The Master Arrives

by Julia Talbot

  The Master Arrives (Club Endless 2)

  Julia Talbot

  All rights reserved.

  Copyright ©2019 Julia Talbot

  BIN: 009046-02927

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  Publisher:

  Changeling Press LLC

  315 N. Centre St.

  Martinsburg, WV 25404

  www.ChangelingPress.com

  Editor: Crystal Esau

  Cover Artist: Bryan Keller

  Adult Sexual Content

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  Table of Contents

  The Master Arrives (Club Endless 2)

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Epilogue

  Julia Talbot

  The Master Arrives (Club Endless 2)

  Julia Talbot

  Kane loves his job waiting tables at Club Endless, but even though he’s a sub, he never dates the Doms from work. A bad relationship and a tendency to rush into things has left him cautious, which is why he’s so surprised at his reaction to Master Jess.

  Jess is bored and a little jaded, thinking maybe he might let his membership to Club Endless lapse. Then he sees Kane in a whole new light, asking the young sub out on a date away from the club. Kane doesn’t want to rush into things, but they seem meant to be if they can just get past Kane’s fear of picking the wrong man.

  Chapter One

  Jessup Halliday felt… old. Far older than his thirty-six years.

  The entry to Club Endless was still timeless black and chrome and the hostess who took his membership card was young and sleek in a black sequined sheath and heels. Her hose even had seams up the back, marching in a straight line. Perfect in every way.

  He was a founding member of Club Endless, and while it had changed with the times, it was as amazing as it had been when it first opened, while managing to stay current.

  So why was he feeling… jaded?

  He sighed. Maybe he needed to let his membership go dormant for a while. Write it off as a contribution or something. Take a long vacation in Italy. He loved Rome. Or maybe the coast.

  Mmm. Italy. Yes, that was just the ticket.

  He knew he’d hit on the perfect idea after the hostess slid his membership card, then headed for the dining room.

  “Good evening, Master Halliday.” The server, one of his favorites, led him to a table. “Italian tonight.”

  “Yum. Northern or Southern?”

  “You have several choices. Shall I tell you, or would you prefer to read the menu?” Kane held out his chair.

  “Oh, I think you should tell me. I do love your voice.”

  Kane blinked, then beamed at him. “Let me get your water, and I’ll be pleased to recite them.”

  It amazed Jess, really, how little it took to make people happy. He needed to remember that, and stop wallowing in his ennui.

  Kane was back in a flash, laying out his water and silverware, which was all polished impeccably. “There now. Are you ready, Sir?”

  “I am.” He sat back, watching Kane’s mouth as he spoke,

  “Very good. For primi, we have risotto al funghi, polenta with caramelized fennel and onions, or cacio e pepe. Do you need any ingredient lists?”

  “Mmm, no. They all sound lovely.”

  “They all smell amazing.” Kane chuckled. “For secondi, we have veal saltimbocca, bistecca Fiorentina, or baccala alla vicentina, served with an arugula salad and garlic toasts.”

  So, rice with mushrooms, corn grits with fennel, or pasta with oil and pepper. Normally didn’t indulge in veal, so it was the steak or the salted cod cooked with milk and anchovies… Hmm. “I’ll have the risotto and the baccala, I think.”

  “Brave! I haven’t been able to make myself try the fish.”

  He tilted his head, almost certain he was being flirted with, which was new from Kane. “You’ll have to try mine.”

  “Oh!” Kane blushed. “Thank you, Sir. Let me get that order in for you. Do you care for soup or grissini?”

  “The breadsticks, please. I went without lunch today.” Suddenly the club seemed shinier. Not new, and not better than Italy, but he did like when a beautiful boy batted eyelashes at him. He truly did.

  “Wine? There’s a lovely Chianti, or a pinot grigio.”

  “The pinot grigio, I think, for the fish.”

  “Right away.”

  He didn’t bother to ask about the wines. Their sommelier, Grant, was something of a genius.

  Jess closed his eyes, listening to the gentle clink of flatware on plates, the soft music that never managed to make anyone raise their voices to be heard over it. The murmur of conversation ran over him like water, the tables arranged so no voice ever carried too far or intruded on another table.

  It was damnably lonely.

  “Jess! Hey, buddy. Mind if I sit?” Deacon Calhoun stood next to his table when he opened his eyes, the big Dom looking very snazzy in gray slacks and a blue silk shirt.

  “Not at all.” He liked Deacon very much. “No Geoff tonight?”

  “He’s preparing for a scene. We’re giving a spanking demo tonight.”

  “Ah. No dinner for him.”

  “Exactly. He’s having some quiet time and some broth, but I want some red meat, I think.”

  “By all means, then. I hear there’s steak Florentine.”

  Deacon sank into a chair. “What little bird told you that?”

  “Kane is on tonight.”

  Head tilting, Deacon stared at him for long seconds. “Have you taken him as a lover recently?”

  “What? No. No, in fact I was thinking of taking a hiatus, maybe a vacation. Paris. Rome. I feel… worn.”

  “Oh.” Deacon sat back. “I’m sorry. Something about your expression when you mentioned Kane…”

  “Master Deacon. How are you this evening?” Kane handed Deacon a menu. “Here are the specials tonight. May I bring you some water?”

  “Please.” Deacon smiled at Kane, and was given a gentle curl of lips in return.

  Huh. Maybe he was getting flirted with. Kane certainly didn’t offer to read the menu to Deacon.

  “Be right back.” Kane gave him a smile that was completely different, and Jess couldn’t help but feel it deep in his belly.

  He’d been so… disinterested in everything, and he couldn’t have imagined it would be someone so familiar to him who might spark that bit of desire. Not that Kane wasn’t lovely. He drew glances with his silver gilt hair and gray eyes, his form lithe, almost delicate. Men, and probably women, would wr
ite poetry about such a beautiful boy.

  “You know he’s between Masters, right?” Deacon’s prompt was gentle, almost too quiet to hear.

  “What?” He blinked. “Does he work as a sub?” Deacon was a master employed by the club, and he’d worked with many subs that served member masters, but he’d never heard of Kane doing that casually at the club.

  “No, no, just as a server. He’s mingled with a few of the club masters on occasion, but I know he was with someone outside the Endless scene for almost a year. Geoff has lunch with him once a week.”

  “Geoff has really embraced being a full-time sub, huh?” He knew a little about how Geoff had not wanted a male dominant to begin with, but Deacon had won him over, and then introduced him to everyone at the club.

  “He has. He’s also embraced slowing down and finding a job that’s less stressful.” Deacon beamed, so clearly in love it hurt.

  “Good for him. And you as well.” He finally caught what Deacon was trying to tell him. “Are you suggesting I offer Kane my services?”

  “No. I’m suggesting that he likes to work here but wouldn’t thrive as a sub in this environment. Ask him out on a date.”

  “A date?” Jess almost had no idea what that was anymore.

  “I know, right?” Deacon chuckled warmly. “I had a serendipitous supper with Geoff the second day we met, and it was amazing. I had forgotten how to do something outside the rituals.”

  Kane slid up to their table. “Master Deacon?”

  “Steak Florentine, please. Rare. The pasta starter, and a salad instead of soup.”

  “Absolutely.” Kane smiled at Deacon, then gave Jess a longing glance.

  Such a sweet one. He often thought of subs as tender morsels, or as some other odd food analogy. Kane he thought of as… very human.

  Kane disappeared again, and Jess wasn’t above watching his ass as he walked away. It was well-displayed in tight black pants, the black shirt tucked into them.

  “Feel less like leaving the country?” Deacon teased.

  “Maybe. I feel like going on a date, at the very least.”

  He did too. And when his meal came, Jess tucked into it with vigor for the first time in weeks.

  * * *

  Stupid. Stupid, stupid.

  Kane didn’t dare hide in the kitchen like he wanted to, but man, he wanted to.

  He’d flirted with a club member. A Dom. Hard. Like, noticeably. In a way, Kane guessed that was good; it was a sign he was ready to get back on the market and start seeing someone new. On the other side of the coin, he’d kinda pushed himself into Master Jess’ space and made an ass out of himself. The man had been super polite, even kind, but he was way out of Kane’s league. Way.

  Now, Jess’ looks were a little deceptive. He looked like a great big teddy bear. Tall, shaggy brown hair, soulful brown eyes, a little… soft wasn’t the right word. He just didn’t have the bodybuilder look that say, Master Deacon had. Master Deacon could be a model. But he’d heard things. Master Jess had gone through dozens of subs, and worked with very few outside the confines of Endless… Not the kind of thing that would work for Kane at all.

  As his last master had assured him, Kane was too damn needy to share his master with a club full of gorgeous twinks.

  He shook his head. It was all good and well to flirt, but that was it. He was just going to have to keep his cool, even if Master Jess had almost sent him to the moon with happiness saying he liked Kane’s voice.

  That was the sweetest thing anyone had said to him in ages. Was that a little sad? Kane guessed it was, but it was his life, so it didn’t matter.

  He took a deep breath. Okay, stop hiding and go refill drinks and pull plates.

  Some of his friends, mostly the ones who’d gone to college for something not liberal arts as he had, thought he was a bit long in the tooth to be waiting tables. The truth was, at Endless he could make his rent one weekend a month, and sock the rest of his money away for someday. Kane had two novels in the bag, one of which was sold, and if he played his investments right, he could walk away in ten years, maybe, and just travel and write.

  That sounded so nice.

  Squaring his shoulders, he headed out to the dining room, where someone had already filled waters. He cruised by his tables, offering appetizers to the new seating, checking on the food on another. He frowned when he saw Masters Jess and Deacon still had primi plates. He whisked them away since they were empty, smiling at a spot two feet beyond the table.

  “Be right back,” he murmured, heading back to the kitchen. Was it the steak? He hoped the fish didn’t get weird, waiting for the Florentine.

  “Can you guys check on forty-three?” he asked the expediter, Hannibal, who was gorgeous and huge and had the deepest voice.

  “It’s up in two. We refired the cod when we saw the steak come in. Apologize to them for me?”

  “Of course.” He adored Han. So efficient.

  “Cool. I’ll get the bread and stuff.” He assembled the cheese and breadsticks and such, finishing up just as the main courses hit the pass. “Thanks, Han!”

  “You got it, kiddo.” Han waved a ham-like hand, sending him out of the kitchen with his tray.

  Kane sank into the bustle of it. He knew the other servers really didn’t get it, but the hustle and rhythm of waiting tables was a lot like subspace to Kane. He didn’t have to think too hard to do it, so he could really detach a little unless he was dealing with a customer, just like a sub sliding in and out of interaction with is master during a scene.

  Subspace was more fun. Usually.

  With the wrong master, it became hell on earth. Kane shuddered, which made his tray wobble slightly. He caught it before it went anywhere, but he had to stop thinking about… about that man while he was at work. That was over, and Kane would never revisit anything that put him in a similar situation again.

  He’d made a solemn promise to himself about his love life from now on. He didn’t need a master or a lover to validate himself. Kane just needed to be himself.

  “Secondi, Masters. The chef wanted them to come out together, and apologizes for the delay.” He slid plates onto the table, then added the bread and the bowl of good parm and all afterward.

  “Thank you, Kane,” Jess said warmly, and he felt validated, damn it. Why was he so freaking needy? He kinda glowed all the way back to the server station, though, where he grabbed a Coke to sip.

  “Crazy out there tonight, huh?” Fellow server Maya washed her hands after popping a saltine into her mouth.

  “Yeah. It started slow, but now I have all these tables.”

  She nodded. “You got lucky with Master Jess and Master Deacon. They tip well.”

  “I have the biggest crush on Master Jess,” he blurted.

  “Yeah?” She bumped hips with him. “So go for it!”

  “Nah.” His heartbeat kicked up at the idea, though. “He likes the professional subs.”

  She pursed her lips. “No. He’s gone through all the pro subs because they bore him. Clearly he needs someone more genuine.”

  “Don’t do that, Maya. Don’t get me all worked up.” He sucked back his drink. “Okay, I need to go offer refills, coffee and dessert.” And check on the last table he’d put in to see if they had entrees.

  “Think about it,” Maya called.

  Jess was all he could think about. Especially now, thanks to Maya.

  He bustled. Water here, a bottle of wine there, but soon enough it was time to go back to see if Jess and Deacon wanted dessert. “Masters? Coffee? Dessert?”

  “Mmm. I have to go get ready.”

  “I got your supper,” Jess said.

  Deacon raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure?”

  “I am. You’ll be working hard tonight.”

  “Thank you.” Deacon rose, then pulled out his wallet to hand Kane a twenty. “I’ll get the tip, then. Night, Kane.”

  “Goodnight, sir. Thank you.” That would put him right on the money for rent. Another h
undred and he’d have most of his utilities.

  “I think I’d love a coffee and something sweet,” Jess murmured.

  “Of course.” He kept his gaze lowered, feeling utterly self-conscious. “Tiramisu, vanilla panna cotta or a duo of cannoli?”

  “Oh, cannoli.” Master Jess actually smacked his lips, which made Kane sneak a peek. “Has something upset you, Kane?”

  “Pardon?” He blinked, the change in subject shocking him.

  “You seemed much more animated earlier. I just wanted to make sure you weren’t unhappy.”

  “No! No, I’m fine.” Oh, God, Master Jess had noticed his wildly swinging mood. “I’m sorry.”

  “Why? I’m glad you’re fine, but I worry. I had intended to ask you something.”

  “You had?” Kane drifted a tiny bit closer, telling himself it was to pick up plates.

  “Mmmhmm.” Jess stared right at him. Into him. “I was wondering… That is, I thought it might be nice. Oh, for heaven’s sake. Would you like to have supper with me next week?”

  His mouth fell open, and Kane was glad he wasn’t holding plates or he would have dropped them. “I -- supper? Here?”

  “No. No, somewhere else. Oh, unless you would prefer to be a customer for a night?”

  “No. I mean, not really. I love Endless, but it’s weird to think of mixing my workplace with my… my other stuff.”

  “I had assumed that. I’ve never seen you with a master here.” Jess smiled slightly. “I understand you are a sub, however.”

  “I am.” Might as well own up. It was true. “I have Thursday night off.”

  “Well, then, what do you like to eat?”

  Kane pondered that. “Asian. Almost anything Asian. Texas barbecue. Comfort American… Anything.” With Jess, he would try new stuff.

  “Ah good. I love Korean and Thai and I adore barbecue. When should I pick you up? And where?”

  “Um, well, I only live a few blocks from here. I could meet you here at Endless.” Kane held his breath, worried he would offend, but he’d leaped in too fast before. He needed to do this right.