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

there hadn’t been that bump in the road. Let bygones be bygones and, you know, push the boundaries, so to speak.

And now I was about to insert myself into the chaos once again, joining Talon for what he referred to as the Welcome Dinner.

I had no idea what to expect, but Talon assured me he would be with me throughout the evening. There was a part of me that was terrified of the idea of spending so much time with him. I still had no idea what to think about this whole Owner/possession thing. Yet I wanted to see what it involved, learn how Talon had come to run a company dedicated to such a thing.

But there was also a selfish part of me who wanted to enjoy the time I had with Talon, getting to know him, watching him in his natural element. I was mesmerized by him, completely intrigued. And surprisingly, I wasn’t put off by the fact he was clearly sexually intimate with the possessions he claimed as his own. Or that he had no qualms punishing them in the most sexual of ways, which I’d always found to be complex and confusing.

Despite all that, I wanted to understand him. And I wanted to explore whatever this was between us.

What that said about me, I wasn’t sure, but I was determined to find out.

An hour later, I was standing in front of a floor-length mirror, admiring the shimmering gold gown that had found its way into my room similar to the way the other clothes had. The moment I saw it, I’d felt a strange giddy sensation in the pit of my stomach.

The dress was absolutely stunning.

While I didn’t usually dress up to this degree, I couldn’t deny I enjoyed it. I’d never considered myself much above pretty, more so on the plain side. But a dress like this one … it was difficult not to feel beautiful, sexy even, when wearing it. Then again, that could’ve been thanks to the four-inch gold sandals that had been provided. The color of the ensemble set off my skin tone and made my eyes sparkle. I couldn’t help wondering if Talon had picked it out or if he’d left that to Tiegan. Either way, they had good taste.

“Time to do this,” I told my reflection, smiling and giving my lips a quick once-over to ensure the nude gloss wasn’t feathering.

No more excuses.

As I was making my way to the bedroom door, there was a knock. The sound had my stomach pitching again, my insides fluttering like butterflies.

I didn’t dawdle, hurrying over to open it, smiling brightly when I saw that Talon was the one on the other side.

His gaze instantly skimmed my entire body, leaving a warmth in its wake. When he met my eyes again, I could see the heat that shimmered in his molten gray irises. He was wearing a sinful black suit with a crisp white shirt and a shimmering gold tie that matched my dress. Coincidence? For whatever reason, I doubted it.

It warmed me.

He really was heart-stoppingly handsome.

“Ready?”

“As I’ll ever be,” I admitted.

When he held out his arm, I smiled shyly and curled my arm around his forearm.

“Is the party in the house?”

“No. Like I said before, I don’t invite just anyone into my residence. And rarely are guests permitted in the offices. Tonight’s event is in the ballroom at the resort.”

Even after all I’d seen, I was overwhelmed by the enormity of this place. My family had money, and they’d flaunted it like it made them royalty. But ten thousand square feet on a few acres was nothing compared to this island. And to think, I hadn’t seen all of it.

A few minutes later, part of my curiosity was sated. The resort’s ballroom was enormous, the square footage well into the upper ten thousands. Maybe twenty. More room than was necessary, in my opinion. Complete with chandeliers dangling from the coffered ceiling, enormous pillars throughout, strategically placed to hold up the other floors overhead. In the far corner was a piano and what appeared to be a small stage. There were numerous doors, all closed, around the room. What was on the other side I didn’t know, but I seriously doubted it was storage.

However, the decor and the possibilities beyond the doors weren’t what I found myself interested in at the moment.

My attention was drawn to the many men and a handful of women who were moving about the space. I could tell the possessions from the other guests because tonight they were all men, all wearing black jeans to go with their black leather collars, their chests and feet bare. The guests and employees had dressed for the occasion. Sparkling gowns, finely tailored suits. It was an interesting contradiction between the two types.

“Are your possessions here tonight?” I inquired.

“Only Taurus,” Talon answered, motioning over his left shoulder.

Taurus looked no worse for wear considering what he’d gone through earlier today. He was standing nearby, once again wearing his collar, his gaze on Talon, as though waiting for him to give him something to do but not at all bothered by doing nothing at all.

“How many of the Owners do you think will leave with their possession at the end of the week?” I asked simply to make conversation.

“From what I’ve seen today … three, maybe four.”

I peered from one Owner to the next, trying to figure out which he thought would back out. They were an eclectic mix, I’d give them that. Leah and Brad Townsend were definitely the tamest of them all. Mr. A, the most flamboyant. Then there was Laura Dunbar, a pretty, middle-aged woman who was actually deciding between two different possessions. I wasn’t sure what to make of her yet.

“Why doesn’t Laura just take both of them?” I asked as Laura tugged on the leashes she’d attached to the possessions trailing behind her.

“Not within the regulations,” he said easily. “An Owner can come back for another, but they can’t