“He’s good and excited to get back to New York.”
Heath lived in a small town in Maine, where he ran a small bookstore. It was a big reason why we’d chosen him. He loved literature and lived far away enough from New York to not be in the public eye. It probably was part of the success of my books because we created an author who was kind of mysterious. No Facebook account and only showing up at releases, keeping a low profile.
It was never an option for me to be the face of Lucian Holston. In the beginning, we worked without a look to go with the name, but as my books became more popular and successful, we needed someone to stand in as the author. That was when Owen found Heath. Since then, Heath was the public face of Lucian Holston whenever we released a new book.
“He’s going to do the presentation and some selected readings, but I need you to answer some questions. I’ll send you an e-mail from the New York Times and the PR department from the publisher.”
“Okay.” Owen opened his mouth to say something else, then his eyes went wide, and he seemed to cry out. Confused, I blinked at him. Then I saw movement out of the corner of my eye. Charlie casually strolled back to the sofa as if nothing happened. When I looked back at Owen, he pointed to his bloody ankle.
“There. The spawn of Satan did it again. Look at that.”
I felt sorry for Owen, I did, but I couldn’t stop myself from laughing.
“That cat is the devil incarnate.”
“I’ll get the first aid kit.” I got off the stool and walked over to one of the cabinets, where I kept a first aid kit. The first time Owen was attacked, I didn’t have any supplies. So, I went out and bought a kit precisely for this purpose.
When I turned around again, I could see Owen muttering, “One day, I’m going to die from sepsis.”
“You’ll be fine. Charlie has too much fun tormenting you. He’s not going to kill you.”
“Careful, Henry. You have a Daddy now, and I can tell on you.”
“Do you think he’s going to spank me if you do?” Smiling, I got the antibiotic spray and a band-aid. Owen just glared at me, and I had to chuckle when I saw his lips moving.
“I hope not. You would have way too much fun if he did.”
He was probably right. I’d never had a sexual spanking before, but I’ve researched them and written about them a lot. It was something I was curious about it. Maybe I should ask Caden what he thought about spankings. As if Owen was reading my mind, he rolled his eyes and got off the stool so I could deal with the scratches on his ankle. Before I could bend down, Owen gently tapped my shoulder and pulled me into a hug. Then he pulled back and looked at me.
“I know this sounds ridiculous, but I hope that he’s going to spank you. You deserve to have a Daddy and to be happy.”
“Thank you, Owen.”
“Now, doctor me up before I bleed out. Damn devil cat.”
Chapter 6
Caden
Working on some files provided some much-needed distraction. It was finally Friday afternoon, and I only had a couple more hours to concentrate on work. My sweet needy Boy consumed my thoughts, especially with all the messages we exchanged. Only this morning, he sent me an e-mail with a list of his hard and soft limits and what he was comfortable with on our playdate. Henry’s likes and dislikes showed me that my planned activities would be perfect—a relaxed, quiet weekend with lots of cuddles and pampering for my Boy. Henry had agreed to let me care for him the whole weekend. I’d make sure that my Boy had a fantastic weekend, and hopefully, he would agree to see me again after that.
A knock on the door pulled me out of my thoughts, and with a sigh, I sat up. I was still at the office and supposed to be working, not daydreaming about my Boy. “Yes?”
“Mister Evans?” Olivia, my assistant, opened the door. “Sorry to interrupt, but there is a Mister Lannister and a Doctor Baker here to see you. They said they have an urgent matter to discuss with you privately.”
“Yes. Yes, please, show them in.” Jakob and Sam walked into my office. So I closed my laptop and went around my desk to greet them. It was a surprise, and I smiled at them. My smile quickly turned to a frown when I saw the look on their faces. Sam was pale and looked shaken, Jakob's lips were pressed together in a thin line, and he looked like he was about to punch something. Or someone.
“Is everything all right?” Jakob shot me a look and shook his head. Okay, well, that was weird. Olivia was one step ahead of me as I turned to her. She was nodding and smiling.
“No phone calls and no visitors.” That was precisely the reason why I paid her so much to be my assistant. She always had my back, and she did a fantastic job.
“Thank you, Olivia.”
“Would you want anything to drink? Coffee? Water?” Olivia looked from me to Jakob, and when she looked at Sam, her smile turned even kinder. “Something stronger?”
“Can I have a coffee, please?” Sam asked in a small voice. He wasn’t looking at Olivia. He looked at his Daddy, and with a nod, Jakob turned to my assistant.
“Coffee would be great, thank you.”
“I’ll be right back.”
“Thank you, Olivia,” I said again, while I pointed to a comfortable seating area I had arranged under my office windows. “Sit down, please.”
When we opened the law firm a couple of years ago, I insisted on having a comfortable seating area. Our firm often worked with traumatized people, and I
