Page 58 of Revenge & Truth

We were both startled as a knock sounded at the door. “Mistress, I don’t mean to intrude, but you have about ten minutes before your next meeting,” Boykov said through the small crack he’d made opening the door.

“That man deserves a raise,” Astin muttered as she stood. “Thank you, Ralph.”

Tucking myself back into my pants, I looked up at her. When our eyes met, we both started laughing. “God, I feel like we just got caught by someone’s dad,” I said, pulling myself to my feet. “I can’t tell if I should be embarrassed or not.”

“Oh, I’m sure you’ll get a scowl of disapproval, but he won’t bite unless I tell him,” she teased. “Now follow me, and I’ll show you where the secret bathroom is in here. You might also want to text Jace and see if he can bring you a new shirt since yours got a little… wet. On second thought, I’ll ask Glenda. She won’t tease us about it for weeks.”

“Good call,” I agreed as we walked through a door I’d never noticed before. “Would you look at that, it even has a shower.”

“Daddy wasn’t one to skimp on his comforts,” Astin pointed out as she put her phone to her ear. “Hurry up, you reek of sex, and this next meeting is going to test my patience as it is.”

“Yes, My Queen,” I said, kissing her cheek only for her to swat me away with a glare that held no real anger.

God, I loved this woman, and this was only the beginning for us.

twenty

How Edgar walked out of that meeting alive, I will never understand. He’d done just about everything he could to try to piss me off short of spitting in my face. The more he spoke, the stronger the urge was to stab him in the eye. Or maybe slit his throat to keep him from saying another word. Either way, I deserved a giant gold star for allowing him to continue breathing the same air as I do.

“The audacity of that man was mind-blowing,” I grumbled, yanking open the bottle of brandy and pouring a healthy splash. Grabbing the glass, I leaned against the bar, knowing I’ll probably need a refill before there was a chance of fixing this mood. “This day had been going so well, and he had to go and fucking ruin my post-afternoon-delight glow.”

Braxton chuckled as he snagged the untouched whiskey the bastard had requested. “Edgar is a pain in the fucking ass, and I never understood why we continued to do business with him. Although it sounds like your father and the prick came to some agreement on how to handle things. Too bad for Edgar that no longer applies, and he’s gonna need to play by your rules.”

“Thank fuck he was the last meeting I had today. If anyone came after him and crossed me, I’d have to buy a new rug… again,” I commented as I drained my glass and poured another. “Can you believe he still thought I was really that stripper he met at your nightclub opening?”

“Sadly, that doesn’t surprise me at all, but damn if the look on his face wasn’t something.” Braxton laughed, slapping his leg, only to stand and box me in. “God, I wish I could’ve framed that stunned expression and put it with the collection of men who dare to underestimate you.”

“Wait, is that really a thing?” I asked, kind of hoping it was.

He leaned in, running his nose along my jaw to whisper in my ear, “Not yet, but I can make that happen if it would please you, Mistress.”

My body shivered as I remembered what that mouth could do to me. I’m not sure I could look at him the same way after what he accomplished earlier. People always say that any woman can squirt if the other person knows what they’re doing. I didn’t believe them, but now I fully understand it has everything to do with the person running the show.

“You know, I do think it would please me,” I managed to admit.

“Then I’ll get working on it,” Braxton assured me, cupping my cheek and kissing me.

Setting my glass down, I wrapped my arms around him, surrendering to his touch. The simmering connection between us had now exploded and taken on a life of its own. I wanted nothing more than to get naked and lay in bed kissing this man. Well, kissing and having the chance to explore his body to get it to respond to me the way I responded to him. Then for the third time today, an uninvited guest walked right into my office.

“Bravo, darling. I knew there was more between you and your men. Shame on you for trying to hide something trivial, especially from me,” Ivy scolded as she perched on the arm of the sofa. “I’m happy to wait if you need to burn off a little steam before we go shopping. Better yet, bring him along for a little dressing room action… it’s always a good thrill.”

I snorted, dropping my head to Braxton’s shoulder. “Oh, we’ve already burned off some steam not too long ago.”

“So, the sex smell in here is new. Well, as I always say, work with no pleasure is what sends you to the grave quicker,” Ivy quipped, giving me a cheeky smile. “I knew we were going to be good friends.”

The more time I spent around Ivy, I had to agree with her. “You think that now, but I’ll warn you, my luck with female friends hasn’t been the greatest.”

“Darling, that’s because they were intimidated by you instead of celebrating the strong, confident woman you are,” Ivy stated as if it was obvious. “Friendship between women can only happen when there is mutual respect. If they are always trying to tear the other woman apart, it’s rather hard to build trust, do you agree?”

“I agree with you completely on that,” I admitted.

Ivy’s smile grew slightly wider, making her even more enchanting than usual. “Now that we have that settled, are you ready to go shopping?”

“Fuck yes. I need a break from dealing with idiotic asshole men. Present company excluded,” I added, giving Braxton a wink. “Did you want to come, or do you have other work to deal with?”

“However my Mistress decides I can best serve her, that is what I shall do,” Braxton answered.

While I wanted to have him come with us, I knew it would be better if I just took some time for myself. Since I arrived back home, I’ve been with one of them at all times, not that I was complaining. However, in real life, it was important for me to have my own friends and do things on my own.