Page 137 of Their Naughty Student (Office Intrigue Duet 6)
“I figured as much.”
I frowned. “You did?”
Zeke laughed, a chest-rattling rumble that echoed in the room. “No, man. I had breakfast with my sister.”
I exhaled and I could’ve sworn I lost a good ten pounds of anxiety with it.
“So she told you that Cav and I are in love with her? That she’s in love with us?”
“She did.”
I swallowed. “There’s more. More we haven’t mentioned to her yet.”
His eyebrows rose, eyes narrowing.
“I’ve decided to buy a penthouse in the Chatter building. We want to ask Jamie to move in with us.”
“Is that right?” Zeke drummed his fingers on the desk. “Are you taking her as your submissive? Both of you?”
Although telling Zeke I was in love with his sister hadn’t been easy, this was the most difficult for me to discuss. Not because I worried about his reaction, more so because I had yet to admit it out loud. Not even to myself.
“In the formal sense, no.” I maintained eye contact.
Zeke didn’t speak.
“But only because we’re not headed that direction.”
Still nothing.
“The three of us,” I explained. “It’s not what we want to pursue.”
Zeke’s eyes narrowed.
I sighed, thrust my hand through my hair, and shot to my feet. I began pacing his office, grateful there was plenty of space to do so.
“Zeke, I don’t think this is for me anymore. I don’t want to be her Dominant. Not full-time, anyway.”
His gaze followed me as I moved, so I stopped, stared at him.
“I don’t want to dominate her. I want to love her, cherish her. Hell, I want to marry her, have babies.”
“So, what? You’re leaving the lifestyle?”
I nodded. “I think I am, yeah.”
Zeke’s beefy arms crossed over his chest. “Why?”
“Because it doesn’t feel right anymore. It hasn’t for a long time. I spend every waking minute directing submissives to do this or that and … I’m tired, Zeke. I just want to settle down, focus on work, enjoy time with Cav and Jamie.” I put my hands on the back of the chair, leaned. “Doesn’t mean I won’t keep my membership at the club. I want to stop by, check in with everyone.” I couldn’t stop the smile. “And yeah, perhaps play from time to time.”
He glared, a look hot enough to incinerate stone.
“With Jamie and Cav,” I clarified. “Jesus, Zeke.”
He laughed. “I knew that. Just checking.” His face sobered. “What about her school?”
“We’ll support her all the way through. Trust me on that. I want her to follow her dreams.” I moved around the chair, lowered myself into it. “Zeke, they’re the most important things in my world. I’ve never had a love of my own and now I do.”
“What does Gretchen think?” he asked.
“I’m having dinner with her and the family on Sunday. Taking Cav and Jamie to meet them.”
“She’s gonna love my sister,” Zeke noted.
“Everyone is,” I agreed.
He studied me for a moment. “I always suspected there was something between you and Cav.”
“There wasn’t. Not until recently.”
“Not physically,” he said. “Something else.”
Yeah. I’d known it, too, but it had taken far too long for me to accept it.
Realizing this conversation had gone deeper than I’d expected, I pushed to my feet. “I better get out of your hair.” I couldn’t help it, I laughed, touched my head. “You know, if you had any.”
“Fuck you, Edge.” He stood, walked around the desk, held out his hand.
Wondering if he was going to break all my fingers, I reluctantly offered mine.
“Be good to her,” Zeke said, his tone softer than I’d ever heard it. “She’s precious and deserves all the love you and Cav possess.”
I couldn’t agree more. I nodded.
“What about the club?” Zeke asked as he followed me to the door.
“I’m meeting with Trent,” I admitted. Or I planned to.
“Good luck with that. And if you need anything, Edge, anything at all, you only have to ask.”
As I stepped out of Zeke’s office into the hallway, I felt as though I was in an alternate universe.
“Oh, and Edge?”
I turned to look at the big Sadist.
“You gonna be at the club tonight?”
“Yeah.”
He smiled, this one wicked. “Good. I’m gonna need you there.”
“Okay. Something wrong?”
Zeke shook his head. “No. Actually, for the first time, everything’s fucking perfect.”
I stared at the spot he vacated when he disappeared back inside. Perhaps he didn’t have an eloquent way of relaying things, but I had to agree with him. Everything was fucking perfect.
Jamie
“WOW, YOU WENT ALL OUT,” TIFFANY SAID in that sweet, chipper tone as she stepped into my apartment.
Her eyes instantly shot to the kitchen counters, where I’d placed an array of food.
“Nothing fancy,” I told her.
“Fruit, crackers, cheese.” Her eyes lit up. “Chocolate fountain?” She glanced over at me. “What’s the occasion?”
“We’re celebrating,” I said shyly.
As though she knew exactly what I was about to say, her smile widened, as did her eyes. I could see the expectation there. She wanted me to spill the beans.
