Chapter 15

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Simon

I t was probably the lack of sleep and surrealness of the situation, but as Victor and I drove through Barrington, the streetlights waving in and out of the car, creating weird shadows as we passed each one, I felt thrilled rather than afraid. Nobody was chasing us directly, but we were definitely part of a chase.

"I guess this is what Hayden feels with his kidnapping fantasies," I said as I directed Victor to make the last turn. He'd figured out where we were going by that point anyhow.

"Kidnapping fantasies?" Victor asked.

I squirmed a little, knowing it was a sore topic for him.

"Yeah. Hayden's been a member of the Dark Fantasies Club for years. His favorite kink was fake kidnappings. He liked having alphas snatch him off the street and take him back to their lair, or whatever, to…y'know."

Victor gaped straight forward, but I could tell his shock was for me.

"You're telling me that the omega my uncle was responsible for having kidnapped had a thing for being kidnapped?" he asked.

"He did," I said, almost laughing. "Which is probably why he knew exactly what to do in the situation and why it didn't last that long."

"Unbelievable." Victor shook his head, but I could feel the streak of ironic humor within him.

"You can ask him about it yourself, if you want," I added as I pointed out the right house, even though Victor already knew. "We're here."

The safest place I'd been able to think of for us to go, the place where we were guaranteed to find shelter and help, was Hayden and Mason's house. Victor had been there once before, and he'd agreed it was the best option we had available. I'd called Hayden as soon as the decision was made, and luckily, Hayden had still been up with Junior.

"You made it in one piece," he greeted us, a sleepy Junior in his arms, Mason standing right behind him, before Victor and I could even knock on the door.

"Come inside, quickly, and tell us the full story of what's going on," Mason said, glancing from me to Victor.

He did a double-take at me, but it wasn't until I'd stepped fully into my brother's beautiful, well-decorated, slightly messy house that I realized my slave collar was visible over the collar of my shirt.

"Remember how I told you a few months ago I was making changes at Victory Holdings?" Victor asked as Mason led us to the kitchen.

"I remember," Mason said, gesturing for us to have a seat at the kitchen table.

"Well, it turns out my uncle is vehemently opposed to change of any kind, and he's determined to stop it at all costs."

"Do I want to know what ‘all costs' means?" Mason asked.

I only vaguely heard his question. As Victor and Mason took seats at the table and Hayden moved to the counter with Junior, who was fussing, I was struck hard with a battle between appearance and instinct.

Everything within me wanted to kneel on the floor by my master's chair. It felt like the right thing to do, the respectful thing to do. But this was my brother's house. My brother and his alpha were right there, and they would see my submission.

Right from the start, one of my biggest worries about indulging in this fantasy and being the omega I knew that I was at heart was that Hayden would judge me. If I knelt by Victor's side, I would be doing right by my alpha, but I would completely change the way my brother, one of the people who I cared about more than anyone in the world, saw me.

Hayden must have sensed something.

"Hey, I need to put Junior to bed," he said. "Simon, you wanna help?"

The way he looked at me asked something more like, "You wanna talk?"

I was still a teeny bit conflicted. I glanced to Victor, straight-up asking for permission.

"You go ahead," he told me with a tired smile. "I'll fill Mason in on everything with Victory Holdings."

"Thank you, M—" I clamped my lips together, going hot and cold all over as I glanced from Victor to Hayden.

Hayden had given his attention to a slightly fussy Junior. If he caught my slip, he wasn't letting on. "Let's go, baby," he said, smiling at his son, then winking at Mason, then gesturing with his head for me to follow him out of the kitchen and down the hall to the nursery.

"Nice collar," he said with a smirk as we entered Junior's room.

I heated even more and lowered my head. "You must be so ashamed of me," I said quietly.

"What? No!" Hayden exclaimed loud enough to startle Junior. "No," he repeated, quieter, then shifted to sit in the rocking chair in the corner of the room. "Sorry, I'm just going to feed Junior here so he'll be all full and sleepy and ready to conk out for a long time."

"Okay," I said, moving to lean against the changing table.

Even though I wasn't in Victor's presence, I still felt like I should sit or kneel on the floor as I watched Hayden lift the side of his shirt and position Junior for chestfeeding. I wasn't entirely certain it was right to show deference when I wasn't in my alpha's presence. Already, I felt a nagging, itching pull on our new bond that had me unable to stand still.

At least I could still hear Victor's voice as he filled Mason in on the situation. I wasn't sure I could have been this far apart from him otherwise.

"So," Hayden said once we were both settled and Junior was sucking away. "That's one heck of a bond you and Victor Woodbury have going on there."

I winced. I'd forgotten that Hayden would be able to see my bond with Victor because of his with Mason.

"Yeah, that kind of happened by accident," I said, moving my hand to rub my neck and hitting my collar.

"Looks like a lot of things have happened." Hayden grinned and nodded to my collar. "I think I can guess what your fantasy is." He winked.

All of the fear and shame and worry that I'd had going into my fantasy with Victor came rushing back on me. Things felt so clear and right when I was with just Victor, but it was really starting to feel like the rest of the world could be a major problem.

There was nothing for it but to blurt it all out to my brother and deal with his scorn on the other side.

"I'm…I'm his slave," I said quietly. "I want to be his slave," I added, just so he wouldn't think I was doing anything against my will.

Hayden surprised me by nodding once in consideration, then saying, "Okay."

I blinked at him, not certain he understood. "I've always wanted to be…like this," I went on, frustrated because it felt like I wasn't getting the point across. "I've always craved being treated like an object, like something that belongs to an alpha. I've always dreamed of an alpha using me for his pleasure, and whatever else he wants."

"Right," Hayden nodded again.

"No, I mean that I've never wanted to be a paralegal or a modern, progressive omega, like Papa," I said with more feeling. "I love the lowly way Victor makes me feel. Lowly, but also precious. I'm his to do with as he pleases, and it feels so good, even though it's the exact opposite of what an omega is supposed to be."

Hayden laughed a little. "I don't think omegas are supposed to be anything," he said.

I gaped at him. "But you are," I said, throwing an arm out to him, like he was proof. "You loved college. You took charge of your own sexuality. You got an important job right out of school, and you hold your own with Mason."

"Yeah, but that's me," Hayden said, still way too casual for me. "You've always been entirely different from me, gentler."

"Gentler is one thing," I argued. "But servile? Aren't you ashamed of me?"

"No," Hayden laughed. "I think it's pretty cool that you knew what you wanted, went looking for it, and found it immediately."

My jaw dropped a little. Hayden's reaction was the polar opposite of every assumption I'd made about what people would think of me.

"Just to be clear," I said, holding up a hand and exposing my wrist restraint by accident as I did, "Master and I figured out almost right away that this is more than a fantasy." I used the word "Master" deliberately. "We want to live like this full-time."

"Okay," Hayden said with a nod.

His reaction blew me away. I gaped at him as he detached Junior, who had fallen asleep, from his nipple, then stood to bounce and rub Junior's back for a minute in case there were any burps.

"Just ‘okay'?" I asked, confounded, as Hayden put Junior down in his crib and covered him with a hand-knit blanket.

"Yeah," Hayden said with a casual shrug. He turned to face me. "Were you expecting some other reaction?"

"Well, yes," I said, laughing tightly, my heart beating fast. "I'm your brother, and I'm telling you that I want an alpha to own me and treat me like his property. You know that goes further than just being an ordinary houseomega. In two days, we've already done all sorts of depraved things, and I've gotten off on them. I knelt under his desk for an hour or so the other day with his cock in my mouth as he worked."

"Ooh, cock warming!" Hayden said, his expression brightening. "That sounds like fun."

I shook my head at him, rubbing my temple for a moment. "That's…I didn't mean…you can't…." I let out a breath, giving up the effort to understand Hayden.

"Look," Hayden said, coming closer and resting a hand on my arm. "You're my big brother. I love you. Unconditionally."

Tears immediately stung at my eyes.

"And don't forget, we share DNA," he went on with a cheeky grin. "I'm just as kinky as you are."

I sent him a doubtful look.

"Okay, maybe you've got me beat in the kink stakes," he laughed. "Or maybe not. Mace and I still play. Just last week, when Papa and Dad had Junior overnight, Mace grabbed me off the street, duct taped my hands and mouth, blindfolded me, took me to a hotel, and fucked me."

My brow rose, but only for a moment. "That sounds almost normal compared to what Victor and I do."

Hayden smirked. "He inserted a metal rod in my cock then juiced it up with an electric current until I was screaming, and then he fucked me."

My jaw dropped farther.

Then I smiled.

"Maybe Victor could borrow that machine?" I asked, feeling so, so much better.

Hayden laughed and thumped my arm. "I'll ask." He paused, then said, "You got any fun tech that we could borrow?"

I laughed. "Not tech, but Victor has this amazing shower in his apartment in Norwalk with super powerful jets. He had me stand in front of it, restrained, while one hell of a powerful water jet punished my cock and balls while he calmly took a shower."

Hayden's expression lit up. "That does sound like fun." He brightened even more, then said, "Hey! This is great! We're both dirty, deviant kinksters! We can totally swap notes and ideas."

I laughed as loud as I dared with a sleeping baby right next to me. All this time, I thought Hayden would think less of me for the things I wanted. It suddenly occurred to me that embracing my darker side might actually bring us closer together.

Another thought struck me as we headed back into the hall, and my face dropped.

"I don't want Dad and Papa to know about any of this, but they're going to ask questions when I tell them I'm quitting the law firm, effective immediately. And they're bound to notice the way things are between me and Victor, Master, eventually."

Hayden snorted. "They'll understand."

"Will they?" I asked, slowing the pace of our return to the kitchen to join our alphas.

"Simon, I hate to break it to you, but Dad and Papa are filthy-dirty kinksters, too."

My eyes went wide. "Are they?"

Hayden also gaped at me. "You've never stumbled into their dungeon down in the basement?"

I was so shocked that I just stood still for a second.

But come to think of it, our parents did have a room in the basement that we'd never been allowed into. I'd accidentally caught a glimpse of it once, when I was about eight. I'd seen the black leather furniture, what I'd thought was a ladder, and some chains hanging from the ceiling. My childlike brain hadn't had any explanation for that, though, so I'd pushed it to the back of my mind and forgotten about it.

"No way," I said in awe as we walked on. "Dad and Papa, eh?"

"I tell you, it's in the DNA," Hayden laughed as we stepped back into the kitchen.

"What's in the DNA?" Mason asked.

"Being a raunchy, kinky, sex fiend," Hayden answered with a shrug, then walked straight to the table and sat on Mason's lap.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Mason said with a smile. He cupped a hand blatantly over Hayden's milk-swollen chest, then kissed him hard.

I didn't know Mason well enough to be certain, but I kind of thought his gesture was intended to show that whatever I wanted to do with Victor in the moment was okay.

Because of that, I moved smoothly up to Victor's chair, then sank to my knees beside him, gazing up at him with a smile.

Victor raised a hand to stroke my head and smiled back at me. "I take it you and your brother had a good talk?" he asked quietly, completely focused on me.

"Yes, Master," I said. My heart still quivered with worry at displaying our relationship so blatantly with Hayden and Mason right there, watching us. But if I was going to be the kind of slave for Victor that I wanted to be, I had to trust that he would defend me if anyone said anything bad about our roles.

"Good boy," Victor murmured, leaning down to kiss my forehead, then grabbing my jaw the way I liked and tilting my face up so he could kiss my mouth.

Mason's complete non-reaction made me wonder what else he and Victor had talked about, besides the situation with Victory Holdings, while Hayden and I had been sharing in the nursery. His show of acceptance made me feel much better, and I was so unbelievably happy to know that Hayden and Mason's house would always be a safe place for me to be myself.

"Now that we've gotten that out of the way," Victor said, letting me go and turning his attention back to the table again. "I've caught Mason up on everything going on with Victory Holdings."

"As someone who has been in the corporate world his whole life, and who went through a bad company break-up just last year, I think you've got your work cut out for you," Mason said. "Especially if your uncle is as unscrupulous as you're telling me he is."

"To be honest, Simon is my number one priority right now," Victor said, making my heart flip in my chest. "You've probably noticed that we've bonded."

"Yeah, it's glaringly obvious," Hayden said teasingly.

Mason poked his side and frowned, but there was nothing but love in his eyes.

"Uncle Vincent has already set the police after us," Victor went on. "My friend, Artemis Montgomery, indicated it's because he's somehow spread the lie that I was behind Hayden's kidnapping, and that I've kidnapped Simon now?"

"Which clearly isn't the case," Hayden said with a wink.

"Until some sort of statement can be made, the rest of the world might think you really did kidnap him," Mason said seriously. "Especially if you're evading police instead of talking to them."

I gasped suddenly. "Ari!" I said. "He's my second for the fantasy, and I haven't checked in with him since yesterday. He's going to think I've actually been kidnapped."

Hayden held up a hand. "I'll talk to him," he said. "As soon as we're done here, I'll call him and tell him what's really going on."

I breathed out heavily. "Thanks."

Hayden glanced between Mason and Victor, then asked, "So what's really going on?"

Mason nodded to Victor, who said, "We need to expose everything my uncle has been doing with Victory Holdings for the past few years. It might break the company, but if he's going to play hardball, we have to as well."

"Expose what he's been doing?" I asked.

Mason nodded. "To the board at the very least. Guys like Eddie might be slimy jerks, but they won't want to be involved in anything illegal. Remember, these people care about money more than anything, and most people will avoid criminal activity if it cuts into their bottom line."

I wasn't so sure I agreed with that, but if that's what Victor believed, then I would trust him.

"Are you ready to have Victory Holdings break into smaller companies if your uncle is removed from the business end of the whole thing?" Mason asked.

My brow went up a little. Had they discussed voting Vincent Woodbury out and letting all the company-shattering contingencies take effect while Hayden and I had been gone?

Victor started to answer, but his phone rang. Not only that, I recognized the unique ringtone he used for his cousin Vivien.

Victor snatched up his phone and tapped it to answer the call on speaker with, "Vivien! Where are you?"

Instead of answering, Vivien all but growled, "What the fuck is going on, Victor? Why is my father calling me to say you're a dead man?