Page 99

“Uh, boba tea?” Jaime cocked his head to the side. “I’m convincing him to be my supplier.”

I shook my head. Sergio gave a resolute nod before he sank back into his Daddy’s lap. Hopefully, that meant he wasdropping the subject, and I could go back to pretending I wasn’t being analyzed by everyone.

“You don’t have to make it sound like a drug habit,” Danny teased. “It’s just milk tea with chewy stuff.”

Jaime gasped.

“How dare you insult boba tea like that?” He crossed his arms and scowled. “It has ice, too, and brown sugar.”

“My bad. That clearly makes it better.”

“Shut up,” he grumbled.

I supposed it was progress. Danny and León could spend hours taunting and teasing Jaime before the pup realized what they were doing and even considered disengaging.

It was a fun dynamic.

I left them to it. I kept track of their argument over the overinflated drinks, but I focused on Ev—full name Everest—instead. He was a shyer boy and a newer addition to the club. He was too docile for my tastes. I’d never really been intrigued by him, but I’d helped him out a couple of times while on my self-imposed DM punishment. I supposed I had a soft spot for the boy.

Ev caught me watching him. His cheeks turned pink. Unlike Sergio—and like everyone else—he was wearing mostly casual clothes. He reminded me of Jaime, his clothes more prim than I would’ve expected. I could tell when someone was wearing designer brands as a shield.

Unlike everyone else—as far as I was aware—I knew who Ev was and which family he came from. I suspected it was why he’d had issues in the past when he’d tried to play with people who weren’t vetted by Erika. Maybe one day I could catch him and ask when he was going to come clean to the rest of the group. I didn’t think keeping that particular secret was doing him any favors, even if I understood the appeal more than most sitting here.

“Isn’t this when a Dom is supposed to defend you?” Jaime poked my arm, his voice higher than usual.

I kept my face impassive—I definitely wouldn’t let him guess that I hadn’t been paying close attention and didn’t hear what had led to his indignant question.

“I thought you were a fierce Alpha pup who needed no one?”

Jaime growled—the puppy way. He poked me again before glaring at León, his chest puffed up.

That much tracked. “This is what we mean when we say subs do all the work, just as an FYI for you all.”

Abel snorted. León grinned while leaning back against the couch. Danny and I raised our eyebrows, watching the back-and-forth play out.

“Stay on top of your water intake for a week,” León said, “and I’ll believe it.”

“I drink water!” Jaime waved his arms around so strongly I feared he’d lose his balance on the couch. “The fuck?”

“That’s why there’s always a DM tasked with making sure you are drinking during group play days?”

León had a point.

Jaime knew it, too, deciding to scoff instead of engaging some more.

I focused my attention back on Ev. He was the only person here who didn’t have a personal vendetta against me. The one I had the most in common with, too.

Hell, I was surprised we hadn’t met before at some charity gala.

“Are you upset with me?” Ev spoke low enough I would’ve probably missed it if I hadn’t been paying attention to him.

I frowned. Everyone else quieted. “Why would I be upset?”

Ev sat up a bit straighter, even though he was still hunched over himself. “I don’t know. I questioned you the other day in the demo?”

I narrowed my eyes. “That’s the point of demos, boy.”

León turned to Ev, too. “Even if it wasn’t, always feel free to question shit. Anyone who says differently is a walking red flag.”