21 - Just us

"I will have you without armor, Kaz Brekker. Or I will not have you at all."

― Leigh Bardugo, Six of Crows

^ this fucking book I swear. If you ever feel the urge to indulge in young adult fantasy, do read this.

. . .

OLIVIA WOODS

I couldn't stop thinking about that dance. I hated it, it made me feel dirty. So after crying half a day, I pulled on a large hoodie, black leggings and went to their office. They had told me I could come anytime I wanted. I hoped

they weren't kidding because every little thing was making me cry. I even fought with my mother.

You are ungrateful, she had screamed at me. I knew she could hear that I was crying. Why did she not care?

What was I supposed to be grateful for?

Some people stopped me, but then Mr. Brown, the CFO who had come to school with Xerxes, had joined me. He simply led me to the lift and then to Xerxes's office door. With a smile, he left. I knew he must have seen my red eyes.

I had knocked, forcing myself to look a bit stronger than I felt.

But they were there, too. The Valentinos. I was grateful that they walked out. I didn't want my mind to short-circuit with fear, I was already a mess today.

When Ashton crushed me into his chest, I dissolved into sobs.

"What's wrong?" He sat down on a chair, pulling me on his lap. He rubbed my back as my shoulders shook. He let me cry on his chest. I felt my hands being picked by the other two, they kissed on them gently. Ashton rubbed the back of my head, shushing me.

I quieted down in a few minutes, hiccuping.

"Kitten..." Zavier picked me up, settling me sideways on his lap. He wiped my face, frowning. "What's wrong, baby?"

"I-" I bit my bottom lip.

"Is it something we did?" Xerxes asked, gently, crouching down to look at me. "Tell us, little love."

Ashton sat on a chair close by, watching me silently.

"It's not because of you," I whispered, holding Zavier's hand tightly between mine, looking down at it.

"Tell us." Xerxes gripped the back of my neck firmly, making me lookup. "I...I went to a party yesterday..."

"Yes, and?" Ashton asked gently.

"I danced with someone there..." My eyes filled with tears. Anger brewed in theirs.

"Tell us more," Zavier ordered.

"We just...danced," I whispered. "I-I didn't say no but...didn't like how he touched me."

Xerxes's grip tightened a little, Zavier's arm wrapped firmly around me and Ashton's jaw clenched.

"I feel dirty." I wiped the tears off my face. "And then I fought with my mom I-" I dug my face into Zavier's chest, crying again.

Zavier stood up with me tucked to his chest. I felt him walk somewhere and then a door was opened. I felt softness under me. It was a bed. He sat down with me against his chest. Ashton and Xerxes sat close, forming a triangle around me which made me feel safe and protected.

This was what I needed.

ASHTON CREED

"James Miller," Michael said through the phone. "He's a star student, apparently. You want me to handle this?"

I looked at Olivia. She was sitting in the corner of my office, curled into a ball and reading a book she had picked from my bookcase. We hadn't talk about us, whatever us was or if there even was a us. She just told us about James and her fight her mother. We had lunch together and she was silent throughout it.

I wanted to kill her mother. How could someone be cruel to Olivia? She was too fucking nice to everyone. She was good. I had not met much good in my life.

If we killed James, I knew Olivia would be suspicious.

"Scare him away from her," I answered Michael. "Make sure he knows exactly what will happen to him if he even breaths in her direction."

"Got it, boss and...."

"Yes?"

"I like her," Michael said, I knew he did not mean it romantically. Michael wasn't an idiot. "She's good for you three."

She was too good for us three.

I looked at her again. Now she was sitting up on the couch which her back rested on the armrest and head against the backrest, the book was on her knees. It was clear she could not find a comfortable position to read.

I hung up on Michael with some future instructions. "Little one."

She looked at me. Her eyes were dulled. I wished I could kill James already. I could make it look like an accident.

"Come here."

She got off the couch, instantly following my order. Sweetly submissive. She didn't know it yet, or perhaps she did. I wouldn't surprised if she had googled spanking and found out about many things.

I pulled her on my lap, making her eyes go wide, and tucked her to my chest. "Better?" I whispered in her ear. She shivered, biting that fucking lip of hers.

She gave me a tiny nod and reopened her book. I smiled and opened my laptop on the desk, reading some files on the interior design company we had just gotten under our Enterprise. She sat her head against my chest, slowly melting into me.

I loved her like her. On my lap. I would like her to be naked, though. And perhaps kneeling between my legs while I worked. I wanted her submission and her trust and her love.

I didn't deserve any.

With my other submissives, it had been different. There was never emotional attachment - just a way to get my lust out, though I did make sure that they were cared for. With Little one it was different.

With her everything was different.

"Olivia."

"Yes?" She looked up at me. Just by looking at her, I could tell that she was feeling a bit better.

"We need to talk about what happened," I said firmly. She bit that gorgeous lip of hers again, a lovely blush covering her cheeks. I wanted the same color on her ass. I had not seen her ass after we spanked her. Pity.

"D-Do we have to?" She mumbled. "We are friends and we should just ignore it!" She said enthusiastically. Too enthusiastically. I liked when she blushed when I touched her but I wanted her to talk to me, to us, about what she was feeling always.

"Yes." I nodded. "We need to talk. After it, it will be your choice what you want with us. Friendship or...more."

There came that lovely blush again. "More?" She whispered.

"Yes," I said, caressing her cheekbone with my knuckles. Did she realize that she leaned towards my touch? "Let me call Zavier and Xerxes and then we will talk. You don't have to be nervous." I kissed her forehead, feeling her body lose against me at the contact. "It's just us, yes?"

She nodded. "Just us." I smiled.

Just us.

. . .

I love making fluff chapters.