Page 112 of Their Naughty Student (Office Intrigue Duet 6)
As my Dom. Great. We were back to that, laying the groundwork as though there was a script I was supposed to follow.
I nodded, forced a smile. “Understood.”
“Shall we go?” He held out his hand for me to precede him, clearly oblivious to my inner turmoil.
The limo was out front, and it dutifully delivered us to the hotel a short time later.
I was feeling a bit self-conscious about my outfit until we stepped into the elaborate ballroom. I certainly wasn’t underdressed. Every man in the room was wearing a tuxedo, the women wearing dresses very similar to mine in various colors. Most of them, anyway. I noticed Mistress Jane immediately. Her dress was fancier, not quite so revealing, but still spectacular.
From what I could tell, they’d planned this. And that was the only reason I relaxed somewhat as we moved through the room. Cav retrieved a glass of champagne, passed it to me before taking two more.
“There’s my brother,” I muttered when Zeke’s eyes locked on me from across the room.
Edge put a solid step between us, but at the same time, Cav moved closer. Zeke must’ve picked up on the movement because his eyes narrowed.
I couldn’t help but laugh, but there was a slight hint of hysteria in it as Zeke made his way over. Brax and Case were with him, both dressed in tuxedos, only they weren’t wearing shirts. I took a quick peek around the room and noticed a couple of other male submissives wearing the same. Evidently, there was a dress code for submissives tonight. So much for vanilla.
Edge held out his hand when my brother approached. “Zeke. Good to see you.”
In a move that shocked me, my brother shook Edge’s hand, then Cav’s before pulling me in for a hug. His mouth was close to my ear when he said, “I suspect now that you’re outing yourself in public, you won’t be making excuses for breakfast anymore.”
I stepped back, stared into his face. There was no way to ignore the hard edge to his tone. My brother didn’t appear completely happy with this situation, but at least he had the decency to keep his opinion to himself.
“I haven’t made excuses,” I countered.
I could see the hurt in his gaze even if no one else would know what to look for.
He gave a clipped nod, a silent promise that we would have a conversation about this later. He glanced back and forth between Edge and Cav before mumbling something about mingling.
“Well, then,” I said softly when he was out of earshot. “That went better than expected.”
“No black eyes,” Cav teased. “I’d say it’s a good start to the evening.”
For the next couple of hours, we mingled. Cav and Edge introduced me to anyone we encountered. Edge always ensured he mentioned that I was their submissive, as though that little detail explained why I was there with them. I ignored the disappointment as much as I could, taking the opportunity to meet some of the people I knew by name only.
I got to shake the hand of TJ Arlington—who was quite the character, might I add—a well-to-do author who I’d read every single thing he’d published. I rubbed elbows with Trent Ramsey, who I’d had the pleasure of meeting before, but never had the chance to have a conversation with.
Although I didn’t know the official count, I would’ve guessed there were close to two hundred people in attendance. Doms, submissives, Chatter PR employees and clients. Everyone eager to celebrate the engagement of Justin, Ben, and Addison.
Throughout the evening, I watched my brother interact with people. Mostly I paid attention to the way he interacted with Brax and Case. Something had happened between them, it was obvious. Something that had brought the three of them together. Zeke was no longer keeping his distance. Instead, he seemed to be keeping them close. I was curious as to what brought that about, but I had to respect his privacy some.
Especially if I was to get the same in return.
By the time the party was winding down, I was ready to kick my shoes off and fall into bed. I was exhausted. Both physically and emotionally.
After offering our congratulations to the trio and saying our goodbyes to those who remained, Edge and Cav finally steered me out of the ballroom toward the hotel elevators. A short time later, we were walking into a lavish suite that had been turned down for the evening.
As I walked around, admiring the space, Cav and Edge both removed their jackets, laying them over an oversized cushioned chair. I took a moment, peering out the window into the night while I gathered my nerves. I wasn’t sure why I was nervous, but I was.
When I turned to face the two men I would be spending the night with, my heart rate sped up a bit and the flutters in my stomach intensified.
