Owned (Office Intrigue Book 8) by Nicole Edwards (bill gates book recommendations txt) 📕

“To escape my past.”

Damn it. I should’ve known he would be vague.

“I can’t give you the details in present company,” he tacked on, as though he’d read my mind. “But I’m happy to give them to you. You simply have to ask.”

My heart kicked in my chest and I didn’t know why.

Ransom chose Cody. “Do you wish to become a possession?”

“Yes,” he said quickly. “My overall objective is to be owned. It’s the reason I’m here.”

“Why aren’t you?” Ransom asked, violating his own rules. Since it was a good question and I was curious, I didn’t mention it.

“The Owners don’t see me as a possession because of my responsibilities here.”

“Is there an Owner on the island that you’d be interested in serving?”

“Gideon,” he blurted.

I stared, completely shocked by the admission. I knew Cody quite well and I didn’t know that. Made me wonder what else I didn’t know about him.

Cody asked, “Who was responsible for your breakup? You or Jasper?”

“Jasper chose to pursue other avenues,” he answered, pinning me with a hard stare. “Why’d you choose to pursue other avenues?”

Son of a bitch.

I should’ve known this was coming. Hell, I did know but I’d opted to play this stupid game anyway.

I considered telling him I wasn’t the one who opted out of our relationship, that he did that himself by refusing to let me in completely. He’d only thought I was interested in a Dominatrix because I had allowed him to believe that. I’d found myself in a disturbing situation, but rather than admit the truth to Ransom, I’d been a coward, using it as an excuse, as a way to lessen the sting because I knew it was ending between us. I had needed more than Ransom was willing to give.

“Pass,” I said weakly.

I could see the disappointment on Ransom’s face, hated that I’d put it there.

Ransom looked at Cody. “Give Jasper that blow job.”

He’d said the directives would be brutal, and I had to believe Ransom knew this wasn’t what I wanted. Otherwise he wouldn’t have forced Cody on me. Then again, I had been willing the other night, so maybe this was his natural progression.

My stomach sank, but I masked my expression because I’d agreed to play and the last thing I wanted was for Ransom to think I was unwilling.

“Come here,” Ransom instructed me.

Confused, I walked toward him. When he was close enough, he reached for my hand and spun me so my back was to his chest. His arms banded around me as he pulled me against him. He shifted his arms up, his fingers curling over my shoulders as he held me in place.

“Strip him,” Ransom told Cody. “Then do your worst, but he stays right here where he is.”

Cody had my shorts off in under a second, then he stepped between my legs, hooking my knees over his shoulders. He didn’t hesitate, taking my cock in his mouth while I was suspended between them, my torso just beneath the water’s surface.

“Is this what you want?” Ransom whispered in my ear, his words gruff.

I didn’t respond because we both knew it wasn’t. However, my body would’ve belied my answer because Cody was working my cock like a pro, and I couldn’t deny the pleasure that consumed me. I forced myself to watch him, acknowledging to myself that this would be the last time I was intimate with him. Regardless of what happened between Ransom and me, I could no longer go down this path. It wasn’t enough. Not for me. Not for Cody.

“Suck him harder,” Ransom growled, his arms tightening as though he was holding himself back.

Cody did as instructed, hoovering my cock like a vacuum, dragging my release from me despite my attempt to hold back.

“Fuck,” I hissed.

“Come down his throat,” Ransom commanded, the words growled in my ear. “Come right down his throat and we’re done.”

If he’d known that those words cut me to the bone, I had to wonder if he would’ve taken them back.

Something told me I would not be pleased with the answer.

Seconds later, I came.

Moments after that, Ransom left.

THIRTY-THREE

Friday, January 8, 2020

Braelyn

Who knew I’d be good at being someone’s executive assistant?

Just a few days into it and I was happy to say I was getting the hang of it, and I was quite good if I did say so myself. More importantly, I was enjoying myself. Not only because Talon was making up new rules as we went along, insisting that his new assistant be much closer to him than his previous one. Although, that was certainly a bonus.

And fine, the dirty girl in me certainly enjoyed that aspect of the job, but what I was getting the most satisfaction from was being able to contribute to something bigger than myself.

Since Monday, I’d spent a good majority of my days dealing with the ins and outs of Owned, Incorporated, learning something new every single day. Turned out, it took a lot of effort to run a company this size. If someone thought it was easy to manage an app catering to something as sinful as owning a possession, they’d be wrong. Talon was very strict when it came to those who were allowed to be part of this world, and it required a team of competent people to keep things running smoothly. And if anyone ever thought Tiegan did not pull her weight, boy, were they wrong. The woman was a genius when it came to managing Talon and everything he expected to be handled. I could only hope I’d become as efficient as she was.

Luckily, I had some nice people willing to help me out. Unfortunately, Tiegan wasn’t one of them. I’d attempted to reach out to her on Monday afternoon, but she had yet to reply to my email. I was tempted to ask Talon about it but decided it would look too much like tattling, and that was the last thing I would be accused of doing. If Tiegan wanted