Page 13 of Ever Dark

I grab my cock and readjust it before sitting down next to him in Draven’s office. “Sorry, I’ve had a long day.”

The door swings open, and Draven saunters through in a cloud of darkness so heavy that I can feel its weight on my chest. The air always thickens when he enters a room.

He plops down at his desk and glares at me. “Why don’t I have the deed to Harker Mansion in my hands, Aries?”

Fuck. Here we go. “She refuses to sell.” I learned a long timeago that the best way to deliver bad news to Draven Blackwell is to just come out with it. Rip off the fucking bandage.

He leans back in his chair in dramatic fashion, sighing as he taps his fingers on the desk. “That’s unacceptable.” He throws Bones a familiar look.

“You want me to try?” Bones cracks his knuckles, and fresh blood seeps out, saturating the gauze.

Draven’s smirk doesn’t reach his cold, unfeeling eyes. “We’re going to make Mia Harker want to get the fuck out of here so fast she runs screaming with just the clothes on her back.”

I flex my jaw. “You want me to go back and hurt her?”

Draven shrugs. “If necessary. I want you to scare the ever-loving shit out of her. Let her know she’s not safe. That she’s not wanted here.”

Bones nods and smiles. “This is going to be fun.”

Fucking sadistic bastards, all three of us. I wouldn’t wish us on my worst enemy.

I clear my throat. “She’s petite, timid, and way out of her league. It shouldn’t be too hard to scare her. I’m also pretty sure she wanted to fuck me before I presented her with the papers.”

“Everyone wants to fuck you, Aries. You’re just so fucking pretty,” Bones taunts.

I roll my eyes. “I barely had to do anything, and her nipples were as hard as my cock. That means she’s vulnerable. Needy. We can use that to our advantage.”

Draven arches an eyebrow. “Sounds likeyouwant to fuckher. I can hear it in your fucking voice. Is that going to be a problem?”

Fuck. The last thing I need is Draven thinking I’m compromised over a piece of ass. “Nah. I’m good. She’s not my type.”

He stares at me for a few seconds longer, studying my face, my breath. “Good. The sooner we get that cunt out of Harker Mansion, the sooner we can start expanding the business. I’ve already had several calls for the baneberry.”

“Maybe we shouldn’t get ahead of ourselves,” I interject. “What if she doesn’t sell?”

Draven’s gold-flecked eyes darken. “Then we’ll kill her,” he mutters.

Fuck.I don’t know if I have the stomach for any more murders.

“You okay?” Bones squeezes my shoulder.

“Yeah, I just need a drink. Like I said, long day.” I rub my sweaty palms against my silk suit pants, not caring if I streak them. I can buy more.

Draven’s eyes soften. “You two should go down to Duff’s and have a few before Bones heads over to Harker Mansion tonight. You both need to burn off a little steam.”

“You’re not coming?” I ask.

He shakes his head. “Not tonight. I have too much work to do.”

Which is Draven’s code forI’m going to wallow in my own self-loathing while fisting myself.

I stand up to leave. “Try not to break your wrist jerking off this time.”

He snorts. “You both know I broke my wrist from the fall. Fuck off.”

Bones laughs. “Yeah, because you made yourself cum so hard you crashed my fucking bike.”

I burst out laughing as we both get death stares from Draven. “Outnow. Fucking heathens.”

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