Everything about Zeus was too perfect. It was sickening. “What have you done with Shadow?”
“Nothing he didn’t beg me to do.”
Ridge ran his tongue over his teeth.
Zeus sighed. “Jealousy. Tiresome. You literally just missed him. Honestly, I don’t know how you didn’t pass him on your way in.”
Probably because he had been searching the goddamn dance floor for ten minutes and Shadow was too good at hiding. Ridge pinched the spot betweenhis eyes where a pain bloomed. He was so tired of living like this. Feeling like this. Shadow made him fucking crazy.
A sharpthwackhit his thigh. It didn’t hurt, but it snapped Ridge back to attention. It took him a moment to realize Zeus hit him with a crop. “Do you want me to cram that thing up your ass?”
Zeus’s eyes swam with laughter. “Kinky. Come with me.”
Ridge’s tone stayed as dry and droll as ever. “That wasn’t an actual offer.”
Zeus popped his sucker back in his mouth. “If a single one of you gets off your knees, you’ll be banned for a week.”
“Yes, sir.”
The round of agreements had Ridge fighting an eye roll. Zeus was hot, but he wasn’t that fucking hot.
Zeus motioned with his crop. “Move your feet.” He used the same hard tone with Ridge as he had with the subs. Ridge didn’t know why he immediately obeyed, but he did. Zeus led him to an unmarked door at the back of the club. A fingerprint later, they left the sound of sex and music behind. Another fingerprint and they were inside an apartment. He barely spared the place a glance. Ridge had known Zeus lived at the club. He had never considered what the place might look like. Nor did he care. He was too aggravated to give a damn about much.
Zeus led him into the bathroom.
“I’m not really interested in putting anything in your ass.”
Zeus shot him a laughing glance. “You should be so lucky, but no. Comehere.” He positioned Ridge in front of the mirror. “What do you see?”
Ridge tossed a quick look toward his reflection. “Myself. Why?”
Zeus rolled his eyes and bodily turned Ridge, so he continued looking at himself. “Look at you and then look at me. What do you see?”
Ridge looked between them. “Yeah. I don’t know what you want. It’s us.”
Zeus released a put-upon sigh. He set his crop on the counter and tossed his sucker in the trash. “Let’s play a little game.” Zeus stood shoulder to shoulder with him. “You’re a sniper. You’re observant as hell. I know you can think of something to say other than ‘it’s us.’”
Ridge took a deep breath and really looked. Atthat moment, Zeus was a master in his field of deprogramming. He wasn’t the guy he played in this club. Well, he was probably that too. Zeus was sexual in every way, but he also took everything he did way more seriously than people realized.
Ridge spouted things off, hoping Zeus got to the point. “You have blond hair. Mine is black. We’re the same height. The same size. I don’t know what you want.”
Zeus smiled for real. He was twice as sexy. “You’re getting warmer. We are the same height and build. I bet we damn near weigh the same. Our eyes are the same color. Really look at us. Other than our hair color, we could be twins. Hell, for all we know, we might be. None of us know our true origins.We are nearly carbon copies of each other.”
Ridge looked closer at Zeus and then at himself. Damn. The guy was right.
Zeus held his stare in the mirror. “Why do you think he comes to me?”
Ridge couldn’t look away. Zeus could be hypnotic. “I don’t know. Probably for all the same reasons everyone here does.”
“No.” Zeus almost looked sad. “He’s not here for me at all. No one here is, honestly. They’re all seeking something, but it isn’t me. That’s especially true for Shadow. With me, he can close his eyes and pretend I’m you.”
A derisive snort burst from Ridge. “Is this you hoping I don’t take you out when you don’t see it coming?”
Before Ridge knew what happened, he found his back against the wall and a very pissed off man had him by the jaw. Zeus looked deadly. His usual mask of calm had vanished. “Do you think I don’t want him? Do you think I haven’t pulled every trick I know to steal him from your blind ass?” Zeus’ thumb skimmed Ridge’s bottom lip. He leaned in and swept his lips across Ridge’s mouth. To his shame, Ridge was hard as stone. It was more than obvious he stared at the dom who loved control. “I could do things for him you could never dream.” He spoke each word close enough to Ridge’s lips they brushed his skin. This time, when Zeus kissed him, he went all in. The taste of cherry candy filled his mouth. Ridge wanted to shove him away. He also craved knowing what Zeus had that Ridge didn’t.Ridge already knew it was almost everything, but he had one thing Zeus didn’t: love. He desperately loved Shadow, and he would stay faithful. Zeus could never, so he supposed that was two things. Either way, Ridge was frustrated as hell.
Zeus pulled away. “Go home. Stake your claim. If you don’t, one of these days, he’ll submit to me.”
Zeus grabbed his crop and walked away, leaving Ridge to silently follow in his wake. He didn’t look at Ridge again. Ridge headed for the exit. His mind was a mess. He needed to clear his head. Zeus had given him too much to think about.
