GladYouCame (11 page)

Slipping easily into the rhythm of the lie, Genevieve added
her own spin in an effort to add further validity. No sense handing the
historically-nosy town grapevine fuel. “Dade was just coming home for the night
when Tony called me for a ride.”

“Didn’t want her driving alone considering how tired she
was.”

Wow. So we lie as well for one another as we screw.

“Oh right. You’re living in town right now, Dade. Nice thing
you’re doing out at the ranch. Daddy always talks about how grand it looked
back in its heyday.”

“Thank you, Christine. I hope I do it justice.”

Despite the fact Tony’s car was perfectly fine they all
piled into Genevieve’s beaten and battered compact. Christine waved from the
window of her store as they drove out of the parking lot.

Dade snorted. “Damn good thing I walked over from the house.
Otherwise what the hell would you have told her?”

“The truth?” Genevieve could just imagine prim and proper
Christine flushing several shades of red in embarrassment if she had learned
just what had happened in the back room of the comic book store.

“Bad enough she saw us in the first place. No reason to make
it worse.”

Genevieve turned left and pulled into their driveway. “I
suspect she’s already burning up the phone lines waking up her buddies. Gossip
train is going to be chugging along whether we like it or not.”

“Want something to eat?”

Dade grumbled as he lumbered by, snagging a mug from the
cabinet and filling it with coffee. Tony tossed a handful of peppers into the
sauté pan. Out of the corner of his eye he watched Dade inhale the steam rising
from the mug. He grunted once before sipping.

“Thought you had a meeting?”

“Rescheduled it. Couldn’t keep my eyes open long enough to
change clothes when we got back here, much less decide what color carpet I want
in my den. Supposed to meet Grant in an hour.”

In the short time he’d lived at their house Tony had learned
Dade wasn’t much of a morning person. Wasn’t much of an afternoon person
either. Like the rest of the household he kept late hours. So he hadn’t been
much of a disruption to the house.

Until last night.

Talk about earth-shattering.

Even hours later Tony could relive the encounter as though
it had happened only a few moments ago. Watching Dade’s dick disappear into Genevieve’s
mouth while he’d been buried in her ass had been mesmerizing. Exhilarating,
even. They’d all gotten off watching one another. Nothing about the night had
lessened Tony’s curiosity about Dade in the least. But now he questioned if his
curiosity had more to do with seeing Dade with his wife than wanting the man
himself. Given their sexual history it seemed a safe assumption.

Genevieve had insisted on taking a shower as soon as they’d
arrived home. And he’d insisted on joining her even though he didn’t have to be
back at the shop for hours. He’d taken his time washing her body and hair,
cleaning every part of her as he’d slowly recounted the events of the past
night. He’d ended up pushing her against the shower wall, folding her legs
around his hips and had her tell him everything she’d enjoyed about the
encounter—down to the last, erotic detail—while he’d fucked her.

Still smiling about some of the things she’d confessed, Tony
folded the eggs, sliding the omelet onto a plate. After tossing a few pieces of
toast onto another plate he’d balanced on top of his mug, he carried everything
to the table.

Dade sat, hovering over his coffee, his eyes half-closed.
Clearly he wasn’t in the mood to chat. Tony slipped a plate with the omelet in
front of Dade, rounding the table to sit with his own omelet.

After stirring a spoonful of sugar and some creamer into his
coffee, he snapped open the paper. The headlines didn’t catch his interest like
normal. And every time he tried to focus on the financial report, he lost his
train of thought. The proximity to Dade was too distracting. Now that he’d seen
what the man was capable of firsthand, his interest had increased tenfold. So
much for just wanting Dade to fuck his wife. Tony had a feeling this situation
wasn’t so cut and dried. He adjusted his glasses and bit into a slice of toast.

“I hate peppers.”

“Eat around them,” Tony stated without looking up.

Dade grunted again, mumbling something about where he could
stuff the peppers. But he picked up his fork, stabbed at the omelet and
shoveled a piece into his mouth. “Thought she was the chef in the family.”

“She is. I certainly can’t pull together recipes like she
can but I can manage an omelet without burning the house down.”

“It’s good.” Another forkful. “Really good.”

“Thanks. Figured a guy of your size needed more than just
coffee. Especially after last night.”

“About that.” Dade sipped his coffee slowly. “I would never
do anything to cause trouble between the two of you. I never want to hurt what
you two have. It’s too special.”

“I never thought you would.”

“I wanted that out on the table. This…” He paused, gesturing
wide with a sweep of his hand between the two of them. “Isn’t a new arrangement
for me. I’ve also been to that place where one person feels left out, or threatened
or like their loved one did something without their consent. I’m too old for
those kinds of games.”

Tony had expected to include Genevieve in this but hashing
out a few details with Dade was a good idea. Clear the air. Get them on level
footing about who stood where in this sort of arrangement. “No games. It’s not
an indulgence we give into often but adding someone else to our bed is
something we both enjoy. We worked through all the emotions and feelings about
it a long time ago.”

“And?”

“We both love each other very much. So what happened wasn’t
because our marriage is in trouble and we’re trying to find ways to spice
things up, if that’s what you’re trying to get at.”

“Good, ’cause that would have been a hard limit for me.”

As Tony had suspected. It would have been a hard limit for
him as well. “We both enjoy sex. And many times the out of the ordinary aspects
that are so taboo in today’s society. Kinky isn’t something I could have said
about myself before I met Genevieve. Mostly because I was confused.”

Dade cut off a section of his omelet and ate it. Peppers and
all. A fact that pleased Tony. “How did that happen anyway? I remember seeing
you two when you first started dating. Brought her to one of Cooper’s dinner
and a movie nights, didn’t you?”

“That’s right. Thought it was safe.”

“For you or for her?”

“Me.” Tony folded the paper, giving Dade his full attention.
“I wasn’t exactly what you’d call a ladies man. In fact Patrick and I exchanged
some pretty heated words on the subject of BDSM once.” He’d allowed his
confusion to color his viewpoint in regards to the news Allison was involved in
a D/s relationship with Patrick. Juvenile comments had been made, which has
caused a huge fight between the couple. He still felt bad about that moment to
this day. “What can I say? I was young, stupid and…had no right to make a
judgment about what a couple chooses to do behind closed doors.”

“Pent-up energy and nowhere to put it? Been there myself a
few times.”

“I didn’t know what I wanted. When Patrick and Allison
started dating I saw hints of something. Hints of a lifestyle I wanted to
understand more of. Like most people I lashed out at what I didn’t understand.”

“I remember that. Gave them a hard time about it, didn’t
you?”

Tony winced. “I didn’t say I handled the situation in the
right way. Like I said, I was confused. I kept coming to the grille, downing my
sorrows. I think Genevieve took pity on me. Kept telling me I was too thin. Not
taking care of myself like I should. Truth was, I was thirtysomething years
old, running a comic book store and trying to figure out what the hell I wanted
out of my life.”

Dade’s eye brows lifted. “Went from doting on you to
leather. Quite the leap.”

“I think she just wanted me to have someone to talk to. Not
like my gamer buddies cared about all the fucked-up stuff happening in my
brain. Sure as shit couldn’t talk to them about it. Wasn’t going to ask Allison
for advice either.” Tony reached for another piece of toast. “Genevieve called
me one night out of the blue. I was closing up the shop and said she was
heading over to a club and wanted to know if I wanted to join her since it was
their Open Door night.”

“Element Twenty-Six I take it?”

“You’d be correct.” Tony scooped up Dade’s empty mug, carted
it to the counter with his and refilled both cups. He dumped in new beans, set
a fresh pot to brew and came back to the table.

“Chaplin runs a good place.”

“Soon as I walked in, I knew I’d found what I’d been looking
for. I wasn’t offended by what I saw. I was intrigued.” And in a matter of
moments he’d understood the very same things he’d teased Allison about.

“And she recognized it. They say Doms and subs just know.
Beth calls it mumbo-jumbo or something.”

“Did you know she was a Domme there?”

“Beth?”

“No, Genevieve.”

“What?” Dade seemed puzzled.

“Shocked me too. She looks gorgeous in a pair of leathers,
by the way. Mouthwatering.”

“I can imagine. Though I doubt my brain can do the reality
justice.”

You have no idea, man. No idea.
“We tried after I
realized that kind of lifestyle is what I was looking for but the flow and
rhythm was off. We could never find the right balance between us. I think we
both were ready to toss in the towel on anything more than friendship between
us.”

“But something obviously changed your minds.”

“You know her. Determined. Strong-willed.”

“Stubborn.” Dade smirked. “Yeah. I know.”

He only knew a small sliver but Tony had a feeling Dade
would get to experience more. “Came home after I closed the store one night and
there she was, kneeling on my front entryway, bare-ass naked with a flogger
coiled on the floor in front of her. Second I saw her that way—”

“Click.” Dade snapped his fingers.

“Indeed.” Tony finished his coffee. “All history from there.
Our play, both alone and with others, doesn’t define our relationship. It’s an
enhancement.” One they’d learned they didn’t want to live without once they’d
gotten a taste.

“Play often?”

“Not really. As I said, just an occasional thing. Mostly
because our schedules haven’t been synced. It’s become more frequent of late.”
Tony gathered the dirty dishes and placed them in the sink. “I trust you. She
does as well. So that helps. A lot. You’d know how important trust is in a
power exchange.”

“I do. Yet you didn’t want me to have sex with her.”

Tony snorted. “I wasn’t trying to stake claim.”

Dade shrugged as he pushed away his empty plate. “Why not?
You’re well within your rights to.”

“Gen and I are married. Means I don’t carry condoms around
in my wallet anymore. Do you?”

“Probably not as often as I should. And recently there
hasn’t been a reason to.”

Just you and Rosie, my friend, huh?
Tony leaned
forward, folding his arms against the table. “I don’t have an issue with you
being with her. I do have an issue with you being with her and not being safe.
I’m responsible for her, held accountable for her protection and wellbeing. So
no, if you don’t have a condom, there won’t be any intercourse.”

“Fair enough. I won’t touch her while you aren’t here
either.”

“For now, yes.” Tony realized they’d fallen into negotiating
the ground rules. Been a while since he’d gone through this step. But the give
and take was an aspect he enjoyed. “That may be something we’ll all talk about
in the future. But for right now—no, it’s not okay.”

Not being around was a reality Tony was going to have to
accept. For the most part they all ran on similar schedules. But he had a
business trip coming up soon and wasn’t going to be home for nearly a week.
This was a consideration they were going to have to talk to Genevieve about and
get her thoughts on the matter. They hadn’t needed to be concerned with that
possibility before. Then again, they’d never been with anyone like Dade before.

“Been a while since I’ve been a co-Dom.”

“Seemed to fit you well enough.”

“Didn’t say I didn’t enjoy it. Just said it’s been a while.
Unlike you—I knew what I liked from the beginning. Just took a while to find
people who thought the same way I did. Ryan helped with that.”

Tony say back, his arms falling to the side as he tried to
conjure that image. “You and him? Huh. Never would have expected that.”

Dade shook his head as he rolled his eyes. “Ryan’s as
dominant as they come. Knows exactly what he wants from a submissive and isn’t
afraid to push until he gets it. I’ve seen him at work and it’s impressive as
hell. Really into strict protocol. Two safe words. Those kind of things. And
he’s totally and completely heterosexual.”

“But you do like men. At least that’s what I’ve heard.” Tony
needed to tread lightly here. No reason to shout out he’d thought about sucking
the guy’s cock a time or two. He still suspected his interest in the man was
due to the fact he got off allowing Genevieve to be with others and not some
deep-seated secret he needed to deal with.

“The one bit of truth to come from the grapevine. Yeah, I
like dudes. Girls too, obviously.” Their gazes met. “Is that a problem?”

“Not in the least. Genevieve’s bisexual too. First time I
watched her go down on a woman and get her off? Yeah. Talk about hot.” He
pushed away the image, unwilling to have this heavy discussion interrupted by
something better suited for masturbation fodder. “Listen, I’m running a little
late now, so I need to get out of here. Genevieve will want to be around before
we get too much more in-depth.” One thing Tony knew, she wouldn’t be happy if
they decided everything for her. While she was sexually submissive she would
want a part in the negotiations. Which was just fine with Tony. “We can talk
more about this tonight over dinner.”

“Go on, I’ll clean up. Thanks for the breakfast. And the
conversation.”

Dade set the last of the dishes on a towel to dry as he
watched Tony pedal his bike down the driveway. He hadn’t anticipated Tony
fixing breakfast. To force him to eat. To have the open, honest conversation.
He knew they’d eventually have to talk about what happened at the store but
hadn’t expected Tony to be so forthcoming.

Had he known they were so open about their relationship, he
may have come forward sooner.

No.

Dade was a big believer in fate and things unfolded in life
just as they were supposed to. So those years of torture he’d been putting
himself through were for a reason. Maybe if nothing more than to make him
appreciate what happened at 616 last night. Force him to approach what seemed
to be building between them more carefully and with eyes wide open.

He knew he was asking for trouble by not confessing his
feelings to them. Knew he risked losing everything he’d ever wanted by
withholding information about how much he truly desired. But he also knew he
had a lot to lose if he did tell them.