12. Briar

Briar

A t least my body waits until they’re gone before it fritzes out on me completely. Staggering back into the chair before I hit the floor, I push my head down between my thighs and wait for the dizziness to subside.

“What just happened?” I mutter weakly. “What the hell was that?”

The last thirty minutes already feel like some sort of fever dream. Dragging my phone from the pocket of my dress, I quickly flick through to make sure their numbers are actually there, and the whole thing wasn’t a figment of my overactive imagination.

I’m going to be really angry if I wake up and this entire discussion was a figment of my overactive imagination.

Just to be sure, I pinch the inside of my thigh hard, hissing at the sharp pain.

Not a dream. Real.

And their numbers are right there, staring back at me from the screen.

River. Jenson. Kai.

Three men. Three tall, intense, almost freakishly handsome men who want… me.

Who want to drug me. And fuck me.

I shove my head back between my thighs, taking deep breaths.

This is one of those times when I wish I kept a bottle of wine here for emergencies. But I feel better once I’ve got a coffee in my hands, my shaking subsiding. I’m on my way back to my chair, my thoughts jumbled, when I spot something on my desk.

The envelope has my name on it. Setting down my drink, I flip it open, my lips parting at the wad of cash that I yank out. A note tumbles out with it.

For the jacket.

River

And there’s a business card. He must have put it there before I took their numbers. Turning the card over, I run my fingers over the black velvet, intricate gold thread spelling out a name – Mystic.

Maybe he works there. River’s name and number is there too, etched into the back when I flip it over.

River Huxley, Owner.

Tucking the card away in my pocket, I reassess the pile of cash. It’s far too much, and my lips press together as I pull out the amount needed for the jacket and tuck the rest back inside.

I’ll use his number for one thing, at least.

The rest… I need to think about.

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