19 - Looking Forward #3
The room, to Leander's surprise, was a large executive office, blinds drawn against the setting sun. Other than a very nice, long black leather couch, Leander might have been in the executive offices of any other Fortune 500 company. "Oh!"
"Oh?" Darren gave him a questioning half-smile.
"It's really nice," Leander said quickly. "Just... not exactly what I expected. Though I guess our dungeon at home isn't exactly standard either."
"We've got a number of dungeon setups here, in many different flavors. Don't worry," Darren replied with a chuckle.. "This room is just mine, though, and mostly just my office."
"Mostly?"
Darren settled on one end of the couch, motioning him to sit. "Shimizu's owner is a long-time client of mine. He enjoys this setting."
Of course, the rich benefactor. "Do you ever play with Miles here?"
"Home is usually good enough. I only bring him here if we want a more complex piece of equipment. I'll give you a tour later if you want. I do have another room booked for us, depending on where our conversation leads."
After how thoroughly Darren had fucked him the weekend they'd first met in Boston, it was hard to fight down arousal at his words. Leander tried to think about things analytically. "I've never been full-on paddled, but I think I might like it."
Darren chuckled again, eyes warm with good humor. "Don't get ahead of yourself, beautiful. Now, why don't you start by telling me how you started playing with Tristan?"
Leander felt a warm glow of adoration as he thought back to it. "Would you believe I accidentally sent him an unsolicited dick pic?"
That earned him a delighted laugh, Darren clapping his hands together. "Of course you did, you pretty little thing."
"It wasn't my fault!" Leander replied with mock indignance; he had to admit that it hadn't been his brightest moment.
"I'd hooked up with this guy at a kink night that had been giving out Tristan's number as a blow off.
Fortunately the money-maker convinced Tristan to actually reply.
" He smiled winningly. "And he'd also just walked out on some emotionally abusive moron. "
Darren nodded towards his lap. "The money-maker?"
"I sent him a selfie, too. Not in the same shot as my dick, obviously."
"Obviously."
Leander told him how their steamy phone call had turned tender in the aftermath of passion as Tristan had opened up about the man he'd just left.
Leander hadn't been trying to get Tristan to like him, but it had been impossible not to become invested in his well-being.
He'd just wanted to make sure the sweet man he'd just met didn't go back to an asshole that clearly didn't deserve him.
"I really liked him," Leander said, remembering those early, uncertain feelings with a slightly self-conscious smile.
"I knew he was holding back, and I was certain I was just going to be a rebound, anyway.
I was still going back and forth between New York and London back then, so I wasn't exactly the most available either.
When we finally figured out we were both kinky and started playing, we got serious. "
Darren's smile was warm and fond as he watched him speak, sipping his tea. "I'm glad to hear it. What kind of things have you explored together?"
They talked at length about Tristan and kinks, casual and open and straightforward. Leander found himself trying not to squirm in his seat as the conversation progressed. It was too easy to imagine Darren tying him over a spanking bench or to a rack on the wall and going to town on his ass.
Darren was warm and friendly, but at the same time Leander got the sense that he'd conducted those types of interviews a hundred times.
It was a strangely disappointing realization, and he chided himself for it.
Why should he be disappointed? He was trusting Darren with so much; his safety and Tristan's.
It should be a relief that he was taking this seriously.
"What do you want out of this, Leander?" Darren leaned closer, voice soft. Concerned.
Leander blinked up at him. "Isn't that what we've been talking about?"
"You've told me a lot of your kinks. But you could do most of those with Tristan, or another top."
Leander chewed on his bottom lip, considering the question. "Tristan thinks - "
Darren reached closer to cover Leander's hand with his own. His voice lowered, sending a shiver down Leander's spine. "I'm not asking what Tristan thinks. Tell me what you think, Leander. Do you really want to be dominated, or do you just want to get fucked?"
~~~