Page 16 of Gilded Lies
“Thank you.”
“She’s under my care and my partners. We will see to it no rules are broken.”
Curious when I’ll be presented the Society's book for signing in, I get a backward glance and a sexy wink from Danika that has my insides flooding with heat. I inhale deeply at the affectionate playfulness in his expression. Broody is more his style, so the change of pace is pleasantly surprising.
I stare up at him, caught in the darkness of his eyes that belies the heat rolling off him. His powerful position as the head of his crime family comes with a lot of stress, but he’s never once let it bleed into how he treats me. From the outside looking in, he appears to be the very epitome of calm and collected.
Oliver and Rune give off the same calm vibe. Though they merely need to snap their fingers to have an army at their beck and call. You would never know the extent of their power by merely looking at them, though.
Of course, they rather believe I don’t know how to use a search engine and dig up new articles on them, but they are like vaults of information about them, so I dig in my free time. Which usually aligns with my time at the Golden Key Society back home because these three don’t leave me alone long enough when I’m off the clock.
The gentleman gestures to an item that looks no bigger than my cell phone. “If everyone would pass their keys over the reader on the far door, we will be done here for the evening.”
“And the book?”
The older man’s smile stirs my curiosity.
“You’ll see, ma’am.”
Oliver and Rune peel back their sleeves and take turns passing their bared wrists in front of a device hooked to the wall.
Below it, a tablet screen brightens and their names are added to a digital book.
Oh. That is nice. I need to talk to my boss. The Seattle branch needs one of those readers. It would make monitoringmembership easier and faster. The analog and black light old school method takes too much time?—
My thoughts are cut short. Oliver presses his lips to the shell of my ear and whispers his husky warning in a low tone that has me wishing I was the kind of woman who would tell him to show me his worst.
“Those gears turn any faster and I’ll be forced to take drastic measures in order to get your mind back on tonight’s events. You’ve worked enough. Tonight is about the four of us and you will need all your senses about you if you catch my meaning.”
I turn to find Rune’s grin mischievous. Which is exactly what this man is down to the marrow in his bones.
“Are you trying to handle me, Oliver?”
From the corner of my eye, I watch the side of Oliver’s lip turn up. He’s listening, but staying quiet. Something Rune has a hard time doing.
Case in point…
His hand comes around my hip, and his fingers curl into the soft fabric of my dress. It’s possessive and hints at the night’s entertainment if I have my signals figured out.
“When I take control over you, Magnolia Lafleur, you will know it.” He does not stutter or growl his words. He speaks evenly in a way that has my skin erupting with chills of anticipation.
“Like I said… I will take drastic measures to get your mind on where it needs to be.”
The word drastic on Oliver’s tongue has me slamming on the mental brakes. When he uses words like that, I’m usually tiedto their bed and either covered in honey or wax. At least that is what happened last week when I pulled an all-nighter and failed to answer my phone.
Last Saturday I wrapped up my shift at the Society after a long night and the three of them were outside waiting for me. They had a plan in place, and it took all weekend for them to execute each intricate detail. I now have a deep appreciation for honey covered…
“Magnolia Lafleur, there you go again.”
I huff out. “What? I can’t help it. You say things like that, and my head starts throwing scenarios together.”
Rune’s laugh is low, warm, and soothing. And so are his arms. He holds me tight and shares his body warmth. It’s nowhere near as cold here as it is in Seattle but it’s enough to have my nipples pressing against the soft fabric of my dress. We follow Danika inside. He leads us through beautiful arching doors with multi-colored stained glass in frames pinned open with golden hooks on either door. I can’t tell for sure in the low light, but I am pretty sure the angels in the glass had fallen from grace from the sinful things they are doing to their human lovers.
“Why are we here?” I want to hear all the dirty details of this special exclusive show they’ve lined up for us.
Danika’s brush of his knuckles over my cheek does things to the tether around my heart and I forget about my question. I’m trying really hard not to fall madly in love with my men, but they make it harder by the day. The more time I’m with them, the easier it gets to forget my past.
Until now they haven’t asked me about a single day of my life before they entered it, and I haven’t pressed for informationon where they go when they tend to “meetings”. Eventually someone will break, but I’m happy hanging out in our blissful bubble for a while longer.