Page 22 of B is for Beg

“Do you mind if I steal your brother away?” I’m asking his brothers, but it also gives him a chance to object.

None of them do, so I apply a little pressure to Blake’s hip and guide him towards the door to the room that’s intended for chatting and playing.

It’s one of my favourite areas. There’s seating and more soft drinks on the left-hand side, while the rest of the room is taken up by a play area. There’s nothing hardcore in here, just a few non-penetrative toys to play with and some furniture that wouldn’t look scary to someone fresh to the scene. Although the night is young, there are already a couple of scenes taking place. A Dom, dressed in nothing but leather chaps and a thong, has blindfolded and cuffed his nearly naked sub and put him over his knee so he can spank his bottom. A mixture of cries and moans of pleasure tumble out of the sub’s mouth. Close by, another sub is stretched out on cushions, whimpering and groaning as his Dom runs feathers over his skin.

Hamish is sitting and chatting to a couple. He looks up, his face going through a range of expressions as he stares at Blake. He stands up and strides over.

“Who are you?” he demands.

“Blake.”

Hamish is a pretty intimidating guy when he wants to be, especially when he’s wearing a black leather kilt and nothing else, but Blake doesn’t even flinch at the abruptness of Hamish’s tone.

“He’s a model,” I say. “Gabe and I invited him.”

Hamish glares at me, nostrils flaring, before turning his attention back to Blake. “You look like…” He shakes his head.

“Archie?” Blake ventures. “He’s through there.” He points towards the lounge.

I shouldn’t be surprised by Blake’s response; Archie must have told him the party was at his boss’s house as soon as Blake shared the address with him.

Hamish’s face goes bright red. “What the fuck have you done?” He demands, staring at me and then behind me.

I shrug, playing innocent and half turn to find Gabe at my shoulder.

“You set this up, didn’t you?” Hamish accuses, pointing at me and then Gabe. “Inviting him”—he gestures at Blake—“to get Archie here.”

My stomach drops. Fuck. If it looks like that to Hamish, what will Blake be thinking? I turn my attention to him just as his shoulders slump. Shit. No. It wasn’t like that.

“I don’t know what you mean,” I reply indignantly. “We invited a gorgeous model and told him he could bring his brothers. That’s all.” That’s not the exact truth, but it sounds better than Hamish’s version of events.

“Bastards, the pair of you.” Hamish storms out of the room.

“He’s not going to sack Archie, is he?” Blake asks. He steps towards the door, but my hand on his hip forbids him from following.

I stoop down so I can brush my lips against his ear. “Don’t worry about it. He likes your brother. We’re just nudging them together.”

Blake narrows his eyes. “So what Hamish said was true?” He shrugs away from me and folds his arms, staring between Gabe and me. “You used me to get Archie here?”

“No,” Gabe says, stepping closer.

“Bullshit.” Blake shakes his head. “Fuck, I’m an idiot. I actually thought you were interested inme. I should have known this wasn’t really a coincidence.”

“Blake.” I probably shouldn’t, but I put my hands on his shoulders and apply calming pressure.

I notice a bouncer looking our way. There’s one in every room, and they’re easy to spot because they don’t have any tags on their wristbands. I smile, assuring him it’s okay. I’m not going to do anything to hurt or scare Blake, but I do need him to listen. Thankfully, the bouncer stands down, although he does keep looking our way.

“Itwasa coincidence that UnMentionable sent you to my studio in the same week your brother started working for Hamish. I swear I didn’t know about that when I first met you and asked if I could give your business card to Gabe.”

“And I didn’t know about Archie when I met you on Wednesday for coffee.”

Blake doesn’t relax. “But you did know before you invited me to this party, didn’t you?”

I glance at Gabe. “Yes. We went for drinks on Wednesday night with Hamish. He was moping around, wondering what he should do about your brother.”

“We put two and two together and realised you were related,” Gabe says. “But I swear to god, we invitedyoubecause we think you’re stunning. I loved our rope play yesterday, and I wanted to play more without the limitations of you working for me.”

Blake relaxes a little. “You…like me?”