by Lily Harlem
“Well, I’m not sure.” Reece rubbed his bottom lip and did his best to look anxious. An audience didn’t bother him in the slightest. In fact, it seemed it turned him the hell on—why else would he be trying out a new career as a porn star?
Cade ran his hand from Reece’s chest up to his throat, held it there, his fingers one side and his thumb the other, as if strangling him but not.
Reece swallowed and pulled in a breath. He liked that hold, that feeling—it was edgy and possessive, and he like being possessed by Cade. It wasn’t the first time Cade had touched him that way, either.
“An audience will love you, Timothy. You’re gorgeous and hot and up for it,” Cade said, speaking close to his face. “And you know what show I’m going to give them?”
“Tell me?” Reece said breathily, trying to project anticipation and desire in those few words.
Jack was fiddling with his camera, zooming in.
“I’m going to fulfill your darkest fantasy,” Cade said. “The one you told me about a few months ago, when we’d been out for dinner and came back to the flat pissed.”
Reece let his mouth go slack, as though recollecting the fictitious night out and the drunken conversation. “Oh, God,” he murmured.
Cade chuckled and touched his lips to Reece’s cheek. “Good. You remember.”
“Yes. I do.”
“So you’ll be expecting a club?”
“Club?”
“Yeah, a BDSM club. That’s what you said you wanted, didn’t you.” Cade spoke in a low, hypnotic voice and it wasn’t a question, it was a statement.
Reece nodded. “Yes, I want to go to one.” That line was the truth. He’d never been to a BDSM club, never had anyone to go with. But he’d always wanted to.
“I have tickets. But more than that, I have a room booked—a room that is just for us to play in, but people can come and watch us have fun.”
“What kind of fun?” Reece asked quietly. His mind was spinning for real. The image of faces, eager and curious, watching him get fucked, made him hard just thinking about it.
“That’s for me to know and you to find out, Timothy. But let’s just say you’re going to be tied up tight for me to do whatever I want to your gorgeous, fucking body.”
Cade drifted his hand down Reece’s chest, over his abdomen then cupped his cock through his jeans.
Reece groaned and fluttered his eyes shut.
“And you know what else?” Cade said. “You’re going to do everything I ask of you, sub, and you’re going to love it all. Every…single…little thing.”
Chapter Eighteen
“Cut.” Jack let the camera lens tip toward the floor. “That’ll do.”
“All okay?” Reece asked.
“Yeah, and thank fuck for that. Hot enough to fry an egg on the ground out here.” He touched the black surface of his camera. “Or my goddamn camera.” He tutted. “I’ll catch you boys at the club later. I ain’t standing out in this fucking heat. Cost a damn fortune, this bit of kit.”
He turned and walked along the flyover, back toward The Luxor.
“I don’t know about you,” Reece said quietly. “But I always feel relieved when he goes. He’s so damn grumpy.”
“Yeah, but a great camera guy. Don’t know he’s there, do you?”
“No, not really.”
Cade gathered Reece close. “Did you say something about going for a beer?”
“Yeah. Come on. Let’s try our luck there.” Reece pointed at a huge white hotel—Caesar’s Palace.
“Good plan.” Cade pressed a quick kiss to Reece’s lips then they wandered off.
Their steps were slow in the heat but as soon as they hit the air-conditioned lobby, they perked up. It was huge and impressive and decorated in relatively muted tones, considering everywhere else they’d been had been bright and brash. The décor here was pale gold, cream and marble with a magnificent ceiling that looked like the sky dotted with clouds.
“Look, the casino,” Reece said, pointing at a vast room filled with slot machines.
“Come on, let’s take a gander,” Cade said, heading past a large statue of nearly naked ladies set above a water feature.
As they got closer, shrill, repetitive music and flashing lights soon took over Reece’s senses. It was as if they were in the middle of acres of chattering, excited robots. He glanced up. Even the ceiling was sparkly—golden lights ran across it like spider webs. Pillared sections were dotted around the room, holding tables that hosted blackjack card games, roulette wheels and poker.
The place was busy too—lots of people gambling, drinking and hedging their bets. Reece imagined he’d entered some kind of time warp—there was no way of knowing what part of the day it was once in here. Perhaps that was how the casino wanted it so people would stay and stay and stay—and play and play and play.
But he’d never been a gambler, had never had enough money to go for the first bet and when he’d seen friends do it, only the bookies had ever won.
“Come on. Let’s throw some dimes in,” Cade said, stopping at a brightly flashing machine.
“We won’t win.”
“I’ve already won,” he said. “Ten grand for a week’s work. I can blow a couple of dollars.” He dug around in his pocket and pulled out his iPhone. “Come here. Stand behind me.”
“Selfie?” Reece said with a laugh.
“Yeah, the boys in Vegas.”
Reece wrapped his arms around Cade and pressed his cheek to his.
Cade held the phone out with one hand, the other holding a coin poised at the slot. “Smile,” he said.
Reece grinned and a lovely warm feeling of belonging went through him. It was early days for him and Cade but would they look back on this moment, this picture, in years to come and reminisce? Would they talk about their trip to Las Vegas on a night where they really did celebrate ten years together for real and not just for a movie?
He hoped so.
Cade slipped his phone away and dropped the coin into the machine. The lights flashed and the pictures whirred around dizzyingly fast.
Eventually they came to a halt.
Cherry. Lemon. Bar.
Nothing.
“Come on. That beer…” Cade said with a shrug. “Mugs game, that.”
“Yeah. I agree.” Reece looked around. “Over there, I think.”
They headed toward a magnificent looking bar. Fizz. The ‘i’ in fizz was shaped like a champagne glass with bubbles popping over the rim. As with everything in Las Vegas, the bar appeared decadent and flamboyant—magnificent shiny golden steps, huge black panels flanking the door that was about four times higher than it needed to be, and bright lights that screamed rich.
“Fuck, that’s a bit posh for me,” Reece said.
“Sod it. Our money’s as good as anyone else’s.”
“Yeah, but—?”
“No buts,” Cade said. “Come on. I’ll treat you to a glass of champagne. I can’t imagine they sell beer in here.”
They climbed up the plus-sized steps and a man in a black tux opened the door. He nodded at them and waved his hand, inviting them in.
Reece sucked in a breath. If he’d been told this time last week that he’d be waltzing into a posh champagne bar in Vegas with a gorgeous guy who was into him, and it didn’t matter how much the drinks were—he’d have straight on laughed his head off.
But it was true.
This was where he was.
He paused for a moment and looked at the lavish chandeliers and the vertical brass-chain curtains that partitioned off elegant places to sit.
“Hey, Vegas Player, what can I get you today?”
A man in a smart white shirt, black waistcoat and tie, and tight black trousers stood before them, smiling.
“We’ll take two signature cocktails and a plate of your best blini,” Cade said without missing a beat.
“Certainly, sir, please take a seat and I will bring them right on over.”
Cade step
ped to the side, heading for two white leather bucket seats.
“What’s the signature cocktail?” Reece asked, drawing up next to him.
“God knows, but it’s bound to be really fucking good.”
“And blinis?”
“Sure to be caviar or salmon or something that we wouldn’t normally have in town on a Saturday night.” He laughed. “Beats a kebab, eh?”
“Yeah, it does.” Reece glanced around. Blini wasn’t usually in his vocabulary, let alone on his menu.
At the table next to the one Cade had made a beeline for, two girls sat sipping from margarita glasses.
Reece noticed one of them follow Cade with her gaze. And who could blame her—he looked really fucking hot today, like a movie star, which of course he was.
She had shoulder-length, pencil-straight blonde hair, and bright scarlet lips. Reece had seen Hollywood starlets on the red carpet look less groomed. Her nails were long, the tips bright white and she wore a pale-blue dress, super-tight, that had stripes around it that would have made her look fat had she not been so skinny.
As Cade sat, she leaned into her friend, cupped her hand near her mouth and said something into her ear.
They both smiled and giggled.
The friend had curly dark hair that billowed down in bubbles from her head to her breasts. Her dress was brilliant red, the same as her friend’s lipstick, and very tight. She crossed and uncrossed her legs and settled her gaze on Reece.
Reece smiled, a little awkwardly, and sat opposite Cade to wait for their drinks.
“You okay?” Cade asked, picking up a cocktail menu and tapping it on his thigh.
“Yeah.”
“Sure?”
“Yeah.” Reece paused and glanced at the girls again. He tried not to grip the arms of the chair. “We have an audience here.”
“A few hours too early,” Cade said with a sexy grin.
Reece gave a huff of amusement and the girl smiled a little wider. She’d mistaken the twitch of his lips for him showing interest in her.
“Fuck,” Reece said, returning his attention to Cade.
“What?” Cade said.
“Those girls… They’re looking our way.”
Cade leaned forward, frowned. “It’s fine.” He smiled. “Chill out.”
Reece relaxed back and aimed his attention at the bar. The waiter was shaking a silver cocktail mixer, the ice rattling wildly.
“What do you think?” Cade asked, aiming his iPhone toward Reece.
“I like it,” Reece said, grinning and touching the side of the phone.
Cade had changed his screen-saver to the picture he’d just taken of them cheek-to-cheek at the slot machine.
“We look good together,” Cade said. “Really good.”
Reece nodded. He looked happy on the photograph—happier than he’d seen himself look in a long time. He wondered if that was how he’d look on film as well. Like a man falling in love. Would viewers be able to see that when they watched it?
“Here you are, sir.”
Reece shifted his arm as the waiter set down two cocktails in tall, stylish glasses. The liquid was creamy pink and the foam on top fizzed with bubbles.
He then rested a platter of blinis coated in tiny morsels of colorful tidbits.
“Thanks,” Cade said, taking the bill and settling up.
“Enjoy.” The waiter dipped his head then walked away.
“Cheers.” Cade lifted his glass to Reece. “Here’s to a good night of filming.”
“Yeah. Cheers.” Reece took a sip of the drink. It was champagne laced with cherries and perhaps vodka. He couldn’t be absolutely sure.
“It’s called Odin’s Raven.”
“What is?”
“The BDSM club tonight.”
“Weird name.”
“Apparently Odin was some badass Norse god who only had one eye because he traded the other one to drink at the well of wisdom. He had a raven who would fly around seeing things for him then sit on his shoulder and report back.”
“Sounds appropriate for a club with lots of voyeurism going on.”
“Yeah, I guess. This drink is good.” Cade took another sip then popped a blini topped with a sliver of smoked salmon into his mouth.
“Yes, it is. How do you know this stuff?”
“Bret told me when we were in Spain. He spends time there with his bloke.”
“He’s in a relationship?”
“Yeah, course. A bloke as hot as him isn’t going to be on the market, is he?”
“I suppose not.”
“Be good if they were there tonight. Would love to see him submitting.”
“He’s a sub?” Reece was surprised.
“Yeah, that’s what he told me. When he’s in a scene with his man, he wears a collar and does what he’s told.”
“I never would have thought.”
Cade leaned forward. “It takes a strong person to submit and let someone else take charge of their pleasure and pain.”
Reece nodded.
“You done it before?” Cade asked, crossing his legs and looking at Reece over the rim of his cocktail glass.
“Well no, not really. Not officially, but you know…” He shrugged. “I’m happy to hand myself over for a bit of fun.”
“It’s going to be more than fun.”
Reece grabbed another blini, caviar this time. It was salty and popped weirdly on his tongue. He washed the taste away with a sip of his cocktail and decided to avoid caviar in the future. “I haven’t gone through the whole script yet.”
“I’m glad.”
“Have you?”
“Yes. But I’d like it if you didn’t. You have hardly any lines anyway because of the gag.”
“Gag?”
Cade tipped his head and smiled. “I’ll look after you, you know?”
“Yeah, I trust you. It’s just…”
“What?”
Reece glanced at the girls. One of them was looking their way, the other browsing the drinks menu.
He leaned forward. “I’ve never—you know—been flogged before.”
Cade nodded. “Yes, I guessed as much.”
“So I’m not sure how I’ll cope.” He huffed. “Not that I’m a wimp with pain or anything. I broke my wrist last year. Didn’t even get it checked out for two days, just carried on working.” He held up his left hand. “It was this one, so I could still hold a paintbrush in my right.”
“But you’re missing the point. It’s not about pain that hurts. It’s about pain that gives you pleasure. Releases endorphins and makes you high, so high that when you do finally orgasm, it blows your mind.” He smiled. “It’s addictive. I promise you. Once you’ve done it once, submitted, come with your arse red and whipped, you’ll want it again.”
Reece let a slow smile spread on his face. The idea of coming with his arse red and Cade sucking his cock was a very pleasant one. But then so was the idea of flogging Cade’s arse and seeing him groan in pain and spurt his pleasure.
“So you’ve done it?” Reece said, knowing the answer already. “Come like that.”
“Yeah, a few times.”
“But tonight you’ll be holding the flogger and not on the receiving end?”
“Because that’s in the script.”
“But what if I’d like to have you bound up and make your cute arse red and sore then suck you off.”
Cade shifted on the seat. “I’d say that would make me very happy, Reece. And do you know why?”
“No.”
“Because I’m a switch. I can dish it out or take it. The question is, are you a switch too? Because if so, we really are more fucking compatible than I could ever have dared hope.”
Reece smiled. “I think we’ll know by the end of the day, don’t you?”
“Not really. You’re just subbing tonight.”
Reece shook his head. An idea was forming in his mind and he hoped to God Cade would go along with it.
“What are you t
hinking about?” Cade asked. “I know it’s dirty. I can tell by that twist in your smile.”
Reece laughed. “I’m thinking that…” He glanced at his watch. “In another ten minutes, we’ll head back to the room and I’ll try that flogger out on you.”
Cade snapped his chin up a little, clearly surprised by Reece’s forceful tone of voice and decision. “What?” he said, leaning in again and a flash of excitement crossing his eyes.
“You heard,” Reece said, raising his eyebrows. “We’ll go back to the room and I’ll strip you naked, tie you to the end of the bed and flog the hell out of your arse. When you’re red and sore and your dick feels like it will explode, I’ll make you come.”
“Yes,” Cade said, his voice low and a little breathy. “We should do that, so you’re not a complete novice.”
“And we’ll have plenty of time to recover before the show later. Six hours or so.”
“Hey, guys, would you like some company?”
Reece looked up and saw the brunette girl standing next to him holding a fresh cocktail.
“We were going to head to the blackjack table, but we decided to have another drink,” she said.
“And thought you guys might like some female conversation,” her blonde friend added.
Reece looked between the two of them then at Cade.
“That would be lovely,” Cade said, indicating the two free seats at their table.
Reece stared at him. Lovely? Really?
“Oh, thanks,” said the blonde sitting quickly and holding her hand out to Cade. “I’m Mindie.”
“Cade.” Cade smiled and gestured to Reece. “This is Reece. But I’m afraid we have to go in ten minutes. We have some very important business to attend to.”
“Oh, are you here with work?” the brunette asked in her American twang. “I’m Stella, by the way.”
“Hi,” Reece said, studying her severely arched eyebrows. “And yes, work. We’re here with work.”
“And what line of business are you in?”
“We’re making a movie,” Cade said.
Reece glanced at him, surprised that he’d said that. Not that it was a secret, but still…
“Oh, how exciting,” Mindie said. “Are you famous English actors and we’re being incredibly stupid not recognizing you?”