Pushing the door open when Ian gives me permission, I sweep my gaze over the room, approving of the simple but masculine touch. The walls are a light-gray, though the one behind his desk is darker. There’s a rug matching the accent wall on the floor in front of a black loveseat, a comfortable-looking armchair beside it, and another on the other side of the coffee table.
The coffee table has a black frame with a white-and-gray marbled top, with a matching side table beside the armchair. There are also pillows…so many fucking throw pillows, in varying shades of gray, black, and white. The dark woodenbookshelves are about half full, both books and tchotchkes dotting the shelves along with the odd picture frame, though only one seems to have an actual photograph. The others have crayon drawings.
The least surprising thing about the room is the artwork on the walls. Whoever did them had a great eye, not only for color, but also for style and class. After all, not many can capture a sexual pose in such an understated yet powerful way.
I wonder if Beha has ever done anything like that.I’m almost tempted to reach out to Sinclair and see if his associate is up for a challenge. After all, Doc loves her paintings, and he deserves a gift after everything he’s done for my lovers.
“I see you’ve made your mark.”
“Yes, we’ve had fun decorating.” Ian saysweso easily, effortlessly, with a smile on his lips as he thinks of his men.
There’s a part of me that misses that…cohesiveness from when it was just Roman, Hollis, Jude, and me. Everything has been flipped upside down, but at the same time, I wouldn’t go back to not having Benjamin, Lio…or Allesandro. Even if the latter is something I’m still figuring out.
“I didn’t ask you here to discuss what my men and I have gotten up to, though,” he says. “Please, take a seat wherever you feel most comfortable.”
I don’t bother with the seating area, dropping into the chair in front of his desk. “What can I do for you?”
Ian huffs, leaning back in his chair to study me. “You’ve been busy, I see,” he comments, gesturing to his own face.
I shrug. “Part and parcel of being one of the Head Trainers, and Head of Security. You should have seen the other guy.”
Ian chuckles. “I’m sure I can guess the state he’s in. Though, from what I hear, your men…have some work to do. Protection was one of the things we were promised when we took this job. And yet someone got onto your property and killed your men?”
I scowl. “It won’t happen again. I can assure you, your bodyguards know what the punishment for failure is, and it’ll make death look like a picnic. You can trust your Boy with us.”
“See it done, or you’ll discover that Atticus and Javi aren’t the only ones capable of holding their own.” There’s the promise of chaos in Ian’s obsidian eyes, and I can respect that. I’d do much the same in his position. “Now, to the task at hand. Before I dive in, I have to ask if you know what sex therapy is?”
“I’ll admit I’ve had more pressing things to research than your practice.”
“That’s fine.” He smiles, a genuine expression that makes it clear he’s closer to Hol’s age than my own. “It’s a fairly broad form of therapy, encompassing everything from helping those with sexual dysfunction to those with trauma. As well as addressing the issues society places on sex and how…limiting and narrow-minded the world at large can be when viewing something that’s both natural and beautiful.
“There are a lot of mental and emotional roadblocks someone can have due to a variety of things that have either happened to them directly or because of how things are ‘expected’ to be. It can put undue pressure on people when it comes to sex, or anything related to intimacy.
“It’s what I’m here for; to help clear the roadblocks, get people to accept themselves, and maybe find unconventional means to achieve their end goal—depending on what they’re hoping to gain from therapy.”
“I’m sure being part of the BDSM and kink community helps with that,” I say lightly.
He nods. “It does. I’ve been Anderson’s Daddy for years now, and part of the kink community for even longer. My reputation and position has always been good, because I’m willing to listen to those wiser than I am.” There’s something heavy in his gaze, and I sit straighter.
Ian watches me, studying me as intently as I am him. “Anderson asked me for a favor, and he’s someone I always listen to because he usually isn’t wrong—at least, when it comes to his patients. Now, he can’t share details because we all take confidentiality seriously, but he was asked byyourBoy to talk to me. So he did, and I listened and agreed to address this with you.”
“Is Lio okay?”
Ian leans forward, placing his arms on the desk. “Yes, he’s fine. Don’t worry. As I said, I don’t have any details, but my Boy didn’t seem concerned, mostly happy he’d found a way to further help Lio. He likes your Boy, thinks he’s sweet and squishable.”
I snort, but can’t fault Anderson for his assessment. “Fine, what’s so important that Emilio felt he couldn’t come to me directly?”
Ian glares, his eyes flaring with warning. “Don’t do that, it’s not like that. Sometimes, Boys like Lio…they need someone to hold their hand and help them with these things. It’s why they have Daddies, after all.”
“And what does that mean?”
“How much research have you done into Daddy/Boy relationships? Since you now seem to have found yourself in two very different ones, I want to assume you’ve at least tried to do your due diligence. Or have you been winging it?”
“At first, with Emilio, I was ‘winging it', doing what felt right for both of us. But I have done some research, because I’ve noticed…” I pause, reframing my thoughts, trying to get the wording correct. “Emilio has a tendency to regress sometimes, mostly when he’s extremely happy, I’ve noticed, but there are other times as well. Like when he first…tried to commit suicide, and I was finally allowed to see him. He was… I’m not sure how to explain it. He was my Little Monster, but…softer, younger,more vulnerable in a way, and it wasn’t simply because he was recovering. At least, I don’t think so.”
Ian nods slowly, some of his messy caramel hair falling across his forehead as he does. “Yes, I believe your assessment is correct. I’ve only seen Lio a few times, but I’ve noticed he’s been regressing more over the last week or so.”
“Is it something to be concerned about? What I’ve read…”