“I think you took that argument one point too far to be effective, counselor. You should have stopped with Louis getting out of jail.”
“Yeah, well, maybe I’m a masochist when it comes to work, boo.” She fluffed her dark curls with one hand. “Makes me a damn good attorney but a sucky life partner, much to my parents’ chagrin. Plus they ain’t gettin’ any grandbabies outta this uterus.”
From the parking lot the restaurant looked pretty busy when she pulled in and found them a spot. They were walking toward the building when they heard a car honk.
They turned, and Kimbra smiled and waved. “There’s Fingers now.”
Moments later, Walt and Holly joined them. Bryce had met Walt before, working with him while talking to deaf and HOH clients who needed a sign language interpreter. Kimbra knew rudimentary basics, but she wasn’t fast or fluent enough to handle a detailed conversation full of nuance, especially about legal matters.
Walt signed as he talked, not just with Bryce, but with all of them. “Hey, how are you doing?”
Bryce struggled to remember what he’d learned so far and signed along. “Fine, thanks. Please correct me if I mess up, or fill in for me.”
“I will. Tell me to slow down if I go too fast.”
They headed in and Kimbra steered them all toward a back corner table after greeting Tony and Shayla, who were the hosts for the night. “Tilt up the chairs,” she said. “We’ve got all of it.”
Walt sat next to Bryce, on his left. Kimbra’s friend and fellow lawyer, Eve, arrived shortly after and took a seat next to Kimbra on Holly’s far side. Not long after, Everett, Eve’s brother, arrived with his husband, Wylie, and a couple introduced as Lara and her husband, Brad.
Everett’s ex-wife and her husband.
As long as they can keep it straight, I guess.
That left them awaiting one person, the seat remaining vacant on Bryce’s right side.
Lara leaned across the open space, her voice low. “Dustin works with me. Really nice guy. Realtor. Smart guy. Good luck!”
She actually gave him a thumbs-up.
“Um…thanks.” He hoped her eagerness wasn’t a bad sign. He’d been the victim of matchmaking gone wrong before, well-intentioned friends thinking people belonged together just because they were single and gay.
At least everyone in this group knew about the kinky stuff, so one less way to foul things up.
When the guy walked in, Bryce’s attention was drawn to him immediately. Over six feet tall, older than him, but from what he could see, buff, in shape. Button-up shirt and jeans, but not dad jeans, and not skinny ones, either. Broad shoulders tapering down to a trim waist and a tight ass. Hazel eyes and brown hair with a few traces of grey. Confident walk, but not assholish swagger.
Turn that knob to eleven, kiddies, we have a winner. Please let that be him!
Then Lara spotted the newcomer and waved, and he waved back and headed their way.
I’m buying lotto tickets tonight.
Bryce turned to Walt and signed hot, then bit his knuckle.
Walt laughed. “I don’t think that’s proper ASL, but I get your meaning. If you want to drop signing for a while, I’ll understand.”
“Thanks.” Bryce took another look. The guy landed hard on the adorable side of fuckable.
And yes, this was Dustin, Bryce was happy to have confirmed. Bryce stood to shake with him and knew from his own five ten that the guy had to be at least six three or six four.
Yum! “Nice to meet you. Bryce Butler.”
“Dustin Poole.”
* * * *
Bryce had gorgeous blue eyes, blond hair, and was dressed in khaki slacks and a button-up shirt that made Dustin feel underdressed in his jeans.
Slim, and definitely younger than him.
Daaammmn.
Sure, he was cute, but Dustin had a feeling it was only a matter of time before Bryce dropped the hammer on him. He didn’t know how young the guy was, but in his experience it wouldn’t work out for Bryce.
At least, that was the excuse younger Doms had always given him in the past.
Sorry, man. It’s not you—it’s me. No hard feelings.
That was code for you’re too old for me and can’t keep up with me. Hell, even a couple of older Doms close to his own age had used that excuse, only for him to learn later they’d taken up with a twink who barely looked eighteen.
He settled in what was apparently his seat—right next to Bryce, he noticed—and gave a waitress his drink order before focusing on the guy he wished he could have. Maybe a defeatist attitude, granted, but better that than getting his hopes up about the drop-dead adorable Dom just to have them crushed.
They chatted for a little while, and it almost made it worse for Dustin. The guy was wicked smart, evilly playful, great sense of humor, and his gorgeous blue eyes gleamed behind his glasses.
Finally, Dustin had to say it, get it over with, spare the guy having to do the dirty work. “Look, I’m forty-five.”
Bryce’s right eyebrow slid up. “I’m thirty. Is that a problem?”
Dustin blinked, not sure he’d heard him right. “Sorry?”
“Do you not date or play with younger guys? You said that like it’s a problem for you.”
“No. I mean, yes, I do, but I meant if…” He found himself trailing off, as what could only be amusement quirked the corner of Bryce’s mouth.
“I don’t have a problem with it if you don’t,” Bryce said. “I’m not into twinks. I’d rather play with someone who has their shit together and is stable in their life. I’m not fond of drama or partying. As an attorney, I’m kind of allergic to bullshit, personally and professionally.”
Dustin licked his lips, swallowing hard to form spit since his mouth had gone dry. “Okay.” It barely came out a whisper.
“I’m also not poly,” Bryce continued. “I do like to tie, but I haven’t done much of that lately. Here’s what I need in terms of minimum boundaries. Playing with others by permission only—that goes for both of us. No sex or sexy play with anyone else, though. If that’s a problem for you—”
“That’s not a problem,” Dustin said, still unable to speak at his normal volume. It was like Bryce made his own gravity and had sucked Dustin into his orbit, the pull tugging him closer and closer.
And Dustin didn’t mind in the least.
“Mind if I propose something?” Bryce asked.
Dustin nodded.
“Kimbra drove me tonight. I live south of here, near Gulf Gate Estates. If it wouldn’t be an imposition—”
“I’ll drive you home.”
Shit. It felt like his brains had fallen out of his head and he had no clue why. This wasn’t like him.
Bryce smiled. “If at the end of the night you’re still interested, how about we ride together and we can talk more. If not, no hard feelings, and I can still catch my ride home with Kimbra.”
“It really doesn’t bother you how old I am?”
“I’m getting the feeling this has been a problem for you with others in the past.”
“Only the last few years. Another reason I wanted out of Miami.”
“Oh, well, there’s your problem.” Bryce’s laugh sounded warm, friendly. Strong. “Party crowd. Stand and Model flavor of S&M.”
“Exactly.”
“You’re not allergic to cats, are you?”
“No.”
“Okay, good. Because I have one. But he’s kind of an asshole sometimes.”
“Only sometimes?”
Bryce shrugged. “Not all the time. Maybe I shouldn’t have named him Archer.”
Dustin snorted. “I love that show.”
Bryce’s smile widened. “Excellent. Glad to hear it.”
* * * *
Bryce was giving thanks for shallow, narcissistic assholes who’d obviously discarded Dustin in the past.
His lucky day, for a change.
The longer he talked to Dustin, the more he found to like about him.
And Dustin liked Archer?
Duuuuude.
That meant he had a quirky sense of humor and probably wouldn’t look at Bryce like he was an alien when he made snarky asides.
When Tony started the introduction round after announcements were made, Bryce took a moment to watch Dustin when his attention was on Tony. He acted quiet, soft-spoken, but in a friendly kind of way. Like he didn’t want to be overpowering, or like he was used to people seeing his size first, so he tempered his voice to put people at ease. He probably had great rapport with his real estate clients because he didn’t come off as a “salesperson” like some people did when they had that kind of profession.
Frankly, Bryce liked playing with guys bigger than him. That they willingly submitted to him and took what he gave them was a massive turn-on. Dustin was a good six inches taller than him, not to mention had at least fifty pounds on him.
So what if he was older? Wasn’t like they were going to go run a marathon together or anything.
I hope Kira likes him.
That thought popped into his brain from out of nowhere. They hadn’t even settled for sure whether or not Dustin wanted to drive him home, much less if they were going to get together again to talk…or anything else.
He also didn’t want to focus on Kira right now, on whatever was going on in her life that she felt she couldn’t tell him. Because every instinct in him screamed that there was something wrong.
Maybe Kimbra’s right. I need to let her tell me when she’s ready. Or maybe I’m making a mountain out of a tiny pile of bullshit.
For tonight, he wanted to fully focus on the hunk sitting next to him.
Chapter Four
Dustin didn’t know if Bryce meant what he said, but he damn sure hoped he did.
Because Dustin could already tell Bryce was not only his type, but he could easily fall hard for the Dom.
The attorney wore an air of quiet confidence that didn’t even come close to approaching the automatic turn-off of asshole arrogance. They had similar tastes in books and movies and music.
He was fucking adorable.
Long, nimble fingers he could easily picture tying him, flying him.
Spanking him.
Jacking his cock for him.
He could see himself on his knees in front of the guy, and that’s when his chub really tried to take control of his body’s blood flow.
Dinner was winding to a close and they were waiting for their checks. Apparently, Kimbra had volunteered to pay for Bryce’s to entice him to come the way Lara had volunteered to pay for his for the same reason.
“So…” Bryce leaned in. “No pressure. No’s a perfectly acceptable answer. You feel like driving me home so we can talk some more?”
Dustin nodded. “I don’t have to work tomorrow. I can stay out late.”
Bryce turned and caught Kimbra’s attention. “I’m taking a personal day tomorrow, boss.”
She smiled and tipped her water glass at him in a toast. “Enjoy. ’Bout damn time. Best not see your ass in the office before Tuesday.”
Once they’d said their good-byes to everyone and were free to leave, Dustin felt a little confused when Bryce stopped just outside the restaurant’s front entrance. Dustin had naturally fallen into step behind him, happy to follow.
“What’s wrong?” Dustin asked.
Bryce smiled up at him. “I don’t know which car is yours.”
Mortified, his face heated. “Oh, duh. Sorry. I’m an idiot.”
He’d started to take a step when Bryce caught his wrist and waited until Dustin met his gaze.
“Hey,” Bryce quietly said. “I’m not an asshole. At least, I try not to be. You don’t need to feel like that around me. I want you to just be you, and I don’t want you to put yourself down, either.”
More heat inflamed his cheeks. “Okay,” he mumbled.
Bryce’s hand slipped down Dustin’s wrist to grip his fingers, where he squeezed. “Lead the way,” he quietly said.
“Yes, Sir.” It slipped out automatically, and now Dustin really felt like an idiot.
But Bryce smiled, with more than a little playful evilness to it. “Careful. I like the sound of that.”
* * * *
Boy, did he. Bryce’s cock had hardened like damn concrete. Even though he knew Dustin had likely slipped into a default mode, it sure as hell did good things to Bryce’s body and soul.
Bryce was also glad to see Dustin kept his car clean. As Bryce got Dustin heading in the right direction, he studied the man’s profile in the dim light.
“I’m going to be honest that I’d like to see you again,” Bryce said. “But if you don’t feel that way about me, please be honest with me.”
“I want to see you again.” It almost sounded like Dustin clamped down on dropping another Sir onto the end of that sentence. “I had fun tonight,” he added.
“So did I.” Bryce knew he needed to be careful, that it was too damned easy to jump into something wrong for all the right reasons…or to jump into something right for all the wrong reasons.
Either way, it’d be doomed if it was rushed.
“Have you been dating anyone lately?” Bryce asked.
“No. I haven’t had a boyfriend since before I left Miami. Months before. When I moved over here and found a new doctor, I updated my test results because it’d been a while. Neg across the board. That was over a month ago, and I…”
He stopped for a light and used the opportunity to look at Bryce. “Been nearly a damn year for me since I’ve been laid, not to put too fine a point on it.”
“Join the club. Eight months, but the guy turned out to be a player. Lucky for me, he didn’t play me into a case of something I couldn’t get rid of.”
“Yikes.”
“He was looking for a sugar Daddy and because I was an attorney, he assumed I was rolling in dough.”
Dustin smiled. “You’re not? Darn.”
“I do a lot of pro bono work with Kimbra, sooo…yeah. That doesn’t pay a damn cent. I’m lucky to get expenses covered some of the time on those cases.”
“I think that’s cool, though. That you help people. I sell real estate. That’s not exactly philanthropic work.”
“Since we’re talking, let’s get the stuff out of the way we really couldn’t talk about in front of others at dinner.”
The light had turned green and Dustin let off of the brake. Bryce turned a little in his seat so he could watch Dustin’s face. “If we’re dating,” Bryce continued, “I will expect certain basic boundaries be maintained in addition to what we talked about. There will be some rituals we’d have that wouldn’t interfere with work for either of us. That’s something else you need to understand—I work. Sometimes, I have to work late. And I might get called in for a PD case—”
“A what?”
“Public Defender. We take on those kinds of cases too, sometimes. Kimbra says I’m a workaholic.”
“I know I am. Plus I’m usually working most Saturdays and Sundays during the day. Like this week, I’m taking off Monday and Tuesday.”
Hmm. That was interesting, and Bryce shelved it away for now. “I don’t do private drama, and I definitely don’t do public drama. I don’t want our private lives splashed all over Facebook or FetLife.”
“Agreed.”
“I can play heavy and hard, or I can play soft and sexy, depending on what you like. I’m definitely a sensual sadist, and I do love rope.”
“Nothing scaring me off so far.”
“I’m thinking we try dating before we play. At least go out a couple of times. When I first got involved in the lifestyle, I was lucky enough to be mentored by Tony and Kaden and others, and I learned the best mantra is ‘sadist, not asshole.’ I don’t ever want to do something to you I can’t undo.”
“When did you know you were kinky?” Dustin asked.
“I think I always knew it, even though I didn’t understand it when I was a kid.” He laughed. “I used to love tyin
g up my best friend Kira.”
That situation flashed into his brain. “Oh, and okay, full disclosure. She’s going to come for a long stay in a few weeks, possibly even move in with me for a while. She’s my best friend and just broke up with her boyfriend and got laid off from her job. She was a corporate attorney out in Dallas. And…she was the first, last, and only woman I ever slept with.”
They’d stopped for another light. “Okay?”
But the way Dustin said it was like he was waiting for the rest, not like he didn’t like what he was hearing.
“I didn’t want there to be any misunderstandings about her later.”
“I don’t really get a say in who lives in your house, considering we just met tonight.”
“I know, but her ex was an asshole who got really pissed off when he found out she and I slept together.”
“How old were you when it happened?”
“Sixteen. She turned seventeen a few weeks later.”
“I don’t think I have anything to worry about then, do I?” Dustin wore an adorable smile when he said it.
“She knows I’m gay and kinky, so that wouldn’t be an issue while she’s staying with me.”
“Okay, then. I don’t have a roommate. I’m in a small apartment for now, renting it from the agency. Was she mad when you came out to her?”
“No, that’s kind of why we slept together. She didn’t care one way or another, and she offered to sleep with me to see how I felt about it.” He couldn’t help smiling at the memory. “God, I’m lucky she didn’t hate me after that. I was such an idiot. When did you come out?”
“Well, in high school, I kept trying to tell myself I was straight, right? Then in college I thought well, okay, maybe I’m bi. Then, after I graduated from college, I was sharing an apartment with this guy with a smokin’ hot older brother who had his eye on me, apparently from the day I moved in. Once the brother finally sussed that I was interested, he invited me to this party, right? Said one of their friends had just turned twenty-one and wanted to celebrate it right, implying it was going to be sexy.
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