Ruin Me (Savage Bosses)

Chapter 22

CHAPTER 22

M adison

Words swam before my eyes, the sign I needed to take a break. Without Kent sitting across from me, work engrossed me to the point of ignoring basic bodily functions. Eating and going to the bathroom took a backseat if it meant I was closer to finding clues about Carol and her accomplice.

Maybe I focused on her because I didn’t want to express my genuine fear.

I almost died.

She almost cut my life short when I was finally about to join that elite club so many woman aspire to. The same one my mom’s been part of for most of her adult life. Where I found success in my profession and relationship without sacrificing one for the other. And fucking Carol and whoever she used to transport me into that other car were trying to put a damper on my wins.

I refused to let them.

I stretched my neck and decided to take a break. If Kent checked up on me, I didn’t want him distressing over my missed lunch, even if I enjoyed his punishments a little too much. The release I got put me in a blissful, aroused state without the tension and stiff muscles. But what I valued the most was the aftermath, when he would hold me in his arms. I’d never felt more cherished or safer than in those quiet moments.

After washing my face and eating, I returned to Benson and Stabler mewling at me. They had been good all morning as they slept at my feet while I worked. I walked them in the park, escorted by my guard. Since the hour was late for lunch, only a few employees took advantage of the outdoor space for a little fresh air. Their curious glances made me flush with embarrassment although I had nothing to be embarrassed about. I refused to give them more fodder for the BBD site after Kent’s fight last week with Hal.

Thankfully, I had little time to dwell on them as wrangling Benson and Stabler under control diverted my attention.

Reinvigorated by the workout with the puppies, I returned to the penthouse and my earlier task. A report from my second-in-command, Emily, snagged my interest, and I needed to dig deeper. She’d tapped her contact at the NSA for information about Carol.

Although the person had nothing new to pinpoint where Carol could be hiding, I was learning a lot about the woman who abducted me and who we suspected of killing Kent’s former dates. For example, Carol was an alias. Although shocking, learning the woman who abandoned me on an active train track went by a different name made sense. Born Jennifer Aselworth of the New England Aselworths, a prominent family with generations of wealth, Jennifer displayed unsettling signs of erotomania because of an underlying bi-polar diagnosis. There was mention of other families connected to the Aselworths. One name sounded familiar but I couldn’t place it. Instead, I focused on Carol/Jennifer’s diagnosis.

Erotomania? What the hell was that? I sidelined the report to research the diagnosis, growing more concerned with each new question I had. At the top of my list was, did her obsession with Kent begin when she began working for the company, or did something else trigger her?

Suddenly, my vision went dark. My heart rate spiked. Why hadn’t I heard anything? No one should have been able to enter the penthouse with the guards stationed outside. I raised my hands to feel silky material covering my eyes.

“I have a surprise for you,” Kent said, calming my rising panic.

“You scared me!”

“I called your name a couple times but you must not have heard me.” The hair from his beard tickled my neck, then his firm lips pressed against the underside of my chin. “Forgive me?”

“Maybe. Your surprise isn’t another set of puppies, is it?”

He withdrew with a disgruntled frown. “Have a little faith.”

I eyed him with a narrowed glare but allowed him to pull me from my chair and lead me to the living room. A black bag sat on the coffee table. Mesh panels on the sides revealed an indistinct silhouette inside.

“Kent, what did you do?”

He passed me to unzip a panel on the top. A tiny feline head popped out and I gasped. The orange and dark brown marks of a tabby surrounded two green eyes but from its cute pink nose to its chest was the fluffiest white fur I’d ever seen.

“You got me a cat?”

“You said you prefer them.” Kent shrugged with a sheepish grin so endearing I stared in wonder. “As long as I have breath in my body, I’ll give you everything you want.” He stroked my cheek.

“When I said I would have voted for a cat, I didn’t expect?—”

“Lesson learned. Expect more from me. Expect that when you tell me what you like or what you want, I’ll provide those things. I pay attention to everything you say, even the casual comments.”

I peeked at the cat that’s been observing the surroundings during my conversation with Kent. “What’s its name?”

“Up to you.”

The cat leaped out of the bag and strutted to the edge of the table like he had already laid claim to everything he saw.

As I neared him, he peered at me with a sense of superiority I couldn’t help but find adorable.

“What made you choose him?” I asked.

“He was fluffy without being too fluffy.” Kent stood beside me as I reached out my hand for the cat’s inspection.

The feline sniffed me, then meowed as if demanding something. All without budging from his spot.

Benson and Stabler barreled into the room as if I hadn’t exhausted them during lunch. They jumped at and sniffed the new arrival, their curiosity and eagerness to meet the cat almost tangible in the air.

Without hesitation, the cat launched himself at Stabler. His paws hugged the dog’s throat, and he twisted, slamming the puppy to the ground. Stabler backpedaled and ran behind Kent’s legs. The cat leveled a glare at Benson, and he hied to join his brother.

“I seem to recall you disparaging a cat’s ability to protect.”

Kent stared in amazement at the feline. “Obviously that cat’s been here before. If a don were a feline, it’d be him.”

I wrinkled my nose. “He’s too cute to be a Don. I think I’ll call him Tyger. He’s pretty fierce in a gorgeous package.” I kneeled down to pet the cat, wondering if he would treat me similarly to the dogs.

He peered at my hand then my face then decided to approach me. Surprised, I waited, but he didn’t stop at my knees. Instead, he crawled into my lap and curled into a ball while meowing at me the entire time. When he glanced expectantly at me, I asked Kent, “Did you buy him treats?”

“Among other things.” Kent handed me a small pouch.

I fed Tyger who quieted after the first treat. He pawed at my face until I lavished him with pets.

“I take it I’ve earned your forgiveness.”

I quirked the side of my mouth while sidling a glance at Kent. “You’ve earned more than my forgiveness.”

Heat immediately enters his blue eyes. “Yeah? Give me a hint.”

“A pussy for a cat?”

“I don’t know if you’re trying to be sexy or funny. Regardless, I intend to collect.”