Sunday Snippet

 

Today's snippet is from Bonds of Love, book 2 in the Bay Area Professionals series.  This is a direct sequel to Impacted!. The first two books should be read in order for maximum entertainment. The rest of the books in the series can stand alone. You can find BONDS OF LOVE  on Amazon or read for free with your KU subscription.

Blurb 

When Scott Gregory is outed and forced to leave the dental practice, his life turns upside down. With the help of Robin “Red” Kennedy—his partner in and out of bed—and their friend Susie, he manages to open his own dental office but still worries his former boss will cause trouble.

Robin agreed to become a partner in the business, but feels as if his contribution is sweat equity. He fears he doesn’t measure up to Scott in terms of money or education. When they move in together, their D/s relationship goes from weekends-only to 24/7, allowing them much more time to explore, but adding complications, too.

Tensions rise when an old friend assumes Scott is Robin’s sugar daddy, and Robin finds himself wanting a more formal commitment, in the form of a public collaring. But the shy and until-recently closeted Scott is struggling. Will the bond of their love be strong enough to see them through?

BONDS OF LOVE is the sequel to Impacted and the books should be read in order for maximum enjoyment. As a bonus, newly trained Dominatrix Susie gets her own HEA with the submissive man of her dreams in the brief story within the story told from her POV.

Snippet

Robin held Scott’s hand loosely in his as they walked along the shores of Lake Tahoe. It was the last day of their vacation, and they were determined to squeeze every remaining second out of it. Staying on the north side of the lake had been a much better idea than putting up with the crowds on the south side, where most of the big casinos were located. Incline Village drew a more discerning crowd, and catered to families and couples who enjoyed a quieter atmosphere. A lot of the regulars owned homes or condos and thought nothing of making the four-hour journey from the Bay Area to soak up some sun, a few rounds of golf, swimming, or hiking. In the winter, the skiing was outstanding.

“I’d love to buy something here someday,” Scott said, looking out at the horizon. They had stopped for a few minutes and were sitting on a log, throwing pebbles into the water.

“It’s really beautiful,” Robin said. “Would you prefer a house or a condo?”

“Probably a condo, so we wouldn’t have to fuss with the upkeep as much.”

“It would be nice to get away more often. I’d love to learn how to ski or snowboard,” Robin continued, draping his arm over Scott’s shoulder. “Do you ski, baby?”

“Are you kidding? I grew up in Michigan. The winters are very long and very cold, so yeah, I ski, but I prefer to snowboard.”

“I never got the opportunity, even though San Ramon isn’t far from Lake Tahoe. We didn’t have enough money for vacations.”

“You’re not too old to learn,” Scott reminded him.

“I know,” Robin grinned. “I’m not even thirty, love.”

“Maybe we’ll have enough money to do it next year.”

Scott’s optimism faded when he thought about the current challenges he was facing since breaking his contract to buy into Ron Morris’s practice. He would have been set and making a very decent living, if Ron hadn’t turned out to be the biggest prick alive. He was a hateful man and made Scott’s adoptive parents look like the most liberal couple in the world. Even though his parents had a few issues with his homosexuality, they weren’t zealots about it, unlike Ron, who was determined to keep all gays out of the mainstream. It was a losing battle, for sure, but one he still hoped to win.

“Hey,” Robin said, shaking him out of his thoughts. “Why so quiet? Are you worrying about that asshole again?”

“I can’t help it, Red. It’s going to be interesting to see what he does when I attend the next meeting of the periodontal society.”

“There’s nothing he can do, babe. People will think he’s a jerk for letting you go.”

“Ron don’t give a shit what anyone else thinks. He’s so self-righteous he’s convinced God is on his side.”

“He’s a nutcase. I’m glad we’re out of his reach.”

“Are we?” Scott asked, hoping Robin was right.

“Babe, he can’t touch you now. Your loyal patients will follow you wherever you go, and the contacts you’ve made in the last year will know how to find you. You think the younger guys will send Ron any patients? They know who was doing all the fancy stuff. I’ll be surprised if Ron doesn’t see a huge drop in his schedule.”

“Yeah,” Scott answered, buoyed by Robin’s reply. His lover always knew how to assuage his fears, no matter how ridiculous they were. Robin had believed in him from the minute they met, and his presence in his life was a huge factor in giving him the confidence he needed to gamble on this huge leap from partner to solo practitioner. Susie was another person who had every confidence in his abilities and actually invested in the practice.

“Can we talk about your apartment?” Scott asked.

Robin took a deep breath and let out a sigh. “Do we have to?”

“You know your lease is up in a month. There’s no point in paying for two places when we’re together every night.”

“But there is a point, love. If we were to live together, we’d be in the lifestyle 24/7.”

“How so?”

“This last year has been a mental challenge, going from employee to lover to Dom on a daily basis. I think the only reason our relationship has survived is because I have my own space, and you have yours.”

“Our relationship has survived because we love each other,” Scott said, looking into the deep blue eyes gazing back at him with unvarnished love.

Robin leaned in and kissed him deeply, pulling a groan out of Scott so easily. “I do love you”—Robin’s voice was a husky caress—“and this is why I think it’s a bad idea to move in together.”

“I wish you’d reconsider,” Scott said.

“Things would be different if we didn’t work together.”

“But we’ve found our rhythm, haven’t we?”

“Because we play on the weekends and not during the workweek. If we lived together, I would expect you to be my sub as soon as we walked through the doors of our home. I need it as much as food and drink.”

“I have no problem with any of it,” Scott insisted. “We can do this.”

“It can’t be easy for you being my boss eight hours of the day and then turning around and letting me dominate you all night.”

If you want to start from the beginning, check out  IMPACTED!