One to Keep

by Sophie Oak

  And he’d been in control the whole time. Even when she was

  away from him, he’d pulled the strings. He’d watched her and bought

  her paintings and stepped in the minute she got in trouble. He’d

  hauled her home, and now he’d detailed the terms of the relationship.

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  She was perfectly free to love him with all her heart as long as she

  obeyed him in the bedroom and understood he wouldn’t acknowledge

  that he loved her back.

  Screw that.

  She would do the bedroom stuff, but he was already going back

  on his promise to not dominate her outside of sex. Her gilded cage

  was proof of that.

  “Stefan?” a voice called.

  Jen turned to see the door to the studio opening. Sebastian Talbot

  stepped in looking very dapper in wool slacks and what Jen suspected

  was a cashmere sweater. The elder Talbot was a lovely man. His hair

  had gone to silver, but she could tell where Stef had gotten his looks.

  Of course, just like the younger Talbot, this one had problems with

  her, too.

  “He isn’t here, Mr. Talbot. He’s cleaning up, and then he’s going

  to help out at the Winter Festival.”

  Sebastian’s hand rubbed at the back of his neck in a sign of

  obvious frustration. “He told me I should stay in, as well, right after giving me a list of things to do. I don’t remember him being this

  bossy.”

  Jen snorted as she picked up the canvas. She should repack it. She

  wasn’t going to work for a while. “You haven’t been around him

  much. He’s the bossiest person I’ve ever met.”

  Sebastian’s face fell a bit, but he took a breath and gave her a tight smile. “Yes, I suppose you could say that. He also knows how to find

  talent. That work is lovely. Truly beautiful. The colors are amazing.

  It’s not Stef’s work, though. He has the best luck when it comes to

  finding new artists. I wonder if he would let me buy that one. It would be perfect in the new offices.”

  She felt a smile creep over her face as she made a decision.

  “Sorry, this one is for a friend, and the other two are going into the auction pool for the Festival. But, if you like, I do work on

  commission. Feel free to contact my agent, oh wait, that’s me.”

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  Jen hauled out the other two paintings. She would do what she’d

  wanted to do with them from the beginning. She would share them.

  “This is your work?” Sebastian studied each as she pulled them

  out. He had the same serious concentration on his face that Stef got

  when he contemplated a new work. Sebastian Talbot was a

  connoisseur. “You’re very talented. I believe I would hire you. My

  company prides itself on helping talented artists.”

  “You can tell me all about it on our way to Bliss,” she explained.

  His eyes flared. “But Stefan told us to stay in.”

  Jen shrugged. “And we’re going to do what he says? Here, help

  me with these. If we hurry, we can get out of here before he even gets out of the shower.”

  A smile spread across Sebastian’s face as he picked up the

  canvases. “I believe we might get along, dear.”

  Jen returned his smile. She was probably going to get into serious

  trouble with her Dom, but she had the feeling it would be worth it.

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  Chapter Ten

  Stef slammed out of Rye’s truck. He stalked around the horse

  trailer and slammed that door open. All around him the festival was

  starting up, and heads turned at the noise he was making.

  Rye Harper’s eyebrows rose to the brim of his hat. “You are as

  touchy as Max today, Stef. You want to talk about it, or should I say

  her?”

  The amusement in Rye’s voice irritated him. “I’m not touchy.”

  Rye’s twin Max walked up from the small corral he’d been

  putting up. There was a carousel wheel to attach the ponies to. That

  was where he’d made his mistake. He should have tied Jennifer up

  before he turned his back on her.

  “That’s not what I heard. I heard there was a lot of touching going

  on last night at Trio,” Max said, smirking.

  Rye slapped at his brother’s chest. “You stop that. Rachel said to

  go easy on him.”

  Max snorted as he pulled out the ramp and stomped up. “Yeah, I

  got the lecture last night. Stef is confused, and we need to give him space and crap.”

  “I am not confused.”

  Rye’s hand came out to grasp his shoulder. “You got woman

  trouble, man. We’re all confused about women. Even after you marry

  ’em and get ’em pregnant, it doesn’t get easier.”

  Max led a pony down the ramp, one hand on the rope, the other

  gently patting its head. “Hell, no, it gets harder. And he doesn’t even have a brother to hide behind when the going gets tough.”

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  Rye’s lips quirked up. “I have to plead his case from time to time,

  keep him from sleeping in the barn with Q. Sharing has its

  advantages.”

  Max hooked up the pony, giving her a little pat. “Stef isn’t going

  to share Jen.”

  “Why not? He’s always shared before. I heard James was sizing

  her up last night. From what the grapevine says, James is very open-

  minded.”

  “His mind is going to be opened by my fist if he tries it again,”

  Stef said before he realized he was being baited. “You two suck.”

  Stef picked up a heavy coil of rope and turned from his friends,

  preferring to get to work than stand around and listen to their juvenile teasing. In an hour or so, the tourists would be out in full force and there would be a line of kids a mile long waiting to ride.

  The grounds crew had been hard at work. Main Street had been

  shoveled, and the park grounds were pristinely clean. The tents and

  stalls were going up all over the place. Generators were humming,

  and Stef could already smell popcorn and funnel cakes. This was one

  of his favorite times of the year, but he was in a foul mood. He knelt in the hay that Max had lined the stall with, his hand moving

  smoothly, working the rope.

  “Shoe’s on the other foot, huh, Stef?” Rye asked, standing over

  him.

  “No idea what you’re talking about.” But he had a nasty

  suspicion.

  “Rachel. Nate and Zane. Hell, you’re practically the cupid of

  Bliss,” Rye stated.

  Stef snorted. “Hardly. I merely let Rachel use the guesthouse, and

  Bliss needed a sheriff.”

  “Yeah, and Rachel came up with that plan all by herself, and it

  never once occurred to you that Callie had been pining for those two

  for years. You can pretend all you like, but you have a hand in

  everything that goes on here. You make sure everyone in Bliss gets

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  what they need even if you hide the fact that you’re doing it,” Rye

  said, his boot tapping with impatience. He stopped suddenly and knelt

  down to get to eye level. “Man, you can’t expect the rest of us to butt out.”

  “I sure as hell can,” Stef replied irritably.

  “Ain’t happening, man.” Max attached the third pony to th
e wheel

  and started to walk them around, getting them warmed up. “Nobody is

  going to stay out of it. You and Jen are all anyone’s talking about.”

  “Damn it,” Stef cursed. He had to tie the knot for the third time.

  His concentration was shot, but it had been for months. “Well, you

  should tell everyone that I’m not Jennifer’s boyfriend.”

  “Really?” Rye asked, his voice rising in surprise. “After the way

  you carried on with her last night at Trio, I think people will be

  surprised.”

  “I’m not her boyfriend. I’m her Dom.”

  There was a loud snort from Max. “You owe me ten, brother.”

  Rye cursed under his breath. He walked up to his brother and

  pulled out his wallet. His blue eyes were slits of irritation as he

  handed over the cash to his brother. “You’re a dumbass, Stef.”

  Stef tightened the rope, securing the gates of the corral, and got to

  his feet. “Why? Why am I a dumbass? Look, I like Jennifer.

  Obviously, I’m attracted to her, but she’s only twenty-three. She’s

  intensely talented. She won’t stay in Bliss forever, and it would be

  wrong to tie her down.”

  “Yes,” Rye said with a little fist pump.

  Max frowned and handed the ten back.

  “Explain, assholes,” Stef said shortly.

  Max leaned against the truck. “See, Rye and I had a couple of bets

  concerning the state of your love life.”

  “Classy,” Stef shot back.

  Rye ignored him. “First, I thought you would do the right thing

  and cave. There’s no way you dominate that girl long term. You only

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  like it because those subs tend to overlook your perversions. Jen is

  obviously a perv herself, so I thought you would get it.”

  “I knew you were dumb as dirt,” Max supplied.

  Rye shook his head. “He didn’t. Rach did. She talked him into it.

  She thought you were a dumbass. She thinks you’re going to try to

  hide behind all the BDSM stuff. Now, we also had a bet on why you

  would potentially be such an idiot.”

  “I said you were just afraid of commitment because you get so

  much tail at those clubs.” Max grinned as he adjusted his Stetson on

  his head.

  “But I knew it was because your momma left you when you were

  a kid and then your dad left,” Rye said, as though he was mentioning

  the weather and not psychoanalyzing his best friend.

  Stef felt his heart clench. It wasn’t true. He’d gotten over that a

  long time ago. He was glad she’d left. He wouldn’t have been raised

  in Bliss. He wouldn’t have found his home if he hadn’t driven her

  away.

  Fuck. He was thirty-two. He was old enough to know that his

  parents’ divorce had nothing to do with him. He was old enough to be

  over it. His treatment of Jennifer had everything to do with her age

  and her talent and nothing to do with his childhood.

  “Is he freaking out?” Max asked, leaning into his brother.

  “I am not freaking out,” Stef shouted. “I’m tired of everyone

  being in my business.”

  “Deal with it,” Rye said with a shrug. “Welcome to Bliss. We

  show you we love you by being all up in your business. Damn it, Stef,

  we just want you to be happy. Can’t you see that?”

  “If you want me to be happy, stop talking about me,” Stef said.

  The words felt stubborn. When had he stopped being open with Max

  and Rye? He used to tell them everything. He used to share

  everything with them, including women. When had he started to pull

  away from his brothers?

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  “No,” Max replied, his face a firm mask of mule-like confidence.

  “That’s not going to happen.”

  “Stefan, are you all right?”

  Stef brought his head around at the sound of his father’s voice.

  “I’m fine. I thought you were staying at the house.”

  “That was your idea, not mine.” His father was wearing a very

  nice coat, and he’d found some proper boots. He stepped forward with

  a smile on his face. “I always loved the Winter Festival. I wanted to

  come out. Hello, Maxwell, Ryan.”

  “Mr. Talbot.” Max and Rye nodded their heads in unison.

  A nasty little impulse took hold of Stef’s gut. He had a way to

  make Max very uncomfortable. As uncomfortable as he’d made Stef.

  “You know, Max, Dad found out I’m not with Callie.”

  Max smiled. “I’m sure Zane and Nate were quick to tell him all

  about it.”

  “He thought I’d been covering up my sexuality all these years

  because I was afraid to tell him about us.” Let Max stew on that. Max

  was usually a powder keg of anger. Questioning his sexuality would

  surely get him furious.

  Max looked from Sebastian to Stef to his brother, his face slack-

  jawed. Rye doubled over immediately, but Max just stared for a

  moment. Then he sighed.

  “Damn, I thought we could hide our love for a few more years,”

  Max said, his face lighting up.

  Stef took a step back as Max walked toward him, his arms open.

  A little bit of mirth lit inside Stef. Idiot. He was such an idiot. “Max.

  Don’t you do it.”

  “We don’t have to hide anymore, Stef. We can let our gay love

  flow.” Max batted his eyes and puckered up.

  Stef couldn’t help it. He laughed. It came from deep down in his

  soul. He loved Max. He loved Rye. They always brought him down to

  earth, no matter how far he got away from it. They, along with Callie, were his anchors, his true family. “I fucking hate you.”

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  Max punched him viciously in the arm. “You can’t shame me,

  asshole. I got a girl pregnant. I’m comfortable with my sexuality.”

  “Hey, you don’t know that,” Rye interjected. “That could be my

  baby.”

  “Prove it,” Max shot back, circling Rye. “I bet the baby looks like

  me.”

  Rye pushed at him, a wide smile on his face. “I bet the baby looks

  like me.”

  Stef couldn’t help it. “I bet the baby looks like me.”

  Max and Rye both rounded on him. Stef had the good sense to

  back up. “It was a joke.”

  “So is this,” Max said, his fist rearing back.

  Stef easily avoided him. It was just play. Sometimes he and Max

  turned into eight-year-old boys. This time Rye joined in. Rye tackled

  him, and Stef hit the ground. He brought his boot up and caught Rye

  in the gut.

  Max pulled on Rye’s coat, hauling him up. “He’s gone. He shook

  his head, said something about those Harper boys being a bad

  influence, and walked off. We can stop.”

  Stef looked up at his friends. They’d done the whole fake fight

  thing to get him out of talking to his dad? Rye held out a hand and

  helped him up.

  “You’re going to have to deal with him, you know.” Rye sounded

  as sure as Jennifer had when she’d said the same thing.

  Stef brushed his coat off. “I know.”

  But first he would deal with his willful sub. He felt in his coat

  pocket. Her silky panties w
ere still there, but so were a few other

  items. He knew exactly how he would deal with her.

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  “They’re beautiful,” Holly said, staring at the canvases Jen had

  brought into the town hall. “They’ll go for a lot of money, sweetie.

  It’s a great thing you’re doing.”

  Holly pushed a piece of paper in front of Jen, which she quickly

  signed, officially donating her work to the charity auction. Stef would probably throw a fit, but it made her feel good. Her pride had been

  bruised when she found out the only person who had bought her work

  was Stef, but Holly’s admiration meant something.

  “And you can keep this one until I can get this out to the Harper

  Stables?” Jen asked as she turned over the painting she’d decided to

  give Rachel.

  Holly patted the covered canvas. “Absolutely. I’ll lock it up. Just

  let Rachel know where she can get it.”

  “Thanks,” Jen said as she pulled her gloves back on and walked to

  the front of the town hall. The whole place was decorated in a winter

  theme. Jen smiled and waved at the people signing up for volunteer

  work or paying their entry fees to various functions. There was a

  snowboarding competition this afternoon it looked like. The first

  round was today, and the championship round was tomorrow. A line

  of young men stood waiting to get their numbers assigned.

  Jen pushed through the double doors and crossed the street to get

  to the park grounds. The heavenly scent of coffee filled her nostrils and reminded her that she’d skipped breakfast in an attempt to avoid

  Master Stefan. She frowned. Maybe that had been a mistake. She’d

  agreed to the whole Dom/sub thing and then immediately did what

  he’d asked her not to. She was going to get a spanking.

  Yeah, she was totally looking forward to that.

  “Hey!” Callie jumped up and down, waving her gloved hands.

  She stood in the coffee line. “You want something?”

  “Yeah, just a coffee would be great,” Jen yelled back. She

  marched through the neatly plowed park grounds to where Rachel

  stood, Quigley sitting at her side. She was bundled from head to toe.

  Jen felt a rush of affection for the pregnant woman.