TIM WASN’T ready to meet a furious Max, not without warning. First, he was waving off another potential customer with her bag of supplies, and then he was nose to chin with hot breath pouring over his face. Was Max leaning over the table? Was there a table?
“What e-mail are they talking about?” Max roared. “What the fuck did you do, you little shit!”
“I didn’t do a damn thing!” Tim shot back, taking a step backward just to get some space.
Gloria had him by the shoulder and was pulling him even farther back behind her. “Excuse me, fuckface, but what is your problem?”
“Get out of the way.” Max started to walk around the table. “Ruining my reputation in Georgia wasn’t enough, was it? You had to try to do this shit here too? And online? You’re as stupid as you’re a shitty sub!”
Tim’s nostrils flared. Oh, that was fucking rich. It was nice Gloria was playing human shield, but this was his battle to fight. He stepped around her just in time to see Jae and Reggie grab Max’s arms and yank him back from the table. Oh good, more help. Too much help? Well, at least Max couldn’t physically hurt him now.
“Look here, jackass.” Tim pointed a finger at Max as he struggled. “I’m about tired of your bullshit. Coming in here, throwing your damn weight around, threatening me, calling me a bad sub. You know not one damn thing how I live now after what you did to me.”
“What I did was an accident. Those happen. This e-mail bullshit? This is all you, isn’t it? Couldn’t find anyone to deal with you, so you pull this shit?”
Tim opened his mouth to respond when Jae spun Max out of Reggie’s grasp, the front of his shirt balled into one fist. “I’m. His. Master.” Each word was spat out right into Max’s face.
Max burst out laughing, much to Tim’s surprise. And annoyance. “Seriously? He’s got no collar, so what? You all pass him around or something?”
And it was Jae’s turn to be held back as Reggie grabbed his arm to keep him from punching Max in the face. As much as Tim would have loved to see that, as sue-happy as Max was, the last thing they all needed was an assault charge.
“Enough!” Mistress Rarity’s voice rang out again, this time followed by her imposing presence. Even dressed as the Queen of Hearts, when she ran a dungeon on six-inch heels, Rarity’s presence made everyone stop in their tracks, even Max. With an arm around Cheri’s trembling shoulders, she stepped in front of the table with two bouncers.
“I’m so sorry, Mistress Rarity.” Tim was quick to speak. “There seems to be a misunderstandin’ here.”
“Misunderstandin’,” Max replied in a whiny-sounding mockery of Tim’s accent. “I’m pressing charges for slander against him, and you’re all witnesses.”
“For?” Rarity asked as calmly as one pleased. Oh, she did remind Tim of himself dealing with Ms. Pantsuit. Butter wasn’t melting in that mouth.
Max pointed at Cheri. “Who sent that e-mail about me?”
“It was a post on the Leather Aid Submissives’ forum. And it didn’t mention your name at all.” Even afraid, Cheri was tart, and Rarity gave her a little side hug.
“She’s right. You can have a copy of the post if you wish. It was a general warning to watch for anyone who tried to pressure a sub out of their boundaries. It isn’t Tim’s fault that you’ve matched the description this evening and behaved so poorly.”
“Tim isn’t even on the forum,” Cheri added, then looked over at Tim. “Right?”
Tim nodded. “Right. I’ve stayed away from anything kink related online. I remember the details of the restraining order just fine. And you can double-check that shit for yourself.”
Max looked around at the group, then yanked out of Dom Joseph’s grip, straightening his shirt. “So all of this bullshit….”
“…is of your doing,” Rarity finished for him. “Let’s see, you’ve attempted to violate a sub’s boundaries on my watch, insulted one of the more willing, intelligent, and giving submissives I have met—who happens to be a sponsor of this event—on my watch, and offended his Dom. On my watch.” She lifted her mask, revealing that the design allowed her to keep her glasses on underneath. “I give no shits who you may be on the East Coast or how you earned your leathers or your patches, Master Max, but around here, we don’t allow such behavior from anyone. Any damage to your reputation here is all on you. You may leave. Now.”
As she smoothly replaced the mask, the two bouncers approached Max. He held up his hands. “I’ll see myself out. Never seen a more pathetic group of so-called kinksters in my life. It was waste of my time coming here.”
As he turned, Rarity said to his retreating back, “Oh, and if you still have it in your head to bring any sort of charges again Timothy, he’ll have the support of Leather Aid behind him, and we too have witnesses.”
That made Tim’s knees weak, and Gloria had to lean him against her to keep him up. Support from Leather Aid meant a lot to him. The group had accepted his limited role as demo sub for years and welcomed his increased involvement, but this was everything.
Gloria shifted, and a more solid presence replaced her. Tim turned and inhaled Jae’s aftershave. Much better.
“Damn, I’m real sorry,” he heard Cheri say. “I didn’t know turning him down would be such a big deal.”
“Don’t be silly, dear,” Rarity replied. “If you are actually interested in knowing more about suspension, my girl ashley enjoys it very much. Come, we’ll have a drink, and she’ll talk your ear off about it.”
“Alright. See you Wednesday, Boss!”
Tim managed a little backward wave, not even sure if he was waving in her direction or not. It didn’t matter. Max was gone and he wasn’t alone.
He’d never be alone again. Ever.
Chapter EIGHTEEN
THE SOUND of the front door opening had Jae grinning even harder. It was 2:00 a.m. His project had been complete and turned in for exactly two hours, which gave him an entire weekend free. Well, “weekend” in Tim’s terms.
He waited for Tim to knock on the closed office door. “Sir?”
“Come in.”
Tim, shoeless and looking exhausted, slipped through the door, walked to the front of the desk, and bowed quietly.
“How was work?” Jae asked as he rose, shutting his computer down for the night.
“Cheri is a fucking miracle,” Tim gushed, as if exhaustion weren’t enough to keep back his joy. “Gloria wants to adopt her, the customers like her, I like her. She’ll be doing store openings in no time.”
Tim was the good sort of tired, in a way Jae hadn’t seen even when they first met. In the weeks after the Leather Ball, his shoulders seemed less tense, and he worried a bit less, as if his support system putting Max in his place took some weight off him. And there was no word from the East Coast save for some phone calls from Raphael.
It wasn’t perfect. He walked into a shrink’s office one day and came out with a diagnosis of PTSD that wasn’t helped by what she believed was OCD. Tim accepted the first set of letters but fought against the second. Jae had him write up as much of his visits as he was comfortable with for Jae to read, and that would be one grand battle to fight.
Later.
Gloria was a full-fledged manager and insisted Tim start taking Sundays off. He was reluctant, still, but so far, there were no complaints.
Jae’s parents mailed a replacement set of the coffee cup Tim dropped on that fateful night. Neither one told them who dropped it, that it was only an accident. And another catalog talking about overseas adoption. Some things would never change.
But that was for another time.
Jae pulled one of the drawers of the desk open. “I have some things for you.”
Tim perked up. “A new cock ring? I know you were looking at them at the shop.”
Jae took out two boxes, one square and flat, the other a cube. He set the flat one in front of Tim first. “Go on.”
He pulled the top off with eager fingers, though they both knew what was inside.
A sliver chain, the links about the size of Tim’s small pinky nail, held together by a lock in the shape of an oval with a small hole for a key, laying on a bit of padded red silk. Tasteful, subtle enough to not “freak the vanillas,” but it held a message carved on the underside of the oval.
Jae’s name. Written in Hangul.
“Damn, it’s prettier up close,” Tim whispered, lifting the new collar in his hands. “But where’s the key?”
Jae motioned to the cube. He was smiling so hard the corners of his cheeks were sore. They had picked over what exactly they were going to get until Jae gave Tim five final choices. Small enough so his pet wouldn’t get overwhelmed, but enough so he’d feel he had an actual say in the matter. Tim went from agonizing to making his selection in a day. It was a proud moment for Jae. He was learning how to make things easier for Tim to deal with one moment at a time.
“Why’s the key in a whole ’nother box?” Tim set the collar back where it came from and picked up the cube. “Seems a waste of packaging if you ask me—what?” Tim looked inside the box, then at Jae, then cocked his head to the side. “But I already got a key to your house, Sir. And none of these look like they’ll fit in that tiny hole.”
“Yes, to the front door. But not the back, or the garage, or the shed, or even my car, just in case.”
The jingle of the ring with the newly cut keys in Tim’s hands looked right, and it made Jae’s decision even more firm in his mind.
“But why do I need all of these keys?”
Jae rose from the desk, talking as he walked around. “Because I want you to move in with me. Hard for you to take care of our household when we live separately, don’t you think?”
And then there was silence and Tim staring at the keys, then up to Jae. “What about my apartment?”
“It’s got enough boxes in there, make it your inventory.”
“That would clear out the office to be actually useful.” Tim nodded slowly. Jae swore he could see the several hamster wheels that made up Tim’s brain running forward, backward, and through one another, maybe even upside down.
Jae held up a hand. “It’s a big step, I know, but I need you here. And I think you need me a lot closer than a phone call away. We can make this work, but damn, Tim, pet, you belong here.”
Thin lips tugged into a small smile, and then a bigger one. “You make it sound so easy.”
“Isn’t it?”
“Where’s the key for the collar?
Jae held up his key ring, presenting the tiny key. “Already put it where it belongs.”
“I suppose you’re right. Let’s do it.”
Before Jae could respond, Tim turned his back to him, tilting his head forward. “Speaking of putting things where they belong….”
Jae’s heart leaped as he unlocked the collar and drew it around Tim’s neck. The color was lovely against his pale skin and it fit loosely. He admired it there before bending to kiss the lock.
“There’s a second key to this under the silk. For emergencies,” Jae murmured, wanting to get that unpleasant thought out of their minds quickly. If Tim were to have an allergic reaction and couldn’t breathe, it might have to come off quickly.
“Yes, Sir.” The breathy reply made it clear the thought had come and gone from Tim’s mind. Good.
They would have to concern themselves with all kinds of details and moving and making Tim’s life fit here with Jae’s. But that could wait. Right now….
“I want you naked, save for this—” Another kiss to the lock. “—in our bed. Waiting for me. Now.”
“Yes, Sir!”
Tim was out of the office, leaving the door open, moving with that quick quietness that never failed to amaze Jae. Good, he was so good.
And they were going to be so good. Together.
More from Nicole Forcine
Little Earthquakes: Book One
Tim Myers is the flamboyant and overly fastidious owner of the adult shop Little Earthquakes. In his spare time, he moonlights as a sub for his friend’s BDSM classes, and while he’d love to find a Dom to cater to his domestic servitude kink, he’s wary of exposing his body and his heart. When Jae Seong comes into Tim’s shop and asks him for help with a wax play demo, Tim is turned off by the idea. Jae is nothing if not persistent, though. He’s a skilled Dom and soon finds out why Tim is so protective of his body, his neck, and his heart. Over a series of play dates, the two grow close, and it dawns on Tim that he might be looking at a match made for collaring.
Jonathan Mendoza used to live an even crazier life, partying with his tight-knit traveling performance troupe whenever he wasn’t on stage belly dancing. When his sick mother begged him to change his lifestyle, he agreed to try to live sober, but that change is hard. Neither is it easy to stop staring at Dean Winters after he nearly knocks the man over before a performance.
A former recluse, prone to panic attacks after surviving a traumatic accident, Dean isn’t Jonathan’s usual type. Still, Jonathan is irresistibly attracted to him, and decides to cure the itch with a one-night stand. But that night, he’s shaken by Dean’s kindness and consideration—something he’s not used to in a lover or a friend. His best friend, Rachel, who co-owns the troupe with Jonathan, sees Dean as a threat to their friendship and to the troupe—the dream they’ve worked together to build. She reveals a cruel and possessive streak that could do much greater damage on both fronts, and Jonathan realizes he will have to choose between the nomadic life he’s lived and the man who is stealing his heart.
NICOLE FORCINE was born a strange child and former Georgia peach. When she was younger, she was never far from a composition book with pen in hand and way too many people in her head (she’s even been known to talk back to them). When two or more of them talk loud enough to overshadow the rest, a story is born. After years of writing and storing her tales in those books, she had a revelation: man, there are a lot of dudes kissing in these stories.
Her stories include themes of creating families of choice, how love can come in all forms and supersede all boundaries, and the joys and sorrows of earning a happily-ever-after.
Currently, she resides in Minneapolis with one of the most laid-back men in history and two kitties: one old and grumpy, the other short and adorable (hers, of course). When she’s not writing (ha!), she’s saving the world/galaxy/humanity as we know it in the world of video games and general geekiness.
E-mail: [email protected]
Blog: nicoleforcine.wordpress.com
Twitter: @NikiForcine
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/author/show/7160783.Nicole_Forcine
By Nicole Forcine
This Little Whatever
LITTLE EARTHQUAKES
Shaken Up
Settling Down
Published by DREAMSPINNER PRESS
www.dreamspinnerpress.com
Published by
DREAMSPINNER PRESS
5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886 USA
www.dreamspinnerpress.com
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of author imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Settling Down
© 2016 Nicole Forcine.
Cover Art
© 2016 AngstyG.
http://www.angstyg.com
Cover content is for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted on the cover is a model.
All rights reserved. This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of international copyright law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines, and/or imprisonment. Any eBook format cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage
and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Dreamspinner Press, 5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886, USA, or www.dreamspinnerpress.com.
Digital ISBN: 978-1-63477-324-9
Published July 2016
v. 1.0
Printed in the United States of America
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