Novels by S. Duekki

Jalen’s POV“Why are you acting like I don’t exist now?”Johnny said it like a joke, like something light, but his eyes didn’t match it.I didn’t answer. I kept my focus on the folded towels in my hands, counting them twice even though I already knew the number. The aftermath of what we did the night before sat on me like something I couldn’t scrub off. Not guilt. Not shame exactly. Just that hollow, used feeling, that he only came to me when he was horny, I felt dirty. Johnny drifted between cold silence and forced friendliness all day. One minute he was laughing too loud with another staff member, the next he was brushing past me without looking. Whatever we were had become fragile in a way I didn’t know how to fix without naming it, and naming it would have consequences I wasn't sure either of us were ready for. At the spa, things were shifting. I felt it in the air before anyone said anything. The staff whispered when they thought I couldn’t hear. Eyes stared. Kristofer’s na

Jalen’s POV“Jalen, you’ve been booked for a private session,” the receptionist said as I was slipping my phone into my locker. “Client paid in advance and requested you by name.”I paused. That alone was unusual.“Who is it?” I asked.There was a brief pause on the line, “Mr. Kristofer Hayes.”For a second, my body reacted before my mind caught up. Heat, confusion, something like irritation. I told myself it must be someone else's name. I told myself a lot of things that morning.When I walked into the room and saw him, I forgot every one of them.He was already there, seated and ready for the massage session. He looked exactly like he had that night and nothing like he should have in my workplace.“What are you doing here?” I asked before I could stop myself, I was scared. He looked up calmly. “Getting a massage.”I scoffed. “I understand that, but you booked a private session.”“Yes.”“With me.”“Yes.”“The fuck is with all this yesses, that’s not normal.”He studied my face li

Kristofer’s POVI had not planned to attend the party, I had heard of it, I saw the invitation but I wasn't prepared to honour it. Parties weren't exactly my thing. My days ran on precision. Wake up before sunrise, workout at my home gym, get reports of the previous days dealings before breakfast. Meetings that pretended to be about numbers but were really about loyalty. Sometimes there would be violence and bloodshed, when it happened, it was contained, deliberate, never emotional. I had been trained into restraint the way other men were trained into ambition.Succession hovered over everything like a second atmosphere.My father had built the organization with blood and discipline, then died before he could see it fracture. Now the question of who would lead sat between us all, unspoken but omnipresent. I was the expected answer. Lucien was the alternative no one admitted to considering. Everyone knew he wanted my throne, word came out that he didn't believe I deserved it and

Jalen’s POVCan't even lie, I had the best night of my life in so many years, but I woke up because something felt wrong.For a second, I did not know where I was. The ceiling above me was unfamiliar, too clean and way above what I can naturally afford. My eyes drifted to the bedside clock, the red numbers burning into me.8:02 a.m.“Oh shit,” I said, already pushing myself upright. “Oh shit, no, oh shit, oh shit!”Kristofer came awake instantly, when he realized why I was in such a panic mode.“Relax.” Kristofer’s voice came from beside me, steady, unbothered. I turned my head just enough to see him still lying there, one arm folded behind his head like mornings owed him nothing.“I’ll drive you,” he said. “You’re panicking.”“I’m late,” I replied, grabbing my phone. No missed calls yet, which somehow made it worse. “I can’t be late.”“Dean fires people for being late one morning?”“Yes,” I said. “And even if he doesn't, he would remember and that's like a dent to a good record.”

Jalen's POVFirmly, not gentle, and he kissed me like he’d been waiting hours to do it. Slow at first, then deeper, tongue sliding against mine in a way that made my knees soften. He bit the back of my neck, gently and just right. I opened for him immediately, letting him take what he wanted. My hands found his chest, fingers curling into the crisp fabric of his shirt, feeling the hard planes beneath.He walked me backward until my calves hit the edge of the bed. Only then did he break the kiss, breathing steady while mine was already ragged. He peeled his jacket off, then my shirt, buttons slipping free one by one. When my chest was bare he dragged his palms down my ribs, thumbs brushing my nipples until they peaked, sharp and sensitive. I gasped quietly, involuntary, and he did it again, slower, watching my face. I reached for his belt. He let me undo it, let me push his trousers down just enough. His cock was already thick and heavy when I wrapped my hand around him. It was l

Jalen’s POV“Where are you?”Dean’s voice filled my ear the second I picked up the call.“At home,” I said, already standing. “Sir…”“I’m outside.”There was no other word that came out of the phone. Just the quiet click of the line going dead.I stared at my phone for a second, then at the half-buttoned shirt on my bed. Dean never showed up unannounced. He'd informed me about the party tonight, but I didn't exactly think he was serious. He never involved staff unless it served him. Whatever this was, it wasn’t optional.I dressed fast. Shirt tucked with shaky fingers, shoes slipped on without care. When I stepped outside, Dean’s black car was parked by the curb, engine running. He didn’t look at me when I opened the door.“You’re late,” he said.“You didn’t say…”“I said I’m outside.”That was the end of it.The drive was quiet. Dean scrolled through his phone, answering messages, making calls I wasn’t meant to hear. I watched the city change through the window, buildings became