Page 15 of Dark Promises

“Do you remember that exercise gym I had before Covid? Well, it no longer exists. I had bad luck, and I couldn’t open it back up.”

“What did you do with the money Dad left us and the loan you took out for your business?”

“It’s all gone.”

“What the fuck, Sid. What were you doing?”

“My best.”

I wondered what that was. Instead of thinking the worst, I tried another way around this. Tonight, I had to meet some cute guy at his apartment, and I was not over Cole, so what was I thinking? He had everything that I wanted. Willing to try something new and I didn’t have to go on a dating app to find him. He found me. Go figure.

“You can stay here for as long as it takes to get yourself together, but you have to do one thing for me, and it’s not beyond you. You know I’m into bondage, and—”

“I’m not into that.”

“You mean, not anymore. What happened, did someone file a lawsuit against you?” When Sidney looked up and around avoiding my eyes, I knew the truth. “You can tell everyone else how you’ve put that bondage stuff behind, but I know you, and I know what you’re into. The talk is all around and especially in clubs. You tried to hide it from your partner, but he found out, and it was that and not Sam who broke up your relationships. Take my advice, if you’re happy with someone who likes the same things you like in and out of bed, then you’ll have an easier time with a relationship—”

“Like you. I thought Cole was the love of your life—”

“You don’t know anything about us. I didn’t go around placing ads looking for a partner that wasn’t into bondage, and then finding out they just wanted someone to take care of them.”

“Okay. Okay, Daniel. What the fuck do I have to do to get a roof over my head until I can get something going? After we sell Dad’s apartment building, I’m out of here.”

“Good.” I rose from my seat, and walked around and sat next to Sidney, took a deep breath and looked him in his dark-green eyes. I’d never noticed before, but we had the same color eyes, and I guessed we did have something in common besides our father.

“I need you to pretend to be me and meet this gorgeous guy tonight. He’s into bondage and that shouldn’t be something foreign to you. I hear you’re a Master in our community. Just pull out your leather chaps or whatever the fuck you have, ropes chains whips, and meet him at his apartment.”

Sidney narrowed his glance. “Isn’t that dangerous?”

“Not as dangerous as you meeting men in some of those Bondage clubs or gay circuit parties with no supervision, or those women I heard you paid for to use dildos on you who probably have a lover or husband somewhere waiting to have a go at your ass.”

“Is nothing sacred? Does everyone know my business?” Sydney asked.

“No. But when you do it out in open at one of those clubs, or you tell people and hand out cards, what do you expect? You get men with all kinds of kinks, and some not too savory in what they expect of you or want to do to you.” I saw Sidney’s jade eyes moving around, and I knew he’d thought about what I’d said. “Are you going to stand in for me?”

“What’s wrong with that guy? I deserve to know.” I glared at Sidney and furrowed my brow. The only thing he deserved to know was if he didn’t do as I asked, then his time with me would be cut very short. However, I wasn’t the kind of man to kick Sidney out, especially since he needed somewhere to stay, so I kept quiet for a while and took another sip of my coffee and thought about how much I liked the coffee and how much I missed Sam.

“Nothing is wrong with him. He’s just not Cole.” Which was the truth.

“Are you ever going to get over Cole? You know, Daniel, you’re too old to be moping around over him. What do you two have in common? You’re what thirty-something and when you told me about him, he was twentyish.” I paced around the kitchen holding on to my lifeline—white chocolate mocha and wishing he’d drop the conversation about Cole .

“Why don’t you track him down, and beg him to come back to you?” When I didn’t say anything, but stared at Sidney, he said, “Oh, I forgot. You’re too proud. Well, pride will take you only so far. I would have been couch surfing today if I hadn’t swallowed my pride and came here told you about my problem.”

“And if you don’t do me this favor, youwillbe couch surfing again,” I assured him. Another one of my empty threats, but he didn’t know that. Besides, I didn’t need a grown man who had all kinds of chances in life to piss away his chances by not going to school, or taking up some kind of profession. When I was struggling to pay rent and stay in school, he was living rent free with our father.

He had our father believing that if he sent Sidney to college, then he could go on to veterinarian school, because he claimed he loved animals. Just not the kind that walked on four legs. It was more like the two-legged kind who hadhimon all fours begging for more.

“Well, I don’t think I’ll have to couch surf for long, because I’ve got a buyer for Dad’s building in Brooklyn. Then I’ll take my half and open a bondage club.” I narrowed my glance. Was he kidding? Well, I guessed he wasn’t. “I’m going to serve drinks, have dancers on weekends, and shows. I might give you competition,” he said, before straightening his shoulders back and winking at me. The only competition he could give me was going broke sooner than me, if Ryan didn’t put me in that position before Sidney got there.

“It’s not the same kind of club, and we aren’t competing for the same business or interests. We’re not even striving for our father’s love anymore.” I never knew why everything with Sidney had to be a contest.

Sidney slanted his head. “Yeah, I was a dick, wasn’t I—”

“Do you want me to answer that? Because I’m sure you knew what you were doing when you told him I was gay, and failed to tell him that you were gay too,” I said with a little more animosity in my voice than I wanted. I was having a great morning until my brother chose this day to make me aware that I had a brother I hadn’t wanted to see until Father’s memorial.

Sidney twisted his mouth, and whenever he did that I knew what would come out would either have me wishing I was dead, or he was. “I was bisexual and now that Father is dead, I can admit that I’m gay. Had I told him the truth...” Did he even know the truth anymore? “...that would have killed him. He never did get over you being in love with a man. How did you keep that from him all those years?”

“Maybe it was because I didn’t live with him. After my mother died, he married your mother, and you took up all his time.” Sidney raised his arms out to the side and shrugged his shoulders.

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