Page 61 of At Their Mercy: Part I

I scratched my forehead, and a couple seconds later, he showed up in the doorway.

“It’s up to you,” I replied. “I know what Shay would prefer, but I can’t pretend our birthday is gonna be special to me all of a sudden.”

He nodded once, firmly. “Same. Christmas is our thing.”

Absolutely.

“All right—we’ll give him a warnin’ when he gets back,” he said. “I’mma go finish my list. Unless you wanna be useful and help out.”

I returned my gaze to my phone. “What’s on the list?” Like I didn’t already know. Like I hadn’t already finished more than half of it.

“Sort laundry, for one,” he said. “Clean the pool.”

“I cleaned the pool the day before yesterday, and I sorted the shit Shay left on the stairs before he took off. What else?”

He cocked his head. “Uh, throw out expired shit from the fridge.”

“Did that. Emptied and refilled the dishwasher too—and Shay put out the garbage bins.”

Reese knitted his brows and folded his arms over his chest. “Why didn’t you tell me, you dick?”

I shrugged. “I don’t feel the need to announce everythin’ I do. Unlike some.” I turned to him. “I also wipe my ass on the regular.”

He rolled his eyes and left the bedroom. “You really fuckin’ need a job—other than bein’ a professional menace.”

I grinned.

I was his menace, though.

Returning my attention to MadCo, I leaned back against the pillows and decided to shoot Ty a message.

Maybe I should announce that to Reese too.

Oi. River here. Reese informed me you and Colt might bring in consultants on your latest project. Who do I have to flirt with to throw my hat in the ring?

I would’ve texted Colt if he hadn’t been on his honeymoon. I sincerely doubted he wanted to discuss work.

Ty responded a couple minutes later.

That would be me. If you want, we can talk dirty about qualifications and ideas over coffee later this week.

I smiled. So, that was in the bag.

Take that, Reese.

By three PM, I was ready to stop being an asshole. I’d showered and changed into a pair of tan cargo shorts and the white button-down Shay said fit my body perfectly. Despite four extra love pounds. I’d donned the three beaded bracelets Shay had made me too. I usually only wore the one that said Shay’s Owner, but since it was a special occasion, I’d added the ones that said Tenley and Best Master Ever.

Shay’s words, not mine.

I’d spritzed on some good-smelly stuff as well.

Buckling my belt, I headed downstairs to help out. While Shay and Reese were great at planning and orchestrating and all that, it was me they came to for the boring shit. Like vacuuming, setting the table, taking out the trash, and mopping the floors. Although, to be honest, Shay was taking on more and more of everything these days, and after telling him repeatedly we didn’t have those expectations of him in terms of our D/s dynamic, it was his choice. And yeah, maybe I loved seeing him in his nesting mode, as he called it.

I found my brother in the kitchen, preparing vegetables for the grill, and he side-eyed me as I walked over to him. I did more too; I positioned myself behind him and hugged his middle to reassume my spot as the best brother in the world.

He huffed under his breath. “I feel like you’re about to ask me for money.”

I shook my head and pressed a kiss to his neck. “Just showin’ you how lovable I am.”