PROLOGUE
FELIX KISELOV - RUSSIAN MOB BOSS
Tappingmy matte black nails on the arm of a leather chair, the tune of a classic pop song played in my head. I was dressed in black leather pants and a neon pink mesh tank top, sitting in a lounge area while half-dressed people writhed on the dancefloor below us. I might have been in charge of the Russian mafia in San Francisco, as well as the greater Bay Area, but I still managed to get out and party with my boyfriend on occasion.
“Kot?” My head bodyguard and the love of my life, Maksim, caught my attention with my nickname. He held out his hand for me to hold from the seat beside me, brow furrowed in concern. Maksim was also my Daddy. “Happy thoughts?”
“Mmmhmm,” I took hold of his much bigger palm, threading our fingers together before turning to the other man in the room, Gregor. “I’m so proud of you, cousin.”
“You’re proud of me for dancing in a gay bar instead of at the bar where I pick up chicks?” Gregor asked with a smirk, leaning back in his own armchair. He was looking around the club at anything but my face, sipping a whiskey neat and taking in the crowd.
“I’m proud of you for coming out as bisexual,” I spoke the truth into the space, letting it sit before continuing, “publicly. You didn’t have to come out at all, but I’m glad you felt safe to do so.”
“You were my example, Felix. My way forward,” Gregor admitted, leaning forward to scrub hairy hands over his face. “It’s not a big deal after you paved the way.”
“You were still brave,” I insisted. “I was forced out of the closet.”
“The family is different now,” Gregor said and then paused, standing to pace the small space of our VIP balcony seats. Maksim didn’t let me get lost in any crowd with unvetted people. “And the world in general is changing. I didn’t even know I was bi for sure, until I went out with you two to that kink club.”
“You are welcome to go to X Club anytime,” I pointed out. Maksim nodded beside me, having seen how much Gregor enjoyed it. “I paid for a membership for you after your visit.”
“That’s the thing, I want to go back as soon as possible.”
Maksim raised one brow in his tall, dark, and handsome way. Gregor plopped back down and looked back and forth between us, “Seeing men in rope and harness called to me in a way I never felt with women.”
“Then let’s go now,” I offered, standing and pulling a couple Benjamins from my wallet. Maksim followed suit, grabbing our jackets. “No time like the present.”
“Just like that?”
“My life is regimented and restricted in a lot of ways, as Boss,” I stated, slipping on the purple leather jacket my Daddy held up. “But I decided kink, and doing what I needed for my sanity, was not to be sacrificed.”
Maksim and Gregor flanked me, my Daddy leading and Gregor following along, still in shock. I alternated between calling back to Gregor and checking out Daddy’s ass as we weaved our way toward the exit.
“Are they even having a party tonight?” Gregor asked, stepping beside me when a drunk lady in a Bachelorette sash almost crashed into me.
“The dungeon is hosting a public event, I believe, for new people to check it out,” I recalled from the email notification. “So it’s a general kink theme, not restricted to any one kink.”
“It is safe,” Maksim answered for me in his thicker accent. We exited onto the street, where there was a long line of people waiting to get in, and both men went on alert for any threats. “Not as safe as member-only events, but safer than before.”
“Because of the truce?” Gregor asked, thinking of the Italians.
We had worked together with the head of the Italian mob in the Bay area the year before, when our cousin, Ivanna tried to oust me as Boss. I would have liked to see her tarred and feathered, but I won in all the ways that mattered. She ended up missing a finger or two, shipped back to Russia, while I got to be out as non-binary, queer, and still the boss.
“George–Giorgio Greco–was happy to call a truce,” I reminded Gregor. “He said something about going full legit.”
We were walking to the dungeon, since it was only a few blocks from the Market Street gay bar to X Club in the Tenderloin. San Francisco was a huge city, but a lot of the good stuff was close. I lived on Russian Hill with Maksim, and Gregor lived South of Market, aka SOMA, with our younger cousin, Basil. Everything was within walking distance, but I usually preferred Maksim’s motorcycle or my luxury SUV.
X Club’s entrance was marked with a big red door and bright neon sign, a doorman I didn’t recognize checking people in. Our ID’s verified, we made our way through the entry hall with its leather-clad walls.
“Welcome to X Club. Have you been here before?” The blue-haired greeter stopped their spiel and smiled widely. Cielo was the sub of two owners, and he recognized me as a friend. Coming around the counter, he offered us hugs in turn. “Oh, Felix! Great to see you. Hi, Maksim, how’s your evening? And who do we have here?”
“Cielo, this is Gregor, my cousin,” I waved a hand like I was Vanna White showing off a prize, “and he has a membership here but has only been once.”
“Fresh meat,” Cielo clapped their hands and had a mischievous look. “Lots of that tonight. What’s your kink?”
Gregor rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled at the perky little sub. He put on his Russian accent stronger and answered like the flirt he was, “Well, I just came out as bi, so I want to explore that. You interested?”
“Ha, my Daddies would be the judge of that,” Cielo winked and looped arms with Gregor as another person came to take over duties at the check-in counter. “Can I show you around?”
