Owned (Office Intrigue Book 8) Nicole Edwards (classic english novels TXT) 📖

Primal in the club. Those submissives who identify as prey are seeking that. By labeling me, they figure it’ll draw me to them. For the record, it won’t.”

“So what do you identify with?”

“People often feel the need to place themselves in a category. I don’t do well being confined to a box.”

“But you like rough sex,” she said, the statement more of an inquiry than an accusation.

Figuring there was no need to soften the blow, I answered with, “I like sex. Mood dictates preference.”

“Am I to assume you’re into open relationships?”

“You can assume anything you’d like.”

Braelyn huffed, and it was a cute sound, one that drew a smile out of me, as well as clarification.

“No, I’m not into open relationships. I do not share my possessions with others, and those are the only relationships, if you want to call them that, I maintain. I do not have an affinity to claim something as my own and learn that someone else is indulging. What about you? You evidently entertained the idea of a dominant lover, even if he didn’t fulfill your needs. Does that make you a submissive?”

“No, I tried it. Wasn’t impressed,” she stated, as though that made any sense at all. “Plus, based on what my brother’s told me, I don’t think I’d care much for the club scene.”

“The club is merely a location for like-minded individuals. It has nothing to do with whether you prefer to dominate or submit. I believe, deep down, we’ve all got the desire to do one or the other. Rarely both, but there are some who fit the bill.”

“Like Tiegan?”

I stepped up behind Braelyn, pressed my chest to her back, leaned down so my mouth was near her ear. “Tiegan is not a switch. Try as she might to cloak herself as a Dominant, it goes against every true desire she has. But that man right there…” I pointed to one of the Owners down near the pool. “He’s definitely a Dominant.”

Braelyn’s breath hitched as she watched the scene play out before us. The Owner was sitting on one of the lounge chairs, a possession draped across his thighs. Every so often he would smack the possession’s ass with a bare hand before fingering his asshole. Repeat.

“Why’s he being punished?” Braelyn whispered.

“Could be anything. Or nothing at all.”

She watched for a minute or so before peering back over her shoulder. “Did Tiegan leave the island?”

“She did. With Memphis. They have some business dealings to tend to.”

“I thought she was your assistant.”

“She was. I’ve promoted her to marketing. She’ll be working under Memphis.” At least, if he took the job.

“Really? But … so what’re you going to do? About her not working for you?”

I took her hand again, headed toward the stairs leading up to the main level. “I was going to see if you’d be interested in helping out. Temporarily, of course. Unless you find it’s something you enjoy. It’ll give you some insight into the company, what goes on and so forth.”

“I’d love to,” she said, her tone chipper.

“Excited?”

“It’s just … well, I really need something to do and … and like you said, it’ll give me some insight. I’d be happy to do it.” She glanced up. “I’ll just need a little training on what duties I need to cover.”

“We’ll hash it out in the morning.”

As we strolled toward the house, Braelyn’s gaze continued to stray down to the pool, where the Owner and possession remained. The Owner’s fingers had now been replaced by his cock as he bent the possession over and took him with authority.

“Back to our earlier conversation,” I said when we stepped up onto the veranda.

Braelyn stopped, turned to face me. “About me being a submissive?”

“Yes.” I stepped in close, brushed my knuckles along her soft cheek. “I think you’ve got a submissive side, one I’d very much be interested in dominating.”

I heard the hitch in her breath, could see the desire in her eyes. I found that intriguing.

“What makes you think I’m … that I’m submissive?”

“There’s a glitter in your eyes when I issue a command versus a request.”

“How do you know?” A teasing smile curved her lips. “You haven’t issued a request yet.”

I grinned. “And I won’t. That’s what makes me the Dominant and you the submissive.”

“I thought you didn’t like labels.”

“I don’t, but you seem to relate to them.” I stepped back when Taurus appeared, taking both drinks and passing one to Braelyn. “Back to the man you dated. How’d you meet him?”

“Through a website.” Braelyn started walking farther away from where the Owner and possession were, so I fell into step.

“A fetish website, I presume?”

“Yes.”

I knew of many out there, didn’t approve of most of them. But that didn’t mean people couldn’t find what they were looking for on them.

“He presented himself as a Dominant, did he?”

“Yes.”

“And you as a submissive?”

Braelyn nodded, glancing up at me. “I was going through a phase.”

I ignored that comment because it was a lie. “Then what? You got together, went to bed? Meshed well?”

“Actually, no. Not right away, anyway.” She turned her attention to the pool house ahead of us, began moving in that direction. “We dated for a couple of months.”

“Ah. Dated. As in dinner, dancing? Movies?”

“Mostly dinner. Jake said we needed to get to know each other.”

“In order to determine if you were sexually compatible? Is that something you can determine through conversation?”

Braelyn didn’t look my way, but I heard her breathing change. I could tell she was shocked by my questions though I wasn’t sure why that was. They were logical asks, were they not? Someone claimed they were a Dominant, proudly spouted this on a website for all to see. I could only assume they were referring to sexual domination. Otherwise, it would’ve been obvious without the need for a profile cloaked in fancy poetry and pornographic pictures.

“No, it can’t be determined through conversation,” she finally said.

“How long was it before he seduced you?”

“He didn’t,” she said, the answer coming easily now.

“You seduced