Chapter Seventeen
Getting through work today was a feat.
James hadn’t stopped thinking about last night with Nolan the entire day, and anticipation hummed through his veins.
He settled into the break room, which was thankfully empty, and pulled out his laptop. Meg had sent a message with a request, one he was happy to help with, given that it affected not only the scene he started to step into but also the man he was growing more and more attached to.
What they were remained undefined—better for his brain—but he was serious when he said he wanted to try.
He opened his laptop and launched a few programs. Carter from Euphoria was a huge problem, and he was determined to remove the bug from the software.
A basic search for Carter Longshire brought up a few random guys, but none of them matched.
The only attachment his name had was to Club Euphoria, whether on the socials, the website, or events.
His name had been scrubbed, as it was impossible to have such a small presence otherwise—particularly as a business owner with apparently a long resume of places in his past.
James pulled up a few windows and started Google hacking, one of the skills he’d learned years ago. While his hobby wasn’t the best to indulge in for his profession, hackers and those who worked in cybersecurity shared a strong crossover. The more he pulled up, the more his brow furrowed.
Someone had covered Carter’s tracks. No one was this clean. Even if Carter was an alias, some routes should lead to his real identity rather than the guy he paraded around as, but instead, James ran into firewalls.
He lost himself in the rhythm of typing out on his laptop, of tracing different pathways. Time after time, just dead ends. The ham sandwich he brought from home sat next to him unattended. Not like he could eat much while he was this focused.
Doing this at work wasn’t his brightest idea, but he used a private VPN, and no one was in the room with him. Besides, when he got home, the first thing he wanted to focus on was Nolan Turner.
He noticed a signature on a few of the searches that flagged his attention. James chewed his lip and furiously typed, searching through code after code to get to the bottom of this.
One username emerged.
Columb0
He let out a short breath. So, Carter had a hacker of his own in his pocket—a talented one at that.
James furrowed his brow as he continued to plug away. Time to send Carter’s hacker a little gift. Just a light poke via malware.
He wrapped up the strings of code, hit send, and then exited everything on his laptop.
The break room door swung open, and he shut his computer down at once, a wave of nerves washing over him.
Ken strolled in, an obnoxious swagger to his stance. Today, he wore an offensively shamrock green polo, which clashed with his tan pants. He glanced at James. “What are you doing over there?”
James shut his laptop and slid it into the bag by his side.
“Airline tickets. Still gotta do those on a personal computer, rather than a phone.” The lie slipped smoothly from his tongue, and Ken wrinkled his nose as he sat at a different table, thank fuck.
That was the last person he wanted looming over his shoulder, as he was one of Carter’s cronies.
A ripple traveled through him. Ken was good enough to work in this industry and was tied to Carter… Unease settled in his stomach.
“Where are you traveling to?” Ken asked as he pulled a container out of the fridge.
James blinked, then remembered the lie he spat out. “Next year. Found a deal to Colorado.” He only hoped Ken didn’t have a good memory.
“Heard the skiing is good there,” Ken said, taking a bite of his sandwich.
The air grew tense between them, and James couldn’t suppress the connections his mind drew, whether they were correct or not.
If Ken had worked here for awhile, he wouldn’t have these suspicions.
However, Ken had dropped in here around the same timeframe Carter had.
That caused warning bells to clang in his mind.
Not like he could unsend the malware though.
He swallowed hard and glanced at his sandwich. His appetite had disappeared. Maybe he could eat it later at his desk. “I’m going to go back and get a head start on the afternoon. Mid-project, you know?”
“You work too hard, man,” Ken said, cracking a grin as he stared him down. “Way too serious.”
James shrugged, ignoring the words he’d received from too many folks throughout his life. The people who understood him never spoke like that. “Someone’s got to get the job done.”
He grabbed his sandwich, his laptop bag, and hauled out of the break room. As he strode down the hallway, his mind swirled with everything he’d connected.
Trouble was on the horizon, he could feel it in his bones.
But tonight would be a reprieve.
***
As James strode up the walkway to the house, his heart thudded harder.
Nolan would be waiting for him tonight, and he had plans.
This time, if he broke down afterward, he’d stay and talk through his emotions with Nolan instead of bolting.
After the bullshit at work today, energy hummed under his skin, and unleashing it in a little sadism sounded perfect.
And Nolan was a perfect pain slut. He hadn’t forgotten how Nolan had responded beautifully to a flogging, and he had a few tools he’d been dying to break out.
When he stepped inside the house, the clean scent of wood polish and lemon greeted him.
It soothed him every time, and he appreciated Nolan’s attention to details, even if it might’ve stemmed from his OCD.
One of the most common arguments he and Andrew had was over the cleanliness of the house, but in that regard, he and Nolan worked well together as roommates.
A rustle came from the living room, and James walked that way at once. He stepped in, dropped his laptop bag by the couch, and soaked in the sight of the man he’d be taking apart tonight.
Nolan lay sprawled out on the couch, his long, long legs open, his green hair loose and tousled.
His tank top was thin enough that his nipples were clearly visible through the fabric.
He looked like a fucking dream. James’s blood pumped hot at the sight of his thick lashes, those curved lips.
His trim waist tapered down to showcase the bulge between his legs.
The black yoga pants he wore didn’t hide a damn thing.
“Hey, there,” Nolan said, his voice husky.
James’s feet carried him forward until he knelt by the couch and drew Nolan’s mouth to his.
Those lips were soft and seeking, his taste addictive, and the relief that crashed over him was immense.
He kissed Nolan with slow, claiming strokes, driving his tongue into his mouth until he owned him completely.
A whimper escaped Nolan, and James drew back.
“Damn, I can’t wait to play with you,” James said. “How much pain are you looking for tonight?”
Nolan’s eyes flared with heat. “How much are you promising?”
James’s grin stretched wide. “How do you feel about CBT? Nipple torture? I’m aware of your limits on flogging.”
Nolan licked his lips. “You keep surprising me, Walker. Yes to all three. My limits remain the same, and I just ask you sterilize the equipment or implements ahead of time.”
“Already bought bleach wipes for the occasion,” James said with a smile. He loved that Nolan was so experienced and could advocate for himself without any problem. It made planning a scene so much easier. “Let me go get my supplies. When I come back here, I want you stripped for me.”
Nolan pushed up from the couch, a delicious glimmer in his eyes. “Yes, Sir.”
The words lobbed a punch to his chest, but he breathed through it. He’d been Sir to many before and after Andrew, but Nolan was the first with the deepest bond since. James met Nolan’s eyes, which softened as if he understood. That soothed his rough edges like nothing else.
“Be good for me,” he said before turning on his heel and heading for the steps.
He’d gone through his stash this morning before he left and pulled out the implements he’d wanted to try on Nolan.
The man would have such exquisite cries, and the idea of breaking him down to then bury his length inside that peach of an ass…
fuck. James reached down to adjust his cock, which had begun to thicken.
He entered his room and grabbed a black rawhide flogger he hadn’t used in awhile, one with thick strands that would leave a mark.
James snagged it, the humbler and nipple presses, and then he slipped condoms and a small bottle of lube in his pocket.
Then he headed out of the room, his body humming with anticipation.
Each thump as he went down the steps reverberated through him, and when he rounded the corner into the living room, his breath snagged in his throat.
Nolan lay on the couch still, though this time he was utterly naked.
His smooth white skin was paler, creamy, and it’d look so delicious with marks all over.
His thick cock jutted out with a curve to it and a reddened mushroom tip at the top.
Nolan stroked himself, and lust pulsed through James.
His legs looked even longer, light hairs covering them, and a few moles stood out against the miles of pale flesh.
His glossy green tresses were down, splayed across the couch, and James’s fingers itched to grip them tight and yank.
“So good for me, boy,” James said, approaching with the implements. “Go stand over against the wall, ass out.”
Nolan smirked and rolled off the couch in a fluid motion.
He padded over to a clear stretch of wall and plastered his palms against it.
James set to work snagging the cleaning wipes he’d left down here and sterilized all the equipment he planned on using, taking his time with the individual strands of the flogger.
Nolan spread his legs and bent forward, his delicious ass thrust out.
Fuck, James wanted to sink his teeth into those globes.