You think you know me. That's the way I want it. Making you feel like we know each other - like we could go grab a beer sometime - is part of my job. Maybe the most vital part. It doesn't hurt that I'm easy on the eyes, single at 35, and born richer than sin. My aesthetic matters much more than it should, but all the better for my worthy cause. And it's a worthy cause. I've made an art out of making you feel good, and my influence makes you want to be good. Good like me. You think you know me, but you don't. Everyone has secrets. Mine could cost me everything.

Dr. Ethan Marshall is the young medical student on call the night Tessa Duran murders her husband for abusing her 12-year-old-son, Rino. Ethan stays in the cubicle while the rape kit is performed and is surprised when the boy resorts to prayers instead of tears. Despite compelling evidence, Tessa is sent to jail for life. To avoid placing Rino in foster care, their parish priest agrees to raise him. Ethan is touched by Rino's plight and visits whenever possible, but the connection is broken when the priest and young boy leave the area months later.

Twenty-three-year-old Clark Stevens, a popular wide receiver with a potential NFL contract, has a few problems. He's got a jealous girlfriend, a narrow-minded and controlling father, an attention problem, and an unexpected and powerful attraction to the trauma doctor - the male trauma doctor - who treats him for a broken bone.

It started out as a little fun. When there was a man in my building on a hookup app, why not message him? Only we didn’t meet. We just texted - one night after the other, after the other. GoodWithHisHands was the perfect escape from my life, where pressure was always on my shoulders: my father’s expectations, the worry about my sister, Maddy, getting sick again, and her ex-husband, Ryder Lynwood, suddenly back and volunteering at the same hospital as me. I like talking to him, the same way I enjoy chatting with GoodWithHisHands. They weren’t supposed to be the same person. 

At 43, Holden Barnett is getting along just fine. His job as a pilot keeps him from getting restless, and he’s got a man who doesn’t want promises for the future. One phone call from his estranged sister changes everything. She needs his help, so Holden drops everything and heads to Harmony, a small town in Briar County, which represents everything he’s tried to avoid in life.

I’m in control of my life. That has become Burke’s mantra. He lost control somewhere along the way, descending into a downward spiral until he hit rock bottom. Now he’s back, sober, and determined to never be in that position again. Ever. That’s why he loves being a dominant. He’s in charge. He can plan everything into detail. He’s in control. Until he runs into Wander, a private security guy who volunteers to become Burke’s mentor in the club. Wander questions him, challenges him, pushes and prods and pokes until Burke stands with his back against the wall.

Burke is the missing piece to Avery’s puzzle, but is he as perfect as he seems? Avery Martin’s life screeched to a halt 10 years ago when a drunk driver killed her parents, and any hope she had for a normal life disappeared. Now all she has to show for her life is a dead-end job in an antiques store owned by Margot, Avery’s boss that treats her like a slave. She has no idea who she is or what she wants, she just knows something - or someone - is missing from her life.

Owen's not your typical boy. He's 21 years older. He's physically bigger. He has his s--t together. And the last of his three kids just left home. Yet, the moment Declan mentions the word "Daddy", Owen can't stop thinking about it. Declan's not your typical Daddy. He's too young. He's physically not as strong as Owen. But, he's filthy rich. He craves pampering Owen. And he's not afraid to discipline his Boy when it's needed. With Declan, Owen's about to experience the finest pleasures of life. When Declan's greatest fear confronts him, will he be able to let his Boy in?

Malcolm Tate hung up his flogger when his submissive sought out another Dom and landed in the hands of a serial killer. Convinced his lack of dominance sent his sub away, Mal has spent two years blaming himself for what happened. But when his best friend finally convinces him to go back to the local dungeon, Mal's grateful. Especially when he wins beautiful, submissive, firmly closeted Kyle Bingham in a charity slave auction.

What's the first thing they teach you in business school? Never let emotions decide your fate. That's how people get hurt. That's how millions lose their jobs. That's how I almost lost everything. When I accepted one of the most highly coveted internships in America, I never expected to fall in love with my boss by the end of the first month. I never expected that my boss, Eric Mann, used to go by another name a long, long time ago. And the woman the world forgot is screaming to come out and speak of the atrocities once wrought upon her life.

I spilled a cup of coffee on the president of acquisitions. He deserved it. Not the brightest idea, but I'd had a bad day, and now he's getting back at me. For nine weeks I'm to be his assistant, and there's nothing I can do about it. It's punishment. Every moment we're near each other it's a constant battle of wills, but I refuse to go down. If only he wasn't so good looking. If only my fantasies didn't invade our arguments. Everything is off the cuff, including him pinning me to the wall.

Nice guys always finish last, and Coby Epstein is sick and tired of being last. After his boyfriend dumps him, Coby vows to take it slow and not jump into another relationship, no matter what his 95-year-old great-aunt says. When Coby sees his ex has moved on, he goes on a series of disastrous first dates and swears off men, determined to be alone. His best friend disagrees and finds the “perfect man” for him online and arranges a date. The only problem? Coby has no idea what she’s done.

It’s petty, but Naval Chief Derrick Fox wishes he could exact a little revenge on his ex by showing off a rebound fling. His submarine is due to return to its Bremerton, Washington, home base soon, and Derrick knows all too well there won't be anyone waiting with a big, showy welcome. Enter one ill-advised plan....

Elliot: My career took focus in my life while trying to make a name for myself in a male dominated field. I kept my gender under wraps until I was able to let my expertise speak for itself. But I was knocked off my axis when I ran into Arden, the man I had compared all men to since our one night together. Now he was taken - by another man - a very dominant man.  

Drake Morgan, MD, neurosurgeon, bass player, philanthropist - Dominant. He doesn't do girlfriends, he doesn’t do sleepovers, and he certainly doesn't do breakfast in bed the morning after. He has his surgical slate at New York Presbyterian, he has a charitable foundation providing surgical tools to hospitals in Africa, he has his Brit Invasion cover band, Mersey, and he has his secret life as a Dominant in Manhattan's BDSM community.