Stepbrother’s Return | CH. 1

PREMIERE: Stepbrother’s Return - a Dark M/M Romance & Erotic Thriller

Welcome to the premiere of Stepbrother’s Return!

This is a fast-paced, high-heat story about old flames, corporate secrets, and moral ambiguity.

Tropes: Stepbrothers, Taboo, Cheating, Corruption, Dub-con

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⚠️ CONTENT WARNING:

This story contains explicit gay sexual content, infidelity, taboo family dynamics, and dark themes. Reader discretion is advised.

Ready? Let’s go to San Francisco …

Chapter One

Without a doubt, I’m the happiest I’ve ever been.

Right?

I mean … I have a boyfriend who, I think, loves me. Or at least puts up with me for the most part. And I have distanced myself from my repressive Mormon family enough that I can live authentically without shame, which took a god damn long time to work up towards. I have a job that, though boring, lets me afford this decent new place — with a bookshelf big enough for most of my current reads, and enough space for Leroy to paint and whatever the hell else he does while I’m at work. I worked my way up to the role of senior advisor of customer service at PeachiTech, an up-and-coming business that makes cellphones, tablets, and other devices. Basically, I’m the last line of defense in tech support for our clients. And there are constantly new issues for customers to call in and cuss me out over. But it pays well. Well enough that I was able to move here, San Francisco, and ditch the frigid cool of Salt Lake City.

The warm orangey tones of the walls called out to me when Leroy and I were first looking for a new home. The complete opposite of my mother’s obsession with blues back home. I leaned a hand against the white pane of the kitchen window overlooking the backyard, where Chickpea, our pet chihuahua, was taking his ritual morning dump while I sipped a fresh cup of coffee. If you could still call it coffee after the amount of milk and creamer I’d added. The sun shone bright against the vibrant green grass surrounded by a soft yellow fence. It almost always was bright and sunny like this. It made the seasons all mush together into one blur where I couldn’t really differentiate one day from another. The haze was a welcome ease into forgetting what I wanted to forget about the past.

“Charlie,” Leroy’s voice almost made my bones leap out of my skin. This happens all of the time. I often get so lost in a daydream, or just my own thoughts, that reality jump scares me.

“Leelee, what’s up?” His strong tan arms wrapped around my sickeningly pale neck. I noted the contrast of my porcelain fingers against his forearm. No matter how long we lived in this sunny city, I could never tan — only give myself a wretched burn if level one million sunscreen wasn’t used. Leroy, however, took to the sun like a hooker to crack. Darkening several shades in the three months since we’d lived here.

“You know what’s up,” he nearly whispered, lips brushing my ear, hot breath sending my head spinning. Arms sliding down my side until they gripped my hips, he pulled me closer. I felt the long, thick outline of what I knew was his erection against my ass. Only two thin layers of cotton from our boxer briefs separating that veiny shaft from my skin.

“You’re always … up,” I reached a hand behind to grab that throbbing member for emphasis, “first thing in the morning.” I turned, grabbing his cheeks with both hands and pulling him in for a kiss. “But I have work. I have to leave in like …” I checked my PeachiWatch, “fuck, five minutes ago.” I chugged what was left in my coffee mug, set it down on the counter, and dashed to the bedroom to get changed. “Make sure you let Chickpea back inside!” I hollered as I made my exit.

*** *** ***

“You’re late,” Gertrude, the secretary of the customer service building, smugly informed me as I made my rushed entrance.

“I know. I’m sorry!” I yelled back at her as I swiped my keycard and nearly knocked over some random intern who should have moved out of the — wait. That is no random intern. That … that is my … stepbrother?

“Hey, bro,” Herald smirked, dark blue eyes gleaming conspiratorially. My gaze couldn’t help but linger on his designer suit tailored perfectly to show off his hard-earned, perfectly muscular physique — but not in a too-gay way. He knew just how to ride that line. I, on the other hand, was wearing ill-fitting … whatever passed as professional clothes that were on sale at Marshall’s.

It had been … god, ten years since I’d seen my brother, Herald. I had no idea what he was doing now to be able to afford that suit. I had no idea what he was doing here.

“Herald, you’re — hi, uh, sorry.” I laughed awkwardly. “Why … why are you here?”

“Well, my remarkably handsome employee,” Herald placed a strong hand on my shoulder, “I’m here because I’m your new boss!”

“What? Really? How? I —”

“Why don’t you go get settled in your office. There’s a group meeting at 10 a.m. sharp, and I’ll explain it all. Don’t worry, I want a personal meeting with you, one on one. To, you know, catch up.” He dared to wink at me with that.

I couldn’t form another sentence. Just … smiled and nodded.

“Alright, I’ll see you then.” He turned and walked away — I forced my suddenly leaden feet to my office.

When finally inside, I slowly shut the door and twisted the lock to the closed position. I forced myself to take a deep breath. I’m an adult. I’ve been to therapy. I know how to deal with big feelings like this. I know how to deal with this.

*** *** ***

“With the sudden passing of the original owner of PeachiTech, the board was offering up the company to the highest bidder. And, well, Herald Loilold was that man.” Derrick, the freckled ginger with an unruly beard who usually handles any company-wide announcements, was introducing my stepbrother as not only my boss, but the new owner of the whole PeachiTech company.

“Hell yes I was!” Herald shouted in response. A few men in the audience of the announcement hall I didn’t recognize whooped and hollered in response.

Derrick gave a half-hearted “woop,” as well. “Yes, and a lot is changing very quickly since our beloved PeachiTech founder, Fendrick Gruffelstien, passed suddenly in the wee hours of the night last night. But such is life when working in the tech industry. Things change quickly.”

“Don’t worry, guys,” Herald said, with all the professionalism of a frat brother, “I can tell you are a group of really awesome employees,” I swore he looked directly at me then, “and I wouldn’t want to lose any of you. If anything, we’re gonna make things more fun around here!”

More praise came from the crowd. Louder than before. People were jumping onto the hype train. I couldn’t help but clap a few times myself.

I can’t believe Fendrick just randomly … died? And my brother is just instantly the new owner like that. He must have some god damn deep pockets now if he managed this.

“We will be rolling out changes, but for now, you know what to do. Get back to your jobs as usual. Know the door to my office is always open … to scheduled meetings via my secretary, of course.” He gestured to his right. Another very well-dressed, if not more effeminate, man came up to meet his shoulder in an almost pose. “I want to hear what you want to see in this company, and how I can make your jobs more … fucking fun!” The crowd cheered once again. “But first … shots for everyone!”

“What?” Derrick said, eyes wide, apparently not forewarned of this new kind of company celebration.

Scantily clad men in booty shorts holding trays of shots appeared from the back, passing them out to any takers. Still in shock, I passed up my opportunity to partake in one. Straight liquor didn’t really go well with my acid reflux problems anyway.

“I want every day of work here to feel like a party!” Herald exclaimed.

What in the hell is happening.

*** *** ***

“I guess you might have a lot of questions?” Herald asked me, walking over to his office bar and pouring a glass of bourbon. I stopped him before he started pouring a second.

“I don’t really drink,” I said.

“What? Even for a reunion with your stepbrother you haven’t seen in ages?”

I wasn’t sure how to respond. As always, Herald had to fill the silence.

“Even to impress your new boss?” He gave me another wink. I hated how it made me a little weak in the knees.

“Fine, just one won’t kill me,” I gave in, accepting the glass he was already placing in my hand.

The silence lingered for a bit as we both took a sip. I hadn’t had good bourbon in a while, and this was clearly top of the line. I savored the distracting burn.

Herald crept closer to me. I wasn’t sure if it was imagined or not, but I felt heat coming off of him. The designer cologne he generously sprayed filled my nose. It sent a twitch down to my cock I couldn’t ignore. I always loved his choice in manly scents. His pristinely trimmed facial and body hair left just enough to remind you he was a man, trimmed just enough to feel clean-cut. The way he was almost always freshly showered, somewhat obsessively.

I was twenty and already in college by the time he and his dad moved in, and he blew my mind with his knowledge of hygiene and body products. I was still living with my mom; she refused to pay for me to live in a dorm despite being my original goal, and I just sort of went with it. Free living and often free food were too good to pass up, even under my religion-obsessed mother’s watchful eye. Apparently, Herald thought the same. Despite being a little older than me at twenty-three, he and his father moved in just a few months after my mother met him.

I knew it was … taboo, but I had an all-consuming infatuation with Herald almost instantly. The perfectly carved body he seemed to flaunt around in low-slung towels after a shower, or thin, barely-there athletic shorts. The exquisite scent of a mixture of various top-of-the-line products. The expertly cropped dark hair. The piercing midnight-blue eyes that seemed to read right through me. I wanted something to happen with him. Never imagined it actually would go as far as it did … but I put that in my past. Shoved the memories in a black box, locked it tight, and buried it down, down, down in the pit of darkness I held within. I tried to forget.

But now my gorgeous stepbrother was standing in front of me. Refusing to be ignored. Or forgotten. Great.

“So, Charlie,” Herald’s voice broke through the tension, low and smooth, his eyes locking onto mine with an intensity that made my pulse quicken. “Ten years, man. A lot’s changed, huh?”

“Yeah,” I managed, my throat tight. I took another sip of the bourbon, the burn a welcome distraction from the tension pooling in my gut. “You’re … you’re the damn owner now. How the hell did that happen?”

Herald grinned, leaning back against the edge of his sleek, polished desk. The movement made his suit jacket pull taut across his broad shoulders, and I hated how my eyes tracked it. “Hard work, bro. And a hell of a lot of luck. I’ve been in the game, making moves, building connections. When I heard PeachiTech was up for grabs, I couldn’t resist. Figured it’d be a fun way to … shake things up.”

I nodded, unsure what to say. My fingers tightened around the glass. “And you just … show up here, my new boss. That’s one hell of a coincidence.”

“Is it?” He tilted his head, that conspiratorial smirk playing on his lips. “Or maybe I knew you were here. Maybe I wanted to see you again.”

My breath caught. I told myself it was the bourbon, the sharp sting of it still lingering on my tongue. Not the way his words hit me square in the chest. “Herald, don’t … don’t start with that shit.”

“What shit?” He stepped closer, that damn cologne wrapping around me like a vice. “I’m just talking to my stepbrother. Catching up. Ain’t nothing wrong with that, right?”

I swallowed hard, my mind racing back to those stolen moments from years ago. Late nights in the basement when Mom was asleep, the way his hand would brush mine just a second too long, the whispered words in the dark that made my skin buzz with forbidden want. The night his father caught us, Herald’s cum still dripping out of my ass as we lay there naked on a bundle of blankets. I’d buried it. Locked it away. But now, standing here in his office, the key to that black box felt like it was burning a hole in my pocket.

“You’re my boss now,” I said, voice rougher than I intended. I set the glass down on the desk, needing something to do with my hands before they did something stupid. “We can’t … we shouldn’t even be talking like this.”

Herald chuckled, low and dark. “Always so worried about the rules, Charlie. You haven’t changed a bit.” He straightened up, closing the last bit of distance between us. His hand landed on my shoulder, firm, grounding — but it sent a jolt straight through me. “But I’m not here to play by the rules. I’m here to make ’em. So, tell me … you still think about it?”

My jaw clenched. I wanted to lie, to tell him no, to shove him away and storm out of this office. But the weight of his hand, the heat of his gaze, pinned me in place. “Herald, that was a long time ago. I’ve moved on. I’ve got Leroy now. He’s … my boyfriend. I have a life of my own. Finally. We can’t … I can’t.”

His eyes flickered with something — disappointment, maybe, or challenge. But he didn’t back off. Instead, his thumb brushed the edge of my collar, a barely-there touch that made my skin prickle. “Leroy, huh? He make you feel the way I did? ’Cause I remember, Charlie. I remember how you’d tremble under my hands. How you’d beg for just a little more in that quiet little way of yours.”

“Stop,” I hissed, but my voice lacked conviction. My body was betraying me, heat coiling low in my stomach, my cock inflating at the memory of his rough hands, his commanding presence. I took a step back, bumping into the chair behind me. “This isn’t happening. You’re my boss, my stepbrother, and I’m not fucking up my life over old shit.”

Herald’s smirk didn’t falter. If anything, it grew sharper. “Alright, bro, I’m sorry. I’ll back off. But … you know where to find me. Door’s always open.” He stepped away, turning to pour himself another glass of bourbon, giving me a chance to catch my breath.

I didn’t wait for another word. I muttered a quick, “I’ve gotta get back to work,” and bolted for the door, my heart hammering in my chest. The hallway outside felt like a lifeline, cool and quiet compared to the suffocating heat of his office. But as I made my way back to my desk, I couldn’t shake the feeling of his eyes on me, the weight of his words sinking deep into places I thought I’d long since buried.

This wasn’t over. Not by a long shot.

And we are off!

Charlie thinks he’s safe in his new life with Leroy and his “boring” job … but Herald has a way of shattering peace and quiet, doesn’t he?

NEXT CHAPTER:

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First impressions: Is Charlie stronger than he looks, or is he already doomed to fall for Herald again?

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