Page 36 of Fractured

Ravenmaster: I did warn you.

Raven: Asshole.

Ravenmaster: Aw. Calling me a sweet nickname now. Oh, how our relationship has grown.

Raven: You should have told me.

Ravenmaster: Why?

Raven: Because there’s specific aftercare for tattoos.

Ravenmaster: There wouldn’t have been much fun in that.

Ravenmaster: Plus I knew it wouldn’t take long for you to see them.

Ravenmaster: And I enjoyed being the one to take care of your ravens. I am the ravenmaster after all.

Fucking pompass dickwad. It’s a good thing he’s so interested in helping with the aftercare, because even though I’m quite limber, the middle of the back isn’t the easiest to reach. I take meticulous care of the cut on the bottom of my foot before getting ready for the evening. With how late I slept, the conversation with Vander, and the whole tattoo debacle, there isn’t much time before Cole is supposed to pick me up. I need a few hours at least to get ready, and I have a ton of emails to answer for work.

fourteen

Cole pulls up in a sleek red, two-door Tesla. I’m not surprised a tech nerd like him is driving a Tesla over one of the other high-end sporty vehicles. Before he gets out of the car, Vander comes up behind me. “No killing tonight,” he whispers in my ear before making his way to the town car to follow us. I don’t lose my bodyguard just because I’m going on a date.

I just roll my eyes at Vander. As if he really needed to tell me that. It’s not like I went out and did it on purpose. Cole steps out of his car and flashes me his smile. He’s dressed in slacks and a button up, the sleeves are rolled halfway up, and his hair looks like he’s been running his hand through it. Essentially, he looks like a snack I want to devour.

“Ello, Luv. You ready to get some dinner?” He makes a show of glancing around at the ground where I’m standing. “Not bringing a bag for our sleepover? No problem. You can wear my shirt in the morning while we drink our coffee, and before I drag you back to bed.” He gives me a seductive wink before biting his lower lip. Cole isn’t shy about knowing how attractive he is.

He climbs the steps to where I’m standing and offers me his arm. I take it, allowing him to escort me to the passenger door where he helps me inside. Before shutting the door, he lifts the hem of my dress that would have gotten caught if he shut the door. He tucks it in and kisses my cheek before closing me in and rounding to his side.

Before I know it, we’re pulling up to a swanky restaurant with Vander right behind us. The valet doesn’t get a chance to open my door before Vander is there helping me out. His lower hand warms my lower back as he guides me into stepping away from the car. “Better not let him touch you. Your boy toy, Jasper, wouldn’t like it very much.”

What game is Vander playing at? “Jasper doesn’t get to tell me who I’m with. He doesn’t even know my name,” I spit back.

“Pretty sure he would punish you for saying that,” Vander baits me.

My eyes narrow on him. “You just want to see me get spanked again,” I accuse him.

“What’s this about being spanked?” Cole asks as he comes up from behind me. Vander gives me a smirk, telling me he did it on purpose.

I clear my throat, not really knowing what to say. “Vander has a fetish for watching unattainable women being spanked.” Take that Vander.

Cole raises an eyebrow and the corner of his lips twitch. “You let a man with a fetish watch you being spanked?” Well, shit. He heard more than I thought.

“What? Where did you get that from? I think you misheard us. So, dinner? I’m hungry!” I say, trying to distract him.

“I got it from here, bro,” he says, staring at Vander. It’s then that I realize Vander never took his hand from my lower back. Cole replaces his hold and we walk into the restaurant. My guard finds a place nearby but out of the way to keep his eye on me. As I take my seat, Cole performs the role of a perfect gentleman, pulling out my chair and helping me scoot closer to the table. He leans down and whispers into my ear. “I haven’t told you how delicious you look in that dress. Are you sure you’re hungry? Because I could find complete satisfaction in taking you home and eating your sweet pussy all night.”

I suck in a breath and suppress the shiver wanting to travel up my spine from the feel of his breath against my skin. Something about his overt flirtations paired with his accent makes me want to give in like a girl whose crush finally pays attention to her. It makes me sick. “Without food, I’d probably pass out from weakness by the time you got my panties down to my knees. So better not,” I tell him while pushing him away with a secretive smile.

Our conversation is light as we go through ordering and waiting for our food to be served. It’s comprised of all the boring shit of how our days were, and how hot it’s been lately. The chit chat humans seem passionate about being necessary, but is really just a waste of breath because who really cares about that shit? They suffer through listening to the other person’s answers until the moment comes where they can replace the sound with their own voice. It’s obnoxious and tedious. I hate it.

As soon as my salmon and side dishes are placed in front of me, I dig in. I regret skipping two meals today. “So aside from letting your guard watch someone spank you, are you seeing anyone else?” I almost choke on my mouthful.

I take my time chewing and take a sip of water before answering him. “I thought we agreed you misheard that bit.”

He gives me that look with a tilted head, the one saying I know better. “You wanted me to agree, but I know what I heard. So who was serving your punishment? Was it the man I first saw you leaving with at the coffee shop? Or was it someone else?”

“Why would you think I was with more than one person?” I question.

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