Laying Claim by Matthew Dante

Seth Richards
24, twink, professional sleuth… Okay, semi-professional helping out a friend.
“It’s perfectly safe! Sit in a bar, have a few beers, report anything suspicious.” Simple enough, right? Then why the heck am I sitting here tied to a chair, about to have my face beaten in by some scary-looking Irish dude? Also, why am I surprisingly attracted to his boss? That’s probably something I should unpack with my therapist at some point…

Mickey O’Brien
31, Irish, professional thug… oh ya, and I’m next in line to take over the O’Brien crime syndicate once my old man kicks the bucket.
There’s something about him. His vulnerability, his fear, the way he puts on a brave face even though he’s secretly terrified. Watching him verbally tear into a thug double his size has me impressed. I want to hold him, protect him, and claim him as my own. But how can I? When you’re next in line to lead a criminal organization there are certain… expectations.
But for now, I have more important things to worry about, like who’s hunting down members of my crew?