Page 57 of Born Daddy

Tate could certainly use the calories. Him? Not so much. He might be in great shape right now, but at his age, it didn’t take much before everything started heading south with a vengeance. He didn’t plan on saying anything, though. He’d just work his ass off and keep his mouth shut. Rogan wouldn’t do anything to spoil Tate’s fun.

“Rogan?”

Rogan lifted his gaze and spotted Tate peeking from the bedroom, one hand clutching the door frame as if he needed help remaining upright. Rogan set down the syrup bottle, then wiped his hands on the kitchen towel.

“Is he ready to speak with me?”

Tate nodded and held out the phone, but didn’t step outside of the bedroom. Rogan approached him. Tate’s expression was unreadable. He detected a tinge of worry, yet he didn’t seem upset overall.

Rogan accepted the phone but didn’t put it to his ear. He leaned into Tate so he could whisper and still be heard.

“I don’t mind if you’re in the room while we talk, or you can stay in the bedroom. Which would you prefer?”

“I want to wait in here. Otherwise, I’ll be too nervous.”

“That’s fine, sweetheart. I’ll come get you when we’re done so you can say your goodbyes and, uh, in case he needs to give you any other instructions.”

The last part had been tough for him to squeeze out. The irrational possessiveness over Tate returned when it came to Master Zane. Even though he understood the logic of someone who was a part of Tate’s lifestyle and who knew him much better than Rogan offering him advice, he still didn’t like the fact that another man was telling his boy what to do.

Surreal.

Rogan smiled at Tate in reassurance, giving his forehead a kiss before heading back out to the main area. He sucked in a deep breath, dropped on the couch then brought the phone to his ear.

“Hello Master Zane. This is Rogan.”

He’d gone back to feeling stiff and unnatural.

“Hi Rogan. I’m pleased to hear you wanted to speak with me. I’m quite fond of Tate and was heartbroken on his behalf when I heard what happened with Cam.”

Rogan swallowed down his irritation when Master Zane declared his fondness for Tate. The guy was trying to do right by Tate, so Rogan needed to chill out.

“It’s been a stressful time. Did you know Cam at all?”

Rogan wasn’t all that clear on the Master’s background with Tate and Cam. All he knew was that they’d met at his club.

“Well, I knew him and Tate as acquaintances. The club is owned by me, and while I do train Doms and work with subs who are in need, I have an experienced staff who interact with most of the trainees and those who do demonstrations. Cam and Tate met there, but never did demos. Their specific kink and how they expressed it isn’t something that requires a club for fulfillment.”

Uneasiness coursed through Rogan at all the unsettling scenarios that the Master’s explanation brought to mind.

“Did Tate explain I come from a background in police work? Although I’m out of the field and teaching now.”

“He mentioned it, yes.”

“Okay. Well, one of the things I want to reassure you of is that I’m not involved in the case against Cam, or any investigations involving Tate.” Rogan chuckled. “As a matter of fact, I’m not a very popular presence down at the station these days.”

“Tate indicated that was the case. I have to thank you for being there when he needed you the most. That took a lot of bravery on your part.”

Rogan swallowed hard. “He told you about yesterday, I take it?”

“He did,” Master Zane growled. “Even though you’re not a part of the investigation, coming from the standpoint of your experience, can you explain what that was all about with the diary?”

“No, nothing specific. I don’t have any information beyond what I told Tate.” Rogan sighed. “Whatever Cam wrote in that book is something they’re not giving any hints about. And honestly, they didn’t need to ask Tate about the diary, they’ve seen what’s inside, they’ve had their forensics teams examine it. From handwriting experts to fingerprints to analyzing the ink and paper—they’ve got all the info they need without Tate’s help. But in the same way they tried to shock him into blurting something out by showing him those grisly photos of the victims, they were counting on Tate’s reaction to the diary to give them more clues about what it meant to Cam personally, how it might relate to his motives.”

“I see. That’s clearly a good motivation. If I were being charitable, I’d say I understand where they’re coming from, that they have to make sure they’ve wrapped up all the details. But I’m not feeling charitable, not when it comes to any sub who’s vulnerable.” Master Zane cleared his throat. “Forgive me, I know they’re your colleagues, but I’ve had to deal with too many scenarios involving the police, and misconceptions regarding consent and the BDSM lifestyle.”

Rogan plucked at his khakis. If he stayed the course with Tate, he imagined the misconceptions directed at him personally would extend beyond the ones with Mitch. He could only imagine what judgments from his co-workers would be directed his way.

“I bet. And that’s okay. I want to understand what it is that Tate needs, as well as understand the lifestyle in general.”

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