Page 64 of The Owner's Temptation

She drops her bag onto the chair beside her without looking up, and when she does finally glance at me, the tension in the room spikes immediately.

I don’t return her gaze. Instead, I turn a page in the stack of reports on my desk, my voice cold and steady.

“You’re late.”

Her lips part. She exhales audibly, frustration evident in her tone even before the words leave her mouth. “The subway was down. I can’t exactly control public transportation.”

I flick my gaze up to meet hers then, letting the weight of my displeasure linger in the heavy silence. She holds it for two seconds before looking away.

Barely.

But she rolls her eyes on the way down, and the palm at my side twitches again.

She has no idea how thin my patience is wearing—or what it’s costing me to hold myself back.

Three minutes. An eye roll. A sarcastic remark.

I won’t let it slide. Not this time.

But the intercom on my desk buzzes, interrupting before I can address it. “Mr. Vale? Jaxon Kane is here to see you.”

“Send him in,” I say without breaking my stare.

Sienna settles into her chair, clearly sensing my mood.

I straighten, pulling my cuffs into place, watching as Jaxon strolls through the door with his usual laid-back confidence.

I would invite her to join the meeting if she could get past this first fucking lesson.

But I won’t.

Not until she learns how to sit still.

Not until she learns how to control herself.

Jaxon smirks at me, amusement in his eyes as he clocks my mood instantly. He tosses a small device on my desk and settles in the chair across from me.

He gives me a mock two-finger salute in greeting.

“What the fuck is this?” I bark out the question and immediately glower at Sienna.

She’s not looking at us but Jaxon sees it.

His cocking fucking grin widening. “So, I take it I’ll be seeing you at the gym tonight then.”

I pinch the bridge of my nose. “Move it along Jax. I have more appointments.”

"An untraceable tracker for your girls," Jaxon explains casually, leaning back and threading his hands behind his head. "Just tack it down with a bit of nail glue and paint over it with nail polish. If your girls pass through security scanners—even the handheld wands—they shouldn't detect it."

I pick up the baggie, examining the small metallic device carefully between my fingers. It’s barely bigger than a fleck of glitter. “How long does it last?”

I notice Sienna perk up slightly. Her curiosity getting the better of her but she corrects herself quickly.

Jaxon shrugs, adjusting the cuff of his sleeve to reveal heavy ink across his wrist. "Month, maybe two, depending on wear and tear."

He leans forward, grabbing the wireless keyboard from the corner of my desk.

With a few fast keystrokes my desktop monitor flickers to life. I watch as he navigates into the updated Ledger Companion app, entering an admin login that immediately brings up a city map.

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