Page 35 of Mistress Mayhem

“We need to find him. There’s a chance he’s onto us since his three friends are missing.”

Cooper scoffs. “Maybe if the two of you weren’t off fucking, taking entirely too long with Howard, then he wouldn’t be so suspicious.”

My eyes narrow as I step up to him, stabbing my finger into his chest. “I don’t know what the hell crawled up your ass, Cooper, but you need to knock it the fuck off. Yes, we took longer than we should’ve, but it’s likely he realized long before we took off with Howard. As much as I hate the man, Cary is smart.”

“At least we know he’s somewhere inside the house,” Fox offers, an attempt to break up the tension between me and Cooper, I’m sure.

I nod. “You’re right. There’s no way he could get outside the house. Why don’t we split up? We can scour the room for him, and if he’s not here, then I can have Alice pull up the cameras. I’m hoping he’s still in the ballroom, but if not, then we should be able to see which way he exited.”

“Why not start with that?” Fox asks, brow creased.

“Because he could be watching us right now, and while he might suspect that something is going on, he can’t confirm it. The four of us ducking away and seeking out my employee will only confirm whatever he believes.” I shrug. “Plus, the hunt is half the fun.”

Smiles break out over all three of their faces, and I can see the understanding in their eyes. They’re more like me now than I could have imagined. They love the hunt just as much as me.

I hate the time we spent apart, but maybe we needed it so that we could come together like this. Grown up and not quite the same people we were years ago, and yet, somehow more similar than ever. I would never choose to go through what I did, but having an added benefit to it happening? That I can get behind.

“Cooper, you can come with me. Fox and Austin, the two of you can spread out and cover more ground separately.”

Cooper’s eyes narrow. “And why aren’t the two of us separating?”

“Because it’s pretty clear that there’s something going on between the four of us—at least to anyone paying attention, and I can guarantee you Cary is paying attention. It would look more suspicious if I was on my own.” I shrug. “Do you not want to spend time with me, Coop?”

“I never said that,” he growls, moving to step into my space. “Why are you so infuriating?”

“Why are you such an asshole?” I shrug, fighting against the smile wanting to burst free. I like setting Cooper on edge. This is how I like him best—it’s been that way since we were children.

He bares his teeth at me before yanking me into his body, our lips clashing in a needy, wild kiss. We’re both panting as we pull apart.

“Well, if he didn’t think there was something going on before, he does now—assuming he’s watching,” Fox says with a laugh. “That was hot as hell. Are you going to have makeup sex now because I’d love to watch?”

He yelps, and it takes me a moment to realize that Austin has smacked the back of his head.

“You’re an idiot. Shut up.” Austin’s voice is deep and menacing—to anyone but the three of us, of course.

“Angel, are you going to let him beat me up like that?” Fox pouts, his bottom lip jutting out and everything.

I laugh, shaking my head. “Sorry, baby, you had that coming. Let’s circulate. Watch the guests, pretend you’re watching them while looking for Cary. We’ll each make at least one lap around the room. We’ll meet at the base of the stairs in an hour.”

“An hour? You think we need that long?” Fox raises his eyebrows.

“If you want to look like you’re not looking for someone? Yes, I do.”

He nods slowly, his hand coming up to cup my cheek. “Okay, angel. We’ll see you in an hour. Be safe—both of you.”

I think he’ll kiss me, but he pulls away before disappearing into the crowd. Then it’s Austin’s turn to step forward, gathering my face between his hands before leaning down to brush his lips against mine in a barely there kiss.

“Keep her safe,” he growls at Cooper, who just nods, before disappearing into the crowd.

My shoulders droop, hating that they’re outside of my sight. Cooper snakes an arm around my waist, dropping a kiss onto my shoulder. “They’ll be okay, princess. They can take care of themselves, I promise.”

I sigh. “Yeah, I know. I just want to find him so I can take care of all four of them.”

“Of course you do. C’mon, let’s get started.”

Cooper pulls me into his side, and I can’t help but snuggle further into him as he leads me around the ballroom. We stop every so often, pretending to watch the show being put on before us.

I have to bite back a laugh when I see Chastity getting railed by two guys while another fills her mouth with his cock. Taylor, better known as William’s wife, sucks her clit while she’s getting railed by another guy. I’m actually pretty damn proud of them because all four men are employees of mine, and hot as hell. It looks like everyone is enjoying themselves immensely. Leo catches my eye as he fucks into Chastity’s ass, shooting me a wink before focusing his attention back on her.

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