Switch It Up

by Sara Brookes

  The short blast of a horn broke his concentration. His neighbor, Mr. Astin, waved as Ezra looked up. Afternoon sunlight glinted off a nearby window, blinding Ezra. He shaded his eyes from the gleam as he remembered he’d left his sunglasses on the hook near his front door. On days he spent waist-deep in code, it was a miracle he even remembered his own name.

  Ezra offered a friendly wave in return, ready to shield his eyes from the sun’s glare again until he caught a glance into the store directly across the street. There, in the front window of Vanilla, between the painted cream and maroon letters of the bakery’s logo, were Maddy and Kochran. They sat in the booth, their bodies angled toward each other as they leaned on their elbows. Their postures spoke of an intimacy beyond simple friendship as they talked over coffee and baked goods.

  Ezra considered them for a moment, feeling something disturb a fierceness he’d buried when he’d faced the emotional upheaval years before. By mainstream standards, he should have been jealous Kochran was spending time with Maddy outside the club. Though he had no claim on her, Ezra knew the woman had definitely captured his interest beyond employee and supervisor. But there was no accusation in his thoughts toward the couple. No anger. Perhaps a little resignation, but only because he imagined himself sitting with them, sharing coffee and pastries. Listening to their stories and perhaps sharing a few of his own.

  Ezra had no idea why he’d told Kochran so much the morning after the incident at Screwdriver. Why he’d felt the need to expose his vulnerabilities. Kochran had looked after him when he hadn’t needed to. Taken up the task of ensuring Ezra was safe when he could have shuffled him off to the hospital for an overnight stay. Made him someone else’s problem. Just like so many other people had done. And then there was Maddy... Ezra swallowed as he watched Kochran touch the tip of Maddy’s nose with his finger. Felt something stir when Maddy’s face lit with genuine pleasure.

  Ezra’s throat tightened. He would trade his soul to have her smile at him like that. She brought a vibrancy to the dreary landscape Ezra’s life had become.

  He sat there, heart in his throat, knowing he was going to fall for her. Hard. Do the wrong thing that would test their friendship, but fuck all if he cared. She was already inside his head. Somehow he knew she wouldn’t allow him to get hurt again. In truth, it wasn’t possible for him to hurt more than he had when Nora died and Kyle vanished. That kind of heartbreak changed a man. Maddy pushed him to want a life he hadn’t claimed in a long time. Uncovered something powerful inside him that he didn’t let out often. Kochran enhanced that desire too. Roused a beast who had been prowling around in a cage, desperate to make his mark on something he wanted. Even when he closed himself off and was being a prick, Kochran was a magnificent creature. Ezra wanted to drown in him.

  A magical, rapturous need tore at him but he had to restrain it. He was also interested in finding out how skewed things could get for all three of them if they went down this path. Kochran had a legendary skill set that would force Ezra to up his game. Make him think outside of the box and work him like never before.

  One thing was clear, Ezra wasn’t going to sit by and watch Kochran sweep Maddy onto her knees. Not that he believed they wouldn’t complement each other, or that Kochran wasn’t an adequate partner. But Ezra knew he could give Maddy something Kochran couldn’t because he understood her on a different level.

  They both spoke fluent geek.

  Kochran’s inventiveness came through during his sessions with submissives, but Ezra and Maddy had connected on a nonsexual level Ezra could exploit. Use to his advantage. That was something he’d never done before. Nora and Kyle had never been interested enough in his work for him to consider integrating it into their play. Nora had been an English teacher; Kyle, an engineer. With Maddy in the picture, Ezra could use their mutual interest in computers to kick this into motion.

  Fuck the repercussions.

  Fuck them hard.

  He rose, glancing at the window one last time as Kochran kissed the back of Maddy’s hand and said something that made her grin. Hunger spiraled through him, collecting to constrict around the base of his now stiff dick. His plan would take some time to put into motion, but he could shove off the bulk of the work to Maddy, which would extend her time at the club.

  Bonus level, for the win.

  Chapter Eleven

  Fourth of July weekend and Maddy was spending the holiday doing what she loved most. Even if her back hated it. She sat up to stretch out the kinks in her neck. The muscles were still unused to the unnatural angle of her less than ideal workstation. Not as though she expected posh desk chairs, foot rests and hot coffee on tap. Hell, even her desk at home wasn’t that luxurious.

  Ezra had left her alone some time ago to search out food and hunt down Kochran. He’d been complaining his back hurt as well. Though she needed to get out of the office, she wasn’t interested in exploring again. She’d gotten into enough trouble last time.

  The memory of Kochran’s forwardness last month still lingered, but in a good way. Like she would compare all future men she was interested in by the way he’d kissed her. Made her feel safe and cosseted.

  She’d always wondered what it would be like to participate in the lifestyle instead of watch from afar. Kochran had given her a glimpse and she was hooked enough that she’d dug deeper into expanding her knowledge about the lifestyle. She’d been pleased to learn a lot of what she discovered was right up her alley. Plenty of people around the club for her to ask for some hands-on assistance. She just needed to work up the courage.

  A flashing icon at the bottom of her screen caught her attention. Someone had sent her a chat message on the club’s intranet. The only person who knew her administrator account ID was Ezra. Possibly Kochran too, since he was in charge of the whole shebang, but she’d been around him enough to know he didn’t have the passion for technology she had. There was a running joke about Kochran and his passwords.

  She pushed the flashing icon and waited while a new browser window opened. Strange. For a moment, she thought she’d clicked on some kind of malware that could eat its way through the data, but instead a streaming video of someone walking into an empty room popped onto her screen. She didn’t recognize the space, but she still hadn’t gotten that tour. The lighting made it difficult for her to make out his features, but she could definitely see the towel he’d wrapped around his waist, and the outline of an appendage that clearly indicated this was a man.

  He walked—oh, no, he prowled toward the chair that had been positioned in the center of a puddle of light. As he stepped fully into the light, his gaze lifted to the camera. Her heart stuttered as she leaned away from the computer.

  Ezra.

  The reason for the direct link became remarkably clear when he faced away from the camera, then stripped off the towel. The backside the fluffy fabric had kept hidden was—Jesus, she could have bounced quarters off his ass. He discarded the towel and settled in the chair.

  The angle now gave her a view of Ezra and all his masculinity in profile. Shame unfurled through her, but that didn’t stop her gaze as it mapped his defined jaw, the full bottom lip, the strong curve of his shoulders, the cut of his hip and, finally, to his stiffening erection. Though she knew she needed to close the link, she kept watching as he settled himself more comfortably and wrapped his hand around the base of his cock.

  And oh, what a fucking magnificent piece of fully erect flesh it was.

  A shiver traveled through her as he began masturbating. It wasn’t as though she’d never seen a man naked before, or seen one manhandle himself on camera, but right this very minute, Ezra had sent her a link to watch him jacking off.

  She’d assumed he was one of the members, but her cursory glance through the member list that first night hadn’t turned up his name. To her, that meant he was an employee and didn’t participate in any of the sinful activities at the club. But th
ere he was, big and hard and stroking himself up and down, his hand and the hard flesh contrasting beautifully. As he dropped his head back, the flesh in his hand broadened and darkened, a sign he was clearly enjoying himself.

  She closed her eyes and blew out a steady breath. Turn it off, Mads. Walk away right now. Stand up, leave the room and walk the hell away. The glint of the rings on his left hand reminded her he was married. Another reason she shouldn’t be watching. But her fascination kept her rooted in place.

  When she opened her eyes, she jumped. Ezra was looking directly into the camera. Directly at her. This couldn’t be just for her, could it? Maybe he’d sent out the link to a select few. But that sounded...crazy. Suddenly, it didn’t matter. The fact he intended her to see him like this was special and intensely intimate.

  What is he thinking about? Is he imagining me in the room with him?

  The idea of being right there, watching over his shoulder, stirred things low in her gut. Made flesh come alive that hadn’t felt that delicious since...nineteen days ago, when Kochran had kissed her. Had promised to make her come when he fucked her.

  The shame she’d expected with that revelation didn’t come. She was thinking about a man kissing her while watching another jack off. Two men. Two beautifully attractive men she couldn’t stop thinking about.

  Not like you’re having sex with either of them, Mads.

  With thoughts of how Kochran made her feel just a short time ago filling her brain, she turned her attention back to the computer screen. Ezra’s gaze was still focused at the camera. She saw a flash of emotion swirling through the depths of his eyes. Need. Desire. Perhaps loneliness.

  The moment passed and he leaned his head back, closed his eyes and stroked himself with unhurried motions, as though he was luxuriating in the sensations. The answering silence of the room wasn’t enough to distract her from the fact she’d gotten aroused watching a man jack off. No way could she close that window now. And no way was she going to pass up an opportunity to take care of herself.

  The elastic waist of her sweatpants accommodated her hand easily enough. She released a quiet moan when she pressed her finger against her clit and an answering pulse shot through her. She hadn’t expected to find herself this wet. This hot. She could have said watching a man take care of himself simply did it for her, but in truth, it was Ezra jacking off that pushed her buttons.

  On the screen, he let out a deep groan as he cupped his free hand around his balls. He continued moving his hand up and down the shaft, palming the crown each time. He moved slow and precise, as though he had nowhere else in the world to be. More bang for the buck, so to speak.

  Maddy snorted at her own joke.

  As she focused on timing her hand movements to his, she imagined herself in the room with him. That her hand surrounded him as she sensually teased him. Given his size, she knew he would feel heavy and so hot against her fingers.

  As she sank deeper into the fantasy, tension coiled through her muscles. Her heart beat in time to her throbbing clit as she continued strumming. Lifting herself higher. Muscles trembling with impending release, she leaned back in the chair. Her sweatpants were loose enough to accommodate the change when she shifted and dipped two fingers inside her opening. She used her other fingers to play with the petals of her sex, imagining someone’s tongue dragging through her wet heat.

  The fantasy shifted.

  At first she’d thought the mouth on her pussy had been Ezra’s, but she was surprised to imagine herself still working his cock. With a quiet groan, she realized it was Kochran’s mouth on her. Kochran giving her pleasure while she sucked on Ezra.

  A deep groan filled the office, and Maddy opened her eyes to find Ezra had quickened his pace. Tension coiled through her thighs as he planted his feet flat on the floor, tightness visibly straining his entire body as he worked harder.

  Fantasy and reality merged before her eyes as she saw herself and Kochran in the room with Ezra. Her fingers quickened as she imagined herself still on her knees in front of Ezra, licking and sucking in earnest. Like the video she watched that first night, Kochran stood nearby, flogger in hand. The intoxicating lashes against her back, ass and thighs struck perfectly each time she swallowed Ezra whole. Then it all went supernova when Kochran tossed the device to the side, lifted her mouth and plunged his own over Ezra’s cock.

  She came in a rush, biting her lip to contain her scream, her body bucking against the chair as her legs jerked against the ancient wooden legs. Mothertruckin’ holy Jesus. She’d never come so hard in her life. And she’d never imagined such a vivid fantasy before either. Not to mention, two guys being into one another like that? Definitely hadn’t been on her radar before, but at the top of her very short list now. Not that it would ever happen in real life.

  As the fuzz began to clear, she saw Ezra had also finished. She’d missed his release, but the telltale glistening drops dotting his chest and the rapid breaths and shaking hands meant he’d got off as well.

  The screen went dark and she dropped her forehead to the desk as she attempted to set herself to rights. The answering buzz was enough to kick her over the edge again. She’d never been this wired, this tantalizingly achy for more. Like the orgasm hadn’t been enough. Not even close to a bone-deep satisfaction she knew only one thing would sate.

  She jumped when the office door opened. It took immense effort not to look guilty as Ezra slipped through the opening and gave her a curious look. She forced herself to focus on the screen and realized with a start she’d been sitting there for fifteen minutes. Her body still hadn’t come down from the high.

  “Found a small error in the PHP code,” she said slowly. She set her fingers over the keyboard and desperately tried to quell the trembling. If she pretended the past forty-five minutes hadn’t occurred, she’d be all right. Luckily, the scents she’d given off had faded enough that it wasn’t obvious she’d masturbated right there in the chair. “Patched it up. Everything checks out fine now.”

  “Sound good. I’m going to give the message board a spin to check out the preprocessors there.” He settled behind his terminal without further comment, his face a blank canvas.

  He worked quietly, the glow of the computer screen highlighting the angles of his face as he diligently worked. She admired his ability to look as if he hadn’t just jerked off on camera.

  She needed to tell him. Honestly admit she’d watched something so personal. The fact he hadn’t said a word so far meant she really hadn’t been the intended target. As she turned, she was caught up by the way his hair curled against the collar of his shirt, the strands damp as though he’d taken a shower. There was something about a guy with strong shoulders hunched over a keyboard, clacking away.

  “Hey, Mads?”

  She jumped at the name. Too close to him. She needed some distance and space, from Ezra and the club. She never considered herself a prude, but this place had put sex at the forefront of her mind a lot. She’d just watched a video of the guy sitting a few feet away from her jacking off. Dear God. She’d taken a first-class trip to pervert city.

  “Think I’m gonna call it a night.” She ran a still-trembling hand through her hair. “Been working a little too much, I think.”

  His contemplative gaze focused on her. For the second time that night, she wondered what he was imagining. Wondered if he lay awake at night fantasizing about the same things she did.

  * * *

  Kochran brushed his fingers over his dry lips as he stared at his monitor. He shouldn’t have watched the live feed that had appeared on his screen. Shouldn’t have had to wrestle with the searing need burning through his veins.

  The expanse of broad shoulders, muscles bunching and rippling across Ezra’s chest, down to the tight flex of his thighs, the curling of his toes against the floor as he’d come, had made Kochran harder. Hotter. The agony of the burn was almost too intense to bea
r. Drove his lust for Ezra to levels that could make him insane. Good God damn, listening to the expulsion of breaths, the grunts as perspiration sheened smooth skin while Ezra jacked off had been spectacular.

  He’d wanted to be in the same room with Ezra. Lay his hand on Ezra’s chest to allow him to experience the texture of the flogger Kochran intended to utilize. Listen with a possessive satisfaction to Ezra’s groan of response as Kochran stepped back and taunted him with the flogger. Order him to surrender to the pain. But at the same time, a surge of desire to kiss each one of those welts he’d raise, and a bone-deep ache to have the roles reversed, shuddered through Kochran.

  For as much as he wanted to take care of Ezra, Kochran wanted to receive the fiery strokes of the flogger against his chest, his back, and his thighs while he serviced Ezra with his mouth. He wanted Ezra’s touch and didn’t care if it was rough and brutal or playful and tender. More than anything he wanted his ass filled and stretched, pummeled with a ruthless force that made his knees collapse so he was presented in offering. The heat of Ezra’s hand burning his skin as he slapped each of the taut globes. Ezra’s voice, rough and thick, spilling over Kochran’s back as he reached down to fist Kochran’s cock.

  It had been a damn long time since he’d wanted to get on his knees for someone, have another man force him to swallow his cock, worshiping the turgid length of it until he’d swallowed every jet of come the man had. Years since he’d been made to obey. If he closed his eyes, allowed himself to surrender, he could just imagine...

  With the path he’d chosen, he didn’t know how to change his role. Disclosing his true nature as a switch could cost him everything he’d worked hard to build. His reputation as a Dom was something the members counted on.

  Despite his tormented thoughts, frissons of energy crackled up Kochran’s spine as he continued to stare at the empty screen. Where was Ezra now? Curled up in one of the club’s many recovery areas as he basked in the sensations flooding his body from the release? Back in the office he shared with Madeline? Possessive heat streaked through Kochran as he remembered the connection they shared with the remarkable woman.