Page 72 of A Case of You

Stuart kept his voice low. “No offense, Bran, but are you fuckingcrazy?”

The fact that Stuart used his real name meant he wanted a no-bullshit talk, husband to husband, not slave to Master. “No, but we have to let him try.”

“He’s going to crash himself.Again. How long then before he pulls out of it?”

“He’s not a baby. He’s almost forty. But this isthelast chance I give him. Maybe he’s right and he’ll be fine. If so, it’s a win-win. He feels better mentally and emotionally, and we pay the house off a little sooner.”

“His health isn’t worth saving six months’ of interest fees.

“I know that, and you know that. The only wayhe’sgoing to know that is for him to try. If you and I are right, we’ll be there to help him climb out of it again, and we’ll have the final proof that you and I are right.”

Stuart ran a hand through his brown hair. “I don’t like this, Bran. I don’t.”

“I didn’t say I liked it. But I also swore to both of you I wouldn’t control your careers. I hated ordering him to quit work before. I can’t put my foot down this time, either. Not yet.”

“Sure you can. You’re his Master and husband. You simply tell him no!”

Brandon rested his hands on Stuart’s shoulders. “My income is enough to pay all the bills around here. You quit your job and stay at home with him.”

Stuart blinked. “What?”

“It’ll be tight, sure, because I’d have to pay your health insurance, but we can cut back on some expenses.”

“What are you saying?”

“I’m ordering you to stop working. Call Cedro in the morning and quit.”

“I can’t!”

“Sure you can. I just told you to. I’m your Master, right? Isn’t that what youjustsaid I should do to Jeff?”

“But I don’t want…” Stuart’s eyes dropped closed as the sigh escaped him. “Okay,” he said. “I get it.”

“Do you?”

“Yeah.” He opened his eyes again, green, sweet, flecks of amber and brown giving them a darker shade in the bedroom’s low light. “Igetit.”

He squeezed Stuart’s shoulders. “Then you understand why I have to let him try.”

“Yeah.”

Brandon pulled him in for a hug. “Master does not mean asshole. I refuse to do that to either of you. You have towantto serve me and follow my orders. Or at least understand and agree with the logic, even if you don’t like the order. If I have to force you to do something, usually it meansI’mdoing something wrong as your Master.

“But more importantly, as yourhusband, I refuse to treat you like an object without feelings. Maybe some people are happy being treated like that, but it’s not somethingIcan do. Not and still look at myself in the mirror every morning.”

“When do we pull the plug? Because you know that’s what’s going to happen.”

“We’ll know. We wait. We talk to the girls. What we absolutely donotdo is constantly pester him about how he’s doing. He’ll stubborn-up and make it worse on himself by trying to hide how bad he feels. I know that’ll be hard to do, but we have to be hands-off. We’ll know when it’s time.”

“Do I get a say in that?”

“I get the final say, but you can come to me and talk to me about what you see, yes.”

“I hope you know what you’re doing, Master.”

“Me, too, boy.”

Chapter Nineteen