15. Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Fifteen
F or someone who didn’t play board games, Ollie was at Tabletop Tavern more than expected lately. Granted, most of those instances revolved around Jules.
Plus, that was where he’d first met Fin, so he didn’t regret a damn time he showed up after that.
However, today was one of the final days of his chastity stint.
Fin had told him to come by Whipped for their last photo shoot tomorrow, and he’d get his reward.
He strolled up to the front door of Tabletop Tavern.
As much as he was dying for the end of chastity, he wasn’t looking forward to the end of modeling for Fin.
Part of him worried that once the excuse of a photo shoot didn’t exist, Fin would get cold feet and vanish.
Even if their sunset date at Clipper Cove had been engraved on his soul .
Still, the more uncertain things became, the more the itch beneath his skin intensified. To be honest, it had been brewing for a while, and meeting Fin had been a temporary Band-Aid. Which meant getting to the therapist again.
He opened the door to Tabletop Tavern, and the wash of sounds hit him, as did the vibrant scent of orange and coffee.
When it came to coffee shops, though, the one that drew him in more was Whipped.
And not just because of the purple-haired hottie barista who worked there.
Because whenever he’d gone to visit, when he’d gone for the munch, the people there had taken his measure on their own—and they’d welcomed him in.
No living in shadows or fighting to carve a space.
And that had been a breath of fresh air.
Cal stood behind the register, chatting with a customer. He glanced up and waved at Ollie, a smile breaking out on his face. “Jules will be out in a second. He’s in the back catching up with Arjun. Keeping the bromance alive.”
Ollie snorted. “You’re not worried Arjun’ll scoop him up?”
Cal let out a bellowing laugh, and his customer looked between them. “Not in the slightest.”
“Ollie?” someone said from over by the tables.
A few familiar people sat deep in one of those table-sprawling board games.
He recognized Sloan, Kai, and Ezra from Whipped, even if he hadn’t gotten much of a chance to talk with them before.
All three guys were fucking gorgeous in different ways—Sloan was like a more lithe Captain America, Ezra, dark, brooding, and punk, and Kai, a tanned Greek hottie.
Fin had mentioned Sloan came here too sometimes, but seeing the three of them outside of Whipped still jarred him a bit.
“You looking to play?” Sloan waggled his brows .
Ollie couldn’t help the grin that stole his face. Sloan wasn’t talking board games. “With you three? Sign me up.”
Ezra skimmed him over, those dark brown eyes filled with heat. “You’re the one Fin’s losing their shit over, right?”
Was that the reputation he had over there? Fuck, he liked hearing that a little too much. His chest puffed up.
“We’ve just been having fun,” Ollie said, even though those words tasted like a lie. “I’m modeling for a shoot for them, but that ends tomorrow.”
Sloan arched a brow. “Is that what you want or what you think?”
What the hell was with these perceptive fuckers?
Ollie licked his lips, not sure what to say.
Was he in far too deep when it came to Finley Williams?
Yeah, he fucking was. However, he didn’t want word of that getting to them and sending them running for the hills.
“What I think,” he said, offering a bit even as he held his cards close to his chest.
“Right, because a little birdie named Meg told me Fin asked if they could bring you to Play Night tomorrow,” Sloan said.
Kai let out a whistle. “Damn, when are the wedding bells ringing?”
Ollie blinked. He had no idea what any of that meant.
“Play Night is our Wednesday night tradition for anyone who works at Whipped. The only people invited in outside of coworkers are spouses or serious partners.” Sloan’s steady gaze conveyed the rest. “Fin’s never brought anyone to Play Night before.”
God, that flooded him with so much hope his head whirled.
Like going from low blood sugar to slamming back a fruit juice.
He had the feeling Fin wasn’t the sort to go on drives with people, to confess anything serious about their past, and yet the other night, they had done both.
Ollie soaked up every bit of information Fin was willing to give, because he was beyond addicted to them .
And their prickliness, the way they eased from serious to teasing and back again, offered a comfort that coaxed him out. He’d never felt so heard by anyone before. Fin made him feel seen in a way he’d longed for his entire life.
In a way that quieted the voice in his head that told him he was a burden. That he was too much of a problem for anyone to love.
“And is this mysterious Play Night just all orgies all the time?” Ollie needed to keep things light.
Sloan waggled his brows. “Sometimes. When I’m lucky.”
“If he’s hooking up with Fin, chances are he’s not going to top you, babe,” Ezra said.
Kai sniffed. “That’s switch erasure.”
“Switch?” Ollie asked. He’d done his research, but there was so much to the scene that he’d only tumbled down certain applicable rabbit holes and missed large sections.
“Like vers but for kink,” Kai said. “Sometimes I like to Dom, other times sub.”
Ollie didn’t mind topping, but damn, it didn’t unlock a spark in him like bottoming as a sub did. Because fuck. He’d never been this turned on or had sex this good in his life. “Normally, I’m vers, but I’m currently only capable of bottoming.”
Kai drew his brows together, and Ezra’s eyes glinted.
Sloan chewed on his lower lip and let out a low whistle. “Jealous. Love me a chastity stint. Are you getting freed tomorrow?”
“Babe, if you want to get locked up and fucked nonstop, you know we can accommodate.” Ezra rifled his fingers through Sloan’s blond locks.
Kai blinked. “Wait, what?”
“Cock cages,” Sloan stage-whispered, since they were at a board game café, not the kinky one .
Kai’s eyes widened. “Definitely not locking me up.” He switched his gaze to Sloan and lingered, and a heat blossomed there. “But I could be on board with you.”
Ollie let out a sharp laugh. The ease he was able to talk with these guys mystified him after how much he’d struggled in almost every social scene.
The football team in high school had been hard as hell, especially with the way the guys tossed around casual homophobia.
And even with his ex-boyfriend, he’d been in his circle solely because of Asher, not because the rest of the crew liked him, which had been proven by their silence post-breakup.
“And Fin’s such a fun brat with it,” Sloan said with a wistful sigh. “So jealous.”
Sloan spoke with the familiarity of having hooked up with Fin. Ollie expected jealousy to prickle to the surface, but it never came. Fin might be free with their sexuality, but they’d given Ollie more. They’d shared their past, and they didn’t offer that to anyone.
“You ready to go?” Jules asked behind him.
Ollie glanced back. He’d agreed to take Jules to dinner at Dad’s today, since Amelia was in town, and Cal was going to meet them there after his shift ended.
His brother looked tired after a long shift at the hospital, but he’d still taken the time to match his sky-blue blouse to his manicure, and the light dusting of makeup he wore complemented the rest of his outfit.
“How do you know each other?” Sloan asked.
“Brother,” Ollie said, right as Julian chimed in with the same.
Kai lifted his brows. “Damn, I don’t see the similarities at all.”
“One of five,” Ollie said. “If you throw us in a blender and splat the mess out, we’ll resemble the same homogenized blob.”
A sharp laugh escaped Ezra. “No wonder Fin likes you.”
Ollie ignored Julian’s stare. “All right, well, I guess I might see you guys tomorrow.”
“Oh, we’ll be there,” Sloan said, his voice dripping with the insinuation.
The idea of a private play night sent a thrill through Ollie.
He had no idea if Fin would end up asking him or what he thought about playing with them in front of people, but he trusted they’d discuss everything in depth beforehand.
For as flippant and bratty as Fin came off, they took their position as a Dom seriously.
Everything he’d done with them had been negotiated and discussed beforehand, which had set him at ease.
“See you around,” Ollie said before taking the first steps toward the door.
Julian kept pace with him. “And what are you getting up to tomorrow?”
“None of your business.” Ollie was tempted to stick out his tongue. Something about his oldest siblings always reverted him to a teenager.
“Given who you were talking to, I’m guessing I don’t want to know,” Jules said. “I get enough overshare from Jasper. I’m pretty sure I’ve heard the details of every sexcapade he and Matt have gotten into, even some of those classes at Whipped.”
Ollie stepped out of Tabletop Tavern, the bracing winds whipping at him. “Truthfully, I’m not even sure what I’m up to tomorrow besides the photoshoot.”
“My brother, the model,” Jules said. “Top ten things I never expected for a future career from you.”
Ollie snorted and unlocked his car parked along the side of the street. “Dunno. Pretty sure I’d need to be paid for it to be a career. I’m just enjoying myself.” He hopped into the driver’s seat and put the keys in the ignition. The engine rumbled to life .
“I would like accolades for not back seat parenting right now, even though you’re practically inviting me to.” Julian slid into the passenger’s side.
Ollie shook his head as he set off down the street toward Dad’s place. “Kind of tough to back seat parent when you’re in the front.”
“Smartass.”