Enzo rolled his eyes. “You get you’re not the oldest, right?”
“What?” Lucky spit.
“You’re not the boss of me,” Enzo said mockingly, making a face at his brother.
“Well, since the oldest is probably somewhere licking paint off the walls, you’re stuck with me. I’m just trying to save you. If you fuck up the delicate ecosystem she’s taken two decades to create, Mama will literally kill you. Without hesitation. I’m serious. She pops out babies like a Pez dispenser. She will murder you, let Dante cremate you, and make another one who looks just like you without even breaking a sweat.”
Enzo gave him a pissy look. “She can’t. Dad’s dead. The best she can hope for is a cheap knock-off version of me. Besides, I’m her favorite.”
Lucky snorted. “Elio’s her favorite. You’re just the most useful.” He waved a hand. “Well, aside from me.”
Mama would say they all had their uses. And she was right. But, in this particular instance, Lucky wasalsoright. Playing with one of Jericho’s boys would probably be a mistake. ButEnzo couldn’t just let it go. He couldn’t just lethimgo. Still, if Mama found out Enzo was planning on turning Seven into one of his subs, she would likely put him on the menu right next to Nona’s famous lasagna. Of course, if she knew he’d already had a taste, she would make sure he suffered first.
But Seven had started it. Hell, he’d practically begged for it, sitting in that meeting vibrating with his need for attention. All pouty and sullen, making little comments under his breath like a total brat. If Lucky thought Enzo could resist an invitation like that, he didn’t know him at all. Besides, if the biggest concern was him using the kid as a cheap one-night stand, then there was nothing to worry about. He’d technically already done that.
No, that wasn’t true. The kid had usedhimas a one-night stand. And Enzo hadn’t been able to get him out of his head since. He’d been so sweet, so hot, so desperate, clawing at him and begging. They’d both gotten what they wanted out of it.
But despite calling him Daddy that whole night, it was clear Seven was not the most experienced sub, though he had implied otherwise. He’d certainly never been in a contracted relationship. According to Seven, he hadn’t ever been inanyrelationship. Enzo had resigned himself to keeping his brat baby as strictly spank-bank material going forward. He figured Seven felt the same since he hadn’t reached out to Enzo either.
Until last night.
Seven had been on Enzo’s mind so much that he’d made a deal with himself: if the brat never called him again, he’d let him be, but if he reached out, he’d make him an offer. What could it hurt to ask? They were both adults.
He liked Seven. He was gorgeous, smart, funny. But Enzo wasn’t going to waste time training him just for the possibility of a few random hook-ups. Enzo had thought long and hard—mostly, with his dick in his hand—about how he could see Seven again, but on his terms. Seven was busy, too. He probably didn’twant a relationship any more than Enzo did. He had law school, his friends…his extracurricular unalivings for Navarro. It was probably why the kid had ghosted him for the last two weeks.
He’d had no expectations when he’d handed Seven his business card that day in his office. The way he’d slunk off, barely willing to look at Enzo, he figured he’d never hear from him again. The boy had clearly seen their meeting going much differently. With those pretty green eyes and all that gorgeous golden skin, he was probably used to crooking his little finger and having a dozen men fall all over themselves.
Enzo was not one of those men. He demanded obedience. His subs didn’t talk back, didn’t say no, and they certainly didn’t brat in private, much less in public like Seven had. If any other sub had behaved like that, he would have been permanently added to Enzo’s no list. But then he’d melted the moment Enzo put him in his place, all sulky and sad, but so malleable.
The way he’d said “yes, sir,” all grumpy and sullen. The way he’d shuddered when Enzo had called him a good boy. Enzo had spent that whole meeting fighting a hard-on.
He hadn’t expected Seven to text as quickly as he had. He hadn’t expected him to ask to come over. He certainly hadn’t expected that they’d fall into bed almost immediately. But that was exactly what happened. And it was incredible. Seven was incredible. Sweet, needy, spicy, beautiful.
Enzo gave his brother an impatient look. “I know what I’m doing. This isn’t going to be a casual thing. I plan on keeping him around for a while. If he survives training, anyway.”
If I survive it.
“The fact that you have to train someone to date you is fucking creepy, dude.”
“Tell me you know nothing about BDSM without telling me you know nothing about BDSM,” Enzo shot back.
“I know enough to know that you’re a dick,” Lucky said.
Enzo could feel the muscle of his jaw starting to twitch. “Look, everything is consensual. That’s the point. They want to submit, and I want to control. There’s a contract. There are terms, and when it’s over, everyone moves on with no hurt feelings. How does that make me a monster?”
“It doesn’t make you a monster; it makes you an emotionally unavailable partner,” Lucky retorted.
“Thanks, Dr. Phil.”
Lucky gave him that look—the one he hated. The one where he acted like Enzo was someone to be pitied. “You’re only acting like that because you’re afraid of someone breaking your heart again.”
Enzo rolled his eyes for what felt like the hundredth time since his brother had shown up. He wasn’t having this conversation again. “That was ten years ago. I play with trained submissives because it’s convenient, not because I’m afraid of getting my heart broken. If he wants a Daddy, I’m willing to train him, as long as we can come to an understanding about his expectations. Namely, not to have any. I like him. He’s gotsfacciataggine.”
Besides, it was Seven who had run out on him, not the other way around. Seven was the one who told him not to be nice, not to treat him like he was important. Enzo wanted him to be important, he just didn’t want him getting his heart broken when Enzo inevitably disappointed him.
Lucky studied him. “Wait, youactuallywant to…date him?”
That wasn’t exactly what Enzo was proposing, but Lucky didn’t need to know that. Still, his brother didn’t have to be a dick about it.
