Chapter Twenty-Four #3
There was an idea. He shifted his hand to grasp Jasper’s fingers, rubbing his thumb along the backs of them.
That really wasn’t a bad idea at all. There’d been requests for demos and such, and there were enough members now to make it worth the effort.
Small classes would certainly be easier to start with than theme events or tastings. “Would you attend them?”
“If you’re teaching them?” Jasper asked with a soft laugh. “Yes, Sir. Definitely.”
Vincent refrained from rolling his eyes. “No, I would find an experienced sub to do them.” He might have the occasional desire to let his sub do all the work, but it wasn’t a frame of mind he’d really explored. “They’d be able to answer your questions better.”
“What if I don’t like their answers?”
“Then you come to me and we find an answer that works.”
Jasper rubbed his fingertips against Vincent’s index finger. “Okay.”
“Okay.”
The rest of the drive was silent, but it was comfortable. He still didn’t know if Jasper wanted to keep the condoms for the foreseeable future, but it didn’t matter until the tests came back anyway.
He followed Jasper to the fridge and waited until he put the food away to press him back against it, claiming his lips.
Jasper wrapped his arms around Vincent’s shoulders, his body unresisting and pliant. When Vincent finally broke the kiss, he licked his lips with a soft moan. “You could fuck me, Sir. Before I go back to studying.”
“I could,” Vincent murmured, moving his lips to Jasper’s neck. He took his time leaving a mark there, finally lifting his head to study Jasper. “Can you tell me who has the power here?”
After a long beat of silence, Jasper whispered, “I do, Sir.”
“And why is that?”
“Because I’m the sub.” His voice still held doubt.
Vincent straightened and pulled his hands out from under Jasper’s shirt to rest them on his hips instead. “Put your hands above your head.” When Jasper obeyed without question, he left him like that a moment before asking, “Why did you do that?”
“Because you told me to,” Jasper said, a frown settling between his eyebrows.
“And if Amber or Keith told you to do that? Would you obey them?”
The frown deepened as Jasper stared at Vincent’s chest. “No.”
Vincent hummed and found the warm skin above Jasper’s jeans with his thumbs, rubbing small circles into it. “Strip naked, go outside, and run around the house.”
Jasper scowled. “No way.”
“Why not?” he asked, more amused than annoyed that Jasper needed such extreme examples to draw the line without hesitation.
“Because I don’t want to.”
“Okay. Why not?” Vincent waited as Jasper shifted against the fridge, dropping his arms as he clearly grew more frustrated.
“You can’t make me,” Jasper finally mumbled.
Vincent raised an eyebrow. It wasn’t a reason, but he was surprised Jasper didn’t seem to realize that was exactly the point. “You’re right. I can’t make you do anything.”
Jasper stared at Vincent’s chest, practically vibrating with tension, but he didn’t try to pull away. “I know you said you wouldn’t get mad,” he said quietly. “But you could still take it out on me later. Punish me for not doing what you wanted. Make me think twice about refusing again.”
Vincent almost flinched, gritting his teeth against the flood of memories of Adam doing exactly that.
He’d lived that nightmare for years. He’d never inflict it on someone else.
“I could,” he said, letting out a slow breath.
“And there are some Doms who do, and some subs who enjoy that kind of play. That’s not something I’m interested in. ”
Jasper nodded faintly and glanced up, still obviously uncertain.
Vincent slid his palm up Jasper’s chest, grasped his chin, and tipped his head back. “What if I told you to strip and lie on the table so I could tie you down?”
Jasper’s eyes darted to the table, then focused on Vincent again. His tongue flicked out, wetting his lips as he nodded.
“Even without knowing what I want to do to you?”
Jasper frowned again, but he didn’t hesitate. “Yes, Sir. I trust you.”
“Trust me to do what, pet?”
“To not do anything I….” Jasper slumped against the fridge with a dumbfounded expression. “Oh.”
“Oh,” Vincent agreed.
Jasper fell silent and let out a few long shuddering breaths before speaking again. “I trust you to follow my limits. I… I’m giving you the power to use me how you want because I can trust you not to hurt me. Because you know where I draw the line. Even if that line isn’t permanent.”
Finally they were getting somewhere.
“Good boy.” Jasper’s hesitant smile was more than worth the frustration of the past few hours.
He slid his fingers into Jasper’s hair and curled them into a loose fist. “Once you’re restrained, you’re completely helpless.
I could gag you and do whatever I wanted to you, regardless of your limits. But that’s not the point, is it?”
“No, Sir,” Jasper whispered.
“Do you understand why I need to be able to trust you to know your limits, then? To be able to safeword without worrying about being punished for it?”
Jasper’s eyes widened, and he made a soft, desperate sound at the back of his throat. “Yes, Sir. I’m sorry I didn’t—I thought I was supposed to let you take what you wanted and… hope you knew when it was too much.”
Vincent pulled Jasper close, running fingers through his hair. “And now? You understand why the sub has the power?”
“Yes, Sir,” Jasper said, voice muffled against Vincent’s neck. “So you can take what you need without worrying about hurting me.”
“Good boy. Very good, pet.” He held Jasper like that for several long minutes, letting him soak in the praise. It was well-earned, considering where they’d started.
He pressed his lips to Jasper’s temple and flexed his fingers in blond hair. “No matter how well we work together, I can’t read your mind, pet. If you tell me green when you really mean red, you’re hurting both of us.”
“Yes, Sir,” Jasper whispered. “I understand. I won’t lie to you.”
Vincent nodded, and when he finally pulled back, he tipped Jasper’s face up for a quick kiss. “Good boy.”
Jasper tightened his fingers in the back of Vincent’s shirt, pressing close again and burying his face in Vincent’s neck. “Thank you, Sir.”
“You’re welcome, pet.”