Page 28 of Imperial: The Corvidae Family

Chapter

Seventeen

Baylyn.

I spent the morning lounging in Emir’s bed, recovering from our night. My body replayed every detail, aching from the way he’d handled me, but I enjoyed every second of him and his dick.

I was also enjoying his house.

His expensive mattress cradled my body perfectly, soft and firm in all the right ways.

His bedding was smooth against my skin and carried the light scent of his body wash which was some kind of applewood bourbon I was currently obsessed with.

Even in his absence, I was wrapped up in this man and surrounded by him, which made it even harder to leave the comfort of his bed.

I dozed in and out of consciousness, stretching beneath the sheets, sinking deeper into the luxury of his space. But eventually, I got antsy, tossing the covers off and exploring his massive bedroom and the rest of his space. The house was too quiet for my paranoid ass.

I found my way to the kitchen, running a hand over the cool marble counter before making myself a cup of coffee.

Emir had the basics, just enough to function and not much else.

Since I been here, most of our food was ordered so I was hardly ever fending for myself.

I opened a cabinet and found cereal, smirking as I pulled down a bowl and then feeling grateful that he had almond milk.

This man literally only had the essentials.

I needed to fix that.

Between bites of cereal, I sent Tae a text letting her know I’d be working remotely. She had no complaints. She trusted me to handle my business because I always did.

I set up my laptop on the kitchen island, answered emails, finalized event details, and followed up with clients. I thrived in organized chaos, but today was different. No noise, no city traffic outside my window, and no coworkers moving around me. Just silence and that was driving me crazy.

By late afternoon the quiet became too loud so I grabbed my phone.

Me: I’m bored.

A response came quickly.

Emir: I’ll be home later.

I pouted at the screen before typing back.

Me:

Me: Come home now and I’ll make you cum.

I watched the dots start and stop.

Emir: Baylyn…

I grinned, biting into my lip.

Me: Yes…?

Emir: We had a deal. Let me deal with this so we can focus on us.

I smiled wider.

Me: Then I’ll make myself cum.

His response came instantly.

Emir: No the hell you won’t. Find something safe to do. I’ll take care of that pussy when I get there.

I decided to switch tactics.

Me: Do you care if Rachelle comes over?

A brief pause, then…

Emir: No, but tell her to use iDrive. Send me her address and I’ll schedule it.

I frowned. Then it clicked. She was connected to me. Someone might track her car.

I sighed, running a hand over my face. Why was my mind working like this?

Me: You sure you don’t mind?

Emir: Nah, I don’t mind. That’s your girl. Keep the door locked and set the alarm even after she gets there. No one can get in. My house is secure.

I was about to respond when another text came through.

Emir: And don’t be on no girl power, we-need-to-find-all-his-secrets shit. You might run across something you don’t want to see.

Me: Like???

Emir: Nothing related to another woman, so relax. You’re the only one besides my mother who’s ever been to my place.

A rush of satisfaction hit me. The only one.

My smile stretched widely across my face.

Another text popped up before I could respond.

Emir: Stop all that damn smiling. I have to go.

I laughed, locking my phone before calling Rachelle.

She answered immediately. “Hey, booski.”

I grinned. “Are you busy?”

“A little. Why?”

I groaned. “I’m bored.”

“You’re not at work?”

“No, I’m at Emir’s.” I hesitated for half a second. “Can you?—”

“I’m on my way,” she said immediately. “Send me the address.”

I laughed. “It’s not an emergency. I’m fine. If you’re busy?—”

“Girl. You’re at that fine ass man’s house alone. It’s an emergency. I need to see how he’s living and we need to do a deep dive.”

I barked out a laugh.

“Is that funny?”

“Yes, because he knew that would be the plan and warned me. There’s nothing here, but I’m bored. So come if you can.”

“Oh, I’m definitely coming. Give me an hour and send me the address.”

I hesitated. “Okay, but you have to use iDrive. Don’t ask why, just say yes, and you don’t have to pay for it. Just be ready when I text you.”

“That is way too cryptic, but I’ll agree for now. You’re giving me the details when I get there.”

“Fine. Order food. I need to eat.”

“Got it. Wings?”

“That works. See you in a few.”

She ended the call before I could say anything else.

I smiled, as I stood from the kitchen stool. I sent Emir her address and when he shared the link of the ride with me, I texted Rachelle to let her know to get ready. I couldn’t have my man right now but my bestie was on her way.

For the first ten minutes after I let Rachelle into Emir’s house, she moved around like a woman on a mission. First the living room before she checked out the kitchen, and lastly the theater.

We ended up lounging in the theater, sinking into custom leather chairs, a spread of wings between us. The space was damn near luxurious with a massive screen taking up an entire wall and dim ambient lighting giving it the feel of a real theater.

I picked at my food while she assessed the space, flipping through channels until she settled on reality TV nonsense to act as background noise.

Rachelle finally grabbed her first wing, pulling the meat from the bone before looking at me with curiosity.

“Girl, what does this man do? Because he is rich, rich.”

I tensed and my eyes swung to hers. She caught that immediately. One perfectly arched brow lifted as she smiled.

“Enough said,” she teased, licking sauce from her fingers. “He’s a criminal.”

I considered how much to tell her.

Rachelle was my girl, and I trusted her with my life, but this wasn’t just about me. This was about Emir…

His world, livelihood, and freedom. Keeping her in the dark might be a problem considering she was attached to me, and if something ever happened…

Besides, Emir had let her come here. That meant something.

“Criminal, yes,” I admitted. “But not the kind you’re thinking.”

She wiped her hands with a napkin, tilting her head. “So he’s not slinging bricks and making it snow?”

I barked a laugh. “No. Definitely not.” Then, I frowned, because… I really didn’t know that for sure. “Or at least… I don’t think he is.”

She grinned. “Boo, he’s definitely slinging something, and not just the dick he’s providing you.”

I groaned. “Can you not?”

“Oh, friend, I have to.” She waved a hand in the air. “He’s definitely laying it down, but my point is… these houses out here?” She gestured broadly. “Three-point-five plus.”

I frowned. “How do you know that?”

“I googled it as soon as I pulled up.”

I shook my head, grinning, not at all surprised.

“Well, shit. It’s deep, isn’t it? Spill, friend.”

I hesitated for half a second, then set my wing down. “You have to give me your word that this stays between us. You cannot tell anyone what I’m about to tell you. And I mean no one. And we only ever talk about this in person.”

Her brow lifted. “Girl, that sounds like speak and die.”

“Because it sort of is.”

Her expression faltered. “Umm…” She frowned hard. “Baylyn.”

I considered my next words carefully.

“His profession is…” I made a gun motion with my hand, mimicking pulling the trigger.

Rachelle laughed, shaking her head like she was brushing me off. “I’m serious, Bay. What does he do?”

“So am I.”

Her laughter faded. She blinked, sitting up straight. “You want me to believe your man kills people for a living? Like a hitman?”

I held her gaze and didn’t blink. “Is that shit even real?”

“Yes.”

The wing she was about to eat slipped from her fingers onto the plate and her eyes widened. “You’re serious. Like, serious, serious?”

“Yes.”

She stared at me for a long time, like she was trying to see if I was messing with her.

“And you can’t tell anyone. Not a soul.”

She scoffed. “Who the hell would I tell?”

“How about your co-workers since you love telling them all my damn business.”

Her smile surfaced slow. “In my defense, they don’t know it’s your business. I told you I leave that out but again, who would I tell because I don’t pillow talk about the important stuff.”

“Shit, I don’t know,” I muttered. “But if you think of anyone, don’t. I mean it, Rach.”

She let that sit for a second, then leaned back, processing.

“Oh, wow.” She licked her lips. “It makes sense now.”

“What makes sense?”

“You said he was reserved and selective about what he told you. That man is a whole hitman and didn’t want you to know.”

I sighed. “Yeah. It’s complicated.”

“It’s very fucking complicated, Baylyn. How does that even work? He fucks you, kisses you goodbye, then goes to off someone?”

I shrugged. “Something like that.”

Her mouth fell open. “Why are you so calm?”

“Because it’s a job. It’s not who he is. And there are rules.”

She stared at me like I had lost my mind.

“I’m so confused about all of this. Like… really confused. But you seem to be right at home in this man’s expensive ass house, in his life, and on his dick.”

I groaned at the last part. “Things are good. I like him.”

She snorted. “Shit, you better like him, all things considered.”

“I’m safe with him, Rach. I trust him.”

She watched me closely. “Even with everything going on?”

“Yes.”

Even with everything happening, I trusted Emir. But not just him, Yair and Kades too. I was good with them looking out for me.

Rachelle shook her head. “This is crazy.”

I lifted another wing feeling better about getting that off my chest. I didn’t like keeping secrets from my girl. “Yeah, it is. But…” I hesitated. “ This is also my life.”

I paused before finishing. “And now it’s yours too because you’re a part of mine.”

She nodded, processing what that meant. Then she sighed before picking up another wing.

“You sure you’re okay?” she asked.

“Yeah, I’m okay.”