Caden's Dilemma (Indiscreet #6) (6 page)

“Don’t let Papa Bear see that coat, or one like it will be in my closet before you can say jackrabbit,” Brian protested. “I’m surprised you can walk in that thing.”

“Baseball players have no fashion sense,” Jim said. Everyone broke out in laughter.

The water boiled and Jim warmed the ceramic pot. For Christmas, Reed got Jim a new one that held twelve cups or six mugs of tea. Brian put the tea in the new teapot and Jim poured the water. Jamie got up and found the plates and with Greg’s help, set the table. Junior insisted on staying in the car, so Jim made him a thermos of hot coffee and took it out to him along with three scones.

“Junior wants plausible deniability,” Jim said when he returned. Everyone was bent over laughing. “What?” Jim asked as they laughed harder.

Soon all five of them were seated at the table with a basket of scones covered by a napkin. Jim began to pour. “I have a new blend I got from Teavana on Saturday. It’s lavender and black tea.”

“It smells lovely,” Jamie picked up his mug and sniffed.

“Don’t tell the Doms, but I got rock sugar to go with the tea.” Jim smiled at what he considered to be his charges.

“We’ll all be bouncing off the walls and the guys will know who to blame,” Danny said.

Jim guffawed. “Reed will protect me.”

“You can damn well protect yourself, Mr. Army Ranger. Even Bull respects your mad skills,” Jamie told Jim, his eyes twinkling. Jim was happy. Everyone was laughing today.

“What’s on the table this morning?” Jim asked as he blew on his tea to cool it.

“Caden and Masato,” Brian answered.

“What did Caden think of Masato after Friday night?” Greg took a bite of his scone.

“Caden’s intrigued by Masato’s mystique. Even I’m intrigued by Masato’s mystique.” Danny stirred the rock sugar stick in his tea.

“Greg, what do you think?” Jim asked. “We need advice from an expert.”

“I’m no expert but up until Friday night his body language was closed tight. When he let himself lean against Caden, I thought I saw relief and he seemed to be letting down his defenses.” Greg passed the basket of scones to Danny.

“I think he’s hiding something. There is something about his face that seems familiar,” Brian said. “It’s almost there at the front of my brain but I just can’t seem to retrieve it.”

“I don’t know if I want Caden involved with someone who has something to hide,” Danny said, turning his head to look at Brian who sat next to him.

“You don’t know what he’s hiding. It may be something quite ordinary. I don’t think he’s married, he doesn’t give off that vibe nor does he seem to be overtly in the closet. I mean none of us takes out a billboard, but he doesn’t seem to mind being gay.” Greg put the basket down in the middle of the table and took a sip of tea.

“Goddamn this is hot, it burned my lip.” Greg sputtered and stood to get a glass from the cabinet and a drink of ice water from the front of Jim’s fridge.

“That’s why you blow on it, to make it cool enough to drink.” Brian laughed at Greg holding the cold glass on his lip.

“Blow me,” Greg said, annoyed.

“Let’s get back on topic, children. We were talking about Masato.” Jim looked around the table. “Anyone?”

“Bull used to do all of his demos and lessons with Masato. Maybe I can find something out from Bull,” Jamie offered.

“Noooooo…You never want to let them know when we’re plotting.” Jim’s voice was stern.

“Jim’s right, Cisco would have my head,” Greg said. “I’m still in his bad books from all of the blowback you and Bull caused, Jamie. If Cisco finds out I’m involved in matchmaking again, I won’t be sitting down for a month much less sitting here with you meddling biddies. Why are we doing this again?” “Because Caden’s lonely and from the looks of things, so is Masato.” Brian looked around the table, “Any ideas?”

“I agree with Greg. That man opened up like a flower when he sat next to Caden and when Caden fed him I thought he was going to have an orgasm right there in the Dom’s dining room,” Jamie told them. “I noticed because I used to react that way around Bull.”

“You still act that way around Bull,” four voices chorused.

“I do? I thought I’d toned it down,” Jamie said, dismayed, looking at the smiling faces.

“Don’t worry, hon, Bull loves it. Remember this is the hard-assed Dom who wanted his white Persian cat back,” Jim told him as he took another sip of tea. “As I recall, you took strokes for taking his cat away.” Greg still stood at the fridge. “Put an ice cube in your tea. Then it will be cool enough to drink. Your lip should be fine by now. Sit. We can’t talk with you over there.” Jim waited until Greg sat down.

Danny spoke in a small voice. “I have a suggestion. Why don’t we invite Masato next week and feel him out? Then we’ll know if Caden has a chance.”

“Of course he’s kind of stand-offish.” Brian slapped his forehead. “How could we be so dumb? Even though he’s one of us, we never included him.”

“Well, most of us didn’t join our merry band until we started to have man troubles. Masato hasn’t needed us till now,” Greg said reasonably, carefully drinking his tea.

“How do we know that Masato’s having man troubles?” Jamie asked.

“The way he acted on Friday night around Danny’s brother, that’s how. Everyone isn’t as obvious as you and Bull were,” Jim told Jamie, clearly exasperated.

“Yeah, I guess I resemble that remark.”

“Seriously, I know Caden wants a sub. He was waiting until he had gainful employment.” Danny held his mug in his hands. “Caden has too much pride to take a sub he couldn’t afford to keep comfortably without the man having to work.”

“We all work and you go to school,” Brian pointed out.

“But none of us have to work. Reed would go nuts without Jim at the club, but if he wanted to stay home Reed could certainly support them both,” Danny said, quietly defending his brother.

“Danny’s right. All of our men have a Dom’s sense of pride. Caden wouldn’t take a sub unless he could afford him. He wouldn’t even let us comp his meal on Fridays and we comp all the members who just got out of the service until they find work. We even have a payment plan for their membership fees and reduced dues.” Jim got up and put on more water and rinsed out the teapot.

“It used to bother Reed that Bear was able to give Brian so much more than he could give me until Bear started investing our money and Reed realized that I wanted for nothing, so I think I understand how Caden feels. I think he’s been looking at Masato since Danny and Gary’s wedding and collaring, but wasn’t ready to play his hand until now.”

“If Masato has a secret it can’t be that bad, after all, he survived the same extensive background checks that we did. If there was something nasty or illegal Reed would have found out and refused him membership.” Brian collected the mugs and rinsed them out to get rid of any stray leaves at the bottom of the mugs before the second round.

“Who sponsored him?” Jamie asked. “The two people who sponsored him should know all about him.”

“As I remember it, Jake Cohen, you know, Gary’s contracts lawyer, and Steven Howard, the Shakespearean actor from New York sponsored him. But neither one of them are gossips, especially Jake. He can be gay in his business but he’d lose clients if people knew about his kink.” Jim warmed the pot and Greg spooned in the tea. Brian put out the clean mugs.

Jim poured the water over the tea. “Remember, it has to steep for three minutes.”

“But all of that doesn’t stop us from asking Masato to join us on Mondays. If we make him feel like he belongs, he might open up, both to Caden and to us.” Greg got up, went over to the fridge and got an ice cube out of the bin. “
Once caught twice shy,”
Greg quoted.

“That’s what we should do. We don’t have to involve anyone else in this and as long as Masato can keep a secret, and he sure seems good at keeping his own, the Doms will never know we’re meddling,” Jamie said with some satisfaction. “We’d all take strokes if they found out.”

“Yeah, even though Gary and I weren’t part of the group yet, Indiscreet wasn’t a happy place when you and Bull were busy pulling each other’s hair out.” Danny stirred another rock sugar stick into his tea.

“Too true, I’m afraid.” Jamie drank some of his tea.

“Where are Washington and the girls?” Brian asked.

“Laverne and Shirley are sleeping in their doggie beds and Washington is probably lying on the heating grate in the bedroom. How is Pest-o?” Jim asked sweetly.

“Now that’s catty,” Danny interjected.

“Hrmph, Pesto is doing better. He hasn’t attacked one of Bear’s shoes in a week and he barks to go outside.” Brian was full of pride.

“Who’s picking up the doggie doodoo?” Jim snarked.

“Since it’s so cold, Junior is walking him three times a day. At night I put his sweater on and let him out in the covered dog run Bear had installed. A pet service comes once a week to clean the run.” Jim looked at Brian. “What?” Brian asked blushing.

“See Danny, I told you, the first time the sky spit, Bear would get someone else to walk the dog and pick up the crap.” Danny started to giggle which infected the whole table, even Greg, who usually was above such things. Eventually even Brian broke down and laughed.

“Let’s get back on topic, people. Masato and Caden, remember.” Jim spoke to them as if they were recalcitrant school children.

“You started it,” Jamie said. “Poor Pesto has enough to overcome without us laughing at him.”

“So we all agree. We invite Masato next Monday and if he’s at Indiscreet, we ask him to stop by for tea the rest of the week. Get him to trust us,” Jim pronounced as he finished the last of his tea.

“Agreed, but God help us all if the Doms find out. I’ve got to leave, I have a patient at one.” Greg went for his phone to call Cisco and tell him he was about to leave.

“I made it so all of my classes were after one on Monday, Wednesday and Friday next term. I don’t want to miss anything. Toward the end of the month Gary has a golf outing in Florida he has to attend for one of his sponsors. He’s bringing me but I made sure that we’d be back Sunday night. This stuff is too good to miss.” Danny fastened his parka.

Jamie, Danny and Brian all bundled up just in case their Doms were home when they got there. No one liked punishment strokes.

“If we find out that Masato likes Caden, we start to figure out how to get them together next week, agreed?” Jim asked.

“Agreed,” the others echoed.

§ § §

Caden came into work and found that he was called to the Dom’s dining room. “We’re getting too big for Reed’s office,” Bear explained.

To Caden’s amazement, Reed, Bear, Cisco, Bull and Gary were waiting for him. “We didn’t let you know on Friday because they were all right there. But when the subs have their little Monday morning meeting we meet here to try to diffuse whatever they are currently plotting,” Reed said. “Sit down and be enlightened.”

“What do you mean plotting?” Caden asked naively. Bear scooted over on the banquette to make room for Caden.

“I imagine you’re on the menu this morning,” Bear said sagely.

“Damn right,” Bull said.

“If Greg gets involved in anything as bad as you were with Jamie, I’ll strangle him.” Cisco’s face held a fierce frown.

“I hate to tell you this, Caden, but my husband, your little brother, is as bad as the rest of the unholy quintet. What they’re doing is trying to expand their little club by one, your new sub.” His brother-in-law smiled evilly at him.

“What new sub?” Caden asked flummoxed.

“The one they’re going to get you. My best guess is Masato. So if you don’t want him you better speak up,” Cisco told him. “My Greg always gets pulled into their schemes despite me telling him not to plot with them. But they’re on his approved list of friends, educated and in the life, so my hands are tied.”

“Yeah, they all need someone to talk to and hang out with when we’re busy. Better the other subs than someone else who might give them ideas,” Gary told Caden.

“I thought Cisco was the jealous one.” Caden laughed.

“We all are, Cisco just isn’t as experienced at hiding it,” Bear informed him.

“Jim made scones and I ordered breakfast, scrambled eggs all around with bacon and home fries. Is that okay with everyone else?” Four heads nodded. Caden looked constipated, he was thinking so hard.

“Do you want him? Masato, I mean.” Bull asked. “I know him better than most of you. He’s a good kid.”

“But this pairing comes with a set of potential problems,” Reed told the table.

“What problems?” Caden asked.

“It came up in the security check and you can’t see those files for the first three months,” Reed told him, his face serious.

“Is the man Jack the Ripper?” Caden laughed. “If there was anything seriously wrong with him he wouldn’t have passed the background check. I read the protocols over the weekend. Three separate security agencies plus a private investigator on retainer. I’m surprised you don’t know his shoe size.” “I do, I just can’t tell you,” Reed said calmly.

“So I shouldn’t try to make him my sub?” The waiter brought a carafe of Kona coffee and cups all around. Reed poured as the waiter set down the cream and sugar. Caden looked at the waiter and shivered.

“Can’t you put them in regular leathers in the winter? They must be freezing in a bow tie and boy shorts.” Caden put a small amount of cream in his coffee.

“If they were they’d complain to Jim. They like running around half naked, it means better tips,” Reed told him. “And the waiters want someone to take care of them as opposed to the subs who think they’re taking care of us.”

“Who are you kidding? They have all of us wrapped around their pinky fingers. I ask again, who is the sub and who is the Master?” Caden looked askance and almost spit out his coffee. The others had heard Cisco complain so many times, they ignored him.

“Cisco, be honest, you’re very happy with Greg and wouldn’t change a thing,” Bull said.

“Unfortunately you’re right. I fell into a trap of my own making. I didn’t want love, yet it hit me over the head with a sledgehammer.”

Reed turned toward Caden. “You’ll be the next to go, if not Masato, someone else. But if the boys think Masato is for you and if you like him even a little bit, you’re in for a hell of a ride,” Reed told him darkly.