Branch shut the fridge, turned and walked across the kitchen. He put the beers on the counter and slid the new bottle opener he’d bought at the grocery store his way. He uncapped the beers and slid one five inches across the countertop into Barclay’s hand.
“Good you got a toaster, Branch. Least that’s something. Though, nothing to put in it. Don’t think I’ve ever seen a fridge that empty in a pad where someone actually lives.” He was grinning at Branch. What he wasn’t done doing was giving Branch shit. “Or do you just plug your bionic parts in and the government scientists who turned you from human to badass figured out a way you could exist without basic nutrition?”
He needed food but Barclay still wasn’t far off.
He just gave his friend a look.
Barclay returned his look, his was amused, then he lifted the beer and took a deep tug on it.
He dropped his beer hand and when he did he didn’t look amused any longer.
He looked sober with hints at concern.
“Everything cool?”
No it was not.
The extent of that Branch was not going to have a dialogue with Clay about.
“Got a question I need to ask, just you and me,” Branch answered.
“Got that,” Barclay said quietly and then his lips quirked as his eyes slid to the sectional. “Figured it out when you invited me to your couchatoriam. I’m glad it’s you and not me putting that sad sectional out of its misery.”
Branch ignored the ribbing.
“How long you owned the Bolt?”
Barclay’s expression grew more alert even as he shrugged lightly and took another tug of his beer.
When he was done drinking, he answered, “Bought in when Josh and Pete were having troubles about four years ago. Why?”
“You know the scene,” Branch declared.
Barclay nodded. “Yeah, being a sex club owner as well as a practitioner, why?”
Branch took a tug of his own beer before he asked, “You don’t want to share, I get it. But between owning and practicing, you’ve seen a lot, yeah?”
“Done a lot too, Branch,” Barclay answered openly. “May not have Aryas Weathers’s money and style, but I own a scene because I’m into the scene and I wasn’t big on some of the places you could find out there to get what you need. The Bolt was a dump when I bought in. Now it might not be the Honey, but it’s a helluva lot better than it used to be.”
“All you’ve seen and done, you ever know a Domme go sub?” Branch asked suddenly.
Barclay’s body tensed up in surprise at the subject before he asked back, “Say that again?”
“You ever know a Domme, not a switch, go sub?” Branch repeated, then added, “During a scene.”
His gaze watchful, his tone quiet and hesitant, he asked, “You tellin’ me you went sub, brother?”
Branch stared at him.
Olly told Branch he talked openly about a variety of shit with Barclay. And Olly talked openly with Branch about a variety of shit too. The way they enjoyed getting off wasn’t the only topic of conversation, but Ol didn’t shy away from it, especially when he was trying to push Branch into finding something like what he had.
But when they were all three together, none of them talked about it. Branch only knew Barclay was in the life beyond owning a sex club because, before he knew the man personally, he’d seen him hanging from his wrists, up on his toes, getting flogged while Branch was on a job, being vapor at the Bolt.
Barclay and Olly made mention of things when they were all together that vaguely had to do with the life, but nothing deep and nothing revealing.
Branch never talked much regardless, so he’d never said anything.
And it was good to know, in all of his openness, that Olly didn’t share when Branch wasn’t around.
But it was interesting Barclay, in his business, hadn’t read him.
It wasn’t like this wasn’t often mistaken, for instance, at a Pound. But Branch would guess some of those idiots didn’t even know who was president so they definitely couldn’t read on a fit, six-foot-two man he liked to have his ass spanked.
But Barclay was different.
“I’m a sub, man,” he said quietly.
Barclay blinked before his brows went up. “Seriously?”
“Yeah,” Branch confirmed.
“Didn’t call that one,” Barclay muttered before taking another tug of beer.
Branch didn’t have a shot at saying anything because, once Barclay was done swallowing, he went on.
“And your Domme went sub?”
Branch nodded. “Scene was intense. She’s talented. She’s got her style. She rocks it. But no sign she had that in her. And giving you the honesty, never went there myself.”
“But you … what?” Barclay prompted.
This was not where he’d wanted to go. What he and Evangeline shared was not anyone’s business, especially details to that. It was too personal. But more, what they had and the way they had it, it was too precious.
Though to get what he needed, he had to give his friend something.
“Doing it vanilla, I top. Exclusively,” Branch told him, though he didn’t go on to say he hadn’t had that yet with the woman he was talking about, nor that he intended to have just that, especially after last night. He had a new need with Evangeline, the need to get more of her pussy. And for as long as he had her, he was going to find his times to get more of that sweetness as often as he could. “In a scene, I bottom. Exclusively. She took me somewhere I’ve never been, got to that point, I took over. And she got off on it.”
“Did you?”
“Fuck yeah.”
Barclay was now looking perplexed. “Sorry, bro, not sure I get it. You seem troubled. If you both got off—?”
Branch had to give him more, so he did.
“Evangeline had a sub snap on her. It was—”
“You’re seeing Evangeline?”
Branch shut his mouth and stared at Barclay.
Barclay correctly interpreted his stare. “I know her. Just met her recently. She’s yours?” His lips tipped up. “I mean, you’re hers?”
“Both,” Branch grunted.
At least for a while.
Barclay’s lips tipped higher. “Cool, Branch. She’s pretty. And she’s sweet. And she seems, from what little time I’ve spent with her, to have it together.”
Barclay knowing Angie, Branch was no longer comfortable having this conversation.
So he declared, “You know her, this chat is done.”
Barclay again looked perplexed. “Why?”
“I give you that part of me, my decision. She’s not here to make that decision so I’m not giving you that part of her.”
“I knew there was a reason I liked you,” Clay muttered.
Branch ignored that.
“So I guess I wasted your time.” He tipped his head to the bottle Barclay held on the counter. “But you can finish your beer.”
Another smile came from his friend. “Thanks, bro, but just to put your mind at ease and so this isn’t a waste of either of our time, you been hers awhile?”
To that, Branch just grunted, forming no words. Barclay could take that how he wanted.
He took it how he wanted, nodding. “Yeah, she cracked my whip, just hooked up with someone I dig a lot, I’d still consider it.” His expression turned pained. “And she had a sub snap?”
“Clay, I dig you came here because I asked and I dig that you’re obviously willing to help out but I already said we’re not going there.”
Barclay lifted his hand not wrapped around a beer. “Right. I get that. And it’s cool, you giving that to Evangeline.” He dropped his hand, and for one of the few times Branch had seen it do that, his mouth turned down. “But sucks, she had a sub snap on her.”
“Yeah, it does,” Branch agreed to that understatement, taking another swallow from his bottle.
Barclay wasn’t finished.
“But, just so this isn’t a bust for either of us, first, my advice is to talk to her about it. If you have concerns she’s messed up because a sub snapped and she likes being jacked around because that shook something loose, best way to know is to go in gentle and get her to share where she’s at.” His expression lightened even as his gaze grew more intense. “That said, Branch, I think that’s a leap. It says a lot about you and how you feel about her that you’re concerned after that happened to her. Thinking, though, this is more about you being seriously sensitive that your woman has that in her history and not so much about her twisting that history.”