Unleashed (2 page)

“Katya
has absolutely no self-control when it comes to you, and you exploit it. We have shit we have to get settled. I don’t think fucking her is a good idea right now, do you? Your daughter is within earshot.” Cortez is looming over Ezra, glowering gray eyes clashing in silent struggle.

“Cortez is right.
We have a lot things to settle. And under the circumstances, I wouldn’t think you’d want to touch me like that,” I firmly say.

“What circumstances?” Confusion replaces
Ezra’s anger.

“Adelaide,” Cortez and I say in unison
, and we share a laugh. Yeah, we’re not alike at all. I huff a laugh at the thought as our eyes connect and shit-eating grins spread across our faces.

“What about Adelaide?” Ezra looks bac
k and forth between Cortez and me. He scowls at us, sulking.

“Adelaide
, you remember her… your fiancée.” Cortez wrinkles up his face as if her name on his tongue leaves a bitter aftertaste.

Ezra just shrugs and looks at us like
so?

“Kat informed me that she will not do attached
men. I’m out because of Divina, as are you because of Adelaide, and apparently, Aaron because of his attachment to you,” Cortez says this as if he’s actually saying,
Kat is fucking batshit crazy if she thinks we give a shit what she thinks
.

The
y turn their stormy gazes on me, both sharing identical looks of exasperation, as if I am being ridiculous.

“This is not up for negotiation. I
’ve already explained my reasons to Cortez, and he said he understood. I’m not going to demean myself by being a man’s mistress. It doesn’t matter if you don’t respect me, I’m going to respect myself.” I’m starting to get really pissed off. How can the man before me make love to his fiancée and declare his undying love to her, and then days later kiss me. I feel disgusted, and not just with Ezra.

“
Yeah, like Cort won’t chase after you, anyway,” Ezra snorts out.

“Oh, damn straight. We’ve come to an understanding.” Cortez winks at me and smirks. I instantly remember him
chasing me around my apartment and I blush.

“Enough,” I say, waving
my hand about, cutting off that thread of conversation. “The answer’s no. If you keep fucking with me like this, it’s going to piss me off. I realize that you guys have never raised a daughter before, but I’ve been doing it for eleven years. That is not the example I want to set for Ava. This isn’t up for debate. You’re both in relationships, and I’m not your in-house whore,” I seethe.

“I would never t
hink of you that way,” Ezra convincingly say, yet that is exactly what he’s making me out to be.

Cortez says, “I’d like you to act like
a whore for me. That could be a lot of fun. I’ll even play the pimp and Ezra can be your John. I’ll kick his ass for being mean to my lady of the evening.” Leave it to Cortez to defuse the situation with snarky humor. I huff a laugh at his serious expression. He waits a heartbeat before he winks at me.

“Alright, prankster-” I start
to speak but Cort cuts me off. “I was being serious. It would be a lot of fun,” he grumbles underneath his breath.

“Not happening
,” I drawl out, trying to be angry, but failing miserably. “We just got back. I need to make arrangements for Ava. Where are we going to live? Where is she going to school? I need a job. I have a lot to figure out, and my sex life isn’t even on the list.”

“That’s all taken care of, Katya. You’ve n
othing to figure out,” Ezra calmly says.

“What do you mean? I’
m not a mistress that you take care of. I plan on taking care of Ava as I have for the past eleven years.” My voice rises as anger engulfs me. I will not be Ezra’s pampered pet, waiting for him to call on me. I earn what I have. I will not eat from Ezra’s hand out of misguided guilt.

“Katya,” Ezra loudly sighs. “Ava
is my daughter, as well. I want to know her. I need her in my life. Your feelings of possession towards her, I feel them towards her, too. You have an apartment, a job, friends, and us. This is your home. The only reason Ava wasn’t with you before is that you were saving for her schooling. Any father, whether coupled with the mother or not, pays for their children’s schooling. You speak of setting an example for Ava, don’t make me out to be a deadbeat dad. Please allow me to do that for both of you. I want the best for you both. I want you both close to me,” he achingly says and it softens my heart.

“I ca
n’t go back to Edge Publishing,” I stubbornly say. “I didn’t earn the position.”

“So you will agree to the rest of my offer?”
Ezra asks, hope strongly lacing his voice.

“Yes, but I will pay for our living expenses just as I have been. I have some money saved that I will pay you with until I get another job.”
I cross my arms over my chest and stare him down. “I also want privacy. I don’t want my every move monitored like I’m some kind of convict. I don’t want that for my daughter, either.”

“Katya,
we will negotiate on those points at a later date,” Ezra says, causing Cort to loudly snort. That man has no intentions of stopping his stalking. “Katya, have you ever wondered why I run a publishing company? I’m a doctor, why would I do that?” His eyes dart to Cortez. When I shrug at Ezra, he looks at me like I’m completely daft.

“
Cortez was always highly creative. As children we would live out his fantasies. There was never a doubt of where his passions lie. I never had a direction I felt a pull towards. I became a Psychiatrist, not to help heal others, just to heal us- to heal myself. I had the money to make any company I wanted, so I created Edge Publishing for Cortez. I would have done the same for Aaron, except his passion is caring for us, and he enjoys running Restraint. This provided the perfect opportunity for the three of us to partner in business as we do in our personal lives. Cortez writes the story, I publish it, and Aaron takes care of the rest, so we have no worries.”

I swallow a lump in my throat and rub the spot between my breasts. I thought it would be difficult to join the pack. I don’t know if I can ever be an equal for them, a partner, there is way too much history for the trio. I
will forever be an outsider.

“Three years ago
, when we finally found you, I was excited that you had the same passion as Cortez. It made it easier for me. We can all be together- a partnership. You’ve earned your position. Even if we weren’t connected, I would have given you the job. You are highly qualified and it’s so you. Your job is waiting for you. Your staff is still in place. Don’t punish me because of my power and money. I can provide us all with security, so let me.” Ezra sounds oh-so reasonable. But it’s like trusting the Devil, there is always a steep price.

I don’t trust this side of Ezra- the side that will do anything he can to get what he wants. I know that he’s doing this to keep us under his thumb. I will concede that I did do a good job at work. My clients trust me and my staff works well together. I don’t want to leave my home and job.

“Okay,” I meekly say. Ezra does have a valid point.

“Okay,” Ezra
hopefully sings as his eyebrows meet his hairline. He hesitantly smiles at me, as if fearing I will change my mind. “Okay,” he nods his head yes, more sure this time. “Good, I thought you’d argue more.” Ezra chuckles to himself.

“I know Aaron isn’t with us right now
, since he is entertaining our little one, but I think this qualifies for a group hug.” Ezra pulls Cortez and me into a huge hug. His face is alight with pleasure. “I’m so happy that my family is finally all with me.” His bliss and relief is etched in the tone of his voice. I smile at the glorious sound.

Ezra
grips Cortez’s neck in his palm, drawing Cort’s forehead down to his lips. He plants a large kiss on Cortez’s forehead. Cort’s lips arch into a smile- a smile I’ve never seen before. It is a private one that he shares only with Ezra. I feel humbled that he allows me to witness it.

“I know you said no sex
, but affection is permissible, correct?” Ezra gazes down and grins.

I shake my head. I lick my lips a few times to moisten them
, allowing me to speak. “Y… es,” I stutter, and it comes out more like a question. Ezra is a sly bastard, he’ll somehow find a way to trap me with my answer. “But only with a chaperone,” I tack on for safety purposes.

“A
chaperone?” Ezra sounds amused. He smirks at Cortez, arching an eyebrow at his partner. “And Cortez is our chaperone?”

I shake my head yes again.

“Very well, then.” Ezra gives us an innocent look. He palms the back of my head as if he’s going to kiss my forehead. But instead of an innocent touch of affection, he takes my mouth in a searing kiss that is just this side of violent. Ezra’s teeth sink into my lip, and then his tongue invades my mouth. He palms my breast and squeezes, as his thigh parts my legs. And all it took was two seconds. I have no time to process, let alone push him away. All I can do is melt and whimper. Ezra abruptly stops and steps back, flashing us a cocky grin.

“Knock it o
ff, Ezra. I fucking mean it. Katya said no, and for once you’re going to listen.” Cortez’s voice holds everything left unsaid.

“I can
do a lot of damage before Cort can stop me.” An arrogant laugh rumbles up Ezra’s throat. “Why all the sudden are you afraid to be alone with me?”

I look at Cortez
, silently asking for help. We share a secret, and he promised to keep it. “Ah, Kat’s just so in love with you that she can’t help herself,” Cortez sarcastically says.

I watch Ezra’s amused expression and relief hits me
. Cortez wasn’t being sarcastic. He only wanted it to sound that way. This way he isn’t lying to his partner.

“Hmm…
I’m not an idiot. I’ll figure it out eventually. But right now, I have to see a girl about décor and a contractor about removing a wall,” Ezra says as he makes his way towards his bedroom.

“What do you mean- a contractor?”
I mutter.

“
The portal between our apartments isn’t ideal. It’s my bedroom for heaven’s sake. I’m going to make one large apartment. We will have suites to get away from one another. Ava can stay with Kayla until the work is completed.”

“Hey, just a second
, mister,” I growl as I pull Ezra back into the living room. “We need to discuss this. I don’t want to live in a construction zone forever. I want my privacy. I don’t want cameras trained on me twenty-four/seven. I’m a grown woman. I should get a choice in whether or not I live with you fools.” I don’t stomp my foot, but just barely. “What the hell will your fiancée say?”

“
Privacy is but a state of mind, Kitten.” Cortez says in annoyance. “Wait until you meet Ezra’s adopted father. Marc makes Ezra look like pussycat. I haven’t had privacy from Ezra since I was in my mother’s womb. You best prepare your daughter. She’ll have a bunch of overprotective idiots around her.” Cort’s demeanor screams that he doesn’t agree with the way Ezra stalks.

“I’ll try t
o be good,” Ezra innocently says, and then flashes a wicked grin. Cort and I groan.

“You suck at lying,” I tease.

“Do I… now?” Ezra muses. “Do you honestly think it will take long to complete the apartment? It is me we’re talking about, in case you’ve forgotten.” He sighs at me. “A week- tops. Money may not buy everything, but it buys a lot of workmen.”

“I
don’t know if I’m comfortable with Ava staying at Kayla’s. They just met, and I don’t even know where she lives. I’d rather she slept with me. Besides, I’ve missed her for the past few weeks.”

Cortez laughs, looks at Ezra and me
, and laughs some more. “Ah… Kitten, when will you ever learn? Ezra does as he pleases. You live next door to the three of us, don’t you think Kayla would be very close as well. You only need to know one thing about Ezra, he is very controlling. Kayla lives directly across the hall from you.”

“That’s
it. I’ve had enough of the lot of you for one day. You go see a girl about the décor,” I say to Ezra. “You go do something nefarious or write something truly wicked,” I say to Cortez. “I’m going to see a man about anger management. I’ll be back when I don’t want to beat the living shit out of all of you,” I say to both of them over my shoulder as I storm out their apartment door. I glare at Kayla’s door on my way by. Fucking control freaks!

Chapter Two

Restraint looks different in the light of day: no crowd lined up, waiting for admission. There is no blinding bright lights or deafening music pumping. It looks very sedate and dreary. Roarke is leaning against the security door, playing on his cell phone.

“Hello, Roarke,” I say
, startling him from his game. I snicker at the expression of shock on his face.

“Mistress Kat, I didn’t see you.” His big palm rubs the back
of his neck in embarrassment.

“Is Dexter around? It’s not too early in the day
is it? I need to speak with him.” I sound embarrassed, because I don’t want anyone to think I’m here for anything naughty.