Sophie Oak - Siren in Bloom

“I don’t care what some guy in Colorado thinks. I run the Doms here and I say no, or are you letting me go, Julian?”

The question dropped like a mine waiting to go off.

Julian’s face went perfectly blank for a moment. Then he looked up, and Wolf knew he’d lost. “I apologize for the inconvenience, Mr. Meyer. It seems I’ve made a mistake. Please let me offer you a room in the hotel portion of The Club. Candice will make sure you have a suite at your disposal tonight.”

Wolf stared at his brother for a moment, but Leo’s face was a stony mask. The urge to put his fist through his brother’s nose was riding him, but it wouldn’t fix anything. Somehow, Leo had gotten it into his head that Wolf was useless, and nothing Wolf had done seemed to be able to fix it.

It was time to move on.

Without another word, he turned on his heels and walked out.

Logan Green sat outside the door which had been left open. It seemed his friend had heard the whole humiliating scene.

“Are we leaving?” Logan asked, his big body coming out of the chair he’d been perched on.

“I am.” Just because he wasn’t welcome didn’t mean Logan shouldn’t get what he needed.

Logan’s mouth curled down. “Uhm, that guy sounds like an asshole. I’ll just go with you. We can be back in Bliss by morning.”

And Logan would continue down the same self-destructive path he’d been on for almost a year. No. He couldn’t let that happen. Logan had been through too much to throw away this opportunity. “Stay. He’s a good guy.”

“He didn’t sound like it.”

Wolf shook his head. “It’s only with me, man. I’m telling you, he’s great with his patients. You won’t find a better shrink. He won’t give up on you. He’ll stick with you until you make a breakthrough, and then he’ll stand by if you falter. Ask Trev. Ask anyone who’s worked with him.”

Logan’s eyes slid toward the elevator, seemingly looking for an escape route. “I don’t know.”

How did he explain this? How did he let Logan know what kind of a person his brother was? “Our dad left when we were just kids. I was a baby, but Leo was five. As you know, our mom has some issues. She worked, but it was hard. We barely managed to keep our cabin. Leo had to grow up so fast, man. I think that’s why he doesn’t want me around. I remind him of how crappy it was. When Ma lost her job, we didn’t have enough to eat. Do you know what that asshole in there did? He would put half his plate on mine. He was eleven years old. Do you understand what it takes for a hungry eleven-year-old to give up half his food? He sacrificed for me. I didn’t turn out as good as he thought I should. That’s on me, not you, man. He will help you.”

Logan nodded. “Okay.”

Wolf slapped him on the arm. “And I’ll buy the first round when you get back to Bliss. It’s going to be fine.”

He turned to go, and Leo stood in the doorway.

“It wasn’t so bad. Our childhood, I mean.” He looked down at the floor suddenly. “I don’t resent you, Wolf. At least I didn’t think I did. Julian surprised the hell out of me with this. I had no idea you were coming to stay. Julian’s manipulating everyone. It’s his weird version of love. Look, I sort of had a relationship with the woman he’s asked you to top.”

“Fuck, I didn’t know.” That explained a lot.

“It doesn’t matter. It didn’t work. We were friends, nothing more. But she does need you. I apologize. Please stay.”

He should go. He should walk the fuck out the door. He’d wanted to come to Dallas to have a relationship with his brother, not to step into the middle of a shit storm. If Leo said he was involved with this woman, then it had been serious. Leo wouldn’t use those words on someone he felt casually about. Could he top his brother’s ex? Fuck. He should walk away and be satisfied with e-mails and the occasional visit. It’s what most brothers had.

“Sure. I’ll stay.”

He’d never been satisfied with ordinary.

Shelley McNamara stared out the window at the city streets. The Dallas skyline rose all around her like some giant enfolding her in its arms. She’d grown up in the country with wide open spaces and nature all around her. She’d thought she would hate it here, but she loved the city.

It had been right to come to Dallas. She’d needed the change, needed to get back to work. But was she making a horrible mistake with the rest of it? She was waiting, counting down the minutes until she met with this man, this Dom who would guide her.

“Getting nervous?” Danielle Lodge-Taylor asked. She walked through the hallway of the penthouse she shared with her husbands. She glanced over at the new furniture that had arrived just hours before. “This is so lovely. Oh, Shelley, it’s beautiful. What a transformation.”

Shelley smiled. “I’m glad you like it.”

“The old room was elegant, but there was no warmth to it. I think Julian told the last designer to just buy the most expensive stuff possible with no regard to comfort.”

Shelley was happy with the results. Decorating this glorious penthouse had been her reason for living for the past several months. It had been the perfect project to sink into while she made the transition from angry widow to something…more. “I think this has a much warmer feel to it. I’m anxious to get to work on Julian’s office.”

“You’ll do a fabulous job,” Dani assured her. “Now, I’ll ask again. Are you getting nervous?”

The gorgeous blonde smiled as she took a seat, carefully lowering her very pregnant body into the chair.

Pregnant . Shelley was almost thirty. She’d thought for sure she’d have kids by now. Of course she also thought she would be happily married. Unfortunately, she’d picked an asshat, douchebag, drug-dealing, blackmailing son of a bitch as a husband.

“Oooo, you were thinking of him. I’ve come to think of that as your ‘I hate my ex’ face.”

Shelley smiled. She couldn’t help it. Something about Dani eased her. In the time she’d been at The Club, her friendship with Julian Lodge’s wife had blossomed into something she held very dear. “Sometimes I wish I had been the one to shoot him.”

“I know the feeling,” Dani said. “It would have given you closure. But he’s gone now. You know if you let his memory hold you back, then he wins.”

This was an old argument. Since she’d come to work for Julian two months before, she’d heard a lot of this from Dani. She’d poured her heart out to the gorgeous blonde and found a willing ear and a stubborn mouth. Dani was firmly in the “move on” camp. She’d been the one to finally convince Shelley she should give BDSM a serious try. “I know, sweetie. And yes, I’m nervous. Terrifically nervous. Even though we’ve talked and sent a bunch of e-mails back and forth, it’s different to meet him in person. Were you this nervous before you met Julian?”

Dani’s mouth came open slightly, and she shook her blonde hair. “Oh, I didn’t meet him the way you’re meeting Master Wolf. This is very traditional. My meeting with Julian was not. I met Julian when I jumped into his car as I fled my wedding to a man named Jimbo.”

Shelley couldn’t help the giggle that escaped. She still had a hard time reconciling the elegant, educated woman in front of her with the redneck girl she claimed to have been. “Jimbo?”

Dani nodded. “Jimbo Smart. It’s a misnomer. And he’s now married to my sister. They both work out at the spa I opened. I saw him earlier, you know.”

“Master Wolf?” God, she was so curious. Master Wolf. Who was named Wolf? She had to wonder if it was a nickname. She would feel more comfortable with someone named Bob or Randy. Why wasn’t any damn Dom named Master Bob? No, they were Julians and Wolfs and…Leo.