Page 16 of Primal

I talked about work, the issues I was having with a client who couldn’t seem to make up their mind about anything, and every time they did, they ended up changing it. What started as a two-month job had already stretched into six, and we still weren’t done. It was my company’s first commercial real estate project, and it was proving to be a huge pain in the ass.

But my struggles were interesting enough that even Axel’s grumpy ass listened and commented occasionally on what a shitshow that project was. I kept the conversation going as we all finished our food, subtly keeping an eye on Joey.

When he’d eaten only half of his steak, he started to slow down, his eyelids heavy. I was guessing the beer was empty, because the sedative was kicking in fast.

“You okay, buddy?” I asked, unable to entirely contain the gleefulness I felt as I saw his head droop.

He swiveled his head in my direction, his gaze unfocused.

“Y-yeah,” he said, his words just as slurred as when he was drunk last night. This wasperfect.

“Oh, God, Joey,” Poppy mumbled, shaking her head. “You really had to get trashed two nights in a row?”

“Only had one,” he said, the confusion on his face helping to sell the idea he was drunk.

Axel scoffed. “Sure, you did.”

“Why don’t you just go to bed?” Poppy suggested. Her normally kind demeanor had disappeared, and I loved the idea that she was losing patience with him. It was about time. “You look like you are going to pass out at any minute, anyway.”

Joey didn’t bother arguing. Slipping off his stool, he left his half-eaten steak behind, and I held in my chuckle as he stumbled toward the stairs.

“Maybe I should help him.” Poppy said, starting to stand, but I held her in place with a hand on her shoulder.

“He’s a big boy. He’ll be fine. Why don’t you go relax while Axel does the dishes?”

“What?” Axel grumbled.

“Poppy and I cooked, and her boyfriend is useless. So, that leaves you. Pull your weight, man.”

The fact that Poppy didn’t defend her boyfriend told me a lot about her current feelings toward him. And I was eager to widen the rift between them. It was a good thing the sedative would make it unlikely Joey would wake up tonight. No matter what happened.

Chapter9

Axel

Idid the dishes because Mason had a point about pulling my weight around here. As much as I didn’t want to share this cabin with anyone else, I knew being alone wasn’t an option. At least Mason was a decent cook. I probably would have lived on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches if I were here alone.

I wasn’t sure what Mason did while I was washing the dishes, but he was making his way downstairs when I finished in the kitchen. Poppy was sitting on the couch, reading some romance book with a shirtless man on the cover. She looked up when I entered the room and Mason sat down next to her on the couch.

“It’s not too late yet,” she said. “Maybe the three of us could watch a movie?”

I wondered if she was suggesting this because she wanted to kill some time before joining her boyfriend upstairs. Why would she be in a rush to have more lackluster sex?

“I don’t know…” I started, planning to let her down easily because I didn’t want to spend the next two hours around Mason, but Poppy’s smile slipped from her face, disappointment shining in her eyes. My heart melted. “Okay, fine. Let’s do it.”

Mason already had the remote in his hand. He pulled up a streaming service and picked an action movie I’d never heard of. A CIA agent was betrayed by his agency and on the run while trying to save the country from a terrorist attack.

I enjoyed it, but it didn’t completely hold my attention. Sitting on the couch next to Poppy, her thick thigh, bare because of her tiny shorts, pressed against mine. She was relaxing back against the couch, and I found my eyes shifting to look down her shirt. She had such large breasts that pretty much any shirt she wore showed off her mouthwatering figure, but this one was especially revealing with its plunging V-neck.

I told myself to stop looking, but it was too late. I’d already seen way more of her amazing rack than I should have, and it was impossible to keep myself from fantasizing about burying my face between those perfect globes.

I bit back a frustrated groan. We were only halfway through the movie, and I was hard as a rock. The position was uncomfortable, and I wanted to adjust myself, but the last thing I needed was to draw attention to it.

I glanced at Poppy again, surprised to see Mason’s hand was resting on her leg, just above her knee. I stared for a long moment, my senses suddenly on fire as my arousal grew stronger. My cock wasn’t just hard now. It wasaching.

I didn’t truly understand why, but there was something about the sight of Mason’s hand resting on her bare skin that brought out this reaction in me. The movie faded into the background, not at all worth paying attention to as I thought about Mason fucking Poppy. I couldn’t believe I was even thinking about such a thing. This was my daughter and ex-friend. Why was my mind creating such a scenario?

Also, why in the hell was I getting so turned on by it?