by Luna, David
Braden shook his head. “Not yet. I want to. Now that I know you’re a member, maybe we’ll plan to come the next time you’re there.”
They grinned at each other. “Sounds like a plan. I’m still curious about Gideon, but I don’t want you to feel like I’m giving you the third degree.”
“I don’t feel like that at all. But like I said, he’s a complex guy and extremely private. I get the feeling there’s a lot to be uncovered there, a lot of potential, but that it would take a lot for him to open up, to trust someone enough to do so.”
“Oh, I don’t know about all that. I guess I just want to know if I need to be worried about the type of Dom he is. I don’t really know him at all.”
Braden gave him a gentle smile. “One thing I’m sure of is that there are some universal truths about the McCades. They’re all very protective and nurturing. I’d swear it was ingrained into their DNA. So my guess is that you’ll probably be hard pressed to find a better Dom for you than Gideon. He’ll meet your needs, both mentally and physically. It’s the emotional part that might not be there at first. He’ll keep himself emotionally distanced from you. It’ll be up to you to break through the barriers he’s erected. Maybe, just maybe, you’ll be the one to be able to do that.”
“Oh, no. That’s not…” Sebastian cleared his throat and continued, “That’s not gonna happen. It’ll just be a simple Dom/sub contract. There won’t be anything emotional or romantic about it.”
After a long moment of giving him a thorough once-over, Braden shrugged and said, “We’ll see. You never know what might happen.”
Sebastian shook his head emphatically. “No. I don’t… That won’t happen.”
Confusion, and if he wasn’t mistaken, sadness marred Braden’s face, but he smiled when he replied, “Okay. But either way, if you came here today to ask me if you could trust Gideon to be a good Dom and to treat you well, I’m telling you that I have no doubts he’ll be a wonderful Dom and he can be trusted to be good to you. I trust him nearly as much as I do my husband, and that’s saying something, as I trust Zavier with everything that I am.”
With that, a weight lifted off Sebastian’s shoulders. He hadn’t known how much Braden’s opinion would matter to him, but as soon as he had it, he knew that he’d be signing the contract with no reservations. He was about to thank Braden when he heard a familiar voice in the kitchen, and he smiled as Zoe walked around the corner and into the breakroom.
She stopped and her mouth dropped open. “Sebastian, what are you doing here?”
He grinned and replied, “Hey, Zoe. I came by to talk to Braden. How are you feeling?”
“I’m better. I didn’t even know you two knew each other.”
Sebastian nodded and replied, “I met him through work.”
Her eyes popped wide and she grinned at Braden. “You got a new tattoo?”
Braden’s face turned comical in its confusion and he asked, “No. What are you even talking about?”
“Oh. Sorry, Sebastian.” She looked at him, guilt-ridden.
“It’s okay. I don’t mind him knowing.”
“Yeah?” With that, she pulled her long-sleeved shirt off and Sebastian laughed at her unashamedly stripping down to her spaghetti strap tank at work. She pushed the tank top up to her ribs and did a little twirl, showing off the ink he’d put on her skin.
Incredulous, Braden asked, “Wait, you’re a tattoo artist, too?”
Sebastian blushed and nodded, watching while Braden pulled Zoe towards him and slowly spun her around as he took in the ink on her stomach, her back, her shoulders, and her arms. The more he looked, the more Sebastian became self-conscious, wondering what Braden thought of it all.
“Oh my god, Sebastian! I’ve always loved her ink, but I’ve only seen her arms. You’re so talented! They’re gorgeous. I’m going to have to get one from you and when Zavier finds out, forget about it. You’ve just gained a lot of customers. His men are gonna want some work, too, I’d be willing to bet.”
Sebastian smiled and blushed at the compliments, shrugging. “Thanks. I just do it as a side job on the weekends to earn a little extra money.”
Zoe snorted. “You’ve got people clamoring for your ink and more work than you know what to do with. You could quit your job and make a living off it. You know you could!”
The way the conversation was heading made him feel uncomfortable, so Sebastian just shrugged it off and went with his usual excuse about his work at the SFPD. “I like helping people.”
Zoe smiled and rubbed his shoulder. She pulled her shirt back on and asked, “So, you just dropped by to chat?”
“I needed to talk to Braden about Master G.”
Zoe’s jaw dropped. “You mean owner of Catharsis, Master G?”
It was Braden’s turn for a jaw drop. “You’re a member there too? Are you a Domme or a sub?”
“Sub, but wait! What about Master G?” She glanced back and Sebastian. “And why would you be asking Braden?”
Sebastian, growing uncomfortable with her stare, rubbed a hand over his scruff. “He asked me to sign a contract with him. And Braden’s kinda related to him, so…”
“WHAT?”
Sebastian hunched in on himself, not understanding her reaction. Crossing his arms over his chest he just looked at her while she glanced back and forth from him to Braden and back again. He was used to feeling unworthy, but she’d never made him feel like that before and he wasn’t sure how to react.
He didn’t understand Gideon’s interest either, so he guessed her confusion was warranted. Trying to shrug it off, he downplayed the danger he’d put himself in that night as much as possible and quickly outlined what had happened at the club, so she’d understand why Gideon felt he had to offer a contract. When he was done the horrified look on her face made him squirm.
“Are you fucking serious? Sebastian, are you all right?”
“Yeah. I’m fine.”
“That’s horrible! I’m so sorry. Maybe he wouldn’t have approached you if I’d been with you.”
He shrugged. “You were sick and it just would have happened to another sub. I’m fine and it’s over. Better me than anyone else.”
“What the hell does that mean? It’s not better that it happened to you! It shouldn’t have happened to anyone!”
“But it did, and it’s over. I’m fine.”
Zoe looked as if she wanted to keep talking about it, but huffed, shaking her head. She turned her attention to Braden and asked, “So what’s this about him being related to you?”
“Gideon is Zavier’s brother.”
Zoe dropped into a chair next to him and let out a woosh of breath. “So, Gideon is Master G? Huh. Well that’s crazy! God, and HOT! I’ve met him here a couple times. Lord those McCade genes are phenomenal! I never made the connection. I only knew of Master G by name. Subs love him and they all want to sub in scenes with him when he does a demo, but I’ve never seen him do one myself. We’ve only been members for about three months, and he’s always seemed like an enigma.”
Braden nodded. “Yeah, he was out of town for a couple months recently, so that makes sense.”
Suddenly Zoe grinned and glanced at him. “So the Dom that everyone wants, wants you? Why doesn’t that surprise me?”
Her comment made him feel a bit better about her earlier reaction and he relaxed his defensive stance. “Surprised me.”
Zoe snorted indelicately. “That’s because you’ve never watched yourself submit. You really should. It’s so effortless for you and you’re so damned gorgeous, you’re an obvious choice for him. Sign that contract, like, yesterday! I might have to tape you both sometime.”
Humiliated just thinking about it he shook his head. “No way in hell. That’s the last thing I want to see.”
Zoe shook her head, popped up from the chair and kissed his cheek. Still surprised by her penchant for being so physically demonstrative, he hunched his shoulders and inched away, but at that point she’d already tur
ned and walked out to the kitchen, tossing behind her, “Gotta get my ass up front or Maya will have my head! Love you guys!”
Braden called out, “Love you, Boop!”
When she’d swished through the door to the café, Sebastian looked at Braden in amusement. “Boop?”
Braden grinned. “Don’t you think she looks like Betty?”
Sebastian chuckled and nodded, having seen the resemblance himself, down to her clothing choices. He just never would have thought to call her by a nickname. He didn’t think their friendship was close enough for that kind of familiarity. “Yeah, I guess she does.”
Braden tilted his head and raised his brows and asked, “So do you feel better about signing that contract now?”
“Yeah. Thanks for your help.”
“You’re welcome. Maybe we can make plans to hang out and do something soon. Would you like that?”
Sebastian—surprised by Braden’s question, but happy the feeling was mutual—nodded and stood up to get going. He checked his watch and realized he needed to hurry to make his next work appointment. “Yeah, I would. I need to get going to my next appointment. Thanks for making time for me and feeding me. Not to mention answering all of my questions.”
Braden moved in and hugged him, surprising Sebastian yet again. “Anytime, Sebastian. I think we’re gonna become good friends.”
Sebastian smiled and nodded, feeling suddenly lighter knowing Braden wanted to hang out again. He left with a spring in his step, hugging Zoe on the way out and waving at a smiling Maya who told him to come back anytime.
GIDEON SLID TO THE EDGE of the bed and clasped Boone’s wrist with his other hand, placing his finger over his pulse as he whispered quietly in his ear. “I’m going to pull you out of submission so that we can have our discussion about the syndicate. But first, we’ll discuss your punishment.”
Gideon closed his eyes as he felt Boone tense up and heard the nearly inaudible catch in his throat. As the sub’s heart rate increased under his fingers, Gideon spoke softly. “Settle, pet. I’ve got you. What has you worked up, your punishment, or coming out of submission?”
“Coming out of submission, Sir. It’s been so long since I’ve felt like this, I just…”
“You don’t want it to stop.”
A relieved sigh escaped. “Yeah.”
Gideon gripped the sub’s shoulder, which relaxed him quite a bit. “Once we’re done hashing out the details, you’ll be in total submission until I hand you over into Connell’s care. Does that lessen your anxiety?”
“Yes, Sir. Thank you.”
“Good. So, if you have meetings tomorrow that you can’t cancel or call into, you will be permitted to attend those meetings and then return. Your punishment tonight, for breaking three rules, will be threefold. Why is that?”
Boone let out a shaky breath. “The punishment fits the crime, Sir.”
“That’s right, pet. You’re doing so well.” Gideon felt the slow return to a normal heart rate and felt Boone’s body relax more fully into him. “One of your punishments will be an essay of sorts. I want you to write a letter to your new Dom. Once I’ve introduced you to him, you’ll present properly and give him your letter. You’ll offer to read the letter aloud to him, or he can choose to read it on his own. Any questions?”
“What do you want in the letter?”
“Ultimately that’s up to you, but there are some key points that must be there. One, you need to explain the rules from our contract and why I made them. Two, you’ll explain what your everyday life is like from the time you get up in the morning, to the time you go to bed and which rules you are breaking. And three, you’ll explain what you need from him, as your new Dom. You will include our contract so that he has a copy of it and can adjust it as he sees fit. Any questions?”
“When will I write the letter?”
“Tomorrow morning, before work, after you’ve had a good night’s rest of at least eight hours of sleep.”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Another punishment is ordering dinner in tomorrow.”
“May I speak, Sir?
“Yes.”
“I’d like to make a good first impression and cook for Connell, Sir.”
“I know that, pet. That’s why I’m considering it a punishment.”
“Yes, Sir.”
Gideon watched Boone’s shoulders slump but he didn’t change his mind. He knew Boone would stress himself out until he was too wired to function if he had to cook some elaborate meal for a new Dom, so not only was he punishing Boone, but he was keeping him from being too worked up to connect with Connell. Two birds, one stone.
“Good. Your last punishment is that you’ll be unpacking each neglected box of personal items downstairs in the basement and bringing the items you want to use in your house up one thing at a time and finding a home for them and returning for the next item.”
“One at a time, Sir?”
“One at a time. When you’re not in meetings tomorrow, that and the letter are all you will do. If you don’t have enough time to finish the job tomorrow, you will make the commitment to finish it before the weekend is over. You will also not be allowed to clean your home for Connell.”
Boone let out a little groan before he could stop himself. “Yes, Sir.”
“Do you know why I tacked on the last bit?”
Boone let out a frustrated sigh that made Gideon smile. “Because, Sir, it would be a case of polishing the cannonball.”
“That’s right. Explain why that is.”
“Because my house is clean already and to clean it thoroughly again, prior to having company, does not add value and is a compulsive behavior that I utilize as a coping mechanism to avoid dealing directly with my perceived problems in my life.”
Gideon chuckled, tightening his hold on his shoulder. “That was very specific, but all true.”
“You drilled it into me, Sir.”
“Good. Why don’t you grab us some water and meet me in the dining room. We’ll need the table to spread everything out.”
Gideon grabbed his duffle and made his way down the hallway. He pulled out everything he’d taken from Alan’s home as well as his own notebook where he’d kept a journal and timeline of the events that occurred from the moment he’d taken on the assignment, written in his own version of shorthand. If found, no one would be able to decipher it, which was exactly the point. As he walked into the dining room he thought about how things would go tonight, but also about how things had gone between them so many years ago.
The dynamic between them when they were working was always professional. They both drew very deep, dark, unmistakable lines between their work and their play. It was a rule they’d both set and had stuck with, at all costs. They both respected the hell out of each other, though their skillsets were completely different. Boone never looked at Gideon like just another hired gun, and Gideon never looked at Boone as just another desk jockey.
It was one of the reasons they’d worked so well together. Boone wasn’t the reason he’d left, in fact, he was one of the reasons he’d stayed so long. They made a solid team and worked effortlessly together, but ultimately Gideon had had to leave Boone’s world behind, or he’d have lost himself completely.
Gideon heard footsteps approaching and pulled himself out of his reverie. When Boone came into the room carrying two tall glasses of ice water and a bowl wedged between his arm and side, Gideon stood to help him and couldn’t help but grin. “Frozen grapes? I thought you only kept them in your freezer back then because of me.”
Boone chuckled. “No, you totally got me hooked on them. I almost panic when I run out. It’s an addiction. I blame you!”
Gideon laughed, enjoying the more relaxed Boone. He hoped the man would be able to get back to that, after their discussion, knowing Boone wouldn’t like the tactics he’d be using. He set the grapes down in the middle of the table and went back to the other side to sit down. All the info he had gathered, everything he’d brough
t with him, was still lined up in front of him on his side of the table.
When Boone sat down he rubbed his hands together and looked at Gideon. “Okay, let’s see what you got.”
As he reached across the table to slide some of what Gideon had towards him, Gideon placed his hand on the envelopes. “We need to have a discussion, Boone.”
A look of wariness passed over Boone’s features. “Gideon…”
“I need you to listen to me first.”
Boone narrowed his eyes. “I’m not gonna like this, am I?”
Gideon shook his head. “No, you’re not.”
Boone sat back abruptly, his hands clenched on top of the table, and waited. Gideon folded his hands on top of the envelopes. “There’s a man I need you to find. His name is Lars Janssen. He was the one that gave the orders to take out my SEAL unit. Alan worked for him.”
Boone shook his head. “Gideon, I can’t just put resources on a guy that isn’t part of a case I’m working. You know damn good and well that every single penny spent these days is dissected and put under a microscope.”
Gideon nodded and passed Boone an envelope. “I do know that. I also know there are ways around it. You can add his name to your file for this case. No one will know. That envelope has all the info I was able to get on him from Alan.”
Gideon watched as Boone opened the envelope and looked inside. “Jesus, Gideon, there’s hardly anything here!”
Gideon watched as Boone tossed the envelope down. “Do you want what I was able to get from him about your case, or not?”
Boone’s hands clenched into fists, knuckles white. “You can’t be serious.”
Gideon leaned back in his chair. “Oh, but I am.”
“You fucking asshole! We had an agree—”
Gideon narrowed his eyes and tilted his head. “Watch yourself, Boone. Think back to our conversation in Zavier’s office. The file was up on his TV screen so we didn’t have to waste time with small talk. Smart move on your part, because it hooked me immediately, just like you knew it would. But I was very careful with my words. I asked for the dossier, you handed it over. You said you needed him found and brought in. What did I say?”
