A Dangerous Secret

Jaxon POV

I stood there, fists clenched, jaw tight. Riley’s wide, panicked eyes darted between me and the half-closed door of the restroom, as Eric ran out without so much as a backward glance. Pathetic.

Riley’s mouth opened and closed like a fish gasping for air. 

"I—I’m sorry, Mr. Steele, I didn’t mean to—"

“Shut up,” I snapped, the sound of my voice cutting through his stammering. 

My patience was gone, burnt up by the embarrassment of being interrupted before I’d even had the chance to finish.

Damn it.

The thrill that had surged through me moments ago was replaced with a wave of cold, hard anger.

Eric hadn’t even stayed to finish what he’d started. Coward.

I gritted my teeth, turning away from Riley for a second, trying to calm the burning rage beneath my skin. 

My hands moved fast as I tugged my trousers back on, zipping them up with more force than necessary.

I could feel Riley’s eyes on me, and when I glanced up, I caught him staring. Right at my still-hard cock.

I raised an eyebrow, amusement flickering under my frustration. 

“Enjoying the view, Lawson?”

Riley’s face flushed a deep red, and he looked away so fast I thought he might snap his neck. 

His hands were trembling, and his breath came in short, panicked bursts. For a moment, I almost felt pity for him. Almost. 

But pity wasn’t something I gave freely.

“Mr. Steele, I—” His voice cracked as he took a shaky step back, his eyes glued to the floor now. “I swear, I didn’t mean to—”

“I told you to shut up.” My voice was cold as ice. 

I wasn’t in the mood for excuses, especially from someone like him. 

The way he cowered there, stammering like a child caught stealing candy, made my skin crawl. He looked like he wanted to vanish into thin air. Good. Maybe then I wouldn’t have to deal with this mess.

I took a step closer, towering over him. 

“You think you can just walk in here, interrupt something that’s none of your business, and then what? Apologize like it never happened?”

He swallowed hard, his throat bobbing nervously. 

“I didn’t see anything, I swear—”

“Oh, you saw plenty,” I snarled, my voice lowering to a dangerous level. “And now you’re going to keep that little mouth of yours shut, or I’ll make sure you won’t have anything left to say.”

His eyes widened in fear. I could see it—his whole body stiffening like a deer caught in a deadly trap. He nodded quickly, too quickly. 

“I won’t tell anyone, I promise.”

I narrowed my eyes at him, taking in the way he stood there, shoulders hunched, looking every bit the spineless creature I always thought he was. But I wasn’t convinced. People like Riley could be desperate. Desperate people made mistakes. Desperate people talked.

“Because if you don’t,” I continued, voice low and menacing, “you’ll lose more than just your job, Lawson. I’ll make sure your life is over.”

I watched as the weight of my words hit him. 

His face went pale, and his eyes widened even more—if that was possible. There was fear in his eyes, but there was something else too. Guilt. Shame. Maybe even a flicker of confusion, like he couldn’t wrap his head around what he had just witnessed.

Good. Let him stew in it.

“I won’t—” Riley’s voice cracked again as he nodded, his body trembling under the weight of my threat. “I won’t say anything.”

“See that you don’t,” I spat, taking one last, hard look at him. 

God, the sight of him made me sick—his hunched posture, the way he shrank back as if he could disappear. And that stupid, trembling voice. I couldn’t stand it. He was weak, soft, everything I despised.

But there was something else gnawing at me, too. The fact that I didn’t trust him, not entirely. I’d seen that kind of fear before. Fear that drove people to do desperate things, things that could come back to bite me.

I had to be sure. I had to protect myself, no matter the cost.

I turned away from Riley, not bothering to give him another look as I strode toward the door. If he talked, if he even whispered a word of what he’d seen, it would be over for him.

No, I wouldn’t let it come to that. I had ways of dealing with weaklings like him. I always did.

However, I couldn’t shake the feeling of unease. Riley Lawson had just made himself a problem, and I didn’t like problems.

If I had to, I’d take care of him myself. Permanently.

The thought flickered through my mind like a dark shadow. It wouldn’t be the first time I’d had to protect my reputation by any means necessary. And it certainly wouldn’t be the last.

Behind me, the restroom door clicked shut, leaving Riley alone in there, probably still trembling from the encounter. But this was only the beginning. I’d make sure he knew exactly who he was dealing with.

One way or another.

As I walked back to my office, my mind kept replaying the image of Riley’s wide, panicked eyes. That damn look on his face. He was afraid—afraid of me, and he should be. But there was something else. 

Something in the way he’d stared at me, at my cock. It wasn’t just fear. It was… curiosity? Desire?

I shook my head, shoving the thought aside. No. It didn’t matter. What mattered now was making sure he stayed quiet..

I sat down at my desk, leaning back in the chair, trying to push the tension from my shoulders as I began to stroke my cock. But it lingered. 

The idea of Riley—pathetic Riley—having something over me was enough to boil my blood all over again. 

If he made the mistake of talking, I knew exactly how to make sure he wouldn’t live to regret it.

No one crossed me and got away with it. No one.