Page 9 of Roguefinder

Sterling appeared in the doorway, his blond waves immaculate. His green eyes warmed as he pulled the door wider and waved us to our feet.

“Apologies for the delay, gentlemen. Please, come in.” He turned and strode toward his desk.

I brushed my fingers over Caleb’s before following. The scent of juniper filled the office, which showed no signs of the previous activities. The red ropes were gone, the desk’s surface pristine. Sterling waited for us to sit before resuming his own seat. Then he favored Caleb with a smooth smile.

“It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Caleb. I’ve long wondered what it would take to bring a Dom like Jesse to his knees. You must be a spectacular submissive.”

In my mind, my wolf bared its teeth. I rested a hand on the arm of my chair. In the corner of my vision, Caleb bristled, instantly transformed into the hard-shelled college jock he’d been when I met him.

“I’m not submissive,” he said.

Sterling looked between us, his green eyes crinkling at the corners, before settling his gaze on me. “And a brat.” He released a low chuckle. “I love knowing this.”

“Stefanos sent us,” I said, managing to keep the growl out of my voice. “I assume you have information.”

His smile fled. He leaned forward and pressed a button on the phone next to a closed laptop. “Come in here, please,” he said. “And bring the documents.”

“Yes, sir,” a man’s voice said through the speaker.

Sterling released the button and sat back, his expression pleasant once more. “It’ll just be a moment.”

I nodded.

He looked at Caleb. “Are you enjoying London?”

“It rains a lot,” Caleb said. “And the weather woman on TV tonight said more is coming.”

Sterling’s lips curved in a slow smile. The undercurrent of iron thickened in the air, overpowering the juniper. “You’ll have to buy an umbrella.”

The door opened behind us, and I turned as a man entered. Tall and well-built, he couldn’t have been older than twenty-five. His hair was the same glossy walnut as Sterling’s desk, and he’d rolled the sleeves of his starched white shirt to his elbows. The scent of juniper clung to him as he crossed the office and placed a slim folder in front of Sterling. He stepped back and folded his hands, his hazel eyes downcast. His handsome face was clean-shaven and devoid of emotion.

“Thank you, Blaine,” Sterling said. He eased his chair back from his desk just enough to create a space between his thighs. “Please take the trash on your way out.”

Blaine flicked his gaze up to Sterling’s. Something flashed in his hazel irises—a bolt of anger almost too quick to catch. Then he leaned down and reached between Sterling’s legs. Silver glinted at his neck. Tight links formed a collar that could have passed as jewelry—except for the ring that rested over the hollow of his throat. It wasn’t silver, of course. Caleb and I would have sensed it the moment Blaine entered the room. The collar was most likely steel, which made sense. It needed to be strong enough to withstand regular use.

Blaine straightened with a small trashcan in his hand, the bin shallow enough to reveal the tied-off condom at the bottom. He stared at it, his fingers tight on the trashcan’s plastic rim.

“Is there a problem?” Sterling asked.

Blaine lifted his head, his emotionless mask in place. “No, sir,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

“Good.” Sterling’s smile stayed well south of his eyes as he pulled his chair close to the desk. “File the end-of-quarter report before you leave for the evening. We’ll discuss your insubordination in detail later.”

A beat of silence passed. Then Blaine stepped backward and bowed his head. “Yes, sir.”

“Go,” Sterling said, the hint of an edge in his voice.

Blaine rounded the desk and left, the office door snicking shut behind him.

Sterling met Caleb’s eyes. “You were correct, Caleb. I am fucking my secretary. Just not as often as he would like.”

“The weather woman was human,” Caleb said without hesitation.

I tensed.

“Yes,” Sterling said.

Caleb hooked a thumb toward the door at our backs. “She walked right past us when she left. She’s not worried about us telling people we saw her?”