Page 135 of Their Ruthless Sadist (Office Intrigue Duet 5)
The man and the ruthless Sadist.
*
Brax
(The cowboy)
Wednesday, November 7
THE FOLLOWING WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON, I received a text from Zeke in the middle of the day. I had gone over to Trent’s to prepare a few meals for the rest of the week so they would have something on hand should they need it. I’d spent a couple of hours laughing it up with Troy and Clarissa while Trent was off taking care of business for the new talent agency.
The text had been short and simple: Be home when I get there. Dinner ready. Something light. It’s gonna be a long night for you two. I’ll be there by six.
I had absolutely no idea what Zeke had in store for me, but I didn’t care. I’d been too caught up on the fact that he continued to refer to his house as home when we spoke. It was an interesting twist that I was still trying to wrap my head around.
Although the three of us had come to a firm understanding that this thing between us wasn’t temporary and we weren’t willing to do the short-term, no-commitment thing any longer, not much had changed. We were still living with him, still sleeping under his bed when he commanded it.
Not that I was disappointed in any of that. Zeke was still the ruthless Sadist. He was still barking orders and tying us up or chaining us down. Whatever suited him for the moment. And we were willing participants.
However, I got the sense there was something on his mind. I couldn’t even begin to guess what it could be, but I had the sneaking suspicion it had to do with Case. Why I thought that, I wasn’t sure. Maybe it was the way Zeke looked at him from time to time. As though he was a cryptic picture he was trying to figure out.
Regardless, I was still looking forward to the time the three of us spent together. Even if a lot of that involved me being naked. Zeke was on a kick with that. He was constantly insisting that I walk around the house without any clothes. I feared that Jamie was going to stop by unannounced and get more than she bargained for. Thankfully, that hadn’t happened yet.
So, here I was, finishing up the prosciutto-wrapped chicken with garlic and herb cheese, something I’d been making for several years. Since Zeke wasn’t fond of rice or noodles, I added roasted corn as a side. Fast, simple. Hopefully it was as light as he’d requested.
Before I had started cooking, I’d shot Case a text, letting him know the plan although I figured Zeke had messaged him, too. He’d been doing that, little messages to get us to open up to him. I found this side of Zeke extremely appealing. Granted, I had a thing for the Sadist, too.
Case arrived a few minutes before Zeke. He had a smile on his face, the same as he’d had every day for the past week. He seemed happier now. But something was different about him, too. I couldn’t pinpoint it, and when I’d asked if he had something on his mind, he continued to tell me that he was free and clear for the first time in years. I didn’t know what that meant, but I hoped it was a good thing.
When Zeke got home, the three of us sat down to eat. Case told us about his day, how he’d walked the two floors with Ben and Justin, mapping out the floor plan for the new gym. It was apparently going to be impressive.
Zeke didn’t say much; however, he chowed down, finishing his meal before either one of us. As he sipped his tea, his attention finally turned to us.
“We’re going to be spending some time in the basement tonight.”
This caught my interest, because for the past two days, Zeke had kept us out of the basement. He hadn’t even allowed Case to go down to work out. I wasn’t sure what he’d been up to, but I was certainly curious.
“It’s time we had a talk,” he added, his eyes serious.
I frowned, concern stirring in my gut, threatening to overpower the garlic and herbs.
“Is something wrong?” Case asked, his fork halfway to his mouth.
“Depends on how you decide to handle the questions I have.”
I tried to gauge his mood. He seemed relatively laid-back. Not on edge, for sure.
I glanced at Case, wondering if he knew what this was about.
“But don’t worry.” Zeke smirked. “For every question you do answer, I’ll give you something you want.”
“I’m done!” Case shot to his feet with a grin on his face. Obviously he was eager to see what Zeke had in store.
I, on the other hand, wanted more details. “And who determines what we want?”
Zeke’s grin widened. “How did I know you’d be the one to ask that?” He leaned back. “I’m gonna let you choose.”
