Sophie Oak - Siren Enslaved

“He seems pretty intimidating.” He’d been a junior in high school by the time Jack Barnes and Sam Fleetwood had bought their spread. Fourteen years later, they ruled Willow Fork, despite the fact that most of the narrow-minded town considered them sinners. They were sinners with an atrocious amount of money, so the sin was tolerated. Finn knew his wouldn’t be.

“He’s an interesting guy,” Dani said. She ran her free hand across his cheek. It was an affectionate gesture. She couldn’t know what it did to him. “Abby is an amazing woman. I can’t tell you how great it is to work for her. She’s opened a free clinic here in Willow Fork. She’s really making a difference.”

“That’s great,” he managed to say. He forced his hand to curl around her hip in a perfectly nice “we’ve been friends since high school but never managed to have sex because one of us is gay” kind of way. “I’m glad you found a good job.” He was happy that she wasn’t working at the Buys A Lot anymore.

“I have a good job, and now I’m getting married.”

Finn heard the hitch in her breath. “Are you sure about this? The last time we talked you didn’t even mention that you were dating Jim.” He left off the “bo” part. It was simply too surreal to think that his lovely, sweet Dani, who read Jane Austen and watched foreign films with him, could possibly be marrying someone named Jimbo.

He felt her sigh against him. “I didn’t talk about him because I know how you feel about anyone from this town. Look, Finn, I love you. You’re my best friend in the world, but I have a life here.”

“You could have a life in Dallas, too.” He hated the little whine in his voice. Damn it, why couldn’t he be forceful?

“Not anymore. I don’t have a degree. I was damn lucky Abby Barnes hired me as her clinic manager. This is as good as it gets in Willow Fork. I’m not smart like you, Finn.”

“That’s not true.”

There were tears in her wide eyes as she looked up at him. “Please say you’re happy for me. I couldn’t stand it if you were disappointed. I’ve missed you so much, Finn.”

The pleading in her voice was more than he could take. He hugged her close. “If this is what you want, then I’m happy for you.”

Her head sagged into the crook of his neck. “I’m glad because you’re my maid of honor. Don’t tell me no. I had to fight Jimbo’s whole family to make this happen. They don’t think it’s proper to have a male bridesmaid.”

Finn felt every muscle tense. He was sure that conversation had been worse than Dani was saying. They wouldn’t want a gay to tarnish their special day. Fuck. He couldn’t hurt her this way. He loved her. He had to be strong. “Of course I’ll be beside you.” He would stand there, wanting her, loving her.

Her smile was as brilliant as the sun. “I’m so happy. I couldn’t do this without you, Finn.”

She started talking a mile a minute about everything from her dress to the wedding cake she wanted to order. Finn nodded and tried to figure out how to face the future without her.

Six Months Later

Julian turned his Audi R8 Spyder down what appeared to be Main Street. The June air was warm on his skin, but he still felt the strange restlessness that had been plaguing him for the last few years. Being alone had only seemed to focus it. His recent string of bad luck incidents had convinced him that he needed a more radical change. There had been a fire in his building. Then his car had been vandalized. He’d had a nosy reporter on his case about the possibility of an underground sex club in the Dallas area.

Of course, there was an underground sex club. He ran it, but he certainly didn’t want publicity. The car had been a mere nuisance. He simply bought another one, and the fire was apparently an accident. Still, it all added up to serious stress, so Julian was doing something he hadn’t done in years. He was taking a vacation.

He glanced around the small town. It looked like something out of a Norman Rockwell painting. It was three o’clock on a Saturday afternoon, and Julian seriously expected to be assaulted by visions of boys and their faithful dogs, perhaps playing stickball and trading baseball cards. Willow Fork, Texas, was a sleepy little town.

His car purred as he moved down the street. He had the top down. It was a stunning day outside, but he was rapidly discovering that, with no one to share it with, the days seemed to blend together. Each was as empty as the next. Julian stopped at a stoplight. He drummed his fingers along the steering wheel. It wasn’t that he missed any one person in particular, but rather that he didn’t like to be alone. Perhaps he’d spent too much of his childhood in that state that now he simply couldn’t stand the silence. He’d been on edge for six months, but he wasn’t sure how to get off. The last thing he wanted was another pretty-faced sub in his bed who didn’t challenge him at all.

But he was tempted. So tempted. It had become a bit of a game at The Club to see which sub could find his or her way into the Master’s bed. It wasn’t that he didn’t want sex. He was horny as hell. He just wasn’t interested in anyone.

He blamed Jackson. His former protégé had found something magical. He was living happily with his two subs, Samuel and Abigail. He’d started a family. He had a life past work. Julian couldn’t get Jackson’s words out of his head. A few years back, Jackson had given Julian a bit of advice. He’d warned Julian not to let his rules run his life. He’d warned him that rules might keep him from something wonderful. So far, Julian hadn’t found anything wonderful. He’d just found sexual frustration and loneliness.

Julian hit the gas and drove past some sort of church. He intended to use this week to reconnect with old friends. When he got back to Dallas, he would get on with his life. He would spend this vacation deciding on who to take as his new subs. He would stop his waiting and select based on logic. He would pick one man and one woman, and then begin training them to suit his needs. He was done waiting for some mysterious thing to happen to him.

The light in front of him turned red. It looked like he was going to hit every single one. He thought about the stack of files he had in his luggage. He was sure Jackson would be horrified by the way he intended to choose his new lovers. He had a system. He would weigh the pros and cons of each, input the numbers into a spreadsheet, and presto, he would have two lovely bodies in his bed. The one time he’d followed his heart and offered a permanent contract to a sub, the man had declined and run off…with Jackson Barnes. Julian wished Samuel Fleetwood well, but he had learned his lesson. He just wasn’t a man who would have something as elusive as love.

His cell phone trilled. Julian looked down and saw a picture of his longtime personal assistant. Candice was almost sixty, her stern face was a comfort to him. Nothing got by her. Julian moved his thumb across the slide bar to answer the call. “This is Lodge.”

“Mr. Lodge, that reporter called again.” The normally unflappable Candice sounded distinctly flapped.

“Have security block her number.” The nosy Morning News reporter would undoubtedly try again. If she gave him too much trouble, he would simply change his number. It would cause a headache, but it would be worth it if it got rid of her. The last thing Julian needed was an exposé run on his underground activities. There was a reason he kept a very low profile.

“She called your private line, Mr. Lodge.”

The light turned green, but Julian didn’t care. He jealously guarded his private line. It wasn’t a number he gave out to his business associates or people from The Club. Only close friends and his submissives had that line. “Did you ask her how she got that number?”