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

That told me nothing, but I sensed that was Talon’s play. He wasn’t willing to reveal any more than he had to.

Figuring he would speak when he was ready, I followed him up to the door. Rather than waltz right in, Talon placed his palm on a panel, and a second later, the lock disengaged.

Being that we were on an island, I wondered why they bothered with locks at all.

“Is security an issue?”

“Security’s an issue no matter where you are,” he said simply. “Just because we’re on an island doesn’t mean we’re inaccessible. I’ve got armed guards stationed here, as well. They maintain the perimeter and are paid handsomely to remain out of sight at all times. You can never be too cautious.”

I thought about how Jimmy had barged into my apartment. I’d thought I was safe in my own home, and I’d been horribly wrong. Suddenly, I was grateful Talon took such precautions.

He pushed open the eight-foot-tall, thick wooden door and gestured for me to precede him.

Stepping inside, the first thing I noticed was the entry was grand, and it was brightly lit thanks to all the windows that let the sun in. The decor in this space was similar to Talon’s main house. Open and airy, light, neutral tones on the walls, floor, and furniture. While the main house had marble floors, this one had a rustic hardwood in a soft brown.

The second thing I noticed were three naked men.

Completely, bare-assed naked.

And working away, dusting and cleaning like they were dressed in full garb.

“Is that … normal? Naked men everywhere?”

“Men and women,” he stated. “This way.”

All three men stopped what they were doing, lowering to their knees instantly as Talon passed. I craned my neck to watch as we moved through, noticing they quickly got back to what they were doing as soon as we were no longer in the same room.

Talon called out to someone named Gideon, and a moment later a man appeared, a wide smile on his equally wide face. I wouldn’t go so far as to say he was attractive, but he was definitely… Okay, so he was attractive, although not traditionally. More so in a very rakish sort of way. His sandy-blond hair hung to his shoulders. His darker eyebrows seemed as though they’d been designed specifically to accentuate his angular face. The thin blade of his nose and the high cheekbones made me think of a Nordic god.

“I’d like to introduce you to Braelyn Bishop,” Talon said. “Braelyn, meet our resident trainer, Gideon Malone.”

“It’s a pleasure,” Gideon said, his voice not as deep as I expected, his hand firm as it closed over mine.

“Braelyn’s deciding whether or not she wants to take a position with Owned,” Talon explained. “I thought it would be a good time to give her an introduction to the possessions.”

“It’s always a good time,” Gideon agreed, his blue eyes flashing. “They’re on their best behavior this morning.”

Best behavior? Did I even want to know what that meant?

*

TALON

“Currently, we’ve got thirty-six possessions in residence. The most we’ve ever had at one time,” Gideon explained as he led Braelyn through the main areas of the resort while I followed at a distance. “We’ve got three being delivered today, and, at the most, seven will leave by the end of the next retreat.”

“The one starting Monday?” Braelyn asked, fully engaged in Gideon’s explanation.

“Correct.” He offered a smile. “While they’re in our custody, residing here on the premises, they’re expected to work as well as interact with potential Owners via the app.”

“Work?”

“They’re responsible for all the chores here at the resort, as well as the grounds, the pools, the offices, and the villas. They have very little spare time. When they’re not working, we’ve got other duties as part of their training.”

“How much time do they spend training?”

“One hundred percent of their time here is training. At the very least, they’re learning the proper way to maintain a household. If an Owner has taken an interest in them and they’re receptive, we’re given a list of preferences specific to that Owner. The sort of tasks the possession will be responsible for, the type of punishment they’d receive, particular fetishes the Owner may have. That sort of thing. At that point, we begin incorporating those things to make the transition easier.”

“How many trainers are there?” Braelyn asked, glancing over at me.

“Three,” I answered. “Gideon’s the only permanent trainer. The other two are rotational. Meaning they’re potential Owners who have yet to acquire the possession they seek. They’re permitted to reside here for six months to get better acquainted with the possessions.”

“Both men and women?”

“Where Owners are concerned, it’s relatively balanced,” Gideon told her.

“More sixty/forty,” I said. “With the majority being female.”

I could see Braelyn was surprised by that statistic. It was true. High-powered women tended to focus on their jobs, and those we interacted with found that owning a possession satisfied them on both a physical and emotional level without hindering their upward progress on the business end.

“As for possessions,” Gideon continued, “the majority we see are male, but we’ve got a few females on the premises. They tend to go quickly.”

“We’ve got Owners on a waiting list for females,” I informed her. “We get roughly fifteen a year, at most.”

“Is it because women don’t want to be owned?”

“That’s what we tend to see. We’ll have ten or so going through the screening process at any given time, and only two are viable candidates,” Gideon said as he stopped near the kitchen where two possessions were in the process of cleaning up the breakfast dishes.

“What does that mean? Screening process?” Braelyn asked, her honey-gold eyes bouncing back and forth between me and Gideon.

“They seek us out,” I told her before Gideon could respond. “Not the other way around. Like I said, they’re all here willingly.”

Braelyn seemed to consider that as she turned back to the men in the kitchen.

“Why is it they’re naked?”

Gideon smiled. “Because we have no idea what