Page 94 of Elicit (Decadence After Dark)

“I’m not saying rash, but we need to press him. If he has no intention of setting up the meet and greet, we need to know now. Endeavor is breathing down my neck. They want a delivery date, or they want us out.”

Kayne broods behind his desk, his fingers steepled in front of his mouth. “I’ll try to get some momentum going. Even thoughoutdoesn’t sound so bad right now.”

I sigh. “No, it doesn’t.” We’ve been at this for a long time. We’re both changing. Growing. Ready to evolve. I see how Ellie is affecting him. And I know he sees how London has affected me.

They both make us want more, and that’s a dangerous thing for men like us. Men who can’t offer them anything beyond the present day, because we never know if we’ll live to see tomorrow.

“How’s Spice?” he asks.

“Better.” I clench my fists compulsively. “But she still wants to go. There was no talking her out of it.”

“How does London feel about that?”

I rub the back of my neck. “She doesn’t know yet. Jenna’s pulled away from everyone, including her.”

“That sucks.”

“Big time,” I agree. Especially for London. She’s going to be crushed when she finds out.

“I’ll have a word with Javier. See if I can grease the wheels.” Kayne cracks his knuckles, irked.

“I think that’s smart.” I glance at my watch. “I need to check on Ellie.”

“Dress her. I want to take her for a walk,” he tells me pointedly.

I pause to stare at him.

“What?” Kayne insists.

“You know you can’t keep her,” I promptly point out. The two have slipped into this whole Master/slave bond a little too easily. They’re both a little too comfortable.

Kayne growls at me. Like it or not, the reality is she isn’t really his slave. Their relationship is a farce, and I’m here to remind him of that. When this is all over, and Ellie finds out the truth, they can play house all they want. Collars, leashes, sex toys, the whole nine yards. But in the meantime, he has to keep his eye on the prize and his head out of the clouds.

“What’s going to happen when she finds out the truth?” I tread lightly.

“It will be over.” He shrugs reflexively.

“Are you going to be able to live with that?” I ask delicately.

Kayne and his emotions are a lethal combination. Like hydrogen and oxygen.

“I’ll have no other choice,” he responds passively.

I don’t buy his indifference one bit.

THERE’S A SOFT KNOCK ONmy bedroom door.

“Come in!” I yell as I slip on a tank top, fresh out of the shower.

“Hey.” Jenna enters timidly and it hurts my heart. She used to burst through the door without even knocking.

“Hey.” I smile warmly as she crosses the room. I want her to feel welcome. I want her to feel how much I miss her. She’s my best friend, and she’s hurting, and there’s not a damn thing I can do about it. My fear has finally come true. This life has tarnished yet another beautiful soul. Javier managed to break her in just a few short weeks, in turn destroying all the good things she had in her life. Me, Jett, school, the promise of a brighter future. I understand everything she’s feeling—the fear, the shame, the vulnerability. Emotional isolation. I have walked ten thousand miles in her shoes.

“I came to say goodbye.”

My face drops. “Where are you going?”

“I’m leaving. I think it’s best.” She wraps her arms around herself.

---