As if that would ever be a concern.
No one had ever treated him so well. The Master was nothing like his previous one, who’d snatched him up when he was only eighteen, had misinformed him regarding what a true BDSM relationship was like, then sexually abused him. In stark contrast, Derek had allowed him to live at his beautiful Malibu Canyon home free of charge and had never tried to take advantage of him.
Derek had comforted him during the recurring nightmares of the attack he’d endured at the hands of his former Master, helped him to seek counseling, had even gone out of his way to spend time and do fun activities with him. More significantly, even as their attraction had become so palpable it’d been nearly overwhelming, Derek had never once tried to press him for sex. If anything, Derek had kept his distance to the point where Corey had needed to be the one to make the first move.
Derek laid a gentle hand on his thigh, stilling his leg. “If you’ve changed your mind, Josh and Gavin won’t be upset. Neither will I. A contract between Master and sub is something all three of us take very seriously. We wouldn’t ever pressure anyone into going through with anything if they weren’t completely ready.”
Corey’s heart clutched. He peered up at Derek. “Are you having second thoughts? I know we haven’t known each other very long, only had sex once, but I’ve lived with you this past month and I thought…”
He swallowed down his emotion. Ever since what’d happened with Tony, when his former Master had tied him down then let all those men take him, it’d been too easy for him to cry at the slightest provocation. He hated it. Before he’d had a chance to take another breath, he was gathered onto Derek’s lap.
“Not me, Corey. Not even for a second. You’re my boy. Always will be if you’ll allow it.” Derek held him to his chest, his arm wrapped around his shoulder, the other supporting his back. “Don’t take this wrong, but I worry that after all that’s happened to you, and because of how young you are, that someday you might feel restricted by our relationship, that living a quiet life with me in the canyon would become too boring.”
Corey curled the fingers of one hand in Derek’s shirt, seeking to hold on tighter. He gazed up at Derek, meeting his eyes, intent on reinforcing what he’d told him the night before after they’d made love. He knew it was easy for things to get blurted out in the heat of the moment or in the warmth of the afterglow. It hadn’t been the case with him at all and he needed Derek to understand that.
“What I said last night? About how all I’ve ever wanted was to belong to someone? I meant it when I told you that you’re the one for me. Even when I imagined having someone to care for me, it wasn’t as good as the reality of you. And I love the quiet. I hated how crazy it was in San Francisco. All I wanna do is hang out with you, work on bikes and do scenes. I love you, Sir. Love you so much.”
Derek pulled him close again, kissing the top of his head, rubbing circles on his back. “Scenes, huh?” He gave a low chuckle. “Then I want to give you a permanent contract if you’ll agree to it. I’ve wished for that too, but never found the right man who I believed was completely right for me. Not until now, boy. It’s yours if you want it.”
Corey screwed his eyes shut, battling the tears. He squeezed Derek, used as much strength as he could to embrace the much larger man.
“Thank you, Sir. Thank you so much.”
Derek chuckled again, the deep timbre of his voice rumbling low in his chest. “Uh, trust me. Thank you.” He leaned closer to Corey’s ear. “I’ll be collaring you too. We’ll figure out the right time, but I didn’t want you to think I wouldn’t take the next step.”
Now would be good.
He sucked in a deep breath. He wanted it bad. Real bad. But he also needed to honor his new life with his Master by trusting and submitting. The growly, gentle bear had shown him over and over through his actions that he knew what he was doing, that he had Corey’s best interests in his heart at all times.
Corey tipped his head back, an unspoken request for a kiss. He gazed into the blue eyes of his new Dom, Derek’s frizzy blond hair held at bay by the leather tie he typically wore, his tanned skin highlighting his brawn. To Corey’s eyes, he was the most handsome man in the world. Derek quirked a smile, then leaned down to give him what he’d silently asked for.
Derek dipped his tongue into Corey’s mouth as he parted his lips. With gentle swipes he probed deeper, and Corey let Derek take him with the kiss, gave himself over to the powerful connection they shared. Derek finished it off with a firm press against Corey’s lips as if to seal the intent.
Corey exhaled on a sigh. He jerked his head around in response to a light knock on the door. Josh entered, a delighted smile on his face.
“Gavin will be along in a few minutes. He and Kyle slept in late after last night’s session.”
“Oh no.” Corey squirmed in Derek’s lap, making him moan.
Derek whispered in his ear. “Take pity on me?”
At the press of Derek’s growing erection against his ass, Corey scrambled off Derek’s thighs then sat back in his own chair. He turned quickly to Derek, cringing. “Sorry.” He included both Josh and Derek with his next words. “I don’t want Kyle to give up being with Gavin this morning if he needs him after that demonstration he gave. That was such a big step for him.”
Josh took a seat behind the enormous carved mahogany desk then bent sideways as if to get to one of the drawers. Corey couldn’t tell if the piece of furniture was a real antique or a reproduction—that wasn’t his thing—but like everything else in the club, it matched the elegance of the surroundings.
“Gavin wouldn’t leave Kyle unless he was absolutely certain his boy was fine.” As Josh straightened, he placed a file on the desk. He clasped his hands on the surface then lifted his eyes to capture Corey’s gaze. “I know it’s been a tough and confusing road that you’ve traveled these past few years. You placed your faith in someone who abused that trust and who also blatantly lied to you about what it means to be a submissive. I expect it’ll be a while before you fully believe in me and Master Gavin as much as you do Master Derek, and that’s understandable. But for the record, Corey? I want to officially state that on behalf of all us here, we’re disgusted by what happened to you, and that the wheels are in motion to make sure this doesn’t happen to anyone else.”
Corey fought tears again. He wondered if his emotions would ever go back to being more balanced. “Thank you, Master Josh. I’m sorry that I’m still so scared that I can’t let everything go, or even face having to testify against him. It’s just…” He swallowed hard. He couldn’t keep going or he really wouldn’t be able to control his tears.
Derek took his hand, squeezing it. “I told you already, boy. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. Let us worry about Tony.”
Corey nodded, and much to his horror, the water that had built in his eyes spilled down his face. He swiped at his tears. Derek placed an arm around his shoulder, still not releasing his hand. Josh’s expression was filled with concern and deep inside him, he knew that the men and subs at Kiss of Leather were better than anyone he’d ever been surrounded with—family included.
David’s a real brother to me. That’s never been truer than when he made it possible for me to come here.
He thought back to when his best friend David had met Josh the same night as he met his ex-Master Tony. Even though he regretted ever going with Tony, he’d forever be grateful that David had stayed with Josh. When he’d been in desperate need of help, both men had been there for him.
And brought me to Derek.
Josh opened the file folder he’d laid out. “Have you both discussed length and terms already?”
Derek let go of Corey to lift the satchel he’d had leaning against his chair, then brought it to his lap. “We went over everything this morning after breakfast.” Derek glanced at him sideways. “It’ll be a permanent contract.”
After opening the flap of the case, Derek pulled out a large ma
nila envelope. He set down the satchel then removed the contracts. Corey’s body shook with his excitement. He was still awed at the way Derek had taken the time to let Corey decide what he did and didn’t want to agree to. He’d not only encouraged him to put anything he was still unsure of after what he’d been through onto the soft limits list, but had reiterated that they never had to be revisited again unless Corey initiated it. He also hadn’t said a word to discourage him when things he’d never had a problem with before became hard limits.
No bondage. No masks. No bending over for penetration.
As always, Derek had remained hyperaware of Corey’s circumstances and had made sure that Corey understood the power he held in their relationship.
Derek laid the two identical copies of their contract on the desk then leaned forward as he slid them toward Josh with two fingers. “Here you go. I left them unstapled so they could be scanned into the system. By the way, are you happy with the setup?”
Josh accepted the contracts, pulling them closer as he chuckled. “It’s fantastic. Really. I’m sure it’ll be even better after I understand how everything works.”
Corey noted that Derek had frowned. He didn’t seem pleased with Josh’s answer. “Hmm. We need to set aside a time when we can sit down and go over it then. I picked out the latest in technology for our business system then configured it in a way that seemed user friendly to me. It doesn’t appear as if I did a very good job. We all need to be able to easily run the programs.”
Josh opened the lid to a large all-in-one printer on a stand set at a right angle to the desk. “Oh, I know, Derek. I’m not worried. We still have a couple months or so before the place is ready for the grand opening. And truthfully? I think we’re keeping to the schedule really well.” Josh had already placed the first page in and was poking away at the screen, his lips pursed and eyebrows pulled together. “Before you both sign, I want to verify that I know how to scan these in properly.”
Corey mused over what a gorgeous couple his friend David and Master Josh made together. David had a soft, almost ethereal look to him, but he wasn’t small the way Corey was. He was tall, with large hazel eyes, full lips and brown hair that laid perfectly straight and bangs that swept sideways over his brow. Josh was also tall, but with broader shoulders. He had blond hair and blue eyes and would’ve rivaled a younger Brad Pitt in a comparison as to who was more handsome.
Derek cleared his throat. “Uh, Josh? Can I give you a hand there?”
Josh pressed the screen some more. “Nnnnoooo…” He pressed again. “I think I’ve got it.” The machine whirred to life and Josh straightened with a triumphant smile. “There we go.” Josh faced the computer monitor, his smile fading. He shook his head as he rolled his eyes, then he turned to them again. “So. When did you want to get together to go over the system?”
Derek covered his mouth with his hand.
“Don’t bother, Derek. I know you’re laughing at me.” Josh had said it good-naturedly.
Derek choked out a laugh, obviously losing the battle to keep it in. “Hey, it’s all right. I probably got carried away when I rigged everything together. But I wanted something that could cross-reference applicants with members, equipment with Doms who are proficient, triggers for members or anything else we might need, including the outside maintenance, beverage and food vendors.”
Josh nodded. “Thank God you’ve run your own business for a while and Gavin is the king of managing money. I’m still not sure what my years as a fashion model brings to the table. It certainly hasn’t made me proficient in the usage of computers.”
“Knock it off, Josh. You’re excellent at overseeing all these workers and vendors. I have no idea what’s going on with them half the time.”
Josh turned to Corey. “Sorry. Got sidetracked there. Starting up this club is testing my previously uncontested ability to focus.”
Derek grunted. “It’s testing my ability to keep my fists to myself when dealing with bureaucracy.”
“We got the soda from the bar taps cleared by the Health Department. That’s half of it.”
Derek scowled at his partner. “Can we talk about something else?”
It was the first time Corey had ever paid attention to what was involved in getting the club up and running. When the group of them would occasionally meet up and socialize, the Doms made it a point not to talk business. The few passing remarks Corey had heard he’d tuned out.
Another knock sounded and Corey’s breath hitched.
Master Gavin.
Josh called out. “Come on in, Gavin.”
The Masters were the only three people who had a key to the building, so there was no doubt as to who it would be. Derek had explained to Corey that because of the nature of the business, they’d made it a policy that one of them always had to be there when the workers were on the job. Their West Hollywood location generally meant that there was a gay friendly attitude among the contractors and their employees. But BDSM didn’t always carry that same level of acceptance. They’d already had one electrician quit early on for that very reason.
“Hello, everyone.”
Gavin offered him a warm smile. Corey smiled back, no longer as intimidated as he’d once been by the well-built, handsome black Dom who exuded such a powerful masculinity. Of the three Masters, he was the most formal as well as the hardest for Corey to read. When he’d first met Master Gavin, he’d assumed he must be a mean, heartless Dom, especially since that’d been the only type of Dom he’d ever known. Once he’d seen how loving and gentle he was with his sub Kyle—who would become another good friend to Corey—he’d realized just how unfairly he’d judged him.
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About the Author
M/M Erotic Romance author, Morticia Knight, enjoys hot stories of men loving men forever after. They can be men in uniform, Doms and subs, rock stars or bikers—but they’re all searching for the one (or two!) who was meant only for them.
When not indulging in her passion for books, she loves the outdoors, film and music. Once upon a time she was the singer in an indie rock band that toured the West Coast and charted on U.S. college radio. She is currently working on more instalments of Sin City Uniforms, The Hampton Road Club, as well as the follow-up to Bryan and Aubrey’s story from Rockin’ the Alternative and Dylan and Zero from Biking Bad.
Email: [email protected]
Morticia loves to hear from readers. You can find her contact information, website and author biography at http://www.pride-publishing.com.
Also by Morticia Knight
A Spirit of Love
Uniform Encounters: Set Ablaze
Uniform Encounters: Arresting Behavior
Uniform Encounters: Lust Emergency
Uniform Encounters: Guarded Desires
Uniform Encounters: Secret Fire
Uniform Encounters: Dangerous Wish
Gin and Jazz: Hollywood Bound
Gin and Jazz: Razzle Dazzle
Gin and Jazz: Tarnished Glitter
Gin and Jazz: Starring Role
Gin and Jazz: Studio Orders
Gin and Jazz: Casting Call
Gin and Jazz: Play Acting
Sin City Uniforms: All Fired Up
Sin City Uniforms: Copping an Attitude
Sin City Uniforms: Justice Prevails
Sin City Uniforms: Held Hostage
Sin City Uniforms: Negotiating Love
Sin City Uniforms: Searching for Shelter
The Hampton Road Club: Hesitant Heart
The Hampton Road Club: The Rules of Love
The Hampton Road Club: The Fear of Surrender
The Hampton Road Club: Mastering Love
Kiss of Leather: Building Bonds
Kiss of Leather: Safe Limits
Kiss of Leather: Bondage Rescue
Clandestine Classics: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
Clandestine Classics: The Fall of the House of Usher
All Together Now: The Perfect Third
Hard Riders: Biking Bad
Semper Fidelis: Safe Shores
Aim High: Venetian Skies
Racing Hearts: Racing for Home
What’s his Passion? Rockin’ the Alternative
Begging to Serve Page 17