While she waited for Joseph to finish preparing her drink, Payton flipped open the lid on the cake box and froze.
“What is thi
s?” she said, her concerned gaze darting from me to Joseph.
“We’re celebrating.” He plunked her cosmo down on the bar in front of her, the pink liquid threatening to spill but didn’t. “I’m twenty years cancer free today.”
“What?” Her concern grew ten-fold. “You never told me that.”
He moved to the sink and washed his hands. “It was a long time ago.”
Watching her struggle to process the information was oddly touching. It was clear she cared for Joseph. Not sexually, I didn’t think. There was a frantic energy radiating between her and Dominic that was undeniable, like they only had eyes for each other. Payton took a deep breath and blew it out, rolling her shoulders back. “You should have fucking told me.”
Joseph raised an eyebrow. No, I don’t imagine he liked that.
“So, Dominic,” I said abruptly, trying to ease the tension, “what do you do?”
“I’m the VP of international project development at Chase Sports.”
Holy crap. Chase Sports wasn’t a small company, and he was a VP? At his age? He looked younger than Joseph. “How’d you two meet?”
The room went silent and I’d swear their gazes turned to Joseph, like they weren’t sure what to do.
“That’s a story for another time,” he answered for them.
Confusion tugged my eyebrows together. Was it embarrassing, and Joseph was protecting them? The expression on his face told me to leave it alone, and I chose not to disobey. He already had one punishment in the works, I didn’t want to pile them on. Joseph slammed his glass of whiskey and thumped it down on the bar.
“Let me finish getting it set up, and you’ll be ready?” he asked of Payton.
A diabolical smile slid across her lips, and her gaze sharpened on me. “Oh, yeah.”
It sent my stomach twisting, although I wasn’t sure why. What was Joseph up to? He went down the aisle and took a step up onto the stage, then disappeared into the wings.
“That’s a nice purse,” Payton said, nodding toward my bag on the bar.
“Thank you, my sister—”
“Can I be honest?” she interrupted, taking a step closer to me. “I find this shit fascinating. He’s never had a girlfriend, at least, not in the four years I’ve known him.”
“Oh?” I whispered.
“I couldn’t fucking believe it when he told me. He’s had a few subs before, but they were . . . not like you.”
Oh my God. Well, I guess his friends knew he was into the lifestyle.
“Payton,” Dominic warned under his breath.
She reached out and wrapped a hand on my wrist, and the sudden contact made me jolt. “I’m gonna give you some unsolicited advice, because Joseph and I are a lot alike. Don’t let him push you too far, but don’t give up on him too easily, either. He’s a good guy.”
I glanced down at the hand on my arm, and her enormous engagement ring glinted back at me. She thought she had to convince me? Somewhere along the way, I’d already made this shift unconsciously. My bad boy was so very good.
Her pretty blue eyes watched me closely, and . . . where they hopeful? “I’m glad he’s decided to let someone in.”
Lights jumped to life and flooded the stage, and I blinked at brightness.
Dominic helped Payton out of her coat and hung it on one of the barstools. Beneath it, she wore a black strapless corset, her large breasts barely contained inside.
“Is that new?” her fiancé asked.