Their Bounty (Four Mercenaries 1)

Clover took his time choosing an aftershave from Tank’s expensive collection, applied a moisturizer to his face and, after a moment’s hesitation, rubbed some into his buttocks too. He wondered if ‘the thing’ Tank had mentioned had anything to do with sex, because he was ready if it did. Just what he needed before bed after the long, tiring day of competition and exercise.

With Pyro and Boar gone to watch some gory movie at the nearest theatre, he was left with Tank and Drake, who’d both been in the bedroom when he’d started his shower. Did that mean they’d have a threesome? Was that the surprise?

He briefly wondered whether Drake was one of those guys who only did oral sex, but he was more than interested in seeing the other guys fuck Clover’s ass, so perhaps that wasn’t the case. Maybe he needed more time to come around to it? Clover didn’t dare mention it to Drake, for fear of fracturing their fragile relationship, but each time he was bound and at Drake’s mercy, the need to feel his dick push inside him from behind became harder to ignore.

Any other guy would have gone for it already, but Drake wasn’t like anyone else, so he would get all the time he needed. Especially that since the moment they’d shared in the afternoon, it seemed yet another of Drake’s barriers had fallen. He hadn’t stopped hovering around Clover since they’d returned home, had sat next to him at dinner, and had even stolen another kiss in the garage.

Things were looking up.

Clover towel-dried his hair, put in his new contact lenses, and walked out into the bedroom as Mother Nature had made him. He half-expected to find both men just as naked, or maybe at least wearing only underwear, but they were completely dressed and sat on opposite ends of the mattress. Sometimes, Clover entertained fantasies of watching the others fuck each other but that didn’t seem to happen beyond the relationship between Pyro and Boar. A boy could dream.

But there was nothing even remotely sexy about a set of tools laid out on a towel at the edge of the bed. They glistened with steel, and any hint of arousal that might have been simmering under the surface of Clover’s skin, was gone at the sight of a scalpel.

He stilled, so shocked by the sight he considered backing away to the bathroom. “What is this? Whatever it is, I don’t like it.”

Drake stood up and took Tank’s giant fluffy robe off the hanger before handing it to Clover. “We need to talk to you.”

Tank’s mouth remained set when he patted the middle of the bed.

Clover was glad to be tucked into the soft fabric when he sat down. He tried not to look at the surgical tools, but they were there, glinting for attention. “Um… yes?”

Tank turned around to face him while Drake remained standing, his face sporting the stormy expression Clover used to consider a permanent fixture before he saw him smile for the first time.

“This isn’t a sex thing, just to get that off the table,” Tank said.

Clover released some of the air in his lungs in short-lived relief. “Good, because I’m no pain slut.”

Drake smirked. “You didn’t mind the nipple clamps.”

Tank raised his hand. “Don’t change the topic.”

Drake shrugged, but the smile wasn’t entirely gone from his face. “Just saying.”

Clover chewed on his lips, glaring at the scalpel again, but Tank gave his arm a gentle pat. “You want to be free, boy? We might have come up with an idea how to get there.”

“I’ve managed to track down who your buyer was,” Drake said, pulling up his feet and moving to a cross-legged position. “But we can’t work out their location. We need to contact them and pretend we’re interested in doing business. This way, we’d get them where we want them, but you’d have to serve as bait for that fat fish.”

Tank butted in. “But I feel it’s too much risk.”

Clover swallowed as the somber atmosphere sank into his flesh. Fear was only a tickle at the back of his head. He wasn’t alone. His men wouldn’t have come up with this if they didn’t feel there was a solution. “I understand. I’ll do it if that’s the only way. I’m done running.”

Tank’s massive shoulders dropped. “I was afraid you’d say that.”

Drake gave Clover a discreet nod. Was he the one to come up with this plan? Unlike the others, Drake held a firm belief that Clover couldn’t just rely on others for protection. And as much as Clover disliked the prospect of being captured, he knew it was the right thing to do.

“Do you trust us?” Tank asked, placing his hand on Clover’s. It was so large it could have easily covered both of Clover’s and radiated strength that would keep Clover safe, no matter what happened.