7. Chapter 7
Mason
I hide my surprise when Jinx instantly drops to his knees on the stone floor, resting his hands on his thighs, his eyes downcast and submissive.
“Please, trust me… Daddy.” The word comes out as a swallow, reluctant to say it.
Still, it warms me. I do my best not to smile at that.
God, it’s been a long fucking time since anyone’s called me that.
It’s like reuniting with an old friend. “Please don’t send me away.
I want to do this, and I’m here, completely subjugated to you because I’m choosing to trust you.
I swear I was being honest when I filled everything out.
I’ll try my best to give you my obedience. ”
I lift his chin to look at me. “Are you afraid at all, Jinx? Do not lie. I’ll know.”
“But…” he sighs and nods. “I’m a little afraid. It’s just residual stuff. It’s a bodily reaction, but I know myself, and what I can and can’t handle.”
I’m not so sure about that. Even as smart as he is, he’s still young.
But one of the best ways to really see yourself, deep inside, is to have a relationship such as this.
You’re forced to be brutally honest and vulnerable.
He’s not lying. I believe him, but I’m not sure he fully grasps the scope of this sort of dynamic.
Whatever he had with that creep, Phillip, sounded like he had just a taste of it.
Jinx will understand the impact of that in time.
I release him, lift my glass, and take a sip. “How did you feel about the spanking I just gave you?”
“It stings.”
“You know what I mean,” I growl dangerously.
“I wanted more,” he rushes out.
He’s erect, so it’s possible he’s telling the truth.
He wants to reclaim his body. I can give him that, but he could also push me away for it.
I’ve learned not to take that personally.
Jinx has been through more than any human should, but I think he’s strong enough for this.
I hope so. If not, I’ll let him go before we get too deep.
Still, I have my own fears. If I want Jinx to trust me, he needs to understand what I’ve been through.
This time, I cup his chin and brush his cheek with my thumb. “I’m pushing you for the truth, Jinx, because I’m also reluctant.” He watches me in silence with wide, focused eyes. “Doing this with you puts me at risk of attachment. Attachment could mean loss. Losses hurt. Deeply.”
“Like when you lost your last sub?”
“Yes, exactly.”
“I… I won’t get attached.”
I smile down at him as I continue to stroke his cheek.
He closes his eyes to the sensation. “That’s not what I mean.
I need to be fine with attachments. That’s all.
I don’t dominate my sub a few times, and we’re done.
This isn’t solely about sex. I take this very seriously.
If I take someone on, it’s for a long time.
It’s a relationship. Are you ready for that? ”
“Yes. I want to try this.”
“Very well, but if I feel I’m harming you rather than pleasing you, I will stop this immediately.”
“You won’t, Daddy.”
I jut my chin toward the fire where I have several large cushions stacked. “Grab a pillow, put it by my feet, and you can curl up next to the fire.”
“Yessir.”
Jinx quickly stands, grabs one of the cushions, and drops it next to me. He sits, tucks his legs underneath him, and rests his head on his knee. I run my fingers through his silky hair, and he relaxes against me.
“Can I touch you, Daddy?” he asks.
“You may.”
His fingers slide underneath my jeans and play with the hair on my calf.
I should make him get dressed, but he chose to be naked, so he can stay that way.
I keep fingering his hair as I finish my drink. Too many drinks tonight. After this, I need to tone it down.
Jinx feels right next to me, like a beloved pet.
I’m instantly back in my element. Eight years weren’t enough to forget how much I loved this dynamic.
Despite my fears that I’ll ruin him as I did with Jude, I’m relaxed.
The difference is that I foresee no one coming between us who would force me to choose, except for Jinx himself.
All I can do is take it one step at a time.
This could also be my second chance. My time for redemption. Or it will destroy us both. There’s that fear. My stomach dips painfully from it, but I don’t let it control me.
“Can I sleep with you?” Jinx asks with a yawn.
“You haven’t earned that.”
He raises his head and looks at me with heavy, sleepy eyes. “Can I debate that? Or… beg?”
I raise a brow and nod. At least he asked first. Good steps.
“I cleaned your kitchen really well. It’s spotless. You haven’t even seen it yet. I also did everything that I was told to do, even being super honest with you. That part was pretty hard.”
“Don’t you think sitting here next to me like this is a reward?”
Jinx sets his chin on my knee, looking up at me. “Please.”
“Why do you have to sleep next to me?”
He looks away, hiding his face. “I don’t wanna say…”
My fingers fork through his hair, and I take a handful of it, tugging his head back to look at me. “You brought it up, so you need to tell me. If I’m to allow it, I must know why.”
He shrugs and tries to look away again, but I won’t let him. With a heavy sigh, he says, “I don’t like sleeping alone. Aleks and I used to share a room at this old motel where we lived. I… was so scared most of the time. Aleks let me sleep with him a lot whenever I was. I felt so safe, until…”
“Until?” I hedge.
His bottom lip suddenly trembles, and his eyes water. The amount of vulnerability he’s shown me tonight is honestly surprising. He’s so damn stubborn. Jinx must either really want this, or he’s so desperate to be seen. Possibly both.
“He got hurt because of me. So badly. I tried to be so strong after that, but it’s hard.”
I let go of his hair, and he places his forehead on my leg. “Do you want to elaborate?”
He shakes his head. “After that, I… slept alone and hated it so much. I still do. I always need someone in my bed. Sometimes I ache from it. You’re… the first person I’ve told.”
Jesus.
Is that what it’s like for kittens and puppies weaned from their parents too early?
Kids getting snatched or sold from their parents, put into positions no human ever should, making them desperate for connection.
Jinx needs me now. This is what I’m here for.
This is what I do. To protect him and give him everything he needs to feel safe and trust again.
“Very well. You can sleep with me on one condition.”
His blue eyes grow large, and he nods eagerly. “Anything.”
“You will continue with your therapy.” Hell, I need to get back into it, too. It’s been years now.
“Easy. I already planned on it anyway.”
“Good.”
I stand and reach out my hand to him. He takes it, and I help him up. Without another word, I lift him into my arms. Like a precious pet, he rests his head on my shoulder and slides his fingers into my hair. And that’s what I’ll call him. He’ll have many endearments, but that will be the main one.
While Jinx is solid, he’s also slight, so he doesn’t weigh much as I carry him upstairs and into my bedroom. I set him on the bed, and he scoots back on the mattress, watching me for instructions.
“Come back here, my pet.”
He smiles at that and scoots back over to the edge of the bed.
“Undress me.”
When Jinx stands and reaches for the buttons on my shirt, I snag his wrists. “Undress me only. You will not touch my cock or try to get me turned on.”
“Yes, Daddy.”
I release his wrists, and he unbuttons my dress shirt. He slides it off my arms and, without asking, heads to my closet and hangs it up. He’s a quick learner. Still, I let his initiative go for now. He’s only to take orders, not to implement them before they’re given.
Jinx kneels in front of me and unbuttons and unzips my jeans. He slides them down and pulls each leg off my foot.
“Do you hang or fold your jeans, sir?”
“I fold them and put them on the shelf in the closet, next to the others.”
He does just that, leaving me in only my underwear. When he returns, he looks at me expectantly.
“You may take off my underwear. I’ll sleep naked with you.”
His smile stretches across his face, and he bounces over to me, along with his cock. He’s not hard, confirming he’s definitely naked often, as he said. Despite his need to reclaim himself, he’s confident in his own skin.
I don’t get hard either. I’ve spent years controlling my body.
Jinx fingers the elastic waistband of my underwear and pulls them down and off.
“Those go into the hamper in the bathroom.”
He rushes off to put them in the basket and quickly returns. “Anything else, Daddy?”
I wave my hand at the bed. “Get in.”
Once we’re under the covers, I roll over onto my side, turn off the lamp, and then rest my head on the pillow, intentionally facing away from Jinx.
He doesn’t snuggle into me or hold me, obeying my no-touching rule like a champ. But I know he wants to, so I reach behind me. “You can hold me now.”
Jinx presses his body flush against mine and wraps an arm around my waist, his breath hot on my skin. I offer more comfort by holding his hand against my chest before closing my eyes. If it helps build trust, I’ll let him sleep with me in bed each time he’s here.
Such a night-and-day difference from when I first met Jinx. It’s more evidence that his bravado is more bark than bite. This could really work between us as long as I can stay out of my head. So far, so good.
I blink my eyes open to brightness and an ocean of white. My room has sprawling windows. I intentionally keep the curtains open, loving to wake up to the surrounding landscape. The snow is stunning.
I glance down to see wrecked, light brown hair. Jinx is snuggled against me, his face tucked into my armpit. He never once let go of me as he slept. It’s strange to have someone in my bed, let alone hold me throughout the night, so I didn’t sleep well. I’m not used to it, but I need to be.
As soon as I saw Jinx react to me that day, my need to dominate again became front and center. After isolating myself, here comes this stubborn young man, who’s instantly changed everything.
Despite my dismissal of our age differences and how others will view us on the outside, it’s highly concerning.
I could lose everything, depending on how people look at it.
Being nearly forty and having a nineteen-year-old at my side would be frowned upon, no doubt, especially in such a small community.
If I were smart, I’d send him home and never do this again.
Jinx had been trafficked as a child, and here I am, a man twenty years his senior, trying to be his Dom. But he feels right against me. He looks perfect in my bed. Yet he scares me. My past could start to consume me from his presence alone. I could lose my business. There’s so much at stake.
Jinx needs me. He’s trying to reclaim something that was stolen from him. He never experienced consent until he got away. I can see and feel how much he wants that.
Hell, he not only could ruin me, but what if he…
I can’t let him end up like Jude. No matter the cost to me. At the end of the day, we’re in it now. I won’t turn my back on him.
A shift in his breathing tells me he’s waking up. Jinx rolls onto his back, his eyes still closed as he yawns and stretches. The covers are down to his thighs, exposing his naked body. I count the little moles and freckles across his skin while trying not to enrage myself by looking at his scars.
When his eyes open, he smiles sleepily at me. “Morning, Daddy,” he says.
I try not to smile, but I do. I love hearing that title again. So much. And he’s so damn cute.
“Good morning, my pet. I want you to get up and use the restroom. After you’ve urinated and washed your hands, head to the kitchen to make me freshly ground coffee.
Brew two tablespoons of ground whole beans.
I like two teaspoons of sugar and one tablespoon of cream.
If you would like some coffee, you can make some for yourself. ”
Jinx sits up and jumps out of bed. “Yessir.”
“When you’re done, you’ll start the shower for both of us.”
“Yessir,” he says again and rushes off. At nineteen, he’s probably already wide awake, whereas I need two cups of coffee just to function in the morning.
I climb out of bed and tie my robe on. After I slip on a pair of underwear, I slide into some slippers and head downstairs to the smell of coffee brewing. The scent instantly awakens me.
I smile at his bare bubble butt as he pours the coffee into a mug and sprinkles sugar into it. Once he has the creamer stirred, he takes the mug and sets it on the island, then he goes about making himself a cup.
While the coffee brews, he sees me, and a huge smile spreads across his face, taking my breath away. It’s a genuine smile.
He steps back, and I sit down to take a sip. Jinx waits eagerly for my approval. “Delicious, my pet.”
“Thanks!”
I reach for his arm and tug him onto my lap. My hand roves over his thigh, careful not to touch his cock, which is currently getting hard. “Yes, I enjoy that you’re perpetually naked around here. I think I’ll keep you like this.”
“Thank you, Daddy. I’d like that. What’s the plan for today?”
I huff a laugh and take another sip of coffee. “You sure are surprisingly obedient. I assume there’d be more pushback from you.”
“Can I…?”
“Please.”
“My last girlfriend told me I blurt out everything that pops into my head.” I chuckle because I can completely see that. “I’m trying to bite my tongue.” Jinx walks his fingers across my exposed chest inside my robe, then presses his nose into my throat. “That doesn’t mean I won’t get into trouble.”
My cock stirs to life, but I push my mind to other things.
“Of that, I have no doubt.” I fist his hair from behind and pull his head back.
His blue eyes look at me, full of wonder, as he bites his bottom lip.
He’s truly beautiful, but I can’t give in to him.
Jinx not only has to be obedient, but so do I.
“Now, grab your coffee and go on upstairs. I would like you to start the shower. You’ll bathe me, then we’ll have breakfast.”
“Yessir!”
He climbs off my lap and runs off. I smile at his retreating back.
Since living here in Colorado, I’ve been relatively reclusive, living alone with no friends. I haven’t gotten close to anyone. It’s nice having someone around again. Someone who makes my heart beat just a little faster. It’s less lonely.