The Shepherd (The Game 6)

I snorted. He hadn’t asked about Sloan. I had evidently talked too much about Sloan, and Archie had smirked and stated, “Sounds to me like you’re more than friends, Sir.”

“That’s what I get for opening up,” I muttered. “You’re just like my mother and my sisters-in-law.”

I wasn’t a fan of the topic, and I knew Archie said I hadn’t reacted well because he’d sensed my annoyance as I’d brushed him off with a laugh.

“If you say so.” Archie humored me. “I said it the other day, and I’ll say it again—as long as my place in your life isn’t threatened, I’m not worried.”

He’d said a lot more than that the other day, and now I was having regrets about telling him to always speak his mind.

I hadn’t revealed a single fucking thing that might be misconstrued as something other than friendship and platonic feelings. Archie and I had shared an evening on the porch after Kyla had fallen asleep, and I’d just ranted about the people in my life. I’d told him all about Sloan and his struggles with his children and ex-wife, his semi-hiatus from kink, how we’d met, how he was gonna help me with Corey, and so on.

We’d changed the subject eventually, at Archie’s initiative. He’d wanted to delve deeper into the matter of relationships. Open, semi-open, arrangements, romantic relationships, dating, poly, monogamous, non-monogamous… After finishing his third beer, he’d said, “So, uh…you once mentioned liking the idea of a poly household. I do too.”

I’d “once” mentioned, as if it hadn’t happened a mere week ago.

Remember way back in the day, like two days ago, when you said this and that?

I wasn’t ready to go there. We were already struggling to pace ourselves.

Either way, nothing was fucking happening between Sloan and me.

The fact that my stomach felt tight and unsettled at the notion was proof enough. He and I were buddies. No matter how much I’d questioned the boundaries we’d set up—though, mostly him—it was for a good reason. Because when I began wondering, shit got shaky, and we started a fight from thin air and ended up not speaking for days.

We hadn’t said a word to each other since I’d dropped him off at home on Monday night.

I hated it.

“You’re really not worried?” I had to ask. “Nothing will ever happen between Sloan and me, but if it did—you wouldn’t mind?”

He pondered his reply while I pulled into the large carport near the estate.

“Up until last week, I bet you said the same about me,” he answered carefully. The little punk. “I’m not without uncertainties, Sir. Of course I would have to work on silencing the fear of you preferring someone else over me, at least while we’re so new to each other, but…no, I wouldn’t mind it, as you put it. Though, I would like to go a step further and say, I don’t mind including others in what we have. And in order to do that, in order to maybe one day have a relationship that involves more than two people, it goes without saying that you have to meet others.”

That I would have to meet them.

I killed the engine and turned to him. “But you don’t want to meet others in that regard?”

He shook his head and smiled ruefully. “As far as I’m concerned, you already own me. I’m just waiting for the day you’ll let me call you Master.”

The things he did to my ticker…

As soon as we approached a topic that didn’t leave me wholly comfortable, he said something that reeled me back in and made me confident again.

“I adore the idea of being surrounded by people I love, Sir,” he admitted. “It’s another pipe dream of mine, I suppose. To wake up in the morning and prepare breakfast for a full house, be it children or partners or both. I know it wouldn’t be easy to find such a partner—I mean, so much has to click—but if I’m not open to the option, then I know for sure it won’t happen.”

Fuck, but I envied his attitude. We shared the exact same dream in this case too, and he had the bravery to talk about it, to hope for it.

I reached over and touched his cheek. “You don’t know how much you already mean to me. Your place with me is more than safe—it’s permanent. And I would never include anyone in our relationship, whether it’s the romantic aspects or for playtime, who would jeopardize anything.”

He smiled and kissed my palm. “Then I won’t worry about it. I’m under your care, protection, and ownership.”

Jesus, that sounded good.

“Let’s head inside.” I leaned in and gave him a quick kiss. “I have a feeling we’re both gonna like the outcome of this session.”

I brought Archie to the main club area, where the late afternoon sun poured in through the open patio doors. Where I also knew members would pass through. The weeknights were slow but never at a complete standstill, and modesty was just one of the traits I wanted to exploit. So far, I couldn’t say Archie struck me as either shameless or easily embarrassed.