“I modeled it after the old White’s Club in London.” Julian led Slater in. “I did some very meticulous research.”
Slater relaxed once the door closed. The dining room was elegant, with none of the overt sexuality that hung over The Club. His brown eyes took in the sumptuous furnishings with approval. “Yes, this looks a bit like an old-world gentleman’s club. I have to say, I prefer that to the new ones. A gentleman’s club used to be a place where men got away from women, not merely found ones with less clothing.”
Jack got the feeling Slater didn’t get laid much.
Julian pulled out a wooden box. He flipped open the top. “Cubans.” He offered up the rich-smelling cigars. Slater took one. Jack was sorely tempted. Julian only bought the best.
“No,” he said regretfully. “Abby would kill me.” He sank down into the chair. His stomach was in knots. They still hadn’t called back. Jack was starting to get worried. He was going to refuse the cigars, and he wouldn’t have a second drink. He needed a perfectly clear head. It would take a couple of hours to get home. He knew he should stay the night, but he would never get to sleep without talking to them. He didn’t sleep much, anyway, not anymore. If he was going to be miserable, at least he could do it at home where he knew the people he loved were in the next room.
“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, Jackson, but your wife isn’t here,” Julian said, taking that first puff. The rich aroma filled the air.
“It’s easy to see you’ve never been married.” He was going to have to change clothes and take a shower to get rid of the smoky smell. “Abby’s always here.”
Slater laughed but shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “This is why I never married. Why would I want some woman dictating my every move? I thought you were into this lifestyle, Mr. Barnes.”
“Which lifestyle is that?”
Slater’s voice went low. “The bondage thing. The BS thing.”
“Yes, Slater, I’m into the bullshit thing.” Jack would have left it at that, but Julian went into teaching mode. Sometimes Jack thought if Julian hadn’t been such a righteous pervert, he would have done well at a university.
“BDSM,” Julian corrected. He poured a few fingers of Scotch into a glass. Jack waved him off. Julian shrugged and continued. “It stands for bondage, sadism, and masochism. Alternately it also stands for bondage, Dominance, and submission. I believe Jackson and I are more in line with the latter. We both prefer our lovers to be submissive.”
“Speak for yourself,” Jack said. “Abby isn’t very submissive.” Except in the bedroom. A vision of her tied to the whipping chair, her body laid out and open to him, assaulted his brain.
“Really?” Julian asked, looking at him seriously. “I’m surprised to hear that. I would have said you could never be happy in a relationship that didn’t involve submission on some level. I know you’re not a full time Dom, but I assumed any sexual relationship would be in the lifestyle.”
Jack shrugged. “I can be vanilla. No woman wants to be dominated all the time.” He could be very, very demanding. It wasn’t fair to ask that of Abby.
“That has not been my experience, Jackson.” Julian was studying him. Jack was starting to get nervous. The last thing Jack needed was Julian trying to get into his head. “I’ve found many women enjoy it on some level, even if it is just play. They enjoy the feeling of protection a true Dom can give them. A true Dom can shelter a woman from everything, even her own insecurities.”
“Stay out of my marriage, Julian.” Jack stared at his mentor.
“If only I could,” he muttered under his breath.
Slater took a long swallow of his Scotch. “Well, I don’t understand the appeal of any of it. I wouldn’t want a woman to be dependent on me for everything.”
“You’re not a Dom,” Julian said shortly, dismissing the man. He looked like he wanted to pursue the conversation with Jack. Jack steeled himself to have a lengthy discussion with his old mentor about keeping out of his business. He was saved by the door opening.
Jack sat up a little straighter as a young man walked in the room. Jack was pretty sure it was a young man. His hair was strangely shaped. It was black and swept over his face like it was windblown, yet he didn’t try to shove it back. It stayed in place, and Jack realized this kid used hair spray. He had bangs. Why the hell did that boy have bangs? He was dressed in a god-awful purple V-neck T-shirt. It was the type of shirt that looked hot on Abby. It showed off her breasts. The young man in front of him didn’t have breasts, so why did he need to show off his chest? Jack’s eyes moved down the kid’s body, widening in horror. The jeans he was wearing looked like someone had painted them on the man. They were black and fit him like a second skin. He completed the look with a skinny belt that was draped over his hips. It did nothing to keep his pants up. Hell, he didn’t need a belt to do that. Jack thought that man might never get the pants off, but the belt was obviously some form of decoration. Despite the low light of the room, he was wearing a pair of sunglasses.
This was his brother?
The young man swaggered up to the trio. He glanced around the room with a look of cool disdain. “I’ve seen way better clubs than this. You Lodge?”
Julian nodded. Jack couldn’t mistake the small smile on Julian’s face. He was extremely amused. Jack was glad someone was having a good time. “Yes, I’m Julian Lodge.”
The young man turned to Jack. “Since I know that asshole in the back, that must make you Jack Barnes. I suppose I expected you to show up in a cowboy hat fresh off the range. Did you leave your horse outside?”
Jack stood up. Though the young man was almost as tall as Jack, he had the slight build of a teen, compared to that of a man. Jack had fifty pounds on him at least. The kid needed some work to put muscle on his frame.
“I left my horse on my ranch,” Jack said. “What the hell is wrong with you, son? Didn’t they teach manners in those fancy schools you went to? Take those damn sunglasses off when you’re inside.”
The sunglasses came off in a flash, and Jack heard Slater’s shocked gasp.
“I just thought they looked cool.” Lucas Cameron sounded far less arrogant now.
“Is the fact that your pants are two sizes too small supposed to be cool, too?”
“Yes.” Lucas self-consciously pulled them away from his waist. They didn’t budge. He seemed stunned that someone was talking to him the way Jack was. Jack realized, without the sunglasses, that the face staring at him looked awfully familiar.
“Jackson, it’s like looking at you ten years ago.” Julian’s focus switched between the two. It was obvious Julian was making comparisons. “I’ve seen him in photographs, but the two of you together, the resemblance is astonishing.”
Yes, his half-brother greatly resembled him. There were, of course, a few differences. “Are you wearing makeup, son?”
“It’s just a little guy-liner,” Lucas mumbled.
“I don’t know what that is, but my wife wears something like that. I don’t think that’s meant for men.” Jack was not able to keep the horror out of his voice.
Lucas suddenly stood up straight, as though surprised at his own actions. “I wouldn’t expect a cowboy to know what’s fashionable. That monkey suit you’re wearing is boring.”
“I find it to be confining. But at least it fits.”
“I didn’t come here to talk fashion with you, Mr. Barnes,” Lucas said, puffing himself up. His dark green eyes narrowed. “I came here to talk business. Now, what the hell is Slater doing here? Who invited my father’s flunky?”