Page 118 of Owned (Office Intrigue Duet 8)
“Do you think he’ll find what he’s looking for?”
“Eventually,” Talon told her. “But probably not this go-round.” He turned to me. “Thoughts so far?”
“Is there room for adjustment in the process?” I had some ideas, most of them pertaining to time management that I was interested in running by him if he was open to it.
Talon stopped walking, his eyebrows lifting as he stared at me.
I thought for a second he was offended by my question, but then a slow smile formed.
“I’m open to any and all suggestions. If it doesn’t work for you, change it. But I expect you to review your changes with me before you implement them.”
“Very hands-on, are you?”
Another smile. “You have no idea.” He looked back at Braelyn. “One more, then we’ll break for lunch.”
If this was what one would consider a first day on a new job, I couldn’t help but wonder how much more interesting things would get.
TWENTY-EIGHT
Braelyn
The first day of the Owners’ retreat was eye-opening.
I spent most of the day with Talon, watching as one person after another took possession of another person, using a variety of interesting techniques to make their decision on how to proceed. I would admit, I had a much better grasp on what this fetish-fueled resort was all about, but I still didn’t quite understand it. Not at a core level, although it was beginning to make sense why someone would want to indulge. After all, it was a very sexual experience.
It just seemed to me there was an easier means of getting satisfied sexually that did not involve all the time and effort that went into owning that person.
But whatever.
Now, as I stood in the bathroom, staring at my reflection, I wondered if it would change me, being around all these people, indulging the way they did, taking what they wanted, or giving it—as was the case for the possessions—in an effort to find that missing piece.
I did know that it had affected me on a physiological level. I was horny in a way I’d never been before. To the point, I wanted to jump Talon but managed to refrain because I still felt as though we weren’t quite on even footing after last night. He was making an effort, but he was holding something back. And I was letting him.
I considered myself a cautious woman. I had to be, thanks to my upbringing. The sort of men I’d been around growing up … well, let’s just say, they gave new meaning to the term monster, and that had impacted me, making me think before I leaped. Fortunately, Ransom had saved me from that hell. But because of those monsters, I’d never been the sort who gave much thought to finding a man who I could give myself to completely. A man I could lose my inhibitions with. Not on a level that would require me to trust him with my life.
I wasn’t a virgin, and I hadn’t made a pact to hold on to my V-card in the search of love and romance. I’d dated several men up to this point, been serious with one or two. I even had a desire for unconventional kinky sex. Not that anyone had been able to sate that urge—although Talon was certainly tapping into it—but that didn’t mean it wasn’t there.
But never had a man made my blood hum in my veins, my body warm from merely thinking about him. Until Talon. The more I thought about him, the more I wanted to pursue him, to pretend there hadn’t been that bump in the road. Let bygones be bygones and, you know, push the boundaries, so to speak.
And now I was about to insert myself into the chaos once again, joining Talon for what he referred to as the Welcome Dinner.
I had no idea what to expect, but Talon assured me he would be with me throughout the evening. There was a part of me that was terrified of the idea of spending so much time with him. I still had no idea what to think about this whole Owner/possession thing. Yet I wanted to see what it involved, learn how Talon had come to run a company dedicated to such a thing.
But there was also a selfish part of me who wanted to enjoy the time I had with Talon, getting to know him, watching him in his natural element. I was mesmerized by him, completely intrigued. And surprisingly, I wasn’t put off by the fact he was clearly sexually intimate with the possessions he claimed as his own. Or that he had no qualms punishing them in the most sexual of ways, which I’d always found to be complex and confusing.
Despite all that, I wanted to understand him. And I wanted to explore whatever this was between us.
