Page 126 of Their Ruthless Sadist (Office Intrigue Duet 5)
“It’s no big deal.”
“The hell it’s not.” She pointed at me. “Look at yourself, Zeke. You’re a mess. Last Friday, you were actually happy. And now, you look like shit.”
“Tell me how you really feel,” I snapped.
“Fine. I will.” Jamie sat up straight. “I think you’ve found something that completes you, Zeke. Was I surprised when I found out you’d taken two submissives? Absolutely. But it made so much sense. You’re a difficult man to deal with, so I get how it would take two men to handle you. And those men … Brax and Case … they’re the real deal.”
“You don’t know a damn thing about them,” I countered.
“Oh, but I do. For one, I spent the morning with them. When you weren’t there to take me to breakfast, I took them. And we talked. They’re good guys and”—Jamie smiled—“they think you hung the moon.”
“The hell they do.”
“Okay, fine. Maybe they didn’t say as much, but I see it when they talk about you.”
“They shouldn’t be talking about me.”
Jamie sighed heavily. “Will you quit being hardheaded and just listen?”
“I don’t like what you have to say,” I said truthfully.
“That’s never stopped me before, Zeke.” Her eyes narrowed. “And yes, I’m sure you’ll tell me it’s not my place to interfere, but that’s exactly what I’m about to do, so you can shut up and listen to me.”
This bossy shit was starting to get on my nerves. First the cowboy, now my sister. They were both overstepping in a big way.
However, I didn’t say a word.
*
Case
(The pretty boy)
THIS THING WITH ZEKE WAS bothering Brax more than he was letting on. Or rather, more than he was saying, anyway. I’d known the man long enough I could read every one of his expressions, and the one he’d been sporting the past couple of days was filled with hurt.
After breakfast, I proceeded to clean Zeke’s kitchen, feeling slightly out of place. I knew the man wanted us to leave. For the past two nights, he had slept in one of the guest rooms, avoiding us at all costs. This morning, I had intended to corner him during his workout, but by the time I woke up, he was gone.
And no, Brax and I hadn’t slept in Zeke’s bed. That had been a challenge, and since Zeke hadn’t fallen for it, we had opted not to push our luck. However, we had slept in the cage beneath it. Perhaps that made us far more warped and twisted than I’d originally thought, but it was what it was. I wouldn’t apologize for it.
Only now, I knew we had to do something. And by something, I meant we needed to find a place to live. Intruding on Zeke’s personal space wasn’t right. He’d insisted that we leave and I knew it was best for all of us if we did.
“I’m gonna take a shower,” Brax announced after he’d placed the last of the dirty dishes on the counter.
I nodded, then worked double time to get everything cleaned up. I had every intention of joining Brax.
A few minutes later, after I’d stuffed everything into the dishwasher, I wiped my hands, tossed the towel, then jogged up the stairs. I heard the water running in the guest bathroom in the hall, so I went that direction.
I found Brax already in the shower, his head down between his shoulders as he stood beneath the spray. As quietly as I could, I stripped, then stepped inside with him. He didn’t so much as lift his head, although I knew he heard me.
Stepping up behind him, I wrapped my arms around his waist and pulled him into me.
“You okay?” I whispered.
“No. Not even a little bit.”
I released him, then turned him to face me. “Look at me, Brax.”
Emerald eyes lifted to my face. “Remember how you felt when we stepped into that apartment?”
Oh, I remembered all right. It wasn’t a feeling I would likely forget. “As though the walls were closing in,” I said.
“Exactly.” A wave of sadness clouded his eyes. “That’s how I feel right now.”
“Because of Zeke.”
He nodded. “I didn’t see this coming.”
I did, but I wasn’t going to tell him that. I had known from the very beginning that Zeke Lautner was temporary. And not only because he said as much. I knew it because that was how they all worked. Ever since I was seventeen and unwillingly sucked into a world I hadn’t known existed, it had all been the same for me. The very first man to hit me never should’ve been touching me in the first place. But that hadn’t stopped him. He’d taken what he needed and I had suffered only to come out the other side needing things I couldn’t explain. Despite the inappropriateness of it all, it hadn’t stopped me, either.
Since then, I’d searched for something to ease the constant pain that filled me. Unfortunately, the only thing that ever worked was more pain. It obliterated my mind, allowed me to forget a time in my life that had forever changed me.
