“So, how’d it go?” Zeke asked, lifting his hand quickly. “But spare me the details. I mean overall.”
“It…” I thrust a hand through my hair and stared at my friend. “Fuck, Zeke. Why’d you have to go and do this?”
Okay, so I hadn’t meant to sound quite so out of control. I had fully intended to keep it professional, tell him how I’d walked her through the club, allowed her to get a feel for it. I’d thought about what I would say all week, but in just a few seconds, I managed to derail everything. It was because I’d spent the entire fucking week thinking about Jamie, but I hadn’t called her or texted her. Not because I didn’t want to but out of respect for Zeke. I had promised myself I wouldn’t do anything until I talked to him. That was one of the problems with having a conscience that ragged on you endlessly.
“What happened, Edge?”
Yeah. What happened, Edge? Tell the Sadist how you went and fell for his sister without even being around her.
I dropped my head in my hands and tried to figure out how to explain. To tell one of my closest friends that I had a real interest in his sister.
Zeke leaned back in his chair, causing it to creak beneath him.
I took a deep breath, let it out, but my control was shot. I couldn’t do this, couldn’t risk Zeke telling me to stay far, far away from his sister. If he did, I feared I would defy him because I couldn’t stop thinking about her.
“Talk to me, Edge.”
It’s now or never. Spit it out.
“What do you want me to say?” I snapped, not sure if I was talking to Zeke or that stupid voice.
The crease in Zeke’s forehead appeared. “I don’t know. Tell me how it went.”
“I assume you’ve already talked to Jamie?”
“Not in depth, no.”
That was surprising. I figured for sure he would’ve grilled his sister about it. “Fine. You want to know?”
Zeke tilted his chin as a confirmation.
“It was great. Your sister’s a beautiful submissive and I enjoyed her company far more than I thought I would. She was eager, attentive.” I lifted my hand to cut him off. “And no, there was nothing sexual about the encounter. I answered her questions, listened when she wanted to talk and…”
And you want to see her again.
Plus, you want to dominate her, to prove to yourself and to her that she just might be submissive.
Don’t forget how you want to have Cav there, so you can dominate them both at the same fucking time.
Those were things I certainly couldn’t tell Zeke, but they were true. Every last fucking one of them.
“You know how old she is, right?” Zeke asked, his tone curt.
That’s the least of his worries. Does the man know his sister’s a virgin?
“I do,” I bit out. “She’s thirteen years younger than me. Yeah. I get it. I’m too old for her.”
“Twelve,” Zeke corrected. “She’s twenty-four.”
“Fine. She’s twelve years younger than me.” Not that it mattered.
“She mentioned she’s going back?” Zeke stated.
“She asked. I told her I’d call her.” Which was true. Before I’d been called away to help with an issue, Jamie had asked if she could come back to the club sometime. I told her we would see how the next week went.
Week’s almost over. Nice call.
“And you haven’t called.”
“Fuck.” I launched to my feet, unable to sit still. “What the fuck do you want me to do, Zeke?”
“What do you want to do?”
I cut my gaze to his. “I want to call her. I want to invite her back to the club or out to dinner. Fuck. It’s all I can think about, and I know you want to punch me right now. Sadly, I can’t blame you. I want to punch me, too. But don’t worry. I know what you wanted from me and I did it. My obligation’s over.”
Pussy.
That last part damn near killed me as it came out. I didn’t want Zeke to agree, to thank me for my help and send me on my way. I needed his fucking approval because I wanted to spend time with Jamie.
You don’t need it. Just another excuse in an endless line of them.
“Call her.” Zeke instantly shook his head. “Wait. No. I didn’t just say that.”
Nope. No way. He can’t take it back.
I stared at the man, my eyes wide as hope bloomed inside me. “Zeke.”
“No, I know.” He sat up, his eyes locked on the hard surface of his desk. “It’s not my place. Jamie’s told me that a million times. And she’s right. She’s an adult. She can make her own decisions.”
I tried to keep my jaw from hitting the floor, but it wasn’t easy.
Zeke laughed, but it sounded strangled, as though he couldn’t believe we were having this conversation. He wasn’t the only one.
“Zeke? I need you to open your mouth and tell me what’s on your mind,” I pleaded.
Zeke’s dark eyes lifted to mine. “You like her?”
“More than I should,” I admitted. “And not in a one-night kink-club-encounter sort of way, either.”
Zeke pushed to his feet and I forced myself not to move. If he decided to punch me, then so be it. I would take it like a man.
“Fine,” he said, stepping around his desk. “Call her. Take her out. Wine her, dine her. Do whatever the fuck you feel you need to do.” He came right up to me, got in my face. “But you hurt her, Edge, and I will break every fucking bone in your body. Then, I’ll wait for you to get out of traction and I’ll do it again.”
Damn. He really is ruthless.
Yeah, he was.
While I could envision Zeke doing exactly that, I managed to remain serious. After all, we were talking about Jamie here. “The last thing I want is to hurt her, Zeke. I swear to you. That’s the last thing I want.”
“Just promise me one thing,” he said on a sigh.
And here it came. Some sort of threat that he hoped would send me running for the hills. “What’s that?”
“That you’ll warn me when she’s coming to the club. Because … no. If you forget, and I show up to find my sister… I mean it. If I walk into Dichotomy and see her, I swear to God, I will kill you, then resuscitate you and do it again and again.”
Someone should really talk to him about all that aggression.
Okay, yeah. That one made me smile. “You’ve got my word.”
And as I was walking out of Zeke’s office, I wondered if it was wrong of me to leave out the part about Cav.
Nah.
Once Cav figured out what he wanted, he could have this little chat with Zeke himself. Because hell, the man deserved it.
Not to mention, you now have to figure out how to tell Zeke his sister’s about to join the submissive training class.
Yeah. That.
Jamie
I WAS WALKING TO MY CAR WHEN my cell phone chimed, signaling a text.
At first, I considered ignoring it. After my conversation with Brax and Case that morning, I was feeling a tad bit disappointed. While I had admitted to my brother that Edge hadn’t called me since the night at the club, I’d hoped Zeke would give me some reason as to why not. Instead, my brother had pretty much ignored everything I said.
Now, the only thing I wanted to do was go home, invite Tiffany and Jonah over, split a bottle of wine or two, and tell them all about it. Everything. About my dates with Cav, my frustration with Edge, my desire for them both.
Unfortunately, I hadn’t gotten up the nerve to share any of that. Yet. As for why I hadn’t blabbed all the details to my best friends, I had started to wonder if Cav was right. If perhaps this was the sort of thing you didn’t share with everyone. What if they didn’t understand? What if they judged me? And to be fair, how exactly did I explain that I was lusting after two men? Including one who had pretty much brushed me off.
Rather than lay it all on the line, I’d held it all in, choosing only to give them bits and pieces overall rather than the juicy details about my date
s with Cav or how Edge had ghosted me.
The last part was what had me so down. Even if he’d planned to, Edge had yet to call, although he was the one who had laid out this unconventional plan. I was overcome with self-doubt, thinking I’d done something that sent him running in the opposite direction. I even felt guilty when I thought about Cav, although I couldn’t seem to help myself. The man had caught me completely off guard, and truth was, I was eager to see him again.
Figuring the text was coming from either Tiffany or Jonah, I pulled my phone out of my pocket and stopped in the middle of the parking lot. A car honked, I shrieked, then bolted out of the way, apologizing as I went.
The message wasn’t from either of my best friends. It was from the Dom who apparently did still have my number.
Edge: I know it’s last minute … care to go out tonight?
My heart did a little dance, followed by a cartwheel right in my chest. I was smiling, but I instantly wiped it away. How could he think I’d jump at the chance to go out with him after he’d disappeared all week long? Not so much as a text to say hello, to let me know he was alive.
Could he really be that dense when it came to women?
I contemplated my response, but then typed a decisive: Sorry, I’ve already got plans for tonight.
When his response didn’t come back immediately, I felt my heart sink. I’d thought for sure he would put a little more effort into talking me into it.
Before I could respond with something stupid, like I’m kidding, I’d love to go out, my phone chimed again.
Edge: Completely understand. I would, however, like to see you at your earliest convenience. Whenever, wherever. Just let me know.
Damn him. How could he do that? Make me like him like that?
“Uggh.” I flopped into my car, slammed the door shut, and stared out the window.
I knew I needed to stick to my guns, to tell him tomorrow might work, but I really, really wanted to see him and I didn’t want to wait.
Jamie: You know what? I was just going to study. I can squeeze that in later. I’d love to see you tonight.
Edge: Are you sure?
Jamie: I’m sure.
Edge: Great. I’ll pick you up at six. Casual works best. Looking forward to seeing you.
Jamie: I’ll be ready.
For the next hour, I had a mental argument with myself. Had I given in too quickly? What did that say about me? Would he think I had no backbone? I didn’t know how to play this game because I rarely dated. Once I got past my initial nerves, things had been easy with Cav. I liked being around him, laughing, joking, even delving into philosophical discussions. The man kept me on my toes in every aspect.
As for Edge, I didn’t know what to expect. Personality wise, they couldn’t have been more different. Cav was laid-back, smiled frequently, laughed without apology. Edge was the strong, silent type. When I thought about Dominants, he was what I pictured in my head.
But I found I liked them equally, which meant I had no choice but to see it through.
So, with him on my mind, I managed to run the few errands I had, then made it home in time to shower and dress. Edge said casual, so I took that to mean jeans, a long-sleeve T-shirt, and Converse. I hoped he didn’t have a different definition, but before I could worry about it, there was a knock on my front door.
Suddenly all those pesky nerves arose, deflating that euphoric bubble lodged in my chest as I made the walk to the door. I pulled it open and stared up into Edge’s handsome face.
“Hey,” he greeted softly, his smile reaching all the way to those beautiful aqua-blue eyes.
“Hi.” God, the man stole my breath with a simple look.
“You ready?”
Would I ever be ready for him? I seriously doubted it, but I held my tongue and nodded.
The conversation was minimal on the way to our destination. My nerves were rioting, which was why I wasn’t rattling on and on about anything and everything, begging for hints as to where we were going. As for Edge, from what I knew of him, he wasn’t much on talking, so I figured he was merely being him.
Then it hit me. My conversation with my brother that morning, my revelation that Edge hadn’t called me.
Oh, crap.
Was this a setup? Was Edge doing this because he felt some strange obligation to my brother?
“No,” I muttered. “God, no.”
“What’s wrong?” Edge asked, his eyes fierce as he stared over at me.
Eyes wide with shock and embarrassment, I stared back at him. “I’m sorry. I … uh … was just thinking.” Holy crap. I’d said it out loud.
“What’s on your mind, sweetness?”
Warmth slipped into my veins simply from hearing him call me that. It was as though a wall came down, one I hadn’t realized I’d been holding up.
I shifted in my seat so I could face him better. “Did you ask me out because I told my brother you didn’t call?”
His smile fell and his brow followed. “What are you talking about?”
“This morning… I had breakfast with Zeke, Case, and Brax. Your name was brought up. I told them about my visit to the club and how I was planning to go back.” I let my gaze slide beyond him and out the driver’s-side window, unable to look him in the eye. “I mentioned you hadn’t called.”
Warm fingers landed on my chin, firmly realigning my gaze with his. “First of all, I don’t do things simply because someone else expects me to. So, no, I didn’t ask you out because you mentioned anything to your brother.”
Well, that made me feel better.
“But…”
Okay, the feeling was gone again.
“I did hold off because of your brother.”
“What?” I was confused.
He glanced at me, back to the road. “I needed a chance to talk to him, to tell him what my plans were with you. Since me showing you around the club was a favor to him, I figured I owed him that much.” We stopped at a red light and he turned toward me, leaned closer. “But this is no longer a favor. I’m here with you because I want to be.”
I inhaled deeply and relief washed away the gloom. “You didn’t call me because you wanted to get permission from my brother?”
He laughed, but it sounded frustrated. “Yeah. Stupid, right?”
“No, not stupid,” I assured him. “It makes perfect sense.”
Turned out, chivalry wasn’t dead.
There was silence for a few minutes as he drove. I was so caught up in my thoughts, I didn’t even realize we’d arrived until he turned toward me, took my hand. He was close enough our lips almost touched.
“So, you’ll have to forgive me for not contacting you sooner. Believe me, I wanted to more than anything.”
I smiled, the warmth of his hand coursing through my entire body. I suddenly wished he would kiss me. My thoughts drifted to Cav, to the kisses we’d shared. The heat inside me intensified. The thought of both men kissing me was nearly more than I could handle.
A soft growl pulled me from my thoughts.
“Where’d you go, sweetness?”
I cleared the lust-induced haze from my brain, swallowed. “I was just thinking that I’m glad you did ask me out.”
“Me, too.” He nodded toward the building. “You bowl?”
My smile fell. “What?”
“Bowling.”
Yeah. I saw that now.
“They’ve got a decent restaurant inside. You hungry?”
“Starving,” I muttered.
He released my hand, turned toward the door. Before we both exited, I heard him say, “Yeah, me, too. So fucking hungry.”
Two hours later, Edge and I were laughing.
“So, I take it this isn’t your sport?” I asked, motioning toward the remaining pins on the lane.
“What? Bowling?” He chuckled roughly as he sat down and modified the score. “No.”
“So why come?”
“Because everyone knows you can’t go to a movie on the first d
ate,” he said simply, his attention on the paper.
The laugh that erupted out of me had people turning to look my way.
“That’s funny?”
“It is because it’s true,” I told him. “So is that what this is? A date?”
His expression sobered and I suddenly regretted the question. I hadn’t meant to put him on the spot.
“Yeah,” he finally said. “I guess it is.”
I couldn’t believe how much the man had talked throughout the evening. While he hadn’t said much of anything at the club the other night, he certainly wasn’t lacking in the conversation department. We’d discussed my classes, my degree, even a bit about Zeke. Then he’d regaled me with the tale of how he met Cav—during their freshman year in college at an off-campus party—then explained how they’d become fast friends. Then I’d learned how he’d come to be the manager of Dichotomy, his relationship with Trent Ramsey, as well as his concerns now that he was working full-time at Chatter PR.
“You up for another game?” he asked, nodding toward the lane.
I stared in front of me, inhaled, then shook my head. “Not really, no.”
“Don’t want to beat me too badly, huh?”
“Since you’ve let me win all of them so far...” I grinned.
“Trust me, sweetness, I didn’t let you.”
No, he hadn’t. The man really did suck at bowling. But I wasn’t about to rub it in.
What I really wanted was to spend a little time alone with him. Tonight had been nice. We’d shared some nachos and a hot dog while splitting a pitcher of beer. We’d played game after game, passing the time with me kicking his butt every single time.
As though relieved, Edge quickly took off his bowling shoes and I followed suit. A few minutes later, we were turning in all our things and heading back out to his car.
“What now?” I asked, hoping he wasn’t going to simply take me home for the evening.
Their Naughty Student (Office Intrigue, 6) Page 14