Fuck. As much as I swore this was no longer home, I’d be damned if I was going to sit by and watch them tear down my childhood. They weren’t going to get away with taking away the security Ansel and his colleagues had built in Harmony Haven.
I flopped into my chair, the fight fleeing me as I realized there wasn’t anything I could do. I’d abandoned this town, and as much as I wanted to fix things, I couldn’t leave Blake behind. The thought of leaving him without even saying goodbye had my gut churning and my heart feeling as if it had been pierced.
17
Blake
“I don’t knowwhat you expect me to do about it,” John growled into the phone. We were supposed to be meeting with Jack to talk about me taking on a leadership role at the club without playing with anyone, but so far Jack was MIA and John had spent the past ten minutes arguing with his brother. “Remember, Tex is the one who insisted on taking the kid home… Yeah, I get how that would be a problem, but again, I’m not sure what you want me to do… Whatever, bye.”
He shoved his phone into his pocket and stormed past me. John didn’t drink often, but whatever that had been about had him pulling two beers out of the cooler. “Stephen being his typical sunny self?”
“Oh, you fucking know it.” John took a long draw off his beer. “You remember Justice, the guy we saved from Jagger?”
“Yeah, pretty sure it’ll be a long time before I forget the haunted look on his face.” I shuddered, trying to force my mind to keep from thinking about all the ways his story could have ended if not for our intervention. “He giving Tex trouble?”
John scoffed. “Not sure trouble is the way I’d describe what he’s giving Tex. Apparently, the kid’s convinced he has to earn his keep, and since he doesn’t have a job, he figures sexual favors are the only thing he has to give.”
“Is Tex even gay?” It was hard to imagine Stephen would be cool with any of his guys deviating from sex with the plethora of women they had hanging out any given weekend. Then again, he’d done pretty well accepting John and Mav, so maybe I needed to cut him some slack.
“Says he’s not, but he won’t let the kid out of his sight.”
Ahh, now it made more sense. “And Stephen’s worried someone’s going to catch on to what they’re up to, so he wants Justice gone?”
“Nailed it in one.” John slammed his bottle on the counter. “Seriously, it’s like he thinks I can snap my fingers and come up with a job for this kid, and a place for him to stay. I mean, he could probably pick up some hours around here, but if he doesn’t want to get a job, he’s not the type we want on the team. And then there’s the commute. From the sounds of it, he doesn’t have a damn thing to his name, other than some clothes Tex picked up for him. Sure as shit doesn’t have a car.”
I knew it was wrong to offer before the words were out of my mouth, but I couldn’t stop them. “What if there was a place he could get cheap within walking distance?”
“Again, he’d have to prove to Jack that he wants to work, not just collect a paycheck.” That could be a sticking point, but John didn’t know that he didn’t want a job. For all either of us knew, he was staying where he was because it seemed like the only option available to him.
“So talk to him,” I suggested. John flipped me off, picking up the obvious sarcasm. “You said he’s always wherever Tex is, so he’s probably at the clubhouse most nights. If you think he’ll freak if you approach him, have Maverick feel him out, see if he’s interested in taking control of his life.”
“Yeah, I suppose we could do that,” John conceded. “So, do I even need to ask what this place you mentioned is? And more importantly, does Danny know you’re trying to push him out of his place?”
“How do you know I’m not suggesting a roommate’s situation?” I hedged. John knew this was out of character for me, and it might blow up in my face, but I truly believed that what Danny needed was a good reason to take the next step in his life. He hated his apartment, called my place home, and yet he wasn’t willing to move in.
“You forget I’ve been to his so-called apartment. It’s barely big enough for one grown man, much less two of them. And from the little I’ve heard about Justice, I’m not sure I’d be down with you subjecting Danny to his attitude.”
The door dividing the two sides of the club opened and Jack sauntered through the dim room. He looked out of place in his three-piece suit and tie. He ducked behind the bar and pulled out his bottle of whiskey. Some of the guys teased him for being a snob because he refused to drink anything they served in the bar, but it amused me to see him drinking something so expensive it would sit on the shelf collecting dust. He’d admitted one night that it was his only vice—other than his boy.
Despite not being much of a whiskey drinker, I took the offered glass. I’d no sooner disrespect him than I would a mob boss. “John tells me you wanted to discuss a different arrangement than we’d previously discussed.”
When the topic was first brought up, I loved the idea of being a Service Top at DeSires. It was the ultimate way of being able to get what I needed without risking catching feelings for any of the subs I worked with. Then, Danny came along. It was impossible for me to not fall in love with him, and now that I was wholly committed to my boy, it was impossible to imagine playing with anyone else. Even if he swore it was okay with him, it wasn’t okay by me.
“I know this isn’t what you were looking for when you first approached me, but things changed,” I explained.
“And by things, I’m assuming you mean the bartender you can’t take your eyes off of when he’s working?” Jack didn’t seem annoyed by the turn of events. In fact, he wore a smile that spoke of pride and approval. “I respect you even more for pulling away. Danny looks at you like you hung the moon. He’d likely agree to whatever you decided you wanted to do, even if it killed him to know you were in the back rooms playing with other couples.”
“Thanks, Jack. I’m glad you understand what’s at stake for me here.” Jack held up his glass and I did the same, tapping the rim of mine to his. “Danny isn’t what I was looking for when John first convinced me to join the club. And I sure as hell didn’t plan on falling so hard for him when I started playing with other couples. But I did, and now I’m hoping to find a way to combine my love of education with respect for the man I love.”
Jack pulled out his phone and started making notes as the three of us discussed how to bring back the seminars that had fallen by the wayside after The Lodge had opened the age playroom. By the time Jack had to excuse himself to get ready for the night’s opening, we had a full summer of events scheduled.
Later that night, I went home still riding the high. Even though I hadn’t been a part of the scenes I’d overseen, it was a heady feeling to know I was teaching Dom’s to give their subs what they needed. In some ways, it was even more powerful than the past, when the Dom’s took a backseat while I played with their boys. I drove home in a haze of low-level arousal, wanting nothing more than to talk to my boy.
I texted him when I got home, then dug out one of the meals he’d neatly packed in microwave-safe containers. I smiled, appreciative of the ways Danny took care of me, even when he was hundreds of miles away.
I was nearly finished with my dinner by the time my phone rang. “Hey, baby. I was starting to think I’d missed you for the night.”
“I was hanging out with my brothers,” Danny explained. “Mom invited everyone over for dinner, and once she and Dad went to bed, Carson said it was time to light a bonfire. Ansel wasn’t able to stick around for long, but it was still good.”
