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

eyes followed me when I stood and headed for the telephone.

“Have Dr. Tate come to my office when he has a few minutes. After takeoff.” I didn’t bother waiting for a response before disconnecting the call and turning to my possessions. “Auberon, Rolphe, take your seats in the bedroom.”

With practiced movements, they stood, immediately retreating to the other room and into the two chairs in there.

“A doctor?” Braelyn was attempting to look at her feet, pulling one into her lap. “Oh.”

“I’ll feel better if he looks you over, fixes you up.”

“Sure.” Braelyn’s gaze shifted to the doorway as I took my seat next to her. “Are you … um … married to them?”

The question wasn’t nearly as ludicrous as it had been the first time I’d heard it many years ago, but it still caught me by surprise. It had taken me time to realize that not many understood my relationship with my possessions because they weren’t around to see it.

“Certainly not.”

Braelyn relaxed in her chair, crossing one mile-long leg over the other then draping the robe to cover herself. “Are they … I don’t know what you call it? Like temporary submissives?”

I glanced over at her.

“I’m sorry,” she said quickly. “It’s just … I really don’t know what I’m supposed to talk about. I mean, you just saw me naked and you’ve clearly got two submissives waiting for you, so…”

I opted not to correct her, more than a little curious to see her dig her way out of this hole.

EIGHT

Braelyn

Nervous. That was what I was. And as was par for the course, I tended to ramble incessantly.

But I was feeling something else, something more potent. It was the same thing I’d felt the first time I met Talon, the same thing that had haunted me for the past year.

That was likely the reason I hadn’t freaked when I noticed Talon watching me in the bathroom mirror. Perhaps I would have if I hadn’t been inundated with this overwhelming … warmth. It trickled through my veins, ratcheted up my heartbeat, and seemed to encompass my entire body. The way it had the very first time I met him. During an encounter much the same as the one earlier, only that had been a false alarm and this … well, I wasn’t sure what this was yet.

Rather than panic that he’d seen me naked, for the first time in my life, I decided to let the moment play out, finding that I thoroughly enjoyed the way those slate-gray eyes skimmed my body like a physical caress. I could blame it on my self-imposed abstinence for the past year, but I didn’t think it was only that. It was strange, yes, but there was something about Talon that made me trust him.

Speaking of trust…

“Is my brother here yet?”

Talon removed the phone receiver from its mount on the wall beside him. He relayed my question, then was quiet for a moment before finally responding with a quick “Thank you” and hanging up.

“They’re getting him settled in.”

Settled in? Why did that sound foreboding?

“You said he was all right,” I accused, my voice a bit higher pitched.

“He is.” Talon’s tone was smooth as silk. “I assure you, he’s in the best hands.”

“That’s not the same as being all right.” Instantly I was on my feet, wincing. “I want to see him.”

Talon stood slowly, gracefully. Rather than take me to my brother, he stepped closer, tilting my head back so I was forced to look up at him.

“We’ll be taking off momentarily,” he explained. “Once we’re in the air, I’ll take you to him.”

If it weren’t for the sincerity in his eyes, I would’ve argued. For whatever reason, it didn’t feel like Talon was placating me. Then again, if he was … if something had happened to Ransom and he was hiding it, there would be hell to pay.

“The pilots are readying for takeoff,” he said softly. “You should buckle up.”

With the wind once again out of my sails, I eased back into the chair, peered down at the arms, hoping to be discreet while I searched for the seat belt because there was no belt or buckle waiting for me to connect them. Maybe that was just a movie thing?

“Let me help you,” Talon said firmly, leaning down and opening the cushioned armrests on each side of the chair. Sure enough, there were seat belts built in, as well as a dozen other controls I didn’t get a chance to identify. My attention shifted to his big hands as they began adjusting the belt and effectively securing me.

I’d never really noticed a man’s hands before. Talon had nice hands. Like, really nice hands. They were smooth, his fingers long and wide, his nails short and clean. It made me wonder what he was capable of doing with those hands. Namely, what sort of pleasure could be induced by his touch, his…

I inhaled sharply when I looked up to find he was still bending forward, his face dangerously close to mine. I couldn’t see his eyes, but I could feel the smooth skin of his cheek lightly brushing mine.

God, he smelled good. It was a scent similar to that which had been on the leather jacket. Only this was more powerful, but not in an overbearing manner. It was uniquely Talon, a scent that stirred things inside me.

“Comfortable?” he asked, his voice pitched low.

“Yes. Thank you.”

He nodded, his cheek brushing mine again before he stood tall and returned to his seat.

Several minutes passed as a series of announcements came through the speakers strategically placed throughout the space.

A man I assumed to be the pilot gave a brief announcement, including weather conditions, and then a woman—flight attendant?—gave a few instructions over the intercom. All the while, I glanced around Talon’s office, admiring the spacious room, the furnishings, the decor. There was a minimalist element to the room, and it felt as though it suited Talon, though I wasn’t sure how I knew that other than the