“Good. I’ll see you later.”
Landry wondered if it was possible for Petey’s eyes to get any wider as he watched Carson stroll down the aisle, uniform pants hugging his ass. “You look like a spaniel puppy begging for a treat. Come to think of it, Carson will probably enjoy you begging.”
“He’s coming here, tonight—to spend time alone with me! What am I going to do, Landry?”
“Be your own, cute, adorable self. I’d guess Carson’s already smitten. He saw an opening and walked right through… Typical Dom. He’s gonna take what he wants and what he wants is you.”
Petey gulped. “Okay, that’s freaking me out a little.”
“There’s no need to be scared. You’ve played with some hard-core Doms at Scorch, you can handle yourself and Carson is one of the good guys.”
“This wouldn’t be playing, though, would it?”
“We all have to grow up sometime, and I know how that sounds coming from me, but once I found Gage, I had no interest in playing with anyone else. Find the right Dom, and you’re anchored for life and I don’t mean like mafia anchored where you’re tied to it and lobbed in the ocean. Gage stops me drifting all over the place, psychologically speaking.”
Petey beamed, but it wasn’t for Landry’s benefit. It was the two ladies approaching the cash desk, both holding stacks of books. “Ladies, what a pleasure. I hope you found everything you were looking for,” Petey said, turning on the charm.
“Why, aren’t you the sweetest? Beryl, I think we are going to be regular customers here. Do you by any chance have a schedule for when the firefighters will be back?”
Landry snorted with laughter. “You have excellent taste ladies. I’ll leave you in Petey’s capable hands.” He headed out to get drinks, content that he was able to stop worrying about his friend. Carson was perfectly qualified to take care of Petey’s needs as a submissive, Landry could concentrate on making sure Petey got into mischief.
* * * *
That evening, after a flushed, excited Petey had escorted Carson upstairs to Petey’s new home, Landry bopped around his kitchen putting the finishing touches to the pasta dish he was preparing for him and Gage. He expected Gage at any minute and he’d promised to bring pie for dessert. The sauce was done, water boiling ready for the pasta and garlic bread prepped to heat in the oven. Landry didn’t want to cook the pasta too soon or they’d go soggy but when he heard Gage coming through the door, he scooped the little bowtie shapes into the water and turned the oven on.
“Dinner will be ready in ten minutes,” he called. “Did you remember pie?”
Gage appeared in the kitchen doorway, tie loosened and jacket slung over one arm. “It’s good to know where I come in your priorities—somewhere down the list after pie.” Landry shimmied over to him for a kiss.
“Welcome home, honey. How was your day? What kind of pie did you bring me?” He gasped as Gage shoved him against the doorframe and grabbed his hands, holding them over Landry’s head. Gage kissed him until he was gasping for air and his cock challenging his zipper. “If it helps, you came a really close second to pie.”
“Good to know.” Gage set him free. “Do I have time for a quick shower before we eat?”
“You are a little stinky,” Landry said, breathing deeply. “I like it.”
Gage shook his head. “How long?”
“You have ten minutes. Give me my pie so I can put it in the oven to warm. I got some of that vanilla cream you like from the deli to go with it.”
“I put it on the table, I’ll go fetch it.”
Landry stirred his sauce, taking a taste from the spoon. “Perfect.”
Gage handed him the pie in a paper bag. “Peach.”
“My favorite!” Landry yelled after him as Gage ran for the bathroom.
“I know!” Gage shouted back.
With a happy wiggle, Landry slid the pie from its bag into the oven. He spent a few minutes, while Gage showered, setting the table. Now they had extra space he wanted to make use of it, rather than balancing plates on their laps in front of the TV like they’d had to do in his old apartment. They had little enough time together when they weren’t both too tired for anything but sleep, it would be nice to have a chance to sit, eat and chat.
“Wow, look at me getting all domesticated.”
“Are you talking to yourself again?” Gage emerged from the direction of their bedroom, pulling a T-shirt over his head. Landry leered.
“No need to cover up on my account.”
“You’re shameless.”
Landry shrugged. “I was just commenting on how domestic we’re getting. I like it.”
“So do I.” Gage grabbed him from behind then started sucking on Landry’s neck. “You taste good. You need more of my marks on you.”
“Or you could eat the food I made rather than me.” Despite his words, Landry made no attempt to escape Gage’s hold.
“There’s other parts of you I’d like to get my teeth into. Maybe you should sit through dinner naked.”
“Is that an order, Sir?”
Gage slipped his hands under Landry’s shirt, stroked his belly then gave both nipples a pinch. Landry arched his back, moaning. “Feed me, slave boy. I’ll consider what to do with you when my belly’s full.”
“Oh, you’re asking for a smacking!” Landry rounded on his lover only to find him grinning from ear to ear. “You’re a nightmare. Sit down before you say something that gets you in worse trouble. Slave boy, my ass. If I don’t fetch dinner now it’s gonna be ruined.”
Not seeming chastened in the slightest, Gage took a seat. Landry flounced to the kitchen because after that comment from Gage he deserved to display some righteous indignation. He breathed in the savory aromas and smiled. His stomach rumbled so he hurried to serve the food then made two trips to the table before he collapsed in the chair next to Gage. “I have every admiration for wait staff. Table service is exhausting.”
“You’ve been on your feet in the store all day and training a newbie, I’m not surprised you’re flagging. What’s this? It smells great.”
“Smoked chicken and broccoli pasta, garlic bread and salad.”
“Wow, you’re spoiling me.”
A warm glow lit Landry’s body. Praise from Gage was something he longed for and treasured. “My pleasure. I enjoy cooking for you.”
“All the better for me.” Gage made happy noises as he cleared half his plate without taking a breath. “Coming home to you and this…I could get used to it.”
Landry swallowed, his throat a little tight. “You can thank me later when we’re horizontal.”
“No house guest tonight?”
“Nope. Prisha’s cousin came through with a mattress, and I imagine by now, Petey and Carson are probably testing it out.”
“Carson Cole, from Scorch?”
“Uh huh. He and half his fire house showed up earlier with a bunch of stuff for Petey. Carson offered to come back tonight and help Petey unpack, though I’m not sure unpacking was what he had on his mind. I think he would have stripped Petey right there in the store and bent him over the nearest flat surface if he could.”
“About time he made a move.” Gage stabbed a piece of broccoli with his fork. “Carson has had his eye on Petey for a while.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Landry exclaimed.
“Because you would have blabbed to Petey in a heartbeat. Carson’s thoughtful, he needed to take his time. I’m glad the guys showed up, though, Carson drummed up a lot of support after I spoke to him.”
“Petey really likes him.”
“I think they’re well suited. Petey’s a bit of a pain slut behind that cute exterior, and Carson likes to deliver a sound caning.”
“He’ll take things slow, though, right? Petey was nervous about spending time with him at home. It’s a whole different vibe to playing with a Dom at Scorch.”
“He’s one of the good guys, love. Petey doesn’t have a thing to worry about unless his smoke alarm is out of ord
er, then he might be sitting on a cushion for a while.”
“I told Petey the same thing—about him being a good guy, I mean—and you know that alarm works fine—it was mine until a few days ago.”
“Petey’s ass is a fraction safer then. I’d still have a cushion handy if I were you.” Gage belched and pushed his empty plate away. “I left some room for pie. Gonna share?”
“Such a charmer.”
“Hey, in some cultures belching is a sign of appreciation.”
Landry went to fetch the pie. By the time they were done with dessert, Landry couldn’t contemplate moving. “I ate way too much. That pie was epic.”
“I’d say that third slice was the deal breaker.” Gage cleared the table. When he returned from the kitchen he brought coffee with him. He held the mug under Landry’s nose. “Follow me to the couch if you want the coffee.”
“So mean.” Landry dragged himself up then hauled over to the couch where he collapsed into the corner seat. He waggled his fingers at Gage. “Gimme.”
“Demanding brat.” Gage handed over the mug. “If I ever want you to follow me somewhere you don’t want to go, I’ll just waft coffee fumes in your direction.” He sat on the couch next to Landry. “Or I suppose I could just use a collar and lead.”
Landry spluttered into his coffee. “Note to self, always check destination when getting in a vehicle with detective boyfriend.”
Gage laughed. “Drink your coffee so we can snuggle.”
Landry clutched his mug but stared at Gage’s lap. A pair of strong thighs encased in denim exceeded even coffee in his affections. He put the mug on the floor, then crawled into Gage’s lap. Gage held his own mug out of the way while Landry got situated, leaning against his chest.
“So warm.” Landry nuzzled against Gage’s shoulder. Gage abandoned his own drink in favor of wrapping his arms around Landry. “Just you, me and peace and quiet. I love it. Love you.”
“Love you too. And you’re right, having our own place together is great. Sancha gave me some serious shit because I wanted to leave work early.”
“Oh, because you wanted to get back to me?”
“No, because I was hungry.”
Landry smacked Gage’s arm. “You’d better be kidding.”
“Of course I am.” Gage tugged Landry’s hair, tilting his head back to get him in position for a long, slow kiss. “We have a shitload of cases at the moment, most of which are going nowhere fast. It’s good to have something to look forward to at the end of the day.”
“Same. Even though my commute has halved from one minute to thirty seconds, I’m still glad to get away from the store.”
“And it was your first day in charge. How did that go?”
“I was a little nervous. Mr. Lao rang me four times, checking up on us.”
“Treasure Trove is his baby. He’s bound to be a bit anxious until you get into your stride. I know he’s left you on your own before, but it wasn’t permanent. This is a whole change of lifestyle for him. I guess he’ll be clingy for a while.”
“I suppose we’ll both get used to it.”
“Hey, I have something to show you. I got this in the mail at work. You wouldn’t think the police department would get junk mail, but we do.” Gage pulled a folded piece of paper from his pocket. “It’s a flyer for a pop-up flea market that’s taking place in the Chinese district on Sunday. I thought we could go.”
Landry smoothed the piece of paper against Gage’s chest. “Oh, wow. I’d love to. You never know when you might find an unexpected treasure, and Mr. Lao has been teaching me what to look out for. It’ll be fun, and there are bound to be food stalls. We can stuff ourselves with junk food while we shop. Now I’m craving hot donuts, straight out of the fryer.”
“I’m not sure how you can even contemplate food after what we’ve just eaten, but it’s a date.”
“Excellent. I’m excited and my stomach has a superfast recovery time, a bit like your d…”
“Landry…”
“Digestion. I was going to say digestion. You have a one-track mind.”
“You were not.”
“Was so.” Landry didn’t dare meet Gage’s steely gaze.
“Perhaps we should have a conversation about you always telling your Dom the truth?”
“I’m good at talking,” Landry said. “I can do conversation.”
“This conversation is going to be between your ass and my hand.”
Before Landry realized what was going on, Gage had swung him around so that he was face down over Gage’s lap. “Hey! I just ate. There is a good chance I may throw up, just so you know.” Gage delivered six hard whacks to Landry’s backside before lifting him upright. Landry rubbed at his ass with both hands. “Stop grinning.”
“Why? I’m having a good time and I can see you are too.” Gage gave Landry’s crotch a rub through his pants. A spanking never failed to make Landry hard. He had no chance of pretending that he wasn’t turned on. He lowered his zipper to give his burgeoning erection some space.
“So what are you going to do about this?” Landry stuck a hand down his shorts.
“No touching, brat.” Gage growled. “You have two minutes to get naked and be on the bed on all fours. One second longer, and you don’t get to come tonight.”
Landry’s brain registered the threat as truth and he ran, pulling off his clothes as he went. Naked time with Gage was top of his list of the best ways to end the day.
Chapter Four
“My legs are aching. Can we find somewhere to sit a while?” Landry searched for a spot through the bustling crowds. “There sure are a lot of people here.”
“This is one of those times when being vertically challenged is a disadvantage.” Gage grabbed his arm. “I see a bench.”
Landry went where Gage tugged him, weaving through the browsing shoppers at the market. “Oh thank goodness, and I am not short. I’m perfectly formed.” He sank onto the bench, which was half-hidden behind a stall selling antiquarian books.
“Of course you’re perfect, sweetheart. You want a soda? I could use a drink and maybe a snack. You can guard the bench.”
“Iced coffee would be great and something sweet to nibble on.”
“Why am I not surprised?” Gage walked off—his stride purposeful as if he knew where he was going. Landry slumped back on the bench. He lifted one foot at a time, rotating his ankles and wiggling his toes. He and Gage had walked the length of the flea market twice already, stopping at almost every stall to poke around. Landry had noted a few that he wanted to go back to. They hadn’t bought anything yet, and he had spotted a lucky cat that he wanted to add to his collection. He sighed, content to sit with the sun warming his face. For once the forecast had been good, Gage had found a parking space nearby and the atmosphere at the market was friendly, if busy. Landry enjoyed the bustle. It wasn’t often that Treasure Trove Antiques got crowded and it made a change to feel part of something bigger. He put his fatigue down to an exceptionally busy week.
Gage was only gone five minutes and he returned bearing a large take-out cup of iced coffee, a soda running with condensation, a hot dog with far too much onion spilling from the bun and a greasy paper bag, which he handed to Landry before joining him on the bench.
“I got you miniature donuts. They should still be hot. The guy fried them right there in front of me.” He sat their drinks on the bench in between them.
“Oh my God, I love you so much.” Landry delved in the bag, stuffing his face with greasy, sugar-coated goodness. “These are fantastic,” he mumbled around his mouthful.
“When we finish this,” Gage said, munching his dog, “how about we go back to the last couple stalls then call it a day?”
“Sure. If I walk much further my feet are going to fall off. We could go for a drive, if you like.” Landry didn’t want to slope off home if Gage wanted to spend more time out and about.
“Do I sound like a complete sap if I say I just want to go back to our place to
be with you?”
“Yep, complete sap. Squishiest Dom ever.” Landry hid a smile.
“But I didn’t say what I wanted to do with you when we get back there.”
Landry took a long swallow of his iced coffee. If he’d been wearing a collar he’d definitely have had to loosen it. “We could skip those last stalls…”
“Oh no, anticipation is the best part of a Dom/sub relationship and besides, if we don’t buy anything today, you’ll be bitching about it for the rest of the month.”
Landry was about to deny it, but then thought better of it. “You know me too well,” he muttered.
“I do, don’t I? Now let’s go find that weird looking cat you spotted for your collection and let’s hope that this time there are no messages written inside it.”
They took their garbage to the nearest recycling trash can then meandered down the street to look for the stall Landry had found earlier. “There it is, and my cat is still there,” Landry said. “Do you think the stallholder likes to haggle? He looks older than God.”
“Just because he has white hair and a long beard doesn’t mean he’s ancient,” Gage said. “Though I hope he hasn’t been on his feet all day.”
They approached the stall where the old man was unwrapping a box of stock and laying it on the tables, which were arranged around him in a U shape.
“Hello again, young man. Have you come back for the cat I saw you taking an interest in earlier?”
“You remember me?” Landry asked.
“You two are a striking couple. Difficult to forget, and I can also spot someone who is genuinely interested in what I’m selling rather than just browsing.”
“I have a collection of lucky cats at home,” Landry said.
“Well, in that case, this one must belong with you.” The old man handed over the red and black ceramic cat.
“How much is it?”
“It’s a gift.”
“Oh, that’s so kind of you, but I couldn’t possibly take it without paying.” Landry cradled the ornament.
“Well, perhaps there’s something else you might like?”
Landry scanned the eclectic range of antiques spread in front of him. “That wasn’t here earlier.” He pointed out a mirror, the glass tarnished and mottled. It had an ornate, gilded frame, carved from what he guessed was a single piece of wood and an equally ornate handle. It was filthy, but through the dirt Landry could make out winding leaves and stems. The mirror had a beveled edge and blackened metal clasps holding it in place. He could tell that it was a high-quality piece, even if it had had a hard life.
The Gilded Mirror Page 4