I didn’t expect Matthew to stay—he liked to keep himself at a distance. He was caring but cautious. I could understand that.

Our night was hot as fuck, but it was just like him to leave right after I shut my eyelids.

On my dresser was a note that read: “I had the best night of my life. Call me.”

I meant to tell him everything before he left. I wasn’t sure about our game anymore. When I felt his gentle warmth wrap around my cock, I looked into his eyes and something finally clicked.

I loved him, and I wasn’t afraid of holding back. I was going to own that feeling, and I hoped that he would too.

Naked, I strolled into my kitchen and tamped some espresso into the machine. I clicked it on and watched as the dark liquid formed into a rich amber color. My eyes closed with pleasure as the coffee smell wafted into my nostrils. “Mm.”

I rose the small ceramic mug to my mouth, but just as I was about to savor the taste, a sharp knock startled me back. I dropped the cup, shattering it into small pieces.

“Fuck!” I turned around and angrily stared at the door. “Who the hell is it?”

“It’s me, Jordan. And, uh, Jack’s here too,” the voice said.

I quickly covered myself up with a robe and opened the door. I nodded at my cousin, still a bit shaken from dropping the cup. Jack stood behind him, but he wasn’t big on nice greetings. I let them in.

I eagerly tamped another chunk of espresso and curled it into the machine, flicking the switch. If I didn’t get my coffee in the morning, I was going to go crazy.

“So, what bad news do you guys have to bring me today?” I asked.

Jordan opened his mouth to respond, but Jack placed his hand on his shoulder, stopping him. “You agreed to meet with the buyers today.”

Pausing, I scratched my chin. “I did?”

“You did,” Jordan said, leaning against the kitchen bar. “You promised them an update on the situation.”

I motioned for Jack to sit down, but he declined. Sighing, I grabbed my mug of espresso and hot water, and silently, I sipped at the scalding edge of liquid. “Shit. Well, can’t I push the meeting back a week?”

Jack frowned and smacked the table. “We’re going now,” he said.

Jordan gave me a sidelong glance. “Okay, we’ll go now,” I said. “Just let me throw some clothes on.”

I couldn’t believe I forgot about the visit with the buyers. I must have gotten so carried away by the thought of having Matthew that it slipped my mind.

We took a car to scope the area out. To my surprise, the crowd had dissipated. The newly placed caution tape and street police effectively killed their visibility.

“You seeing what I’m seeing?” Jack asked.

I nodded and gave a humorous sigh of relief. “We might have dodged a bullet,” I said.

Jack laughed. “They’re all living in a fantasy world, aren’t they?”

Jordan rolled his eyes and stared at the window. “All it takes is a small group to change things. It’s not over yet,” he said.

Jack laughed and pulled out a cigar, running it below his nostrils and inhaling. “You and your cousin are one in the same.”

“I take offense to that,” Jordan said. I shoved him playfully.

Jack’s laugh didn’t last too long. When the car came to a halt, Jack turned around and eyed us severely. “Tomorrow we’ll sort the zoning issues,” he said before kicking open the car door. “I’ll get my guys out here if I have to. We’ll have this place shut down in less than a week.”

“Jesus,” Jordan whispered.

I looked at my cousin briefly and nodded. “Tell me about it. You were right, Jordan. He’s a real asshole.”

Jordan opened the door but paused before exiting the vehicle. “Yeah, well, I’m stuck in this with you now,” he said.

Both of us ran after Jack as he pushed his big body through the thin crowd with a lit cigar in his mouth. “Jack! Wait the hell up,” I said. He briefly paused for me. “When you said you’d have your guys out here… what did you mean by that?”

“Do you really want to know?” Jack asked. When I didn’t answer him, he continued walking.

“You’re not going to hurt them, are you?” I asked. Jack laughed innocently enough. “Look, I know I told you earlier in the planning that I didn’t care what it took to get this project finished, but I was wrong. I need you to tell me the truth this time.”

Jack didn’t give me time to brace for impact. He turned around and grabbed me, forcing me against the side of a building. “Do you see this bar?” he asked me, teeth clenched.

I looked up. The Bar Sixty-Six. Sure—I walked in there the other day. Then, it dawned on me. This was the bar that Jack was aiming at. “So, this is the place with the zoning issues?”

Jack let go of my shirt and smoothed out the crumpled edges. “These degenerates are months behind on their rent payments. I’m not even sure they have the correct liquor licenses either. We bring these issues to the city, and it paves the way for us to make our case. It’s a win-win for everyone,” he said.

But something was changing inside of me. When I met that bartender, I felt terrible for him. After all, he was a normal, nice guy. He had a family. None of these people deserved this.

I had to hold it in and nod my head like a good dog. Standing in front of Jack and Jordan, I felt like a fucking child. Although I had money in the bank, it meant nothing to me.

“Sure thing, Jack,” I said.

Jack looked at Jordan and lowered his voice. “Now, don’t start getting sentimental. That bar’s a fucking fire trap,” he said, pointing. The building looked fine to me, but what did I know?

I was beginning to realize that conquest for power was a worthless concept. The only thing a man could bet on was love. So even though I followed them into the building, and even though I gave my heartfelt speech to the investors and buyers, I focused my mind on one thing only: the day I could leave this all behind and take Matthew in my arms for good.

Outside, Jordan ran after me. “Cousin, wait up,” he said.

I slowed my pace down. “This is all fucked up, right?”

Jordan laughed. “Which part?”

“The whole thing. My entire life,” I said.

I stepped through some people with signs, sitting on the curb, exhausted from standing. “Look at them. They have nothing to lose because we’ve already taken it away from them.”

“This is how it’s always been with you. This isn’t your first trip to the casino,” he said.

I nodded, dazed. “Guess you’re right. I’ve never been that great of a guy, have I?”

Jordan stopped at the corner and put his hand out to catch a cabbie’s attention. A car quickly pulled to the side, but Jordan paused and shook his head.

“I’m done, Hunter,” he said. “For now. This is immoral,” he said.

“I get it. I knew you’d have to leave eventually. Anyway, I’m working on myself,” I said.

I hugged my cousin. For me, getting out was going to be a hell of a lot more difficult. The project involved a complex web of people, and all of them were willing to go to the grave for their paychecks.

“As your attorney, I advice you to get out while you can,” Jordan said.

I nodded, waving as Jordan stepped inside the vehicle. The car sped off, but the look on his face tore right through me.

When I arrived back at my penthouse, Matthew was waiting for me by the front door. In his hand was a large, black bag. “Well, hello there, kitten.” I smiled and picked him up into my arms.

Matthew kissed my lips gently at first, but he soon began nibbling on my earlobe, dragging his tongue down to the sensitive bend of my neck. When I sat him down, he held the bag in front of him. “I’ve missed you so much that I’ve bought you a few gifts,” he said.

I looked down in the contents of the black bag. Matthew reached inside and pulled out a set of Pyrex glass anal plugs. Next to the set was a leather mask with two small holes near the nostrils for air. I should have been excited to use these on Matthew, but I felt off after my meeting earlier with Jack.

“I thought we could play again.”

“It looks like you’ve bought yourself some gifts,” I said, frowning. “I’m supposed to be the one who does the gift giving around here.”

Matthew shifted back with a look of hurt in his eyes. “I didn’t expect that reaction,” he said.

“Well, what did you expect?”

Matthew shrugged and swallowed, glancing sidelong at the street while rubbing his shoulder. “I don’t know. I thought maybe you’d want to be close to me,” he said.

I didn’t enjoy coming on empty handed, especially after today’s work at the job site. But seeing Matthew’s shattered reaction hurt me in ways I couldn’t explain. As soon as his smile faded, I sucked in some air and pulled him closer to me with a forced smile.

“I just had a dreadful day,” I admitted.

Matthew kissed my chest. “Work stuff?”

I nodded and felt my throat tighten. “I just want to be free from it. I want to be with you all day,” I said.

Matthew held the bag in front of my face again. “I know what might make you happy. Let’s go upstairs,” he urged me.

I took one look at Matthew’s sweet face and gentle demeanor, and I couldn’t let him down. His pink lips were begging to be opened again, and the image of his ass teased open with a glass toy was urging me to forget about any work issues I had.

I felt his hands fumble my belt open. “Get out of those pants, daddy,” he said.

I lowered my pants to the floor and sat against the bed. Within seconds, he was tonguing my balls through the unzipped hole in the leather mask and showing off his fit ass.

“Tell me I look cute,” he whispered, mouth full of me.

I gripped the top of the slave mask, gently “You look incredible, honey,” I whispered.

I swiveled the glass dildo around his rim, lube running off the smooth and circular edges. Matthew purred and opened his mouth real wide. “Give it to me, daddy. I’ve been waiting for your cum all day.”

Slowly, I inserted the glass dildo and paused to hear his muted whimper behind the black mask. I reached out and dragged my palm across the leather, bringing his head back down.

He swallowed my cock and took every pump that I gave him. But I didn’t want to be the only one that got something out of this encounter. Plus, his long and rock hard cock was begging to be gagged on.

“Here. Spin around for me,” I said.

Matthew turned his body as I put his waist over my head. I opened my mouth and tasted the salty-sweet of his cum, and I swallowed him down, quickly milking him to completion.

“Daddy, you’re going to make me…”

But it was too late for him. A daddy knows all the tricks that work on his omega’s pleasure centers. I held my mouth against his pelvis and slowly circled my tongue around the sensitive bottom of his soft head until I felt the dull rumbling of his muscles give way to a sharp set of muscle contractions.

As soon as it clicked for me, I swallowed the rest of his cum and felt my own body mimic his. “Fuck,” I whispered. “Cumming.”

But something was off. The pleasure quickly dissipated into guilt. Walking to the bathroom to grab a towel, I could feel Matthew’s gaze on me. He moved behind me and kissed the center of my back.

“Talk to me. You seem like you’re stuck today,” he said.

He began massaging all of the tense portions of my muscles, but nothing could bring me out of my head. Falling in love was supposed to be out of the question for me, but there I was, looking into the eyes of a man I was falling deeply for. He was changing the way I looked at the world. Big fucking problem.

“I have to tell you something,” I said.

Matthew’s hands stopped kneading into my flesh. “Are you breaking up with me?”

“Breaking up with you? Pumpkin, it’s the exact opposite.” I turned around to let him know how serious this was to me. “I wanted to tell you that I’m falling for you.”

“Stop joking around,” he said.

“I’ve been with a handful of guys, but none of them mesmerized me the way you do,” I said. “I love the way you look at me. I love the way your eyes glisten when you talk about your family. I love that you care about people, Matthew. I just love you, and it’s freaking me the hell out right now. I’m supposed to be in control, but you’re fucking it all up for me.”

I let out an awkward chuckle because I didn’t know how to react. It wasn’t every day that I spilled out my heart to another man, and I didn’t expect to find myself so vulnerable and afraid of losing him.

I didn’t just love him, I wanted to be someone like him.

“You… You love me?” he stuttered and blinked his eyes, stunned.

“I said it, okay? We don’t need to discuss it any further,” I said.

A big smile was shaping around his sweet mouth. “Daddy…” he taunted me. “Daddy loves his pet.”

“I’m serious, Matthew,” I said.

Matthew frowned jokingly but quickly turned serious. “You need to stop running away from every emotion you have. It’s draining you,” he said.

“Maybe.”

He took my chin into his hand and forced me to look at him. “Quit it,” he said, poking my nose. “Because I love you too. And I want this to work in the long-term.”

I peered at the silver ring, still firmly enclosed around his finger. He was such a sweet submissive for me. If I was going to provide for him, I wanted to do it right.

Matthew loved me—he said it himself. “That’s it. We’re spending all of tomorrow in bed,” I said.

“No, silly. You know I have to work at the bar tomorrow,” he said.

I moved closer to him, coiling my thighs around his. “What if I meet you at your work? I have a tendency to tip well,” I said.

With earnestness in his eyes, Matthew traced his finger across my chest. “You want to come to my work? That’s a little domestic, don’t you think?”

Chuckling, I held his soft face in my hands. “I like domestic.”

Turning serious, Matthew stopped smiling. “I’d love that, Hunter,” he said.

“Give me the bar name. I’ll be there around noon,” I said.

“It’s the Sixty-Six Bar, over in Bushwick.” he asked.

I felt my heart sink into the pit of my stomach. It couldn’t be true, could it? “The one on the corner of that block they’re trying to tear down?” I asked.

Matthew nodded and looked forlorn. “Yeah, that’s the one. Why do you ask?”

I quickly broke eye contact and felt a rush of confusion wash over me. “No reason,” I lied. “Somebody told me they served good cocktails.”

Karma was a bitch, and I was learning that love was a deal with a hefty fine print.