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“So that I’ll remember it,” he said. He gestured for me to take the steps first—this long, fairly narrow, purple-painted set of stairs leading up to flashing lights and pounding music.

We had to stop halfway up because a large group of guys was descending.

And Reese picked that moment to step right behind me, one step down, and put his hands on my hips.

He spoke in my ear next, and I went rigid.

“If I end up fuckin’ the daylights outta you, I’ll lose one of the names, though. ”

Fuckin’ the daylights…

A slow shudder rolled through me, and I swallowed hard as desire flared up.

* * *

I didn’t know if it was a deliberate move or if Reese—and his brother—was just in high demand, but by their leaving my side fairly quickly, they gave me a moment to think and observe.

The energy at this place was so different. People were laughing, dancing, scening, and talking. It was a regular nightclub, with the added spice of half a dozen stations where Sadists could go to town on screaming masochists.

With a beer in my hand, I watched Reese and River whip and paddle a younger guy who obviously knew the twins.

The playtime was nonsexual and yet electric and full of chemistry.

But the latter didn’t come from the bottom as much as I picked it up from the brothers.

How they communicated and co-topped without saying much—at least verbally.

Instead, I saw it in their body language.

Reese had taken off his hoodie, revealing plenty of tattoos along his rib cage, chest, and neck.

He had a bandage above his hip too. At one point, River touched the spot, to which Reese nodded and reached for a bottle of water.

He wiped sweat off his face, then smacked the ass of the sub and said something.

I didn’t hear the sub’s response, though it led to another round of beating.

This time, it was River with a shorter single-tail whip, and the crowd made plenty of space for him to move. Including two spotters in the back, who made sure no one ended up in the danger zone.

Why couldn’t I look away?

I should be mingling or flirting.

“We’ll be back in a bit,” was all Reese had said earlier.

Another man stepped out of the crowd and squatted down in front of the masochist, pressing their foreheads together, and I realized he was the masochist’s partner.

The older man signaled to Reese after a moment, and the twins eased off and earned applause from the audience. Even in the darkness and the flashing lights, I could see the red streaks along the maso’s back.

My goodness. I would’ve needed a ride to the nearest hospital after such a beating, but the masochist was clearly in a wonderful mood. His Dom helped him up, and he was grinning through his tears.

It further confirmed that this level of sadomasochism wasn’t my thing.

While someone wiped down the bench-type contraption the masochist had been strapped to, Reese and River spoke to the guy and his Dom. I took the opportunity to order another beer, and during that time, I spotted at least six couples flat-out fucking on the dance floor.

Maybe this kind of event wasn’t my thing either, but I did hope to find other people here to befriend.

After paying for my beer, I went to find an empty table, and I sat down in a small booth to people-watch and consider my options.

Before I went home tonight, I wanted to at least make contact with someone else.

I wasn’t the only one who was here alone tonight, so perhaps I could approach one of the guys at the bar.

Whether they were Doms or subs didn’t matter.

I’d discovered my interest in bondage last year by shadowing a Domme for a weekend event.

Unfortunately, she rarely ventured outside her lesbian community, but we did meet up for brunch every now and then.

When I sought out the twins again, I noticed they were heading my way, and I sat a little straighter. Shouldn’t they be balls deep in aftercare?

They exchanged a few words, after which River made a beeline for the bar.

Reese was in a good mood. He sat down across from me and tossed his hoodie on the table.

“It ain’t perfect, but this place beats Baltimore, doesn’t it?”

I smiled politely. “Jury’s still out.” The music was louder here, and the atmosphere was wild. I wouldn’t say disorganized, but…too clubby . People were coming and going; there was movement everywhere. I couldn’t imagine subs finding peacefulness in a scene here, which I admitted to Reese.

He chuckled and inclined his head. “It is more casual,” he conceded. “Nothin’ too risky happens here. But there are plenty of Sadists and masos to get to know.”

I lifted my brows and gestured to the station they’d occupied. “That play was casual ?”

He grinned. “With li’l Mattie? Hell yeah. You should see the play he’s used to. He’ll look like he just took a beatin’ from a wreckin’ ball.”

Good Christ.

“He’s our sure thing,” he went on. “If River and I need to let off some steam, we give his Dom a call. We go back a couple years. We’ll get to exercise a paddle or two, and then we meet up for breakfast the mornin’ after.”

Huh. “So you don’t play with them beyond the pain?”

He shook his head and scratched his bicep absently. “Nah. We haven’t really found a way to combine pain and sex with a bottom yet. Can’t say sex is a priority either. We’re here to explore sadism.”

On that, I could relate. So far, sex had been fairly separate for me as well. The times I’d found a sub to tie up, the focus had been on rope and safety. Sex had entered the picture if the bottom wanted to spend the night with me or something like that.

“That don’t mean we’ll turn down the opportunity to have a sub between us for a hookup,” he added with a smirk. The implication was so clear that I didn’t have to ask. My plans for the night had just changed—if that was what I wanted.

Additionally, it would appear he and his brother played together even in the bedroom when they had someone between them.

That was…bizarrely sexy.

“I’m dominant,” I felt the need to say.

Reese’s smile widened. “Even better. A Dom who needs to get fucked? Do you struggle with that bit?”

I narrowed my eyes. “Only if the other guy—or guys—think they can boss me around. And for the record, Doms can be bottoms too.”

He chuckled and leaned back in his seat.

“I know.” He lifted his gaze to something behind me—or someone, rather—and it was River returning with two bottles of beer.

Reese scooted farther in, and River sat down next to him.

“Lucas West here is a Dom who occasionally needs to get fucked like a savage.”

For chrissakes!

“Really.” River hitched his brows at me and took a swig of his beer. “Does he beg?”

Okay, that one got me. Annoyance tore through me, and I instantly considered calling it a night.

I could still drive after two beers, and I hadn’t finished this one anyway.

My plan had been to nurse it for a while.

My actual plan—and the whole reason I’d chosen to drive—was because I’d thought I’d be in Baltimore.

“He fucking does not,” I stated. “He’s not that interested either.”

River smiled faintly, his expression just cocky enough to let me know he didn’t believe me.

Neither did Reese. “So you don’t wanna take us back to your place?”

Actually…when it put it that way, not even a little.

“I don’t know anything about you,” I pointed out. “I’m afraid my apartment is only open to people whose cuts and bruises I’m certain don’t come from a robbery gone wrong or a run-in with a local drug cartel.”

River flashed a genuine grin but said nothing.

Reese, on the other hand… He laughed and said, “That’s fair.

We’d take you back to our place if we didn’t have plans in the mornin’.

First an early breakfast with Mattie and Trent, and then we got work.

” He paused and nodded at River’s face. “The decorations on our faces ain’t excitin’. We’re into martial arts.”

I didn’t know what to do with that information. He could be full of shit—and so could anyone I invited to my place. Not that there’d been that many one-nighters I’d had to worry about.

I decided to take a lighter route. “Are you the fuck-and-duck type of dudes who sneak out, or do you at least leave a note in the morning?”

Reese seemed surprised by that, but he still chuckled, and he scratched his nose. “We’re not animals, Lucas West. I probably would’ve woken you up and said we’ll meet up next time we’re in town, but I can write it on a note if you want.”

Mildly reassuring. Either way, I wasn’t too worried. I really wanted to get laid, and however they left in the morning was their business. I knew what I was getting myself into.

I took a swig of my beer. “Let’s get out of here.”

Reese smiled. “Fantastic. Let’s exchange numbers in case we lose you to the speed limit.”

* * *

Admittedly, walking through my garage at home with River and Reese in tow made me more alert.

They’d snagged the last spot for guests, and the moment they’d stepped out of their car, I’d sensed a shift in the air.

They exuded a predatory energy, though thankfully without the stranger-danger worry that I might end up on the news as a missing person.

I had no idea how this was going to play out, if one or both wanted to get involved, but one thing was certain. I was gonna get fucked, and something told me I’d feel it tomorrow.

In the elevator, I felt the need to address something. I cleared my throat, locking eyes with River briefly in the mirror. He stood behind me, leaning casually against the wall. Frustratingly unreadable.

I shifted my gaze to Reese next to me. “In Baltimore, you expressed your aversion to protection.”