Chapter 22
VINCENT brEATHED a sigh of relief as the basement wrapped its cool, dim arms around him.
He hadn’t realized how overstimulated he’d gotten from the zip lines until the silence seeped into him.
He didn’t regret it. He couldn’t. Not when Jasper had enjoyed himself so thoroughly, but he was exhausted in a way reminiscent of his weeks of physical therapy while adjusting to living in a new country.
Tension slowly leaked out of his limbs and neck as he took several deep breaths, then settled in a chair next to Ash at his computer. A folder with Jasper’s photos was already on the screen, and Ash opened the first one before rolling his chair aside for Vincent to lean in and take over.
They were gorgeous, which was a given. Even if he was biased, Jasper was striking. More so with the early morning light turning his hair and skin golden. The fact he was bound only added to his appeal. A soft thrum of pleasure suffused his limbs as he clicked through every picture.
A full body shot of Jasper tied to the tree and blindfolded, the light casting teasing shadows across his chest and stomach, his head tilted towards his left arm as though unsure if he should try to hide his face.
Close-ups of his face and chest, with Vincent’s fingers pressed against his lips from behind.
Pressed past his lips. Gripping his chin, slick with a glint of saliva.
Jasper’s head tipped back, lips parted on a gasp or a moan, Vincent’s teeth sinking into his earlobe.
Ash had obviously sorted through the pictures to organize them and show the cleanest ones, because even some of Jasper’s impromptu pictures in the basement were scattered through.
A dozen clicks later Vincent found the one from the conversation before he’d put the blindfold on.
His finger froze on the button as he stared, his breath sticking in his throat.
He’d been worried about seeing his own expression, and it was as concerning as he expected, but he was captivated by Jasper’s face and the matching expression there.
Ash’s voice was quiet when he said, “He’s a good sub for you.
” Vincent dragged his eyes away from the computer to look at him, noting the way his hands were resting in his lap, one hand turning the simple leather bracelet around and around his other wrist, but his shoulders were relaxed, his gaze clear as he studied the picture on the screen before it flicked to meet Vincent’s eyes. “You should keep him.”
His lips twitched. “That’s the plan,” he said, surprised by the weight of those words on his tongue.
He knew he was getting attached by the simple fact he wanted to collar Jasper, but he hadn’t let himself look beyond that.
Beyond the end of their current contract.
Thinking of “forever” with a young man who was finishing college, who had never lived on his own or even had a driver’s license, somehow seemed less of a risk than falling into a relationship with Adam.
But then, even that had seemed like the most logical next step at the time.
Years of therapy made it easy to pinpoint the foolish choices in hindsight.
Ash nodded again and reached forward to tap a button to go to the next picture, this one obviously taken in secret. Jasper was free of the ropes and blindfold, his arms thrown around Vincent’s neck, a leg hooked against his hip as they kissed. “Maybe you could bring him to visit again.”
“Yeah,” Vincent agreed, only partially paying attention to the words as he considered the picture.
The long line of Jasper’s mostly naked body pressed against his own.
The possessive grips of his hands on Jasper’s hip and hair.
When the words finally sank in a moment later he glanced at Ash.
“Or you could take your own vacation and come visit.”
Ash wrinkled his nose, but without any distaste or fear in his expression.
Once Ash got settled somewhere, he usually didn’t like to leave.
Talking him into coming to the States with Zach had been easy enough, but getting him to leave the little sanctuary they’d built here was basically impossible.
Last he’d heard, Ash rarely even left for the kink conventions where Zach sold his BDSM furniture.
He’d used to offer photo shoots, though most of their sales were online or through guests staying here these days.
“Maybe,” Ash finally murmured, sounding none too happy about it.
“Maybe we could take a trip somewhere. I know you hate being in a city. A beach, maybe.”
“We could do that. I’ve never been.”
“I don’t think Jasper has either.”
“I hear sex on a beach is fun,” Ash said, amusement sparking in his eyes.
Vincent snorted. “You’ll have to let me know.
” He preferred to keep his asscrack sand-free as much as possible.
He tapped the computer screen. “Can you send this one to my phone? And then I want these in black and white,” he said, going back through the photos to point out the ones he liked best. He ordered a few in color for the house, but the others he’d let Jasper pick which ones he’d be willing to put up in the club.
He suspected most would end up in his offices, but that was fine too.
JASPER SLUMPED against the sofa with a groan when he died for the fifth time. At Zach’s quiet snickering he grabbed the nearest pillow to smack him with. “I don’t think this game is for me.”
“Aww, giving up already? I didn’t take you for a quitter,” Zach teased.
“I’m not, I just know what I like.” And FPS games definitely weren’t it.
“Oh-ho.” Zach eyed him with a considering look before grinning. “All right. Let’s try something else, then.” He rolled to his feet and picked out a different game to pop into the console.
As he was setting up, Jasper idly circled the joystick on his controller with his thumb. “Can I ask…. You don’t really seem like a Dom.”
Zach laughed. “No, I’m not. I’m mostly a sub, but I get the occasional urge to switch.”
Jasper frowned and tilted his head. “What about Ash’s collar?”
He hummed and glanced towards the door to the basement with a wry twist of his lips. “That’s more of a promise than anything. I’m slightly less subby than Ash, but it helps that I’m imaginative and also know what I like.”
He grinned when Jasper eyed him in confusion.
“We don’t really make sense, but we work.
Honestly, for a while in college, I considered asking Vincent to take us both on as his subs, but fuckface kinda fucked that up.
And then even after that ended, we were already settled here, and we both prefer this to a city.
” He raised an eyebrow when Jasper could only stare. “What?”
“Two subs,” he said, still stuck on how that could possibly work. The rest of what Zach said went mostly unheard.
Zach smirked. “What, you wouldn’t want another sub to play with?”
“No,” he said, far too quickly judging by Zach’s snicker. The last thing he wanted was to have to share Vincent with someone else. He hardly got enough of him for himself as it was.
Zach started the game, and for a while Jasper was focused on learning the controls. Puzzle games weren’t really his thing either, but at least it was better than the chaos of trying to shoot people. But the downside was it wasn’t fast-paced enough to keep his mind from wandering.
What if Vincent would prefer another sub?
Not like that was something he’d mention.
Or would he? That felt like something that would go in a contract.
Or was Vincent waiting until the next one to bring something like that up?
He hadn’t been too forthcoming with things he liked so far, and Jasper hoarded each insight like the precious gems they were.
But would Vincent even mention that kind of preference, or would Jasper find out by some throwaway comment in the middle of a scene?
“Uh-oh,” Zach murmured. “I know that look.”
“What?”
“C’mon, don’t fret about it. I’m sure you’re more than enough for Master Vincent to handle,” he said with a suggestive wiggle of his eyebrows.
Jasper rolled his eyes. “Why do you call him Master Vincent?”
“Mm, ’cause that’s the proper way to address him.” Zach tilted his head, eyeing Jasper with a sly grin. “You don’t call him Master?”
“I have a few times, but usually I call him Sir.”
Zach let out a long hmm but didn’t respond. They fell silent for a while as they played the game, then he asked, “Why don’t you call him Master?”
Jasper shrugged, ignoring the heat creeping into his cheeks. “Shouldn’t I have a collar for that?” he asked, regretting it the moment he caught Zach’s grin in the corner of his eye.
“Do you want a collar?”
Jasper absently touched his throat, but it was nothing like the warm press of Vincent’s hand.
The nonthreat of pressure that never quite choked or made him gasp for air from more than the thrill.
He enjoyed how collars looked and the weight of them.
He especially loved when Vincent snagged his tie and pulled it like a leash. “Maybe,” he said.
Zach snorted. “Uh-huh.”
Jasper huffed and dropped his hand as he turned back to trying to solve the current puzzle.
When he finally realized it’d been over an hour, and Vincent and Ash hadn’t come back, he started to wonder if maybe Vincent was enjoying being around a sub who actually knew how to be a sub.
Ash was quiet, but he seemed nice, so Jasper couldn’t really blame him.
Vincent had already given him more than anyone else had in a relationship. He’d never even been on a vacation before now, much less been so well taken care of. And not only sexually. Even cooking or reading or watching TV together was enjoyable.
He ignored the side-eyed glances from Zach as he failed his part of a simple puzzle twice.