What he enjoyed in the bedroom wasn’t something he was willing to give up in the long term. Not only the BDSM, but sharing with Hannibal. When he was alone with a woman, he felt like he needed to be on guard. His voyeuristic tendencies weren’t the only reason he enjoyed sharing women with his Brother. It was the ability to trust that between the two of them, not only would the woman be satisfied, but that there was a second person there to keep them safe so he could let go of some of his natural wariness.
Hearing a woman scream from pleasure with a bite of pain was intoxicating. The absolute surrender and trust in her eyes fed a necessary part of him. Watching as their partners gave over and allowed the two of them to push past the edge of what they thought they could endure, an almost addiction.
Hannibal was the only man he trusted to be at his side in moments like that. In the Rangers, Ink had been the one to watch out for his Brother. As a spotter, he was the one to make sure that they never got in too deep or were taken by surprise. But in the bedroom, their roles reversed.
Hannibal never lost himself in the moment. The hyper aware senses he had learned as a sniper took in every detail and he often knew long before Ink did if their partner was in trouble. It sometimes bothered him knowing that his Cajun Brother would have probably settled down with a nice woman if it wasn’t for Ink’s need to share.
Ink pulled his thoughts back to the present. “I don’t think so. Her mood changed faster than a jackrabbit in the brush.”
Hannibal nodded to where Jade was now rushing up the steps to the office. Her smaller legs didn’t even seem to strain as she took them two steps at a time. It was hard to see Jade’s expression, but the way the woman’s body radiated fury set off alarm bells in his head.
Ink started walking towards the Old Ladies, who were making their way slowly out of the building. “Let’s make sure the women are off and see what’s got our little Jade all worked up.”
Ink waited at the entrance door of the gym to make sure they could get back into the building while Hannibal walked the women out to their SUVs. Decaf gave him a chin lift as he followed the women’s cars as they drove out of the parking lot. It was a comfort knowing they would be guarded all the way home. Some people would have called it paranoid, but he called it good sense.
A red Ferrari GTB was now parked in the lot that hadn’t been there when they had arrived. The expensive car looked completely out of place. Not only because it was too high end for the area, but because with plenty of other spaces available, the owner had parked diagonally across the handicapped spots.
Hannibal gestured to the sports car. “Looks like she’s got company.”
Ink nodded, and they both headed back into the building. Almost immediately after they cleared the front entry, they could hear shouts coming from inside.
“This is my business, too. If I want to take cash from the safe, I can!” Anger was obvious in the unfamiliar male voice.
“No, Eric, you can’t.” Jade’s clipped voice matched the volume of the other speaker. “As of the contract you signed two months ago, you are only a twenty percent stakeholder, not an owner. That means you get your checks every month for your portion of the profit. You do not get to use this place as your personal piggy bank anymore.”
“Get off your fucking high horse, Jade. This place wouldn’t exist without me. You had no right to change the safe combination. The deposit you put in my account last week was a joke!”
“That’s because I took out the money you stole from the safe last month.”
Ink glanced over at Hannibal, his lips tight with anger. There was obviously a lot of history between these two, and it sounded like things were escalating quickly.
“Can’t steal what’s mine. That’s not how a business works.”
“You signed the contract when you sold me back thirty percent of the business. You no longer have the right to access anything but the financial reports and monthly dividends.”
“How the hell am I supposed to live on that bullshit number?” The man, Eric’s, voice held equal parts anger and whine.
He and Hannibal reached the top of the stairs. By unspoken agreement, they paused to listen. Ink was pretty sure he should feel guilty about listening in on a private conversation. But the man’s angry tone and ridiculous demands pissed him off.
Owning your own business was hard work and could easily crumble if not handled correctly. It had taken months and help from their more business minded Dark Sons Brothers for Hannibal and him to get the finances of Dark Ink under control. How much harder would it have been if they both hadn’t been committed to making it work?
“You said you wanted out and I’m buying you out. That takes time.” Jade’s voice was tired. This was obviously not a new argument.
“I need money now.” Eric’s words were tight as if spoken through gritted teeth.
“What the hell did you do, Eric?”
“That’s none of your business.”
“It is my business if you’re trying to come in here and rob the place again.”
“It’s not stealing! I’m taking what’s mine.” The man’s deep breath was audible even through the closed door. “I need another $1,000 Jade.”
“No. I’m not doing this again. You will get more money next month.”
The loud crash of something being thrown against the wall had both him and Hannibal moving. They opened the office door and stepped quickly into what was a small office. Jade stood stunned behind the desk. At their entrance, the man, Eric had spun to face them. A computer was lying on the floor along with scattered paperwork and a toppled chair.
Eric was a lanky, blond man who stood slightly over six-feet tall. Anger and a wild sense of desperation danced in his eyes as he loomed over Jade. She stood with her back against the wall, arms crossed with an expression of fury on her face. Both of them now stared at Hannibal and Ink.