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Jamie sits perfectly still while she inspects it. Then she holds out her arm. Jamie ties the bracelet around her wrist. He checks the knot twice before letting go, and Heather turns her hand beneath the kitchen light.
“Exact,” she says.
Jamie’s shoulders loosen.
Heather takes his face in one hand and kisses him. “Good boy. You fixed it.”
Jamie closes his eyes and leans into her palm. When he opens them, he looks at me.
Heather rubs her thumb across the purple bead. Of every bead on that bracelet, she’s touching mine.
CHAPTER 41
Oliver
Heather waits until after dinner to collect what I owe her.
She brings Jamie and Simon into my room with a paperback tucked beneath one arm. Simon’s bruised throat shows above the collar of his red shirt, and one hand stays close to his ribs when he moves. Jamie looks entirely recovered from yesterday, particularly when he sees Heather position the reading chair at the foot of my bed.
Simon’s attention moves from the chair to me. Simon. I spelled it onto his wrist, and now I think it without being asked.
Heather presses one hand against his shoulder.
“Sit.” She waits until he lowers himself, then turns toward me. “You interfered with Simon’s correction yesterday. Tonight, he gets to watch me give you yours.”
I look at the book beneath her arm. The glossy black cover features silver thorns, a key and the title in lettering designed to resemble blood.
“You bought me a romance novel.”
“I bought myself your voice.” Heather takes my glasses from the nightstand and holds them out. “Put these on.”
I obey because she brought the ruler too. She taps it once against her thigh while Jamie kneels at the foot of the bed.
Heather looks down at him. “You’re getting ahead of yourself.”
Jamie sits back on his heels, but the satisfaction remains on his face. Apparently symmetry pleases him when he isn’t the one being corrected.
Heather sets the paperback beside me and begins opening my shirt. “You put your hands on me while I was correcting what belongs to me.”
“You were crushing Simon’s throat.”
“That’s not relevant.” She pulls the shirt from my trousers and pushes it from my shoulders. The ugly bracelet Jamie repaired slides down her wrist while she works.
Simon looks at it. Jamie looks away.
She strips me completely, then directs Jamie and Simon to do the same. Jamie undresses quickly and leaves his choker in place. Simon moves more carefully, removing his shirt without letting the fabric drag over his ribs.
Heather watches until they’re both naked. “Close one hand around your cocks. You may move only while Oliver reads.”
Jamie closes his fingers around his cock immediately. Simon looks at me before closing his hand around his cock.
“If he stops, you stop,” Heather continues. “If he makes a mistake, nobody receives anything until he corrects it. None of you come without permission.”
Simon settles back in the chair with his hand resting around the base of his cock. His body is already responding despite the resentment on his face.
Jamie strokes himself once before Heather takes the book from the bed and places it in my hands.
“Not yet,” she tells him.
