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The Associate: Dark, Age-gap, BDSM-charged MM Romance
“Some men command obedience. He taught me to crave it.”
Fresh out of law school and desperate to bury the trauma that nearly broke him, Samuel’s only goal is keep his head down and survive. But that becomes impossible when he’s placed under Gael Wise, the firm’s most feared senior partner whose reputation alone is enough to break seasoned attorneys.
Gael picks up on Samuel’s tells instantly. The too-fast apologies. The rigid posture. The instinctive compliance no one else has ever questioned. And soon, what should have been a professional hierarchy shifts into a volatile, magnetic pull that exposes every defense Samuel has left.
What starts as curiosity becomes something darker.
Desire turns razor-sharp.
And Gael’s interest threatens to pull Samuel into a world he isn’t sure he can survive—or walk away from.
With old wounds rising fast and lines blurring beyond recognition, both men must face a truth neither
Some obsessions don’t stay hidden… and some connections can break you long before they save you.
A dark, age-gap, BDSM-charged MM romance — The Associate is the first book in The Crimson Knot series.
Fresh out of law school and desperate to bury the trauma that nearly broke him, Samuel’s only goal is keep his head down and survive. But that becomes impossible when he’s placed under Gael Wise, the firm’s most feared senior partner whose reputation alone is enough to break seasoned attorneys.
Gael picks up on Samuel’s tells instantly. The too-fast apologies. The rigid posture. The instinctive compliance no one else has ever questioned. And soon, what should have been a professional hierarchy shifts into a volatile, magnetic pull that exposes every defense Samuel has left.
What starts as curiosity becomes something darker.
Desire turns razor-sharp.
And Gael’s interest threatens to pull Samuel into a world he isn’t sure he can survive—or walk away from.
With old wounds rising fast and lines blurring beyond recognition, both men must face a truth neither
Some obsessions don’t stay hidden… and some connections can break you long before they save you.
A dark, age-gap, BDSM-charged MM romance — The Associate is the first book in The Crimson Knot series.
447 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 3, 2026
60 people are currently reading
14 people want to read
About the author
Anna T. Pope
243 books52 followersAnna T. Pope (Tijana Popov) was born in 1993. to a middle-class family.
She lives in a small town in the Republic of Serbia; a tiny little state located in Southeast Europe. Anna is a mother of two little boys, with a big love of literature and even bigger dreams of becoming a well-known author.
She started writing during her adolescent years but the first time she allowed anyone to read her work was in 2016 when she joined the Wattpad community and published her first story.
Her main genre is general romance, although she also dabbles in the fantasy genre.
She lives in a small town in the Republic of Serbia; a tiny little state located in Southeast Europe. Anna is a mother of two little boys, with a big love of literature and even bigger dreams of becoming a well-known author.
She started writing during her adolescent years but the first time she allowed anyone to read her work was in 2016 when she joined the Wattpad community and published her first story.
Her main genre is general romance, although she also dabbles in the fantasy genre.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 28, 2026
I wanted BDSM, I got no contract, no safe word, no discussions. Just a lot of words.....lots of words not saying an awful lot. We have whole pages on how Gael's apartment is laid out and overly descriptive passages on condensation on a glass of water. Nothing major happened and I feel massive conversations were missed. The trauma that was present in the beginning suddenly ups and disappears about 65% in because he went to 1 therapy session and finally had sex.
This could have been amazing but it needs editing and some of the description taken down a notch.
This could have been amazing but it needs editing and some of the description taken down a notch.
March 18, 2026
The premise had potential, but the execution was lacking. There were several missed opportunities to deliver an interesting story. The author seemed to struggle with what kind of book she wanted this to be. At the start it seemed like it would be a high protocol bsdm book. About two-thirds into the story, it was more of a romance novel with Gael turning into an overly protective boyfriend. Something about their relationship and interactions didn’t work for me.
The prose was too verbose and overly descriptive. The book could have been 200 pages shorter. I could skip paragraphs and not miss anything in the story. There was also an abundance of typos in the writing and many inconsistencies in the story. The author should have spent more time developing the storyline and characters, and less time on unnecessary details. The premise was 3 stars, the execution of the story was 1.5 stars, and the writing was 1 star.
Overall, 1.5 stars. Due to the inconsistencies, poor editing, and wordy prose, I rounded down to 1 star.
The prose was too verbose and overly descriptive. The book could have been 200 pages shorter. I could skip paragraphs and not miss anything in the story. There was also an abundance of typos in the writing and many inconsistencies in the story. The author should have spent more time developing the storyline and characters, and less time on unnecessary details. The premise was 3 stars, the execution of the story was 1.5 stars, and the writing was 1 star.
Overall, 1.5 stars. Due to the inconsistencies, poor editing, and wordy prose, I rounded down to 1 star.
March 24, 2026
Read to me by Alexa.
I finished….. sort of. I stopped at 81%. But I’m unwilling to call this a true DNF. I was intrigued at first and then I just don’t care about Gael and Samuel.
The totality of their chemistry just seems to be jumping each other at random times. And when I stopped reading I think they had only spent maybe two weekends together. Possibly one.
I can’t even recommend this for BDSM lovers as there is basically no negotiated kink. To call this BDSM feels pretty irresponsible honestly. I’m no expert, but a spanking with no prior consent or talk about desiring one…. No safe words …. Just feels like it’s not it. I’m not the kink police or anything. But I prefer proper trigger warnings. Or accurate labeling. D/S dynamics? Power imbalance? Under negotiated kink?…. Something! But BDSM? This was not.
Other than that. I just didn’t care about these characters. And the flashbacks felt excessive.
I finished….. sort of. I stopped at 81%. But I’m unwilling to call this a true DNF. I was intrigued at first and then I just don’t care about Gael and Samuel.
The totality of their chemistry just seems to be jumping each other at random times. And when I stopped reading I think they had only spent maybe two weekends together. Possibly one.
I can’t even recommend this for BDSM lovers as there is basically no negotiated kink. To call this BDSM feels pretty irresponsible honestly. I’m no expert, but a spanking with no prior consent or talk about desiring one…. No safe words …. Just feels like it’s not it. I’m not the kink police or anything. But I prefer proper trigger warnings. Or accurate labeling. D/S dynamics? Power imbalance? Under negotiated kink?…. Something! But BDSM? This was not.
Other than that. I just didn’t care about these characters. And the flashbacks felt excessive.
March 18, 2026
A nice surprise
Spoilers...............
This book was soooo good! The characters were beautiful. Samuel was so well written, I enjoyed the pacing of how we got to understand his history and how it impacted on him.
Penny and Chloe were amazing side characters. Im glad Samuel gained friends who really understood him and gave him a found family....also showed him the possibility of a future after the past
Gael saw him, and understood him quickly.
"This man, who had seen his broken pieces and hadn't looked away"
Spoilers...............
This book was soooo good! The characters were beautiful. Samuel was so well written, I enjoyed the pacing of how we got to understand his history and how it impacted on him.
Penny and Chloe were amazing side characters. Im glad Samuel gained friends who really understood him and gave him a found family....also showed him the possibility of a future after the past
Gael saw him, and understood him quickly.
"This man, who had seen his broken pieces and hadn't looked away"
March 16, 2026
amazing
It is very great! It gives fifty shades of grey vibes but sooo much better! It tackles the big stuff very well so you get all the feels and does it beautifully
It is very great! It gives fifty shades of grey vibes but sooo much better! It tackles the big stuff very well so you get all the feels and does it beautifully
March 20, 2026
Audiobook 4.5⭐️ it took me a little to get into this story both for the actual story but also the narration. once I got into the book I enjoyed the 2 mc's and the growth that they both made.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews