Page 8 of Sinister Devotion

Danny comes up with the brilliant idea to stop at a place deeper in the city, closer to where she and Bonnie share an apartment. The moment we drive closer toward Hunter's Point, the more I see Bonnie checking her phone.

"Fuck," Bonnie grumbles under her breath. "Claire, you don't have your phone on you, do you?"

"No. It's in my desk at the office. I'm on the tablet that has some of Julian's calls forwarding to me. Why?"

Bonnie groans. "Julian's wondering where we are and I'm sure he doesn't want us heading toward Hunter's Point with you, Claire."

"Come on, you two," Danny interjects from the back seat. "It's not even that dangerous. We live over there, Bon-bon. How can it be good enough for his employees, but not enough for his whatever you are? Sorry, no offense."

I laugh. "None taken. Technically, I'm considered his ward, and honestly, not anymore since I'm eighteen. So yeah, let's go eat. Just shoot him a message about where we're going if he's so worried. I mean what's the worst that can happen?"

4

JULIAN

"The overall culture at the Klondike Group needs an overhaul, Mrs. O'Mara. The foundation of trust your employees used to rely upon is no longer there, wiped out by the breach of privacy when monitoring their emails and inter-company messages even when the employee isn't on the clock."

The woman with a permanent scowl etched onto her face stares at me with the other members of her executive team eyeing me like a snake. They whisper among each other and look to me to continue with the results of my findings.

"What would you have us do, Mr. Blackwell?" the woman asks as my phone vibrates in my pocket.

"Be honest—" I begin with my solution, but I'm distracted by the incessant ringing of my phone. I hold up my finger. "Give me a second, everyone."

I pull out my phone to shut it off completely when I notice it's a location ping for my tablet. I silence the device and shove it in my pocket before I finish my presentation to this company, who insisted I take on their consultation personally.

As the CEO of Nuvola, I'm rarely at these things, but when a corporation like the Klondike Group demands my presence, I take it into consideration. It's also the perfect opportunity to get Claire into my world to see how the business operates.

Claire. Diabolical sexual innocence in a petite package I'm finding extremely hard to keep my hands off. The thing in the back seat on our way here has my mind reeling for all the ways I can bring her to climax. I know I shouldn't. She's supposed to be under my care and protection, not under me, writhing from pleasure.

This is the problem. The distraction. The way my heart races whenever she's close to me. The way I find myself obsessing over the next stolen moment. I barely get through the rest of my proposal to my client.

By the end of it, Mrs. O'Mara and her band of bottom-liners are not likely to implement every change I recommend. However, that's not my concern. They asked me to evaluate their performance, their staff, and their operations. It takes weeks of observation, both blatant and secretive, to collect that amount of data. I do my job, and my company's one of the best to do it, which is why my company's a success and they are struggling.

I head out of the office and outside to see Edward beside another SUV. Not my car, but I'm not asking any questions. Bonnie replied to my messages with vague descriptions of her taking Claire to breakfast, but something's not right.

It's only when I pull up my device locator app that I see where they are. When Bonnie refuses to answer, I call my office number that's being forwarded to my tablet. Claire ignores the call. It's infuriating.

The day passes with a single message coming to my phone from Claire:

'I have a pretty easy day ahead. I'll see you at home.' per you Boss-well

The idea of having my words thrown back in my face when I feel like she's in danger, isn't sitting well with me.

"What's wrong, Julian?" Edward asks from beside me.

"Claire and Bonnie are in Hunter's Point somewhere. I don't like that neighborhood. Do you have any people in the area to do a spot check?" I ask him.

"Yeah, Bonnie," he replies. "You hired me and I hired her. She's not going to knowingly jeopardize a client's safety, especially Claire's. Bonnie understands how important Claire is to you, to all of us. Let her work."

"That's still Scarpella's territory. I don't like her over there, exposed."

Edward sighs. "You told me to pack my tools, and I did. I told Bonnie the same thing. If anything is up, Bonnie's not going to take Claire to any place where Bonnie can't manage a threat."

I want to trust Edward. I do trust Edward. But sniffing, tasting, swirling my tongue around my mouth as I crave another sample of Claire's delicious pussy has me obsessing over someone that doesn't belong to me in that way. I can't focus on work while wondering where Claire is, or what she's doing when she's not at the desk just outside of my office. This is what I want to prevent. It's not good for either of us.

Logic wars with my emotions until I'm in the massive entryway of Blackwell Manor as Claire comes in with Bonnie. There's a lightness about her I don't want to dampen or hinder, but my temper swings like a sledgehammer.

"Do you have any idea what it's like to be in a meeting only to see the person you care about traveling to a dangerous part of the city?" My voice booms as they both halt in their place.

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