RACK
“There is obviously something wrong with my brother, Rack, and I don't think you're taking it seriously!”
Her voice cracked through the phone sharp enough that I had to pull it away from my ear. On the other end, I could practically see her, chin tipped up, pacing, hands flying as she spoke. I drew in a slow breath through my nose and counted it out before answering, forcing my tone into something even.
“I can assure you, Boss Glo?—”
“Raaack.”
Recognizing my name as the warning it was, I briefly closed my eyes and exhaled again, my thumb pressing harder against my temple, wishing that just one of the bosses could be normal.
“Miss Aniyah,” I corrected.
A beat passed, then I caught the shift in her breathing. “That’s better.” A faint curl of satisfaction threaded through her voice.
“I can assure you,” I continued, steadying myself, “your brother is fine. Better than fine.” There was a slight bitterness in that last sentence I hoped she didn't catch.
There was a pause, short but loaded, like she was narrowing her eyes at the phone, weighing my words.
“I don’t care if he got his dick wet.”
My grip tightened despite myself. I tipped my head back against the seat for a second, staring up at the living room ceiling like it might grant me patience.
“What I’m worried about,” she pushed on, her words picking up speed, “is that I’ve sent himthreedick pics, and he hasn’t responded once. Not. A. Single. One. Not even a disgusted emoji!”
That… made my brow crease.
I stared at the fan blades going round and round, jaw shifting as I considered it. She wasn’t wrong. Calix usually fired back immediately, if only to mock her.
“I think he’s just focused on his work,” I said, though even as the words left my mouth, they felt thinner than I liked.
“I don’t know…” Her tone dipped, drifting thoughtfully. “First, I sent him a snake dick. Full scales and everything. It was impressive, honestly. I was waiting for him to freak out, but I got nothing.”
My lips pressed together. Yeah. That should’ve gotten a reaction.
“And then,” she went on, undeterred, “there was one with a mouth at the tip. It had teeth and everything. Ryan’s been experimenting on his dick with fairy illusions, and?—”
I dragged a hand down my face, slow and deliberate.
“I couldn’t understand who would want that,” she added, her tone becoming contemplative in a way that suggested she was still analyzing it. “But you know me, I’ve always been open-minded about sexual desires. Seeing if any of them awaken my own.” She busted out laughing.
Of course she was.
“And the last one—” she continued like this was all perfectly normal conversation “—was just Lucus’s gorgeous, fat dick with a little caption, you know, something playful. I think it says, ‘the vampire daddy dick I’m about to gobble gobble,’ and still, nothing! Not a single reply.”
“You didwhat, darling?”
A new voice slipped into the background, his accented words laced with disbelief. I could hear movement, sheets shifting, the muffled rustle of bodies adjusting. It must’ve been said vampire mate, which meant…
“Did you just….”
Aniyah didn’t miss a beat.
“Have sex? Of course!” she snapped, outrage flaring back to life. “How else would I get a picture of my mate’s dick?”
Her voice sounded muffled as she cooed, “You know your dick is beautiful, and all mine, so what if I want to brag about it? You should be flattered, mate.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose, eyes squeezing shut as the conversation spiraled further into territory I had no interest navigating. That was enough.
