“I want to get out and start meeting people. I know you’re working weekends. But if at least I can get out and meet—”
Rich slammed the carton of milk down onto the counter. “Then go! Nobody’s stopping you.”
“That wasn’t what I meant.”
“Then what did you mean, huh? Look, I don’t need your pity fucks, okay?”
“Life is too short for us to waste it not being happy.”
“Yeah, well, you get to be happier than I am for now, okay? My own damn fault I wasn’t smart enough to get a scholarship.”
“Really? Going right for the self-pity?”
“What do you want from me?”
“An open mind,” Nick said. “That’s it. And a promise that if I do meet someone and bring her home, that you won’t shut down and shut me out. Or her. That maybe you’ll give us a chance to have something. We know what didn’t work. So why don’t we try to find a woman who wants two guys?”
“Fine.” He grabbed a coffee mug from the cabinet and poured some leftover from that morning straight from the pot. Then he stuck the mug in the microwave to nuke it. “Is that all you wanted?”
“We get the gift of hindsight,” Nick said. “We don’t have to settle like Mom and Dad did. You know that. I’m tired of hanging around hoping the right woman drops into my lap. Our laps. Think about that. There are people out there who really do live happily in a poly lifestyle.”
“I can’t afford a relationship right now.”
“Who says you have to?”
Rich turned from where he’d been staring at the coffee mug in the microwave. “I’m sure I’d be a great catch for someone. ‘Hey, I deliver pizzas for a living and sometimes play and teach guitar. Oh, and I have a YouTube channel.’ How pitiful is that?”’
“It’s better than a lot of guys.”
“Since when did you get so hot-to-trot to find a relationship, anyway?”
“Aren’t you tired of being alone?”
“I am tired. I can tell you that much.”
“Keep an open mind.”
Rich snorted and turned back to the microwave. “Sure. Whatever.”
“Have a good night at work tonight.”
“Thanks. Have fun.”
Nick left his brother standing there, watching his coffee rotate on the spinning plate. Nick didn’t want to be late to the demo and couldn’t afford to stand there and banter any longer.
He also hated feeling guilty that his brother had to work his ass off without any free time for his efforts. That their parents had been so fucking selfish to pull the rug out from under them the way they had with their divorce, after promising Rich all through high school they’d make sure he could go to college even if he didn’t get an academic scholarship.
If it hadn’t been for the divorce chewing up their finances, they probably could have swung at least a student loan for Rich, if not paid the tuition outright. Yes, he’d managed an academic scholarship, but his brain worked differently than Rich’s brain did.
And the emotional hit of the divorce had slammed into them in different ways.
Nick had been bound and determined to make it himself, to succeed at any cost so he didn’t repeat their mistakes.
Rich had been determined to get out and away from their now-toxic parents, who’d allowed twenty years of ill-will toward each other to stew and fester beneath the surface before it exploded upon the brothers’ graduation from high school.
When Nick arrived at the club, he belatedly wondered if he’d meet any of his friends there. Not that it mattered, really. Rich would be more self-conscious about something like that than he was. Nick personally didn’t give a shit what others thought.
The club had pictures on the website showing their facility, so he wasn’t surprised when he stepped into the lobby. More intrigued, really. They had a small showroom in addition to the registration desk, various implements on the walls, as well as things like cuffs and collars.
After checking in, he walked through the door leading into the main area. Once inside, he stopped to take it all in.
Then, he froze.
Shit.
Just across the room stood someone he knew very damn well. Wasn’t his boss, but he knew him.
Tony Daniels, the head of operations for the data center at Asher Insurance.
Fuck.
This was a contingency he hadn’t counted on. Tony, while not his boss, could make life very uncomfortable for him at work.
Maybe this wasn’t a great plan after all.
He’d started to turn to leave before Tony spotted him, and Nick nearly ran into Michael Kennedy, who did work under Tony.
Holy hell.
Michael looked as shocked to see him as he was to see Michael.
From behind Mike, a woman spoke. “Honey? Are we going in?”
“Just a minute, Jenny.”
A throat cleared from behind him.
He turned. Tony Daniels stood there, an intense look on his face. “Mike, Nick, let’s step outside and talk for a minute, shall we?”
“Good idea,” Mike said.
Chapter Four
Dammit.
Nick knew damn well if Rich were there he’d be laughing his ass off right now at the irony.
He followed Mike and Tony outside. Tony led them a short distance away from the club’s entrance in the nondescript industrial complex, to the shade of a tree in a parking median.
“Look,” Tony started. “I’m going to give you the same talk I gave Mike. First of all, is this going to be a problem?”
Nick shook his head. “Nope. Not at all. My mouth is shut.” He wasn’t an idiot. He wanted to keep his job. He had hopes of working his way up his department ladder, maybe becoming a director or veep or something, retiring from there.
Mike and Tony exchanged a glance.
“Good,” Tony said. “What happens in this, stays in this.” He circled his index finger. “Since I haven’t seen you around before, I’m going to assume you’re new to this.”
Nick nodded.
“Okay. We do not talk about this”—he circled his index finger again—“at work. Period. Got it?”
Nick nodded.
“This”—another circle drawn in the air—“does not exist as far as any of us are concerned while we’re at work or around coworkers. Understand?”
“Yes, sir. Clearly.”
“If Mike or I hear any hint you’ve talked about anything you’ve seen or heard in this, you will be gone. I will have you fired, even though you’re not in my department. Your boss was one of my guys years ago, before he was transferred over to Windows and promoted. He’s a close personal friend of mine. If I ask him to get rid of someone, no questions asked, he’ll do it, because he’s always got a backlog of resumes to fill the slot. Got it?”
“This will not be a problem, I promise.”
“You scared for your job right now?”
“Frankly? Yes.”
Then Tony smiled, extending his hand. “Good. Don’t make me do it, because I don’t want to be a dick like that. But I promise you, if you try to burn me, I’ll take you down with me. If you want to ask questions outside of work? Mike and I will be happy to answer anything. Outside of work.”
Nick breathed a deep sigh of relief. No, Tony was a hard-ass, but he was also known to be a man of his word. He shook with him. “Thank you. I appreciate that.”
“You here alone?” Mike asked.
“Yes. I’ve been curious for a while. Some of my friends came out last night, but I was working.”
Tony frowned. “You don’t work nights, do you?”
“Sorry, I meant on my own. Web dev for a friend of mine. I don’t have a life, so I was home working.”
“Ah. Sorry. You single?”
“Yeah?”
Tony clapped him on the shoulder. “Well, now that we have our negotiations completed, let’s get you back inside so we can introduce you around. Actually, you know what? I have the perfect someone I’d like to in
troduce you to.”
Nick didn’t care if she was a three-eyed troll with cholera. He’d schmooze her all afternoon, if it’d make Tony happy.
Fortunately, when Tony walked him over to the girl in the matching panties and camisole and bright-red hair, he breathed a sigh of relief.
“Chelbie,” Tony said, “this is Nick. He doesn’t work for me, but he works where I do.”
Her eyes widened. “Oops.” She grinned and stuck out her hand. “Hiya. Chelbie Larson.”
Her pixie cut bobbed as she talked. She wasn’t a skinny twig, but she had sweet curves in all the right places. Brown eyes, and a wide smile.
“Nick Hurst.”
“Nice to meet you.”
“Nick,” Tony said, “is new. After Kel’s finished with you, do you mind talking with him? He’s here alone today, and single.”
“Sure, no problem. Mal!”
The woman who was apparently Mal leaned forward from where she was sitting next to one of the frame’s legs. “Yeah?”
Chelbie hooked a thumb at him. “Fresh meat. You want to babysit him for me while your guy runs me through the wringer?”
Mal patted the floor next to her. “Absolutely.”
Chelbie leaned in and whispered, “Please, humor them. And I apologize in advance. They’re trying to fix me up. I swear, I won’t take it personally if you never talk to me again after today.”
He laughed, actually intrigued by the woman. “No problem. I appreciate the conversation.”
He walked over to Mal and sat next to her. She stuck her hand out. “Mallory Weaver. You can call me Mal.” She pointed at a guy with a coil of rope in his hand, who was talking to a huge guy who looked like a biker. “The shorter guy there is Askel, or Kel. My guy. Chelbie is my bestie. How new are you?”
“Still learning. I’ve done a little research.”
“Okay. Then you’ve come to the right place.”
Mallory started telling him about what he’d be seeing today. After a couple of minutes, Kel stepped forward and called for attention.
“Okay, we’re starting in two, so last call.”
Everyone started taking their seats.
“You don’t like to be tied up?” he asked her.
“Oh, I love it. I’d planned to be his bunny today, but…” She patted her stomach. “Mother Nature came to call. I volunteered Chelbie to step in. Kel’s tied her countless times. And, if you couldn’t tell, she’s snarky, so she’s always a crowd favorite.”
“No, I couldn’t tell that at all.”
Mal grinned. “Buddy, I’ll give you a hint. If you can grab her and hold on for the whole eight seconds, she’ll surprise the hell out of you.”
“I’m assuming you meant that metaphorically.”
“Good. You passed test one.”
“Test one?”
“A sense of humor. You don’t have one of those, she’ll eat you up and spit you out.”
“Just out of curiosity, how do you know I’m even interested in her?”
“I don’t. But I watched you when you met her. You’re curious.”
“Okay, I’ll admit to that.”
“She’s a straight-shooter. Zero tolerance for bullshit, and she’s sapiosexual.”
He laughed. “Got a think kink, huh?”
Mallory cocked her head at him, contemplative. “Very good,” she said. “Test two, passed.”
She started to say something else, then the demo got started.
One thing was certain, from the way the crowd reacted, he could tell the man was used to giving demos, and many of the people there either knew him, or knew of him, from the way they paid nearly rapt attention. He knew Rich would have felt self-conscious sitting up front like that, but he eagerly anticipated the demo getting under way. He had a front-row seat for the activities, could hear every word.
At the first break an hour later, Chelbie, now wearing a rope harness on her torso, walked over. “Well? What do you think?”
What he thought was that he’d finally found his true calling in life. He’d seen pictures of rope bondage on FetLife and elsewhere, but hadn’t put it together in his brain that it was a thing he could do.
This was a thing he really wanted to do. A lot.
Maybe even with Chelbie.
“I like what I’ve seen so far.”
Chelbie grinned. “Of the class, or me?”
He met her even gaze. “Yes.”
* * * *
Chelbie found herself at an uncharacteristic loss for words. Nick’s intense blue eyes seemed to peel something back inside her.
“Hey, Chelbie,” Mal said, breaking her spell. “Guess what? He’s sapiosexual, too. And he knew what the word meant.”
Holy fuck.
For a second, Chelbie was afraid she might have spoken that aloud. He had neatly styled blond hair to go with those killer blue eyes. “Well, good for you, there, buddy,” she said. “Nice to know.”
Mallory had likely told him everything about Chelbie she could, including her blood type and IQ.
Well, that’ll be a timesaver.
“And, even better?” Mallory added. “He likes snarky women.”
“It’s just my lucky day, I guess, isn’t it?”
Scrye would be teaching the next segment, leaving Chelbie free to talk with Nick. As she led him across the room toward Max and Sean’s table, she leaned in. “Sorry if she bored you to tears.”
“She didn’t. She spoke very highly of you.”
“Yeah, well, heh, I kind of have this coming the way I literally shoved her and Kel together.”
“She told me that, too.”
Now Chelbie looked up at him. “She did?”
He had a delicious smirk. “I’m a programmer, I live with my twin brother—”
“Whoa, what? There’s two of you?” She clapped her hand over her mouth. “Sorry,” she muttered from behind her hand. “That was rude, even for me.”
“You’re welcome!” Mallory called out from across the room.
Chelbie looked, uncovering her mouth to stick her tongue out at her bestie.
“We’re fraternal twins,” Nick said. “Not identical.” His playful smirk never slipped. “He’s got brown hair. He’s a musician.”
“Shut. Up.”
She had to be dreaming.
“And he’s curious about the lifestyle, too,” Nick continued. “I feel like I already know you from what Mal said, and she told me that one of your biggest turnoffs is someone beating around the bush. So I’m going to put it out on the table that my brother and I are apparently poly. We’re currently both single, and he’s agreed with me that maybe it’s time we stop trying to plow our way through life alone.”
She blinked.
“Again,” Mallory yelled from where she sat, “you’re welcome.”
“Shut up!” Chelbie yelled back. A few people laughed at their exchange. Mallory wasn’t close enough to hear everything being discussed, but her bestie knew Chelbie well enough to read the signs.
Chelbie pulled him farther away from the main group and turned so Mallory couldn’t see her face. “Um, okay. Wow. Mallory knows how to shut me the hell up, doesn’t she?”
“I’m sorry. Was that too much info?”
“No, no, that was…wow.”
Wow indeed. She was now wet at the thought of this cutie and a carbon copy of him possibly taking care of her at the same time.
Holy cow.
“Okay,” she said, finally regaining her powers of speech. “How about we leave things at that for right now and see if we even still like each other by the end of the afternoon?”
He nodded. “Sounds like a plan to me. I’m in no hurry. To be honest, from what your friend said about you, you and I might hit it off. At least as friends. And I’m fine starting out as friends and seeing if things go anywhere from there.”
“Now you’re just fucking with me.”
“No, I’m not. I swear.” He shoved his hands into his pockets. A dark cloud
rolled across his expression. “I thought my parents were happy together. We both thought that. We were the only kids they had. They dropped it on us after we graduated from high school that the only reason they stayed together was for us, and they really couldn’t stand each other, and hadn’t been in love with each other since we were babies. Then the nastiest divorce you’ve ever seen outside of reality TV got started.”
“Oh. Wow. I’m sorry.” She felt even luckier for her parents’ solid marriage. Sometimes they bickered, but never had she heard them fight. Ever.
“Yeah, so were we. I’m in no hurry to rush a relationship. The tl;dr version of my life that your friend told me to give you is that I’m smart, I have an offbeat sense of humor, I’m poly, my brother is also interested in the lifestyle, and I’m not ready to just swoop in and collar someone and call myself…” He seemed to think about it. “She said ‘Sir Fussypants,’ but I got the impression that’s an inside joke.”
Chelbie burst out laughing. “It is, no worries. Any idea what your area of interest is right now, kink-wise?” She gave thanks for being a kinkster. At least in this regard, even though she could tell the guy was a little nervous, she didn’t feel the slightest bit bashful talking about all of this. She was used to negotiations when she played with someone. It was second-nature to her at this point.
It would have felt weird if they had danced around stuff instead of talking about it directly.
“I like being in charge in bed,” he said. “So does Rich. And,” he quickly added, “since Mallory brought this up, no, there’s no squicky stuff between my brother and me.”
“That’s good to know.”
“I think I really like rope. And I’d like to learn as much as I could. I’ve seen some stuff I know I’m not going to be into, like really heavy sadism.”
“Hey, I’ve met a lot of heavy sadists who started out thinking that.”
“I mean, in play, sure. I’m not looking to run someone’s whole life for them. And my brother isn’t, either. We want to have fun with someone we can click with out of bed as well as in it.”
Chelbie said something that surprised even her. “Let’s make sure we exchange phone numbers and e-mail addresses before we leave here today, huh?”
“I’d like that. Thank you.”