Testing

Lili’s body heated at Cade’s blunt words, her skin tingling with a mixture of embarrassment and something far more dangerous. She opened her mouth, but the words jammed in her throat. Her eyes flicked upward instinctively, right into Cade’s, molten and amused. Her breath stuttered.

And then she made the mistake of glancing at Beckett.

The cold fire in his gaze slammed into her like a wall. His expression didn’t shift, but it didn’t need to. It burned her.

“I—I’ll do my best,” she managed, her voice tight and unsteady.

Cade’s smile widened slightly, pleased. “Excellent.”

He gestured smoothly to something behind her. “This is for you.”

Lili turned and saw a desk. Sleek, modern, and positioned further along from the door but fully opposite the brother’s. Far less distance than she’d expected, considering she’d be spending all day here. Close enough to hear their every movement, every breath.

She wasn’t sure she could handle looking at them all day.

“We thought it best for you to be nearby,” Cade explained. “It’s important that we all get comfortable with one another. This office is off-limits to anyone else, so consider it a private space.”

The desk was stocked with distractions: a slim e-reader, headphones, neatly organized games, notebooks, and what looked like an entire artist’s corner of sketchpads, pens, colored pencils, and markers. A tablet sat off to the side, screen dark but gleaming.

“If there’s anything else you want,” Cade said, “just let me know.”

Lili nodded and set her purse on the desk, the motion automatic, her nerves still a buzz beneath her skin. She was about to sit when Cade’s voice stopped her again.

“So—can I call you Lili?”

Her head snapped up. “Yes, of course.”

“Good.” He tilted his head, watching her carefully. “Would you like a few minutes to settle in, or would you mind following a few simple instructions now? It won’t take long.”

Her heart skittered.

Beckett hadn’t moved. She could feel his stare like the press of a hand between her shoulder blades. Slow. Heavy.

She swallowed and nodded. “I—I can do that. I’m ready.”

She hoped it sounded more confident than it felt.

Cade’s eyes darkened slightly with approval. “Excellent,” he said again, his voice like warm velvet, just a little too smooth.

“Then let’s begin.”

Lili was trembling so much inside, she wasn’t sure her legs would hold. Her throat was dry. Her thighs, exposed far too high in the short skirt they’d selected for her, tingled with every waft of air in the room. Her nerves were colliding with arousal in a disorienting tangle that made her feel lightheaded.

“There’s no need to look nervous,” Cade said casually. “It’s a very easy task.”

He stepped to her desk and selected a pencil from the cup, then, with a flick of his wrist, tossed it over his shoulder.

It clattered against the floor and landed roughly in the center of the room.

She stared after it, confused, her brows knitting.

“I’m going to go back to my desk now,” he said, turning just slightly toward his side of the room. “And once I’m seated, I’d like you to walk over to that pencil. Slowly.”

Her breath caught. Her lips parted, but she said nothing.

“When you get there,” Cade continued, “you’ll face your desk, your back to us. And you’ll bend to pick it up.”

Her brows lifted.

“Not stoop. Not crouch. I want your legs straight, your body folded forward slowly. Then, and only then, you can return to your desk and do whatever you like.”

His voice was low, commanding, but not cruel. There was something far more dangerous in the fact that he sounded so relaxed.

“Do you understand?” he asked.

Lili swallowed and gave a small nod, cheeks burning as her thoughts spiraled. That lacy thong beneath her skirt had felt daring this morning. Now it felt like a trap. Like she’d been baiting them without knowing. She’d shaved everything, paid extra attention to her makeup, wanting to feel confident, beautiful… just not this exposed.

Cade’s smile sharpened into something darker, something edged with heat. He gave a single nod. “Excellent.”

He stepped backward, still watching her, a deliberate retreat, then turned and made his way to the connected desks where both he and Beckett now sat. He lowered himself into his seat, adjusting the cuffs of his immaculate suit.

Lili stood there for a breath. Two. The sound of her own heartbeat thundering louder than the quiet click of Cade’s chair.

It was time to begin.

Her legs felt like jelly as she took the first step. She forced herself to walk slowly, each movement exaggerated and deliberate. The sound of her heels tapping against the polished floor echoed like a countdown.

She approached the pencil, heart pounding so loudly she swore they could hear it. Once she reached it, she turned away from them, just as instructed. Her back now fully exposed.

And then she bent.

Slowly.

Her legs stayed straight, her thighs trembling as she folded at the waist, feeling the hem of her skirt ride higher and higher, until the cool air whispered across bare skin and lace.

The thong left nothing to the imagination.

Lili’s face burned as she lingered for just a moment longer than necessary, letting them look at her ass. The silence behind her was more telling than any sound. She could feel their eyes, both of them. Crawling over her, claiming pieces of her with their gazes.

When she finally straightened, she walked back with her chin as high as she could manage, heart hammering in her chest. She slipped the pencil into its cup, sat down carefully at her desk, and tried not to collapse.

Her legs were shaking. Her blood was molten in her face. Her core ached with tension she didn’t know how to handle.

“That was perfect,” Cade said smoothly.

The praise landed like a kiss on her spine.

Lili exhaled and nodded, finally feeling like she could breathe. She turned her attention to the screen on her desk, already open to a streaming service, and picked up the earbuds beside it with trembling fingers.

Behind her, the two men turned back to their work.

But Beckett’s gaze lingered.

Longer than it should have.

And she felt it the entire time.