Sloane hasn't had a sub since.
_
_
_
OFFICE — PRESENT
Her stomach tightens as she reopens the email.
She ignores the picture this time.
Focuses on the text.
Professional. Efficient. Thorough.
Just like she wants her world to be.
Just like she is.
But the signature at the bottom makes her jaw clench.
Seven Carter.
The same woman who—
Ignored her.
Defied her.
Touched someone else in front of her.
Smirked at her like she wasn't the most powerful person in the room.
Sloane closes the laptop again.
Hard.
She stands.
Straightens her blazer.
Calms her voice.
She is not Ayla's Sloane anymore.
She is in control.
Always in control.
Her assistant knocks. "Ms. Laurent? The technician from the garage is waiting to deliver the physical files."
Sloane's pulse jumps.
"Send her in," she says, perfectly steady.
But inside?
Inside she is a live wire.
-
SEVEN
Seven stands in the hallway holding a folder she doesn't care about, trying not to sweat through her shirt.
She told herself she wouldn't let Sloane intimidate her.
She told herself she wouldn't think about the club.
She told herself she wouldn't stare at her mouth.
The door opens.
"Ms. Laurent will see you now."
Seven steps inside.
And there she is.
Sloane.
Unsmiling.
Beautiful in a terrifying way.
Seven swallows.
"Ms. Carter," Sloane says, her voice smooth and controlled. "Bring the file here."
Seven steps closer, but not too close. She sets the folder on Sloane's desk with one hand.
Sloane's fingers brush the file but don't open it.
Her eyes stay locked on Seven's.
"Your final inspection was thorough."
A pause.
"Thank you," Seven says, shoving her hands in her pockets because she suddenly doesn't know what else to do with them.
Sloane doesn't move. Doesn't blink.
She just studies her like she's dissecting a problem.
Or a threat.
Or something she wants.
Seven breaks first. She shifts her weight. Clears her throat.
"So... we good? I can go?"
"No," Sloane says simply.
Seven freezes. "Why not?"
"Because I have a question."
Sloane stands slowly, and Seven's breath catches.
She's tall. Not towering, but tall enough that Seven feels it. Her presence fills the room like heat.
Sloane steps around the desk, heels clicking on the polished floor.
She stops directly in front of Seven.
Close enough that Seven's spine straightens without meaning to.
"What were you doing at the club on Saturday?" Sloane asks softly.
Seven's pulse kicks up. "What does it matter?"
"Answer the question."
"And if I don't?"
Sloane's head tilts slightly, an inch to the right, an inch that feels like a threat.
"You seemed very comfortable... letting someone touch you."
Her voice tightens.
Almost imperceptibly.
Almost.
Seven smirks. "Jealous?"
Sloane steps closer.
Too close.
"That isn't the word I would use," Sloane murmurs. "But you broke rules. Multiple."
"In a place that wasn't your scene," Seven shoots back.
A slow exhale leaves Sloane's nose.
"You don't understand how dangerous it is to act like you did."
Seven scoffs. "Please. I wasn't doing anything."
"You were doing everything," Sloane corrects, voice lowering, eyes darkening. "Touching someone without knowing the power dynamics. Interrupting a scene. Drinking. Hovering too close to impact play."
Seven lifts her chin. "Didn't realize you were watching me that hard."
Sloane doesn't flinch.
"I notice everything," she says. "Especially chaos."
Seven feels heat crawl up her neck.
"What, you want to tame me or something?"
Sloane doesn't move for a long moment.
Then:
"No," she says quietly. "Not tame."
Her eyes drag down Seven's body, slow, deliberate, claiming without permission.
"I want to teach you."
Seven's breath stutters.
She hates how much it hits her.
"Teach me what?"
Sloane leans in until their noses almost brush.
"The difference," she whispers, "between being touched..."
Her fingers hover near Seven's jaw, close, so close.
"...and being claimed."
Seven swallows.
Hard.
"You can't punish me," she mutters, but it lacks its usual bite.
Sloane gives a ghost of a smile, cold, knowing, devastating.
"Not yet."
Seven's fingers curl against her thigh.
The room feels too small.
Too bright.
Too much.
She steps back, one small, rare retreat.
Sloane's eyes flick to her feet, then back up.
"Are we done?" Seven asks, voice low.
"For now."
Sloane returns to her desk as if nothing happened.
As if she didn't just unravel Seven with three inches of distance.
"And Seven?"
Seven pauses at the door.
"Next time you go to the club..." Sloane says without looking up, "...you will follow the rules."
Seven rolls her eyes. "Or what?"
Sloane finally looks at her.
"You'll find out."
-
what do we think about sloane's past?
should she still pursue seven?
Part 10
Start from the beginning
