Page 36 of Consequences
“Now, in your case, Hollis has feelings for you—very possessive feelings. He calls you puppy. It’s like how Allesandro calls you Little One. And while you maybe don’t understand it, you have feelings for him.”
My jaw drops as I stare at him in horror. “That’snotpossible. I can’t have feelings for him. I. Am. Master’s.”
Benjamin rubs his temples as he lets out a deep exhale. “You’re not getting this.”
“No, I’m not. You can’t tell me I have feelings for someone other than Master. It’s not allowed.”
“Let’s try this. Word association. I say something, you give me the first word that comes to mind. Got it?” He drops his hands from his head and stares at me intently. I have no idea what he means by it, but as I nod, he starts. “Alright. Master.”
“Everything,” I immediately reply.
“Cole.”
“Mine.” I smile indulgently. I have to agree with that. He’s my nephew and I will protect him, always.
He hesitates before quietly saying, “Hollis.”
“S—” My eyes widen in alarm and I shake my head violently. No. Fucking. Way. I ignore the pain shooting through me, because fuck that. I can’t say it.
Sir.
I recoil immediately from it as I bite the word back.
Benjamin lightly strokes my head, despite the way it still throbs from earlier. “You may not be willing to say it aloud right now, but this proves it. You have feelings for him. There’s nothing wrong with it. I know Allesandro loves you, and you love him. Nothing can threaten that. If your heart has room for Hollis…”
“Nope,” I retort frantically. “Master would kill me. I really don’t want to die. Not to mention, he owns me. I enjoy that. I love how he puts me on my knees.”
“And you enjoy it when Hollis does as well…”
“That was a special circumstance. It helped me get through Master being gone. It can’t continue. Master wouldn’t even consider it.”
I look around frantically, worried that someone is listening in. There’s no way I want this conversation to get back to Master.I’m ashamed of considering Hollis, even for a split second, now that Master is back.
Benjamin’s lips twist in disappointment, but he doesn’t fight me anymore. “Very well. I want you to think about it at least. And if you have questions, you can always ask me. You could also talk to Hollis. I’m sure he’ll tell you exactly how he feels. There’s nothing wrong with being loved by more than Allesandro.”
I snort, refusing to acknowledge that stupidity. While I may be Death, it doesn’t mean I have an actual death wish. And there’s no fucking way I’m going against Master. That doesn’t entice me, even if the wordSirlingers... I glower at my friend, this conversation is over.
Sniffing, Benjamin must agree as he waves the discussion away, his stare of disapproval almost making me feel ashamed. It’s not enough, but close.
When he stands, I’m torn between relief that it's the end of this conversation, and sadness as I miss spending time with him. However, the pain pill is kicking in, making me yawn. I try to keep my eyes open, but there’s no way, so I slowly slide into oblivion.
Yet, before I do, I hear one word spoken by Benjamin and it shoots ice through my veins. I struggle against the forced sleep, but can’t manage it. Fuck, I hope I’m imagining it.
“Padrone.”
Sitting back and watching Donald fucking McCormack theThirdpaw at my assistant makes me itch for a scalpel, so I can bury it deep in his body.
“I don’t know what I hate more,” I muse. “His face, or his name. I thought my name was pretentious, but really, who likes a name enough to call three people it? That’s just cruel.”
James laughs. “I still think you got the short end of the stick, Ash.”
“Bite me,” I mutter into my drink.
“I’ll leave that to your Daddy.”
I roll my eyes and watch carefully as Cor turns away just long enough for Rose to quickly and discreetly spike his drink.Thank fuck,this is almost over.My family name may open doors to places most people can only dream about, but they don’t know how fucking…overdone it all is.
Expensive and exclusive does not meangood. This country club is nothing but a “seen and be seen” place that makes my skin crawl. I’m sure I’ll be the talk of my mother’s circles. Seen here with both a man and woman, what a scandal! Especially since neither of them are Daddy. The gossip about what could have happened between us will be rampant, and it is really the only bright spot to this whole farce. Knowing how much my mother is going to hate having to pretend she’s okay with whatever they think my choices are.
