The Nova growled as Sean angled the car up Franklin Avenue. “You ever hiked Runyon?” he asked her.

She shook her head. “Everyone says it’s so L.A.”

“It kind of is.”

It was early enough in the morning, and a weekday, that there were no other hikers on the narrowly pitched canyon.

Sean noticed her unsteadiness, in stark contrast to her toned legs. “You okay?” he asked.

“Yeah, sure,” she said, and smiled up at him a few feet ahead of her. “Just kind of tired.”

He took the lead to suss out loose steps and turned around every few yards to check on her. It was easier than usual, talking to her like this. Sean spoke into the whistling canyon, and her soft voice answered from behind. No forced eye contact or wondering what to do with his hands. No wishing there was a rope intertwined through my fingers.

At a switchback, Sean heard a slip behind him. “Fuck,” she whispered.

“Alright?” When he turned, he saw that she’d rolled up her shorts from the morning heat. Her upper thighs were peppered with bruises and red marks. “Hey,” he said, and stopped. “You should ice those, it’ll help.”

She blushed. “I don’t mind,” she said quietly.

He continued up the slope. “So … have you always … you know?” she asked from behind.

“What?”

“Liked … what you like. In bed.”

“Being a dominant? I guess so,” he said. “It’s always turned me on. But especially in the last few years.”

“And you’ve … been with other girls? Like me?” she asked.

Careful, he thought. He couldn’t tell if it was jealousy, sheer curiosity, or both. And he didn’t want to turn around to get a clue from her face. Not yet. Don’t ruin it yet.

“No one is quite like you,” he finally said. It was true. “But I have been with other submissives, yes.”

“It’s just … how do you start this lifestyle? You know?” she asked. “I mean, I’ve seen The Secretary—”

Sean laughed. “Actually, in the world of so-called mainstream BDSM movies, that’s not bad. For me, I guess I just had a lot of money. And money buys you access to places like Miss Mary’s. One taste, and I was hooked.”

Harper was quiet behind him, but he heard her steps across the rocky terrain.

Sean stopped at the corner of another switchback and offered her a water. “Have you ever been a sub before?” he asked, though he knew the answer.

Harper turned red and shook her head. “I haven’t really had time to explore … well, much of anything. I feel like I’ve been working forever. Fulfilling my mom’s dreams, and all.”

“Family,” he said, and even he could hear the tinge of disgust in his voice. He took the water hose from her and tucked it back into his CamelBak. “I have to deal with that myself soon. Though it’s not so bad, just my brother.”

“Oh?” she asked, curios. “What’s he like?”

Sean adjusted the backpack and motioned for them to continue. “Picture the opposite of me,” he said. “He was a SEAL for a long time, hasn’t been back from overseas long. Honestly, I don’t really know him. He headed into the military as soon as he turned eighteen. I kind of feel sorry for him.”

“How come?”

“I don’t know. He comes back, this war hero. Has to deal with an alcoholic brother. Our dad’s a total domineering asshole. My mom’s manic depressive and gobbles up Lithium like candy. Nice homecoming, right?”

“Makes sense why he left as soon as he could, with parents like that. But you can’t blame yourself,” she said softly. “You were just a kid when he left.”

“Yeah, well. I’m not a kid anymore. Besides, it’s not just all that. Our dad is … well, well-off would be putting it lightly. And Connor’s the official ‘heir to the throne’ as long as he’s engaged.”

“Oh. Wow. That’s, like, some straight-up Disney stuff,” she said.

“Yeah. Complete with Dad as the villain. And, for Connor? I’m guessing there’s plenty in his past that he can’t un-see or un-do. Hell, for all I know, he’s just as fucked up as I am.”

“You’re not …” Harper began, but she let it trail off.

“My family’s a mess, it’s okay,” he said. “I know it.”

“So, how’s your brother doing with the whole engagement process?”

“That’s another story,” he said with a sigh. “He was engaged to some girl. But he caught her with someone else.”

“Oh, harsh,” she said. “Was he heartbroken? I mean—”

“Not really,” he said with a shrug. “I think he was just going through the motions. There was some serious drama that went down during it, though. Connor up and left Dad’s company and got his own gig as the COO of some big security company back on the east coast. I think he couldn’t admit to our dad that his whole engagement fell apart, especially since Dad discouraged it the whole time.”

“So now what?”

“He, uh, well he met someone right after. Sam. They’re engaged now, and Sam’s already pregnant. Surprisingly, the whole shotgun wedding thing isn’t nearly as taboo as I thought it would be. I think our dad’s just happy Connor’s settling down.”

“What’s Sam like?”

“I don’t really know her, but she seems nice. Gorgeous,” he said.

Harper didn’t say anything, but he felt a shift in the mood.

“Connor’s thinking of moving here with her, that’s why he’s coming to visit. Talking about opening a security business and Sam would do the marketing.”

“Really?” Harper asked. He heard her steps halt behind him.

“Yeah, why?” he asked as he turned around. A pair of hikers, the first they’d seen, came down the switchback and squeezed by them with awkward “good mornings.”

“I just … it seemed like your family was kind of off-limits for you.”

“My mom and dad are, but my brother’s a good egg,” he said. Sean looked at her closely. “Do you want to meet him.”

She blinked. “Sure,” she said. He suspected the air of confidence was forced.

Sean took her in. “Okay … but if that happens, I think you should know a little bit more. About my childhood. Water?”

She shook her head.

“Let’s keep going. So, I guess you could probably surmise that neglect was a big part of my childhood. My dad was always working. There were weeks where I didn’t see him at all. My mom was busy keeping up the socialite lifestyle—and was drunk most of the time anyway. Some mornings, I’d get up and find her sloppy drunk before ten, screaming at the morning news hosts.”

“God,” Harper said. “And I thought my mom was tough to handle.”

“I remember one time. I must have been six or seven. Mom was hospitalized for something … I’m not sure what. It might have been a tummy tuck, an overdose, I really don’t know. But when she came back, she was more distant than ever.”

“That must have been hard,” she said.

“It fucking pissed me off,” he said. “I can still remember it. And I—stupid—went to my dad, looking for some kind of guidance. But he hired a series of nannies and disappeared. I remember he came back for Christmas though.”

“They divorced?”

Sean gave a short bark of a laugh. “No. Divorce isn’t an option. But they may as well be. But after that, I don’t know. There was some kind of blackness that spread in me. I tried all kinds of things to fill in that void, but nothing worked until I discovered alcohol. I was about eleven.”

“You started drinking at eleven?”

“It’s not like there was anyone around to stop me. Drinking, it made me feel golden … most of the time. Until it almost killed my best friend.”

Suddenly, they were at the top of the canyon. The Hollywood sign shone bright and white in the distance. “Oh, my God,” Harper said.

“Yeah. It’s amazing the beauty you can find, even in a town as vapid as this.” He took her hand and squeezed it as they gazed at the Capitol Records building and the manicured perfection of WeHo’s grid.

“I’m glad to be here. With you,” she said.

He smiled at her and held her closer. “Me, too, sweetheart.”