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

disappeared. Today was his assigned day, and he should’ve been right behind me.

That did not bode well for him.

Luckily, Sim was nearby, still standing by for Braelyn. He immediately set out to do my bidding.

“We’ve got several more employees who’ve arrived on the jet, as well. They’ll immediately get to work, manning the resort or dealing with possessions, whatever Tiegan has assigned them to do.”

“Is there something I can help with?” Her eyes lowered, shyly. “I’d like to contribute. If … you know … you want me to.”

As I turned to face her more fully, there was a swelling in my chest, a feeling I’d never felt before.

“I’d be honored if you would.” I cupped her cheek. “But for today, I’d like you to stick close to me.” I smiled, ensured she saw the pleasure she gave me simply by breathing. “For selfish reasons, but also because you’ll get to see everything that takes place.”

Another blush infused her pale cheeks. “I’d like that.”

Sim appeared, holding up a tray with four champagne flutes.

“With champagne, or without,” I offered to Braelyn.

“I think I’ll steer clear of the alcohol for now.”

I passed a glass of orange juice to her and took one of the mimosas for myself. “Are you hungry?”

She took a sip, smiled. “I could eat.”

And for the first time since I woke up, I felt like myself.

Perhaps even a better version.

*

Braelyn

I was still reeling by the time Talon and I finished a breakfast fit for royalty. And it had nothing to do with the incredible food.

Nope. My world was still slightly tilted on its axis because of Talon. Namely, his apology. It was completely unexpected, so I figured it would take some time to get my bearings after he’d metaphorically knocked me off my feet.

Truth was, I’d been psyching myself up all morning—most of the night, really, since I’d hardly slept—trying to figure out the best way to apologize to him. Granted, I hadn’t been sure what I was sorry for because I hadn’t known where things went so horribly wrong last night. I still didn’t.

So for him to seek me out… It hadn’t done anything to help me figure out what I was feeling for him. In fact, it had complicated matters, giving me a glimpse at a side to him I hadn’t realized he had. Based on what little I knew of him, I didn’t take Talon for one who apologized often.

Not that I had time to think about making up with him. Not with so much going on around me.

I had no idea what I’d been expecting to happen when the Owners arrived, but it hadn’t been for the noise level to increase tenfold. Evidently, Owners weren’t the prim and proper types I’d thought they were. Considering Talon was my only reference, I had just assumed they would be similar to him in mannerisms. Professional, well-dressed, soft-spoken, confident, demanding.

Nope.

Not even close.

They were a hodgepodge, an eclectic mix of race, gender, sex, and most definitely personalities.

There were seven Owners who arrived, their names I’d yet to memorize. Four of them were single, two were married and had brought their spouses, and the last one had brought along a possession they already owned. That was a total of ten in that group and another dozen employees of Owned, Incorporated, as well as Gideon and Zed, along with Zion and Micah, a very moody Tiegan, and the other trainer, Memphis, who seemed to be at odds with Tiegan. Put them all together in one spot, and you got what equated to semi-organized chaos.

Being that I had no idea what went on at these things, I was doing my best to keep out of the way, but it wasn’t working. Every time I made an attempt to step back, Talon would draw me to his side again. He made a point to introduce me to everyone, although I noticed he did not refer to me by name, but he wasn’t shy about touching me or keeping me close. He had a way of making me feel important and safe at the same time, and it stirred all those warring emotions I was trying to ignore.

Once Talon had made the rounds, he pulled Tiegan aside. I noticed she was glaring at him, as though rays might shoot out of her eyes and kill him where he stood.

“I expect you’ll be on the jet when it leaves,” he said, his tone leaving no room for argument.

“She will,” Memphis answered for her. “As will I.”

Talon nodded, glanced between the two of them.

That was when I noticed Memphis silently communicating with Tiegan. She still looked like an angry lioness, but something in her eyes softened. Barely noticeable, but it was there.

“I’ll set up a call for tomorrow morning,” Talon told him. “You, me, and Zion.”

“Sounds good.”

Talon looked at Tiegan once more, nodded his head, then turned away without a word. He took my hand, guided me toward the door leading outside.

“We’ve got about an hour before I have to start delivering possessions,” he informed me. “I need to take care of something. It’s a personal matter. Would you care to join me?”

I found myself nodding. I figured the only way I was going to find out my true feelings for this man was to get to know him better. The more time I spent with him … well, the better I would know him.

With my hand securely in his, we made our way over to the main house. The closer we got, the more I noticed the shift in Talon. Something was wrong, but I wasn’t comfortable asking what, so I walked silently beside him while he stewed.

He stopped at an electronic panel just inside the doors, keyed in something, skimmed the screen, grunted, and then we were on the move again. During our trek, I got a fairly good look at the rest of the house: kitchen, dining, library, study, several more rooms that looked to be for relaxing, and finally a laundry room that