Chapter 8
AARON
Friday morning found Aaron in a great mood. He’d unpacked most of the kitchen boxes the previous evening and found several furniture stores to visit over the weekend. Best of all—it was almost Friday night.
Almost time to visit Chain Reaction and see Jay.
He wasn’t under any illusions that their tentative friendship would lead to anything. Jay was young, handsome, experienced—a contrast to Aaron in every way. And yet, he couldn’t keep the smile off his face as he got ready for work, giddy with the anticipation of another night in Jay’s presence.
He put on his favorite suit, a slim-fit dark blue number.
The slacks fit him like a second skin, their soft fabric cupping his ass and emphasizing the gentle curves.
The lining felt like silk, cool and smooth, sliding along with no friction.
The jacket, slipped over a dusty-pink button-up shirt, clung to his shoulders and tapered at the waist. His favorite indigo tie completed the look.
He eyed himself with appreciation in the mirror before heading out to work. The traffic was cooperative, leaving Aaron with plenty of time to stop by a nearby coffee shop for a large dose of caffeine.
He was deep in thought as he entered, running through the talking points of his morning meeting, when he heard his name.
Looking around, he spotted Jay waving at him from the corner table, an open laptop and a bottle of water in front of him.
It made no sense for him to be working in a coffee shop just down the street from his office, but Aaron was too excited to question it.
He moved toward Jay, his gaze lingering on the handsome man, drinking in the details of his body.
He certainly had a consistent sense of style, wearing yet another dark tee and black jeans.
Aaron couldn’t complain—the outfit suited him perfectly.
There was nothing to distract from Jay’s broad shoulders and powerful chest, the outline of his muscles obvious under the taut fabric.
Aaron wanted to let his hands roam free, tracing each peak and valley with his fingertips. And his tongue.
Even better if Jay ordered him to do it. If he slowly stripped away the thin fabric and ordered Aaron to worship his body the way it deserved.
Blood rushed to Aaron’s face when he stopped in front of Jay, and he shook away the inappropriate thoughts. He could only hope that Jay didn’t realize the true reason behind his blush.
“Jay! Fancy meeting you here. Did you get kicked out of your office for poor behavior?”
“Funny. They would probably faint if they saw me in the office this early in the morning.”
Aaron checked his watch. “It’s already past seven.”
“Ugh, don’t remind me,” Jay scrunched up his face. “I try to waltz in sometime around nine.”
“So everyone assumes you sleep in, but in reality, you’re being a productive member of society just down the block?” Aaron asked.
“No, I usually do sleep in. I’m here to catch you before your meetings.”
Aaron couldn’t stop his lips from spreading in a satisfied smile.
“Since you performed that very sneaky lunch-and-run, I had to get you back,” Jay continued. “So I’m here to get you a coffee and wish you luck in your meetings.”
“That’s really sweet,” Aaron said. “Let me go check the menu for the most expensive drink, and I’ll get back to you.”
Jay chuckled and followed Aaron to the counter, weaving around the empty tables.
The shop was quiet, the hum of the espresso machine and the faint sounds of the street filling the space.
Before long, Aaron was in front of the register, drawing a blank on what his regular coffee order was.
Jay’s admission that he’d gotten up early and staked out the coffee shop waiting for Aaron had scrambled his brains.
It was a lovely gesture, but was it simply a repayment for lunch or something more?
Concentrating as hard as he could, Aaron managed to read a familiar word off the menu, “Uhhh, mocha?”
The barista drummed his fingers on the register and prompted Aaron with patience honed over a lifetime spent in the service industry. “Size? Hot or iced? Regular milk?”
Aaron stumbled through his order and stepped aside for Jay to swipe his credit card.
“Do you have to run right away, or do you have a few minutes?” Jay asked after they moved to the pickup area.
Aaron checked his watch. “I have some time.”
Once Aaron’s coffee was ready, Jay grabbed it and walked back to his table. After putting away his laptop, he pushed half of a blueberry muffin toward Aaron.
“How have you been?” Aaron asked. He needed an open-ended question that Jay could take a few moments answering while Aaron attacked the muffin.
“Good. Winding down a project at work.” Jay’s eyes trailed Aaron’s fingers as he broke off a piece of the pastry and lifted it to his lips.
Aaron didn’t think the act of eating a muffin could be particularly attractive, but he tried to be graceful about it.
He licked a piece of blueberry off his thumb, and Jay stilled, his words trailing off.
Aaron made a low hum of satisfaction at the sugary treat as well as Jay’s reaction.
Devouring baked goods could be sexy. Good to know.
Jay looked away with a shy smile. “What have you been doing?”
“Unpacking and looking up furniture stores. My ex-husband is visiting with his girlfriend in a few weeks, and I need to make my apartment suitable for visitors.”
“Oh.” Jay shifted in his seat. “That’s…”
Right. The topic of his divorce made Jay uncomfortable for some reason. Aaron searched for something to say to break the tension, but Jay’s next words did the trick. “Do you need a fake boyfriend to rub in his face? I know a guy who’s done some underwear modeling. He’d make great arm candy.”
A bark of laughter escaped Aaron’s lips at the unexpected offer, a mix of amusement and relief.
“I guess that’s a no?” Jay smirked.
“Alright.” Aaron straightened his spine and took a deep breath. “I know people are weird about divorce, and it’s usually a tragic event.”
Jay watched him closely, his dark, intense stare distracting Aaron from his train of thought. Something about Jay’s eyes looked different…
“Are your eyes purple?”
“Color contacts,” Jay said, waving his hand dismissively. “It’s casual Friday. Please, go on.”
Unsettling at first, the purple grew on Aaron.
He’d tried fun contacts in the past, but both the bright blue and the dark brown had startled him every time he looked in the mirror, so he went back to his usual dailies.
Maybe he should have tried a different color.
The rich amethyst Jay chose for himself was fitting, a shade so similar to his own that it was only noticeable with close eye contact.
“It gives you a subtle alien vibe. I love it.” Aaron forced himself to focus, trying to remember what he was saying.
“Anyway, it’s not like that with Mark. We’ve been best friends for close to two decades, married for sixteen years, and we will always be best friends.
The divorce wasn’t because of cheating, or some big emotional betrayal, or anything like that.
One day, we had a conversation about our futures and realized that they no longer matched up.
So we signed the papers, I moved to Chicago, we sold the house, he met the woman of his dreams, and now we’re living our best lives.
Ta-da!” Aaron swept his hands wide with a flourish and took a long sip of coffee.
“That actually sounds very healthy,” Jay said.
“It is. What’s not healthy is forcing me to unpack and furnish my apartment in the next few weeks.”
“What kind of furniture are you looking for?”
“Will you judge me if I respond with all of it? I have a bed. And a nightstand.”
“At least you have your priorities in place.” Jay winked at him. He kept doing that. Aaron had never been around someone who could pull off so much winking.
It was infuriating. And hot. So hot.
Aaron sipped his drink and reflexively glanced at his watch. He wished he could stay longer, but his schedule was packed.
“Do you have to go?” Jay asked.
“Soon.” Aaron offered an apologetic smile. “I can stay a few more minutes, but then I gotta run to prep for my eight-thirty.”
“I don’t want to keep you from work, but…” Jay paused with a hesitant expression on his face, then dragged his chair around the table until he was right next to Aaron. “Do you have any experience with shibari?”
“The rope stuff?” Aaron waited for Jay to nod. “I guess you can tell by how I called it the rope stuff that I don’t have any experience with it.”
“The club leases space in a building across the street, and they host different types of workshops. I’ve been going to the Shibari for Beginners series, and there’s a class tonight.”
Aaron wasn’t sure where Jay was going with this. Was he being helpful and letting him know about a club event?
“They pull people from the club for anyone who doesn’t have a partner, but… it might be nice if you joined me? There’s more trust with someone you know, a better connection. And you can crack jokes the whole time.”
Oh. A thrill shot through Aaron’s body. Jay wasn’t just being helpful. Jay was interested in him—or at least interested in tying him up.
“Sounds good.” He tried to hide his excitement, to make it sound like getting asked to a accompany the hottest guy in a ten-mile radius to a shibari workshop was just another Friday night.
Then, something else occurred to him. “I never considered this, but Doms have it a lot harder than subs. So much to learn, workshops to maintain your skills, keeping all the safety guidelines in mind. All we have to do as subs is just…lay there, get tied up, and take it like good boys.”
Jay’s eyes flashed with something dangerous.
His pupils dilated, and he held Aaron’s gaze, his expression shifting to lust. Aaron congratulated himself on successfully planting the seed in Jay’s mind.
Now Jay would have all day to revel in the mental image of Aaron—restrained and helpless—before they saw each other again. Aaron hoped it would give him ideas.
“I have to run.” He stood up when it was obvious that Jay wouldn’t say anything—only stare at him with hunger. “What time should I meet you there?”