The Master Arrives

by Julia Talbot

  A gentle smile made him think Master Jess understood. “Seven?”

  “That would be wonderful.” He was going to pass out from sheer joy. Silly boy, him.

  He was happy, though. Like walk on air happy. Master Jess seemed to understand his need to separate the club and his job from his personal life. Even if he was just a server, not a sub there, the club was a lifestyle place, and a lot of guys thought it all mixed.

  Kane wanted a Master, if he was going to have one, to focus on him. The idea sobered him some. That also meant there was no one around to stop a bad Dom from taking advantage of him, and he’d let it happen. He would take things, if there even were things, with Master Jess slowly.

  “I’ll see you here, then. Though I wish I got to watch you eat cannoli.”

  His cheeks heated. “I wish you did too. I should get that for you.” He grabbed the dirty plates up, whisking them away.

  He stopped at the dish station in the kitchen, his heart beating away happily. God, he was a dork.

  A dork with a date, but a dork, nonetheless.

  Chapter Two

  “What should I wear?” Jess had called his twin, Jocelyn, to get her input on his date with Kane. He was already dressed in a pair of dark blue slacks and a button-down shirt in a deep green. He thought he looked good, but he wanted her opinion.

  “Don’t wear a turtleneck. They make even your chin look weak.”

  “Gee, thanks. I haven’t worn them since college.” He’d also lost about twenty pounds since he last wore them.

  She snorted. “Well, if I saw you more often…”

  “I’ll send you a pic. I gotta go.” Jess had no intention of being late. He wanted to make a good impression on Kane on their first date. He felt certain there would be more. He was going to like Kane very much; Jess already wanted the man.

  “Okay. Be charming but not forced. Be knowledgeable but not know it all. Don’t be a dick.”

  “Such faith you have in me. Love you.” He hung up before she could snark at him some more. He could be a dick when he was in a shit mood. Most dominants could, because they liked to have things their way.

  He intended to be in a good mood tonight.

  Jess took one last look in the mirror before heading out to pick up Kane at the club. He understood Kane’s reluctance to give a relative stranger his address, and Jess reminded himself to take it slow and not push. He was good at dealing with subs. All he had to do was keep that in mind.

  About fifteen minutes later, he arrived at the parking lot for Club Endless. As soon as he pulled up, Kane stepped out of the main doors, smiling and waving. He looked a fine sight in gray slacks and a dark blue shirt, which complemented his coloring and made him look like a hero from an old black and white movie.

  “Hi,” Kane said when Jess hopped out to go around and open the door for him.

  “Hello, Kane. Did you have a good day off?”

  “I did. I paid some bills and did some errands and some work.”

  Jess frowned. “They called you in at the club?”

  “Hmm?” Kane settled into the passenger seat, buckling up. “Oh, no. I had an article due.”

  He raised his eyebrows. “You’re a writer, then?”

  Kane flushed, the color so obvious in his pale skin. “I am. I do freelance stuff, but I have a novel coming out next year.”

  “That’s wonderful!” Jess was a voracious reader. “What sort?”

  “A thriller. It’s set in a BDSM club.”

  “Really?” Oh, he had to read that. “I love it. You’ll have to let me know when it’s out.”

  Kane ducked his head. “I will. So, um, where are we going to eat?”

  “It’s a pan-Asian place called Street Food. Chef Park is amazing.” He loved the fact that he could get bibimbap or tom kha or pot stickers at Street Food, and that way Kane could have plenty of choices.

  “Oh, I’ve heard of it. I’ve never managed to get in, just because it’s always so busy and I forget to Open Table it.” Kane chuckled. “You would think I work at a restaurant.”

  “Right?” And wrote books, apparently. Kane had depths he hadn’t even considered. “It’s casual but kind of exotic, and the specials are always lovely.”

  “What’s your favorite thing there?” Kane asked as Jess got them headed in the right direction.

  “The Korean barbecue. It’s luscious.” He grinned, happy that Kane had asked. He wanted Kane to be interested in him the same way he was in Kane.

  “Oh, yum. I can’t wait to see.” Kane folded his hands in his lap. So contained.

  Jess wondered what it would be like to see Kane come undone, flushed and sweaty and begging. He took a deep breath, clenching his hands on the wheel at the mental image. Down, boy.

  “Everything okay?” Kane peered at him closely. Perceptive boy.

  “It is.” Jess smiled over, because he didn’t want Kane to worry. “So, if you’re about to become a famous writer, why Club Endless?”

  Kane chuckled. “Am I too old?”

  “For what?” He wasn’t following.

  “For waiting tables. Endless is really good money, and I don’t take my work home with me, you know?”

  “I do.” That was why Jess had quit the stock trading world and gone to being a consultant. Now he helped people pay off debt and plan for retirement. It didn’t earn as much, but he set his own schedule, and the work was far more rewarding.

  “Do you take your work home?” Kane asked.

  “Well, I work from home, so I guess I do.” He chuckled. “I like my work, though, and I rarely get a weirdo in financial planning.”

  “So what is that, exactly?” Kane had turned slightly to watch him, those gray eyes intent on him.

  “It means I help folks decide what to do with their money and when. I know it sounds boring.”

  “No, it doesn’t. Do you help poor people as well as rich people?”

  “I do. In fact, I do a free program at the library once a month where I help people set up budgets and pay off debt.” It was important to give back, and the admiration in Kane’s gaze renewed his commitment to it. No vacation in Italy for him yet.

  That was partly because of Kane too, but still…

  “That’s awesome.” Kane actually waved a hand in the air, his whole body swaying with his emotion. It was lovely to behold. Really.

  He steered through the busy downtown streets, trying to keep his eyes on the road. No killing the boy on the first date. Or at all. Jess was no serial killer, despite what some of the subs he’d had failed with relationships might say.

  Jess imagined some of them would have quite a few words for him that were not terribly complimentary.

  This one would be different.

  “Thank you. I was a corporate raider for a while, and I hated it. Gave me migraines and all.” Jess smoothed out his frown deliberately. No letting the past make the present bad.

  Kane reached over and touched his hand. “You’re all tense. You must have really been unhappy.”

  “I was. It’s better now.” He wasn’t going to mention how much of that was because of Kane. Anticipation, excitement, these were rare qualities in Jess’ life, and Kane brought them all out in him.

  “Good.” Kane sat back, looking out the window. “I don’t look around often enough. This part of town is really neat. All the neon.”

  “Right? I love how it all blends like a watercolor. You should see it when it rains.” Gracious, he was waxing poetic. How unlike him.

  “It’s great.” Kane chewed his lower lip, hands clenched again.

  “Are you nervous, Kane?”

  “Yes.” The immediate, honest answer surprised him. “My last… relationship ended badly. I need to get back in the boat, or whatever.”

  “I understand.” Mostly. He hadn’t had a real relationship in a long time. Shallow Dom and sub interactions didn’t count.

  “Right. Well, I thought I should just tell you. I’m skittish. Isn’t that, like, a horse
term? How weird is it that we use it for people.” Kane was babbling a little. It was adorable.

  “We use a lot of terms for animals for people too.” That sounded pedantic and awful. “I love language.”

  “I do too! I mean, we have such neat idioms, but so does German. Or Italian, which is so romantic. See, I know everyone thinks French is the language of romance, but Italian has all this zest.”

  “French is hard for me,” Jess admitted. “I actually speak more Japanese than anything. A stint as an overseas banker when I was just out of college.” God, that seemed like an eternity ago. He wasn’t that old, but the years sort of stretched.

  “Oh, I would love that! I took some Duolingo courses in Italian, but I’ve forgotten most of it.” Kane was relaxing again, though. The key was clearly not to let him get all worked up. Distract him with conversation.

  He pulled in at the restaurant and parked before hopping out to come around to get Kane out of the passenger side. He wanted to really pull out the stops and make Kane feel as special as he was.

  “Thank you.” Kane took his offered arm and stepped out of the SUV. He wanted to hold that arm all the way in, but he knew the realities of safety and such, so he let his touch linger a moment, then let go.

  Kane flashed him a smile, breathing deep a moment later. “Smells amazing.”

  “It does, huh?” He loved the deep, rich smell of barbecue, and then there was spice and sugar.

  “Yes. Thank you for bringing me.” Kane stepped inside ahead of him, and the riot of color and shape that was Street Food took shape. The place always made him smile, and made him think of his trips to Japan and Korea when he was younger.

  “You’re welcome.” He didn’t want to be all conceited, but he hoped he was broadening Kane’s horizons with a new place, maybe some new food.

  “Hey, Jess!” Park waved at him from behind the long counter that opened up to the kitchen.

  “Park. Smells good tonight.”

  “We got great specials. Just follow Amy.”

  Jess nodded, taking Kane’s arm and following the server to a table with deep, well-padded booths. “Thanks, Amy. How’s your son?”

  “Better, thanks.” She smiled at him, looking pleased he’d remembered. “He started breathing treatments this week.”

  “Well, I’ll think good thoughts.”

  “Oh, you rock.” She handed them menus once they sat. “Do you know what you’d like to drink?”

  “We’ll start with water and see what else.” Jess was used to doing the ordering, but he wanted Kane to have his choice. It wasn’t like they were doing a scene later or something. This was a date.

  “You got it.”

  When Kane smiled and nodded, Jess breathed a little sigh of relief.

  “Don’t let me get pushy,” he murmured. “I tend to think like a Dom.”

  Kane’s cheeks pinked. “No, it’s fine. If I want something else, I’ll pipe up.”

  That was good. He liked that Kane was willing to speak up. Some subs were so eager to please they never did, and that made for a terrible power imbalance. Not that Kane was his sub. This was a date.

  Jess just kept repeating that phrase in his head. God, he sucked at this.

  Kane reached out, touching the back of his hand. “What is it?”

  “I just haven’t been on a date in a long time. Not like this. I’m worried I’ll mess up.” There was no way he could respond to Kane’s empathy with anything less than honesty.

  “Well, that makes me feel better.” Kane shook his head. “I mean, not that you’re uncomfortable, but that you’re worried too. That way we’re both in the same boat.”

  He had to laugh at that. “That’s some logic.”

  “Oh, there’s no logic in dating.” Kane said it with elaborate seriousness.

  “No, I guess not.” A smile kept playing on his lips. He liked Kane. A lot. “I tend to try to find it in all things.”

  “And I tend to send it off into the ether. Maybe we can find middle ground?” Kane was flirting, those eyes just dancing with laughter.

  “I bet we can. Opposites attract, though I think we might have a lot in common too.”

  Kane nodded, still smiling happily, and Jess felt great making that happen.

  “So, tell me what’s good here.”

  “Everything.” Jess wasn’t lying. “The bibimbap comes with this crispy rice, and it’s homey and comforting. The barbecue is spicy and garlicky and smoky. It all depends on your desires.”

  “I think I could like spicy and garlicky.” Kane bounced slightly. “I love the fire chicken at my Chinese place.”

  “Excellent.” When Amy came back by, he grinned. “We’ll have the bulgogi, hon. And the barley tea.”

  “Good choices.” She grabbed their menus and bustled off.

  “She’s super nice. I always like it when a place has good servers. It bodes well.”

  “I guess you know from good service, huh? Do you like it?”

  “I do.” Kane shrugged. “I know a lot of people think I lack ambition, but like I said, I make good money at Endless, and I can leave the job at work, you know? I want to travel some, so I’m just saving.”

  “Smart.” It was, too. He liked that Kane had a clear idea of who he was. “How much time do you spend writing?”

  “Most days just an hour or two. On my days off I can get in six or seven.” Kane laughed softly. “That’s when I waste the most time on Facebook and stuff. I really need to get one of those little word processors. Or turn off the Internet when I write.”

  “I have to do that when I’m writing a plan.” Lord knew he could waste some time. “I get all distracted.”

  Kane leaned forward. “By what?”

  Eager boy, letting him talk about himself. That was such a sub mark.

  “Porn.” When Kane blinked, then barked out a laugh, Jess winked. “Actually, I shop for toys. I look at blogs. I do a lot of Reddit. Silly, huh?”

  “We all have our things.” Kane seemed so pleased he’d shared that. “Oh, wow. Look at that.” The food arrived, sizzling hot and perfect, and Jess soon learned that Kane was a neat, but not picky, eater. He also licked his fingers, which made Jess want to bite and lick. They laughed and talked, and by the time the meal was over, Jess couldn’t find even a smidge of his jaded boredom. Kane was the cure for it, he was sure.

  “Would you like dessert?” Amy asked.

  “Oh, not me, but if you want some, Ma -- Jess…”

  “No thanks, hon.”

  “Okay, I’ll be your cashier.” Amy left the bill.

  “Would you like to --” Come home with me? “Take a walk?”

  Kane lowered his gaze. “I -- I should probably go home.”

  “Did I make you unhappy?” Had he missed a signal, or superimposed his feelings on Kane? Jess had thought it was going so well.

  Kane’s head snapped up. “Oh, no, Sir. I just had a bad experience with my last relationship and I’m trying not to jump in. What I really want to do is go home with you and, um…” Those cheeks flushed until they were almost purple.

  “Then let’s do that. No pressure, no scenes. Just us. Kissing.” That was a fair offer, considering he wanted to spank Kane and see what he liked.

  Kane tilted his head, a tiny smile playing on his lips. “I like the sound of that.”

  Hooray! He hummed. “I’ll pay the bill.”

  Kane nodded. “I’m just going to wash up.”

  “Of course.” He watched Kane go, loving the movement of that fine, tight ass under the cloth of Kane’s trousers. Lovely.

  A date. Him. And it was going well.

  Go him.

  Chapter Three

  Kane stared in the mirror, his heart pounding. “Is this stupid? Is it too fast?” He had to take a few deep breaths. He liked Jess. Heck, he had a crush on the man. Like, a long-standing one. How could he not give this a shot? Master Jess was nothing like Thom. Nothing. “Okay. Okay, I will do this.”

  “Are y
ou having trouble pooping?” That came from the second stall, and it was a kid’s voice.

  Kane almost burst into hysterical laughter. “No. No, I’m fine.” Washing his hands to be a good role model, he fled a few seconds later.

  Lord.

  “What’s funny?” Jess held out a hand to him when he walked to the front of the restaurant.

  “I was pep-talking myself and someone overheard.” He chuckled. “That’s what I get for talking to myself out loud.”

  “I do it at home all the time,” Jess admitted, immediately making Kane feel better. “Why did you need a pep talk?”

  “I rush into things. It can get me hurt.” Kane shrugged, going for elaborately casual.

  “Would you like to tell me about it?” Jess steered him outside, leading him back to the car.

  “That would kill the mood.”

  Jess glanced at him, expression serious. “I doubt it, boy. I find myself wanting to know everything about you.”

  That simply uttered “boy” made his heart race, his cock firming up. God, Jess was acting like a master. Like his master. It might be the hottest thing ever. Crazy.

  “I promise I’ll tell you someday, but tonight I’d rather look forward.”

  “Wise.” They sank into Jess’ car, which was lovely. So plush. Of course, if he could afford a membership to Club Endless, it stood to reason Jess would have a luxury car. “Well, we can take things as they come. I will tell you I was thinking of taking a leave of absence from Endless, and you changed my mind. You’re the most interesting person I’ve gotten to know in years.”

  His lips parted on a tiny gasp, and Kane squirmed. He felt that pull deep in his belly, the one that spoke of hard arousal. “Oh…”

  “Mmm. What a sweet sound.” Jess reached over to touch his hand. “I want to kiss you right here and now.”

  “You do?” That would actually make him feel more secure. If they didn’t have the crazy chemistry he thought they did, well, they could just end the date right now. Of if Jess was too forceful or…

  Or maybe Jess would just find him bland as rice pudding.

  “I do.” Jess turned to face him and then tugged him to meet halfway over the console, lips pressing against his.