Page 152 of Their Naughty Student (Office Intrigue Duet 6)
“I heard. Didn’t realize you were in town.”
“Time off for good behavior,” he joked. “After the last assignment, Ransom ordered us to take some downtime.”
“Last assignment?” Cav inquired.
“Yeah. Actress. Death threats. Spent the past two months in Los Angeles. Took some time to find the jackass, but we finally did. She’s safe and sound.”
“Good to hear.”
“Yeah,” Ian said. “Just glad to be back. Looking forward to spending some time at the club.”
“I have to say, Edge, Ximena is doing a hell of a job with the training class.”
“Yeah?”
“Oh, yeah. She makes you look like a teddy bear.”
“And Chaos? How’s he handlin’ the club?”
“Very well. I actually saw him smile a time or two,” Isaac said with a grin.
Although we hadn’t spent much time at Dichotomy in recent months, I’d stopped by on occasion to chat with Timothy. He’d taken over as though he was born for the role of head Master. According to Trent, he didn’t balk at the offer, either.
Zeke’s deep voice boomed from behind me.
I turned in time to see him pointing toward the sofa, barking the order for the pretty boy—as Zeke referred to him—to sit.
The big man then turned to the four of us, grinned. “Glad you could make it.”
“Thanks for having us,” Ian said, shaking Zeke’s hand.
Zeke’s dark eyes slammed into my face, cut over to Cav’s. “You taking care of my sister?”
“You know we are,” I said simply.
He grinned, then held out his hand, shaking mine first, then Cav’s. He smacked Cav on the back, then headed over to the bar, where Jamie was talking to Triton.
A soft moan sounded from behind me. I glanced over my shoulder, noticed the way Case vibrated.
“Let’s just say the Sadist is fond of all torture,” I whispered to Cav before he could ask.
“Ahh.” Cav chuckled. “No explanations necessary.”
Jamie
WE HADN’T BEEN AT MY BROTHER’S LONG before the place filled up. Dominants, submissives, me. It was an eclectic mix of people, most of whom I knew, some only from an introduction or two.
“So, why are they all here?” I asked Zeke when I cornered him in the dining room.
“You don’t know?” His eyebrows lowered, his intense gaze centered on my face.
“What should I know?” I glanced around, scanning the area.
“I’ll be right back,” Zeke snapped.
“Wait.” Before I could grab his arm, he was heading for the door.
When he opened it, a woman stepped inside, another right behind her. I couldn’t quite see them over Zeke’s enormous frame, so I moved closer for a better look.
“Everly?” I whispered, recognizing her from the submissive training class. “Oh, my God. What happened?”
Her eyes were red-rimmed and terrified, not to mention, one was puffy and already bruising.
“Back up,” I ordered my brother. “Everly? Talk to me.”
A woman who looked eerily similar to Everly stepped up, drawing my attention. They were both petite, with dark hair and light eyes, but upon closer inspection, I realized that was where the similarities ended. From a distance, they could’ve passed as twins.
“Everything all right?”
I turned to see Cav standing behind me, his eyes assessing the situation. When his warm hand curled over my shoulder, I relaxed a little.
“I’m sorry we’re late,” Everly said softly.
The woman beside her put her hand on Everly’s arm. “Don’t you dare apologize.”
“And you would be?” A deep, gruff voice sounded, causing the three of us to look over.
Ian Stokes was standing there, his twin beside him, their full attention on the scene playing out in Zeke’s foyer.
“My name’s Heaven,” she said softly, her eyes instantly dropping to the floor. “We’re roommates. She said she was supposed to be here. Begged me to bring her.”
Isaac stepped forward, his hand curling beneath Everly’s chin, tilting her head back. “What happened?”
Tears filled Everly’s eyes. Her left eye was puffy and slightly discolored.
Isaac’s hand dropped instantly, as though he knew on some level that she’d been through a traumatic experience.
“Are you scared of Isaac?” I asked, not sure what the hell was going on.
“No,” she said quickly. “Not at all.”
Isaac seemed to relax, but he didn’t reach for her again. However, it was clear he was going to take over the situation with his insistent, “This way.”
“I’ve got this,” I assured him, placing my hand gently on Everly’s arm. “There’s a guest room upstairs,” I supplied. “Let’s go where we can talk.”
Everly nodded, peering over at her roommate. “Give me a minute, please.”
Heaven looked tortured by the request, but she finally agreed. “Of course.”
“I’m going with you,” Isaac insisted.
Knowing I wasn’t going to shrug off the commanding Dominant, I simply nodded, then signaled for Everly to take the stairs to the second floor. She was silent, even when we stepped into the room I’d used when I used to stay at Zeke’s.
Rather than direct her to the bed, I pulled out the desk chair, asked her to sit. I crouched in front of her, ignoring the Dom standing directly behind me.
