CHAPTER FOUR
A thrill shot through Jack when Luke said he wanted him. He hadn’t been wrong after all, but he shouldn’t be thinking about anything but making sure Luke felt safe and had someone to talk to. Otherwise, he wasn’t any better than Sal. He wouldn’t let himself take advantage of the worshipful look he’d seen on Luke’s face.
But if he’d had any idea before tonight that Luke was interested in kink, he would’ve… What? Propositioned him? Probably not. There was still the age difference, Luke’s family, the fact that neither of them was out. And there was no reason to assume Luke would want what Jack had to offer. For all he knew, Luke just wanted something less vanilla for a night.
Not that Jack objected to that. He wasn’t interested in anything serious. And yet, the way Luke made him feel… If something started between them, it wasn’t going to be casual. He’d want Luke to be completely his.
That was a terrible idea. So he’d talk to Luke, give him some guidance, then help him find a Dom who would work for him, if that’s what he really wanted.
“Have a seat.” Jack gestured to the small sofa in Richard’s office.
Luke did. Then he looked up at Jack with an uncertain expression. “What are you doing here?”
Jack raised his brows.
“I mean…I know why people come here. It’s just that—”
Jack held up a hand, and Luke stopped talking immediately. Damn. Is that what he’d be like if they did a scene together? Would he obey instantly as if surrender was instinctive for him? How the hell could Jack let someone else have him, train him, make him theirs?
He hated the thought of anyone else even touching Luke. But would Luke let himself be led too easily? Jack didn’t want a bratty sub, but he liked play partners who actively sought what they wanted. He didn’t want to be worried they weren’t speaking up for themselves.
No, he didn’t really think that would be a problem. Luke might be naturally submissive, but he’d been clear with Sal about his lack of interest. And he’d been ready to leave the club rather than put himself at risk.
Jack pushed away his conflicting thoughts and sat down beside Luke.
“If you’re asking why I’m at the club tonight, it’s because I was meeting someone.”
“Oh, am I making you late? I’ll be okay if you have to go.”
“He’ll understand.” Or Jack hoped he would. “I’m one of the more experienced Doms here, and I—”
He paused when Luke’s eyes widened, like those words were enough to turn him on.
“I take safety seriously, and I help Richard out if there are any incidents. He always has security officers on duty, but it’s often easiest if Richard, or I, or one of the other experienced members diffuses an incident.”
“Has Sal caused trouble before?”
Jack nodded. “He’d been given a warning already. He won’t be allowed in again.”
“That’s good.”
“It’s the only acceptable solution. I wouldn’t be a member here if keeping everything consensual wasn’t Richard’s top priority.”
“Thank you for helping me.”
Jack wished Luke would make eye contact as he spoke, but he wasn’t going to order him to; that would be overstepping his bounds.
“Most people here are very well-behaved. I hate that this happened on your first visit.”
“Yeah, me too, but…um…you’re a regular here?”
“I am, but that’s not important now.” Jack wanted to focus on reassuring Luke that there were plenty of men who would help him explore his desires on his own terms.
“I just wanted to know whether you always knew… I mean, I’ve always fantasized about this, and—”
“This being?” Jack wanted to be certain he understood.
“Having a man control me, spank me, or…worse.”
“Worse is a value judgment, and we try not to use those here when we talk about our kinks.”
“I didn’t mean—”
Jack smiled, resisting the urge to pat Luke’s leg. “I know. It’s just easier to get into the habit of using more positive language from the start. Most people are reluctant to admit what they want at first, because they’ve been taught that it’s perverted and wrong. Showing up here is a big start, though.”
“I’ve been trying to convince myself to come here for months,” Luke said. “I was so nervous, I almost didn’t make it through the door.”
“And then that asshole made you want to leave.”
Luke nodded. “Or he did until I saw you.”
Jack’s pulse sped up. “I’m glad I was here. I wish I’d known you were coming tonight so I could…” What? Give him some lessons? How far would those go?
“So you could what?” He was leaning toward Jack, eyes wide, lips parted.
“Answer some of your questions.” Jack looked away. Liar.
“Oh.” He sounded so fucking disappointed, but Jack would have to ignore that.
“You wouldn’t have gotten up the nerve to walk through the door if you weren’t searching for something. We occasionally have to police assholes like Sal, but most people truly want a consenting partner.”
“I don’t know how to find…a partner? A Dom? All this is…”
“A lot to take in?”
“Yes.” Luke appeared relieved that Jack understood.
“It’s like a whole different world here, which can be good and bad.”
Luke clasped and unclasped his hands several times before looking up at Jack. “Is this”—he gestured between the two of them—“weird for you?”
“Seeing you here?”
“And…talking like this.”
His cheeks were as red as Jack would like to make his ass. He’d be so fucking gorgeous tied to a spanking bench, giving Jack that look of innocent need, teeth digging into his lower lip.
Shit! Jack was doing it again. He needed to get out of there.
“Maybe it would be better if you talked to Richard. I don’t want to make you even more nervous.”
Luke laid a hand on Jack’s arm to stop him from getting up, and—holy fuck!—Luke might as well have wrapped a hand around his cock.
Luke jerked his hand back as if he’d felt the jolt that passed between them too. “Um…”
“Yeah.” Jack nodded. “That’s exactly why you should talk to Richard.”
“Because you want me?”
“Fuck.” Jack had to clear his throat before he could say more. Luke’s cheeks were even redder now, and he wouldn’t meet Jack’s gaze. “What you need right now is someone you can talk to without any tension between you.”
“But this…” He sank his teeth into his lip again, and Jack bit back a groan. “This is what I came here for. I’ve always been attracted to older men.”
Jack had already been semi-hard from his unruly imagination, but now his cock was at full attention, letting Luke know exactly what effect he had on Jack. He closed his eyes and took a breath.
“Luke—”
“I get that you think this is a bad idea, but just stay and talk to me, okay? Give me a chance. I’m not a kid. I know what I want. Or at least I know what turns me on, and I’ve wanted to explore that for ages.”
“You’ve only been old enough to try this for a few years.”
“So you weren’t fantasizing about spanking guys when you were a teenager?”
Jack cleared his throat. “That’s irrelevant. You have to be old enough to understand what you’re getting into.”
“I am. I know you remember me as a kid, but I’m not a kid now.”
Jack gave Luke a slow once-over. No, he definitely wasn’t a kid. He was a man, and he was as hard as Jack.
“If you want to explore what you’ve fantasized about, I can recommend someone trustworthy who could—”
“I already trust you.”
“Why do you?”
“You believed me without hesitation when I said I didn’t encourage Sal, and I’ve never heard anyone in town say something bad about you. Considering how much gossip I hear being Trish’s nephew, that says a lot.”
That was quite an endorsement. “I’m glad I have such a good reputation, but even if I was willing, we don’t know if we’re a good match.” Was he actually considering this?
“You want me too.” Luke spoke with confidence.
He wasn’t going to insult Luke’s intelligence by trying to deny it. “I do, but wanting you doesn’t mean we’re compatible as Dom and sub.”
Luke frowned. “Really?”
“Sometimes two people have sexual chemistry, but what they want in a scene is very different.”
Luke licked his lips as if he were imagining exactly what he wanted and how much he’d like Jack to give it to him.
“I can help you find someone who’s safe, trustworthy, and gentle, someone who can help you figure out what you want.”
“I want you. And I don’t want gentle.”
Holy shit. The words were quiet and firm. He was asking for what he wanted.
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea. I—”
“I’ve fantasized about you. Wondered what it would be like if you were…” His words had grown soft, barely audible.
“If I were a Dom?”
He nodded. “Right, because then you might be willing to fulfill my fantasies. There’s this video where—”
Jack held up his hand. “Please don’t.” What had he done to deserve this torment?
Luke’s expression changed from open and eager to angry. “Is it because of my heart? Do you think I’m not strong enough?”
“No, I’d say the same thing to anyone, heart condition or not. A Dom needs to be aware of any problems that might come up, so he can take care of you.”
“I’m not asking you to take care of me. I’m not a kid, or I wouldn’t be here.”
“When you ask someone to dominate you, they become responsible for you during the scene. If they aren’t focused on taking care of you, then they have no business accepting your surrender.”
“Would you?”
“Would I what? Take care of you?”
“Accept my… Um… Do this with me?”
“Ask for what you want, boy.” Oh, fuck. Did he just say that?
“I…”
Jack ran the back of his hand over Luke’s cheek. “I know it’s not easy, but I need you to look me in the eye and tell me what you want. We have to start from a place of honesty.”
“I don’t know if I can.”
“Then you’re not ready.”
Luke scowled. “I’m twenty-one. When am I going to be ready to finally get fucked?”
“I didn’t say you weren’t ready for sex. I said you weren’t ready to submit to someone.”
“I want you to fuck me.”
Jack raised a brow. “Is that all you want?”
Luke shook his head.
Silence stretched between them.
Luke reached for Jack’s hand. “I don’t know if I can do this.”
“You don’t have to, not tonight, or ever, and just because you say it, doesn’t mean we’ll do it. You’re allowed to change your mind anytime. That should be true with anyone you play with.”
“I want to say it, but I just…can’t.”
He seemed so frustrated. Jack took a deep breath. Now, before Luke found the courage to speak, was the time to call things off. But Jack wasn’t going to do that. He wanted Luke too badly.
“This is new for you, and it’s not easy. Plenty of people never state what they want clearly, but I need to know there aren’t any misunderstandings before I’ll play with a sub. That doesn’t have to happen immediately. If it’s tomorrow or next week or next month when you’re ready, that’s okay. And we’ll start very slowly.”
“What does that mean exactly?”
“We’ll do a lot of talking. You’ll tell me what you want, what your limits are, and what you’re not sure about. And I’ll do the same.”
“I don’t want to talk.”
Jack narrowed his eyes. “I thought you wanted to submit.”
“I do; at least I think I do.”
“That means you trust me to guide you through the whole scene.”
Luke chewed his lip for a moment. “I’m still not sure I can do that.”
“You don’t need to be sure about anything but a desire to explore. Are you ready for me to walk you to your car now?”
Luke’s eyes widened. “What?”
“I want you to take time to think about this. Nothing is going to happen between us tonight.”
Luke frowned. “Even if I tell you what I want?”
“Even then. I’ll simply know how to plan for when we do get started.”
“So you’re saying something is going to happen eventually?” His sly smile did delicious things to Jack.
“I’m going to ask you a question,” Jack said. “You don’t have to answer it if you aren’t ready to. I’ll need to know the answer eventually if we’re going to proceed, but the timing is up to you.”
Luke studied him for a moment, then nodded. “Okay, ask.”
“Have you ever had oral or anal sex before?”
Luke lowered his gaze, which was as good as an answer, but then in a very quiet voice, he said, “No.”
Jack’s pulse sped up. He’d never been with a virgin. The weight of that responsibility was almost too much, but there was no way he was going to let someone else have the gift Luke was offering him.
“Have you done anything sexual with a man?”
“I jerked off with a guy, but he cussed me out afterward, assuring me he wasn’t gay.”
Jack wanted to find the guy and rip his fucking head off.
“I’m bisexual,” Jack declared. “I’m not out, not in Ames Bridge anyway, but I’m saying it to you right now. I also want you to know that I will never laugh at you or think less of you for anything you want. It might not be something I’m comfortable with or want to do myself. It might not even be safe to do in real life, but your fantasies are not up for critique. Okay?”
“Even if I want to be covered in gravy and have a ferret lick it off me?”
Jack managed the words “even then” with a straight face.
A second later Luke cracked up, and Jack joined him.
“I saw that on a porno site,” Luke said. “I don’t know how the hell it came up in my search, but I couldn’t stop myself from clicking on it.”
Jack shook his head. “There are a lot of desires out there that I don’t understand, but I do my best not to judge, even though it can be hard not to laugh.”
“I won’t laugh at what you like either,” Luke said. “But just so you know, I don’t want to involve any ferrets.”
Jack grinned. “Neither do I, so that’s one thing we agree on.”
“I bet we agree on a lot more than that.”
Jack nodded. “Me too, but it’s okay if you’re still not ready to say—”
“I want you to put me on my knees, tie my hands, and make me serve you.”
Oh, shit. Jack swallowed hard. “Okay, that’s a starting point.”
“I want to… I don’t know how to say it right.”
“There’s no right and wrong. Say it your way, and I’ll ask questions if I don’t understand.”
“I want to know that you’re in control, that I don’t have to think, that you’ll tell me what you want and expect me to do it.”
Dear God, he was perfect.
“Is that… Do you think we’re…compatible?”
“Yes, we’re very compatible.” The way Luke gazed up at him from under those long lashes, with desire in his eyes, had to be deliberate. He might not be experienced, but he was reading Jack like an expert. Jack would let him get away with it for now, but when they… When, not if. Holy fuck!
“Do you like riding crops?” Luke asked.
Jesus Christ. Jack would swear all the air had been sucked out of the room. “Have you ever felt one against your ass?”
Luke gasped. At least now he was as unsettled as Jack.
“N-no. I meant it when I said I haven’t done anything but jerk off with a guy.”
Jack shrugged, trying to act far more casual than he felt. “That doesn’t mean you haven’t tested it on yourself.”
“No, I didn’t. I haven’t.”
“Have you tried out other things when you’re alone, besides just your hand?”
He was blushing again, which Jack fucking loved. “I’ve used dildos and…um…vibrators.”
The thought of watching Luke push a dildo into his ass… Focus. He took a slow breath. Luke was watching him, lips parted, eyes darkened.
Go slow.
“I’d like you to meet me here a week from today at eight o’clock. Do you agree to that?”
“A week? But I don’t want to wait th—”
Jack held up a hand.
Luke shifted back and forth. “Yes, Sir.”
Luke’s soft, unsure voice did unspeakable things to Jack. “That’s a much better response.”
Jack’s cock was begging to take things further, and he had no doubt Luke would be willing. But he’d worry he was taking advantage of Luke. He needed to be calmer and better prepared for their first scene, and Luke needed some time to process the evening.
“Wear those jeans again and something blue that matches your eyes.”
“I… Yes, Sir.”
Jack rewarded him with a smile. “Next Saturday, I’m going to teach you all about waiting.”
Luke’s eyes widened.
“I’m also going to ask you a lot of questions, and I expect honest answers. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Sir.” Damn, Jack was never going to get tired of hearing that breathless tone.
“I want you to go straight to your car and drive home. Do you feel steady enough to do that?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“I’ll make sure security keeps an eye on you, so don’t worry about your safety. I’ll see you in a week.”
Luke stood, watching him.
“Go. Now.” His voice was stern.
Luke glanced back when he reached the door, a question in his eyes.
“When I tell you it’s time to leave, I expect you to do it without question. Looking back at me counts as questioning.”
“I… I didn’t think of it that way.”
“That’s why you need training.” Jack was going to fucking kill himself doing this.
“Yes, Sir. I’m sorry, Sir.”
Jack walked over to him and brushed his cheek with the backs of his fingers. “You’re learning, so I forgive you.”
Luke’s tension abated, and he leaned into Jack’s touch. Jack meant to pull his hand back, but he stayed still as Luke rubbed his face against Jack’s palm.
“I want to kiss you, Sir.”
“Later.”
Luke parted his lips, and Jack fought like hell to keep from giving him what he wanted.
“Go.”
This time Luke did. Two more seconds in his presence and Jack would have forgotten all about waiting and fucked him right there on Richard’s couch.
Jack radioed one of the bouncers from Richard’s office and asked him to make sure Luke made it safely to his car. Then he sank back onto the couch and let out a long breath. He needed to call Ben and give him a better explanation about why they had to delay their scene. If he were honest, that delay might be permanent. He and Luke were hardly at a stage to make a serious commitment, but he was fairly certain Luke was going to take all his attention for quite some time.