Venus rising boxset, p.102
Venus Rising Boxset, page 102
Everyone else was a lot of people, almost all of who were attractive men.
The big guy who’d wanted to be on time for dinner was Patrick. There was an even bigger guy, slightly lighter skinned and somehow not as scary named Jared. There were two blonds, one of them, Adam, had a goatee that made Steve think of Vikings. He loved that show. The other one was Rick, who sat next to Justin, who was not sitting next to Chris, to Steve’s surprise.
Instead, he and Andrew sat on either side of Chris, who seemed perfectly happy with the arrangement. Then again, since he and Justin were getting married next weekend, maybe they didn’t feel the need to be joined at the hip.
The short redhead who looked almost boyish in face but had seriously defined muscles was Liam. The tall, lanky man with brown hair and almost dreamy brown eyes was Michael. The military-looking guy was Jake. The tall, dark, and handsome was Luke. And the scariest of them all was the redheaded woman who sat down on Steve’s other side.
Her name was Olivia, and something about her made Steve feel incredibly tongue-tied. She had steely grey eyes, a take-no-prisoners demeanor, and the way she looked at him made him feel like she could see right through him. Which, considering why he was there, was even scarier.
Justin
As glad as Chris was to see his brother, Justin almost wished Steve hadn’t shown up tonight, especially since they hadn’t known he was coming. The entire dynamic of their comfortable group and the easygoing party had completely shifted with Steve’s arrival. Now, instead of just having a good time, Chris was entirely focused on Steve and trying to figure out how to make a good impression... and how not to scare his brother off again.
Any other time, it would have been frustrating for Justin. He was protective by nature and had already seen how hurt Chris had been by his family. Tonight, it grated on him even more. This was supposed to be a celebration for their upcoming wedding to Jessica, and instead, it was turning into a curiosity show about Chris’ brother. Hell, Michael and Luke hadn’t even known Chris had a brother, and both of them were shooting curious looks at Steve.
They wouldn’t ask until later, but it was fair to say, the focus of the evening had been derailed. Well, at least they’d had the day out on the boat with their friends. And Chris seemed happy, for now. Justin would make sure he stayed that way.
As usual, Michael was the one to stir the pot as soon as they’d all ordered. Before Luke, he’d been the newest addition to their group of friends, but he fit right in. He was also a sadist, so he tended to get joy out of making people uncomfortable.
“So, you’re Chris’ brother, huh?” he asked, leaning forward across the table, resting his chin on one hand. Steve froze under Michael’s piercing stare. The man had such a casual air about him, when he focused all his attention on something, it could be startling. “I thought he and Justin looked alike, but the two of you... are you twins?”
“No,” the brothers said at the same time, sounding so alike, everyone immediately smiled in amusement.
Glancing at his brother, Chris grinned widely, acknowledging the similarity before continuing. “I’m older by three years... we didn’t use to look so alike, actually.”
Shifting uncomfortably, Steve shrugged his shoulders in agreement but didn’t say anything.
“Do you still live in Savannah?” Justin asked, curious now, keeping his voice as neutral as possible. It was hard not to feel protective and resentful on Chris’ behalf, but letting it show would only make everyone uncomfortable and this entire situation even more awkward.
Steve shrugged one shoulder this time. “Um, about half the time. I spend the other half of the year in Alexandria. Helping the... helping my dad with... stuff.” His eyes flicked at Chris, who tensed but kept his smile on his face.
That meant half the year, Steve was less than an hour away. Well, assuming no traffic, but still... it wasn’t exactly a hard drive. Justin grit his teeth against saying what he really wanted to. Steve caught his eyes, then looked away, seeming to shrink in his seat, causing Chris to shoot Justin a significant look.
“Tell me about Savannah,” Olivia said suddenly, and Steve’s head turned so fast, it was a wonder his neck didn’t crack. “I’ve heard it’s beautiful there... and very haunted.”
“The most haunted city in the U.S.,” Steve said, his voice still quiet, but he smiled back at her.
“And one of the most beautiful,” Chris chimed in.
Keeping his lips tightly pressed together, Justin sat back and watched the master go to work. Justin knew damn well Olivia already knew all about Savannah from Chris, even if she’d never visited
Chapter 4
Jessica
Jessica was lying on the couch, watching Gilmore Girls when Justin and Chris came home. She’d spent most of the day texting Hilary and wondering if Steve actually went to meet the guys for dinner. Unfortunately, Hilary hadn’t been able to come over because she’d been recruited by her mom for a charity function, but at least they’d been able to speculate together.
She’d thought about texting some of her other friends, but since she didn’t know if Steve would actually go to the dinner, how it would go, or how Chris would feel about her spreading his business around, she refrained. Except for Hilary, which Chris would understand—neither he nor Justin ever really expected her to keep anything from Hilary.
As soon as she heard the door open, Jessica sat up, pausing the TV—which was a big deal because it was the episode where Richard and Emily were having their vow renewal, which meant major Luke and Chris drama! It was also one of her favorite episodes.
“You’re back!” she squealed, popping up.
She was not at all surprised to see Chris was definitely drunker than Justin and was leaning on him for support—Justin tended to be the bigger control freak—but she was surprised to see Steve was supporting Chris on the other side, surprised and very pleased. If he’d helped bring Chris home, the reunion must have gone well, right?
“Hey, beautiful,” Chris said, grinning at her and straightening slightly. “You’re awake!”
Laughing, Jessica came forward to give him a kiss, cupping her hands around his chin and pressing her lips to his. It was a little weird, mostly because she could feel Steve watching them with interest... not that Chris seemed to mind. He tried to slip her some tongue before she pulled away, giggling.
“You all look like you had fun,” she said, turning to give Justin a kiss too. Unlike Chris, he didn’t try to make it more intimate, obviously sober enough to feel a little awkward in front of their unexpected audience.
Steve’s eyes were definitely on them. She couldn’t tell what he was thinking when she finally turned to him, giving him a little wave.
“It’s good to see you again,” she said, trying to make her smile as welcome as possible. “I’m glad you made it to the dinner.”
“Dinner was good,” Steve said, a small smile curving his lips. There was a faint air of surprise around him as if he hadn’t expected to be able to say that. “Um, I should probably get going though.”
“No!” Chris said immediately, sounding so disappointed, Jessica’s heart broke for him a little. “Stay. You should stay here. With me.” The lost plea almost made her tear up. He was obviously afraid if Steve left, Chris wouldn’t see him again—and drunk enough to express that fear.
“Where are you staying?” she jumped in with the question when Steve hesitated.
“Um, downtown. The... um, family’s D.C. house.” Steve’s eyes flicked away from Chris, slightly ashamed. Jessica didn’t see anything wrong with staying in their family’s house. It was free lodging. But she could see that it made both Steve and Chris uncomfortable when he said it... probably because Chris was no longer welcome there, and this was a reminder.
Chris shook it off quickly enough. “Can you come stay here till the wedding?” he asked hopefully. Then seemed to realize he was offering what he wanted without checking in with his partners and quickly looked at Justin then Jessica. “Is that okay?”
Jessica hesitated and looked at Justin. She wasn’t always submissive outside the bedroom, but there were a lot of times when she deferred to Justin, and this was one of them. Chris obviously wanted his brother to stay with them so badly, she didn’t want to tell him no, but she didn’t feel like she could immediately say yes, either. If Justin wasn’t on board, Chris would be outvoted, all right in front of Steve. But for things like a house guest, if someone was uncomfortable, the other two would defer to that person.
These were normally the kind of decisions the three of them made privately, specifically for that reason. A relationship between two people with these kinds of decisions was hard enough, trying to work it out between an odd number of people could make for all sorts of awkward situations.
“That’s... I don’t want to impose... you’re getting married next weekend, you probably want your privacy,” Steve was already stumbling over his words, but Justin cut him off.
“No, you should come stay with us,” Justin said firmly the way he did when he’d made a decision and expected everyone to fall in line.
To Jessica’s amusement, it appeared Steve was no different.
“I... uh... okay.” He stood there, looking more lost than ever, not sure what he was supposed to do next.
“You probably need to get your things, right?” Jessica asked gently. “Why don’t you go home tonight, grab what you need for the week. You can come back over tomorrow afternoon, and we’ll all have dinner and get to know each other.” It would also give him a chance to decide if he was really comfortable being their guest for a full week when he’d been estranged from his brother for years and hadn’t even met her.
Steve hesitated, but Justin nodded.
“That sounds like a good plan,” he said. “We’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Right... um... sounds good.” Steve still looked unsure, but Chris lit up from within and shook his arm loose from around Justin’s shoulders to give Steve a big hug. Jessica’s heart melted. Steve didn’t pull away or awkwardly accept it, hugging Chris back just as fiercely, clinging to his older brother as if he was the only port in a storm.
There was no denying, seeing the way Steve gave his all into the hug, he’d missed his brother. Even the carefully neutral expression on Justin’s face softened a bit as he watched the brothers hug.
Once they got Steve out the door, Justin got Chris situated on the couch while Jessica grabbed them both a glass of water and a pre-emptive aspirin.
“So,” said Justin, sitting down on the other side of the couch and pulling Jessica down between him and Chris. He kept his arm on her upper body so she was lying across the length of the couch, her head and shoulders resting against him, feet over Chris’ lap. It was how they usually ended up sitting, although the guys switched sides as they pleased. The position also allowed Justin to make direct eye contact with Chris over Jessica’s head.
“Did you know your brother is submissive?”
Steve
Practically staggering from his brother’s house to his car, Steve knew he wasn’t drunk, but he felt odd. His brother’s friends were nothing like he’d expected. Neither was his brother’s partner. Steve hadn’t seen Justin in years, but he didn’t remember the man being quite so... overwhelming.
Actually, all of his brother’s friends had been pretty overwhelming. Even Olivia, who had been the nicest, had still been scary. Her boyfriend, Luke, was a brave man. Also, really nice. Everyone had been polite to him although obviously suspicious about his surprise presence.
He couldn’t blame them. They were right, after all.
Going to the dinner had been an impulse move. When Chris hadn’t been home, and Jessica had offered, it had seemed like a good idea. A way to go and watch how his brother and Justin acted without their ‘girlfriend’ present. But he hadn’t realized how much seeing his big brother would affect him. Hadn’t realized how much he would start to wish he really was there to reconcile and just attend the wedding. Although he still wished his brother was just having a normal wedding.
Both Washington D.C. and Maryland were liberal. They had tons of same-sex weddings, and no one turned their head. Why did Chris and Justin have to get all weird about it?
Unless they really were as into Jessica as they were into each other. They’d been enthusiastic about kissing her tonight, but they’d also been a little drunk. It had been very odd seeing her go from Justin to Chris, but it had also seemed somehow natural like it was something they did all the time.
Which made the little knot in Steve’s stomach grow.
Driving almost blindly down the street, more on reflex than truly paying attention, he felt like he was boiling over with emotions.
There was a part of him that wanted his brother to be happy, but there was another part of him, a darker part, that was seething with resentment. The same part of him that had felt abandoned when Chris had chosen his new boyfriend and girlfriend, his completely ridiculous relationship, over his family. Steve could understand why Chris would choose them over the senator, but what about Mom?
What about me?
Chris had chosen a relationship that couldn’t possibly work in the real world over the people who loved him.
Except it looked like the relationship was working. Steve was no longer sure Jessica was just a beard or a bonus to annoy their father. How it worked, he had no idea, didn’t understand, but he was starting to suspect it was for real.
And that only made his resentment deeper.
Why should Chris get everything he wants?
Chris had left after college, but at least he’d kept in touch. At least he’d been somewhat interested in what was going on with their mom and Steve. And that abandonment had led to the second one.
How was that fair?
It was supposed to be family before everything, right? That’s what everyone said. When the few people who dared to mention Chris to Steve or his mom or the senator, they all said the same thing “How could he turn his back on his family?” or “Well, of course, he’ll be back, you’re his family.”
But Chris hadn’t come back. Instead, he’d sent a wedding invitation that was practically a dare. The senator saw it as defiance, Chris throwing his choice in their faces. Steve had hoped it was a gesture of reconciliation. He still did.
He just...
Was very conflicted.
HONK!
Bright lights and the deafening horn from a massive tractor trailer made Steve shout in alarm, and jerking on the wheel, he pulled his car back into his lane. His heart pounded, hands shaking so badly that he pulled over to the side of the road, gulping for air.
“Fuck.” He needed to get his shit together. If only his hands would stop shaking.
Closing his eyes, he pressed his forehead to the steering wheel.
What the hell was he doing?
Of course, Chris deserved to be happy, and Steve couldn’t really blame him for wanting to get away from their parents. He was sure Chris didn’t know about the senator’s affairs since he’d already moved up north, and Steve hadn’t told him. He probably should have told Chris the second he knew, even though Chris hadn’t been around. He probably would have handled their mom a lot better than Steve had. Maybe even managed to convince her to leave the senator.
At every turn, Chris tended to succeed, whereas Steve failed.
Gritting his teeth against the unhappy pit in his stomach, Steve shook his head. It wasn’t Chris’ fault. Steve wished he had half of Chris’ confidence. Then maybe he wouldn’t be stuck in his current position, trying to please a man he mostly hated.
I’m doing it for Mom. But Chris... Chris gets to do things for himself. I wonder what that’s like.
Steve’s phone buzzed. Since he wasn’t driving right now, he glanced at the screen, only to feel his stomach churn again when he saw the text. The senator wanted an update on the evening. Tension tightened his stomach, making him feel slightly nauseous.
At this rate, Steve was going to give himself an ulcer.
Groaning, he put the phone down and got back on the road, giving himself time to think about what he was going to say to the senator. Maybe the senator would refuse to allow Steve to stay with Chris or maybe the senator would be happy to have Steve out of the D.C. house. It would be a lot easier to bring his secretary home to fuck without his son there.
Mom wouldn’t be in town for another few days. She could have come up with them, but then the senator would have had to play the dutiful husband for the whole week. Instead, she was just coming up for some event they were attending on the same day as Chris’ wedding, a family values dinner or something.
The irony burned.
Chris
Blinking, Chris tried to process Justin’s question. “What? What makes you think that?”
Of all the things he thought Justin might say—from concerns about inviting Steve to stay with them to wondering what had prompted Steve to suddenly make contact a week before their wedding—that would have never even crossed his mind.
“Several things although Olivia was the one who originally made me suspect,” Justin said, lifting up his hand to tick points off of his fingers while Jessica watched, silently fascinated. “First, the fact Olivia protected him during the entire dinner. She got him involved in the conversations, helped him steer away from anything he didn’t want to talk about, and basically, treated him like a new submissive she’d taken under her wing, and he followed her lead.
“Second, he responds better to direction than to questions and choices. Give him a choice, and he waffles. Tell him what to do, and he responds with relief. Especially when I used a Dom voice on him.
“Third, I wasn’t the only one who noticed. Both Patrick and Adam pulled me aside after dinner to mention it to me.
