Chapter Eight
Xavier
It didn't matter that he had to start his new job tomorrow. The only thing he cared about was distracting himself from the nearly constant need to refresh his inbox. On the third night, if the bulge in Everett’s pants was any indication of his desperation, Xavier was in for a treat.
When the notification dinged, indicating Xavier had a new email, he lunged for the laptop he’d set aside earlier to curb the way he’d abused the refresh button.
Heart racing, he found it was from Everett, well, ConcealedandCuffed. Xavier sprang out of bed and locked his bedroom door. An interruption now would not be tolerated. His fingers trembled as he started the video.
In the first clip, Everett sat on a chair. He’d thrown his head back and angled the camera so the curve of his throat could be seen, but not his face. Xavier would be a liar if he said it didn’t matter. He needed to see Everett’s face. He wanted to watch his strong, angular jaw twitch. He wanted to see his red lips, swollen and parted. He wanted to map every expression on Everett's face and burn them into his brain.
Back against his headboard, Xavier stared at the sight of Everett caressing his body. He plucked at his nipples with his fingers. Twisted them. Inhaled sharply. He scraped at the insides of his thighs and dragged his hands back up his body, ignoring his cock.
Xavier's gaze took in every detail as Everett teased himself to the edge of oblivion. At last, his hand wrapped around his gorgeous cock and he gave it a languid pump. The sound Everett made. Ung. Xavier could cream in his pants just listening to Everett touch himself. The hotter he got, the more vocal he became.
Everett’s hand sped up, and he pumped his shaft. Harder. Faster. Sounds poured out of Everett, each more desperate than the last. Then his hand pulled away. His cock twitched, it throbbed. But he didn’t come.
It would be so easy to wrap his hand around his own dick. As desperate as Xavier felt, it would only take a touch or two, no more than a few strokes before he’d come in his pants. But why did subs get all the fun of denial?
Xavier paused the video and sent his sub a message. Her couldn’t keep this going without telling Everett the truth. A couple of online scenes were easy to explain. The first scene he asked for, he hadn’t realized who ConcealedandCuffed was. The second one was a little selfish, he admitted to himself. He could’ve, and maybe should’ve, come clean with Everett right away. But he wanted more. One more scene. One more video. He wanted to know if he and Everett were compatible. But he couldn’t continue to mislead him.
Pet,
Thank you, pet. You did so well. I think you’re the single most stunning thing I’ve ever seen. Your submission is a gift I cherish.
I need to meet you.
To touch you.
Command you.
Own you.
Don’t answer right away, pet. I want you to think about this very carefully, because once I have you, I’m not letting you go.
You’ve been such a good boy, pet.
Until We Meet,
Master.
Xavier hit send then watched the rest of the video. Each segment had been hotter and more desperate than the last. He drank in the way Everett moved. The way his muscles twitched when he was close. He memorized the curves of his lithe body. Everett was slender without being skinny and Xavier remembered how he’d felt both soft and hard under his hands. He remembered the scent of Everett when they’d danced and the softness of his hands when they’d touched. It caused his cock to twitch in his pants, but he didn’t touch it. He hoped Everett would say yes, and when he did, Xavier wanted to show him exactly how desperate and hot and wound up he got simply by looking at him.
***
Giving in to the urge to play the video once more before bed the night before his first day at work had been a terrible idea. Xavier had to crawl into a cold shower to ice down his throbbing dick. He spent most of the night tossing and turning. A thousand different scenarios ran through his head. If Everett said no to meeting him Xavier would be forced to come clean. He didn’t want to corner Everett, but he wasn’t willing to let him slip through his fingers. Xavier had been a Dom for years, longer than he had any business being one. It hadn’t been easy, either. Everyone in the lifestyle saw him as a dumb kid. It had been hard to find willing subs. Mostly he found dumb-shit kids who only played at being submissive because it sounded kinky but balked at doing anything for real.
Everett was Xavier’s dream come true.
And the ball was in Everett’s court.
Xavier wondered how long he could wait to hear Everett’s answer before he went stark raving insane.
After his first shift, Xavier’s exhaustion seeped down to his bone marrow. Steve ran a tight ship and his first day had been slightly hellish. His new coworkers were nice, and they all told him Steve’s rules were law. Xavier had been run off his feet, but he’d loved every minute of it. The clatter of the dishes. The hiss of meat hitting the grill. The controlled chaos. Xavier jumped in the shower the minute he got home, then went straight to his computer. His insides trembled.
One new message.
Xavier opened the message and held his breath.
Master,
This is a huge decision. I need time to think it over.
Sincerely,
ConcealedandCuffed
Xavier exhaled. It wasn’t a no. It wasn’t a yes, but it wasn’t a no. Xavier could work with that. Xavier took another breath and replied.
Pet,
I’m glad you’re not rushing into anything. I’ll email you in a week to ask if you’ve made your decision yet. If you decide before my email arrives, you may email me with your answer.
One more thing.
Xavier grinned.
You may not come. At all. Not until I say so.
If he would be deprived, so would Everett.
Be a good boy.
Sincerely,
Master.
Xavier sent the message, then shuffled out to the kitchen. Andrew got home from work earlier than Xavier and had thrown together a meal. Xavier peeked around Andrew to get a glimpse of what Andrew was cooking.
“It’s chicken fettuccini.”
Xavier wrinkled his nose. “Is that bottled sauce?”
Andrew shot him a dark expression. “You seriously aren’t going to bust my chops for buying a jar of sauce, are you? Not everyone can make shit from scratch, Chef X.”
Xavier pasted on his best flashy grin. “Oh you bet your ass I’m going to bust your chops. I could’ve cooked you know. It’s what I do, Drew.”
Andrew gave him a playful shove. “You cook all day. I was trying to be nice.”
“If that tastes like ass I’m not going to let you be nice to me anymore.”
“Jerk.” Andrew shot.
“Freak.” Xavier punched Andrew’s arm.
“Shrimp.”
“Mammoth.”
Andrew looked at Xavier and they both laughed.
“I’ll get the plates.” Xavier offered.
Over dinner, Xavier noticed Andrew spent much of the meal deep in thought. His normally carefree expression wasn’t there. Instead, his features were pinched with worry.
“Dude, what’s wrong?” Xavier finally asked. “You look like someone kicked your puppy.”
Andrew stayed quiet for a few minutes, but eventually he set his fork down. “I talked to Everett today.”
Under the table, Xavier clenched his fist. “Yeah?” Xavier said and hoped he sounded casual and not at all overly interested in what Andrew and Everett talked about.
“He’s been talking to some guy online, and the guy wants to meet him.”
Xavier willed his heart to keep beating. He absolutely wanted Andrew to keep going, to tell him everything. He wanted to pump him for information and felt no shame. Instead he twirled his fork around some noodles he had no interest in eating. “People meet people they met online all the time. If Everett wants to that’s his business.”
Andrew sighed. “I know, but I don’t know if it’s a good idea. That’s all.”
“Good idea or not, it’s Everett’s decision.” Xavier lifted the fork to his mouth. “And are you sure you should be telling me this. Everett is your best friend. There’s a chance he doesn’t want you talking about him behind his back.”
Andrew lifted his gaze and watched Xavier as he shoved the forkful of noodles into his mouth.
“Do you know how many weirdos are online? It’s not a good idea. He could get hurt.”
I’d never hurt him. Xavier wanted to say, but instead he glared at Andrew. “Everett is a grown man and he can make his own decisions and I’m fairly certain that when he told you this, he didn’t expect you to run your mouth about his private business.” Xavier stabbed at a chunk of chicken. Impaled on his fork, he lifted the chicken to his mouth. “So let’s not talk about your friend behind his back, okay?”
“Wow. Who pissed in your cornflakes?”
With a sigh, he forced himself to relax. “Sorry. I’m tired. First day at the new job was hell.” Xavier stood and took his plate to the counter. “I’m going to hit the sack early. I’m beat.”
On his way past Andrew, Xavier patted him on the back. “Be nice to your friend. He wants your support, not your lectures.”
Andrew nodded. “G’night, Shrimp.”
“Good night, Mammoth.”
He crawled into bed, but before he had a chance to fall asleep, his phone pinged.
His heart lit up and did a happy dance when Everett texted him. It seemed their video gained him another ten thousand subscribers. Everett wanted to know when Xavier would have free time to shoot again.
Xavier: I’m working through the weekend but can manage a video if we shoot in the morning.
Everett: Sounds good. I’ll whip up a menu. All you have to do is show up and look pretty.
Xavier beamed and suppressed the urge to squeal and kick his feet.
Xavier: You think I’m pretty?
Xavier grinned as he watched the bubbles indicating Everett was typing a response appear and disappear three times before he finally sent a message.
Everett: The internet thinks you’re cute. Probably has to do with the clothes you weren’t wearing.
Xavier: Oh, come on, Ev. We both know you think I’m hot.
Everett: Fine. You’re hot. *eyeroll* Friday at ten okay?
Xavier: Sounds fine. I can leave for work from your place.
Everett: Great. See you then.
Xavier grinned at his phone. He read the conversation three more times before he finally let the screen go dark. Everett said he was hot, and that made Xavier’s dick happy, but he wasn’t going to touch it. Nope. He wanted him and Everett so fucking keyed up from mutual denial that they’d want to tear each other's clothes off. Not that Xavier would let that happen, either. He had plans for Everett.
The week crawled by. Work had been great, but each hour he waited to see Everett again felt like a death sentence. A long, horny, desperate, death sentence. Friday rolled around and Xavier approached Everett’s apartment. With one hand he pressed down on the rock-hard erection trapped in his pants, willing it to go away. He stopped and took a deep breath and at that moment realized how incredibly fucked he was.
He hadn’t come in days. He’d watched the video of Everett every day but hadn’t touched his dick once. A stiff breeze would probably get him off at this point. And he was about to spend the morning with Everett. Cooking. Naked except for an apron. A sense of impending doom swirled in Xavier’s stomach. He looked down at his dick and shook his head. “Don’t embarrass me.” He whispered, then knocked on Everett’s door.
Everett opened the door. He looked…like shit. His pale skin accentuated the bags under his eyes. His normally nicely styled hair looked absolutely wrecked. He did, thankfully, lack the freshly fucked glow, but Xavier didn’t like how unhappy Everett looked.
Xavier shoved his way inside and toed his shoes off. “Dude. What’s up?”
“Didn’t sleep. For a couple nights actually.”
“You okay?”
Everett nodded. “I’m sorry, but uh, I forgot about the thing today. The video. I’m not ready.”
Xavier pointed at the couch. “Sit down, Ev. I’m going to make coffee and we’re going to talk, okay?”
With a nod, Everett shuffled off to the couch. Xavier didn’t have it in him to be disappointed about the video. With the treatment he'd subjected his dick to the past few days, cancelling their shoot was probably a good thing. But Everett’s newly acquired misery wasn’t.
In the living room, Everett sat on the couch with his legs tucked up underneath him. Xavier handed him a cup of coffee, he’d already put in the two sugars Everett always took. He’d wanted to sit next to Everett on the couch, but then the urge to tug him into his arms would make his dick hard…and he had to stop thinking about touching Everett. Or holding him. Or kissing him. Instead, he sat in the recliner.
Xavier cleared his throat. “So, what’s up, Ev?”
“I’m sure Andrew told you.”
He shrugged a shoulder, unwilling to cover for his brother. It wasn’t Xavier’s fault Andrew didn’t know a thing about personal boundaries sometimes. “He told me about some guy you might meet. I didn’t give him a chance to say much.”
Everett frowned. “Why?”
“It’s your business, Ev. Andrew shouldn’t have said anything.”
“He probably needed to vent. He’s not onboard with the idea of me going to meet this guy.”
Xavier fought the urge to throw himself down on the floor in front of Everett. He wanted to cradle his cheeks and kiss his face and tell him the truth. Instead he took a deep breath. “Everett, this isn’t Andrew’s decision. It’s not mine. It’s not anyone’s. It’s not even on the guy who wants to meet you. It’s your decision. No one has to agree with it but you.”
Everett held his coffee mug in both hands. He sat silent for a minute, then he looked up at Xavier. “What do you think I should do?”
Xavier took a sip of his coffee to give himself a moment to articulate an answer. He could urge Everett to meet the guy. It would be so easy to be encouraging and excited for him and hope Everett decided to agree with him. But Xavier didn’t want to manipulate Everett. If Everett decided he wanted to meet the guy, he wanted to know Everett did so because it had been what Everett wanted.
“I think you should listen to your gut, Ev. I think no one else’s opinion matters except for yours. The only one who knows what you want is you.”
Everett’s dark eyebrow arched under a tuft of platinum hair that hung over his forehead. Then it smoothed out and Everett nodded. “Thanks, Xavier.” Everett sipped his coffee, then shut his eyes. “I’m sorry we’re not shooting today. I didn’t mean to waste your time.”
“Hanging out with you is never a waste of time.” He shifted, then set his coffee down. “I need to use your bathroom.”
Everett nodded.
More than slightly grateful they weren’t going to be getting naked around each other, Xavier got up. Not that he didn’t want to, it was all he could think about, but seeing so much of Everett exposed would’ve made it impossible for him to keep his hands to himself. And Everett’s serious mood helped put a damper on Xavier’s thirsty dick.
As Xavier returned to his spot in the recliner, Everett put his phone down.
“Sorry, Rory’s been texting me all morning.”
Xavier squinted, then recalled the older dude with the blue hair from the night at the club. Hot in an unconventional way, the guy was on of those types who were magnetic not because of how they looked, but because of the way they carried themselves. Rory might not be a huge guy, but the man looked confident and comfortable in his own skin.
“If I go too long without talking to him he worries.”
“He seems like a nice guy.”
“Rory is great. When I first moved here, I didn’t know anyone. Rory took me under his wing. I think he sees me as a little brother or something.” Everett’s phone pinged again, and he grimaced. “Sorry.”
When Everett read Rory’s text his features softened. Xavier could tell Everett’s friend meant a lot to him. Not in an—I thirst after his dick—sort of way. Even when they’d danced in the club together, Xavier guessed Everett thought of Rory as a brother. A hot, older brother with blue hair and a killer smile.
The fact Everett had someone who cared enough about him to worry and check on him meant a lot to Xavier. He remembered when Everett lost his Mom. His dad had never been in the picture. It wasn’t long after her death that Everett sold the house and moved away. Xavier had seen the way other people coped with loss. They clung to trinkets and places and held onto memories with both hands. Everett sold his mother’s house and most of the furniture. It was a long time ago and many of the details were fuzzy, but Xavier remembered Everett’s dogged determination to move on.
That memory caused Xavier to make a mental note to call his mom soon. He’d sent her a few messages on Facebook, usually in response to one of hers.
Everett put his phone down. “Sorry. He knows I didn’t sleep well.” Everett blushed. “And he’s hounding me to meet the guy from the internet.”
Xavier wondered briefly if Rory knew about Everett’s blog. His dick twitched, and Xavier willed the images to go away.
Across the room, Everett’s stomach rumbled.
“Dude. When was the last time you ate?” Xavier asked.
“I had dinner last night. I should probably eat.”
Xavier got to his feet. “I’ll make you something.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“I have time before my shift.” Xavier got up and when Everett tried to rise, he placed his hand on Everett’s shoulder. “Sit. I’ve got it. I’ll whip you something to eat, then I’ll take off and you can have a nap.”
“I should probably work on the vlog.”
Xavier shook his head. “Do what you have to do while I cook, but when I’m done, you’re eating, then you’re having a nap.”
Everett chewed on his lower lip but didn’t argue. Instead, he grabbed his laptop off the coffee table. Xavier turned away to hide his mile-wide smile and went into the kitchen.
“It’s going to be weird cooking in here with my clothes on.” Xavier said as he opened the fridge and bent down to have a look inside.
“You could always take them off if it’s that strange.”
Xavier poked his head up above the fridge door and glanced at Everett. His cheeks were cherry-red, and his attention focused a little too hard on the computer. Xavier took a deep breath to calm himself and set about making Everett an omelette.
Instead of talking while he worked, he let Everett concentrate on getting his work done. He’d been serious about Everett needing a nap. The guy looked absolutely wrecked.
A few minutes later Xavier slid an omelette on a plate. “Okay, work down, forks up.” Xavier called out as he walked over to Everett. With one hand, he took Everett’s laptop as the other one handed him the plate.
“Eat. Sleep. Those are your orders. Text me later and we’ll make a plan for the video.”
Everett nodded and shoved a forkful of omlet in his mouth.
“And Ev, quit stressing about the guy, okay. No matter what you choose to do, it’s not the wrong.” Xavier reached out and slipped a strand of Everett’s platinum blonde hair through his fingers. He moved it off Everett’s forehead. “Get some sleep” The husky tone in Xavier’s voice almost made him yank his hand away. Christ! Could he be anymore obvious? Xavier slowly pulled his hand away, then rolled his shoulders back. “Okay. If I don’t leave I’m going to be late.”
“Thanks for the food, Xavier. It’s fantastic.”
Xavier winked. “I didn’t go to culinary school to pick up women.”
Everett laughed, and Xavier tossed a wave over his shoulder as he headed for the door. He stepped into his runners and said goodbye as he shut the door. Xavier looked down at his stiff cock and shook his head. “You can’t help yourself can you?”
Days later, Xavier dragged his tired ass in from another brutally long shift. There’d been some sort of special party over at the owner’s kink club. Steve borrowed a few of the staff from the restaurant to help with the event at the club and that left the people in the restaurant scrambling. That wasn’t Steve’s fault though. He didn’t know three of his staff members would come down with food poisoning. Xavier flopped down on his bed face first. It served them right for eating shellfish from a food truck.
He rolled over onto his back and stared at the ceiling. Exhaustion clung to his bones. Even his skin hurt, but he managed to grab his laptop and check his mail anyway.
A little number in a red circle next to the envelope icon indicated that he had a new message. Xavier sat up and clicked it. His mouth went dry and his hands shook. It was from ConcealedandCuffed.
Xavier opened the message.