“Yup.” Bryce’s short one-word answer made Brent want to sigh.
Trying to get things going again he pushed Bryce further. “But they’re still interested?”
Brent nodded but ruined the calm façade by picking at the now loose string around the button. “Yes.”
“Doesn’t seem like your plan is working.”
“Not at all.” He seemed lost. Like he could see the crossroad ahead but didn’t know which way to go.
“You know what you want?”
That seemed to have Bryce stumped, and he turned back to Brent again. “I don’t know. It’s not how I saw...” Bryce’s voice trailed off.
“Things don’t always work out like we’d planned.” Bryce had dated Doms and subs but who said he had to choose. “Just because you hadn’t considered it doesn’t mean it’s wrong.”
Bryce was staring off again so Brent kept going. “Look at Calen and me. I never thought about him that way but now I wish I would have. Don’t chase something away because it’s different.”
“Maybe.” Bryce was quiet again. When he spoke, his words were filled with frustration. “We agreed to be discreet, though. There’s no way I could keep something like that under the radar, even if I wanted to.”
Brent hadn’t even looked at it from that angle, so he wasn’t sure what to say. Finally, he dove in. “We didn’t mean to push away something special. The basic idea was not to do anything stupid here that would make the news or make the local gossips go crazy. If it’s long-term and important, that’s different.”
“Would everyone else agree with that? Garrett’s always bringing it up. It was one of the reasons he ignored what was going on with Wyatt for so long.” Bryce’s voice was quiet and Brent wanted to reach over and give him a hug, but knowing that would draw more attention than Bryce wanted, he held himself back.
“Garrett’s an idiot, but even he eventually saw how stupid it was. We can talk to everyone but I know they’ll want you to be happy. People are going to gossip no matter what, but most of our customers won’t care.” Brent wasn’t one hundred percent sure about that, but he thought it was probably right. They had a variety of customers from traditional to unique, but he had to think that most of them wouldn’t care what Bryce did in the bedroom.
Sensing that Bryce needed a break he reached over and poked him. “Come on. It looks like the chicken is done.” Bryce was going to lose that button if they kept up the conversation any longer and none of them had the skills to sew it back on.
“Fuck, I’m starved. Let’s go.”
Dragging their chairs back to the patio, they walked over to the grill. The smells were amazing, and it looked even better. Looking around at everyone laughing and relaxed, Brent realized what a good idea dinner had been. Wyatt wasn’t going to get comfortable with them just seeing everyone at the barbecues on the weekend.
Walking inside, the only awkwardness that cropped up was when they all walked over to the table. Wyatt had prepared a wonderful dinner of grilled chicken with all kinds of vegetables, and everyone was ready to fall on it like wolves. But Brent knew from his discussions with Garrett that Wyatt normally knelt for dinner.
It was clear that the other sub was hesitant to do it while they were there. The idea of family knowing would probably be odd to most people in the lifestyle, but it was what they were used to. He wanted Wyatt to feel comfortable enough to do what was right for him.
Brent debated for a moment whether he should kneel at the table as well, to make Wyatt feel less alone, but Brent knew that wasn’t where he was emotionally. It wasn’t the act of kneeling or even submitting in front of everyone. His head wasn’t in it.
Luckily, Garrett stepped in.
Garrett was casual about it, leaning in to give Wyatt a kiss on the cheek and whisper in his ear. Brent could easily guess that he was telling his sub that the decision would be up to him. Brent thought it would have been easier for Wyatt if Garrett took the decision out of his hands. It might have just been where Brent’s head was, though, not what was best for Wyatt. Brent couldn't tell anymore.
To Brent, if a submissive wanted a lifestyle relationship, it was a decision he shouldn’t have to make. He probably didn’t even want to be the one to decide. But Garrett would always want to make sure he wasn’t rushing things, that he wasn’t pushing Wyatt to be more open than he was comfortable with. Brent tried to remind himself that it wasn’t his business and that Garrett knew his submissive best.
When he’d been going over the contract with Calen, their rules on kneeling had been a little more planned out, but not by much. They’d both agreed that kneeling in places like the club would be one of their rules. If they weren’t in a long-term scene, it would be up to Brent as to his preference at the moment. So when they were at the barbecue it would be up to him, but when they were in more of a lifestyle mode like they were going to be for the next couple of days, kneeling would be required.
Brent thought that having clear-cut rules made it simpler for everyone. Maybe he’d see if Wyatt wanted to go out to lunch sometime with him and Bryce. It would give them all a chance to get to know each other better and for Wyatt to be able to talk things over with someone who knew Garrett. Deciding to text Wyatt tomorrow, Brent put it to the back of his mind. Wyatt had enough on his plate right now without Brent adding anything to it.
Whatever Wyatt decided to do, they would all be fine with, anyway. They were used to things being a bit different so it wouldn’t be a problem. Wyatt evidently came to the same conclusion fairly quickly because after Garrett finished whispering to him, he’d walked over and grabbed his cushion before coming back over to the table.
Wyatt seemed much calmer kneeling and waiting for Garrett to feed him. And Brent was glad to see him feeling more confident. Knowing what he needed and being able to do it in front of people who were just about strangers had to be difficult. Brent hoped that over time, Wyatt would become more at ease around them and that it would become second nature.
He wanted Garrett and Wyatt—well, he wanted them as happy and comfortable together as he was with Calen. Glancing over at his Dom, Brent couldn’t help but think how lucky he was and how much he was looking forward to their lifestyle time together.
Part of him wished that Calen had insisted they start before dinner. Kneeling beside Calen, waiting to be fed, wearing only jeans and his cuffs sounded perfect. He should have said something earlier, but he hadn’t even realized that he wanted it until he’d seen Wyatt’s internal debate.
Reaching out to give Calen’s leg a squeeze, Brent knew he was ready for whatever would happen. He was going to give himself to his Dom and let him take care of everything. It would be the perfect evening. As long as they could get dinner going a bit quicker.
CHAPTER 11
