Chapter Thirty-Three
Ravi
I’m taking a big risk here. Either I’m about to get everything I want, or I’m about to piss off a large man with many implements of torture and zero patience.
Big risk, big reward, though. Hopefully.
“So, Daniel says you’re new. I remember you from the auction.” A man about Liam’s age stands in the doorway of the private room. His hair is dark, darker than Liam’s. Eyes, too. Hard and almost black at the center.
Flinty.
The man’s stubble has a light smattering of gray, like Liam’s. He looms in the doorway, utterly still. Unnervingly so. He’s sizing me up; not in the angry way Liam used to, but more like an assessment. I wonder what he’s seeing.
Coming here is meant to move my life forward.
The farther I got from Belle Argo, the more I realized my fellow escorts had it right.
This is where I belong. Add to that what Dylan Beck said to me before Liam shot him.
It’s been nagging me since I remembered.
There was someone else involved. I need to tell him that much, if nothing else.
Yesterday I checked Liam’s home and office with no luck. My watch is strapped to my wrist, so Liam hopefully knows where I am by now. If I’m wrong and me being here doesn’t bring him out of the woodwork? Well, Daniel tells me this big guy here is “excellent at teaching newbies.”
Baby steps, right?
“Yeah.” I clear my throat. “The auction was…” The beginning of the end? My total undoing? “Quite a night.”
“He also said we might be getting company.” The guy (his name is Red.
I don’t know if that’s a nickname. There’s nothing red about him) glances around as if he’s expecting to see anything other than me and the things that were already in here (a spanking bench, a bed, and a wall covered with various implements, one of which looks similar to something my mom used to cut pastry crust, so I’m going to have to look that one up when I get home).
“We might.” I show him my watch, not that I expect him to understand. “My, uh…” What? Liam’s not my boyfriend. Definitely not my guardian anymore. He’s not my anything. “Liam. He might come looking for me. Otherwise it’ll be the two of us.”
His eyes narrow. “So, what is this? Some sort of revenge fuck situation? Are you trying to make him jealous? Get over him by getting under me?”
I swallow around my nerves. Sounds mercenary when he puts it that way. And not very like me. At least, not like the old me.
I don’t feel very much like the old me anymore. I also don’t think being here is going to get me over Liam. If he doesn’t show today, then I’m going to learn. I’m going to wait. Then I’m going to show him what he’s missing until he caves.
Standing straighter, I give Red a glare. “Sort of. I’m not sure about fucking, but…I’d like to do some experimenting. I found out I like getting spanked, tied up, and flogged. I’d like to see what else there is. Is that a problem?”
To my surprise, Red breaks into a grin. “Nah. Everyone here is using or getting used by someone. Good for you for claiming it. Let’s go ahead and see you get naked.”
My nerves have me wanting to strip in a hurry. Like ripping off a bandage. Just get it over with. But I’m stalling for time, still banking on the idea that if Liam knows I’m here, his overprotectiveness and jealousy will override everything else.
He’ll come for me. He has to.
It’s not over between us. It will never be over.
So, I force myself to go slowly. Shoes, then socks, then shirt, then pants, then briefs. Each item gets folded and neatly placed on the bed to my right.
The way Liam told me. Like a good boy.
“Nice.” Red looks me up and down, and my body heats. No, he isn’t Liam, but he’s handsome. He’s got the same kind of vibes. A little protective, a little murderous. A lot horny.
Adam and Troy would like him, I bet. Red seems like a guy who could wrangle two goofy but oddly mother-hen-like, threesome-seeking fuckboys.
I take a deep breath, heart pounding. I remove my watch and lay it on top of my clothes. Come on, Liam.
Now I know why my father told me never to gamble. This one might really leave me with nothing.
“Tell me where you want to do this.”
My eyes cut to the pillory. Tempting, but I’d rather not be restrained by someone I don’t know.
Someone who isn’t Liam. Maybe I’ll get there, but not today.
I think back to all those times when I watched Liam in the garage. Him and his friends gathered around a naked body. Often on a table. Or a spanking bench.
“There,” I say, pointing to the padded piece of furniture specially designed for easy access. “No spanking, actually. But teasing. Toys. I like edging.” My face nearly catches fire, remembering the night of the auction.
Liam spanking me was the first real intimacy between us. My first orgasm with him. I want to hold on to the specialness of that for now. If this doesn’t work out the way I want it to, maybe someday I’ll be ready to let someone else do that to me. I definitely got off on it. I’m just not ready yet.
“Sounds good, cub. You make yourself comfortable; I’ll lay out my tools.”
“Okay. I’m ready.” I think.
Whatever Red sees on my face makes him come over. “You’re sure?”
One last time, I glance at the door. My heart sinks a little. I guess I was wrong. Liam’s not coming.
I’m getting myself into position when there’s a knock at the door. Red cracks it open to speak with someone on the other side. Then he swings it wide to reveal…
“Zed?”
He grins at me while I resist the urge to cover myself. I’ve seen him in various states of undress too, after all. He was the most consistent participant at Liam’s garage parties. Not that he knew I was there.
Liam walks in behind him. Or rather, it’s more like a sort-of hobble. He definitely doesn’t look good.
“What happened?” I stand from my half-kneeling position, no longer caring that I’m completely naked.
Liam looks terrible. He was worse than when I saw him last, and that’s saying something.
“Little trouble in the jungle,” Zed says.
“Forest,” Liam corrects.
Zed shrugs. “Forest. Jungle. Either way, trees and mayhem.” His eyes flick up and down. “So, little Ravi, you sure grew up.”
“Oh my God.”
It’s a little weird. But it’s also funny, and I kind of needed the laugh.
I roll my eyes up to the ceiling. It’s painted black like the rest of the room.
Liam’s right inside the door, braced sort of haphazardly on a single crutch, staring.
“What are you doing here, kid?” He’s not stern or angry or even stoic the way he’s always been. The question is soft and almost sad.
My heart squeezes, and it hurts.
“What happened?” I ask again.
Ignoring my nudity, I cross my arms over my chest. I’m not answering his question until he answers mine.
“When you left, I decided to take point on an investigation. Mistakes were made.”
“When you told me to leave, you mean?”
“That,” he says softly. “Ravi, why are you here?” He glances at Red.
“Sort of was hoping you’d come.” There may be others in the room, but the only one who matters is him.
“You took the watch on purpose.”
“Well, it is my watch.” I meet his gaze, feeling raw and vulnerable. “Also, yes, I hoped you’d come.”
“You wanted me to find you.”
“Duh.” I roll my eyes. “I was all the way to Georgia when I realized how stupid this all is. Or I guess I realized before I left, but it took me that long to admit it and turn around. I decided this decision shouldn’t be up to you since you have a history of making bad ones where our relationship is concerned.
Hoped maybe if I came here, you’d get jealous and come find me. ”
“And if I hadn’t?”
“That’s what I’m here for.” Red gives a friendly little wave.
Liam’s chest rises and falls under his loose T-shirt. I recognize it as one he sometimes sleeps in, thin and threadbare. Not at all fitting with the dress code at Shadow. I’m glad Daniel let him in. “You’re lucky I’m half-dead, or I’d kick the shit out of you.”
“You look like you should be in a hospital,” I say.
“I’ll be fine. Zed stitched me up.”
Oh. I’m not sure that’s a good thing.
“Don’t worry. I’m dragging him to get checked out once we’re done here,” Zed adds.
“Tell me what’s happening here, kid,” Liam says with a deep sigh.
“I told you I’d seen you in the garage. When you said you were having poker night.”
Zed chuckles. “I mean, technically we were pok—”
“Shut the fuck up.” Liam snaps. To me, he says, “That something you want? Different guys touching you at once?”
I lift one shoulder. “It looked fun. Hot.”
Liam hobbles over to me, finally lifting his hand to touch me. He grasps my chin in his fingers. “I’m not staying here for this.”
Oh. My shoulders sag.
“Not unless I know you’re mine. It’s not my place to share someone who doesn’t belong to me.”
Oh. Oh.
“That depends.” I straighten my spine, head tipped to make eye contact. It’s not easy to look authoritative when you’re my size, especially when you’re naked and, well, kind of hard. But I give it my best.
“Are you mine?”
“Look at me.” Liam gestures to his battered self. “You really want all this? Bunch of body parts slapped together with duct tape?”
“I told you. It’s what I’ve always wanted, Daddy.
But.” I blow out a harsh puff of air. “I’m going to expect a lot of groveling from you after the things you said.
That’s how it goes in my books. The guy who’s an asshole goes way out of his way to apologize and make things right. That’s what I want.”
Off to my left I can hear Red and Zed (ohmygod I just realized their names rhyme!) muttering things like “Holy shit” and “Jesus Christ.”
Liam’s eyes flash with heat. He takes a long, deep breath. “You want groveling? Fine. We do this, you’re leaving here with me. No going back.”
“You’re the one who told me to go.” I don’t call him an idiot out loud, but I think we can all agree it’s implied.
“Won’t happen again. Promise. Now, stop being a brat and get back over on that bench so someone can fuck you.
” He inches backward with regret on his face.
“Unfortunately, Zed already warned me that if I ripped my stitches, he’d cut my balls off, so these guys are going to have to be my hands and cock, so to speak. ”
Now my heart is thumping for an entirely different reason. I can’t even believe this is happening.
There’s something I need to tell him first though. Before this situation gets going and I forget.
“Wait. Not yet. You need to know something.”
Everyone freezes. Liam raises his eyebrows. “Tell me, kid.”
“The other reason why I came back. I remembered Dylan Beck when he grabbed me, he said ‘we.’ As in ‘we needed you.’ He was in some sort of financial situation because of this Tony guy making him lose money or whatever, but it sounded like there was someone else involved.”
Liam turns to Zed. “Guess we’re not done yet.”
Zed shakes his head. “Are we ever? Howsabout we fuck your hot twink lover and get you seen by a less handsome than me but definitely more qualified medical professional? Then we’ll deal with the heavy stuff.”
The heat of Liam’s gaze hits me full force. “Is that okay with you, kid?”
“More than okay.”
“Good. You say ‘red’ if you want to stop. Got it, kid?”
“Yes. I’ll say ‘red’ if I want to stop, Daddy.”
“That is so fucked up.” Red chuckles from his spot against the wall. “I fucking love it.”
Liam gives Red a look, but it doesn’t wipe the humor from his face.
“No offense meant, man.” Red holds up his hands. “Honestly, I’m envious. Wouldn’t mind having a twisted little thing of my own to throw around the house.”
Seeming to accept this, Liam eases onto the bed behind him. He tries to hide it, but I catch a wince when he sits.
Zed says “Let’s do this” and pulls up the hem of his shirt.
“Wait,” I say again.
Zed pauses with his shirt halfway over his head. I’d laugh if it wasn’t so serious.
“Liam, if I go home with you, we need to negotiate some boundaries and rules. You’re not allowed to lock me in my bedroom anymore.”
Zed lowers his shirt, eyes wide.
Liam sighs. “You’re right. I’m sorry. Anything else?”
“I sleep in your bed from now on.”
“You’d better.”
I make myself as tall as I possibly can. “If you leave me or try to kick me out again, I’ll…I’ll GPS you and stalk you like you did to me until you can’t take it anymore. Tell me you understand.”
Whoo. So much adrenaline right now.
Liam tips his head as if to ask “where is this coming from?” But he should know better. I guess he does because all he says is “Understood.”
“The cat stays.”
“Yeah, baby. I know how attached you get to fluffy things.”
“Good. And also, stop getting shot.”
He gestures to himself. “Not sure that’s something I can promise, kid.”
“Try. Please. For me?”
Liam nods. “For you I’ll try. Anything else?”
“Plenty. But the rest can wait.”
There’s so much inside me right now. Buzzy adrenaline and nerves and excitement for what we’re about to do. Not the scene, but everything to do with the two of us. All the possibilities. Possibilities that didn’t seem to exist before.
The future. Liam and I finally get a future.
“Anything in particular you want them to do, kid?”
My eyes fall closed, pictures playing in my mind. “The first time I saw you in the garage, it was this girl with long, dark hair. You touched her all over, teased her until she was begging. You fingered her and fucked her, while someone else used her mouth.”
All this time later, I can still hear him as he leaned over her body, calling her a good girl, telling her what they were going to do. I’ve jerked off to fantasies of being in her place so many times.
My legs are already shaky. Suddenly, I’m not sure I’ll make it through this after all.
“Ah, I remember her.” Zed’s smile looks wistful and fond. “Solana. Nice girl.”
Liam shakes his head. Then he turns to me and eases further back onto the bed. “Okay, kid. You ready now?”
“Ready.” Any other worries I have, we can handle later.
“Red, yellow, or green?”
“Green. Very green. All sorts of green, Daddy.”
“You got a real fucking brat on your hands, don’t you, Daddy,” Zed says without any hint of anger.
“But he’s my brat,” Liam says. “Aren’t you, kid?”
Yes, I am. So I take a deep breath, and I let it out slowly, finally feeling able to say the thing I tried to say the night I turned eighteen.
“I love you, Daddy.”
All I can see right now is Liam’s smile.