by E Gregory
Niki turned to find Michael staring at him.
“Get used to it, we’re going to a BDSM club together, you’re probably going to see a lot worse than that tonight. Besides, look at you!” Niki pointed at Michael who immediately looked down at himself.
“You’re a menace.” Michael said with a laugh.
“You’re telling me.” Ethan said as he followed Niki out the door.
In fact they all looked the part. Niki looked back as they walked out the door, admiring his friends and their obvious dedication to authenticity.
Michael had a half corset with leather bands buckled in the front. His leather pants were tight with a studded belt. His combat boots were straight out of some nineties goth fantasy and he wore leather cuffs on his wrists. He kept leaning in to whisper in Elaine’s ear and he just looked happy.
Elaine was in a black satin corset and her legs were wrapped in fishnet stockings. The whole look was brought together with black stiletto heels. It put Niki in mind of Playboy bunnies. Her brown hair was pulled up in a high ponytail and she was laughing at something Michael had just whispered to her. Niki was glad he could just be happy and not feel a shadow of jealousy when he looked at them. He’d always been happy for them, but he’d been sad for himself there for a while.
Then there was Harper. She was amazing in a full latex catsuit with heels. She looked just like catwoman to Niki, which he knew made him a nerd, so he didn’t say it out loud. He would tell her later when no one else was there to listen. Her dark hair was pulled up in a complicated bun on her head and her tanned skin glowed in every place it was visible.
Tony wore all leather and big thick boots. His leather vest was buttoned but his arms were bare so he could show off his massive biceps. He was intimidating on a good day, but tonight he definitely looked like he meant business. Ethan might be the alpha, but having Harper and Tony along was like having real life bodyguards for all of them. He looped his arm around Harper as they walked to their car.
Jessica was in an emerald corset that showed off her dark skin and green eyes. Her braided hair was twisted around her head in a familiar crown shape that Niki loved and she was wearing a leather mini skirt and black heels. She shot Niki a grin and waved down her body as if to show off her costume and he laughed.
Everyone got into their cars and Niki flashed Ethan a smile. This night felt so much different than the first time they’d been.
“Are you going to make me set a safe word again?” He asked, his voice teasing as he poked at Ethan’s arm.
“Yes.” Ethan said evenly. Then he turned to smile and shake his head at Niki. “We’re going to have to discuss how this all works if we’re going to keep going to the club.
Niki perked up at that. He kind of wanted to keep going. He was naturally curious and also wanted to know more about Ethan’s history with BDSM. Even though he still thought it was wild that Ethan had been a Dom before, he wanted to know more. It was kind of thrilling.
“I’m good with that.” He told Ethan, all snark aside.
“Good. Then pick us a safe word for starters and then we’ll go over rules.” Ethan was all business.
They went with bread again for their safe word, much to Ethan’s obvious chagrin and Ethan made him promise to be honest if anything was making him uncomfortable. There would be no spankings or pain play in such a public place. Ethan wanted to be sure he could read all of Niki’s cues if they ever did something like that together. They were going to dance and have a good time and keep things as low key and chill as possible. Most importantly they were going to let the pack go off on their own because no one wanted to see another couple fooling around.
If anything were to go wrong, Ethan would be able to sense the others, so at least there was that keeping them all safe. Though Niki wasn’t particularly worried, they went over the fairy rules again, though they agreed they probably didn't really apply to the Keshalyi. It was never a bad thing to be too cautious. They really only planned to drink and dance so they weren’t breaking all the rules at once.
The drive to the club was much different than the first time around, even though they still talked about safe words and boundaries. There was an excitement that Niki could feel humming in the air between them. This time they got to enjoy themselves, this time they were really together. Niki didn’t know what the night had in store for them but he was anxious to be there already.
Ethan reached over and laid what Niki was sure was meant to be a calming hand on his knee, but all it really did was make Niki antsy for more. He couldn’t wait to have Ethan’s hands on him.
“You seem happy.” Ethan noted as they pulled up the drive and parked in front of the mansion.
“I am.” Niki assured him as the parking attendant opened Ethan’s door. He came around once more to let Niki out and together they waited by the front for the others.
“You know how to reach me if you get into any trouble,” Ethan told them solemnly. “I know we’re all here to have fun, but you can’t be too careful.”
The group grumbled at him, but in the end everyone agreed to be aware of their surroundings and to contact Ethan if anything went wrong.
Once again, they were met at the door by a bouncer who took their invitation and smiled warmly at them. Tonight his smile was just as welcoming as it had been the first time. They entered into the foyer where several ushers led them to the ballroom, it’s thumping base so familiar to Niki now. When the doors opened he wasn’t surprised to see everything as he remembered it, but next to him a couple of the others gasped at the opulence and displays of BDSM going on in front of them.
Like before, there were cordoned off areas throughout, blocking a view of the entire room. This was done elegantly with draping velvet over walls of varying heights. This allowed for what appeared to be separate rooms almost, a labyrinth of them that traffic wove around and through. Even so, you couldn’t help but see what was on display.
A woman being spanked by another woman, a man kneeling and being fed strawberries by his master. A young fairy intricately tied with red rope and hung several feet from the ground. She moaned in pleasure as they passed her as her Dom ran a feathered instrument over her exposed nipples. A man was being whipped and forced to count. His voice shook but his body strained toward the whip, not away from it.
Niki knew that all of this would be new to the others with them, but no one said a word as they began to separate from each other. Ethan was leading Niki to the bar again and for that Niki was thankful. Even knowing what they were getting into, Niki found he needed a moment to acclimate himself to the environment again.
“Want water?” Ethan asked him as they slid onto stools at the bar. The bar top was polished ebony, the top so shiny Niki could lean forward and see his reflection in it. He looked a little wide-eyed and dazed to himself.
“Or something with a kick to it?” Ethan wondered.
“We’re safe to drink, right?” Niki knew the answer, but for some reason, he felt a little off-kilter and needed the reassurance.
“We’re good,” Ethan told him.
The bartender, a different Fae this time, one with hair and eyes as black as night, and tattooed olive skin came to take their orders. Ethan ordered a whiskey on the rocks and Niki ordered a shot of tequila and a bottle of water.
Ethan shot him a grin at his order, knowing that Niki needed to calm back down after all the stimuli they’d just walked through. Niki just shrugged and grinned back. He happily took his shot, shuddering as the warm liquor settled in his stomach.
“It’s still a lot to take in, I know.” Ethan leaned over to say in Niki’s ear. His breath was warm and smelled deliciously of his whiskey. “We can sit here a while and watch or we can dance.”
Niki could feel the flush spread over his face. “Let’s watch a bit and then dance.” He was imaging what it would feel like to dance with Ethan, to feel the press of his body, his hands. How they would move together to the music. Niki loved to dance but he’d ne
ver had the chance to dance with Ethan before.
“I like the way you think,” Ethan grinned at him and settled in against his side.
They watched the moving bodies on the dancefloor for a time, men and women, Fae and other, as they ground into one another gyrating to the beat as the lights danced over their heads. Niki was drawn to one woman in particular who kept shooting him and Ethan some rather pointed come hither looks, though neither of them budged. Tonight was for them. The way Ethan gripped his arm just then made him think that Ethan maybe wasn’t too keen on the idea that someone else was looking at Niki, though Niki just laughed because it was clear to him that they were a package deal and the woman wanted them both. He just shook his head at her eventually because it was no good. He really only had eyes for Ethan as interesting as all these other people might have been, he really only wanted to look.
A man across the way from them caught their attention next as he intricately tied his young slave up in red silken rope. The slave was beautiful, slender and lithe, dark skin glistening with oil. He had two iridescent wings that lay along his back as he shivered quietly at his master’s touch. The master was tall and heavily muscled and to Niki’s chagrin, long red hair cascaded down his back.
Niki must have made some sort of sound or moved in some way he wasn’t aware of because Ethan leaned into him and whispered, “Do you miss it? My long hair?”
“Sometimes,” Niki admitted softly. “But I like the way you look now too. I love your hair, however you want to wear it.”
Ethan chuckled and nipped at Niki’s jaw as the show continued. The Fae slave was lifted onto the balls of his perfectly formed feet, every muscle in his legs standing out as he fought to keep steady. He looked totally blissed out, though, so Niki wasn’t worried for him. The ropes that criss crossed his body stood out against his skin perfectly and he looked so otherworldly and happy that Niki was ready for some fun of his own.
“I’m ready, if you are.” He told Ethan.
“I’m ready.” Ethan assured him.
Ethan pulled Niki by the hand to the dancefloor and led him in among the throng of others until they found an open spot. He tugged Niki close, laying a soft kiss on his neck, his hands sliding down Niki’s arms to his waist and pulled him closer still. One warm palm settled on Niki’s lower back as he began to sway them both to the music and the rest of the dancefloor seemed to Niki to just fade away.
Ethan pressed their bodies together, their hips moving to the beat, and the music carried Niki along until his forehead was on Ethan’s shoulder as Ethan mouthed along his neck. He was hard where he was pressed into the answering hardness in Ethan’s leather pants, but he felt no shame about it. No one was paying them any mind anyway. He slid his hands down to cup Ethan’s ass and Ethan practically growled in his ear. It sent shivers down Niki’s spine causing him to almost go limp in Ethan’s arms.
Ethan took advantage of Niki’s momentary lapse in muscle control to insinuate his thigh between Niki’s, bringing them even closer and somehow managing to support Niki’s weight. Niki did get a hold of himself, feeling like he could stand on his own, if only just barely, but he didn’t want to let go of Ethan. He didn’t want to lose any bit of connection.
Niki turned his head to nibble at Ethan’s earlobe and Ethan gasped, his arms going tighter around Niki.
“I need you.” He rasped in Niki’s ear.
“Yeah?” Niki taunted just a little, but only because he knew he needed Ethan just as badly. He had no idea how long they’d been on the dancefloor, it might have been the length of one song or twenty, but either way, Niki needed more.
Ethan tugged Niki by the hand away from the dancefloor and entwined their fingers as he led Niki toward the back of the room, searching for an alcove that wasn’t already occupied. He must have seen it before Niki because he picked up his pace and cast a wicked smile back at Niki as they hurried along.
The little alcove was obscured by two rather impressive ferns on either side and long black velvet curtains, one of which was pulled aside and held by a length of shiny rope. Ethan guided Niki to sit on the red velvet settee inside as he closed the curtain almost all of the way so that they wouldn’t be bothered but they weren’t entirely cut off from the sounds of the music and the party goers.
Ethan was on him before he could really think and that’s exactly how Niki wanted it. He pushed and pulled until Niki was astride his thighs, his knees settled on either side of Ethan’s hips. His hands went right into Ethan’s hair, gripping hard as their mouths met in a searing kiss. Niki opened himself to the kiss, taking as much as he was giving, his tongue twining with Ethan’s as they licked and bit at one another.
Niki shuddered as Ethan slipped his hands down the back of Niki’s shorts, pushing them down under his ass. They rocked together like that, Ethan guiding Niki’s hips the entire time until they were both almost too close to handle it. Then they backed off, not wanting to come in their pants where they couldn’t get cleaned up. It took a Herculean effort on both their parts, but they managed to ease off the kissing and touching long enough to calm back down. They sat for a time just wrapped around one another listening to the music before Niki spoke up.
“What would it be like, if we actually tried to put some of this into practice?” He asked quietly.
“Some of this, like BDSM?” Ethan asked for clarity’s sake.
“Yeah.”
“Well we would need to talk about it all first. We’d have to understand the things we were both interested in trying and the things we’d want to avoid. For instance I’d love to have you over my knee and spank you, but I wouldn’t really be interested in hurting you. Does that make sense?” Ethan asked.
“It does.” Niki said. Then he added, “I think I’d enjoy being bound where I couldn’t touch you no matter how badly I wanted to, but I wouldn’t want to be gagged. Maybe blindfolded, but yeah, definitely not gagged.”
“I can’t imagine not wanting to hear you.” Ethan agreed. “We’d need a real safe word, not bread. Nothing funny. Something that was serious. Something that would make us stop and seriously consider what we were doing and what we needed to change.”
“I want to try it. If that’s something you could be interested in.” Niki admitted.
Ethan was quiet for a moment. “Do you want to be the sub, or have you considered trying to be the Dom, like we talked about before?”
Niki considered that. He wanted to be honest with himself and Ethan. “The more I think about it the more I think I would be most comfortable as your sub, but if you ever wanted to play around with it, I could act as your Dom from time to time. I think switching it up could keep it fresh.”
“You might be right about that.” Ethan said, thinking.
“So we should talk about it, soon.” Niki leaned in and nuzzled his nose against Ethan's.
“Agreed.” Ethan told him.
“So are you ready for more?” He nodded out toward the ball room.
Niki nodded and grinned. “Yeah, I’m ready for more.” He said.
They headed back to the dancefloor where they spent the rest of the night wound tightly around each other. They were able to keep control for the most part, even during the show that was put on that evening, a demonstration of sensory deprivation. Fun was had by all, and Niki was high on it by the time they left.
When they got back to Ethan’s place Niki wanted a shower because he was sweaty from dancing all night and also because he kind of wanted to get Ethan naked sooner rather than later.
When they climbed into bed, both clean and Niki dressed in Ethan’s pajama bottoms, Ethan rolled on his side and took Niki’s hand in his own. “I think it’s time I tell you something and I admit, I’m not sure how you’ll react.” Ethan said.
“Oh?” Niki couldn’t imagine what he had to say, hadn’t they said everything already?
Ethan closed his eyes for a moment and then looked back at Niki. “I ran from this for a long time. First because I thought yo
u were too young and then because I thought you would leave Rush Creek and never look back. You’re so smart, you deserve the whole world, Niki.”
“But we agree we’ve moved past that, right?” Niki asked softly. Ethan was squeezing his hand now and Niki didn’t know what to think. He had no idea what was coming.
“Right. Right. So this is something that goes along with that.” He took a deep breath and pursed his lips. “I love you Niki, and for a long time I’ve known you’re my mate.” He said the words slowly as if afraid of what Niki might say, but all Niki could think was that he was somehow getting everything he ever wanted.
“Why would you keep that from me?” Niki asked as he trailed his fingers down the side of Ethan’s face.
“I never wanted to pressure you. I always wanted this to be a choice you made on your own. Or, if you never made it, I wanted you to have your freedom.” Ethan admitted quietly. He was still squeezing Niki’s hand.
“You’re an idiot.” Niki said, going soft all over.
“Maybe so, but I’m your idiot.” Ethan leaned in and kissed him. Just a brush of the lips before pulling back.
“I’m your mate.” Niki spoke softly, testing the word on his tongue. It felt so good, it made his whole body ache to hold Ethan.
“You’re my mate.”
“When can we tell everyone?” Niki asked.
Ethan’s smile was almost blinding. “Whenever you want.” He said softly.
“First thing tomorrow then. Tonight I want it to just be for us.” Niki told him gently. “You know, you’ve made me the happiest man in the world. I never in a million years thought I’d get to have you let alone keep you.” He wrapped his arm around Ethan’s waist and pulled him in close so that they were laying on their sides, face to face.
“I never thought I’d get to have you either, Niki. You mean everything to me. The future's so bright, I don’t even know what to expect now.” He leaned in and kissed Niki on the corner of his mouth.