then?" he asked challengingly.

Emily's eyes widened in a mixture of anger, disbelief and irritation before settling into an angry glare, which she directed at Daniel as she successfully managed to twist her arm out of his grip.

But he was persistent and unrelenting, and he wanted an answer now, so he grabbed her again, this time backing her up against the wall.

She was cornered now, and she knew it as she felt the back of her head and her shoulder blades press against the solid cream coloured walls and she cursed his name repeatedly in her head as she felt his toned body, press up close against her own, completely blocking her from escape.

"I'm asking you" he said indignantly, "What do you want me to fight for, Em's?"

He was so close to her body, that she could feel the fervent heat radiating off of it, and smell the fresh, woody, chocolaty scent that lingered off his skin, and as much as she wanted to admit it, she couldn't ignore the deep feeling off lust her mind was trying to repress.

"Get off me" she said sharply, drawing a jagged breath as she struggled against him, "you have no right..."

"To ask you a question" he retorted, interrupting her like she'd done to him so many times before.

"To try restrain me like this"

"But we're husband and wife Emily, because you won't leave me alone, because you're choosing to stay... Answer my question and I'll let you go" he added.

Emily glared at him fiercely, she hated feeling this weak; she hated how her pushing him away wouldn't have as much impact on him due to her weakness. It was frustrating, especially during times like now, when he was taking advantage of her because of it. But what was most frustrating was how she couldn't react explosively. Instead she had to keep her cool and act indifferent, like he wasn't wrecking havoc under her skin.

"You seem desperate" she replied coolly, "using my lack of strength from the injury to try force me into answering your question...desperate and stupid."

Daniel shrugged his shoulders, "I guess you can say that I'm desperate to see you squirm... and I'm sorry but I just don't feel like caving any time soon."

Emily sighed, using her warning voice as she said, "I'm just going to block you out now, until you decide to let go of me yourself and you will let me go even without me answering your question. It's only a matter of time, I mean knowing you it must be so hard, being this close to me, your body pressed against mine, and not being able to give in to your desire...the one where you ravish my body, touching me all over and covering me in kisses. And unless you really put your hands on me, and take advantage of me, which I know even you wouldn't do, then you know you can't have me."

Biting down on her lower lip, an action she knew he found arousing, as she saw the lust coming through in his brown eyes, she smirked, knowing she had won as she continued and said, "So you might as well save yourself the torment, and stop toying with your senses from once again choosing to secure me in such a close way, for we all know in a battle between my iron will, and yours, mine will always win."

"You're probably right" Daniel murmured, drawing his lips towards her ear and further leaning into her in the process, trying to arouse her himself as he began to whisper, "lust, desire, thirst... you knew just where to attack to dissolve my intentions, almost as if you'd been feeling those things yourself."

He placed one hand on her hip, trying to gauge the reaction she refused to give him, as he then pressed his warm lips on the side of her neck, just below the ear he'd been whispering into.

He had her trapped and she knew it, if she yelled at him and pushed him away from her so abruptly, then by doing that he'd know that her lust for him was indeed existent, explaining why he'd been able to get under her skin so easily. It was like in school when a girl denied she liked a boy so profusely, that everyone then believed she did, on the pretense that she'd gotten so worked up over it.

But she couldn't just continue letting him kiss her, she hated it the feel of his lips gliding across her smooth skin, the way it threw her senses in disarray, and left her feeling hot all over.

"Daniel" she said trying to steady her voice, trying to sound in control.

He continued to kiss her, his hand beginning to hitch up her shirt.

"Daniel" she repeated again, this time trying to sound sharper.

This time he stopped, lifting his head up to face hers, his lips only inches from her own, "If you want me to stop then tell me to stop" he murmured, before closing the gap between his lips and hers.

Emily's breath rose in her throat, and she cursed herself, for letting her control slip, "Stop!" she said sharply, her head having moved to the side to prevent his lips from brushing up against hers.

As promised he stopped, and she pushed him away from her, glaring up at him, as she readjusted her shirt and hair, trying to regain some of her biting demeanour.

Daniel smirked, knowing that he'd been able to ruffle up a few of her feathers as he backed away from her. "You sure you still want to play this game Em's, now that I know one of your weaknesses"

Emily laughed, "You're more naive then I thought, if you think you'll be able to exploit it. I have control whereas you do not."

"I'm not naive anymore" Daniel replied indignantly,

"Then don't go thinking that you can change my mind and make me realize that moving on is what I need to heal, I need your blood before I can even think about healing" Emily said maliciously.

"I know, I just wonder how long you can bear to stay with me until you break" Daniel retorted.

"Until I break... Are you planning to hurt me?" Emily asked challengingly.

"I'm not planning anything" Daniel answered honestly, "but if anything you've proven to me, that you know how best to make me angry and get under my skin, and as much as I like to think I couldn't hurt you, ultimately, I can't say that I'm such a good guy, that I won't snap back."

"I'll consider that my warning then" Emily replied coolly, as she began to turn away from him and walk up the stairs.

"Emily" Daniel called out feeling the need to say one more thing. She didn't turn around as she ascended the winding stairs but he knew she'd hear as he shouted, "You started this, and you can end this anytime you like, you said so yourself, you're in control; remember that when you get to the point where you feel like you've had enough of the wicked games."

I know it's been quite a while, but I've been really busy, I'm glad I managed to get this out though.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, comments are greatly appreciated.