After my conversation with Lydia and Sabel, I took a very long bubble bath to clear my head before heading back downstairs. I’m considering ordering takeout as I pull out my phone to search local food options. My traitorous fingers find my messenger app instead. I tap, pulling up my and Riven’s conversation thread to send a quick text.
Sloane:Hey, you. How was your meeting?
I resume my food search, deciding that I want Thai. Then, I realize that several minutes have passed since I sent that text. I find it slightly odd, considering that Riven usually texts back quickly. Maybe his meeting ran long? I place my order and back out of the app without submitting the order, planning to wait for Riven to answer back. Several more minutes go by with no response.
I do not want to bethatgirl, but I pull the message thread back up and send another text.
Sloane:I’m ordering in. Wanna join? I promise there will be dessert. (;
I internally face-palm, but quickly decide that I’m proud of myself for my bravery. I put my phone down and grab theremote, picking up where I left off on Halloween Kills. I’m consumed by the horror, and before I know it, the movie is over. I grab my phone and pull up the message thread again, sighing at the unanswered text. He’s probably busy with …
I sit up, realizing that I never asked him what “meeting” he was attending. I was so distracted by his hands, his mouth, and his other blessed body parts. For all I know, he could be a recovering addict attending his twelfth step. I’m suddenly panicking at how little I know him. My mind is in overdrive, and instead of calmly telling myself that he was likely attending a meeting at the college where he teaches, I decide that he wasfor suremeeting with the underground mob.
I hate how much of aworst-case-scenarioperson I am. I take slow, cleansing breaths to silence the reckless chatter inside my mind. This isRiven Reillywe are talking about. Psychology professor at Blackthorn University. Good in heart, andgreatin bed. Although I’m not sure what that last part has to do with the “why you should give him the benefit of the doubt” list that I’ve assembled in my mind. Nonetheless, it’s most certain to go on the pro list.
Once a couple more hours have passed of me opening and closing our text thread, I decide that I’m not getting a text back. I also decided that Riven has many more pros than cons, and therefore cannot be the villain in this story. I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt. I pull up my food delivery app and submit my order that’s still waiting in the checkout box.
Once it arrives, I eat my Thai food alone with my thoughts andwithoutdessert.
37
Riven
I planned to tell Sloane that I was meeting with a few other professors from the university. However, that was before she distracted me with those sultry eyes that were practically begging me to fuck her senseless. At first, I wondered if maybe I’d gone too far. The look on her face afterward was all the answer I needed to let me know that she enjoyed it as much as I did. After leaving her apartment, I headed home to grab a few things that I’d need for the meeting. I answered a text from Callum asking me where I was and then headed straight there.
Sloane’s scent lingers on me now, enveloping me in the memories of being inside of her. I considered canceling the meeting to stay inside of her, but I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to one of the guys on my watch again. As I pull up to Sonus Corp, I shove all thoughts of Sloane far to the back of my mind. I don’t want Sabel to know that there’ssomeone else that I have who’s worth losing. I park my car and get out, heading toward the entrance. I look up to see that Callum is heading toward me.
“Man, where have you been?” He grabs my shoulder as I’m walking, turning and moving in stride beside me.
“I’m thirty minutes late, it’s fine,” I say, pressing my molars together. I know how fine it could havenotbeen, and that thought will probably keep me awake at night.
“Thirty minutes to you is like two hours to Sabel. You’re lucky she seems to be in a good mood today, but you know how she gets. Why would you …” He pauses, his tension relaxing. “Oh, you were with Sloane.”
“Yes. I lost track of time. I’m sorry, Cal. You know I’d never purposely do anything that would put any of you at risk.”
“I know, Riv. Look, there’s something you should know before we go in,” he says, pausing with his hand on the door. He drops his voice to a whisper. “Sabel knows about Sloane. Sabel knows that the data was falsified.”Shit,I forgot that Callum was running his stealth mission today.
My breathing halts. “How do you know?” I ask through gritted teeth. “And is that all?”
He sighs. “I did some digging around Sabel’s office before the meeting. I saw printouts of therealdata. I don’t know how she got it, Riv. But shehasit.” He pauses. “And no, that wasn’t it. We were on track. The government wants mass manipulation for political gain and for population compliance, but Sabel isn’t running the show. I couldn’t find a leader, Riv. I’m sorry.” He runs his hand through his hair.
I sigh. “It’s okay, Cal. You did great, thank you. We’ll figure it out after this meeting. We’ll initiate a plan. No one leaves until then.”
Cal nods and opens the door. I walk in, and he follows behind me. We walk into a room with a large rectangular table andseveral swivel chairs surrounding it. Sabel sits at the head of the table. Raithe is to her right, and Kai is beside Raithe.
“How nice of you to join us, Riven,” Sabel chides, standing. “Sit,” she orders, waving her hand toward the chair to her left. I don’t react, walking over and taking the seat. Callum takes the seat to my left.
“Boys,” she starts, “I have the most wonderful news.” Her crimson lipstick pulls into a wide grin. It’s a stark contrast to her white-blonde bob. I want to smack the smile right off her smug face.
“What? Is no one going to ask me what the news is?” She glances around at each one of us as we remain silent.
“What abore. Are you all well? Should I call in Brian?” It’s clearly rhetorical, so she continues yapping.
“Look alive, boys! This is going to change your lives. This will changeeverything,” she says, drawing out the last word. She leans over and places her palms flat against the table in front of her, observing us for a reaction.
“Out with it, then.” Cal grunts from beside me. I stiffen. Raithe is holding back a fit of laughter, and Kai is grinning like a fool.
She pushes off from the table and straightens, placing her hands on her hips. “Reverb has the number one album and holds the number one spot on all streaming services across theworld.The news broke this morning.” Theworld? I’ve been so distracted. I wasn’t aware that Reverb was making such an impact.
