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***Gavin's POV***

"Spank me, then." I tap my toes. This has gone on long enough. I am tired of the kid gloves. I want rough hands, bruises and love bites.

"We have talked about this love. I do not think it is a good idea. Please just be good for me." Alexei spills the same bullshit he has been going on about for ten days.

"Just remember you brought this on yourself." I warn him. I tried to play nice. I begged. I seduced. I have done everything, in my overwhelming power, to get him to be rough with me. However, he just wants to do things the hard way.

Game. Fucking. On.

"Can I get my debit card?" I ask nicely. I am going to need his money for his punishment.

"It's in your top drawer. I have never moved it." Alexei points to the top drawer in the kitchen he deemed as mine when I moved in. We each have a 'junk' drawer although they only have our most important things in them.

My debit card is linked to my bank account that only I have access to. I would use the credit card but, that would give him an opportunity to find out what is going on. I don't want that. Instead, I will use my allowance to make him pay, in more ways than one.

"I'm going to make over my office. Is that okay? I won't put holes in the wall or anything. I just want it to be more playful." I continue to ask permission because that is the game he likes. I am going to play the fuck out of him.

"Whatever makes you happy, my heart." Alexei blindly approves.

"Can you install a lock on my door? If not, I can call someone. I need this to be a surprise. I want you to be surprised." I am not lying. I hope to never have to lie again. I really want him to be surprised.

"I will have it installed by evening. Do you need any help?" Alexei offers sweetly. He really is sweet and that is the fucking issue.

"The room emptied. Other than that, no. I am going to see if Mak can help me pick out the new decor." I give Alexei a kiss on the lips because I love him. I am doing this for him. I am doing this for us.

"I can take you over to Mak's office on my way to work. Why don't you call and set that up? You will have fun at their office." Alexei stands up, undoubtedly satisfied to have me working on a project.

I quickly throw on my best clothes before dialing up Mak. He sounds skeptical but, as always, he is ready to jump in. I smile triumphantly while brushing my teeth.

"Ready?" Alexei asks. He is already walking towards the door.

"I am." I confidently confirm. I have never been more ready in my life.

We get in the car and out on the road. Alexei stops for coffee, adding a cheese danish to my order whenever I say that I am not hungry. I accept his gift because I know that he is trying to show me how much he loves me. I understand that. I am also trying to show him how much I love him.

Sometimes, daddies need punishments too.

I kiss Alexei bye before exiting the car. He offers to walk me up. I do not want him to waste his time. He has an important job, and I am about to spend a lot of his money. Mario and Kip stand waiting for me outside of the entrance to the grand building. They are overprotective. I do not need security detail.

"Thank you, but so unnecessary." I smile politely at my friends.

"Your father may try to reconnect. You never know." Mario defends their choices.

"I doubt that. He's long gone. Has been for a very long time." I walk between them, letting them cover me.

"You have a very public life now. Fame brings out the worst in some people." Kip informs me. I nod my head in acceptance. There is no use arguing. They are going to do it either way.

We make it to the floor at the top of the building. I feel important stepping off of the private elevator. I never thought I would be swept up in a world where I would be made to feel like somebody. It feels really nice to be seen.

"Mark's office is down the hall on the left. Grey's is on the right, with the big windows. Mak still likes the reception desk, although most of the time he is in one of the other two offices. The breakroom is down the hall to the right. Use Grey's bathroom. The one in the hallway is being remodeled and you don't want to have to go downstairs. Mark's bathroom is fine, if you don't mind hearing him and Sebastain having phone sex all day." Kip makes a gagging face that makes me stifle a giggle.

I don't mind watching but, I do not want to listen. I am a visual learner. I need to see the whole show.

"Mak will show you to the cafeteria if you get hungry. But we will probably have lunch out. So, don't fill up on junk." Mario gives me a knowing look.

"Do they have Oreos?" I ask pointedly.

"I'm sure we can find you some. Have fun. Don't do anything you would do at home." Kip pushes me towards the center of the room before heading back to the elevator.

I wander around the office for a minute, looking for everyone. I seem to be the only one I know that is here. I am sure they are just running behind. I walk down the hall, poking my head in all the offices to get acquainted with the layout.

The place is nice. It's boring though. I don't see anything that screams fun. I just see a sleek office building that hides some of the most important people in my life.

In Grey's office, I walk towards the large picture window. The view is exquisite. My breath is shaken as I overlook Manhattan. The park is so close, you can count people as they walk their dogs. I can almost make out what type of dogs they have. It's incredible to have such a bird's eye view.

"I love that window." Grey scares the shit out of me. I jump, bumping my thigh on his executive desk. I let out a small whimper, rubbing the spot quickly to close the gate and lessen my pain.

That is not the type of bruise I was going for.

"I'm sorry." Grey walks towards me in rushed steps. I try to shoo him away. I am not that fragile.

"I'm okay." I respond to ease his worry.

"Mak won't be here for thirty more minutes. He got held up with his therapy." Grey informs me.

I know he worries for his husband. We all do. There are things that Mak keeps hidden and things that he lets us see. I understand that. I just hope that Mak can find a way to share whatever is always laying so heavily on him, so the weight is not so much for him to carry.

Mak wants a baby. We want him to have a baby. I just don't understand why he can't say fuck the adoption and go for surrogacy. Hell, there is private adoption too. I tried to bring it up to him once. I will not make that mistake again. I just pray that my choice never bites me in my bubbly ass.

"I can go aggravate Mark." I offer. Grey has a lot of important work to do. I don't want to get in his way.

"I actually wanted to talk to you about something." Grey walks to the door, closing it before pulling his blinds down. I wait for him.

"You can sit there if you like." Grey points to the loveseat in his office.

I take a seat, practically melting into the leather. It is a really comfortable couch. I wouldn't mind Alexei fucking me on a couch like this.

"I'm all ears." I smile brightly at Mak's husband. Grey is wonderful. I feel comfortable around him. He is a lot like my daddy; except he doesn't tell Mak no nearly as much as I get told no.

"I already asked Mak if I could talk to you about this. So, I am not breaking any confidentiality clause here. I think it may help if you knew that you had a kindred spirit of sort." That piques my interest. I thought Mak and I were two peas in a snuggly pod as it was. I can't imagine anything making us more similar.

"Do I need to keep this to myself? I don't like keeping secrets between me and Daddy. I don't want to have to lie." I quickly request. I am trying to build our trust back. I am already going to take one for the team on this little game.

"It's not a secret. It is very public. I would be surprised that you didn't know if you hadn't explained your past, honestly. Alexei may know. It may help him feel better knowing he can come to me for advice." Grey graciously offers. He really is a king.

"Thank you. I don't want to be in any real trouble." I qualify. I like the type of trouble that gets me punished. I don't like the type that gets me single.

"Mak's birth name was Jackson Jenkins. He changed it after his parents were arrested for running a very profitable international sex trafficking ring. While it isn't the same as your story, I wanted to inform you that he has been in your shoes." Grey gives me the information with no weight as if this isn't a horrific detail of his husband's past.

I sit there, letting the knowledge seep into the small spaces in my mind. Was Mak a victim of their trafficking? The thought makes me want to do extreme bodily harm. I can feel my temper rolling under my skin.

"Where are his parents?" I will make sure they never harm Mak again.

"In jail. Mak put them there." I don't miss the pride beaming off of Grey's face. I feel a little proud of Mak myself. I did not know him but, I bet it takes more courage than I could gather to put your flesh and blood behind bars.

"I don't want to be intrusive. You have shared so much already. But, I have to." I start. The worry is starting to eat at my bones. I can feel it making its way into places that are uncomfortable.

"Shoot from the hip." Grey nods with approval before knowing what I will ask.

"Did they hurt Mak? You don't have to tell me the details. I know he said he was abused. I don't need to know the details." I repeat myself. I feel very awkward in this moment. It is not Grey's place to say. However, I don't think I could ask Mak myself.

"They did not. He was a victim of one of their clients. They did not intentionally put him in that position." Grey shakes out the last part. I get the inflection. They did put him there by doing what they were doing. They were careless with their gift. They didn't put him there to be a victim. He was collateral damage.

"Thank you for being honest with me, Grey. I don't feel better, though. I feel sick." I admit. I don't want to even talk to Mak about my stupid game with Alexei. I don't feel happy about it anymore. Now, I want to make sure my friend is really okay.

"It's okay. He is getting better. It was a long time ago. As you would know, the scars never go away. But they do get better. Good friends and unconditional love have a way of healing even the most vulnerable scars. Mak doesn't even mind talking about it anymore. He has grown so much. He is so strong. You are too. And, if you aren't, we will get you there. You have a family now, Gavin. We aren't going anywhere. We wouldn't let you." Grey pulls me in for a hug that I think I need now more than ever.

"Sorry, I am late. I got my refills. I went ahead and dropped them off on my way in. Gavin lets go; we have work to do." Mak walks right in waving as he goes to his husband to give him a hello kiss.

"Okay." I say without any enthusiasm. This has been a rough morning. I don't know if I have it in me to work.

"Where is the Gavin from this morning? Is he in the room with us?" Mak looks around the room while moving his glasses up and down his nose theatrically. I roll my eyes. He is stupid.

"We talked." Grey informs his husband.

"Oh. Don't let that ruin our day." Mak walks up to me with open arms. I put my arms around him and squeeze him tightly. I want so bad to heal whatever might be left of the broken pieces.

"Hey, let's go talk in Mark's office. He can use my desk. Afterwards, we can start on your game plan if you feel up to it." I nod my head solemnly. I don't think I will ever feel up to it. The weight of Mak's tragedy is heavy. It feels impossible to lift.

Grey walks us out of the room with another hug for me and a kiss for Mak. I follow behind Mak as he leads me to Mark's office. When the door closes, I sit in the chair across from Mak, place my head in my hands and I cry.

Game. Off.