Chapter 1

Chapter One

M atthew Behan thanked his lucky stars he could do his job at the front desk of The Covenant with his eyes closed because he was utterly exhausted. Between working full-time as an EMT, going to school to become a paramedic, all the studying and clinical rotations that went with it, and working part-time at the BDSM club he belonged to, sleeping was a luxury lately. His EMS schedule rotated—twenty-four hours on, followed by forty-eight hours off, and sometimes, he'd pick up a half or "split" shift for overtime. As a result, his club shifts, which helped offset his annual membership fee, and his nights off when he could play, also rotated. The latter wasn't often recently. Hell, he couldn't even remember the last time he played with anyone except for an occasional scene with one of the Whip Masters.

He had no clue how or why, but somehow, his almost disgustingly sweet parents had raised a masochist. Controlled pain for pleasure was something he craved—he was just wired that way. Unfortunately, at twenty-six, he'd yet to find a sadist he was attracted to who was single, interested in an exclusive D/s relationship, and looking for a submissive to beat regularly. Oh, and who didn't turn out to be a douche bucket after a few weeks.

Out of all those factors, at least one or two was missing in every gay Dom he'd met over the last few years. So, as of late, when he had time, he scened with one of the club's Whip Masters—Dominants skilled with the bullwhip, who took turns servicing needy, masochistic submissives on nights when the club was open.

If Matthew wasn't so tired, he might've checked to see if Mistress China could fit him into her schedule tonight. Maybe Sunday night , he thought, since that would be his only free time between now and his final exams. When he wasn't working or sleeping for the next six days, he'd be studying his ass off.

It was three weeks before Christmas, and hopefully, by the new year, he'd finally be a certified paramedic in Florida with the pay raise that went with it. He would keep his fingers crossed and pray to St. Michael, the patron saint of police officers, firefighters, and EMTs/paramedics, for two or three weeks until he found out if he passed his final written and practical exams. As the testing dates grew near, his anxiety spiked higher and higher. He didn't know what he'd do if all his hard work for the past two years was for naught.

A couple stepped up to the desk in the lobby on the club's second floor. Matthew immediately recognized the handsome Dom, who'd been a full-time member for about two years, but not the pretty submissive with him. "Good evening, Master Renzo. How can I help you tonight?"

"Hello, Matthew," the Dom said with a pleasant smile. "This is my guest, Katie. Here's her paperwork, including the signed NDA."

He handed over several pieces of paper, and Matthew quickly scanned them, especially the non-disclosure agreement, to ensure the woman had initialed and signed all the appropriate spots. A separate page confirmed she passed her background check. Finding everything in order, he opened a drawer beside his hip and pulled out a yellow band. "Welcome to The Covenant, Katie. I just need to put this around your wrist."

When the brunette held out her hand, he attached the band in place, ensuring it wasn't too tight or loose. "This indicates you're a guest and not cleared to play on the premises. You'll need to remain with Master Renzo at all times unless, of course, you need to use the restroom. If you have any problems or lose track of Master Renzo, just look for a dungeon monitor wearing a gold vest or one of the security guards in the red polo shirts, and they'll help you." After working there for almost four years, he could probably recite all that in his sleep.

She gave him a shy but grateful smile. "Thank you."

"You're very welcome. Have a good evening. You too, Sir."

Master Renzo nodded as he put a possessive hand at the small of Katie's back. "Thank you, Matthew."

"My pleasure, Sir."

As the couple headed for the heavy wooden double doors that opened into the main club and the big bouncer guarding them, Matthew grabbed a red pen and a new manila folder from a nearby stack. He wrote Katie's full name on the tab, tucked her paperwork into the folder, and filed it in the cabinet behind him. A yawn broke loose, and he used his hand to cover his gaping mouth. If only he could close his eyes for a few minutes, but if that happened, he knew he wouldn't wake up for hours.

Glancing at the clock under the desktop, he groaned. Ninety minutes before his shift ended. Then he could go home, collapse on his bed, and sleep until after noon if he wanted. He didn't have to be at work until six tomorrow evening for an overtime shift he split with another EMT. Still, like most metropolitan areas, Saturday nights were usually the busiest of the week for Tampa Fire Rescue, which covered the emergency medical services for the city. He and his partner would probably run their asses off unless, by some small miracle, they caught a rare break.

Matthew loved his job, though, whether it was busy or slow. During career day in his junior year of high school, a paramedic/EMT team gave a passionate presentation about their chosen profession. Right then, he knew he wanted to join their ranks as soon as possible. Okay, so he may have also been influenced by the fact that the paramedic had been hot as freaking Hades, and Matthew nearly drooled all over his desk as the man talked. Regardless, his decision of what he wanted to do with his life was etched in stone that day.

The door to the parking lot swung open, and several men strode in, including Masters Devon and Ian. The two of the three Sawyer brothers and their cousin, Master Mitch, owned The Covenant. They'd been incredibly supportive of Matthew's career path over the past year, constantly reminding him they could move his club schedule around to accommodate his classes and fieldwork. Manning the front desk a few times a week was the only way he could afford the membership fees to one of the most elite and private BDSM clubs on the Gulf Coast. He'd also become close to several of the club's submissives, including the owners' significant others, so he planned to keep the position even if he got promoted to paramedic.

While Devon and several others headed for the double doors, Master Ian stepped over to the desk, speaking over his shoulder to someone behind him. When the other man came into view and stopped next to the owner, Matthew almost fainted. Master Delmar Sutton briefly toured the club a few weeks ago, and Matthew had been caught by several of his submissive friends salivating over the yummy Dom. They'd teased him relentlessly for a few hours. Unfortunately, he was recovering from a whip session with Master Carl that night and still felt the drugging effects of subspace. Otherwise, he would've sashayed across the room and made sure the visiting Dom noticed him before he left.

From the little he'd been able to find out over the following few days, Master Delmar was gay— yay! — and had just recently moved to Tampa from the small city of Morrison, Ohio. He was also interested in joining a local lifestyle club. Since he was there again tonight, hopefully, it meant he decided to become a member of The Covenant.

In his late thirties or early forties, the man stood about six feet tall, definitely worked out, but not to the point his muscles bulged, and had thick chestnut hair. Since he was now close enough to see them, Matthew noted that the Dom's eyes were a wicked hazel—brown, green, and amber swirled together. He was dressed in rich mahogany leathers, which molded to his slim hips and long legs, and a white button-down shirt, with the top few buttons undone and the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His five o'clock shadow just made him look more delicious, and Matthew longed to have that scruff scrape across his entire body.

He straightened, put on his most professional yet flirtatious smile, and thanked the Goddess of Twink submissives everywhere that he'd decided to wear one of his favorite outfits tonight. The crimson satin boy shorts showed off both his front and rear assets. A black leather harness crisscrossed over his slender but toned shoulders, waxed chest, and back. Because he was currently working, he also had on a gold bowtie. Simple yet seductive and hopefully enticing. He quietly cleared his throat and prayed his voice wouldn't crack like a prepubescent boy when he greeted them. "Good evening, Sirs."

Master Ian nodded. "Good evening to you, too, Matthew. This is Master Del. You should have his new membership card back there."

When Master Del smiled at him, Matthew almost wilted into a heap of desperate and aching flesh and bones. The man had dimples. Freaking dimples! Sigh .

Remembering he had a job to do, he removed the lanyard from around his neck and quickly found the key to the locked cabinet beneath the desk. "Um, welcome to The Covenant, Master Del."

"Thank you—Matthew, was it?"

He blushed as the Dom's gaze raked over his body with evident appreciation. His heart pounded as goosebumps skittered across his skin, and a shiver went down his spine. "Y-yes, Matthew. I mean, yes, Sir , my name is Matthew, which—which is my name."

Ugh, can you get any more flustered? Goddess, help me!

Master Ian arched an eyebrow at the submissive, then smirked and shook his head. It was rare for Matthew to be so out of sorts around a handsome man. Usually, his flirtatious brat emerged when he was attracted to someone, and the head Dom knew that.

Locating the new key card, he held it out to Master Del with a trembling hand. Expecting the man just to take it, Matthew gasped, his heart skipping a beat when the Dom gently grasped his wrist. "I'd ask if you were interested in playing tonight, pup, but you appear dead on your feet. Master Ian, I hope this doesn't indicate that you push your employees too hard."

The club owner's eyes narrowed as he studied Matthew, who squirmed under the scrutiny. Uh-oh . Master Ian's mouth turned down into a fierce frown. "When was the last time you slept, Matthew? You're pale and have dark circles under your eyes."

Damn it. He'd hoped the little bit of concealer and black eyeliner he put on earlier would've helped hide his fatigue. Sighing inwardly, he knew better than to lie to one of the most dominant and astute men he ever met. "I slept about five hours last night, Sir. It's been a busy week, finishing my clinical rotations and preparing for my finals."

"And on top of that, you're working here along with your EMS shifts, right? When you started the paramedic program, I thought we agreed that you'd let me or Masters Mitch or Devon know if you were overloaded and needed time off." He crossed his arms over his massive chest and scowled. "Or is that something I just imagined and pulled out of my ass?"

Matthew dropped his gaze to the desk—the submissive in him instinctively reacting to the disappointment in the Dom's tone. "No, Sir, you didn't imagine it. I planned to sleep at least eight hours last night, but it was my last clinical rotation in the ER, and a bunch of patients from a bad car accident were brought in, along with two cardiac arrests, and it was all hands-on deck. Once I'm done here, I don't have to do anything until tomorrow afternoon but catch up on my sleep. But I swear I'm fine."

It wasn't until he tried to run a hand through his stylish blond hair that he realized Master Del hadn't let go of him. The man's thumb sensually caressed his wrist as he studied the submissive's face. The intense stare turned Matthew on, causing a shiver to race down his spine, while the zephyr-like touch could almost lull him to sleep standing up.

Master Ian sighed and dropped his arms. "Who's your relief tonight, and are they here yet?"

He reluctantly dragged his attention back to his boss. "It's Molly, Sir, and she's inside somewhere."

"Get your things and then ask one of the waitstaff or DMs to find Molly and send her to me. I'll man the desk until she gets here. Let me know if she's in the middle of a scene, and I'll find someone else."

Horrified at the thought of the owner, a Dom, and retired Navy SEAL, filling the desk clerk position, even for a few moments, Matthew's eyes widened as he shook his head. "Oh, you don't have to do that, Sir, I'm fine, re??—"

"That was an order I think you should obey, pup," Master Del interrupted. His tone was low and filled with a warning, and damn, it made Matthew want to sink to his knees. "I look forward to seeing you again when you're well rested, and maybe then we can negotiate some playtime."

Oh, Goddess of Twink submissives, I love you! Not sure what I did to grab this gorgeous man's interest, but if I could, I would kiss your feet right now as a thank you!

He swallowed hard, willing his cock to behave since it wouldn't find any relief tonight unless it were by his own hand. "Um, y-yes, Sir. I-I'd like that very much, Sir."

The Dom smiled, and those dimples appeared again—s woon! "Good. Now, do as Master Ian instructed, and then go home and get some sleep."