BEAT OF THEIR OWN DRUM
REPLAY SERIES, BOOK 3
K.M. NEUHOLD
M/M ROMANCE
RELEASE DATE: 11.08.18
BLURB
Jude
Every rock band needs their bad boy. Hookers, drugs, DUIs— been there, done that. I’m in a Downward Spiral and proud of it (see what I did there?). When the band manager, Archer, hires Bennett to keep me from screwing up while the band is on hiatus, I may have finally met someone who won’t take my attitude lying down. With the three of us cooped up together for weeks on end, I have a feeling things might get interesting.
Archer
Downward Spiral is my baby. Not only am I the band manager, I discovered them ten years ago when they were nothing but a bunch of high school kids playing in a hole in the wall bar on the weekends. But it’s obvious I haven’t done a great job because they’re falling apart. If the lead singer isn’t trying to kill himself, it’s the bass player telling me he can’t write any new songs. And no one gets under my skin more than Jude, who seems determined to snort and drink himself into an early grave. There’s only one man I can think of who might be able to get Jude back on the right track, Bennett Schmitt. Unfortunately, he’s also the man I let get away sixteen years ago and haven’t gotten over since.
Bennett
If there’s one thing I know how to do, it’s take control of a situation. In fact, control is kind of my thing. Which is probably why I’m the best in the business when it comes to getting out of control celebrities back on track. When my ex calls and tells me he’s desperate for my help, I can’t turn him down. Between the infuriatingly sexy drummer with no idea what kind of trouble he’s asking for, and my ex looking better than ever, there’s no way this isn’t about to get messy.
* This is an MMM romance with D/s play and mild daddy kink (NO age play)
Discovering What BDSM is Really About
“Rules and punishments are for our boy’s good,” Bennett says simply, and an unexpected warmth spreads through my stomach, the pieces slotting into place for the first time. This is how we show him we care. ~Beat of Their Own Drum (Replay, 3) by K.M.Neuhold
As an author, often times characters take on a mind and a life of their own and many times that means they do things you never planned. This has happened to me many times, but none have made me more anxious than when the cool headed band manager in my Replay series revealed that his ex (who he was still pinning for, of course 😉 ) was into a bit of D/s play. I already knew that Beat of Their Own Drum (Replay, 3) was going to be MMM and that Jude, the bratty drummer, needed a serious kick in the ass to get his life under control. But the last thing I was prepared for was to write a story with a Dom.
Until fairly recently I’ve mostly avoided books with any BDSM elements like the plague because the first couple I tried many years ago just felt way too mean to me. I didn’t like the depiction of pain (it just didn’t do it for me, if it does it for you, more power to you!), and I didn’t feel the same loving connection between main characters in those books as I did in vanilla stories.
In the past six months or so, I discovered Daddy kink and my mind was opened to a whole new kind of D/s dynamics. I saw the caring connection I craved, and I realized just how sexy the power exchange can be in different contexts. As I warmed up to daddy kink (and puppy play because it’s the same caring type of exchange) I decided to try some more “traditional” types of BDSM stories again. With my new lense of seeing the power exchange as loving, I found I enjoyed more of these stories, but in a lot of ways I still didn’t understand them the way I understood Daddy kink or Puppy play. I’m sure that sounds strange to some since those two tend to be less common, but to me, they made a lot of sense.
Fast forward to several months ago when band manager, Archer, revealed to the bands bass player that his ex was a Dom and suddenly I was in a panic. Sure, I’d started to understand a bit about certain kinds of power exchanges, but how was I going to write a MMM story with not only D/s dynamics but also figure out the dynamics between two Doms in a poly relationship. Lucky for me I wasn’t the only one on the journey of figuring out how this would work or what it would look like, because Jude and Archer were both new to the lifestyle as well.
Archer’s journey in this story reflects my own. He starts out seeing his ex, Bennett, as bit of a controlling asshole, not understanding his need to dominate apart from viewing it as inherently abusive. Don’t get me wrong, Archer loves Bennett, even though they’ve broken up, but if he had his way, Bennett would be vanilla and they’d ride off into the sunset together without a power struggle. But as Archer starts to see the D/s dynamics between Bennett and Jude unfold, he starts to understand them more. He sees how the dominant side of Bennett might rub him the wrong way, but for Jude, it’s a saving grace. For Jude, Bennett’s Dom gives him the sturdy structure he needs to start rebuilding his life. It took me a lot of time simply sitting and thinking about Jude’s point of view and why having a Dom appealed to him just as Archer has to do. And when Archer is able to see the meaning and love behind what he previously saw as controlling and absurd, he’s able to see his own dominant caretaking tendencies as well and find his feet as the gentle touch Jude needs in contrast to the firm hand Bennett gives.
If you love BDSM stories already, be sure to check out Beat of Their Own Drum to get your Daddy/Dom/Sub on. And if you’re like me and you’re a little wary of D/s dynamics, maybe give it a try because you might find yourself on Archer’s journey of discovery like I did.
K.M.Neuhold
Find out more about me at authorkmneuhold.com
I’m at my desk, doing my daily news check to make sure there haven’t been any new stories picked up in the past few days, when a sharp knock comes at my door. I tense in my chair, memories filling my mind of Bennett in my office, in my bedroom, following me with his eyes, tempting me to give in to something that can only end in heartbreak.
“Archer?”Jude’s voice is quiet, almost unsure, and like nothing I’ve ever heard from him before.
“Come in,”I call back, my heart beating faster as the door pushes open to reveal the young drummer looking slightly flush after his morning run with Bennett. He hesitates in the doorway for several seconds and I take the time to take him in. I know we’ve only been here nine days, but I can already see a difference in Jude—he seems more settled, less volatile, maybe even happier? I suspect that has more to do with whatever he and Bennett were up to last night than the cabin itself.
My stomach twists at the memory of last night, Bennett and I having a wonderful chat, just like we used to when we were in college. Then Jude came by to say he was going to bed and Bennett excused himself to follow a few minutes later. It doesn’t take a genius to put two and two together, which is a good thing because I’m obviously not a genius, getting jealous over my ex and my client.
“What can I do for you?”I ask gently. It’s not Jude’s fault my feelings are all mixed up and I refuse to take it out on him.
“I don’t…um…”He looks a little lost like he’s not even sure what he’s doing in my office, let alone what brought him here.
“Why don’t you come in and have a seat,”I suggest, waving to the small couch in the corner of the room. He gives a jerky nod, stepping all the way inside and closing the door behind himself before making his way to my couch. “Things good with Bennett?”I check, worry rising up in my chest that maybe he’s here because something happened that made him uncomfortable.
“Hm? Oh…um…yeah.”
Not the most reassuring answer I’ve ever gotten.
“Look, I know it’s not my business and the last thing I want is to pry for details but are you happy with the arrangement you have with Bennett? Are you comfortable with the things he wants you to do?”
I’m an author of m/m and new adult romance. I have a strong passion for writing characters with a lot of heart and soul, and a bit of humor as well.
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