“Thanks.” Turning the box over in my hands, I snorted at the ridiculous novelty label where directions should have been. “I have questions.”
I looked up to see him grinning. “I have the answers.”
Hopefully he did because I had a feeling the club might need someone like him.
Was he single?
15
Tanner
“I’m done.”Part of me said I should keep going, since it wasn’t even six. Then I thought about the grin Shane had been wearing when he’d come back from lunch. Yeah, whatever surprise he seemed to have concocted would be more fun than wading through paperwork that would wait until tomorrow.
The door to my office started to open and I smiled, expecting Shane. He’d said he wanted to be in control of when I left for the day. But seeing Austin’s face pop around the corner took the wind out of my sails.
He chuckled. “Expecting someone tall, dark, and hunky instead? Mr. Sexy isn’t at his desk, so I snuck in.”
Groaning, I shook my head. “Do not call him that.”
Austin’s smile just got wider as he came in and shut the door. “But it’s so true.”
He started fanning himself with his hand like the temperature had just gone up ten degrees. “I love coming to visit you.”
I scoffed. “He’s mine, so don’t even think about it.”
Austin laughed. “So he’s been claimed, huh? I thought you’d just gone out on a date.”
Bullshit.
“I don’t believe that for a minute. And yes, we’re a thing, so he’s very definitely mine.” And I was his. Which was even hotter than him being mine. But the gleam in Austin’s eyes said he didn’t miss that point.
“Wade might be willing to wait until this weekend for the good stuff, but I won’t.” Austin waltzed through the room, giddy and beaming. “Tell me you found the perfect alpha and he’s everything you dreamed of.”
Was he here for me or was he here to see for himself that dominant alphas really did exist?
“I found the perfect alpha and he’s everything I dreamed of.” I chuckled as Austin made an excited squeal. “I’m serious. He’s…he’s wonderful. He really spent time thinking about what I needed in a relationship and what domination and submission mean. We’ve got a lot to talk about, but he seems to get it.”
“And doesn’t think it’s insane?” Austin leaned forward, a hungry look on his face. “He really gets it?”
Dating had hit rock bottom when the idea that one of us had found a decent guy was grounds for a party. “Nope, he needs some time to figure out how he feels about all of it, but he’s open-minded, and the domination part seems to come easily to him.”
Austin seemed to be having a hard time accepting Shane’s openness. “He really doesn’t think it’s crazy?”
He’d clearly had one too many bad dates. “There are alphas out there who won’t think it’s crazy. It’s just not easy to find them because they’re getting the same crazy lectures that we did. We just have to find each other, and that’s the hard part. But Shane really understands and he sees why I want it. He sees me.”
It would have been easy for him to just see the kink and not see me, but he’d never made me feel like that. Just the way he’d handled the awkwardness earlier made that clear.
Austin and I were so caught up in the conversation we must have missed the door opening because one minute it was just the two of us and the next Shane was leaning against the doorframe. I smiled, looking past a still-questioning Austin to the sexy alpha who was smiling at us. “Hi.”
He took that as an invitation to enter and came in, closing the door behind him. He lifted one eyebrow in a questioning gesture that I thought was about how I wanted to handle things since Austin was in the room. I just shrugged. Austin knew what I wanted in a relationship and we were opening a BDSM club together. My acting all normal and innocent around him would just be stupid.
Shane nodded, still smiling as he walked over. “I was coming in to tell you that work was done for the day, but it looks like Mr. Johnson has me beat.”
Austin groaned. “Austin, please. Don’t make me sound old.”
Shane chuckled. “Alright, then. Austin.”
Austin started to fan himself again, completely hamming it up. “Say my name again…growl it a little this time.”
