“I’ll take a Heineken,” I say to her.
“Coming right up.” She strides away to fetch my order.
I watch Gabe’s eyes follow her intently, and chuckle to myself. He’s spellbound by that woman, and the best part of it is, he doesn’t hide it either. But that’s Gabe. He’s not apologetic for much. “Better suck your tongue back into your mouth,” I tell him. “It’s wagging.”
Gabe barks a laugh and turns to me. “I’d rather stick my tongue somewhere else deep inside her.” Laughter erupts at the table as Gabe continues, “But alas, a game of cat and mouse has commenced.”
I imagine we all want to ask more, but McKenna returns, placing my beer down in front of me.
“Thank you.” I smile at her.
She smiles back and then looks out at the others. “Anyone else need anything?”
“No,” says Gabe. “That’ll be all for now. Thank you, McKenna.” She gives him a quick, sassy smile before returning behind the bar. Only when she’s out of hearing distance does he continue, “But we all know I love a good hunt, so I’m not ready to give up on her just yet.” He draws in a long, deep breath, leaning back in his chair, eyes refocused on the task at hand. “All right, we don’t have long before the pub opens, why did you call a meeting?” he asks Micah.
Micah glances to McKenna, making sure she’s not eavesdropping, then addresses the group. “I’m aware that personal matters shouldn’t be discussed here of all places.” Meaning DC matters, which is true. The only time we discussed the DC, which included future plans for our clubs to ensure we didn’t compete with one another, was in a soundproofed room we knew was a safe location. He continues, “But—”
“You want out?” Gabe offers.
Micah snorts a laughs, leaning forward and resting his arms against the table. “It’s that obvious, huh?”
“It’s been written on your face for a month,” Gabe continues, staring solely at Micah. “Your life has changed and so have your priorities. Will Juliet be handling all matters now?” Juliet is Micah’s past submissive to whom he slowly, over the years, handed control of his sex club, Impulse.
Micah nods. “Are you comfortable talking to her without my involvement?”
“Of course,” Gabe confirms. “I have no issue with this.”
Micah looks at me, and I laugh. “You know, I’m okay with this decision.” I appreciate the fact that Micah is stepping away from his role in the DC. It means Allie is the only woman on his mind. It also proves to me that he’s not wanting the life he once had, a life full of secrets, sex, and seduction. He wants a quieter life, devoted to my half-sister, and that’s exactly what she deserves.
Micah gives me a firm nod, then glances at Ryder. “And you?”
“This is a good thing.” Ryder smiles, lacing his hands behind his head, stretching out his back. “Besides, if things don’t work out with Allie…” His gaze flicks to me and he laughs softly. “I mean to say, if anything changes in your life, you know you can always come back to the table, so to speak.”
“Thank you,” Micah replies.
I stay silent, not saying much else on the matter. Even I understand Micah’s decision to leave the DC, because my ties are not as tight as they had once been.
As a young man, I searched for women to play a submissive role to me, so that I could act out my darker fantasies. I needed my club to ensure I met these types of women and kept the discretion I needed to stay far away fro
m a sex scandal. Now there is no fantasy I haven’t tried and the urges I once felt have quieted, fulfilled, and even I know I’m looking for that next thing to give me the high I once experienced.
With that thought crossing my mind, I realize why the tabloids are so interested in Taylor. My life has been relatively boring as of late. I don’t date because my schedule doesn’t have room for relationships. I have casual sex with women who need something from me, and then they give me what I need, the kinky sex that excites me. From there, when our arrangement fizzles out, I can give them whatever they want, which buys them their loyalty and silence. One woman I helped get a contact for a movie role, which was the foot in the door she needed. Another woman, I sent to nursing school. They were my submissives, and, I, their Dominant, took care of them after our arrangement ended.
But I suppose such an arrangement simply doesn’t interest me anymore. It’s been a good year since I had sex at all. Which made Taylor’s teasing all the more cruel. And with my cock still semi-hard from her torture, I know I would certainly enjoy unleashing all that frustration on her body.
“With that out of the way…” I say to the group, refocusing my thoughts on keeping Taylor safe, and knowing we had bigger matters to address now, “…we need to talk about what’s going on with the tabloids.”
“Yes, I agree,” Micah interjects, lowering his beer bottle to the table after taking a sip. “But before we get into that, how is Taylor doing today after yesterday’s story?”
“Who’s Taylor?” Gabe asks.
“She’s an old girlfriend of mine,” I explain to Ryder and Gabe, “who, because of me, ended up in Gotcha!, and as to how she’s doing, I’d say, she’s holding up well.” Frustration crosses every face, and I know why. None of us has a good relationship with the tabloids. The public loves those trashy magazines, but no one ever truly realizes what those stories do to people’s lives. “I spoke with her this morning and she’s spending the day at her parents’ house, likely explaining that we’re not dating and the photo of us is innocent enough.” I take a quick sip of my beer, relishing the sweet malt taste. “But this is honestly the last thing she needs in her life.” When I see confusion, I add, “She’s been dealing with an abusive ex-boyfriend and obviously would like that information to stay out of the public eye.”
Gabe’s eyes flare. “He hurt her?”
“Bruised up the left side of her face quite a bit.” I rub a hand over my tired eyes. “But she hides it well with makeup, and I know she was worried being in the tabloids would make finding a job hard.”
“I told Allie to extend the invitation to come work at Holt,” Micah offers.