24. - Jason -
Chapter twenty-four
- Jason -
T he low lighting of the restaurant left the tables partially shadowed in the high-end steak restaurant. The noise had hit him first, a crashing wave of internal sound.
“Can I help you, sir?” The hostess stopped him.
“My brother, Kayden Haeven, has a table. He’s waiting for me.”
“Certainly!” She smiled at him, overly enthusiastic, her white teeth on display between lips painted red. Filtering through all the static, he could hear that she liked what she saw. He gave her a lazy smile back, letting his eyes track her up and down. She was in black stockings and a contemporary black dress that hugged her curvy figure. Other than her ample cleavage on display from the low neckline, she was dressed demurely. Her face was pretty, but plain. She did nothing for him.
She blushed at his attention and gestured with her arm for him to follow, gold bangles jingling as she turned on her high heels. Following her through the busy restaurant, heads turned slightly as he walked by. He tried to filter through the thoughts for anything of use, but it was all overwhelming noise. He tuned out the woman in front of him as much as he could, letting the noise consume his focus .
All the thoughts echoing through his brain started to fade out as the hostess guided him closer to their table. The low hum of spoken conversation and the clinking of cutlery on plates and ice on glass came into focus, like sharpening a camera lens on a moving subject. He felt his chest lighten, and he took a deeper breath. Finally, they got to the curved booth, Corey sitting next to Kayden, and his head was empty of the noise completely.
He couldn’t blame Kayden for dragging her around everywhere.
“Here you are, Mr. Haeven! Please enjoy your meal, and your server will be with you shortly!” She leaned into him a little too close for his liking, smiling. He smirked at her and slid into the booth across from his brother. Some women were so easy when you were rich and good-looking.
He caught Corey looking at him with narrowed eyes. She looked like she was wearing one of Kayden’s button-up shirts, her burgundy lacey bra showing under the open buttons. Thin black lines marked her upper eyelids, making her eyes look even bigger, and her hair was shiny in the low lighting, cascading over her shoulders. His heart rate spiked a little. He couldn’t deny that she looked sexy as hell.
“What?” he asked her.
“She was basically drooling over you.”
Jason shrugged. “Not my type.”
“Well, you were definitely hers.”
Kayden chuckled. “I don’t think she’d feel that way if she knew what Jason was into.”
Corey’s brows puckered like she was trying to solve a puzzle. “And is Jason into what you’re into?”
Kayden’s smile broadened. “Similar, but different.”
“You interested in my kinks, sweetheart?” Jason had on a sly smile of his own.
She blushed, and it was her turn to shrug. But it wasn’t the defensive no , which he’d been expecting from her. Maybe it was the term of endearment he’d used. He knew she was interested in him sexually. God, he knew. She couldn’t stop staring at him most of the time, and it went beyond innocent interest. But he was expecting her to deny, deny, deny till she died, especially since she’d been fucking his brother.
“You didn’t cover up those bruises as well as you think you did,” he said, to egg her on.
“Shit.” Her fingers went up to her neck, brushing along Kayden’s fading fingerprints. “I hope no one notices.” But she didn’t really look that concerned. Kayden was eyeing her neck like he was going to take a bite of her, but Corey’s attention was still on Jason.
“Only if you know what you’re looking for.” Jason winked at her, and her jaw almost dropped. Kayden bit his lip to control the manic grin that was threatening to take over.
“You’re being very nice,” Corey said. Her eyes narrowed again. “It’s sketching me out.”
“Just happy to be out for dinner at our favourite steak restaurant. Did you two order?” Jason asked, pulling a menu towards him. He felt giddy, almost high from the protection she was providing.
“Not yet, but I know what I’m getting,” Kayden replied.
“We haven’t been here in so long. Looks like they changed their menu.” Jason said, flipping through the soft, fabric-like pages.
“Yeah, I hope their food is as good as it used to be.”
Corey, who had also been looking through the menu, piped in. “Why haven’t you been here if it’s your favourite?”
“We don’t go out to eat a lot. We usually cook or order in, and steak really isn’t that good when it’s delivery.”
“Yeah, Kayden mentioned that before, but why?”
Jason caught Kayden’s eye across the table.
“Too noisy,” his brother said to her.
Corey’s brow furrowed, not fully understanding what they meant, but the server interrupted them before she could press on .
“You boys ready?” Her voice was silky smooth as she popped her hip against the booth.
“Payton,” Jason said, taking in the woman leaning into him. “You still work here?”
“Mm-hmm,” she said, running her eyes over him. He had fucked her before—many times, actually. They shared a kink, which made them compatible. That and the fact that she was smoking hot—insane tits that looked even better trussed up in ropes, sly brown eyes, plush lips and long, dark hair. Payton looked like the kind of woman who had a secret, which only added to her physical allure. Unfortunately, she didn’t have any secrets from Jason, since he could hear her thoughts. And, as usual, that had been more than slightly annoying, a deal breaker.
If it wasn’t for all her overthinking, clingy and cunning, he would have seen her more. She didn’t outwardly act like that, and if Jason couldn’t hear her, he would have never believed it, but she was always plotting how to worm her way into his life in a more permanent way—in a way he didn’t want to entertain. So Jason kept her at arm's length, like he did with everyone he slept with.
Even though he felt no emotional attachment to her, he wondered how he would have felt about her if he couldn’t read her mind from the start. Because he couldn’t hear her thoughts now, and she was looking awfully appealing, standing there in that black dress.
They must have been eye-fucking each other, because Kayden spoke up. “We’re ready to order.”
Her eyes lingered on Jason for another beat before they moved over to Kayden. He was devilishly handsome in a white linen button-up, the first few buttons open to reveal his buff chest. She looked him up and down, oozing desire.
“I forgot how trippy it is that there’s two of you.” She didn’t even seem to notice Corey, who was staring daggers at Payton .
“I’m taken,” Kayden said, putting an arm over Corey’s shoulders. She stiffened. It was such a subtle straightening of her spine and tick in her jaw that Jason would have missed it if he hadn’t been watching for her exact reaction to Kayden’s bold claim.
It confused him. He figured she’d want Kayden to claim her openly. That’s what most girls wanted.
Kayden must have noticed her reaction too, because he pulled Corey closer to his side and whispered something into her ear. Jason couldn’t make out what he said, but she softened into him and bit her lip over a smile. Jason noticed her cheeks were a little sparkly over her freckles. She must have put on some face makeup, too.
“And you, Jason?” Payton said, pulling Jason’s attention away from Corey.
“And me, what?” Jason said.
“Are you taken, too?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know?”
A coy smile spread across her face. “Maybe you’ll tell me after dinner. Drinks?”
Jason was about to order a whiskey when Kayden said, “He’s just having water tonight.”
Jason huffed out a breath and rolled his eyes, but didn’t argue with his brother. He would never argue with Kayden in public. They had to present as a united front, always.
“Water is fine,” Jason repeated. “And the 12-ounce T-bone with a Caesar.”
“And for you, Kayden?”
“What do you want to eat, Little Fox? Perhaps a steak?” Kayden asked Corey, ignoring Payton’s attention.
“Perhaps not.” Corey grinned at him before looking at Payton with a smug smile. “I’ll have the porterhouse burger and Parmesan truffle fries.”
Jason couldn’t contain his bark of laughter .
Corey shot him a look. “What?”
“I knew you were going to order a burger. Only you would order a burger at a steak restaurant.” He had called her order only earlier that day, and there was a definite satisfaction at being right.
Corey was still smiling, but she stuck her tongue out at him. “Sue me, I like burgers.”
“Mind your tongue, Corey.” Jason’s words were low, laced with threat, but he was still smirking at her.
“I’ll have what Jason’s having,” Kayden said. “Make them both rare. And we’ll have two glasses of whatever Cab is open right now.”
“I’ll get all that put in for you,” Payton said, giving the twins another once-over before walking away, hips swaying in her tight black dress. Jason watched her ass move with her steps.
“You’ve fucked her.” Jason turned his attention to Corey, who was looking at him with visible agitation.
“I fuck whoever I want,” he replied. Was she getting possessive over him? She was looking at him with eyes like blue fire. “But don’t worry, sweetheart. Kayden hasn’t gotten in on the fun.” Sweetheart . He made the word drip with condescension this time.
Because he’d fucked up earlier and called her that honestly, and she’d been just as stunned as he’d been. Even without booze, he felt drunk—drunk on being out in public in their own world, without all the noise. It was almost too good to be true, and he was on the precipice of making choices that would keep things this way. And that was a very dangerous place for him to be.
Payton came back with two wine glasses and a whiskey. She placed the wine in front of Kayden and was about to hand the whiskey to Jason when Kayden made a tsking sound from the side of his mouth.
“Now, now. Was I not clear when I said he’d be having water tonight?” All playfulness had left Kayden’s voice, his eyes hardening on their sexy waitress .
“You better listen to him, doll. Kayden doesn’t like being disobeyed. Now go get me my water like a good little pet, hmm?”
Payton flicked her long hair over her shoulder and smirked at Jason, trying to play this whole situation off like she didn’t have a care in the world, but Jason had no doubt she was pissed. Her thoughts would have given her away for sure, and he was glad he didn’t have to hear it.
“Wow, aren’t you a gentleman tonight?” Corey teased, putting her elbow on the table and lifting her fingers into the air. “First, sweetheart. Second, doll. Third, good little pet.”
Jason watched her long fingers move as she counted, and he so badly wanted them wrapped around his cock.
“And aren’t you our good little pet too, Corey?” Jason’s smile was downright predatory.
She swallowed thickly. “I’m not your anything.”
Payton came back with waters and their food, the tension thick at their table.
The three of them ate their food, and Jason and Corey continued sparring with their words in between bites and her sips of wine. They bickered and argued, but there was a flirtatious current to it, a push and pull between the two of them, neither one of them willing to concede power to the other. As Corey’s wine glass emptied, her cheeks became more flushed, and Kayden had his hands all over her. She was melting into him in the booth, but her attention was trained on Jason, an electricity crackling between them. She was dancing on a knife’s edge with him.
As he expected, Corey cleared her entire plate of food. She had also gone through a few glasses of wine. Jason had stuck with water, the atmosphere doing enough to quench his craving for the moment.
When they were done, Payton brought the bill to the table and slid it to Jason with the terminal. Jason tapped his black Amex and input a generous tip .
“My number’s on the bill,” Payton said to him, “in case you’re not taken.” Her eyes inadvertently darted to Corey before landing back on Jason. “I changed my number a while back, so…”
Jason took the receipt and slid it into his pocket. She seemed to be satisfied with that.
“As always, it was a pleasure to have you dining with us.” The words were sensual in her mouth. With a final raking of her eyes over the twins, Payton took her leave.
Kay combed his fingers through Corey's hair, and she nuzzled into him. But her teeth were clenched while she eyed Jason, like a bristling cat. Kayden had a knowing smirk on his face, clearly entertained by what was unfolding between this girl and his brother.
Jason got up from the booth and Kayden followed, pulling Corey with him. She was in tightly fitted denim jeans, the shirt tucked into them, and a pair of leather combat boots he hadn’t seen before.
“New shoes?” Jason asked her.
“Yup,” she replied with her attitude. “Kayden is an excellent personal shopper. Do you like them?”
“Do I like your shoes?” He repeated her question back to her as they made their way through the restaurant, unsure if that was what she was really asking.
She nodded her confirmation, putting his old leather jacket on.
“Sure, very edgy.”
“Well, apparently I’m an edgy girl now,” she said, smirking.
“Is that so?” he grinned back.
They had made it outside before he even realized he’d walked through a room full of people again. They were in their own little bubble, and it hit him once again how utterly sweet that feeling was. His heart squeezed in his chest. He felt breathless. The valet handed each of them their helmets, and he didn’t have to hear what that guy was thinking either. Then he noticed Corey had a new helmet .
“You’re spoiling her,” he said to his brother.
“She deserves it,” he said, kissing her freckled cheek lightly before putting his helmet on.
She did deserve it. For giving them this silence, she deserved the world. And that absolutely terrified Jason.
“Maybe you can buy her a shirt then, so she can stop wearing ours,” he snipped. He put his helmet on and got on his bike, kicking on the engine and letting the noise drown everything else out.
It was a short ride back to the condo, and they parked their bikes in the underground, taking the elevator up to the penthouse. It seemed Corey wanted to pick up where they left off, because she continued poking him with stupid questions and he kept snapping at her, which only made her more committed to riling him up.
Kayden flipped his shoes off and left them bickering in the front hall while they each unlaced their boots.
“So, who’s this Payton girl?” Corey finally asked him.
“She’s someone I like to fuck. Why? Are you jealous?”
“No, I just didn’t know you had any feelings in there,” she said, prodding at his chest.
Jason scoffed at her. “I don’t.”
“That’s not true.” She blew a long breath out before she said, “All you do is hide behind your disdain. Just… let me see who you are.”
He grabbed her finger in annoyance and brought her hand down. “I’m not a puzzle, Corey. I’m not something for you to try and figure out or play with.”
“That’s not what I want.” Her voice was small. He let her hand go.
“Then what do you want from me?” he spat at her.
She paused, no quick comeback or easy answer. Maybe she hadn’t fully thought this through. Or maybe she realized she wanted nothing from him, and he’d been right. That he was just a challenge for her .
He let out a breath that was half laughter, half scorn, and turned to leave her in the hallway. She grabbed his arm, pulling him to her. The force in which she’d yanked him took him entirely by surprise, and he found his body pressed flat to hers.
She was looking up at him with colour on her cheeks and an expression he couldn’t quite decipher.
Jason leaned down to whisper in her ear in a low voice. “You want to fuck me, Corey? Is that what you’re after?”
Her pupils dilated and he pulled back, smiling down at her with the satisfied sneer of a villain.
Corey huffed out a long breath and pushed him away. He knew all her buttons to push.
“I want to know you,” she finally said, and threw her hands up in the air, exasperated.
“Yeah? That’s all you want? Well, let me show you who I am, sweetheart.” Jason motioned for the stairs, inviting her up. She took a hesitant step towards the staircase, still looking at Jason, unsure if she should continue. He nodded at her, and she started her ascent up, Jason close on her heels.
He led her to his door, which was down the hall from Kayden’s, and held it open for her. She stepped inside.
The dark green walls were brooding and moody. It was a reflection of him. He pulled the dimmer up so a gold hue lightened the space. Her eyes roamed around the room, taking in everything there was to see and cataloging it. There were no pictures hung up, nothing to show who actually inhabited the room, aside from the floor-to-ceiling bookshelf that was overflowing with used books. The variety of old classics and postmodern literature was messily strewn across the shelves and the floor in front of it. His king-sized bed sat in the centre of the room, the slatted mahogany headboard looming over the mattress .
Jason put his hand on Corey’s lower back. She startled, jumping slightly and looked at him. He pressed his hand into her, guiding her into the corner of his room, where a large leather sling back chair sat. He turned her around to face him. He was so close to her that he could feel her breath hitch prettily. The tension they’d been riding all night—hell for the last few weeks—was finally peaking, and Jason could almost taste it.
He licked his lips.
She bit hers.
He smiled down at her, but it was all threat.
“Unbutton your jeans and take them off.”
She hesitated for only a minute before doing what he said. She shimmied out of her jeans, leaving them in a pile on the floor. Kayden’s shirt was like a dress on her, since it was no longer tucked in. He reached out and unbuttoned the few buttons that were done up.
Slowly, Corey slipped the shirt off her shoulders and let it fall to the ground as well.
Her underwear matched the lacy bra that had been sticking out and teasing him throughout dinner. It was a deep burgundy colour that complemented her skin tone. He wanted to rip it right off her, but he restrained himself. She stood tall, lifting her chin slightly, no shame in baring her body before him. And she should be proud of her body, her cut stomach and thick legs. She was well-muscled, but lean. Perfect, he thought, though he’d already known this about her.
He ran his knuckles up her stomach, and the muscles fluttered beneath his touch. He let himself touch her, roaming up her sternum to her clavicles. Everywhere his fingers grazed, goosebumps erupted in his wake. Her skin was burning hot. Her cheeks were flushed.
He stepped closer to her. “Sit.”
With wide eyes, Corey took a small step back and sat down in the chair, sliding to the back of the expansive seat so her pelvis was slightly angled upward with the incline of the chair. She leaned back, watching him, the blackness of her pupils eating up the ocean in her eyes.
Jason retreated to the leather trunk at the end of his bed, flipping it open and pulling out several coils of hemp ropes. Corey said nothing as he brought the ropes to the chair and dropped them to the ground. She just kept watching as he unravelled a coil and knelt before her.
He ran his hand up her bare calf, more goosebumps pebbling her flesh, and then pulled her foot into his lap. Deftly, he looped the rope around her ankle, tying a quick reef knot, before wrapping it halfway up her calf and tying a hitch to secure it. Then he pulled the rope to the leg of the chair and tied a few more easy knots, securing her leg to the sling back.
“This is what Kayden meant when he said ropes were your thing,” Corey asked, breathily.
He didn’t respond. His eyes were trained on her, watching her watch him at her feet, as he secured her other leg, not needing to look at the rope to do it. He could tie this arrangement in his sleep. It was simple, but extremely secure.
Corey was breathing heavily by the time he stood back up, shifting from looking down at him to looking up at him.
Her long legs were spread wide beneath him, and she looked exquisite in his leather chair. But he wasn’t finished with her. As precisely as he’d tied her legs, Jason tied her wrist to the arm of the chair, securing the rope below the silly little watch she was always wearing. Her knuckles were raw from training this morning. He moved on to her other wrist, and she let him. He had been waiting for her to pull back, to stop him or ask him what he was doing, but she seemed content to let him tie her up, and the idea of that was pure excitement and a rush of possibilities.
She was almost fully constrained before him. Jason had been growing harder and harder in his jeans as he worked, and he could feel his cock throbbing. It would be nothing for him to slide her panties to the side, or rip them clean off, and slide his dick into her. It was exactly what this chair was made for, and exactly what he usually used this rope pattern for. She would let him, too. At this point, he didn’t doubt that she wanted him. But he told himself that he didn’t want her .
“Last part,” he said to Corey, picking up one more rope with one hand and reaching for her face with his other. He ran this thumb along the seam of her lips, and they parted, her hot breath fanning around his finger. He gripped her jaw a little tighter.
“Open up, sweetheart.”
Shockingly, she did as she was told.
He brought his last rope between her teeth, and pulled it over her tongue, taut against the sides of her mouth, and then circled the rope to the back of her head.
He had her gagged.
He caught the slight jump of her hand in her restraints, either an intentional response or involuntary, likely wanting to get to the rope that now filled her mouth. But she was effectively restrained against that sort of movement.
For his own sick amusement, he tied the rope with a bow at the back of her head. It wasn’t like she’d be able to free her hands to untie it. She wouldn’t be able to speak like this, and she seemed to realize it too, because her eyes bugged out slightly before Jason tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear.
It was an exchange of power. And finally, after they’d been tussling for it all night, Jason had come out on top.
Jason brought his face close to Corey’s. “You want to know me, Corey? Well, here I am. But I’m not your plaything—you’re mine.”
He stepped back and pulled his phone out of his pocket and the receipt from dinner. With eyes locked on Corey’s, he keyed in Payton’s number and put the phone on speaker.
It rang twice before Payton’s sultry voice flooded through the phone. “That didn’t take very long.”
Jason smirked at her confidence. “You want to come over and play, Payton?”