Page 57 of The Sterling Acquisition
“I’m still learning,” Orion said, each word chosen to maintain the fragile pretense. His hands curled into fists at his sides, then deliberately relaxed. Three months ago, he would have thrown that sentiment back in Leo’s face with vicious satisfaction and probably a plate. Now he stood docilely accepting praise for burning dinner. How far he’d fallen in the name of strategic compliance.
“Of course. These things take time.” Leo took another sip from his wine glass, his movements getting looser. The artificial light caughtthe deep burgundy liquid, making it look almost black. “Dante says the psychological adjustment period can be complicated.”
There it was. Dante’s name dropped into the conversation like a stone into still water. The ripples of tension spread instantly, invisible but unmistakable. Orion felt his pulse quicken, the sound suddenly loud in his own ears.
“He’s been very helpful,” Orion replied, proud that his voice remained steady despite the immediate tightness in his chest. His body’s reaction to just hearing Dante’s name was becoming a liability—a dangerous tell he couldn’t seem to control.
“Has he?” Leo’s tone was casual, but something in his expression sharpened. The wine-induced haziness temporarily receded, replaced by focused interest. “What exactly are his techniques? His methods seem so effective.”
Orion felt ice settle in his stomach, a stark contrast to the heat building beneath his skin. “I’m not sure I understand.”
“The consultation sessions. What does he do during those private assessments?” Leo leaned back in his chair, wine making him more direct than usual. The chair creaked under his shifting weight. “I’m curious about Gensyn’s psychological approaches.”
“He asks questions. About my motivations, my resistance patterns.” Orion kept his voice clinical, professional while his mind raced through the potential dangers of this line of questioning. “Psychological mapping, he calls it.”
“Just questions?”
“Mostly.”
“Hmm.” Leo took another drink, his gaze becoming more focused despite the alcohol. The wine glass made a too-loud sound when he set it back on the table. “It’s interesting how much you’ve changedsince he started working with you. More... manageable. More willing to engage in domestic activities.”
“The sessions help me understand my situation better.” Orion could hear the hollowness in his own words, the rehearsed quality of a line delivered too many times under his breath in his cage. The script they’d been working from was starting to tear at the edges.
“I’m sure they do.” Leo’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. “How do you feel about Dante? Personally, I mean.”
A bead of sweat formed at his hairline, threatening to betray his composure. “He’s competent. Professional.”
“Professional,” Leo repeated the word like he was tasting it, rolling it around his mouth like the wine he’d been drinking. “I’ve been wondering about how professional he really is.”
Orion could feel the conversation shifting into dangerous territory. Leo might be drunk, but he wasn’t stupid. Something had triggered his suspicion, and now he was probing for answers with the kind of determined focus that alcohol sometimes intensified rather than dulled.
“I should really get some sleep,” Orion said, moving toward the door. The few steps to escape felt like miles as Leo’s attention narrowed on him.
“You smell like him.”
The words stopped Orion cold. He turned slowly. “What?”
“You smell like another Alpha. Not just during the consultation sessions—all the time now. More and more each day.” Leo stood, his movements careful but deliberate. The chair scraped against the floor as he pushed it back. “Why is that, do you think?”
Orion’s mind raced through possible explanations, none of them good. The failing suppressants left him vulnerable, his body reactingin ways he couldn’t control. He could feel sweat gathering at the small of his back. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Don’t you?” Leo moved closer, and Orion could smell the wine on his breath mixed with something that might have been suspicion. “Because I’ve been wondering about a lot of things lately. About why you’re suddenly so cooperative. About why your scent changes after every session with Dante. About why there was a Gensyn blanket stuffed beneath your pillow. And about why you keep touching your neck like you’re hiding something.”
Fuck. Orion’s hand moved to his collar again, and Leo’s eyes tracked the motion with predatory interest. His body kept betraying him with these small, involuntary gestures that revealed everything he was trying to hide.
“I don’t—”
“Show me.”
“What?”
“Your neck. Show me what you’re hiding.” Leo’s voice was cold, authoritative. The pleasant facade had dropped, revealing the possessive Alpha underneath that liked to deliver SVI asset management lessons with his fists. “Now.”
Orion backed toward the door to his quarters. The apartment felt impossibly large, the distance to safety expanding with each step backward. “There’s nothing to show.”
“Then you won’t mind proving it.” Leo stood between him and the exit, his demeanor shifting from drunk and loose to something more dangerous. “Take off your shirt.”
“No.”
