Page 69 of Reign

I stop breathing.

“Who is it?” Riot asks.

I lock the screen so fast the click sounds obscene. “No one.”

His head turns slightly. “No one made you stop breathing?”

“I didn’t stop breathing.”

“You did.”

I look at him. “Do you write that down somewhere? Elena inhaled suspiciously at 10:42 a.m.?”

“If necessary.”

“That is deeply unattractive.”

His gaze drops briefly to my phone, then back to my face. “Then stop lying badly.”

“I’m not lying.”

He gives me a look.

I turn the phone facedown against my thigh. “It’s school.”

“School usually annoys you. It doesn’t scare you.”

My fingers tighten around the phone. I hate him a little for that.

For being right. For noticing. For sitting beside me like a reminder that someone is always close enough to see me make a mistake.

I smile sweetly. “Maybe I’m afraid of higher education.”

“No, you’re afraid of whatever is on that screen.”

I ignore him and turn away toward the window. The questionnaire loads like it was designed by someone who enjoys watching people squirm politely. Clean dark interface. Gold accents. Clinical but somehow still seductive, like even the form is trying to seduce you into honesty. I glance sideways at Riot. He’s pretending to read his tablet again, but I know better. The man notices when my breathing changes. I angle my body toward the window, pull the blanket higher like it’s a shield, and open the attachment before I can talk myself out of it.

Elite Private Consultation – Follow-Up Questionnaire

All responses are confidential. Answer with complete honesty. Choice is required.

My stomach does a slow, traitorous flip. The first page loads.

Hard No / Soft Limit / Curious / Yes / Strong Yes

I stare at the options for so long the words start to look less like a questionnaire and more like a moral failing. Curious feels safe. Curious feels polite.

Curious feels like I can still pretend I’m a reasonable woman doing research and not someone hiding beneath a first-class blanket while her bodyguard sits barely a foot away and a sex club asks her what makes her pulse misbehave.

I scroll.

Bondage / Restraints

My thumb freezes.

Heat slips beneath my skin.

I tap Curious, then hesitate.