Dangerous (7 page)

Brady grimaced. You’d think someone neck deep in politics would have learned the value of discretion. Unfortunately for him, Cal had missed that class because he was too busy jacking off. Brady swore if the man sent him one more picture of his penis, one more Vine of him sucking on popsicles, or one more link to a video of someone in a kink club being rogered and dragged around in a collar, he was going to tell Ken he quit and use the rest of his savings on a hypnotherapist. He didn’t necessarily believe that he
could
be hypnotized, but he’d seen things he didn’t want to remember and was willing to give it a try.

Unfortunately he couldn’t quit because Ken’s plan was working. Brady’s hints about Burke’s weekend love fest, his lies about wanting to experiment with kink—it all worked. When Cal mentioned he had important friends who threw regular parties—exclusive parties—in a private club, Ken was sure they’d hit the jackpot.

Brady let Cal believe he would be “grateful” to go. It made him ill, but he didn’t want to take the chance he’d change his mind. After this party, his part would be over. He wouldn’t have to put any of them through this torture anymore. Brady didn’t deserve it. And Cal, no matter how he behaved, didn’t deserve to be teased. He just hoped the man they were looking for was there.

He couldn’t think of anything he wanted to do less than go to another elite BDSM gangbang, this time on Clingy Cal’s arm. But in two days that was exactly what he was going to do, because no matter how tense and unsettled things felt between them, this was important to Ken.

Brady got the feeling Ken knew the guy they were trying to find. That they were close and that the cross he’d been wearing around his neck was somehow connected. Had one of his lovers gotten caught up with this crowd of Burke doppelgängers Ken had described?

He wished Ken would tell him. His living space might be like an open book but Tanaka was still a mystery. Who did he care about? What did he do when he wasn’t playing hero or tying someone up in knots?

Brady got to the second floor, opened the stairwell door and stopped when he realized Ken was already in the gym. And he wasn’t alone.

“It’s the wrist flick I can’t get the hang of,” the man sighed, looking down at the leather whip dangling from his fingers. “I can pick a lock in under a minute but I can’t manage this damn flick.”

Brady narrowed his eyes on the visitor in his late thirties. He was wearing a wrinkled shirt and jeans that were faded from use, not design. His forearms were covered in old-school tattoos and his dark blond hair was a little too long and thoughtlessly mussed, as if he’d brushed it with his fingers. His beard however, was a little too neatly trimmed to match the transient vibe he’d been going for.

The man stilled and turned his head to meet Brady’s gaze head on. His eyes were a soul-piercing green and highly intelligent. He was handsome beneath the mess, Brady knew. Gorgeous really, but you wouldn’t see it unless you gave him a second look. It was his version of camouflage. 

“Hey, Trick.”

“Brady. I didn’t know you were staying with Tanaka.”

“Yes, you did.”

“Yeah. I did.”

Tristan “Trick” Dunham was an old friend from Stephen Finn’s misspent youth. He’d done some time, but he’d used it wisely, getting a degree and doing his best to stay out of trouble. He was a private detective now, and loving every minute of it. Not too long ago, when Jennifer Finn was sowing her oats at that double-damned BDSM club everyone Brady knew was a member of, Stephen had hired Trick to tail her. Just to keep her safe.

Trick had loved his new assignment a little too much. He’d been hanging around and keeping an eye on Jen ever since, but Brady was willing to bet he no longer reported his actions to Stephen.

“Whip, eh?”

Trick winked at him, then shrugged. “It was a thought, but I’m more of a traditionalist. There’s nothing this baby can do that a strong, willing hand can’t do better.”

Ken moved closer and Brady frowned when he barely acknowledged his presence. “I’d disagree, but the way you hold my whip makes me nervous.”

“Yeah, Trick. I think the last thing you want to do is hurt someone.” If he’d been thinking about using that on his cousin, there might be a problem. “Speaking of mistakes, taking any classes at the college this semester, old man?”

Trick nodded, grinning at the threat beneath the question. “Auditing a few. And education is never a mistake, Marine. In fact, I’m learning a lot about dysfunctional family dynamics this go-round, so I’m here if you ever need to talk about your childhood. The middle son who kept growing so he would be seen, etcetera.”

Brady’s fists clenched and Ken patted Trick on the shoulder in a way that was clearly meant to end the conversation. “I appreciate your help, Trick. And you can take the whip if you want, but don’t use it until you can come back here and give me a demonstration of your skill.”

Trick laughed, handing it back to Ken instead. “You lifestylers have so many rules, you never have time for fun.” He nodded to Brady. “
He
knows I’m right, don’t you, big guy? He’s been here a week or so, right? Big boy doesn’t look like he’s had any fun at all. Have you let Tanaka do his Shibari voodoo on you yet? I hear it’s relaxing.”

“Brady’s not into kink, Trick. Which you know.” Now Ken’s voice held the warning.

Trick was oblivious. “Neither am I, in the strictest sense. You’ll never see me in leather and latex begging for my turn on the pain machine. The things I enjoy are meant for private parties and take a lot longer than a few hours every Thursday night. In my opinion, dirty is good, but kinky is complicated. Club kink, at any rate.”

He looked between Brady and Ken and shook his head, his knowing smile begging to be knocked off. “I can feel a lot of sexual tension in this room. Unfortunately it’s not directed at me so I think it’s time for me to leave. We’ll talk later. Try not to have any fun until you can give
me
a demonstration. I do like to watch, and fair is fair.”

Brady watched him disappear, feeling the tic pulsing at his temple. He’d already been in a bad mood, but Trick had managed to make it worse. He didn’t want to think about Jen getting mixed up with someone like him. She was back on track, back in school and taking a break from the experimenting that had led to her brush with the law. Trick wasn’t a criminal, but he wasn’t someone to take lightly. And he wasn’t good enough for Little Finn. But then, most of the family was in agreement that no one was.

Ken stepped in front of him and laid a hand on his arm. “You know he’s all talk. He likes yanking your chain, that’s all.”

The touch of his fingers sent a pulse of current up Brady’s spine. He took a step away to break the contact. “Everyone seems to enjoy that lately. Why was he here?”

Ken hesitated, then grabbed a water bottle and took a long drink, which was when Brady noticed the sheen that still covered his chest. He’d been working out. Trick must have interrupted him.

Brady wanted to lick the salt off his skin.

“Just a favor,” Ken said with a shrug. “He owes me more than one. Anyway, it’s not important. I have news. This morning I made sure that I’ll be doing a rope demo for the get-together. Once Cal told you where he was taking you, I made some quiet inquiries. The place is highly secure and private and prefers their own Doms as a rule. In fact, the only name I recognized is more hardcore than most, which made it harder to get in than it should have been. I had to make a few promises and twist a few arms to be put on the list, but we’re good to go. You won’t be alone, which is a good thing. I don’t trust places I can’t vet thoroughly.”

What had he done for Trick to get those favors? And who had he made promises to? Brady shook his head. He was seriously fucked up.

Marine heal thyself.
What had he said in that video about acting like a jealous fishwife? What did he care?

“Who are you going to be hogtying this time for our deviant audience?”

Jesus, just stop talking.

Ken sent him a questioning look. “Someone I’ve worked with before who knows how to put on a good show. He’s a professional dancer. Why? Did
you
want to volunteer?”

Brady walked over to the leg press machine and started adding weight. “You already know I don’t. Maybe this dancer could be your partner in crime instead so you don’t need me to come with Cal. I think I did my part, right? We know where they’re going to be? With your skills at arm twisting, I’m sure you could get everything you needed on your own.”

He was being a difficult bastard and he knew it.

“What the hell, Finn? You know I can’t. I won’t be able to get near the target, but you’ll be introduced. Vargas is our ticket to ending this. You’ll shake his hand, and then you’ll be done. That’s what you want, right?” Ken strode over to him and dug his fingers into Brady’s forearm. “Why are you trying to back out now? Is it Cal?”

He hadn’t been planning on it, but Ken’s reaction—no longer so serene—pushed him to continue. Brady gripped Ken’s wrist firmly and dragged his hand away. “I don’t know, Tanaka. Maybe I’m not the right guy to play bait, even for a good cause. Leading people on is obviously a
fetish
of yours, but I don’t enjoy it. Even with a freak like Cal. God, especially him. Once this job is over, things will go back to normal for you, but I’ll be dealing with the fallout for a while.” He shook his head, turning back to the weights.

He’d have to warn Stephen. And stop using a traceable phone. And go to church to do penance for being such a jackass.

He didn’t see it coming. He felt a rush of air and then his feet were no longer beneath him and his back was slamming hard on the gym floor, stealing his breath.

Tanaka had swept his damn legs out from under him.

Ken straddled his waist, his braid brushing Brady’s chest and his amber eyes burning gold. “You think
I’m
leading
you
on? Is that what you told yourself?”

“Tanaka—”

“Who’s the real tease, Finn? The way you watch me every time I look away. The way you respond every time I touch you. Willingly participate just long enough to get me rock hard before you push me away with your no-kink excuse. That’s what it is, Brady. An excuse.”

Brady started to move and Ken used his hands to hold his shoulders down. “Let me finish. Have I ever asked to tie you up or whip you? No. But you don’t seem to care about that. It never occurred to
you
to ask why I’m in the life, or how much it does or doesn’t have to do with sex, because you’ve already decided. You never considered that I might be drawn to you. That I might like being with you. That I might just want to have my brains fucked out by a tall, well-hung Marine whose body drives me wild.”

Brady swallowed and licked his lips, his adrenaline pumping. Ken wasn’t wrong. He’d never asked because he didn’t want to know. It was a wall he could put up to protect himself. Four letters to stop him in his tracks. BDSM. It kept him from acting on his own darker desires. Kept him from losing himself to the chemistry between them. But now Ken was attempting to strip those excuses away, leaving Brady vulnerable. Exposed.

He bucked his hips up and twisted, flinging Ken to the floor beside him. Rolling quickly, he pinned Ken down with one arm behind his back and his hips trapped beneath Brady’s erection. “What about you? You could have offered to tell me. But you leave me twisting instead. You leave me to guess how you feel, what we’re really doing on this job, everything. First you suck my cock and then disappear for a month. Then you send me a text, but it’s only so I can use my
giant ginger
charms to help you on a job that makes me the focus of a pervert’s unwavering attention. You corner me in a restroom stall, hint at kinky role-play sessions that start just like this, and then you treat me like the invisible roommate until I piss you off.”

“I didn’t know he’d be that crazy.”

Brady sighed. “I know. But that’s the only thing I’m sure of.”

“You want to know all my secrets, Finn?”

I want to know you.
“It would be a nice change.”

Brady couldn’t resist moving his hips against Ken’s, then doing it again when he heard the man beneath him moan.

“I’ll give you one right now,” Ken panted. “It’s your secret too. I know you watched me in the shower that first morning. I know what you saw. You think I wouldn’t notice the camera angle?”

Brady froze. Ken knew about that? When had he found out?

“Did you wish it was your thick dick that was stretching my ass instead of that dildo?” Ken asked, his voice a sexual challenge. “I did. I was riding it and knowing it wouldn’t be enough. I wanted it to be you.”

“Stop…” But Brady didn’t mean it.

“Did you come, Finn? Were you watching me fuck myself and stroking that hard cock? Or is that too kinky for a guy like you to admit to? I told you I wanted you. Do you have the balls to tell me what you want?”

Rising off him, Brady reached for the waistband of the loose black pants Ken was wearing and dragged them down and off, throwing them over his shoulder. He dragged Ken up to a standing position in front of him and cupped his jaw with trembling fingers. “You want me again?”

“I always want you, Brady. I was trying to give you space.”

“No space.” He was too turned on to argue. “Just sex. No toys or restraints or mind games, and I’m the one inside you. Give me your word and I’ll trust it.” More than he trusted himself right now.

Ken’s addictive lips parted for a short, shaky breath. “Anything you want, Finn. I’ve waited too long to care about anything else. Just fuck me.”

“Upstairs.” Brady bit out before lifting Ken off his feet and walking toward the service elevator. “Does this work?”

“Everything works.”

Good. He didn’t think he could let Ken go long enough to race up one flight of stairs. He didn’t have the strength.

He pushed the button as Ken wrapped his long, agile legs around him, pressing his erection against Brady’s stomach and lowering his mouth for a kiss. Brady groaned as Ken sucked on his tongue the way he’d sucked his cock. Hungry. Greedy. God, he never wanted it to stop.