to make a point, they won’t hesitate to do so.
“As for Jimmy…” She swallowed, continued. “I haven’t thought about him in years, but the minute I realized who he was, I knew I had to run. He called me doll face; that’s how I realized it was him. Not only was he there to take me, he was going to hurt me.”
I listened, careful to mask my expression, not wanting her to pick up on the anger slowly increasing in her defense.
“I don’t know how Ransom thinks this’ll help … being here.” Braelyn looked over at me.
“It will,” I promised. “You’re safe here.”
“For how long?” Her eyes implored me. “How long can we impose?”
“You’re not an imposition, Braelyn.”
She huffed a laugh. “Wait until we’ve invaded your space for a few days, then tell me that.”
Rather than argue, because I knew it wouldn’t do any good, I reached for Braelyn’s hand, brushed my thumb over her knuckles.
“You’re safe here,” I repeated. “Ransom’s safe here. And if you believe nothing else about me, believe that I can and will ensure nothing happens to either of you.”
Braelyn continued to stare into my eyes as though she was seeking the hidden secrets beneath. I wanted to tell her there weren’t any. I was an open book. It was how I lived my life.
But I figured actions spoke far louder than words, and I had every intention of showing her exactly who I was at my very core.
*
Braelyn
I wasn’t sure why talking about my parents always left me feeling both fragile and exhausted, but it did.
Granted, the only person who knew who my parents were and what they were capable of was Ransom. At least until now. Why I’d felt the need to spill my guts to Talon, I might never know. But from the moment I started talking, I found I couldn’t stop. And now that it was out there, I felt… Oddly, I felt better, if not a little worn out.
However, a girl could only spill so much in one day, which was why I decided to change the subject to something more interesting.
“What is it that Owned, Incorporated does, exactly?” I smiled and nodded when Talon offered to pour more wine. “Tiegan wasn’t all that forthcoming with details when she pretended to want to hire me.”
“It wasn’t pretend,” Talon said, adding more wine to my glass before setting the bottle back into the ice bucket. “There’s a job here if you want it.”
“Doing?”
His steel-gray eyes met mine. “At this point, pretty much anything you’d like.”
Confused but, at the same time, intrigued, I replied with, “I guess in order to make that decision, I’ll need to know what it is you do.”
His smile was slow and ridiculously sexy. “Why don’t we reserve the business discussions for tomorrow.”
“And tonight?”
“Tonight we’ll simply enjoy each other’s company.”
Because I still didn’t understand his relationship with his submissives, I figured now was a good time to bring them up.
Talon didn’t seem at all surprised when I mentioned them. “What would you like to know?”
“For starters, how many do you have? The ones you were with last night weren’t the same from the plane. Are they all your submissives?”
No sooner were the words out than I realized I’d given myself away.
Another smile curved the corners of his incredibly seductive mouth.
Feeling my face flame, I took a sip of my wine, then another, waiting patiently for him to respond and hoping he would not call me on the fact I’d been watching them last night.
“Possessions,” he corrected.
Frowning, I waited for him to clarify.
He didn’t.
“Possessions? What does that mean?”
“It means they are not submissives; however, they do submit. But I do not cater to them, nor do I tend to them on an emotional level. They are my property.”
I snorted, because seriously? Was that really a thing? Why would someone want to belong to someone else and not get anything in return?
“You mean they’re your slaves?”
“No.” He took a drink of his wine, set the glass down. “My possessions came to me of their own free will. And they’ve consented to surrendering all control to me in every aspect of their lives.”
That sounded … complicated.
“And you have sex with them?”
“I do. I use them however I choose.”
Use? That seemed a harsh term.
“How many are there?”
“Seven.”
Wow.
I wasn’t even sure what to say to that.
“You met Auberon and Rolphe on the plane,” he explained, his voice smooth as silk. His eyes met mine and a slight smirk formed on his lips. “Last night,