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

who’s willing to bounce on top of you for a single night, maybe more. Proclaim your desire to find happily ever after whether you’re a Christian single, a farmer, a cat lover, snake lover, tattoo enthusiast, or whatever, and you can pay someone to meet another who might share your interests, but most likely modified their profile to suit their current needs. As for whether or not they’re who they say they are … that’s your gamble. But might I suggest you always wear a condom. I seriously doubt safety is a concern of theirs.”

I laughed. “You’ve given it some thought, have you?”

Talon smiled. “It’s not that I’m knocking those applications. They work quite well in the vanilla world. But for those of us with a proclivity for something darker, they hold no value.”

He was right. They didn’t.

“Since I have the ability and means to see through the bullshit, to identify the imposters and eliminate them before they ever get their greedy claws into what will ultimately belong to another, I figure I might as well offer my services. Which is beneficial to many, because those who join Owned are simply looking for a happily ever after that doesn’t conform to polite society.”

I nodded in agreement. “To each his own, right?”

“Exactly.”

“I think the question of the hour is: how much does my sister know about what goes on here?”

There was genuine concern on Talon’s face when he spoke. “Nothing. As of yet. My intention is to show her around this morning.”

I ignored the urge to ask him what other intentions he had with my sister, choosing rather to peer around, trying to decide how Braelyn would react to this. I’d never sheltered her or babied her. Not because I didn’t want to. More because she would have none of it. However, I knew Braelyn to be flexible and tolerant, so I figured there was a chance she wouldn’t run for the hills. Didn’t mean she would accept all this with open arms.

Granted, if I’d known the details of Talon’s operation prior to asking for his help, I wasn’t sure I would’ve all but thrown my sister at his feet.

“Any more questions?” Talon asked.

“Not at the moment.” I figured I’d have plenty once it all sank in.

“Then let me introduce you to a few people.”

He gave me a brief tour of the main floor, introducing me to the day chef, some of the kitchen staff, then on to a couple of employees who’d evidently made the trip with us.

“And this is Gideon Malone. He’s my head trainer, manages the place, if you will,” Talon introduced when we approached a tall blond man with square features that somehow formed an attractive face.

Gideon nodded, clearly waiting to hear who I was.

“Gideon, meet Ransom.”

“Pleasure,” Gideon said, holding out his hand.

I shook it, smiled. “You’ve got a nice setup here.”

Gideon appeared pleased by the praise. “We try.”

“I’m giving Ransom the dime tour,” Talon informed him. “Don’t let us keep you.”

“Nice to meet you,” Gideon said, then ventured toward a group of naked possessions, barking orders upon his approach.

As I continued to follow Talon, I asked the one question I was most curious about. “Why’d you bring me here? Aside from helping me out with my current situation. Because I know you well enough … you’ve got an ulterior motive.”

“Always,” he said, giving me his full attention by stopping and turning to face me head on. “And yes, I’ve got a proposition for you, Ransom. One I think’ll be beneficial to both of us.”

“What might that be?”

“In due time.” He smiled. “Let me give my spiel before I lay all my cards on the table.”

I had to admire his honesty. I’d known Talon a long time, and this was a side to the man I’d never seen before. At Dichotomy, he was very mysterious. I had to say, I was curious to know more about him and what he’d built for himself.

“Mr. Chastain,” Talon called when he turned down a hallway.

“In here,” came the terse reply.

I followed Talon as he stepped into what appeared to be a medical exam room. It wasn’t the same as the one I’d stayed in upon my arrival, but it was similar. Not quite so sterile.

“Ransom, I’d like to introduce you to Cody Chastain. Mr. Chastain, meet Ransom Bishop.”

The first thing I noticed about Cody Chastain was that he was submissive. How did I know that? For starters, he did not offer his hand for me to shake; instead, he waited for me to do so. Any submissive worth their salt knew it was inappropriate to make such gestures to a Dominant. And when I grasped his hand firmly in mine, his eyes lowered.

He was an attractive man. Young. Probably early twenties if I had to guess. Short brown hair, warm brown eyes, skin tanned by the island sun.

To show my approval, I held on to his hand for a few seconds longer, swiping my thumb across his knuckle. It was my way of gauging his obedience level, as well as his interest, and if I wasn’t mistaken—and I rarely was—Cody Chastain had been trained well. And he was most definitely interested.

“Mr. Chastain’s a permanent resident,” Talon informed me. “He’s our in-house physical therapist. He works alongside Dr. Tate.”

“Is that right?” I got the feeling Talon was attempting to sell me on the hot therapist. “He’s young.”

“He is,” Talon confirmed. “Twenty-five.”

Cody didn’t respond, his eyes remaining lowered.

No lie, I was curious. Mostly because of the way Jasper had so casually mentioned Cody. If I was correct, the two of them were close. Question was: how close?

Because of my curiosity, I didn’t realize until then that there was someone currently laid out on the padded table behind Cody.

“I guess we should let you get back to it.” I waited for Cody to meet my gaze before releasing his hand. “I look forward to seeing you later.”

“Likewise, Master Bishop.”

“Ransom,” I corrected. “Master’s reserved for club submissives.”

Not lingering, I turned and left the room,