Chapter 9 Starling
NINE
STARLING
My body feels sore in all the best ways when I wake up beside Sebastian the next morning.
We’ve had sex more times in the weeks since the start of the semester than we’ve ever had before.
Something about the way he doesn’t ask for permission or check that I’m okay and instead takes what needs makes me insanely hot.
Our sex life has always been amazing, but now…now I’m like Pavlov’s dog the moment the front door opens and he walks into the house.
Outside of sex, our marriage feels…settled and peaceful.
I’ve always loved Sebastian. I love how crazy he is.
I love how unapologetically psychotic he is.
But until recently, I only loved our life together about fifty percent of the time.
The other fifty percent I had to work hard to convince myself that I love him more than I hate him.
Glancing to my right, I roll to my side and take the chance to watch him while he sleeps. I don’t remember the last time he slept later than me, but seeing him so calm and peaceful makes me sigh with happiness.
I know that letting him fuck me whenever and however he wants isn’t the key to a happy marriage, but it has allowed us some balance.
Only weeks ago, our life felt like a teeter-totter, going up and down, as I fought to exert some control over my autonomy, and he battled to take that control back from me.
But it has changed things between us. I’m sure he still watches my tracker, but I don’t feel like he’s bracing to tackle me to the ground every time I get up to use the bathroom.
He switched my degree to an online program, but honestly, I love not having to go to campus, and it only takes me half the amount of time to get all my schoolwork finished.
A week ago he relented and agreed that instead of having to take my full security team with me whenever I leave the house, I can just take James, and that the rest could follow me discreetly like they’ve been doing for the last few years.
As invasive as it is having a permanent bodyguard, he also acts as my driver, so I don’t have to try to drive myself. Sebastian tolerates me driving myself places on occasion, but honestly, we both know I’m a terrible driver, and I much prefer having my ninja drive me wherever I want to go.
He’s stopped telling me what I’m doing and started asking my opinion, from the small things like what color couch I want to replace the one we destroyed to what I think I’d like to do after I graduate.
For the first time I feel seen by my husband and not just as property but as his wife and the woman he wants to spend the rest of forever with.
When my cell beeps, I grab it from where it’s on charge on my bedside table and pull it in front of my face.
I have a handful of notifications, so I scroll through them, cringing at the photos from the baby shower I’ve been tagged in.
I’m dancing, laughing, and very obviously drunk in most of them, although there are a few from the start of the party, where I’m posing with Evan, Sammy, and Sebastian, and my eyes only look a little glazed, not completely vacant.
There’s a handful of messages in the group chat, and I glance at them, smiling at the sass Sammy is throwing at everyone in response to the daily questions over if she’s in labor yet or if her water has broken.
She’s not due for another five weeks, but the guys know how much it bugs her when they ask, so they’re taking it in turns to deliberately make her mad so she doesn’t get too bored sitting at home waiting for the baby to make his entrance.
After suggesting everyone has dinner at our place, I click back into my social media apps and find a follow request and a message from a profile I don’t recognize.
I don’t have a lot of people on social media.
In fact, my friends list is by far the smallest out of all of our group, and I rarely, if ever, get requests from people I don’t know.
Pausing, I click into the message and find a photo of Sebastian and me in our golf cart. His pants are open, and my lips are parted with his dick very clearly halfway into my mouth.
Bile fills my throat as a new message from Birdsflyhigh pops onto my screen.
It’s another picture, this time of Sebastian holding my head down on his dick.
More photos pop up. Him fucking me over the kitchen counter.
Us naked by the pool. His hands on my ass, a butt plug just visible between my cheeks.
Dropping my cell like it’s made of poison, I jump out of bed and run for the bathroom, dropping to my knees just in time for me to puke into the toilet. The contents of my stomach purge out of me as tears of fear and violation weep from my eyes.
“Starling,” Sebastian calls, concern in his voice as he rushes into the bathroom, pulling my hair from my face as I continue to vomit. By the time my stomach is empty and all my body can do is dry heave, I push up to my feet and stumble to the sink, splashing water onto my skin.
Tears continue to pour from my eyes as I glance down at my naked body. Grabbing the robe that’s hanging on the back of the door, I wrap myself in it as I glance at the ceiling, searching for the cameras I’m sure Sebastian has hidden in here.
“What’s the matter? Are you okay?” Sebastian asks, reaching for me.
Flinching, I rush back into the bedroom and grab my cell. Silently handing it to him, I watch as his expression darkens as he scans the pictures, his eyes slowly hardening to black orbs of fury.
“Who the fuck is this?” he growls.
I shake my head. “I don’t know. But they were here at our house. Some of these pictures are from inside our home. Did you…?” I start, then trail off because I don’t believe this was him. I’m not the only one who’s exposed in these pictures, it’s both of us.
“Me?” he growls.
“No. I’m sorry,” I say, covering my mouth as a gasping sob falls from my lips. “I’m sorry, it’s just…” I motion to the cell, and he nods, approaching me slowly before pulling me into his arms.
Once my sobs have subsided into tremors, Sebastian leads me into the bathroom, then helps me shower.
Unlike usual, his touch is perfunctory, simply to get clean, not as a prelude to anything else.
Turning off the shower, he wraps me in a towel, taking one for himself before he carries me into the closet, drying me, then dressing me in sweats and a tank, not bothering with underwear.
Pulling on his own shorts and tank, he takes my hand and brings me into the bedroom, offering me a hairbrush while he finds his cell and starts tapping at the screen.
Leading me out of the bedroom, he tows me downstairs, not saying a word as he finds us both shoes, then carries me to the golf cart, driving us to Sammy and Evan’s, where a concerned-looking Evan is waiting at the door.
“Are the others here yet?” Sebastian asks, his voice ice cold.
“Not yet,” Evan says, reaching out to squeeze my shoulder as I step past him and into the house.
No one speaks until Clay and January and Hunter and Bunny have arrived.
“Starling received these this morning,” Sebastian says, the hand that’s gripping my thigh tightening as he clicks into my cell and shows everyone the photos and videos of us naked, half naked, and fully fucking.
I’m sure at any other time, I’d be bothered about them all seeing me in a series of compromising positions, without any clothes on, but right now, I just don’t care.
“Who is Birdsflyhigh?” Evan asks.
“I have no idea,” Sebastian says. “It’s a new profile created recently. Whoever it is, they tagged me in some pictures from the baby shower last week. I didn’t give it much thought then, but now I wish I had.”
“It must be someone who came to the party,” Sammy says, “How else would they have pictures of that? But we know everyone who came. We didn’t allow plus ones, and Evan made all of the catering staff and vendors sign NDAs.”
“Some of the pictures are inside the house,” Clay points out. “How could they have gotten inside?”
“What about the security system? How secure is that?” Hunter asks as I sit numbly, listening to them talk.
“I installed the system. It’s a closed server. The only access point outside of the security room is from Sebastian’s cell,” Clay says. “We all have the same systems; it’s linked to all of our houses and covers the entire estate.”
“Could it have been hacked?” January asks quietly.
“If it was, then whoever did it must be a genius,” Clay grunts, pulling a laptop from somewhere and typing quickly.
“Was anyone at the party who isn’t family?” Bunny asks Sammy.
“No. It was just us and the parents.”
“What about Harry?” I murmur.
“My dad?” Evan says, clearly shocked.
“He and I argued…” I trail off, leaving the others to fill in the gaps and the things I haven’t said.
“No,” Evan says, instantly. “He wouldn’t.”
“Not even for my mom?” I ask, lifting my chin and turning to look at him. “What would he do for her?”
“He wouldn’t send naked photos and videos of his stepdaughter and a man he considers a son via social media.
Not even for Cassidy,” Evan says, his voice softening as he reaches over and takes my hand, squeezing it tightly.
“I know this seems like it’s personal. But this isn’t my dad, and it isn’t your mom. I promise you. It isn’t.”
“Call Harry,” Sebastian says. “Ask him to come here, but tell him not to bring Cassidy and not to tell the others.”
“Why?” Evan asks. “He didn’t do this.”
“I know,” Sebastian agrees. “But he might be able to help us figure out who did.”
“No need,” Clay says.
Spinning to look at him, he locks eyes with me as he turns the screen around to face us.
“Who…” I start, narrowing my eyes, then blinking. “Courtney?” I splutter. “Courtney, from high school. How did? I don’t…”
“Who is Courtney?” Bunny asks.