Chapter 7 Spaghetti Bolognese
Spaghetti Bolognese
Miles watched approvingly as Darren tied the apron over his clothes. With a pleased hum, he dropped a soft kiss to his mouth before turning to the fridge. "Good boy. If you're really brave and do as I say, you'll get a treat later."
That sounded promising. "Does the treat involve you being naked, Sir?"
"If you're good." Miles handed back an onion and a package of hamburger. His posture shifted, standing taller, squaring his broad, well-muscled shoulders. "Now. Start by peeling the dry skin off the onion for me."
"Yes, Sir." That was easy enough, gathering the crumbling skin afterward and throwing it into the compost bucket. "And now, Sir?"
Miles had pulled a can of sliced mushrooms out of the cupboard along with a box of spinach linguine and a jar of spaghetti sauce. He handed Darren a cutting board. "Now chop it up into thin slices."
"You want me to touch your knives?" Darren stared at him in alarm, fully forgetting himself.
Miles raised an eyebrow. "You know how to handle knives, Dare."
"Yeah, in kinky ways. And cutting things like fruit. And steak. With much smaller knives that don't chop off fingers if you do something wrong."
Miles was obviously trying to hold back laughter, shaking his head. "Pet. You'll be fine. Come here, I'll show you." He picked up the knife himself, turning it and holding the back of the blade carefully to offer the handle to him.
Darren took it carefully, getting used to the weight and the balance of it instinctively. "Are you sure I'm not going to kill a small child?" He tried to joke.
"You are not. Even if there were some around.
" Miles crowded him towards the cutting board, stepping behind him and wrapping his arms around him so he could place both hands over Darren's, warm and secure.
He guided him to hold the onion, moving the knife into place.
"It's alright, pet. I'm here to guide you.
Now, we just cut poles off the onion. Like this. Then we cut it in half on the equator."
The blade cut through the vegetable almost like it was butter. Darren tried not to think about what it would do to an errant finger. Then he had two halves of the onion lying face down on the board. "When do we start crying? Sir?"
"We'll be fine, pet," Miles said with a laugh.
"The blade is sharp, and the onion is cold.
That cuts down on the amount it stings your eyes.
Now just slice it. I know you can do it for me.
" Miles pressed a kiss to the side of his neck, and despite Darren's nervousness, he felt another rush of arousal.
Maybe cooking was worth it if it meant having Miles guide him like this.
"No getting distracted," Miles said as if hearing his thoughts, guiding him to make a careful, thin slice.
They continued, and before long Miles's hands were only a warm comfort on top of his, not guiding at all.
Darren's slices weren't quite as thin or neat, but Miles didn't say anything, helping him cut them into smaller chunks afterward.
They went into a pot on the stove on medium heat with a bit of oil, and Miles handed him a spatula before turning to the sink to wash the knife and board.
"Just stir them slowly, alright? Are you doing okay so far, pet? Still green?"
"I haven't burned anything yet, so I guess so?" Darren replied with a grin, then quickly added, "Master."
"Brat," Miles shot back affectionately, giving his ass another swat.
Darren focused on stirring and not his too-interested arousal, watching the onion turn slowly transparent under the heat. "Sir, why the sudden decision to risk me in your kitchen?"
Miles shrugged, opening a package of hamburger.
"I thought it might be fun. At least this way I can be reasonably certain that you'll know how to put together at least one decent meal if I'm ever stuck at work or sick or something.
" He looked back at him, his smile warm with affection.
"And I liked the idea of being the mentor for once. "
"We could play like that more, Sir. In or out of the bedroom. If you'd like."
Miles let a hand rest on the small of his back with a hum of consideration.
"Maybe. I've been thinking a lot about everything you want to teach me.
I know this isn't the same, but... knowing that I'm pleasing you makes it less frightening to take charge.
Maybe we can arrange it a bit more. It's fun to plan for you.
" Miles leaned in to nibble his earlobe.
His voice - the gentle, buttery tenor Darren loved so well - dropped to a soft, promising purr. "I liked going shopping for you, pet."
Fuck. Darren bit his lip on a choked whimper. "Sir, if we don't focus on cooking, this traffic light might not stay green until the kids get home."
Miles gave a huffed laugh in response. "God, you're telling me." He cleared his throat, going back to grab the hamburger. "Alright. Cooking. This is extra lean ground beef, by the way. It's slightly more expensive, but you're not paying for all the fat. Much better for you."
Darren nodded, trying to breathe and take mental notes as Miles tipped it into the pot. He started to break up the clump of raw beef with the spatula, mixing it with the onion. "May I make an observation, Master?"
"Speak as you wish. Thank you for asking."
"Maybe eventually I'll be able to cook for you for a change, Sir? Can't believe you've put up with me as long as you have."
Miles chuckled as he threw away the hamburger packaging. Washing his hands, he returned to cuddle up against his back again, his voice warm with good humor. "Well, they do say that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. Husband."
Darren glanced back at him with a smile. "Is that why you were so keen to cook for me back then? You wanted to serenade me with really excellent homemade food?"
"Did it work?"
Darren laughed, then, turning to kiss him. "Can't woo someone who's already madly in love with you. Sir."
Miles gave a pleased hum, covering his hand on the spatula to hold it steady as he claimed a longer kiss. "You're not going to stop me from trying, handsome."
The spaghetti turned out surprisingly edible, though not as tasty as Miles's concoctions. "They tend to play it safe with bottled sauces," he explained. "Not as much seasoning as making it from scratch. I'll show you how to doctor it up a bit next time. Going to tell the kids you made it?"
Darren pondered the idea, then smiled. "Maybe after they've finished eating."
"Good idea." Miles chuckled and pulled him close, kisses warm and adoring as his hands stroked up and down his back. "You did very well, pet. I'm proud of you."
The praise made him feel warm and strangely shy. "Master is a very talented instructor. The promise of reward was pretty motivating, too, Sir."
Chuckling softly, Miles kissed along his jaw to nuzzle under his earlobe. "Even though you don't know what it is?"
Darren tilted his head back with a pleased sigh. "I will be grateful for anything Master chooses to reward me with."
Miles nibbled on his earlobe. "Oh, I'm going to reward you so good."
Darren groaned softly, imagining far too many wonderful possibilities. "When can we cook again, Sir?"
"You hot for teacher now, pet?" One hand wandered slowly down Darren's back to cup and squeeze his ass.
Panting, it took every ounce of self-control not to press into his husband's body. "Sir, you know I'm always so hot for teacher."
Miles gave his ass a playful swat, and to Darren's frustration and relief, pulled away. "Save it for later. Set the island for dinner, pet."
Somehow, Darren managed to compartmentalize throughout the evening.
Having the kids around was a significant help in not thinking about sex, and after cleaning up the kitchen, he busied himself with packing the living room while Miles helped them with a bit of homework.
Then reading, where it took every ounce of self-control not to speed through his pages.
"Say goodnight to Uncle Darren," Miles told the kids, hanging back as they both gave him hugs before disappearing into the bathroom. "I'll handle teeth. Go do some packing in the bedroom, alright?"
Then he tugged at Darren's belt loops, lowering his voice. "These off."
Mouth dry, Darren had to swallow to answer. "Yes, husband."
Even with the door closed, taking off his jeans and socks left Darren feeling painfully exposed.
He took a box behind the standing wardrobe, half opening the door to make sure he'd be fully hidden from view from the hallway.
Then he undid his jeans, sliding the heavy denim over the delicate green lace panties and down the silken stockings that covered his thighs and calves.
He had to adjust his arousal in the panties as he sank to his knees to pack the shoe shelf.
Miles came in some time later but didn't greet him.
He turned on the white noise machine they kept near the door, then grabbed something on his way into the bathroom.
Was he changing? Looking down at his own stocking-covered legs, Darren couldn't help but wonder if Miles intended some kind of role-play.
Had he bought something kinky for himself?
At private events, Miles generally wore as little as possible, but if Miles was attending as a dom, then Darren would leap at a perfect excuse to go shopping.
"Well, now, what do we have here?" Miles pulled the wardrobe door closed and leaned over him.
Perfectly shined shoes, crisp pants with pressed pleats, a utility belt. Darren's thoughts stumbled to a halt.
Miles had kept one of his old uniforms. Now, he was pressed and dressed in it, with a pair of NYPD-issue handcuffs dangling from one finger.
It hadn't been difficult for Darren to encourage Miles to transition out of the NYPD.
He'd become a detective to help people, and accidentally killing an undercover cop in the line of duty had been the last straw in a mountain of trauma.
The downward spiral of self-loathing and alcoholism it had sent him into had cost him far more than his dysfunctional marriage.
Even after going through the process of healing and putting his life back together - part of which had included BDSM and Darren - Miles had never been comfortable going back in the field where the work would feel meaningful, and Darren was happy to support that.
He'd only been a little regretful that Miles had never initiated kinky role play while he was still on the force.
Darren may have entertained a few kinky fantasies about being shoved up against the wall, his feet kicked apart, and then being rough-handled into a full cavity search.
Miles's happiness was worth the trade-off, of course.
But discovering now that perhaps it wasn't a lost opportunity after all was even better.
Miles as a dominant was mindlessly hot. But Miles reclaiming his power as Officer, now that was a milestone indeed.
And then there were the handcuffs that Miles still swung playfully in the air.
Darren smiled, raising an eyebrow in invitation. "Can I help you, officer?"
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