Chapter 2
Jackson
Present time.
The random sub I’d picked out for the night was just what I’d needed.
After another horrible phone call with my father, I needed to escape for a bit.
We were in my room in the middle of a scene when my door opened and Mike’s horrified face came into view.
What was he even doing home?! Ever since he started dating Vera, he’d pretty much lived at her place. It had to be three in the morning.
“I um, I, I’ll just go,” he muttered and quickly ran out the door, closing it forcefully behind him.
I sighed and apologized to the man kneeling in front of me. Thankfully, he was one of those who loved exhibitionism and didn’t seem to mind Mike’s entrance, in fact it only seemed to work in my favor.
As soon as we were done, I dropped the sub off at his home. Something I always did when scenes ended. I felt more comfortable knowing the man I’d been with had gotten home safely.
It was now five in the morning and I figured I could wait a few hours before seeking Mike out and working through the trauma I’d probably just caused him. The reason he was home so late, or home at all, didn’t bode well.
If I thought I would get some sleep, Mike’s presence in my room proved that to not be the case. I sighed and sat down next to him on my bed. “Everything okay with Vera?” I asked, knowing that was the most important thing to ask first.
He shook his head. “We had a big fight and… yeah, she broke up with me.”
Damn. “I’m sorry, Mike. I know she means a lot to you.
” A lot was an understatement; Mike had been obsessed with Vera since the first time he saw her.
But they fought a lot and had very different ideas on how relationships worked.
Even with love between two people, it was not always enough for a happy relationship.
He rubbed his eyes, which were red rimmed, something I hadn’t noticed until now.
“It was for the best. I know that, but damn, it hurts right now.” I nodded with sympathy.
I had never been in love, not that I hadn’t thought about how nice it would be to have a boyfriend I could dote on and come home to. It just hadn’t happened to me yet.
“Anything I can do?” I offered.
“Please don’t bring up whips and leather around me, then I’ll be fine.”
I laughed and he soon joined.
“I traumatized you, didn’t I?” I asked, grinning widely.
“Oh, for sure. I can never look at leather the same way again.” He shook his head, but was still smiling.
“I’ll go to clubs instead of bringing them home,” I said.
I hated going to those clubs, they weren’t safe and they held a certain level of seediness that didn’t help me at all.
I needed to feel safe to do a scene, and those places just weren’t, but I couldn’t bring them back here anymore either. That wasn’t fair to Mike.
I was glad now that I’d told Mike as soon as we became roommates in college that I was gay. At least he wasn't shocked that it was a man; just that that man was kneeling in front of me with his hands tied behind his back while I stood with my dick in hand.
Walking into work Monday had my mood souring instantly. It was as though this huge building held some kind of curse. As soon as you entered, your happiness vanished. Or it could just be me it had that effect on.
I walked to the elevator, daring one last glance at my formfitting suit and gelled up hair.
I hated looking like this. But at least I’d rebelled with my tattoos and piercings.
Father wanted the perfect son to take over his company, not a gay son, or a “rockstar wannabe” as he’d called me when he saw my tattoos.
I’d spent a week when I turned eighteen getting as many tattoos and piercings as possible.
It was my way of owning my own body. For so long I’d felt like he owned me.
All my tattoos were a sign of my freedom.
He couldn’t remove them. Just like he couldn’t change I was into men and not the dozens of women he tried to set me up with.
My phone rang before I’d even vacated the elevator.
I sighed, already knowing it would be dear old Dad.
Pulling my phone out of the too-tight-for-phones suit pocket, I saw it was, in fact, Father.
Ever since I finished college, he’d called me every morning, making sure I was up and at the office.
Fucking controlling bastard. I didn’t even want to go to college.
To be honest, I just wanted something simple.
I would’ve loved being a tattoo artist, but I’d never been able to draw and practice, so that dream would never happen no matter what.
Had Father allowed me to draw as a child, it might’ve been possible.
I’d fantasized about opening my own store and selling something, but what, I had no idea.
I didn’t know what my hobbies were. I’d never been able to truly be free to explore what I enjoyed doing other than watch tv and hang out with friends.
It was actually my friend Nico who’d introduced me to the BDSM lifestyle.
We’d been drunk and I’d told him I needed to feel in control and that I needed something to make my mind close off everything else.
I’d also been adamant I wasn’t about to start doing drugs when he looked at me with worry.
Nico was a sub and he took me to a club near campus one night.
It changed my life for the better. Whenever I had a call from my father, I knew one session would help me escape the hollow feeling dear old Dad had left behind.
I’d started out with Nico and we’d gotten closer because of it.
We’d even started dating after we found out we were compatible sexually.
But he needed a full-time dom, and I was only into it as an escape to forget.
Nico’s needs couldn’t be met by me alone, so we continued having sessions, but weren’t exclusive.
Luckily, for both of us, no feelings had formed between us, proving that we wouldn’t have worked out long term anyway.
Looking at my still ringing phone, I missed those simple college days. I would’ve seen Nico tonight if possible. But my old college was hours away, and so was Nico. I might have to go to one of those seedy clubs tonight, unless I fancied being drunk on a Monday. Which I very much didn’t.
Sighing, I accepted the call. “Took you long enough,” Father greeted.
“I just arrived at the office.” I knew he didn’t care for pleasantries, so I didn’t bother either.
“We had three new clients sign yesterday; they’ll all be your responsibility.” I rolled my eyes. He would never admit it, but he was getting forgetful these days.
“Briane being one of them?” I asked, knowing they were the same clients I’d gotten last week.
“Correct. Are you looking over them now?”
“I am,” I lied. No way would I tell him he’d forgotten something again.
Last time I did, it only gave me the unpleasant surprise of him showing up here.
I much preferred being cities apart, like we were now.
Me dealing with his side business while he kept the big one in check.
Maybe I should just quit and cut ties for good.
“I have more coming soon. Don’t let them wait before you call them.
” Then he hung up. I’d already called them all.
Last week. Maybe it was a good thing—him being forgetful gave me more room to figure out what I wanted to do with my life.
Because this wasn’t working anymore. Never had.
But I wasn’t the scared guy I’d been in college.
Back then I’d been free for the first time in my life, or less under his control was more like it.
I didn’t have any family other than Father and Ida, and his comments about me never surviving on my own had terrified me.
Still did. But now I was beginning to think that I could survive, that maybe I didn’t need this job that I hated.
I could work anywhere and be way happier than I was now.
Even Mike had said so many times already.
I was managing data and making sure our accounts weren’t in the red.
I could easily do the same elsewhere, not that I wanted to, though.
Finding a job that would be equally boring would be hard, finding a job I’d enjoy would be much easier.
I hated numbers and sitting around in my empty office for hours looking at spreadsheets.
“Mr. Hanns?” Tya said, standing just outside my office holding what looked to be new client files.
I actually preferred this part of my job.
Adding their info to our system and calling them to ask follow-up questions.
It might be the talking to people thing that held the appeal. I was a people person after all.
“Good morning, Tya. New clients?”
She nodded and handed over the files.
“I have five others coming in a few hours. Your father emailed me several files, though most are old clients we already have in the system.” She looked pointedly at me, waiting for my reaction.
She’d begun prodding more, throwing hints around that my father was losing it.
Not that she would ever say that. Tya was too smart to risk getting fired.
But she seemed to trust I wouldn’t punish her for speaking the truth.
She was, after all, the only employee here I could stand.
“Just send me the new clients and delete the other ones,” I replied, putting the papers down on my desk and booting up my computer.
“And the emails regarding the party we attended two years ago? He’s telling me you’ll bring Monica with you.
” That had me sighing loudly. It was getting harder to cover for him, and I was yet again wondering why I even bothered.
He should retire. But last time I’d even dared ask him about his retirement, I was yelled at and humiliated in front of my coworkers.
“I still can’t believe he tried to sneak Monica in as my date,” I said, focusing on that instead.
Tya knew I was gay. I wasn’t about to hide it from my closest coworker.
She was sort of my assistant, but also the one person who had the entire floor under control.
She was working harder than anyone here and she knew it.
She shrugged. “She’s a beautiful girl and he seemed desperate to work with her mother.
Makes sense he tried to force it.” I felt shivers run down my spine just thinking about that party.
Poor Monica had believed I was besotted with her or something.
She’d been glued to my side all evening and it wasn’t until I was done for the night and tried to leave that she followed and seemed mad I’d just left her there.
Her face had paled when I admitted to not knowing she was my date.
She’d even cried when I told her that I hadn’t even known about her until she sat down next to me.
And the fact that I was gay had her shaking her head and leaving the party herself.
Just then, my phone rang. It was an unknown number, and even though I had no desire to talk to sales people, I still took it for the distraction it offered.
It was a good thing I answered, though, because in the short time since I’d spoken to my father, he’d somehow collapsed at work and was now on the way to the closest hospital in an ambulance.
And that had me leaving work early and getting on a plane.