He was right, it was debatable, but it made sense.
Stellan carried on, “That said, it would seem to me Beardsley was gaining confidence his sideline moneymaking schemes would continue to fly under radar, considering he’d been able to deal drugs in his establishment for a long time without his partners’ knowledge or consent, recruiting others to expand the operation, all without getting caught. However, I suspect it’s easier to hide a drug deal than it is a young woman being marked with the Chinese symbols for ‘Darren’ in one of his club’s playrooms.”
She felt her eyes get big. “Someone marked one of those girls with his name?”
“Apparently.”
“How do you know that?”
“Branch’s colleague was able to track down a young woman who worked for Beardsley for a while and decided it wasn’t to her taste. She shared about the whole operation, the drugs, the DMs, the clients, the extremes.”
Whoa.
That guy worked fast.
Totally impressive.
“Is Branch’s colleague that black guy there tonight?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“Did you meet him?”
“Are you asking me that because it’s clear he’s highly skilled, efficient, fast and effective, and he might be useful to you in some capacity in the future, or are you asking me that because you wish to invite him to our next dinner party?”
She smiled up at him. “Our next dinner party?”
“He’s not in the life, so the next party we have, he probably would be uncomfortable. But it’s apparent you’re expanding the number of people you share time with, and I have a home fit for entertaining. So yes, our next dinner party. And Cam would be an excellent candidate. He’s an interesting man, very funny and has the miraculous ability to shovel huge amounts of shit Branch Dillinger’s way, and Branch takes it. It’s fascinating.”
Dillinger was not the kind of guy who took any shit, so that would be.
“It sounds like, except for you getting increasingly pissed at me, you had an interesting couple of evenings,” she noted cautiously, not wanting to take him back if he wasn’t entirely over what they just went through.
“I would hazard to say yours were more interesting.” He tipped his head to the side. “Which one is the dark one?”
“Maddox.”
“The man fucks like a machine.”
Sixx smiled up at him again.
“I didn’t have a good view, but it also appears he can take it like a champ,” he remarked.
She cuddled closer. “He’s a very experienced switch.”
Stellan drew her closer. “Get any pointers?”
“I was working, baby,” she murmured.
“Mm,” he hummed, bending and touching his nose to hers.
Okay, so he was over what they went through.
Good knowing he was a man who could not only talk through important issues, and do it while listening, but also get over it.
No.
That was excellent.
When he pulled away, he didn’t go very far.
“Do you wish to observe them again?” he asked quietly.
“I don’t know. They really like having me around. We definitely connected in a way I don’t think I’ve ever really had with anybody.”
Stellan looked wary at that, so Sixx rushed to assure him.
“I mean in a friendship way, baby. Seriously, they all hugged me before we parted tonight, and D assured me whatever was bothering you would be okay. But as for their play, it seems very intimate, and like I said they don’t do male Doms, and if you can’t be there it wouldn’t be any fun. I do know I’d like to get to know them all better and introduce them to you.”
“We’ll do that, and if it goes to that place, perhaps they’ll enjoy doing their thing in our playroom for you to enjoy, and if they’re not comfortable having me around while they do, I can keep myself entertained elsewhere, and we can all share a drink after they’re done.”
That was a surprising offer, for a variety of reasons.
She was only going to question one.
“You’re going to keep your playroom?”
“Considering you don’t have the option to meet certain needs in our bed, and we’ve found it useful for other things, I think it would be foolish to dismantle it.”
Nice.
“Agreed,” she replied, pressing closer.
“Darling,” he said on a squeeze. “If you were not wishing me to do that, it’s your playroom too, so you simply need to say. This is your home, and what happens in it and to it needs to be a joint decision.”
“I will, in future,” she promised.
“Two,” he stated firmly.
And confusingly.
“Sorry?”
“Two.”
“Two what?”
“I want two children.”
Sixx froze in his arms.
He gathered her closer to his warmth. “Darling—”
“I need … we’re just going to need…” She blew out a breath. “When you held Crosby, you were so … Stellan, but with a baby in your arms. It was awesome. It was gorgeous. It made me feel wonderful things. And terrifying ones. But you were just all that’s you, with a baby. How did you do that?”
“No one knows how to handle a baby until they actually handle one, sweetheart.”
Well, she’d handled one that night too, and the kid just wanted his “Steyan.”
She didn’t remind him of that.
She said, “Okay.”
“And no one knows how to be a parent until they become one.”
That was true and it made sense.
She nodded.
“We’ve been together only weeks,” he declared.
“I know.”
“I don’t intend to attempt to impregnate you tomorrow.”
She grinned at him and relaxed in his arms. “I know.”
“We can work up to that.”
Well, that was a relief.
“Is this normal?” she asked.
Now he looked confused. “Is what normal?”
“Things like we have getting so deep in only weeks,” she explained.
The confusion left his handsome face and tenderness entered it. “As you know, honey, I’m not only not terribly concerned with normal, I avoid it vehemently.”
That almost made her laugh because not only did she know that very well, it was part of why she loved him so much.
“I do know that,” she confirmed.
“And we haven’t been together for mere weeks. We’ve been living together for mere weeks. In relationship terms, I would suspect that’s more like being together for three months. In terms of a relationship with you, it’s more like three years.”
She smiled up at him even as she swatted his shoulder in fake indignation.
He grinned down at her with humor, but the grin changed to just warm and sweet when he went on, “And you forget, I knew you and you knew me in a variety of ways prior to this starting, darling. I am not a young impetuous man, and you’re not eighteen. We both know at this juncture in our lives what we want and thus knew when we found it. So I wouldn’t concern myself with time, Simone, just feelings.”
As ever, her wise Stellan had all the answers.
“So, we’re learning a lot about each other tonight,” she remarked. “You’re even more protective than I knew and have an impressive right hook. We both need to be more forthcoming about our activities. We’re going to have a variety of parties. I’m good at my job but absolutely do not intend to take unnecessary risks while doing it. You want to be a father, and I’m down with that … probably. And when you’re angry with me, you still make me drinks. Did I miss anything?”
His lips were twitching when he answered, “Not that I can tell.”
“Do you think Ami and Naya had a good date tonight?” she asked.
“I think Naya is getting vanilla fucked to within an inch of her life tonight.”
Her body started shaking with laughter, and her voice was shaking with it when she shared, “When they got home, Maddox was going back at Diesel too.”
His brows hiked up. “The big one can take more?”
“Molly says they go all night. But Maddox was turned way the hell on with Diesel beating the crap out of Beardsley, and he’s top Dom, so I’m not sure D has a choice.”
“He won’t be able to walk tomorrow,” Stellan murmured.
“I’m not certain he cares.”
Stellan gave her a certain look. “So everyone we know is fucking … but us.”