Chapter 25 #2
He was for now, but August had no idea what was in store for him.
“Is Niko home?” Quinn asked. “I don’t want to bother him after what happened last time.”
August’s smile turned pinched, and Quinn could sense a rant incoming.
“Are you kidding me? He’ll be working out and running drills until dinner time. The kid is either so lazy that I have to roll him out of bed, or he’s overworking himself to the point of having a heart attack. There is no in between for Niko Cote.”
Noted.
“I have everything I need in my car,” said Quinn. “I’ll meet you at your place after I clean up, and then we’ll go over the plan.”
Quinn needed to wash his hands at least because they were covered in charcoal, and he wanted August to get home first and check if Niko was gone. He didn’t want to startle the younger man when he started dragging everything upstairs, so having the coast clear would be best for everyone.
August left so fast he barely paused to say goodbye, and Quinn chuckled as he watched him hurry away, robe flapping behind him. He took his time packing his supplies and scrubbing his hands to make sure nothing was caught under his nails before going to his car.
The drive to August’s place was uneventful, but Quinn felt like he was trembling for the thirty minutes it took to park next to the curb outside the house. Niko’s car wasn’t there, which was a good sign, and one check of his phone told him that August had confirmed the absence of his roommate.
Perfect.
Quinn went to his trunk and removed two cases to bring inside, grunting and cursing how heavy his art case was. He wished he had packed his smaller one, but he wanted all of his media available for class when he needed it, so he was stuck lugging around a bag the size of a suitcase.
“Jeez,” August said when he met Quinn at the front door. “Did you rob your school before you left?”
“Shut up,” Quinn muttered, motioning for August to take the heavy one. “Save me?”
August grinned and took the case from him, making it seem like it weighed less than a fucking feather because he was a dick.
“Niko is done with his manic routine, but he’s hanging out with our goalie at his place,” said August as he led Quinn upstairs. “I told him to stay there for a while because you’re visiting, so now you don’t have to worry about anything ruining your focus.”
“Thank you,” said Quinn. “I don’t want to keep him away all night, so if we run more than a few hours, I’ll give him the okay to return.”
“You will?” August tilted his head like a confused puppy while holding the bedroom door open for Quinn. “Why can’t I text him?”
Quinn shrugged. “You’ll be too busy holding your pose.”
August would know the truth momentarily, but first, Quinn had to set up his portable easel and canvas. The bedroom had amazing lighting, so they wouldn’t have to move the furniture around, and the bedside table made for a perfect place to set his things.
August sat on the bed watching him prepare, not saying a word, just smiling contentedly.
He looked so much better, even over the last week.
Quinn hadn’t seen his nose bleed since the first time they had sex, and August was no longer rubbing his head to soothe his migraine.
Other than looking a little bruised from Quinn’s kisses, he appeared healthy.
“Alright,” said Quinn, setting his other briefcase on the bed at August’s hip. “If you say no, there are other projects I could use you for, so don’t agree if this makes you nervous.”
August leaned in, eyes locked on the mysterious briefcase. “What could make me nervous about art? Do you have a knife in there?”
No, that wasn’t Quinn’s thing, but he had other tastes.
“Have you done any BDSM activities in your adult life?” Quinn asked, opening the case with a flourish so August could see what was inside. Coils of bright red rope were folded neatly to keep them safe and untangled, and among the rope were a few toys that Quinn had picked up along the way.
August was slowly turning the same shade as the ropes, and Quinn could see the moment he realized what the intent was.
“You want to…tie me up?”
Yeah, Quinn had been dreaming about it, trying to work up the courage to ask. He didn’t know if August would like it, but if he did, it would make a few of his wishes come true.
“It’s called shibari,” said Quinn. “I saw it done live at an art show, and it blew my mind. I spent two years learning how to get good at it because I wanted to capture it on page with a model of my choosing, but I never found the right person.”
His past boyfriends had either been too controlling to let him try or they didn’t have the correct proportions he’d envisioned for the project. August was perfect, because of course he was, and he was so sweet about following all of Quinn’s orders until now…
“Like I said,” Quinn continued, giving August time to process. “If you don’t want to do it, I have other projects that I can use you as a reference for. Don’t feel guilty if you want to say no.”
August licked his lips, blinking at the ropes before his head lifted to meet Quinn’s eyes. “So, I’ll be tied up, and you want to paint me like that? Draw—whatever—”
“Paint eventually,” said Quinn. “But first, I’ll have to sketch you and take time to figure out how I want things to look. I could take pictures to use for the painting portions, or if you like it, we can do it as many times as we need to finish the work.”
Quinn wasn’t a newbie at this, so he knew he could take care of August through the process.
He wasn’t a practiced Dom by any means, but he had researched the BDSM world extensively, and he understood exactly what August would be giving up if he agreed.
He studied aftercare methods and sub drop scenarios, so at least he knew how to handle every situation.
“Let me show you,” said Quinn, pulling out his phone so he could find pictures for August to see, as well as a description of the process.
“We’ll pick a safe word, and if you panic, I have a way to cut you out of the ropes.
Your face is telling me you’re new to this, so I know how to take things slow to make you feel safe. ”
August flicked through the pictures, nodding slowly. “I can see why you want to paint it. The ropes look pretty, somehow.”
Well, at least August wasn’t running away screaming.
“It’s a show of vulnerability, trust, and intimate connection,” August murmured, and then it was Quinn’s turn to blush because he felt like an idiot.
Trust wasn’t something that came easily between them, so there was no way August would agree.
“Can you pick a pose that doesn’t keep my arms behind my back?” August asked, and Quinn could see he was nervous, but he wasn’t pulling away. “I don’t think I’m ready for that, but as long as you can do something else, I’m on board.”
Quinn wanted to kiss him. No one had so willingly agreed to participate before, and he really, really didn’t want to fuck this up.
“If you kneel on the bed, I can bind your forearms to your thighs,” said Quinn.
“I won’t restrict your movement at first; we can keep it very simple, and I’ll focus on making the knots around your chest, arms, and legs before I actually pin you, if that’s okay?
We don’t have to dive off the deep end; it would be irresponsible of me to do that with a novice. ”
August fidgeted in place, gaze flicking between Quinn and the rope, but there was genuine interest there. When he finally made up his mind, August stood and removed his shirt, and Quinn could see just how far the blush travelled down his chest.
“If I get hard—I don’t fucking mean it,” said August.
Judging by the bulge showing in his sweats, he was already halfway there.
“I’m counting on it,” said Quinn, laughing when August’s attention snapped to him. “There’s a reason why I would only do this with a partner. You’re getting rewarded no matter how far we get with the ropes.”
That had August dropping his pants and climbing onto the bed with an abundance of excited energy, making Quinn chuckle at his antics.
He would keep the knots simple today so he could test August’s tolerance, but if it was something they both enjoyed, Quinn could see them taking a day off together to try something more complicated.
The end goal for his project was the knots that would take him several hours to bind August the way he wanted, and they were both too busy for that right now.
“The safe word is red light,” said Quinn.
He held the rope up for August to see—again, giving him enough time to prepare for what was coming.
“The second you feel uncomfortable, use it. Don’t tough it out, or you’ll make yourself too scared to try again.
The trust has to go both ways, August. You need to trust that I’ll stop and free you, and I need to trust that you’ll tell me if you’ve had enough. ”
“I get it,” said August. “Red light. Tell you to stop. I agree.”
Quinn raised a brow, wondering where all of August’s words had disappeared to.
“I do trust you,” August tried again. “I swear that I’ll tell you to stop.”
With consent given, Quinn relented and began tying his knots, starting at the wrist. As he expected, the paleness of August’s skin looked beautiful in contrast to the bright red of the rope.
All the hours Quinn had spent practicing on himself and going to classes made it easy to find the right pattern he was looking for, and as he moved up August’s arm, it painted an image better than he could have imagined.
“You really are pretty,” Quinn said softly, letting his fingers brush over the curve of August’s shoulder. “How do you keep your skin so soft when you play hockey?”
It was like August took regular milk baths and moisturized every day. Sparse amounts of hair covered his arms and legs, and even his face was smooth after a morning shave with no signs of regrowth.
“I use a lot of creams to keep it from drying out,” said August, sounding mildly grumpy about the praise. “I hate how itchy it gets, so I keep on top of it.”
Quinn hummed, fingers moving quickly to secure more knots. “Still okay?”
“Green light,” said August, giving him a cheeky grin.
Quinn kept forgetting how big August was.
He had enough rope for today, but he would have to invest in more if he wanted to do his legs.
Ideally, he would have August kneel on a padded floor so he could work more comfortably, but the bed felt more organic and intimate, and Quinn wasn’t shy about pressing chaste kisses to different parts of August’s body.
The muscles on August’s arms looked more impressive when emphasized by the ropes, and he didn’t do much with his back, but that wasn’t the main area Quinn wanted to draw attention to today.
“Fuck, you look so hot like this,” Quinn said, tracing the ropes knotted around August’s pecs with his index finger, and August flexed them when he accidentally grazed over a nipple. “How does it feel? Still a green light?”
August was breathing heavily enough to make his shoulders rise and fall with every inhale and exhale, showing the cracks in his composure.
The cock standing proudly between his legs had gone untouched while Quinn worked, and it was leaking so much precum that it was beginning to make a mess on the sheets.
Every part of August was flushed and glimmering with sweat, and his pupils had almost taken over the blue of his eyes.
Quinn had a feeling that he was enjoying this, but he needed to hear the words spoken out loud.
“Green light,” August said gruffly, giving his arms a small flex before settling back down again.
“How are we feeling about restraints?” Quinn dragged his finger lower, gliding over straining abs while thinking about how pretty they would look outlined in red.
“You can do it,” said August. “I feel safe.”
Quinn nodded and tightened the last knots across August’s chest, then rested a decorated forearm on August’s thigh—never breaking eye contact as he guided the rope around the solid curve of his leg to finish the restraint.
He paused. Waited.
Watching August’s face for the slightest twitch of discomfort.
Nothing.
Smiling, Quinn gave August’s other arm the same treatment, securing it to his leg in a series of quick knots that would keep him from moving.
Still nothing.
Quinn got off the bed to study his work. Normally, he didn’t have a physical reaction to binding someone, but his cock was so hard that it was pressing into the zipper of his jeans, and his breathing was becoming just as erratic as his subject’s.
He gave August a moment to sit in the restraints in silence.
For more dominant types, their brains needed time to adjust after control was taken away from them.
August strained against the ropes to test them, biceps bulging and thighs flexing, but he submitted perfectly for him, and his eyes went hazy.
Fuck, he was gorgeous. And not only that, but he was also a natural Sub. Quinn recognized the body language of someone who felt safe giving up their autonomy, and the comfort that came with letting another call the shots.
Quinn’s fingers were itching to pick up a pencil so he could sketch the vision that August Snow had created for him, but first—
“How are you feeling?”
A lazy smirk curved August’s lips, lashes fluttering as he looked up at Quinn through half-lidded blue eyes. “Green light.”
Quinn swallowed, his body vibrating with excitement as he went to his canvas.
“Alright. Let’s begin.”