Page 35 of Master Heimdall

“This is about your parents, isn’t it?”

I stood up and paced, as the events of the night I lost my parents played out. “Yes, of course it is, and don’t try to tell me security isn’t important. It’s me who keeps everyone safe, Jared, so don’t deny it.”

“Gabriel, sit down. I wasn’t going to say anything of the sort. Don’t go getting all defensive over nothing. What I was about to say is that you are the best in the business, and had it not been for that horrible event in your past, would you have chosen security, I wonder? But that’s not the issue, is it? Tell me, does Rose have a safeword?”

I dropped back onto my lounger, closing my eyes and taking some deep breaths before answering him. “Yes.”

“Then what is the problem? According to Mari, you both have the same kink and you have burgeoning feelings for her. You’ve handled security or you wouldn’t be stalking her on your phone.”

My eyes flew open to see Jared holding my phone. “She is very attractive by the way.”

I snatched my phone from his hands. “I don’t want her to safeword. I want her to allow me to do all the necessary things to protect her.”

Jared smirked and gazed heavenward like he was communicating with a god. “Listen. She has a safeword and hasn’t used it. I never thought you were a coward, Gabriel, but that’s what I’m seeing right now.”

I was back on my feet. “Oh really? And if it’s so easy, why aren’t you in a relationship?”

“What I want is a partner who wants pain but isn’t broken. They don’t want to be punished in the way a brat would. They would want to walk the edge of the boundary between pleasure and pain. It is a journey I wish to take with a woman, where each session ends with her flying. When I find the one who wants the same thing as me, I will undoubtedly keep her as mine and no way in hell will you find me wallowing like a pussy by myself in the middle of nowhere.”

He had a point. More than one. Rose and I had the same kink and our chemistry during sex was beyond anything I’d ever experienced before. It was hard to keep my hands off her when she was in my proximity, so what was the problem?

“Okay. I see your point.”

“Points.” He smirked.

“Fine! Points! Now can we go? I have a woman to claim.”

Jared’s smirk morphed into a full smile. “That’s the spirit.”

“I just need to grab my things and then we can go. Wait, how did you get here? I didn’t get an alert of any cars entering the grounds.”

His smile returned to his usual smirk. “Well, of course not. I didn’t want you running away like a little pussy. I had a helicopter drop me off, and I dismantled the security and walked in.”

“Of course you did. Can’t do anything normal like us mere mortals, can you?”

He let out a huff of amusement. “Of course not. I’m Master Loki after all.”

“Full of yourself is more like it,” I mumbled, leaving him to laugh as I retreated to my suite to gather the few things I’d brought with me. Jared was right, my issue wasn’t about Rose and her safety, although I meant to increase it regardless of what she said. It was more about me coming to terms with her being the one I wanted.

Chapter Sixteen

Rose

“Are you friggin kidding me right now?”

Yula offered little encouragement. “I know, the bug went through here like wildfire. Should I contact Lincoln and tell him to come in?”

Technically, Colin or Lincoln were second in command when Gabe was away, but Colin was out of town on a job and Lincoln was sick, so where did that leave me? Urrr, just the idea of Gabe running and leaving me in this predicament made my shoulders tense and rise even higher with the stress of it all. Could this be some distorted fucked-up secret mission, leaving me here to take control, while he’s away? I wouldn’t put it past him. If he was assessing my capabilities to run things in his absence, then I fully planned on passing his test.

I checked the app on my phone and the tracker showed Gabe was in the same location as the day he’d disappeared. I somehow doubted it was work related and really felt like this was him testing me but, as to why and how to win this particular game I was unsure. If he lacked the decency to return my calls, then screw him and his stupid test!

I was angry and hurt regarding how I was being treated. His words to me played like an unwanted song loop in my head. “I want to know that if we don’t work out, it won’t affect our working relationship.” Maybe that is what this was. Seeing if I’d lose my shit or stay professional. Or was this more sinister? His way of turning me into a simpering submissive, begging for his attention? Well screw him!

I felt a pang in my heart and a sudden sadness. I really did want him and would have made him my Master in every way, but now that seemed highly improbable. The loss of being so close to attaining my goal and losing it, hit hard, and for the first time in forever, I felt defeated.

“No,” I responded to Yula. “I really don’t think there is anything going on we can’t handle between the two of us. It’s just finding replacements for jobs already scheduled. Speaking of, I need to get a move on. Keep me posted if anyone else is calling in sick.”

My phone pinged with an incoming message as I closed the door to my office and plopped down and took a few fortifying breaths. I didn’t want to look at the message, because I just knew it would be more bad news, and I didn’t know how much more I could take before I cracked.

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