“It helped, yeah,” Drew said, sipping his drink this time. “But I was on board with it. I couldn’t keep walking around in that headspace. I didn’twantto.” He shifted to face Joe, his expression alight with curiosity. “Mind if I ask what you suspect?”
Joe hesitated, not sure he should reveal his suspicions, but he highly doubted that Drew would be judgmental about it, given his rather casual attitude toward sex. “Payne is a lot more… um,forcefulthan you might think. I overheard a few things between he and Hunter in the locker room. I wasn’t eavesdropping, but people seem to forget I’m around, so they say things in front of me. I think Payne took Hunter in hand in a very dominating fashion, if you know what I mean.”
Drew’s eyebrows climbed, but he didn’t seem shocked or offended. “Huh. I never would’ve guessed. I can see how that could have therapeutic value, though.”
“Maybe for some.” Joe grimaced before taking another swallow from his glass. “I couldn’t do it.”
“What, BDSM in general, or being dominated?”
For a moment Joe thought about refusing to answer, thinking it might be too revealing, but then he shrugged, realizing it probably wouldn’t come as any big surprise. “Being dominated. At least not in that way. I can follow orders and take direction at work, but otherwise? No.”
“Bet you’d be good at giving the orders, though.” Some of the weariness faded from Drew’s expression as he glanced at Joe with a small but mischievous smile.
Joe snorted. “Maybe, maybe not. It’s not Finn’s thing, so it’s a moot point.”
“I’ve tried it a time or two.” Drew watched Joe closely, as if gauging his reaction. “I liked it enough to do it again.”
“You’d damn sure better ask Finn if he’s okay with it, before you go tomcatting around,” Joe replied, frowning at Drew. “And me, too, for that matter. I’m not going to have mine or Finn’s health put in jeopardy if you engage in a lot of risky behavior. I’ll put my damned foot down about that, you better believe it!”
“Hah! I was right.” Drew gave him a playful wink. “You’d be good at it. But don’t worry. I haven’t been with anyone but Finn since the first time we hooked up, and I don’t plan to be. I don’tneedto be,” he added with a little snort. “That boy’s a handful.”
Joe looked away. He didn’t want to hear about Finn and Drew having sex. It made him unhappy to think about. “I don’t want to know,” he snapped and then slammed back the rest of his drink.
“Sorry, I wasn’t trying to poke at a sore spot,” Drew said. “I wanted to reassure you that I’m not going to do anything that could hurt you or Finn, that’s all.”
“That’s all you needed to say.” Joe rose to his feet, suddenly needing to escape. He’d let his guard down too much, apparently. “I have no interest in what you and Finn do together, do you understand me? I never wanted to know with his hookups, and I sure as hell don’t want to know withyou. I may have to accept that it happens, but don’t expect me to want to listen to your exploits. It’s enough that I have toseemarks on him that you put there. It’s enough that I have to put up with you being a part of his life. I sure as fuck don’t have to listen to what you like to do with him.”
Drew watched him for a long moment and then released a long sigh. “Understood. If you’d rather I didn’t leave any marks for you to see, I won’t. I’m not trying to edge you out or make you miserable, and I don’t want to make this harder on you than it already is.”
Joe ran a hand through his hair. He was suddenly agitated, and he wasn’t even entirely certain why. He really didn’t want to hear about Finn and Drew’s sex life, but it wasn’t entirely jealousy, either. He wasn’t sure what it meant, but he was too tired and stressed to really think about it deeply. Maybe it was just the long trip and lack of sleep getting to him, or the fact that he’d let Drew in more than he’d intended.
“It is what it is,” he replied dully. “Look, I’m tired, and you struck a nerve, okay? Do whatever you want with Finn, it’s not my business. Don’t make him unhappy, and I’ll put up with whatever I have to put up with.”
“Noted.” Drew set aside his glass and stood up. “We’re both tired. I think the best thing either of us can do right now is get some rest. We can figure out a plan when we wake up.”
“Yeah.” Joe turned away, heading toward the nearest bedroom. He had the feeling he wasn’t going to get much sleep, despite his tiredness and the alcohol. Sleeping pills were out of the question, of course, but maybe he could try to meditate, try to find some tiny amount of inner peace. If he couldn’t, he wasn’t going to be of much use to anyone. Not even himself.
