Their Bounty (Four Mercenaries 1)

What a sight.

Tank wasn’t just thinking about Clover and his white hair and pristine skin. He made a pretty picture with Drake. Tank had known their brooding friend for seven years, and no one had managed to make the tiniest crack in his frosty exterior before Clover. He’d had a couple of bondage partners in the past, but he’d always been alert around them, and none of them had the courage (or audacity) to tease a man as dangerous as Drake either.

But Clover was pliant when it counted and sassy when it made sense. His presence encouraged Drake to experiment and made him feel less threatened by other people. Drake and Tank still weren't sexually compatible, but at least he no longer flinched when Tank stood too close. They now hugged, maybe not all the time, but tenderness was no longer completely rejected. Tank liked Drake in his own way and appreciated the possibility of kissing his head in the kitchen, or post-coital hugs—little things Drake hadn’t previously allowed.

So Tank relaxed and watched as Clover shivered in pleasure as Drake’s hand moved to cup his throat, leaning into his lover despite the discomfort of the bondage. Drake’s mouth twitched with a smile, and he very slowly licked Clover’s lips where they stretched around the rubber ball.

Tank was getting horny from the sight alone.

“The burgers are done,” Pyro announced, and placed the first patty on a plate, which Boar carried toward the tree. “Clover you need to try this.”

Drake stepped back and removed the gag from Clover’s lips. He was always very particular about the bondage and didn’t allow others to tinker with it in his scenes, but Tank supposed this was a family picnic of sorts.

“I’ll be setting you free soon.”

“Finally. My torment is over,” Clover said but grinned and winked at Tank. The boy was insatiable, and Tank loved him for it.

Boar gave him a peck on the lips and soon followed it with a piece of the meat, which he put to Clover’s lips on a flat palm, as if he were feeding a sugar cube to a horse.

Clover needed to eat a lot of protein, considering how adamant he was about keeping up with his training. He’d gained a lot of muscle definition this past year, and while Tank had at first believed his enthusiasm would eventually dampen, he seemed to enjoy the exercise.

And this was what worried Tank. At some point, Clover’s newly-developed combat skills would be put to the test, and he didn’t know how he felt about Clover facing danger with the intent to challenge it rather than flee.

Drake believed Clover was ready to join them for work, and Pyro had even organized a combat exercise, which Clover had passed with flying colors, but Tank was still doubtful about throwing his boy into shark-infested waters.

So he was good at simulated fights. Real-life violence wasn’t a game, and its consequences went far beyond the bruises and scratches Clover suffered during exercise.

And what if Clover couldn’t keep up with the rest of them?

What if he got injured?

It stressed Tank as much as Clover prodding Pyro for motorcycle driving lessons.

Tank went back to his push ups, desperate to get rid of the sudden tension in his body.

Boar was still feeding Clover as Drake took his time removing the rope from Clover’s body. The marks it left on the pale skin always made Drake want to fuck Clover that bit harder.

“Maybe we could go visit the Steel Horde for a while?” Pyro asked.

Boar snorted. “Itching for trouble?”

“Oh, come on, you must be getting a bit of cabin fever too. We haven’t gone anywhere in a while. Don’t we need to renew some contacts and shit?”

Tank swallowed, rising off the grass to join the others closer to the grill. “It’s been a while since we’ve taken on a job.”

His bank account was in healthy condition, but things could always change. He did itch for action, of course, but the fear of losing all he’d built always loomed somewhere beyond the horizon. Tank had learnt first-hand what it meant to have nothing, and one could never know where life took them. It was always a good idea to have spare capital.

The whole ‘human zoo’ monstrosity had long faded from the news, and no police came knocking at their door, so at least that was off Tank’s mind. He shuddered just thinking about the poor souls who’d been trapped by Diana. Their stories made quite the headline, and one of them had even written a book about their ordeal.