Page 12 of Hacker Beloved

She remained silent for a few seconds, and her gaze stuck onto her glass as if it were about to answer all her questions. When she spoke again, her voice was soft but strong. "Do you believe me about the night my parents died?"

"Yes," I replied without missing a beat.

"You're the only person who believes me," she said, averting her gaze from mine.

"That is where you are wrong," I replied.

She narrowed her eyes. "Nobody has ever believed my story about what happened."

“Asher believes you,” I said softly. “And so does my team, which has been tirelessly digging through your past for clues.”

My phone buzzed, and I took it out. Asher had sent me a text that he was on his way back to the house.

Zayla's eyebrows rose in surprise as I replied to her question. She nervously bit her bottom lip, and I noticed the lipstick smeared across her front teeth. “Why did you and Asher make a big deal about my underwear?” she asked.

I was taken aback by the unexpectedness of the question, but mustered up an answer. “You are a very beautiful woman. Those panties in your bag should be thrown out so no one ever sees them.”

Zayla looked down at her lap, pondering my words. She slowly lifted her head back up, a look of confusion on her face. “But they’re comfortable,” she said quietly.

I smiled reassuringly at her. “Lace can be just as comfortable against the skin,” I said.

“Do you wear lace underwear?” Zayla tilted her head to the side, obviously intrigued.

I barked out a laugh, the corners of my eyes crinkling with amusement. "No, but our former partner Tessa loved the way it felt against her skin?"

"Tessa?" Her eyebrows lifted in surprise.

I blinked, realizing what I'd said. "For a while, Asher and I dated a woman named Tessa."

She looked at me, her mouth opening and closing as if she was trying to find the right words.

"Do you have a question?"

Her cheeks reddened slightly. "Yes, but I don't want to be rude."

I leaned back against the couch. "You've seen me in my boxers, we slept in the same bed together, and I've seen the shit you wear under your clothes." The corners of my lips curved into a grin. "I think we’ve reached the part of our relationship where you can ask me anything."

Zayla leaned forward. "So, you and Asher have a girlfriend?"

I ran my hand through my hair as I tried to explain. "Do you know what BDSM is?"

"Yes," Zayla answered quickly, eager for more information. "Are you a Dom?"

"No. Asher is my Dom, and we are members of a private BDSM club. From time to time, we would do scenes with women as well. Tessa seemed to have worked her way into our life…it started out as casual flirting and gradually grew from there."

My stomach churned at the thought of this point in my life, a stark reminder that I was just an obstacle standing in the way of her hopes for something more.

"Wait, she doesn't have an issue with us sleeping in the same bed together?"

I grabbed my glass and finished off the last of the wine, trying to console my nerves. "Tessa left us two years ago. She wanted something more, but couldn't stand our relationship dynamic…especially when Asher refused to kick me out."

Zayla's face twisted into a sour expression as she snapped, “What a bitch! I'm sorry you had to go through that. Is she the reason you guys don't have a third now?”

“No.” I picked up my glass and swirled the red liquid around before taking a gulp. “We have had scenes with some women at the club since we broke up with Tessa. Many women like the idea of being with two men for a night.”

Zayla wrinkled her nose in disbelief. “You both seem so nice.”

I chuckled, then offered, “How about you? Any boyfriends in your life?”

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