Hagen sat frozen to his spot on the couch, Baxter’s words stabbing him in the chest. It was like he’d been splashed with icy water, that’s how cold and furious Baxter’s words had been. Never had a boy spoken to him before like that. Ever. God, if CJ or Jake had pulled a stunt like that, he would've spanked their ass fiery red. Baxter might not be his boy yet, but he had applied for the job. Literally. How could it ever work when he could speak to Hagen like that?

But when Hagen allowed them in, those angry words, when he forced himself to push past his anger and examine the content, he chilled even more. Was Baxter right? Had Hagen been blinded by his own privilege? He’d grown up well-off. Not rich by any means, but well above middle class. A nice, comfortable in-between with public school but plenty of opportunities, including a private university.

What Baxter painted was a whole different reality, one Hagen had no experience with. Working three jobs to pay tuition? He couldn’t even imagine. No wonder Baxter was scoring B minuses along the way. He lacked the time to put in more effort. His heart softened as the indignity of Baxter’s tone faded away, to be replaced by a feeling Hagen couldn’t label. Compassion, maybe?

He cleared his throat, searching for words. “I apologize, Baxter. My reaction was short-sighted. I admit I have no experience with struggling financially, so it never crossed my mind.”

“You’ve never come cross a student who was in financial trouble?” Baxter asked, disbelief dripping from his voice.

Hagen cringed inwardly. “I try to keep my distance from students’ personal lives, keep it professional. So no, not that I recall.”

“Why?”

“Excuse me?”

“Why do you keep your distance from students? I thought the philosophy of the college was to create an intimate learning environment that fosters academic growth, or some shit,” Baxter said.

The corners of Hagen’s mouth pulled up. “Memorized the brochure, have you?”

Baxter shrugged. “It’s why I picked this one, even though it’s expensive.”

“Academically, I’m willing to invest it all,” Hagen said. “But I like to keep it professional, my relationship with students. That’s also because…” He stopped, unsure of how much he should reveal to Baxter. Hadn’t the guy figured it out by now, though, considering the request through Valentine’s Inc.?

“Because you’re attracted to younger guys,” Baxter supplied.

“Yes.” That, at least, he could admit.

“And you’re looking for a boy.”

“Yes. If word were to leak I’m in that kind of relationship, I don’t want anyone to be able to question my contact with students,” Hagen said.

Baxter raised one eyebrow. “Then what am I doing here?”

Hagen couldn’t hold back the sigh that fell from his lips. “I’ve been asking myself the same thing, trust me. The short answer is I don’t know. The longer answer is that I would really like to find out.”

“Okay,” Baxter said, then frowned.

“What’s wrong?” Hagen asked.

“What do I call you?” Baxter asked. “It’s so weird to keep calling you professor or use your last name.”

“What do you think you should call me?” Hagen countered. “Based on your research and what your instincts tell you.”

Baxter looked hesitant as he answered. “Sir?”

“That would work for me,” Hagen said, then added, “That works for me very well. I love how that words falls off your lips.”

Baxter seemed startled, then smiled softly. “Okay…Sir.”

"So let’s talk, Baxter. From the info you received through Valentine’s Inc. about this assignment, was everything clear?"

“I did some research,” Baxter said. “Just to make sure I understood, but I think I got it.”

“Tell me in your own words, please.”

“You have an event coming up in a few weeks, and you need a…a companion, a boy to accompany you. But you need to train him first, so he knows what to expect. You requested twelve to fifteen hours a week of training and practice for three weeks total, which consisted of…”

Baxter seemed to be thinking and Hagen allowed him time, studying him as he waited. Baxter looked concentrated as he tried to remember, but he had an almost clinical air about it, as if it was a test. Hagen had to remind himself Baxter was doing this for the money. The fact that they knew each other, or that Hagen had this weird attraction to him, shouldn’t make a difference. This was a business relationship.

“If I remember correctly, you wanted to train in manners, submission, serving you, and something about certain positions, like kneeling?”

Hagen nodded at him. “You remember well. Now, if I recall from your information, you don’t have any experience with this but were willing to learn, correct?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Do you understand what I’m asking at the core?”

Baxter’s teeth went into his bottom lip for a few seconds before he answered. “You’re a Dom and you’re looking for someone to be your submissive.”

“Correct. Would you describe yourself as submissive, Baxter?”

Hagen was curious what he would answer. He’d seen some submissive behavior in him, but Baxter had no trouble being assertive and outspoken as well.

“Honestly, I’m not sure, Sir, but I’m willing to learn how to become submissive.”

Hagen leaned forward, resting his elbows on his legs as he looked at Baxter. “It’s not something you can learn, Baxter. You’re either submissive or you’re not. If you are, you can learn how to become better at it, how to serve your Dom, your Master well. If you’re not, you may learn how to play one, how to fake it a little, but you’ll never truly be one. Does that make sense?”

Those white teeth went into that gorgeous, full bottom lip again. That was a habit he’d have to unlearn, Hagen thought. That lip was too perfect to be abused like that.

“But you wanted to train someone,” Baxter said. “I’m confused, Sir.”

The casual way that Sir rolled off his lips was so beautiful, as if he’d done it for years. It satisfied Hagen on a deep level inside him. “I can teach you how to behave like a trained submissive, though just the basics. We’d need much more time to get it completely right. But I can’t teach you how to be one. That, you’ll have to discover for yourself.”

“Okay,” Baxter said. “I can do that. So you’ll teach me how to behave around you during that event? Like, how to be respectful?”

“Baxter, we need to decide first if we’re going to do this. You know I can’t date a student, so this would have to be between you and me. You can’t tell anyone.”

Baxter nodded. “I understand, Sir, and I won’t.”

“It’s a forty-five-hour training commitment, plus four days for the event. Were you satisfied with the pay?” Hagen checked.

Baxter looked at the floor as he answered. “Yes, Sir. It was reasonable. More than reasonable.”

“And you understand the no-sex rule?”

Baxter’s head shot up. “Sir?”

“According to the contract we’d enter, we wouldn’t be allowed to have sex. Any sexual acts, including oral sex or even genital stimulation. Is that agreeable to you?”

Baxter looked at him with eyes wide with shock, but then he giggled, before jerking his hand in front of his mouth. Hagen saw his eyes still dance with laughter.

“What’s so funny?” he asked.

“No offense, but genital stimulation is about the least sexy way to describe a hand job. Ever.”

Hagen smiled at Baxter’s joy. It was funny how his insides felt like they were melting when he was around Baxter, like an icy lake that was slowly thawing. Baxter had that effect on him, making him warmer somehow.

“Good point,” he said.

They sat for a minute or so, laughing at each other, before Baxter asked, “But I’m not sure I understand. What do you mean regarding if the sex rule is agreeable to me or not? I’m not sure what you’re asking.”

Apparently, Hagen’s roundabout way of checking how Baxter felt about sex had been too roundabout. “According to the rules, we can’t have sex. Or at least, I can’t pay you for sex or sexual acts, since that would be prostitution. Not that I object to prostitution, but Valentine’s Inc. can’t be associated with that, and frankly, neither can I.”

Baxter shrugged, and Hagen could see he got it now. “I think the company is smart to make it clear it’s against the rules. They have to protect themselves legally, so I get it. But it’s not like they’d know, right? I say we see how it goes and if it comes up, I can always go off the clock.”

Off the clock. It was a stark reminder that for Baxter, this was a job. It sat uncomfortably in Hagen’s stomach, that thought, though that didn’t make sense. He’d arranged for someone himself. He’d known it would be someone who did this for pay. Why did he now have an issue all of a sudden?

Because it’s Baxter, his heart told him, and Hagen could almost feel it eye roll at him, like he was stupid for not realizing that. Baxter wasn’t a job for him, not after the dreams he’d had about the boy. The fact that it was him changed everything.

“Sir?” Baxter asked, his voice uncertain.

“Yes, I agree,” Hagen said. “Let’s see how this goes first.”

“I’ll do the best I can,” Baxter promised.

“I know you will. Let’s go over some rules, shall we? I need you to write these down, so you’ll remember. Did you bring something to write on?”

Baxter blinked a few times. “My phone?”

“I meant pen and paper, like a notebook?”

“I never have that on me. I just make a note on my phone.”

Hagen got up. “Hang on a sec.”

He hurried over to his study and grabbed a legal pad and a pen for Baxter, then walked back and handed it to the boy. “Research shows you remember better when you write things down physically rather than electronically.”

Baxter shrugged. “Okay. Whatever makes you happy.”

Well, if he meant it, that would be a great attitude, Hagen thought. Baxter shuffled in his seat, trying out three different positions to write in, then slid off the chair and onto the floor, using the coffee table as a desk. Oh, Hagen liked seeing him on his knees. He’d like it even more when the boy was naked, but it was a good start.

“You’ll be here two nights a week from six to nine and every Sunday from nine to six. You can park in the garage and let yourself in. I expect you to be inside the house, ready to serve me, at the starting time. During those training sessions, you’ll address me as Sir, and you’ll do your best to obey my commands. If I ask you something you don’t understand, you can ask me for clarification. If I ask you something you’re uncomfortable with, you can say yellow. If I do something you don’t want, you tell me red, and I will stop immediately.”

Baxter, who had been scribbling on the legal pad so far, looked up with a sharp move. “Safewords? I thought those were for, like, serious stuff.”

He’d done some research, good. That meant he wasn’t going in completely blind. “No, safewords are for any situation where there’s a power differential we’re exploring, like with me as a Dom and you as a sub.”

“Even if we’re just pretending?”

“We’re not pretending during training, Baxter. I will treat you as my boy and train you just as I have my previous boys.”

Baxter frowned, lowering his pen. “Now I’m confused. I thought you wanted to train me so I could pretend to be your boy.”

He could see where the miscommunication had arisen. “No, but it’s my fault for not explaining properly. The only thing we’ll be pretending is during the event in L.A., where we pretend you’re my real boy and not someone I’m hiring. Other than that, we’re not pretending. I will be training you, Baxter. I am a Dom, you know, not merely playing one.”

Not that he’d felt like one lately, but Baxter didn’t need to know that. Hagen had no intention of telling him why he needed to use that Valentine’s Inc. app in the first place, because let’s face it, it was rather sad. He intended to keep that part of his history to himself.

“I meant no disrespect,” Baxter said, his tone a bit sharp. “Sir.”

He had been defensive, Hagen realized, Baxter getting under his skin so easily without even meaning to. “None taken,” he said, because what else could he say? “Let’s go over the rest of the rules.”