Yeah. It was safe to say we were both in deep, deep shit.
ONE
ISAAC STOKES
Saturday, May 25, 2019
“Everly.” Staring down at the fairy princess who had graced more than one of my theme rooms over the past few months, I kept my voice low, even. “I need you to tell me who attacked you.”
“I don’t know him,” she said softly, firmly, her eyes lowered.
Even now, a good half hour after she’d stepped through the front door of Zeke Lautner’s house sporting a black eye and a puffy lip, I could feel her anguish, her pain. I couldn’t explain it, wasn’t sure I even cared to, but I wanted to know what motherfucker had battered her pretty face so I could beat him to death with my bare hands.
“But he knows your roommate? Heaven?”
“No,” she said insistently. “I asked Heaven. She doesn’t know him.”
Similar to the way Zeke’s sister had earlier, I crouched down in front of Everly. “Look at me.”
Her cornflower-blue eyes shot to mine. While she appeared fragile and broken, I could see the strength behind the fear and pain, beyond the splotchy bruising on her porcelain skin. The sight of her marred by someone’s hand made my fists clench, my teeth grind together. There was no denying my past had hardened me, left me bent on vengeance. But never in my thirty-one years had I ever laid a hand on a woman out of anger or violence. Nor would I ever.
Doing my best to stay on subject, I held her gaze, thinking back to her revelation of events.
I was in the kitchen, had my earbuds in. Didn’t hear him come in. He came up behind me. Covered my mouth and dragged me out of the kitchen. Threw me on the floor. When I tried to fight him off, he punched me. I kicked and screamed. Heaven came home. He ran. Must’ve been scared … Kept saying, “I’ve got you now, sweet Heaven. You’re not my first choice, but you’ll do.”
“Why did he threaten Heaven if he doesn’t know her?”
Everly shrugged.
I sighed, stood tall, and paced the room, my mind going through various options in regard to getting the answers necessary to resolve this for her. That was what I did, who I was. And right now, I’d never been more inclined to resolve an issue, whatever it took to ensure no one harmed this woman again.
“I’m sorry,” she said quickly. “I don’t want to upset you.”
When I pivoted back around, Everly was standing, a pleading look wrinkling her forehead, making her appear sweet, innocent. So fucking sweet and innocent.
Only she wasn’t. Sure, on the outside. Like a fairy princess. But inside … deep down there was a sexy spitfire, a submissive who knew exactly what she needed. A strong, independent woman who accepted who she was even when others didn’t understand her. That was one of the many reasons I’d enjoyed scenes with her over the past few months, all of them carefully designed and carried out at the club we belonged to.
I frowned, moved closer, then grazed her smooth cheek with my knuckles. “You didn’t upset me, sweetheart.”
When Everly plastered herself to me, her arms wrapping around my waist, the air rushed out of my lungs in surprise. I cupped her head, holding her against me, the urge to keep her there forever stronger than it ever had been.
Not for the first time, I noticed the drastic differences in our sizes. She was so small, the top of her head barely reaching the middle of my chest, so delicate. From the first time I’d scened with her at the club, back in that ridiculous living room setup, I’d found myself coming back for more. Ian and I had a fondness for the fairy princess—as we’d come to think of her—but try as we might, the woman had managed to keep her distance.
I held her, secretly loving the way she fit so perfectly against me. More so the fact that she was clinging to me, clearly not worried I would hurt her. I wouldn’t. Not ever.
“You’re safe, Everly,” I whispered, sliding my hand over her silky hair. “I won’t let anyone hurt you.”
It was a promise I fully intended to keep.
The door opened and I glanced over to see my brother, a frown on his face. He missed nothing, his attention to detail honed better than mine.
“I think there’s more to this story,” he said, nodding toward her.
I didn’t release Everly and she made no move to separate.
“Did you talk to the roommate?” I returned my attention to the sweet woman in my arms, sliding my hand slowly over the long fall of her hair.
“Yeah. Heaven’s only one of her roommates. There’s another one.”
I tilted Everly’s head back, met her gaze. “Is that true?”
“Yes, Sir. Dante.” Her eyes widened as though something had just clicked. “Oh, my God.”
When she pulled away, I felt the loss but kept myself from reaching for her again.
“Dante?” Ian muttered. “You live with a man?”
I bit back a smile at the barely restrained accusation in his tone.
“It’s not like that,” she said quickly. “He’s… We’re … It’s not like that.”
I found people tended to not be quite so defensive when that really was the case. There was certainly more to the story, but it was clear she wasn’t in any condition to lay it out for us. And we weren’t really in a position to inquire.
Yet.
“What’s his last name?” I asked.
“Novak,” she mumbled, her thoughts obviously elsewhere. “But that makes sense. That guy … he’s trying to hurt Dante.”
“By hurting you and Heaven?”
“Yes.” Everly wiped her eyes, squared her shoulders. “I need to call him. To tell him not to go home.”
I nodded.
She patted her pockets, her butt. “I don’t have my phone,” she sobbed. “I must’ve left it at my house.”
Ian produced his phone, passed it to her.
Everly swallowed hard, then focused on dialing. I took a step back, standing shoulder to shoulder with my twin as she made her call.
Her tormented gaze shot to mine. “He’s not answering.” There was silence before she spoke again. “Dante, when you get this message, I need you to call me. Don’t go home. Please. Just call me.” Her eyes shot to Ian’s. “Can he call this number?”
Ian nodded.
“Just call this number back,” she said quickly. “I’ll tell you what’s going on when you do. Please don’t go home.”
She disconnected, stared at the phone for long seconds before passing it back to Ian.
“I’ll be all right,” she said softly, wiping the tears from her face with the backs of her hands, flinching when she pressed on her bruised skin. “I didn’t mean to crash the party. I just… I didn’t know where else to go. I was coming here anyway, figured…”
I had no idea what she figured, but it didn’t matter. I was glad she’d come, grateful that Ian and I had been here.
Everly’s eyes darted between the two of us. “Is Heaven still here?”
Ian shook his head. “She went to her sister’s.”
Everly nodded, as though that made sense. “She was staying with her this weekend. Came back to grab something.” A sob tore free. “She wasn’t supposed to be home.”
Thank God she had come back. Otherwise…
I shrugged off the thought, not willing to go there.
“You’re safe,” I repeated. “Everly. Look at me.”
Her eyes jerked up to my face, another tear dripping down her smooth cheek.
“You made the right decision,” I told her.
“Heaven wants you to call her when you can,” Ian added.
“I will.” She furiously wiped at the tears as though she was angry they were there.
“You want to go back downstairs?” Ian offered, probably feeling as helpless as I was.
Everly took a deep breath, exhaled slowly. When she looked up again, her eyes were clearer, her defenses back in place. “Yeah.”
My brother opened the door, stepped out into the hall as though ensuring she knew she had space.
Not wanting to make her feel trapped, I obliged, motioning toward the bathroom across the hall. “Splash some water on your face. We’ll wait for you here.”
When she had secured herself inside, I turned to Ian.
“Heaven told me she hasn’t been their roommate for long,” he explained. “That she didn’t know who this guy was or what he might want.”
“Did she mention Dante?”
“No.” His eyes hardened.
“Find out everything you can about him,” I instructed. “And when he calls back, I want you to talk to him. Explain what happened.”
“Sure. What’re you thinking?”
I peered back at the closed bathroom door. “I’m thinking she’s not safe at that house, and I’m not sure her roommates are, either.”
“Doesn’t sound like it. She have somewhere to go?”
I met his eyes again and I didn’t bother to explain. The man already knew what I was thinking.
“It’s a risk.”
“I know.”
“I don’t mind, but…”
I waited, needing him to finish that sentence.
“We need to get more answers,” he finally said. “If she’s willing to stay with us, she can. Otherwise, you’ll have to let her go, Isaac.”
He was right. Although I wanted that woman with a passion I didn’t understand, I certainly wouldn’t force her to stay with us.
Then again, I wasn’t beyond using a little Dominant persuasion, either.
Everly Hughes
I splashed cold water on my face like Isaac had instructed, my hands shaking.
When I got a good look at the damage, the black eye forming, the puffy lip, I shuddered, remembering the way that man had dragged me by my hair, rough and mean. I could still feel the searing pain in my scalp, the fear that had closed my throat when I’d thought of what he might do to me.
I’ve got you now, Heaven. You’re not my priority, but you’ll do for now.
His voice, high-pitched and frantic, rang in my head. I’d been so shocked by his appearance, I hadn’t been able to react in time to defend myself.
Where’s Everly? Huh? Maybe she’ll come back. Join us.
He had thought I was Heaven, though I wasn’t sure why. I’d never met him before, and if he’d actually met Heaven, he would’ve known I wasn’t her. We had similar characteristics, dark hair, light skin, close to the same height, but that was where the similarities ended.
I’ll show you what it’s like to be dominated. That’s what you like, right? Rough, hard. Someone to slap you around?
His rambling had confused me because he had me and Heaven completely mixed up. Heaven wasn’t a submissive, didn’t know anything about the lifestyle aside from what Dante and I had told her. In fact, Heaven was pretty vanilla. She would be the first to say she didn’t understand at all what our fascination was with BDSM. Not that I held it against her, but for someone to get the two of us mixed up like that … it made me think he didn’t know Dante all that well, either.
He’ll learn. He’ll know who he belongs to, that he can’t ignore me because of a couple of sluts. I’ll show him. But first, I’ll show you.
The he had to be Dante. The guy wanted Dante, and if I wasn’t mistaken, this man thought he was a Dominant.
Key word being thought. In no way, shape or form did he resemble any true Dominant I’d come in contact. He’d been brutal and mean, which was not the same thing. Not by a long shot.
God. I needed to talk to Dante.
Shaking it off, I reached for the hand towel, patted my face dry, wincing when I touched the sensitive swollen skin under my eye.
“You shouldn’t have come here,” I told the woman in the mirror. “Now they’ll all think you’re fragile and breakable.”
It had been the same thing I’d repeated over and over in my head as Heaven drove me to Zeke’s at my request. I’d been invited and so excited to attend right up until… I’d been tidying up the house, wanting Dante to come home to a clean place. Then … that asshole had ruined it.
Now that I’d left that message, I knew Dante would be worried about me. He always was.
I took a deep breath, exhaled.
I knew exactly why I’d chosen to come. It was to feel safe. Not because of Ian and Isaac. Not entirely, anyway. Yeah, they made me feel safe, but so did everyone at the club. When I was there, I didn’t have to worry about anything like this. So rather than find some hole to hide in, I’d begged Heaven to bring me here even though she’d wanted me to go to the police.
A soft knock sounded on the door.
I opened it, not sure how long I’d been in there. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to take so long.”
Isaac tipped my chin back, urging me to look up at him. “Stop apologizing.”
It wasn’t a request, it was a command. Something I’d gotten quite familiar with from these two. The few times we’d played together had been the most intense of my entire life. I craved them like a drug, which was the very reason I had managed to keep my distance. Ian and Isaac Stokes weren’t the sort who were going to take a club submissive as their own and I knew that. I’d met them during the submissive training class months ago, which probably, based on some archaic D/s rule, meant I was off-limits on a permanent basis, and I had reminded myself of that over and over again.
Yet I still longed for those discreet glances they shot my way from time to time, secretly enjoying when they asked me to scene with them. The way they looked at me… No man had ever looked at me like that.
Well, that wasn’t entirely true. Dante looked at me like that. But he wasn’t a Dominant. Not even a switch. No, he was pure submissive, and he knew what I needed, what I craved because he was looking for the same. Hence the reason we were only friends. Close friends, yeah. Probably closer than we should’ve been, but I couldn’t help it. Dante made me feel cherished, as though I mattered. And when he would hold me in his arms, curled up on the sofa to watch television, I couldn’t seem to come up with an excuse as to why it was wrong.
“Do you need to call someone?” Ian asked as we moved toward the stairs. “Parents? Brother, sister?”
I shook my head. “No. Only child. My dad died when I was ten, my mom … she does her own thing. Haven’t heard from her in a while.” A really, really long while but I figured now wasn’t the time to go into that.
“How long’s a while?” Ian probed.
Or maybe it was. “Five years.”
Isaac grunted but I couldn’t translate the gruff sound.
“And you live with Dante?” Ian asked.
“Yes. And Heaven. We’re roommates. There’s … um … there’s nothing going on between any of us.”
I wasn’t sure why I was vomiting up my personal information, but I couldn’t help myself. When it came to them, I found myself willing to tell them anything, even the most private things.
“Let’s join the others,” Isaac said, his hand splaying across my back, gently guiding me to follow Ian down the stairs.
Going back to the party gave me the distraction I needed. For the next couple of hours, I mingled as much as I could, assured Jamie Lautner, Zeke’s younger sister, I was fine several times. She was sweet and I could tell she was worried, but I didn’t want her to be. I was a big girl, I could hold my own.
Isaac was always close by, not leaving me alone for a second. He had someone bring me drinks—fruit punch, not alcohol—and continued to watch me as though I might shatter into a million pieces. I couldn’t deny I was probably going to have nightmares, but for those couple of hours, I felt more at ease.
I would’ve felt a million times better if Dante would’ve called.
Two hours later, the party started to wind down, a few people still milling about, most having left already when Isaac and Ian offered to take me home. Without any other options, I accepted.
“Thanks for coming,” Zeke told Isaac, shaking his hand as we stood at the door. “And thanks for agreeing to help my sist
er.”
By help, I assumed Zeke was referring to everyone’s willingness to open up to Jamie about their lifestyle. Apparently, Jamie was working on her thesis and convincing everyone to let her dig into their psyche had been Edge and Cav’s way of helping out their submissive.
“Thanks for inviting us,” Isaac told the giant Sadist.
Isaac and Ian couldn’t have been more different from Zeke Lautner, at least in a physical sense. Although they were tall, Zeke seemed to dwarf them. I was only five one, so perhaps it was my own height challenges I used as a ruler. Ian and Isaac surpassed me by at least a foot, but the Sadist was several inches taller than they were. Where Ian and Isaac were pretty-boy handsome with their dark hair, chiseled features and deep emerald eyes, Zeke was … intimidating. He wasn’t attractive in the conventional sense. No, more like unique but there was something appealing about him, though I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.
“Everly?”
Realizing I’d been staring, not at all hearing the exchange between them, I jerked my attention away, forcing my eyes downward. “I’m sorry.”
A deep rumble sounded in Isaac’s chest as his arm slid around me, crossing my chest as he pulled me back against him. It was a protective gesture but also a dominant one. It wasn’t the first time he’d held me like that, either, and I’d fantasized about it on more than one occasion.
“We’re going to have a chat about the apologies,” he said, leaning down close to my ear.
“You ready?” Ian asked, his gaze skimming over me, taking in the way Isaac’s arm crossed over my chest, his hand curled around my arm.
“Come on,” Isaac said. “We’ll stop by your house, grab your cell phone and some clothes.”
With his arm securely around me, he steered me toward the black Escalade parked on the side of the driveway. Most of the other vehicles were gone, the party having died off.
“I can afford a hotel,” I told him when he opened the back door, helped me inside.
He leaned in, tipped my chin up. “Is that what you want?”
I couldn’t look away and found myself shaking my head. It would’ve been smart to separate myself from him, yeah, but not what I wanted. And when it came to lying to either of them, I was not going to do that. It wasn’t to my benefit to withhold the truth.
Their Fairy Princess (Office Intrigue Book 7) Page 2