Page 29 of Their Domme

I was going to punch him the moment I fucking saw him.

Ansel

Monday

“Probably a good time to warn everyone that Nic’s men are… different,” Emmerich said from where he was sprawled in an armchair in the living room. One leg was thrown over the side, and he slouched down, not caring that he was wrinkling the black slacks and white button-up he was wearing.

Blake snorted at that and looked at their men; some silent conversation happened between them before they all nodded.

“Meaning?”

“That I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if they physically dragged her out of here at the end of the night. No matter what anyone else wants, especially Nic.”

“Not to mention a few bruises for the stunt she pulled,” Blake drawled, leaning their head back against the sofa. I could see a hint of a smile on their lips despite their words, but the men looked concerned, particularly Atlas and Conrad. I wasn’t surprised by my children’s comments; the need to wring Nic’s damn neck after what happened at the police station was strong, so I could only imagine how the others felt about her up and disappearing for a month.

Of course, they are actually with her unlike myself…

The thought twisted me up inside in ways it definitely shouldn’t. But I wasn’t left to myself for long because the front door crashed in right before my name was bellowed out.

I arched an eyebrow and remained in my chair, watching the entryway as one of my oldest friends, Rhodes Angeloff, stormed inside. Apparently, he’d decided he wasn’t going to wait for Nicholette like he had said in his texts. His long black and gray hair fell into his face, but I had no trouble seeing the glint of promised violence in his gray eyes. We had similar builds, but where I usually dressed nicely, Rhodes wore jeans, t-shirt, and his Lords of Chaos jacket. The scars on his cheeks stood out even more when he glared at me.

“You!”

“I’m afraid I’ll need more context, Rhodes,” I deadpanned, not the least bit intimidated. His nephews walked in behind him, staying out of the way. Alexei Volkov and Maksim Angeloff were dangerous and powerful men in their own right. Alexei had a razor-sharp mind, and even I found Maksim’s taste for pain impressive at times. With links to not only their mercenary cousins but the Lords, they were feared among many. “I’ve done a lot of things for you to yell at me for. What did I do this particular time?”

“I think he means to say…” a man I couldn’t see started to speak. He sauntered out from behind Rhodes with a taunting smirk firmly in place. Another young man trailed behind him, pushing his longer brown hair out of his face. “What the fuck were you doing with our woman?”

Surprise hit me the moment I got a good look at him—short dirty blond hair, gauges in both ears, and tattoos along his arms. His hazel eyes searched my expression with predatory intensity. His face, though… I’d seen it many times before. It was familiar in a way that I would never forget, and from the sudden stillness in the room, I knew I wasn’t the only one who had noticed the resemblance.Does Nicholette know too?Anyway, now was not the time to bring it up.

“I think you should remember whose house you’re in,” I retorted coldly as I slowly stood up. “You don’t own her, and all I did was help out an old friend.”

“That’s not all, though, was it?” Rhodes crooned, and before I could say anything, an icy voice cut through the building tension.

“Glad to see you’re all getting along,” Nicholette called out as she waltzed into the room, her cocky smile firmly in place. Sacha and Vas Morozov slowly walked in behind her, their faces unreadable and gazes locked on Nic. The shirt she had been wearing,myshirt, was gone, leaving her in just a cami with no bra underneath. I thought I could see a hint of redness around her mouth and her wrists, but she didn’t seem concerned about it.

“We deserve an explanation—” the man giving me a hard time started, but the glare she leveled in his direction instantly cut him off.

“Sacha said we should share some information,” she said briskly, completely focused on business. She walked past the Morozovs, dodging the hand that Vas shot out to try to stop her. Nicholette didn’t look back when she got closer to me, and I took a step to the side, letting her take the chair I had vacated like a fucking queen. I moved over to stand behind Emmerich’s chair, ready to see how this unfolded. “So where should we start?”

“Oh my god, Nic,” Blake muttered with a shake of their head. There was a spark of admiration in Blake’s eyes as Nic stared at her people with an expectant expression.

“Oh, I don’t fucking think so,” the blond man glared at Nicholette.

The man who had followed him in said his name and reached out for him, butOliverpulled away from him.

“No. She fucking up and disappeared for a month! Instead of choosing to come to us for help, you ran off,” he snarled, pointing a finger at Nic. She didn’t react beyond propping her chin on her hand, a patient expression on her face, but that only enraged him further. “I’m going to fucking slap that expression off your damn face, Nic. I swear to god.”

“I see you took on some of Vas’ anger while I was gone,” she replied, seeming not the least bit surprised by the venom in Oliver’s voice. “Is everyone else going to keep it together so we can get business done, or are you going to let your emotions get in the way too?”

A whistle escaped one of the others, but everyone else remained motionless, wanting to see Oliver’s reaction to Nicholette’s taunt. Blake’s men kept a close eye on the newcomers, shifting closer to Blake to protect them if shit hit the fan. Well, except Atlas. He had left at some point during the confrontation.

Emmerich hummed and pulled out a gun, idly switching off the safety as he played with it. I shifted in place where I stood behind my son, a little surprised by how fast he’d moved to protect Nicholette. Just how close were they?Not the time to think of that.

Alexei made the first move by snagging a kitchen stool. His grip was tight enough that I heard the wood creak under his hand before he settled it beside Emmerich’s chair with a distinct thud.

“We should get the business done then, Nic.” His dark green eyes met hers with a bland expression. “We have a lot of things to talk about when we’re finished here, and you’re going to listen to every damn one even if I have to string you up by the rafters to keep you from running away.”

“I see foreplay isn’t out of the question then,” Nicholette quipped, but I didn’t miss how she paled. “Did you clear your schedule, Em?”

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