As he poured a glass of draft beer for one of his mid-day regulars, Mike glanced up when the front door to Donovan’s swung open. His gut churned, and he tried to act as if nothing was wrong as Nick strode into the bar, drawing many appreciative looks from the women around the room, young and old. The youngest Sawyer brother was six foot and about two-hundred pounds of pure muscle. Like his siblings, his hair was jet black, which offset his startling, blue eyes. Even though Mike was straight, it was easy to see how Jake had fallen for the good-looking guy.

Since Mike had called Nick and asked him to stop by for a chat—without Jake—it wasn’t a surprise he was here. But as he took a stool at the bar, Mike was starting to regret calling him in the first place. He tried to act natural as he gave old-man Jeffers his beer. “Hey, Nick. What’ll you have?”

“Bud Light is fine. What’s on the specials today? I’m starved.”

Mike snorted as he grabbed a beer bottle from the cooler and a daily menu—the guy knew the regular menu by heart. “What? Doesn’t Jake feed you? You’re always starving when you come in here.”

“Actually, he had to fly up to D.C. with Ian yesterday for some meeting about one of TS West’s contracts.” Jake had spent a year and a half out in California getting the West Coast team set up while Nick had been finishing up his last tour with the Navy before retiring and joining his brothers in Tampa. From what Mike had figured out from conversations he’d heard when visiting the Trident compound, that meeting was, most likely, someplace inside the Pentagon. “They won’t be back until tomorrow, so I’m on my own.”

Scanning the menu, he chose the daily burger special, then took a swig of his beer as Mike entered the order into the computer behind the bar. When he turned back around, Nick eyed him curiously. “So . . . what did you need to talk about—without Jake?”

Mike glanced up and down the bar. “Um . . . not here.” He raised his voice. “Hey, Missy, I’ll be in the party room if you need me.” The daytime bartender waved at him as she took an order from one of the waitresses. Grabbing a beer for himself from the cooler, he cocked his head toward the room on the other side of the restaurant, and said to Nick, “Let’s go in there.”

The younger man followed then took a seat across from him at a table at the back of the party room. Throughout the week, it didn’t get much use, but during lunch and dinner on the weekends the overflow from the dining room ended up in there unless there was a scheduled event. Unsure of how to start the conversation, Mike asked, “So . . . how are you doing?”

Nick arched an eyebrow at him. “That’s what you wanted to talk about? Let’s skip the bullshit—what’s bugging you?”

Taking a deep breath, Mike let it out slowly. He couldn’t look Nick in the eye, instead his gaze was on the beer bottle label he was picking at with his fingernail. “How . . . How did . . .” He swallowed hard. “How did you know you were . . . um . . .”

“Spit it out, Mike. How did I know I was gay?”

He shook his head. “No . . . not that . . . um . . . how did you know you were a submissive?”

Silence filled the air. Seconds passed by until Mike finally couldn’t take the suspense anymore and raised his chin. He didn’t expect to see Nick’s mouth opening and closing while surprise and bewilderment filled his eyes.

Finally, Nick gave his head a shake and ran a hand through his short hair. “Sorry, Mike. That’s got to be the last question I ever expected to hear from you. Give me a minute to switch gears here.” He took a swig of his beer. “Okay, how did I know? Um, I didn’t . . . not until Jake and I hooked up after Dev and Kristen’s wedding. Jake did his Dom thing and, I don’t know, it just felt right. Trust me, I was confused as all hell. I’d never been in a relationship like that before—or even had a one-night stand like that. It was definitely different, but like I said, it felt right. Why are you asking?”

He should have known that question was coming, but it still took him a moment before he could admit to Nick and to himself what had been going through his mind for the past three days. “I . . . ah . . . shit, how do I say this? Charlotte was here the other night . . . after closing . . . and . . . uh . . . she came onto me . . . I guess—”

“Wait—what do you mean she came onto you? Charlotte doesn’t date outside the lifestyle, as far as I know.”

“She offered to introduce me to it . . . she wants me to submit to her.”

“Charlotte?” Nick’s eyebrows were almost up to his hairline. “Mistress China made an appearance and offered to . . . um . . . okay . . . wow. Okay, so I guess my next question is . . . how do you feel about that? Obviously, you’ve given it some thought since we’re sitting here discussing it.”

Mike shrugged. “Yeah, I’m attracted to her—I’d have to be dead or gay not to be—but I . . . I don’t know about this getting on my knees shit—”

His words were cut off when Nick threw his head back and barked out a laugh. “Ha! Oh, shit . . . this is too funny . . . wait . . . give . . . give me a minute here.”

Nick’s cheeks turned red as his shoulders shook. It took a few moments for him to get himself under control. At first, Mike was annoyed, but then he couldn’t help the grin that spread across his face. “All right, jackass . . . knock it off and help a guy out—I’m out of my element here.”

“Oh, shit . . .” He wiped his eyes and took a deep breath. “Okay . . . okay, sorry. Um . . . all right. I’ve gotten to know Charlotte over the past few months—despite being a bit of a sadist, she’s really cool. I know you’ve figured out that the lifestyle isn’t a bad thing, but I get the impression you still don’t realize it’s a good thing for many people.”

When Mike nodded, Nick continued. “Jake and I were at a munch at the club we belonged to in San Diego—a munch is a get-together for newbies or people interested in the lifestyle to meet and talk to experienced subs and Doms. There’s no play, just question and answers. One of the male subs there gave a great explanation of the lifestyle. He compared it to the military—which, being in San Diego, helped a lot of people get it. In the military, there are two types of people—officers and the rank and file. Officers, obviously, issue the commands—they’re the leaders, or Dominants. Rank and file are the followers, aka submissives. One without the other means nothing works—the dynamics of the squad won’t work unless both parties perform their roles and duties. No matter what, there are those who won’t be able to function without that leader—they know how to follow orders, but when it comes to planning a mission, they’re lost. For the leaders, if there’s no one to follow their orders, then they’ll lose the battle. Can’t lead if no one follows.

“The same goes for a D/s relationship—it won’t work unless the Dom and sub have mutually agreed upon roles that they stick to. Doms take the lead, ensuring their subs are taken care of and do everything they can to make sure their subs are protected. In return, the subs agree to hand over the responsibility of play and other aspects of their lives to their Doms. For those not in the lifestyle, it might seem that the Doms have all the control, but in reality, it’s the subs who have the ultimate power, through their limit lists and safewords, and those need to be respected at all costs. Same goes for the military—if there’s no respect and trust, the subordinates aren’t going to follow the leaders. They’ll do the minimum required to avoid being put on report or court marshaled, but the moment the shit hits the fan, they’re going to turn tail and run. It’s not cowardice, but self-preservation. Most rank and file will never be leaders. Most subs will never be Doms. They can try, but I guarantee, once they can put their lives in someone else’s hands again—someone they trust—they’re relieved.”

Nick paused and took another sip of his beer as the daytime waitress brought his lunch in. “Need anything else, Nick?” she asked, placing the plate, piled high with the burger special and fries, and a bottle of ketchup in front of him.

“Nope. Thanks, Joanie.” When she left the room again, Nick picked up a french fry, popped it into his mouth, and grabbed the ketchup bottle. “Does any of that make sense to you, or did I make you more confused?”

Mike let everything his future brother-in-law said sink into his brain, before taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. “No, I think you gave me another way of looking at it.” He snorted. “I was so caught off guard I told Charlotte I didn’t want to be her wimp.”

Pausing with his burger an inch or two from his mouth, Nick’s eyes went wide. “Damn, I wish I’d been a fly on the bar for that. What’d she say?”

“She asked if I thought you were a wimp for submitting to Jake.” He quickly held up a hand, not wanting the younger man to think he was putting him down. “I don’t—that’s the last word I’d ever use to describe you or Jake. But it’s different with you and him.”

Nick chewed the bite he’d taken, then swallowed. “What, because we’re both men, and Charlotte’s a woman and you don’t think men should submit to women?”

“Yeah . . . no . . . I don’t know.” He ran a hand down his face. The frustration was killing him. He hadn’t dated in a while, but there’d been a few one-night stands—a perk, of sorts, of owning a bar. But those were getting fewer and further apart. He was at the point in his life where quick hookups with nameless women weren’t doing much for him anymore. Yeah, the release with someone was better than what he got with his hand, but meaningless sex was starting to grate on him. His buddies had all settled down over the past ten years—it had worked for some but not all of them so there were a few divorcees. Mike didn’t want to marry someone just for the sake of getting married. He wanted what his brother and Jake’s coworkers and friends had all found. Someone to grow old with—someone they’d found the other half of their heart and soul in.

He wished his soulmate would just walk through the door of the pub one day and announce she was the one he’d been looking for. But that shit only happened in fairy tales. So that meant he had to start dating again . . . getting himself out there, meeting women he was attracted to . . . women like Charlotte . . . no, not Charlotte. Well, why not?

“Why not, what?”

Nick’s question brought Mike back to the here and now, not realizing he’d spoken aloud. “Should I . . . should I try this Dominant/submissive thing with her? I mean, I am attracted to her . . . big time. I just never thought she was interested in me. We’ve had some casual conversations before, and everything was fine. But, honestly, now, I’m a little intimidated. It’s like suddenly she’s set her sights on me and my knees are shaking. And don’t even get me started on the whole whip thing. I know you and Jake have both done that, but there’s no way I could stand there and take someone whipping me.”

Grabbing a paper napkin, Nick pointed to the pen Mike had forgotten was behind his ear. “Let me have the pen. There are a few sites for you to check out and where you can talk to other subs—men and women, gay and straight.” He jotted down several websites, two of them being the ones Charlotte had told Mike to visit, before handing back the pen along with the napkin. “The one thing I do know is Charlotte has had D/s relationships before that didn’t include the whip—I’m not sure how long they lasted, but I remember Jake mentioning it at some point. It’s not for everyone. Why she got into it is something you’ll have to ask her—I have no idea. But that’s the great thing about the lifestyle. You sit down and negotiate what your contract involves—you list what your hard and soft limits are—what you’re okay with and what turns you off. Then the Dom and sub come to an agreement and it’s solid. Unless, of course, you’re dealing with a wannabe who’s in the lifestyle for the wrong reasons.”

He popped another fry into his mouth, chewed and then swallowed it before continuing. “You know, one of the things I love about our D/s relationship is there’s no guessing what Jake’s thinking. If something is bothering one of us, we sit down and hash it out—that’s something I never did in a relationship before, and I think that’s what makes this one so special. I trust Jake more than any other man I’ve ever dated. I know if I’m having a bad day, I can go home and count on him to help me get past it. There’s something about shutting my mind down and just letting him take over that . . . I don’t know how to say it for you to really understand, but I guess the best way to put it is it sets me free and grounds me at the same time. I can’t really explain it any other way. All I know is that if I had to make a choice right here and now between having a D/s relationship with Jake or having a vanilla world relationship, it would be no contest. Once you go Dom . . .” He shook his head and grinned. “. . . all right, that won’t rhyme, but you get the point.”

Yeah, Mike got the point—the problem was he still wasn’t sure if he was out of his mind for even considering taking Charlotte up on her offer.

* * *

Stripped down to his boxer briefs, straddling Jake’s ass on their bed, Nick kneaded the hard flesh of his lover’s naked back. As soon as Jake had gotten home from his D.C. trip, Nick had asked his Dom to indulge him. It was one of the things he enjoyed doing, giving Jake a massage, mainly because of the scars that marred his skin. Most of the time it led to sex, but sometimes it ended with cuddling. It had been a huge turning point in their relationship when Jake had finally stopped hiding the damage his father’s belt had done all those years ago. It was a confirmation there were no more secrets between them, which was why Nick knew he had to spill his guts. He was just hoping the massage would get Jake relaxed enough not to flip out. “So, everything went okay at the Pentagon?”

“Mmm-hmm,” Jake mumbled into his pillow. “Damn, that feels good, babe. Keep it up, and we’ll never make it to the club later.”

After leaving Donovan’s, Nick knew he had to tell Jake about his conversation with Mike. Thank God his future brother-in-law hadn’t sworn him to secrecy. Nick wasn’t sure if Mike had forgotten to tell him not to inform Jake or if he’d just assumed Nick would keep his mouth shut. Knowing something that concerned Jake’s brother, and not telling him about it, was one sure way for Nick to earn a punishment, and not one that would result in any pleasure afterward. Lying by omission was just as bad as outright lying in Jake’s book. He was protective of his family and friends—his role as a Dom just reinforced that.

“Mmm. So what did you do while I was gone? Mom mentioned you stopped by this morning when I spoke to her on my way home.”

Nick slid his hands downward and found another knot of muscles. He dug his heel of his palm in, trying to loosen it. “I just swung by to see if she needed anything and ended up cleaning out expired food from her refrigerator and cabinets, taking out the trash, changing a dead light bulb in the hallway, and helping her pay some bills.” He paused. “I think it’s time to have that talk with her and Mike about her going into the assisted living facility.” They’d noticed recently that Emma Donovan was slowing down and needed more help doing many things she used to do without a problem. They were worried about her driving, too, and tried to keep track of her shopping needs and appointments so they could take her. “She’s getting worse, Jake. I think you should call her doctor again—tell him it looks like she’s going to need the testing after all.”

Mrs. Donovan’s father had briefly suffered the start of Alzheimer’s when he’d wandered out into traffic and gotten hit by a car twenty-six years ago. While it’d been hard on the family, in a way it’d been a blessing they hadn’t had to watch him go downhill as the unforgiving disease took over his brain for good. For the past few months, her sons and Nick had started to notice signs she might also have developed the disease, but she hadn’t wanted to undergo the testing her doctor had suggested. It was probably due to her fear of the unknown and wishing denial would prevent it from getting worse. Nick hoped like hell it didn’t happen to every generation on Jake’s maternal side of the family.

“Yeah. I think that’s a good idea—hopefully she’ll agree this time. I was going to go talk to Mike about it tomorrow, anyway.”

Nick cleared his throat. Now was as good a time as any. “Yeah, about Mike . . . I . . . um . . . had lunch with him yesterday.”

At the hesitancy, Jake picked up his head and glanced over his shoulder. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing . . . not really . . . I mean . . . it could be a good thing . . . I think . . . but I don’t know if—”

In one swift move, Jake flipped over, sending Nick onto his back on the other side of the bed, cutting of the last of whatever he’d been about to say. Before the younger man could react, his Dom was on top of him, his hands on Nick’s wrists pinning them to the mattress. Annoyance combined with concern flared in Jake’s eyes. “Spit it out, Junior. What’s going on with Mike?”

Shit. Should have waited until after we had sex.

Letting out a heavy sigh, Nick tried to ignore Jake’s semi-hard cock touching his fully-erect one through two layers of thin, cotton briefs. “He called and asked me to stop by for lunch and talk in private. He . . . um . . . had some questions . . . about the lifestyle . . . about being a submissive.”

Jake’s eyes narrowed. “Why would Mike have questions about being a sub? We never hid our D/s relationship around him—not since you were in the hospital.”

Early in their relationship, Nick had gotten shot while trying to save a teenage girl from her perverted father. During his recovery, Mike had come to visit him and Jake, and confessed his role in Sean Donovan finding out his youngest son was gay. “Apparently he and Charlotte had a . . . conversation, I guess . . . actually, it was more like Mike and Mistress China had a conversation . . . when she told him he was submissive and offered—”

Jake’s grip on Nick’s wrists tightened and a fierce scowl spread across his face. “What! Are you telling me Charlotte offered to introduce my brother—my vanilla brother—to the lifestyle?”

“Um . . . yeah. But I don’t—”

His words were cut off again as Jake cursed and released him, before jumping off the bed and reaching for his discarded jeans. “Is she fucking nuts? What the hell was she thinking?”

Nick sat up. “Jake, I don’t think—”

“I’m going to talk to her—she’s at the club, teaching a class right now.” He pulled his T-shirt back on, then shoved his bare feet into a pair of sneakers. “I’ll be back later.”

“Jake—hey, Jake!”

The Dom paused in the doorway and glanced back. When he saw the “what the fuck?” expression on Nick’s face, he strode back into the room. Leaning down and grabbing the back of Nick’s neck, he pulled him close and slammed their lips together. It was a hard and fury-filled kiss as Jake plunged his tongue into Nick’s mouth, exerting his dominance. But it didn’t last long. Releasing his sub, Jake straightened. “I’m sorry, babe. I’ll make it up to you tonight, but I have to go talk to Charlotte and find out what the hell is going through her mind.”

Realizing Jake wasn’t going to let this go without confronting the Domme, Nick nodded. “Okay. Do you want me to meet you there in a bit or are you coming back here?” They’d made plans to go out to dinner and the movies, followed by a visit to The Covenant. A full date night was something they didn’t often find time for with their schedules, and Nick had been looking forward to it all day.

“Wait here. I’ll come back and change, then we’ll go grab dinner before the movie.” Pivoting, he headed for the doorway, but paused at the threshold and glanced back. “And, Junior, you earned an extra-long blowjob later for telling me. Thank you.”

Nick grinned as his Dom disappeared into the hallway. Sometimes there were definitely advantages to spilling the beans.