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“This isn’t something you see every day!” Booker mumbled, stepping back out the door, his face as red as Kodi’s backside. The door shut with a sharp click.

Kodi groaned and covered his head with his hands, not moving up off the desk. “Why didn’t you lock the door,” he slurred.

It was the same question he was asking himself when he had no clue who Booker would tell.

Chapter Twenty-One

Kodi

Unsure which was hotter, his ass or his face, Kodi went in search of Booker, praying to whatever deity was listening that he hadn’t gone and blabbed his big mouth to Silas. Booker and Silas were best friends in school, and he was the one who had saved Silas from a beating he possibly wouldn’t have survived.

Silas would be the one Booker would go to, Kodi would bet his last dime on it.

Passing Silas’s office, the door was open and there was no sign of him. Kodi didn’t know if he should be relieved or not. He offered a smile to the secretaries he passed if they looked up, but he was sure his expression said ‘back the fuck away from the time bomb’.

Lennon had been paler than milk and totally inconsolable when he’d left him, taking full responsibility for not locking the door. That was all on Kodi, though, whose mouth hadn’t been engaged with his thoughts when he had asked about the door. He could see why Lennon would think he was blaming him. He wasn’t. They were both responsible for it. Although really, it was all on Kodi when it was him that wanted Lennon to paddle him while at their place of work!

Lennon had gone quiet while Kodi had tried to shake off the dreamlike state and dress to do damage limitation. He’d left Lennon in his office, visibly upset because they still needed to have the meeting that Booker had arrived early for.

Booker’s secretary wasn’t around, and he was glad of it as he barged straight into Booker’s office, his brain running way ahead of his actions, to find Booker sat at his desk looking poleaxed. A total first for Kodi, and it rooted his feet to the carpet.

“Go away, I’m traumatized. I can’t fucking unsee that!” Booker’s growl came across as distinctly uneasy, while he waved an enormous fist at Kodi threateningly.

Kodi, never one to back down, ignored it and the demand, shutting the door to lean against it, ensuring Booker didn’t get any ideas about skipping out before they’d talked.

“Don’t you fucking say a word, Kodi. I don’t want to know about your kinky shit.” His hands ran through his hair and then flopped down on the desk. “It’s bad enough with what Jupiter gets up to without you attaching your damn ass to the bandwagon,” he exclaimed, his voice climbing.

“Keep your goddamn voice down, will you?” Kodi hissed, stepping towards Booker’s desk in his agitation. All the work Lennon had done to rid him of tension was totally wasted. “Did you tell anyone?”

Booker’s eyes widened, head shaking. “Tell anyone you fucking traumatized me? Fuck no.”

Thank fucking heavens!

“Why can’t you be like a fucking normal person and lock your door? At least Silas does that when he gets jiggy with Ziggy,” he exclaimed, sounding thoroughly pissed off.

Only Kodi was now seeing the funny side with how Booker wasn’t going to spill to his brothers. “Gets jiggy with Ziggy? Didn’t know you were a poet. Maybe you can put that in your groomsman speech,” he said around the laughter.

Booker shot him the middle finger. “That will be your or Kari’s job!”

Kodi rested his hands on the chair in front of Booker’s desk, leaning on it, a frown working its way across his handsome features. “Why would it be our job? You’re his best friend and his brother. He’ll pick you for sure.”

With how pleased Booker appeared at his assurance, Kodi couldn’t resist teasing. “I mean, standing up there in front of everyone with them all watching, while you wax lyrical about Silas, why wouldn’t you wanna be picked to do that.”

Booker hated when folks stared at him, and Kodi knew he had nailed it when Booker scowled.

“Stop fucking winding me up, or my trauma might become Silas’s and Jupiter’s,” he threatened, a menacing smile appearing.

The hint of meanness in his voice said he could be serious. Kodi wasn’t a gambling man.

“Don’t we have a meeting?” he replied.

“Yep… will your ass be okay to sit for it?” Booker asked in a voice ladened with sickly sweetness.

It was Kodi’s turn to fire Booker the middle finger. “I’ll grab Lennon and we’ll come here—”

“Minus the paddle, I hope!” Booker muttered, reaching for his mouse, his gaze on the computer.

Kodi noticed the curl to his lips, right before they twitched. “You’re not funny.”