Page 15 of Cannon (King Family Saga #3)

Queen

My throat still burned where his fingers had been.

I sat frozen in my chair, fingertips pressed against the spot he’d claimed, feeling the ghost of his touch like a brand on my skin.

My pulse hammered against my palm, wild and desperate, and I hated how my body had melted under his grip.

How I’d gone soft and breathless when he’d leaned into my space, all that controlled danger wrapped around me like smoke.

“Daaaaamn, Queen.” Nori’s voice cut through the haze, sharp with amusement. “You okay girl?”

“I’m fine,” I responded breathlessly.

She laughed, the sound bouncing off my office walls. “Girl, you look like you ’bout to combust. I ain’t never seen nobody put you in check like that.”

Me either.

But I grew defensive. I wanted to cuss her out, tell her she was seeing things that weren’t there.

But my thighs were pressed tight together under my desk, and the ache between my legs told a different story.

No man had ever put his hands on me like that.

Not with that kind of quiet authority, that certainty that I’d submit.

And the fucked up part? I had submitted.

Completely. In front of my best friend, no less.

“He disrespected me,” I said, trying to convince myself as much as her.

“Baby, that wasn’t disrespect. That was discipline. And judging by how you’re squirming in that chair, you liked every second of it.”

My face burned. “I don’t—”

“You don’t what? Get wet when a real nigga puts you in your place?

” Nori leaned back in her chair, studying me like I was a puzzle she’d finally solved.

“Queen, honey, you been running everything and everybody for so long, you forgot what it felt like to let someone else take control. And that man? He ain’t asking for permission. ”

The truth of her words hit me like ice water. I had been in control of everything, the club, my life, my emotions, for so damn long that I’d forgotten what it meant to surrender. Even for a moment. Even when every nerve in my body was screaming for more of whatever the hell Cannon was offering.

My hands shook as I reached for my water bottle, trying to wash away the taste of my own submission. But it lingered, sweet and bitter on my tongue.

“I can’t be thinking about him like that,” I muttered, more to myself than to Nori. “He works for me.”

“Since when has that stopped anybody from getting their back blown out by the help?”

“Nori—”

“I’m just saying. That man looked like he wanted to bend you over this desk and show you what real power looks like. And you looked like you wanted to let him.”

The image her words painted made my pussy purr, and I had to bite down on my lower lip to keep from making a sound.

Because she was right. In that moment, when Cannon’s hand was wrapped around my throat and his voice was promising all kinds of punishment, I’d wanted nothing more than to spread my legs and let him take whatever he wanted.

That should’ve terrified me. Instead, it made me wetter.

I tried to focus on something else, anything else, and my eyes landed on my purse sitting on the corner of my desk. The black leather seemed to mock me, reminding me of what was tucked inside. My stomach dropped as the heat of arousal gave way to something colder, sharper.

The note.

It had been on my mind all day, which is why I was rude to Cannon in the first place.

But then I’d almost forgotten about it in the chaos of Cannon’s hands on me, but now it came rushing back like a slap to the face.

I reached for my purse with hands that suddenly felt numb, my fingers fumbling with the clasp.

“What’s wrong?” Nori’s voice shifted, concern replacing her teasing tone.

I didn’t answer. Couldn’t answer. Because there it was, that folded piece of paper that had been haunting me all night, tucked between my lipstick and my phone charger like a Smoke waiting to strike.

I know what you did. And you’re gonna pay.

The words hadn’t changed, but they felt different now. Heavier. Like they carried more weight than just ink on paper.

My skin prickled, goosebumps rising along my arms despite the warmth of my office.

The same throat that had been burning with want just moments before now felt tight, constricted, like invisible hands were squeezing the air out of me.

My pulse, which had been racing with arousal, now hammered with something uglier.

Fear.

Pure, cold fear that started in my chest and spread through my body like poison.

“Queen, what is that?” Nori leaned forward, trying to get a look at the paper in my hands.

I folded it quickly, shoving it back into my purse. “Nothing. Just… business stuff.”

But it wasn’t nothing. It was everything. It was something I had done when I was just a little girl. And ultimately it was my mother’s fault.

I know what you did.

But what exactly did they know? And more importantly, who the hell were they?

My mind raced through possibilities, each one worse than the last. Someone had been watching me. Someone had seen something they shouldn’t have. Someone knew enough to leave a note on my car, in my space, close enough to touch what was mine.

The thought made my stomach turn.

I pressed my fingers to my throat again, but this time it wasn’t to feel Cannon’s lingering touch. It was to make sure I could still breathe, still swallow around the lump of terror that was trying to choke me.

And you’re gonna pay.

Those words echoed in my head like a promise, and I knew with bone-deep certainty that whoever had written them wasn’t playing games.

This wasn’t some idle threat from a disgruntled ex or a jealous competitor.

This was something darker, something that reached back into the shadows I’d spent years trying to escape.

Something that could destroy everything I’d built.

Nori started packing up her laptop, still grinning like she’d witnessed the event of the century. “Girl, I can’t wait to see what happens when y’all are alone again. That man got your whole energy shifted.”

“Nothing’s gonna happen,” I said, but even I didn’t believe the lie coming out of my mouth.

“Mmm-hmm.” She slipped her computer into her bag, those knowing eyes still studying me. “You keep telling yourself that. Meanwhile, your legs still pressed together like you trying to keep something from spilling out.”

I shifted in my chair, hating how accurate she was. “You got too much mouth tonight,” I rolled my eyes.

“And you got too much attitude for somebody who just got put in her place by six-foot-five of pure big dick energy.” She stood up, slinging her purse over her shoulder. “But hey, keep fighting it. Make it more interesting when you finally let him tear that ass up.”

My stomach clenched at her words, but not with arousal this time. With something sharper, more desperate. Because the truth was, I couldn’t afford to be thinking about Cannon’s hands on my body or what he might do to me behind closed doors. I had bigger problems. Deadlier problems.

Problems folded up in my purse like a ticking bomb.

“You need me to stay and help you finish up?” Nori asked, already knowing the answer.

“Nah, I’m good. You know I like to close out the night by myself.”

It was true. I’d always preferred to handle the end-of-night routine alone, counting the money, reviewing the books, making sure everything was locked down tight. But tonight, the thought of being alone with my thoughts and that fucking note made my skin crawl.

Still, I couldn’t tell her about it. Couldn’t drag Nori into whatever mess I’d created.

Because this wasn’t just about me anymore.

If someone knew what I’d done, if they had proof, it wouldn’t just be my life on the line.

It would be ZaZa’s future, the club, everything I’d built from the ashes of my mistakes.

Some secrets were too dangerous to share, even with your best friend.

“Alright, girl. But call me if you need anything.” Nori headed for the door, then paused. “And Queen? Whatever’s really bothering you, and don’t tell me it’s just Cannon putting his hands on your throat, you know I got your back, right?”

The sincerity in her voice almost broke me. Almost made me pull that note out and show her exactly what was eating me alive. But I swallowed the urge and forced a smile.

“I know. I’m straight, though.”

She didn’t look convinced, but she nodded anyway. “Okay. Lock up behind me.”

The sound of her heels clicking down the stairs felt like the last thread of normalcy leaving with her. Now it was just me, my thoughts, and the weight of that note burning a hole in my purse.

By the time I finally locked up, it was past three in the morning.

I pushed through the back door into the alley, and the summer heat hit me like a slap.

Even at this hour, the air was thick and sticky, carrying the smell of garbage that had been baking in dumpsters all day, stale beer from the bar next door, and that distinctive city funk that never quite went away.

My heels clicked against the wet concrete, each step echoing off the walls and coming back to me like whispers. I kept my head up, eyes scanning, but the darkness felt alive. Like it was watching me back.

That’s when I saw him.

Javi was leaning against his unmarked Crown Vic about halfway down the alley, arms crossed, looking like he’d been waiting there for a while.

The car was dark blue, deliberately forgettable, but I’d know that silhouette anywhere.

Even in the dim light, I could make out his familiar stance.

That cop posture that screamed authority even when he was trying to look casual.

My blood ran cold.

“For what?” I called out before he could even open his mouth.

He pushed off the car, hands raised in that fake peaceful gesture cops loved to use. “Queen, relax. I just wanted to make sure you got home safe.”