Chapter 1

Boone

"If the angry man chases us out like that time I tried to order decaf when he was having a crazy day, I'm not coming back."

He'd come back.

Wynn had some kind of an unhealthy crush on the crazy man and he thought Skyler had the best coffee ever.

"It'll be fine." I hoped it would. "He invited us both, remember?"

"Yes, but he's…" Sighing, Wynn shrugged. "He's not sane."

That didn't change the fact that Skyler the drama queen made him stupid, but it kept Wynn from taking the crush too far and trying to date someone like him. "His invitation was very clear and he made sure we knew what kind of event we were being invited to."

A BDSM event.

Kind of.

He'd worded it better than that, but he'd spelled out it was a private party for select patrons who were open-minded and polite. So it was a Halloween party for his kinky customers, and somehow we'd been invited.

I wasn't sure how we'd been added to that list but arguing about it seemed rude especially when he wasn't wrong. Not totally wrong?

I wasn't sure how completely right he was since Wynn had been invited too, but in my case, I was curious and open-minded.

Wynn just might be there because Skyler, AKA the crazy man, made him lose all common sense and the ability to talk.

Which was part of the reason he'd gotten chased out for the decaf drama.

"This is such a bad idea." Wynn sighed like he was being tortured, but it made me roll my eyes.

"You picked out our costumes, dimwit. You can't pretend that I'm dragging you to the party." I might not know exactly how we'd ended up going to the party, but it definitely hadn't been my idea.

He'd just started talking about Skyler and being chased out and the invitation, and somehow, I'd agreed to go. It was all very confusing, so I tried not to analyze it too much. The conclusions my brain had been jumping to were ridiculous…and I did not entertain ridiculous.

Unless costumes and the coffee guy were involved, evidently.

"If you're lucky, he'll have made decaf and you can get him to scream at you again." That'd made him so hard he'd been obviously aroused when he'd retold the story, pretending to be horrified.

Wynn just groaned.

Yep, he wanted to be chased again.

Shaking my head, I sighed. "When you were watching all those horror movies you love, I don't think you learned the lessons you were supposed to."

Bad guys with chainsaws and masks were not arousing.

That was a hill I would die on, but I'd figured out over the last few years that I was flexible on other things…which was how I'd ended up going to the party.

Wynn wasn't the only idiot.

"I've never claimed to have a lot of logic or good judgment. The maybe I'm pan phase proved that." Shaking his head, he frowned as he remembered his confusing what am I phase. "This was Skyler's idea, and he's scary, so it's his fault but I'm not going to tell him that."

No, he'd just drool and adjust himself in his puppy costume.

"Not it." I might not be able to blame Skyler for why I was there, but I wasn't going to deliberately try to piss him off.

I was slightly confused, not suicidal.

So we were stuck going to the party in the weirdest costumes I'd ever seen. He was a puppy and I was a dog trainer. I had a name tag and everything. He'd gotten the idea from someone he'd met online. I'd tried to understand the costume, but every time I asked questions, he blushed.

So I'd done the smart thing and stopped asking.

I definitely didn't have the good logic or judgment in our friendship either.

"It's going to be fine. We're not going to ask for coffee no matter what he's serving. We're going to not stare at anyone interesting. We're going to talk to anyone we recognize…like us all being there is perfectly normal…and then we're going to head home." If we got a good dessert or a drink, that would just be a bonus.

"Yes, we're going to relax and hang out, not be weird if we see anyone we know, and we're not going to make Skyler crazy." Wynn didn't seem confident about the last part of our to-do list, but it didn't surprise me.

"He'll probably be distracted with all the people and won't even notice us." I was hopeful about that for about thirty seconds until we turned the corner and could see the door of the coffee shop.

He was waiting outside.

Fuck.

"Is it weird that I'm having to remind myself we were invited?" Wynn sounded like he was either going to orgasm or hyperventilate, and I wasn't sure which would've been weirder.

"No." There were definitely other parts that were stranger. "He looks like a bouncer for the mob and we're trying to get into the underground speakeasy he runs."

Wynn coughed, trying not to laugh. "That's the plot of the book I was telling you about."

I knew it'd sounded familiar.

"Tell me he doesn't look like that plot come to life? He's wearing a tux for fuck's sake." He looked hot in it too. "Maybe he's James Bond?"

"There's no way he's dressed up as something that normal." Wynn was so confident about that I knew he'd end up being right. "Our brains just don't work the same way his does, so we'll never guess."

He was definitely right about that too.

"Just don't react weird no matter what it turns out to be." I wasn't ready for any more accept yourself and stop hiding lectures. "And don't drool."

Wynn huffed like he was offended but he closed his mouth after he licked his lips, so he knew there'd been a good chance he'd actually been drooling.

"You're insane." He wasn't wrong, but not for the reasons he probably thought. "So am I, though."

Yep.

"Agreed." My response had him shooting me a glare. "It's Halloween and we're going to Skyler's coffee shop where every BDSM person he knows is going to be hanging out."

My point made, he frowned and turned forward again. "You're so grumpy. You didn't have to come if you didn't want to."

He was insane.

"I'm your trainer. I had to come." I meant it in the costume kind of way but Wynn almost took a header into the sidewalk. "Fuck."

I caught him before he went down, but it was close.

"Did you trip on your tail?" I managed to make that sound like a reasonable question, but it was hard.

"No." Mumbling something about just being stupid, he straightened and kept walking. "Thanks, though."

"No problem." Big confusion…but no problems. "Just don't die before we get to the party or I'll look like a terrible trainer."

His groan was mostly normal Wynn kind of drama, but the way he was blushing said I'd missed something.

He was just as weird as Skyler…maybe that was why he had a crush on the guy? Kindred spirits and all?

Wait.

"We're closed for a private event. Oh." We stopped in front of Skyler before I could sort through the random shit that'd popped into my head, and he was distracting enough that he chased all the weird thoughts out for the moment.

The way he'd gestured toward the shop that had the curtains closed wasn't helping either. "Welcome. Please come in but be warned that this is a private event where clothing norms have been adjusted. You are expected to be polite and use good judgment or I will not be happy. Is that clear?"

Wynn managed not to adjust his erection but it looked like it took a lot of effort. In the end, he just nodded, and I was the one who had to respond verbally for us. "Yes, we understand. We are open-minded and will not be a problem."

We'd be stupid but not a problem in the sense of making a scene.

Head bobbing faster, Wynn swallowed hard but just managed to squeak. It might've been his attempt at saying yes, but I wouldn't have bet on it.

Skyler was more confident about it, though, or maybe he was just used to dealing with horny idiots because he nodded like it made perfect sense. "Yes, that's right."

What had he thought Wynn said?

"Go right in. Help yourself to goodies and hang out. Feel free to be yourselves and explore your fantasies. It's Halloween after all." How Skyler connected those things so closely together, I wasn't sure, but he looked confident about it, so I didn't ask any questions.

He'd have definitely thought they were stupid.

"Thank you." Not knowing what else to say, I stepped toward the door but his sigh said I'd already done something wrong.

We both froze, but Wynn's whole body tensed like he was one Skyler-frown away from orgasming.

"You didn't bring his leash?" Studying us, his expression said he was disappointed in me for being stupid.

Telling him I hadn't picked out the outfit seemed like it would be a mistake, but I wasn't sure why. Still, I decided to go with it and just raised one eyebrow.

He huffed and started digging in the pockets of his tux, finally shifting enough for us to see the back of his costume.

There wasn't one.

There were just panties.

For fuck's sake.

"You're the meme." Wynn blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "The book one."

As Skyler pulled out a cock ring, a small paddle, and a sparkly leash, he beamed at Wynn and handed me the leash. "That's right. Good boy, pup."

Rubbing his hand over the head of Wynn's costume, Skyler actually looked like he was petting a dog. "Such a smart pup."

Oh.

Wynn liked that.

He really liked that.

His face lit up like it was his birthday and Christmas all in one and he'd just gotten the best dessert ever on top of it.

And he really liked dessert.

And Christmas lights.

Fuck. I had the leash.

"Keep him on the leash so he doesn't get in trouble and wander." Gesturing toward the plastic collar that was attached to the costume, Skyler made what I was supposed to do clear. "There's a space at the back with mats on the floor for the littles and pups to play."

Shaking his head, he sighed. "My floors just aren't kneeling friendly, but I've tried to do the best I could."

Flashing a smile at Wynn that he probably would've given to a real beagle, Skyler petted his head again. "Such a good boy. Yes, you are. I'll figure out a better plan for pup knees next year, but you'll be fine for tonight."

My brain just stopped working at that point.

Between leashing Wynn and listening to Skyler, it overloaded like a computer that was trying to download too much.

"Oh, you look so nice in your leash." Skyler gave it a little tug and chuckled as Wynn sucked in a breath. "So cute. Okay, go play with the other pups before I get distracted and upset your Handler."

Me.

I was his Handler.

For fuck's sake.

I was Wynn's Handler.

"Correct." I was his Handler. I could handle anything. "Like by tugging on his leash."

Because my dirty pup really liked that and Skyler knew it.

The wicked man grinned and nearly giggled. "I'm naughty. What can I say?"

He'd melted Wynn's brain, so an apology would've been nice. "Your desire to be punished should not affect or distract my pup."

Skyler's expression shifted to something diabolical. "Oh, I'll never agree to that. He's too much fun to play with."

I knew it.

He'd chased him out because he knew it turned Wynn on.

"Hmm, I wonder if your…partner…knows you're out here showing off your panties to everyone walking by." Huffing, I lead my naughty pup into the coffee shop as Skyler laughed.

"Tattletale."

I'd do whatever I needed to so that I could protect my pup…no matter if that was from Skyler or himself.

Fuck it all.

I had a pup.

Halloween just kept getting more and more interesting.