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Needing You

By: Cia81



CHAPTER ONE

Cason looked out on the sea of dancing people. He could see several people he knew from the scene and a lot of newbies out in the crowd. Strokes wasn't really a fetish bar; it was more of a place for like-minded people to gather and hang out. Still, there was plenty of eye candy, bare skin held in harnesses, mesh shirts, and better yet, nothing at all. His cock stirred as he watched two twinks dance with each other, their hips grinding back and forth to the throbbing beat of the music.

Taking a drink, Cason savored the bitter strength of the alcohol as it trickled down his throat. It had been a long week, and an even longer day making the wooden rocking chair Tiffany had ordered. He deserved the break to relax his aching body. The tiny woman had wanted something her size and carved along the back with moonflower vines, her favorite plant that had grown by the swing on her grandmother's porch when she was small.

Sentimental, but a lot of what Cason carved for people was. He liked listening to his customers and then carving something to meet their needs out of the responsive wood. It filled a driving force inside him. Rocking chairs, cradles, tables, spanking benches and even dildos had been carved, polished, then boxed up and shipped out of his shop.

It was a good hobby and the way it dovetailed into his other... life, was nice too.

Tonight his body craved a different force. He needed a sub; to control, to please, to drive his cock into until they both came.

There were plenty of options.

"Hey, man." A hand clamped down on his shoulder. Cason smiled and turned to see his best friend standing beside him with a smaller guy tucked against his side.

"Brandon." Cason cocked his head toward Page. "Something come out of your mouth that shouldn't have?" he asked.

Page rolled his eyes but said nothing. He couldn't with his dark red lips stretched tight around a ball gag that was strapped behind his head. Brandon reached over and pinched one of Page's nipples, the small nubs already swollen, and the poor guy went rigid.

"Mmph!"

"No rolling your eyes," Brandon said in his slow, deep voice. Page nodded frantically and Brandon let up on his grip slowly, then rubbed the abused flesh softly, which would only increase the ache over time.

Cason's cock plumped up more at the small display. He'd met Page a few months back at a munch. Even for one of those informal gatherings Page had pushed limits. They'd talked; Cason even liked him, but the sub's bratty demeanor wasn't what Cason preferred in his partners. A glimpse of Page's inner spirit and he'd known from the tinge of colors in Page that the small man would be perfect for his best friend. All it had taken was an introduction and Page had been smitten with the giant man with a deep voice and very deliberate hands. Just like Cason had known he would. "So, Brandon, having fun?"

"Always." Brandon ordered a beer for himself, ignoring the imploring look from beneath Page's lashes that was being sent his way. "He'll behave and be ready to put that tongue to good use when I finally take the gag out though. Then we'll both be having fun, won't we, babe?"

Page's wink made both men laugh out loud.

The brat had a thing for gags. Cason had an order due in a few weeks from Brandon for Page's birthday gift; he wanted a wood bit gag that would let Brandon restrain and control Page's head movement. It had to be silky smooth wood, to protect his mouth, so of course Cason was the best man to order from. He'd made several toys for Brandon over the years. 

"So, how is the counselor doing tonight? Found a new boy to fix and find a happy relationship for?"

Like he needed that reminder. Cason hadn't taken anyone home in a while for just that reason. He'd been in the lifestyle for some time but his particular ability made it difficult to want to play over the last year. One by one, the subs he'd guided through the scenes to their subspace and sent soaring the bliss beyond had thanked him, usually on their knees with their cum still decorating their bodies... and then found someone else that fit the needs his ability allowed them to realize.

He always knew what they needed, but none of them ever needed him.

Cason scanned the dance floor again. Sometimes he couldn't resist; he needed that connection with them too, as fleeting as it was. He was a Dom and they were looking for something to fulfill them, personally, sexually... both of those intertwined for most of them. Creating their perfect scene and guiding them to it seemed to connect them to the submissive inside, whoever that person turned out to be.

None of the dancing singles on the floor captured his attention though, so he turned away, glancing at the door just as it opened. Maybe he'd order a second drink, if he wasn't going to play.

"I don't think there is anyone here that needs me, not tonight."

His balls ached at the thought. Pleasuring himself was fine from time to time, but he got tired of using his hands on his own cock. He wanted to knead malleable flesh, to stroke and smack it. He wanted hot lips wrapped around his cock while his hand was buried in sweaty blond hair as soft, gray-green eyes stared up at him.

Shit.

He knew better than to go there.

Vince, Page's roommate, had just entered the bar. Cason had been watching him for a few months, ever since he got to know Page. Vince sidled up to the edge of the bar and ordered. Cason hoped it would be a nice alcoholic beverage, something fruity maybe, or a rum and coke. Those would fit the way the young man seemed, flirty and fun or dark and smoldering when the eyes of interested men were on him. Cason frowned when the bartender smiled back at Vince as he handed Vince a bottle of water, saying something to the cheerful blond who slid his change in pants damn near too tight to get his hands in the pockets.

Someone else had come out to play tonight.

"Hey, Cason!" Brandon's big elbow nudged him.

"What?" He rubbed at his ribs, then realized he'd lost Vince in the crowd when Brandon distracted him. He glared at Brandon. "Keep those damn things to yourself." He tried looking around subtly for Vince. "Hey, a booth just opened up. Let's go sit down, unless you're going to dance?"

Page looked up at Brandon who shook his head. "Not yet."

They headed over to the booth, putting their glasses down and sitting on the soft leather benches. Page snuggled up against Brandon's side, his hands out of sight under the table. He was probably begging to go dance, in the only way he could with his mouth plugged.

Cason enjoyed the thick cushioned seat as he leaned back and sighed in relief. "Long day."

Unfortunately, Brandon was more focused on him than his sub, and they wouldn't be going dancing. Cason recognized the obstinate look on Brandon's face; they'd sit there until he answered his friend's questions. "What's up with you?" Brandon asked. "You've been acting off for the last few weeks."

How was Cason supposed to tell him about the stories he'd heard about Page's little roommate? About how he wanted to snap the so-called Doms the poor man had been playing with in half?

His friend looked down at Page who had turned away and was staring out at the dance floor. Brandon shifted his gaze out at the sea of people, looking in the direction Page was staring. Cason turned in his seat and looked too. He knew what he'd see before he looked, but he did it anyway.

The dance floor was lit up. The song had changed but the beat stayed the same, calling for dancers to move and writhe together in a parody of a more intimate act.

Of course if this was a fetish club people probably would have been having sex on the dance floor, but Strokes was too mainstream for that. Cason saw a woman whose breasts were being fondled under her shirt by the man behind her. Swaying next to her were a couple of men grinding into each other's thighs. They were locked in tight together; the dancer's ass he could see looked like a tight handful and it was being squeezed happily by a grinning man that scooted into the pair's space and joined them.

But Page wasn't looking at any of that. His roommate was on the edge of the dance floor, his chin tucked to his chest as an arrogant redheaded man standing beside him stroked his hand down his stomach toward his belt before hooking a finger into it. The man hauled Vince up against his body. Vince tilted his head back and smiled, saying something before he looked down again. His smile disappeared when he looked down, though.

Cason narrowed his eyes at the pair. He resisted getting up and interfering, even though the sneering curl in the redhead's lip pissed him off. Something about the blond triggered a protective instinct in him, but the man's spirit wasn't touched in any way Cason could see. He needed guidance, obviously, but not the type that Cason could offer him.

Some days he cursed his daimon heritage. He could see the color of the spirits inside a submissive and know, based on that influence, what would drive them to reach their center. Inside each submissive lay their truth, and finding that brought them to find peace in their individual submission. His own ability lay in taking them on the journey, through the scenes he planned for the submissive he took under his protection.

The last few times he'd been with a sub he'd succeeded in breaking down their barriers, but after each scene ended and he'd soothed their shattered nerves, gave them water and praised them, they left. He'd been sated, in a way, but the longing grew for someone who needed more from him.

But Vince didn't need him.

And Cason needed someone to need him. He drained his drink. "I'm going for a refill, can I get you anything?"

Brandon shook his head. "No." He polished off his beer. "I think we are going to dance."

Instead of getting up and losing their table, Cason had held up his hand until a waiter noticed him. "I'll take a beer."

None of the hungry spirits in the room called to him; no one truly needed him. He wasn't in the mood to play, so instead he drank. He was on his second beer when Brandon led Page back over to the table. They were breathing hard; Page's nipples were an angry red. Brandon had probably been teasing them the whole time they were gone.

"I got you some water." 

The bottle sat unopened on the table on their side of the booth. Brandon cracked it open and drank, his head tipped back and his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed. Page whimpered. Brandon put the bottle down on the table and sat down. He pulled Page into his lap, staring down at his sub's face.

He traced his fingers around the lips stretched wide around the black ball gag. "You thirsty?" His voice was a low rumble. Page nodded. "If I take this out to give you a drink you won't move or make a sound, will you?"

The sub shook his head; folding both hands together and putting them in his lap. He rested against Brandon and waited.

"Remember, don't move." Brandon picked up the water bottle and took a drink. He slid a hand over Page's cropped hair and unbuckled the gag, holding the strap to the back of Page's head so it wouldn't fall when he slowly removed the ball from his sub's mouth. Page didn't move, leaving his mouth wide open.

Brandon traced those lips with his finger again. Page's lips trembled and he breathed out hard through his nose. He closed Page's mouth with one hand under his chin and then kissed him, slowly giving him his drink. Cason shook his head as Brandon's tongue followed the water as the two kissed. Brandon gave Page two more drinks the same way.

He used his thumb on Page's glistening lower lip to part his lips again, then fit the black ball back into his mouth and fastened the buckle tight at the back of his head. Instead of acting resentful, Page melted against Brandon's body with a whimper, hugging him.

"I'm impressed," Cason said to Brandon. "He is very sweet tonight. I didn't think he'd like being gagged in public so much."

Brandon smirked. "He likes it when I'm mean."

His sub stroked at Brandon's neck, his eyes half-shut. He slid those naughty hands down, over the hard chest and stomach to drop below the table.

Brandon's eyes flared open wide and he shuddered. "I think we're going to go home early tonight though."

It was evident in the slow squirm of his body that, if Page could have smiled around the gag, he would have.

"You good?" Brandon asked. "Need a ride home?"

Cason waved his hand. "No, I'll be fine. I'll grab a cab when I'm done." He decided to have one more beer before heading home. That way he'd sleep really well. Just one more wouldn't give him a hangover but would see him comfortably buzzed.

While he drank he watched. He observed the people swirling in front of the bar, watching as those destined to meet up did and those who were still lost to their way searched for what they were looking for. Here, the spirit Kydoimos had touched a man with confusion; his eyes clouded with a pale white shade, so he couldn't see the way the young woman at the table beside his looked at him shyly through her lashes. He would remain oblivious, tonight at least.

Caerus exposed his influence, in a blue flash in another man's eyes, as he took a sudden chance and seized the opportunity to ask the guy waiting for a drink at the bar in front of him if he wanted to dance instead. Oizys, green with tinges of red, had sunk heavily over a woman crying into her wine glass, her woes being soothed by the friend rubbing her shoulders and insisting that "the jerk didn't deserve her."

They were everywhere, the spirits his ancestors had venerated in ancient Greece. He'd scoffed at the stories his grandfather told until puberty struck. Then he knew the truth. Cason's grandpa told him about using his ability to help people, but he had to learn focus so he could see the truth of the path for those in need of help. Pappous had suggested eastern meditation practices, but Cason had rejected the lessons as stupid and old-fashioned. 

It was during his senior year when Cason learned how right his Pappous was. One kiss and grope after class in the empty locker room had Billy, the oh-so-straight jock, seeing the light shine into his closet of denial. Somehow it also showed Billy that he really wanted Sam Drisver from his Geography class to pin him against the lockers, not Cason.

The sting from that first encounter still lingered. Deciding to heed his grandpa's advice on channeling his abilities through breath and focus, Cason had turned to vispassana exercises. He never let his friends catch him doing it, but the breathing and meditations, and the weight of history he felt when he finally understood what it really meant to search for that inner peace, had allowed him to reach new levels of confidence in his ability. After nearly a year, he'd learned to invoke the necessary state of calm within the space of one deep breath. He often wondered if that was what subs felt when they reached that high many of them called subspace.

Evidence of the spirits' influence was easy for Cason to spot after that. Gradually he grew into his sexuality and learned how to know who was touched by the spirits, and how to help them... if they wanted help. His grandfather's gifts had been different; they certainly didn't revolve around sex like Cason's did, much less the BDSM kink he used, but Pappous had told Cason to remember that using his gift to help others would be rewarded one day.

His eyes returned again and again to Vince. He could see behind the bright smile and easy pliancy to Vince's anxiety as he molded his body to the redheaded man who'd claimed him, exposed by the tight clench of his fists and the expression in those eyes that no one else saw.

Fuck it. His ability might not be able to help Vince, but maybe he could. He knew a lot of Dominants in the city who would jump at the chance at the young sub. It needed to be soon too; with each scene he did the blond man seemed to break a little more.

He'd find the right man for the submissive, but first he'd have to find out more about him. That meant he'd need to talk to Page.

Tomorrow.

He was damn sure the sub's tongue was going to get a whole other type of workout that night.

CHAPTER TWO

"So what can you tell me about Vince's interest in the lifestyle?" Cason barely waited until Page sat gingerly in the chair beside him before questioning him about Vince.

"Not a lot you don't already know, unfortunately. He's different now. We knew each other as kids, you know." He shivered, blowing on his hands. "It's cold outside today." Snow was swirling around the sidewalk just outside the window they sat in front of.

"I ordered you a mocha." He nodded at the cup on the small table between their chairs. His own preference was simpler; he enjoyed the rich bitter flavor of black coffee. His special blend of coffee at home was better, but he wasn't going to meet with another man's sub in his residence alone, even if it was his best friend's sub. "Tell me what you do know, as soon as you warm up a little."

"Thank you," Page said as he pulled off his gloves and set them in his lap. "Ah, this is nice." He held the cup curled between his hands.

Cason smiled. "Polite today, aren't you?"

That made Page laugh. "Well, I don't have anyone here who will gag me and paddle my ass if I'm not, now do I?" He winked as he took a sip. "They make the best mochas here. Sweet with a hint of dark roast coffee, like a rich hot cocoa for adults." Page held his cup up and blew on it before taking another sip. . 

"That's Vince's favorite drink, you know. Cocoa." Page looked up at him. "I can tell you more about him, as a person, than I can tell you about him as a sub."

Excellent. Cason already had one little tidbit of information to tuck away. He gestured for Page to continue. 

"He doesn't like caffeine, or sugar. He has a wicked way with cars. He knows how to get the broken ones purring in seconds. There's no one better at restoration."

"You live and work with him, right?" Cason asked.

Page shook his head. "We're roommates, but I don't work at the garage. I do custom work for him sometimes, leather seats for the cars he fixes up, or the motorcycles. I can't program a coffee pot, much less fix a car." He took another drink of his mocha, then sighed. "Growing up, most people would never have guessed we were friends. I met him when we were in high school. We were a pair of openly gay kids in a school that didn't always keep an eye on the goings on between students."

"Oh, nothing too horrible," Page assured him when Cason frowned, "we weren't jumped in the locker room and beaten or anything. But kids like to tease, and when you're a social outcast, you tend to band together with other social outcasts. Vince hung out with these slacker guys in the shop. They all took this automotive class before the school decided to fire the teacher for selling parts from the shop's teaching supplies.

"One day I got a bunch of food on me at lunch and I had an allergic reaction to the salad dressing. Vince drove me home to change and get some medicine, blowing off his plans with his other friends." The small man's voice was matter of fact about the incident. "Turns out the assholes who tripped me into the garbage can accidentally did him a big favor. The rest of the guys he hung out with spent the hour in the shop, after they stole the principal and vice principal's cars and chop shopped them in protest, right there on school grounds. Idiot teenagers."

"I'm assuming they got into major trouble."

Page nodded. "Yeah, and the class was canceled anyway. After that Vince got a job working part time at Pearson's. He sucked at school. He has ADHD, but cars just seem to focus him, you know? But he can do more than that, if he has a good reason. Pearson told him to go to college and learn how to run a business and when he retires, he'll let Vince buy the place. It was the one thing that got him through and made him focus enough to graduate this year."


Needing You



The little walk down memory lane hadn't told Cason much about Vince's recent experience in the scene, but it did tell him a lot about the man himself. He tapped the side of his coffee mug.

"Is that what he's looking for with all those men playing at being Doms? Focus?"

Page cocked his head to the side. "I don't know. He won't talk about the scenes he does with them. You can see it, though, right?"

"The hole inside that seems to be getting deeper each time he comes back into the club and tries a new guy? Yeah." Cason didn't like it. The younger man needed some help and he was going to make sure he got it so he'd stop looking so sad when he thought no one was looking.

"I tried talking about it with him. We staged this whole intervention with him. He had some friends from school and I got them all together at our apartment. Some of them were freaked by the lifestyle, but I got that part. But something was still wrong, and none of us knew what to do about it.

"He was with this guy, for like a year, just after we turned twenty-one. He met him at some club he went to alone and after the first night he told me the guy signed a contract with him. Normally Vince is bounce off the walls energetic, except for when he's working on an engine, but he was depressed whenever he was home. He wouldn't talk to us, or let us touch him at all." Page was growing agitated and he had a harsh scowl on his face. Cason had never seen the normally smirking sub looking quite so angry.

"Turns out the bastard told him that when he was away from him, or not at work, that he wasn't to touch, or even speak, to another man. This guy was supposed to be this great Dom, though I'd never seen him at any events or clubs. Whatever hold he had on Vince, the bastard used it to make him miserable, but he wouldn't leave. After we confronted him, he completely shut everyone out."

Some Doms believed in breaking submissive partners into slaves that lived to serve their every need. Page's story sounded exactly like that was what had happened, but not every man was made to be a slave. Cason took a drink of his coffee and grimaced at the cold drink. He set it down and folded his hands together in his lap. He was getting tense just hearing about Vince's experiences.

"So why did he leave his Dom then? He did leave him, right? Not the other way around?" If he'd left, then Vince hadn't broken. But how he left him, and why, would say a lot about the young man.

Page pursed his lips. "He never said, but I'm pretty sure the contract expired. Vince isn't stupid, but we're both new to the lifestyle, you know? I stopped playing for a while after I saw what was happening with him. It scared me. But this submissive chick I know told me about the munches hosted by Master Pete at the restaurant. I thought that would be safer than going to clubs, and I could learn some stuff too."

Cason nodded. "You were smart."

Page snorted. "I was lucky. I met you. I thought that I wanted you, especially after I saw that paddling you demonstrated on the guy wearing those leather chaps? Man, his ass was so red afterward it was practically glowing. You barely had to touch him before he came all over the stage. But Brandon is perfect for me, and you knew that, didn't you?"

Shrugging one shoulder Cason said, "I guessed you two would be good together."

"Brandon says it's more than guessing. You're good with people. That's why you're a counselor, right?"

"I advise students on the right career path. I'm not a psychologist." Cason wanted to help people, but he'd never wanted to study psychology formally. The classes he'd taken had various approved methods that made relying on his ability a bad choice. Second guessing himself never helped, so he went in a slightly different direction. He got up before he could start doing it then. "Be right back, I need to get a refresh."

He took his coffee up to the counter, getting a refill from the smiling barista. When he sat down again, though, Page started the conversation right back up.

"Do you think Vince is in some sort of crisis, like he might need to talk to someone? Is that why you're so concerned?"

That had been Cason's first impression. He argued with himself that Vince needed more than just an ear, and knowing he had a diagnosed mental condition like ADHD meant he'd need a psychiatrist. Kink friendly ones existed. Vince didn't need a daimon descendent whose ability was completely failing Cason just when he most wanted to use it to help someone... but knowing that wasn't going to stop Cason from helping Vince, not anymore. 

"Do you know if he's on medication for the ADHD?"

Page shook his head. "Not for a few years. He calmed down a little bit, at least compared to when he was a teenager. I think he has other ways of dealing with it now."

Maybe Cason could still help him. He didn't have to be their Dom to become friends with someone. "I'm guessing that he lost a lot of friends, even after that contract was up?" He tapped the arm of his chair.

"Yeah. I think he's more cautious now about letting people in, too."

Casually Cason said, "But he's still in the lifestyle, so he's still looking for a Dom."

Page's eyes got huge and his mouth dropped open.

Cason smirked. "Close your mouth."

Page closed his mouth so fast his teeth clicked together. He carefully set his cup down. "Are you going to ask him to sub for you? I've heard—"

"A lot, I'm sure." Cason shrugged his suddenly tense shoulders. "But no, I was thinking about approaching him at the munch next week and just talking to him. Maybe become his friend. Is he coming, do you think?"

"I'll drag him there myself, if I have to. Brandon wants to go. There's going to be a rope demonstration."

"Ah yes, that's my friend Suzanne and her sub, Mark. She can truss him up in the most interesting positions." He'd met the older Domme several years back and hit it off with them both. She'd taught him more than a few tricks about restraining people.

"If this is going to work, Vince can't know you told me all this. I really shouldn't have asked you, but what I'm hearing through the grapevine about the scenes he's done isn't good. Being safe is more than just making sure your partner will stop when you need them to, and it sounds like the direction he's been headed hasn't been very good for him mentally."

After Cason had talked to Page when they first met he'd known exactly who to introduce him to in order for Page to be happy. He had this desire inside, now that he knew some of Vince's story, to Dom the younger man himself but knew it could end badly. He had to resist the temptation and figure out which Dom he knew would be able to reach the submissive before he broke completely under the hands of the wrong ones.

CHAPTER THREE

It wasn't until after the demonstration where Suzanne had shown her favorite way to immobilize a two hundred pound man in the best position for a spanking scene that Cason found Vince standing next to Page. Brandon was nowhere to be seen, at the moment, but he could tell both young men had enjoyed the demonstration.

"— looks amazing," Vince said softly.

Cason broke into the conversation. "Mark is a very handsome man, and the white rope does show off his dark coloring well."

"Hello, Cason!" Page said happily. "I was wondering if you were here."

"I was wondering if you two were going to show up as well. I don't see Brandon here though. Don't tell me he passed up a chance to tease you while watching Suzanne tie up Mark."

Page waved his hand. "Oh, he's around. I think he went to talk to her."

That made sense. She was entertaining a lot of questions from various Doms and Dommes about her techniques. "Well, she is a master at bondage. You can be sure that anything he learns from her you will enjoy. Probably." Cason laughed.

Vince had fallen silent and had yet to look up after Cason interrupted the conversation. Cason raised an eyebrow and looked at Page. "Why don't you introduce me to your friend?"

"Oh! Sorry, Cason. This is my friend Vince. Vince, this is Brandon's best friend, Cason."

"Hello, sir." Those gray-green eyes flicked up but never made it past Cason's chin. Cason held tight to his smile and didn't allow his expression to waver.

"Hello, Vince. I take it from your comment when I walked up that you appreciated the demonstration?"

Vince's voice was soft when he spoke. "Yes, sir."

Cason corrected him. "Cason. Use my name. We're not in a scene, we're at a demonstration. There's no need for formality, so relax."

"Yes, Cason." The obedience factor of being a submissive was clearly something that had been drilled into Vince. It seemed unnatural for the man though. He usually flirted and laughed, teasing the young Doms he had been choosing in the clubs.

"Suzanne is an old friend. If you'd like to get up closer to her and Mark, see his bindings up close, I could take the two of you to the stage. She's probably going to unfasten him soon."

Vince glanced at Page, who answered for both of them. "Sure! Thank you, Cason, we'd love to see it. I wanted to check out the knot work she did on his arms. It seemed really elaborate."

Nodding, Cason stepped behind both of the smaller men and guided them forward with a hand on their shoulders. It was a struggle to speak normally and keep his hand light on Vince's shoulder; he couldn't stroke the young man's neck even if the golden skin called to be touched.

"Well, they seem elaborate because they are elaborate. Technically, she could have just wound the rope around his forearms, tying them together, but where is the beauty in that? The purpose in rope bondage isn't just to immobilize the submissive. Cuffs and spreader bars could do that. There is an artistry in the way the rope touches the skin, the knots used and the positions it bends the submissive to please their Dom."

"To make them attractive," Vince said suddenly.

Cason nodded. "More attractive. The contrast of the colors of the rope, the way the body is positioned and curved, the beauty of the trust such submission takes. The sub must work with them and hold still for it to work so it shows their desire to please their Dominant."

"Bending to their will."

"Yes." Cason stopped them a few feet from Mark, having made their way through the small crowd. "Of course, with some like Page here, bondage is a way to make them pay attention."

"Hey." Page's lips parted like he was going to stick out his tongue, but then he stopped. "I pay attention."

Vince's laugh was light, but it seemed genuine, and it pleased Cason immensely to hear it. He chuckled himself.

Smirking, Vince said, "You realize you just kept yourself from sticking your tongue out at him because of the gag I saw Brandon make you wear at the club last week, right? You know, gags are a form of bondage too."

"That they are," Cason said. He proceeded to explain the Japanese harness and the intricate knots that formed a pattern with the coils going up and down Mark's arms.

"With his arms up like that, he's in a prime position to be spanked if he's laid stomach down, or to have his nipples tortured if he's chest up. His arms are immobilized, but comfortably secure up and out of the way."

Page shivered. "Oh." His eyes were staring at Mark but he wasn't seeing him. Cason just knew he was imagining himself tied up like Mark with Brandon's hands, mouth, and maybe some clamps making his nipples achingly sensitive.

He chuckled darkly. "I can see some rope in your future, Page." He turned to look at Vince. "What about you? Are you a fan of rope bondage?"

Vince licked his lips as he stared at Mike but said, "Not really."

That hesitant denial smacked of a bad experience, especially if Vince was aroused. If Cason wasn't wrong, and he rarely was, then Vince had a hard-on pressing against the zipper of his jeans.

"What about bondage in general?" he asked.

"I like it."

"Just not ropes."

Vince glanced at him. "Not certain kinds of ropes."

Cason smiled. "It's always good to be sure of your preferences. That's what these sorts of events are good for. There's no pressure and you talk about the lifestyle, even learn something new. It's good for newcomers to get together without worrying about protocols."

"I saw the demonstration you did." Vince looked at him fully instead of glancing at him from the corner of his eye. His not so subtle hint about not worrying about protocols worked, but this time Cason hid his smile.

"And what did you think?"

"You were very... controlled." His voice was too enigmatic for Cason to decide if that was a good thing or not.

"Any Dom worth the title is always in control."

Vince shivered. The room was comfortably warm; Mark showed no signs of discomfort, even though he was shirtless. Still, maybe Vince was cool. There was a fireplace at one end of the meeting room opposite the stage.

"Would you care to go sit down and continue talking?" Cason hoped Vince would say yes. "It looks like Suzanne is about to untie Mark. Brandon will be right over to get him, so we won't be abandoning Page to his lonesome."

The hesitation on Vince's part disappeared when Page smiled and shooed them away. "Okay." Cason led the way over to the armchairs, trusting that the younger man would follow him. It was warmer by the fire and Vince relaxed into the comfortable chair when they sat quietly for a few minutes.

Cason had a theory. Vince wasn't nearly as reserved as he appeared. He had seen him laughing and enjoying the attention at the clubs, interacting normally with the other dancers. The flashes of sadness Cason saw were real, though. It was as if Vince played parts of whatever type of person he thought those around him wanted.

How was Cason going to get Vince to show him the real inside? Vince leaned to one side, propping his cheek up on his fist. It was so much easier when he knew what was going on with a person's spirit. Of course then he'd feel the need to do a scene with Vince, and that was the last thing he wanted.

Well, he wanted the younger man. He had the softest looking lips, pale pink and wide. Would they turn dark pink with passion? Get puffy if he kissed them hard?

His breath stuttered when Vince licked the lips he was staring at. It took an act of iron will not to make a sound. A moment later he had his control back but it took a few minutes before Vince looked up at him finally.

"So..."

"So." Cason was patient; he had to be.

"You said you wanted to talk some more."

"Of course. I believe talking is invaluable. Without it, submissives don't know what their Doms want and vice versa. Communication is at the core of what we do. A good scene always starts with a negotiation beforehand. I thought maybe I could answer your questions, if you had any."

"You negotiate with your sub?" Vince cocked his head to one side, a slight frown marring his expression.

Cason nodded. "Always. How am I supposed to know their hard limits if they don't tell me when I ask?"

"Most Doms do that? Ask what the sub wants, or doesn't want, and listens to them?" 

His question upset Cason, not that he let it show. Cason kept his forehead smooth, fighting the urge to scowl. What kind of idiots had he been playing with?

"A real one," Cason answered after a minute. "Look, there are a lot of people who play in the lifestyle. They think that bossing a person around and controlling them is all that it takes to be a Dominant. That's not how it should work between a couple who really believe in living the D/s lifestyle. One of the things we could never forget is that everyone is different and that's okay."

Vince shook his head. "I don't want to live as a sub all the time." His hands clenched on the arms of his chair.

"And not every D/s couple does. Some keep their scenes only to the bedroom while others incorporate the aspects that draw them to their roles into their daily lives. Neither are right or wrong. Just because a person likes to submit in bed doesn't mean they have to give up control in their day-to-day life."

"Really?"

Cason arched an eyebrow. "I do not lie."

A flush spread across Vince's face and he stared at his knees. "Sorry, sir."

"Forgiven. And my name is Cason, remember? You don't know me, and it seems like you haven't been given too many chances to learn how our lifestyle really works."

"I was in a relationship with a Dom once where he wanted me to let him be in charge all the time. Now I just do scenes. I don't want... I don't want be submissive full time."

Maybe Cason could give Vince some advice about how to protect himself. Maybe that was all he needed to do, which was why he didn't see the spirits inside the attractive blond man. "As I said, you don't have to. Even in a single scene, you should talk to your partner before anything starts. Things you like, what you absolutely will not do, what makes you nervous and might need to be helped into doing." He leaned forward.

"That isn't to say that you dictate what will happen in the scene, but we're not mind readers. Doms rely on a sub's honesty. That's why I use a slow word."

"Page mentioned that, but I've never had a Dom use one."

"I've seen the types of guys you play with. I'm not surprised. I wouldn't trust arrogant newbies like that with an experienced sub, much less one who had been mistreated."

Vince jerked his head up and glared at Cason. "What are you talking about?" His nostrils flared and he spoke through clenched teeth.

Cason shook his head. Maybe no one had ever confronted Vince about his poor choices. "It's pretty obvious to someone like me. I have made it my job, and my hobby, to read other people. Every time you come back and find someone new at a club you're hiding more fear, more pain. You're not finding the peace in submission you should be."

"Obvious to someone who is what... an arrogant jerk? Where do you get off?" Vince stood up, his body rigid. His hands shook until he clenched them into fists. He glared down at Cason. "Try reading this," he said before he walked out of the room completely.

"Fuck." Cason slumped in his chair. He never would have guessed Vince would have snapped at him that way with how meek the man acted. He'd clearly struck a nerve.

What he'd said had been nothing less than the truth, but stating it so baldly was a mistake, in retrospect. Perhaps an apology would soothe his ruffled feathers. He tapped his finger on the wood arm of the chair. Now he had to figure out how to get Vince to talk to him again.

CHAPTER FOUR

Page had once again been coerced into helping Cason with the bribe of a mocha.

"You sure he'll come?" Cason was unaccountably nervous, turning his cup side to side.

Reveling in his mocha with extra whip cream, Page mumbled an answer.

"What?"

"I didn't tell him you were going to be here," Page finally said.

"Damn it, Page!" Cason couldn't believe that Page would do that. "So he's going to walk in the door, take one look at me, and walk back out again. How is that going to help me help him?"

Page didn't even look embarrassed. Or sorry.

"He'll stay. I think you intrigued him, after he got over being pissed. He was only mad because you were right, you know."

"I know." Cason didn't drink any of his coffee, just stared at the dark black liquid rippling as he fidgeted with his cup. "I could have said it better though."

Page shrugged. "He has issues, but I don't want to see him hurt again like he was last week."

Cason has been swamped with the influx of students coming back after winter holidays and had gone home each night exhausted. He hadn't been out to the clubs in the last three weeks since the munch where things went so wrong with Vince.

"Who hurt him? How?" He stared at Page, his eyes narrowed. The handle on his cup was going to break off if he squeezed it any harder.




Needing You



"Some guy. I think Vince found the guy on Craigslist or something."

White hot anger lit up inside Cason. "Vince did what?" He didn't know who he was more furious with, the asshole who hurt Vince or Vince for giving him the chance without knowing him at all.

"Yeah, I know. I gave him a piece of my mind. It's one thing to meet a stranger at the clubs, but he didn't tell any of us what he was doing until he came stumbling home. He had bruises around his throat and was walking funny."

"The guy beat him?"

"I think so."

Cason's lips curled in a snarl. He really hated the idea of anyone hurting Vince.

"What happened after that?"

"Well, he hasn't been with anyone else since then, and he asked me about you. The night he went out to the club last weekend he didn't go home with anyone, but I saw him talking to a few subs." He winked at Cason. "Including the one that you were with right before I set my sights on you."

Cason sank back in his chair. Was Vince staying away from new partners while he considered the way he'd been playing, or was he looking at Cason to play with? A large part of Cason wanted that, but he couldn't help the drop dead gorgeous man and then watch him walk away, especially without the spirits involved.

He would though. He decided that the instant Vince walked in the door, shaking snow out of his dark blond locks, and they locked eyes.

Heat suffused his body. He wanted Vince under him, looking up with those smoky eyes shining with their green glints. His breath held, Cason waited to see what the submissive would do when he waved him over, pointing to the chair next to his.

Vince strolled over with an air of nonchalance, and shrugged out of his coat before he sat down. He raised an eyebrow while looking at Page. "You didn't tell me we'd be seeing anyone else here, or is this just a coincidence?"

"Of course it isn't," Cason said before Page could open his mouth. "I wanted to see you."

Vince's lips looked chapped, which was really too bad because they usually looked soft. Vince started gnawing on his bottom one as he turned his eyes on Cason, who was staring at him. "Why?"

"To apologize, for starters. I shouldn't have spoken that way." Cason didn't apologize for what he said, and he wouldn't, but he did need to make amends for how and where he'd said it. A perfect stranger telling him he'd been handling his sex life completely wrong would have pissed him off too. In fact, it had, back when his family had issues with the way he choose to use his daimon abilities.

"It's forgotten." Vince shrugged one shoulder. The white T-shirt set off the caramel tone of his skin. Cason didn't often mark his subs but he wanted to pull up a vivid purple mark right above Vince's collar on his neck so everyone could see it.

"Thank you." Cason said simply. "Can I get you a cocoa? Perhaps a peppermint flavor? I asked when I came in and they said they have it in sugar free syrup."

The look Vince sent Page was hard. "What the hell, Page? Have you been spilling all my secrets?"

Page shrugged. "Maybe." He tipped his head back and drained most of his mocha in one long drink.

"Maybe Brandon needs to know about your thirty minute shower this morning?" Vince's smirk was back. Cason had to hide his smile. The man definitely had a wicked streak, though he didn't seem as bratty as Page.

"Maybe Brandon told me to take that long shower." Page looked at his watch in an exaggerated movement. "In fact, maybe I need to be off to meet him right now. Have fun." He wiggled a single finger in goodbye at Vince as he left. Cason couldn't stop himself from laughing at the vulgar salute.

"He's such a brat."

Cason agreed. "That's why I thought he'd do so well with Brandon. He always needed a challenge. Now, cocoa?"

"I'd like a cinnamon cocoa, actually. I'm not a big fan of peppermint."

"Good to know. I'll be back." Exchanging his cold coffee for hot, he waited until Vince's cocoa was ready before he went back to their seats, carrying both mugs. He stopped in front of Vince's chair and held out the cup. "Careful, grab the handle. The mug is hot."

Their fingers brushed as he handed over the cup. Cason wanted to touch Vince more than that casual contact, but he restrained himself. He'd spent weeks trying to think of how to help Vince with advice, maybe arranging a set up with a Dom... but he'd changed his mind. Or maybe he'd always wanted to be the one for Vince's awakening to what a real scene could be like.

Vince sipped his cocoa and pleasure spread across his face. He smiled at Cason. "It's very good. They have the best cocoa blend here."

"Good. I'm a big advocate of only accepting the best."

He didn't want anyone teaching Vince the truth of his submission, and the peace that could come from a scene shared to the mutual satisfaction of both the Dom and the sub but him. He could see the need practically pouring out of the man for someone to show him why he felt the need to submit, and how to find the right way to satisfy that urge.

It would be him. Once he figured out how get Vince to agree, of course. 

Considering how the man had been questioning people about Cason, Vince might be interested in return. The difficulty lay in not seeing the path Vince's submission needed to go, but maybe it would be better this way. He would delve into Vince's desires in a whole new way from how he usually planned out scenes.

They sipped their drinks in silence; the chatter of other people who had come inside to avoid the snow and seek their daily dose of caffeine muted in the background as they studied each other. Cason set his cup down. He decided to be direct; it was, after all, what he'd told Vince Doms and subs should do.

"I heard you've been asking around about me."

Vince's face flushed a little, his cheeks turning pink. He shrugged one shoulder. "I was curious."

"And did you satisfy that curiosity?"

"I talked to three different subs, and Page and Brandon too. Every single sub said you were amazing and knew exactly what they needed, even if they didn't know themselves."

He couldn't really explain he had an ancient Greek daimon for an ancestor who had passed down the power to see the influence the spirits had on a sub. He knew how to read those needs and reach through that to their inner spirits. Thankfully, his grandfather had been a daimon who sought to help people find the truth within that would bring them peace... not all daimons were good. Some sought to influence humans toward the darkness inside them, breaking them for their own purposes.

He compromised with the truth. "I'm usually very good at reading people. I'm not perfect. No one is. It helps that I insist on communication being a foundation to each and every scene I plan."

"So you plan out what you are going to do beforehand?" A bit of sugar free whipped topping from the garnish on his cocoa clung to Vince's lip.

Plans on how slowly he could lick that dollop of creamy white sweetness from the soft pink lips instantly struck Cason. Watching Vince lick it off sent more ideas of how he could have the man use his pointed tongue to lick other, now throbbing, areas.

Cason was glad he'd left his button up shirt casually untucked. "Each situation can be different, depending on where we meet and how well I know the sub. We always have a discussion beforehand, but sometimes I need a bit of time to set things up for us. Other times we can start playing as soon as we're done going over their limits."

"That sounds like a lot of work, not play."

"I enjoy it. Planning on how to blow a man's mind is very... stimulating." Cason gave Vince a wicked grin, making the other man laugh.

That look was amazing on Vince; curving up his lips and making his eyes shine. More than anything, Cason wanted to see that face sated and relaxed after an intense scene where the man let everything go under Cason's hands. "I'd like to do a scene with you," he said. He blinked. That was not how he'd planned to bring it up.

Vince's mouth dropped open and he stared at Cason, for once not seeming uncomfortable looking directly into his eyes. "Wh— what?"

Cason brazened it out, putting every ounce of his confidence into his voice. "I want to do a scene. With you." He leaned back and watched Vince's reaction.

The gorgeous blond wet his lips repeatedly and swallowed. All traces of levity had left him.

"Would you like that?"

Vince nodded.

"Talk to me," Cason said. "Do you want to do a scene with me?"

"Yes, sir." Vince's voice was hesitant.

"Are you hesitant because you are nervous about doing a scene in general or because you aren't sure you want to play with me, specifically?" Cason laced his hands together in his lap. All of his nerves had drained away and he was calm and steady. This is something he knew how to do. The importance of it just made him all that more serious.

"Nervous." Vince's Adam's apple bobbed a few times. "Definitely nervous." His fingers began to beat a rapid staccato beat on the arm of his chair.

"Good. It means you're going to pay more attention." Cason looked around the very public coffee shop. "Will you come with me?"

"Where? And can I call Page and tell him?"

Cason smiled. "Good. You should never just agree to go play with someone you don't know, in a location you aren't sure of. You can call Page and tell him you're coming home with me. He's been to my house before. That is, if you want to come now." His voice dropped on the last line deliberately; Cason hid a smile as Vince shivered.

"Yeah. All right." All five fingers were tapping now.

Leaning forward, Cason clamped his hand down on Vince's wrist before he could reach for his phone. The tapping stopped. "I don't need to be called Master by the subs I play with. I'm not looking for a slave. But you will pay attention when we're talking, and remember how you speak to me at all times when we're discussing playing together or actually doing a scene."

Vince's eyes were wide and his breathing was shallow. His pants did nothing to hide the thickening erection beginning to create a bulge as he tried to pull his arm back and couldn't move. "Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir, I understand." Vince didn't look away from his eyes while Cason was speaking. "I'll call Page now, if I can still come with you."

Relaxing his grip, Cason caressed Vince's wrist where he'd been pressing down. "Of course. One small mistake isn't going to change my mind. Finish your cocoa and then call Page. I'm going to go the restroom."

Cason stood up. He dropped his coffee cup in the tub on the way to the restroom. When he was washing his hands he stared in the mirror. Shaking off the excess water, he ran his clean hands through his black hair, taming some of the curls the snow had brought out as it melted. There was a lot racing through his mind.

Vince had a lot of issues. His difficulty focusing tied directly into the problems he would have had with his previous Dom, who tried to force him to live the lifestyle all the time. Vince's mind just could not focus all the time.

Clearly the sub had learned discipline when he wanted something; he loved what he did and he was going to school so that he could succeed in his chosen career. Cason didn't want to live the lifestyle all the time either. That was a lot of stress and responsibility. He knew people who could, and some elements might spill into regular life, but he never wanted to boss a man around every second of the day.

Vince needed to learn the lifestyle he wanted was still reachable after his bad experiences. Cason was determined to help him, despite how long he'd tried to ignore his own need to do so. He'd start tonight. They could sit in the living room and discuss Vince's limits. His play toys were clean and ready for use, as he always kept them.

"No sex, Cason," he murmured. There were a lot of things he wanted to do with Vince. He wasn't sure he could take being that close to his golden man without a chance to do it more than once. If he lost control and they had sex it would be over before Cason had a chance to spend enough time with the sub.

So he wouldn't.

Even if his cock was already aching. He could take a bit of pain in order to save himself a lot later. He would focus on Vince; the satisfaction in helping the younger man find confidence in his submission would be enough.

CHAPTER FIVE

Vince followed Cason back to his house. Vince drove a really nice car; its polished exterior was shining, even through the winter rain pounding down. At least it wasn't snowing anymore. If that was the quality of the work Vince did, Cason knew he'd have no trouble getting business... he could just park that beauty in front of the business.

"That's a Mustang, isn't it?" Cason had waved Vince into the spare bay in his garage.

"Yeah. A sixty-nine. My dad and I got it as a total junker when I was thirteen. That's when we discovered my ADHD seemed to disappear when I have a car project to work on. I've been fixing cars up ever since." He held the door open and Cason peeked inside. The inside was gorgeous; leather seats and sleek instruments.

"It's gorgeous." He stepped back and let Vince shut the door.

Vince rubbed his hand on the roof. "Thank you." Cason took in the quiet pride of Vince's expression as he stroked his car. That was the look he wanted to see when the man looked up at him from his knees. Vince needed to know that he could be just as successful submitting as he was fixing up cars.

"Come inside."

Cason led the way, stopping just inside to take off his shoes. He emptied his pockets into a carved bowl with a flaring lip set on the glass topped table set beside the door. Taking Vince's coat, he hung it up next to his on the coat rack. The small entry opened up in a large living room. There was a couch and an arm chair by a wall mounted flat screen opposite a lovely wood bar built into the left side of the room.

"Why don't you take a seat." Cason's tone wasn't an order, exactly, but he wasn't asking a question either. "Would you like a glass of water?"

"Yes, please." Vince sat down on the leather couch, his hands stroking the butter soft surface. "This is nice."

The kitchen was just on the other side of the bar, so Cason could hear Vince easily. "I'm glad you like it. I'm not much for wearing leather, but I do like it for the feeling and smell."

"I love leather. I have a few toys and some cuffs."

Cason paused for a second, imagining Vince on his knees with his hands cuffed behind him, a leather half-hood over his head covering up his eyes. He breathed deeply for a minute before he grabbed two glasses and filled them with ice and water from the refrigerator. He walked back into the living room. "Here you go." He flipped two coasters out of the holder onto the wood table he'd carved. He sat down on the other end of the couch and took a drink before setting down his glass.

"So." Vince's hands were clenched around his glass and he was staring at his knees. "Is this where we negotiate?"

Nodding, Cason settled back into the cushions. "It is. I can ask you questions, or you can tell me what your limits are."

"I... you could ask me?"

"Okay. I remember you like bondage, but don't like rope." Vince nodded. "Are you willing to let me tie you up if I used something else, like silk? Or do you like cuffs?"

"I haven't let anyone tie me up in a while." His hesitance told Cason volumes.

"We don't have to incorporate that, if it's a hard limit for you. I don't want bad memories to pull you out of your headspace while we're playing." Cason could work around that, though he loved to see a man held immobile, quivering as he waited for whatever came next.

"Maybe you could tie me so that I could get out of it, if I really needed to?"

Cason tapped one finger on his knee. "I'll consider a few things. I have some options for bondage. What about pain? Not everyone feels the same about it."

"Spankings can be hot, if they start slow. I don't need it in every scene, though, and I don't like a lot of pain. Definitely no blood or permanent damage." Vince glanced up through his eyelashes in a look that was almost coy.

Cason felt a slow smile spread across his face. "Spanking could be fun, if used as foreplay." With his hand. He could just imagine the taut curves of Vince's ass slowly turning pink. His cock twitched with interest.

"What about toys?"

"Like?"

"Nipple clamps. Dildos. Cock rings. Though the last one might be considered bondage, there are different types like vibrating cock rings, ball spreaders, glans rings for guys who are uncircumcised... all sorts. I also have some ball straps which can take weights, cock cages. I own many things to play with."

Vince swallowed. "Weights... that would hang from my balls?"

"It can stretch them beautifully and bring all of your focus to your balls."

"Would it hurt?"

"I'd say it aches, but it isn't a sharp pain. I never start a sub out with too much weight. The key is to build slowly." That was going to be what Cason had to do with every scene; even the one he was already starting to plan. He would build things between them slowly; increasing the intensity bit by bit until he made Vince fly.

"Whatever you want."

"So those are your limits? No blood or permanent damage? No severe pain? That's it?" Cason wasn't surprised that Vince seemed reluctant to speak up with the stories of how his past Dominants had treated him. "What about things like water sports?"

Vince's nose wrinkled up. "Gross. No."

Finally, a hard limit with no waffling. "Good. I'm not into that either. What about exhibitionism? Service?" Cason refused to suggest any humiliation play. He wasn't into it and that would be the last thing that Vince needed. Breaking a sub down and pushing their boundaries didn't mean breaking their spirit by degrading them.

"Service means what?"

Cason reached for his glass and took a drink, the ice clinking against his teeth. Vince was still holding his glass but he hadn't taken a drink yet.

"Drink up," Cason told him. "You need to stay hydrated." He watched as Vince once again obeyed him immediately, taking a long drink. It pleased him, even if they weren't playing yet. Clearly the man had a strong submissive streak, even if he didn't want to live as a sub all the time.

"Service is just like how it sounds. You serve. It can mean taking care of the Dominant physically, or doing things like chores."

"Doing chores can be a scene?" Vince sounded disbelieving.

Cason shrugged. "You'd be surprised what people get off on. For example, a sub could serve by washing my body in the shower before I let him suck me off. Or, a sub could bring me a drink while he fixed dinner for both of us, then sit blindfolded at my knees while we eat so I can feed him from my fingers. I'd consider that service, because he was taking care of my needs before I took him to my room and took care of his."

Vince wiped at the droplets of water gathering on the side of his glass in short strokes with his thumbs. "I can't cook," he said bluntly. "But I'm not averse to being fed from your fingers." He licked his lips as he looked down at Cason's hands.

Cason chuckled. "That does remind me, you're not allergic to anything, right?"

"No lubes or anything like that. I am allergic to shellfish, but nothing else."

"Good." He put his water down and then reached for Vince's empty glass, setting it on the other coaster. "I think I have a pretty good idea of what you need. We've talked enough." 

"We have?" Vince bit his lip.

Standing up, Cason held out a hand to the nervous sub. "Yes. Come with me." He normally didn't have to guess what a sub needed. He could tell who needed to be hooded and whipped until they came screaming or who would respond better to being tied up and teased with a feather until they begged to come before their balls exploded.




Needing You



But for Vince... it was harder. He couldn't tell what path would lead to Vince's center or where his submission truly lay. The challenge focused him in ways he hadn't felt in a long time.

"Your house is beautiful. All this wood detail is so intricate," Vince said as Cason led him past the kitchen to the stairs. His voice sounded shaky, as if he were nervous and trying to distract himself from his fear.

"Thank you. I did it myself."

"Page said you did woodwork, I forgot though. This all looks amazing."

"It's a hobby." He glanced back over his shoulder. "You'll have to check out my collection of handmade dildos sometime."

Vince's eyes opened wide. "You make dildos?"

"Sure. I make all sorts of things to order. I have a day job at the college, but I like to make all sorts of things. I recently finished a crib for a friend having a baby. I have a whole website devoted to toys or bondage furniture for those in the lifestyle though. I've been talking with Page about offering some leather work on my website."

"He'd be good at that." Vince stopped when they walked into Cason's room at the top of the stairs. "Oh my God. I think my room would fit in a corner of yours."

Cason had a playroom to do scenes in with a swing, a cross, and a spanking bench, along with all sorts of toys. He kept his best toys in a chest his bedroom, the ones he collected but rarely used. Cason didn't use his bedroom for playing, but with what he was planning for Vince...

Besides, he wanted to see the sub in his bed. He planned for their time together to drive the man completely crazy. From everything he'd seen, there was a lot Vince could learn from their time together. Vince's reaction to talking about pain, bondage, coupled with his inability to understand submission being voluntarily given and not demanded showed his lack of positive experience in the lifestyle. 

Cason would show him.

"We're going to start now."

"In here?" Vince licked his lips. Cason stared hard at him until he lifted his eyes. "Sir."

The addition pleased Cason. He stroked a hand down the post on the bed he'd made himself with some... special features. He wasn't going to use them tonight with Vince, but maybe one day, if he got the sub to stay with him he would get to use the hidden rings he'd built into posts on each corner. "Yes. We're going to play in here." He faced Vince, spreading his legs a little farther apart and straightening his spine so he stood erect, strong and balanced. "What is your safeword?"

"Finch."

"And your slow down word? This is what you will say if the intensity is getting to be too much for you or when you need to tell me something important."

Cason watched while Vince thought for a second. "Cardinal."

"You'll remember both of those?"

He nodded.

"And use them. It's important. We've never played together before, and I won't be pleased if you let me do something you cannot handle."

Vince took a deep breath. "I promise."

"Good. Finch and Cardinal it is." Finch means stop, cardinal slow down. Cason repeated that several times in his mind so that the words would be ingrained and would trigger him if Vince needed to say either of them.

"Strip." The timbre of his voice lowered as he gave Vince his first order. He watched as a delicious flush spread across Vince's face. His hands went to the bottom of his white T-shirt and he slowly pulled it up and over his head.

His hands shook a little as they went to the top button on his jeans. His chest and stomach were lean, muscled, but not overly built like a gym bunny. Hints of a six pack creased his stomach as his forearms flexed and the button came undone.

His zipper opened slowly.

"Red underwear. Nice." They looked like silk. "I bet you'd look even better in blue." It was his favorite color and he loved to see it on his subs.

Vince didn't say anything, just hooked his trembling fingers into the top of his underwear and slowly slid them down his legs, taking a single step forward. His eyes stopped at Cason's chin as he stilled, standing naked before him.

Cason's breath caught. Vince wasn't fully aroused, but he wasn't limp either. He had a nicely shaped cock, circumcised, and the head was a pink almost the same shade as his lips. Cason licked his lips.

"Hands at your sides."

First step in his plan wasn't going to work if Vince wouldn't look at him. "Eyes on mine."

Vince grimaced but lifted his lashes, showing off those gorgeous gray-blue eyes as he looked right at Cason.

Feeling every inch the Dom in charge, Cason stalked forward. Vince quivered but didn't move as Cason stood right in front of him, stopping when they were inches apart. "You're tan all over." He ran a hand down Vince's side and rubbed a thumb in the hollow of his hip, careful not to touch the wakening cock.

"It's my natural color." Vince's voice was shaky.

"I like it," Cason told him.

"Thank you, sir."

Cason kept his hands on Vince as he moved around him, holding on to his hips to keep him still. He held in his moan but he couldn't keep his hands off Vince's ass. It was just as tight as it looked in jeans, smooth curves barely dusted with fine blond hair. The skin was smooth under Cason's calloused palms as he squeezed each cheek.

Vince's back arched as he pressed back into Cason's hands. A soft moan broke the silence. He seemed to be very sensitive; Cason would have to be careful. He let go reluctantly, his fingers tracing small paths as he stepped back.

"Go lay down on the bed on your back."

The chest lid was heavy as he pushed it up until it locked open. Vince was on his back on the deep blue comforter, watching his every move. Cason had made the chest deep on purpose. With the lid up, the man on the bed couldn't see what he was grabbing.

Looking into the neat compartments, Cason grabbed a small black leather case. From another area he grabbed the red silk cord he had coiled into a small circle that would be perfect for Vince's wrists. A small crop with a furred end and a massage mitt joined the pile. The last thing Cason grabbed was his favorite black leather cock ring that would snap around the base of Vince's cock nice and tight, while a second attached ring would encircle his balls.

Then Cason went to a large wood armoire made of the same cherry wood as the bed. He folded back the doors of the upper area and exposed a flat screen TV. The first drawer slid open smoothly and Cason took a minute to run his fingers along the movies lined up in orderly rows before he decided on one.

Sometimes he liked his prep work done beforehand, but he'd taken extra pleasure in moving each item from his chest to the bed one by one, Vince's eyes locked on each toy as it was revealed to him. His cock pulsed when Cason unfurled the silk cord and let it pool on Vince's stomach just above his now rock hard erection. The movie was in the DVD player, his toys were lined up, and Cason was ready.

"Sit up."

Vince sat up, spilling the cord onto his groin. Cason got up on the bed and moved behind him.

"You're not getting naked, sir?" Vince asked.

Cason allowed himself to smirk since Vince couldn't see his face, but his voice didn't betray his expression. "How does that make you feel, with me dressed and you completely naked in my bed?"

His hands clenched into fists at his sides and Cason noted the tense lines of the muscles in Vince's back. "Vulnerable."

Cason leaned against the pillows, his legs spread wide around Vince. He urged the sub to lean back against him. "Good," he said in Vince's ear. That was exactly how Cason wanted him to feel.

For a minute Cason stroked Vince's arms, his touch feather-light, from his shoulders to his fingertips. They fit well together and gradually he relaxed into Cason's touch.

Reaching for the red cord, Cason spoke quietly in Vince's ear again, prompting the younger man to shiver as he used his breath to tickle his ear and neck. "I'm not going to tie you up but I am going to restrain you."

He separated the cord into the two halves. He lifted his knee and wound the cord just above it, then moved Vince's hand to the outside of his thigh where he twisted the red cord in a firm twist around his wrist and palm, before tucking the other end of the cord through the loops around his thigh. Just like that, Vince's right arm was tied to Cason's leg, leaving him vulnerable but not helpless if he really needed to get away.

Vince's breathing sped up as Cason repeated the same move on his left arm.

"There. All secure."

"Thank you, sir."

"Shh," Cason hushed him. "Unless you're using your safewords, or I ask you a question, I don't want you to speak. You can moan and cry out if you need to, but no words." He wanted the sub to focus on the sensations and what was happening during their actual scene.

Vince nodded.

"Good." Cason rewarded Vince with a small nip on his earlobe, then sucked away the light sting. The first touch of his lips on Vince's body made the responsive man gasp. Cason smiled. He was going to have such a good time coaxing every sensation possible from Vince.

His cock was a hard ridge in his pants. Cason ignored it, focusing on Vince instead. He reached for the cock ring and unsnapped it. "I think we're going to need this sooner rather than later."

He didn't palm Vince's balls immediately. His finger slid up and down the small treasure trail of soft blond hair. He splayed his fingers out wide and toyed with the slim hip bones.

Vince squirmed.

"Stay still and do not cum." There was no way Vince's cock was going to listen. It was throbbing, a pearly drop on the tip. Ready to ramp up the torture, and not wanting Vince to fail, Cason quickly put the tight leather ring around the smoothly shaven balls and excited cock. "Oh, that's pretty. Look at you." The head of Vince's prick was a deep red.

"Oh God," Vince moaned.

"Naughty. I said no talking."

Vince went rigid. "I—"

"If you want to keep playing, you will stop talking." Cason put his hands on the bed and waited. Vince didn't say anything. Incrementally, Vince relaxed back into the cradle of his body, squirming a little. Cason gritted his teeth when the man's tight ass rubbed against his aching cock.

When Vince stopped moving, Cason picked up the remote from beside his pillow. Turning on the TV and DVD player, he started the movie he'd put in. On the screen a pale little sub with bright blue eyes and a long ponytail of dark hair was looking up at the camera. He was on the floor, a silver spreader bar separating his knees with a series of matching steel rings running up his cock, caging the slender prick.

A small gasp jolted Vince's body when the camera panned around and showed the cuffed wrists at the small of the sub's back and the glint of a toy stretching his ass just peeking out between his tight cheeks. The view from behind the sub also showed the Dom standing in front of him, leather pants doing little to hide a nice thick erection.

"You can just imagine what he's going to do with that gag in his hand, can't you?" Cason whispered in Vince's ear. A silver ring gag matching the sub's cock ring dangled from a leather strap in the Dom's hand. "This is one of my favorite films. Submission can mean so much more than masochism. It's about feeling and it's about giving up something and getting so much in return."

Cason was going to show Vince exactly what he meant. He used the tips of his fingers to trace the red cord trapping Vince's wrists to his thighs, holding him still without tying him up. He moved up, tickling along his biceps and collarbones, down to the smooth chest that he'd been dying to touch since he'd made Vince strip. Those small nipples were begging to be teased.

He stroked, twisted and tweaked the small tips until they were hard and Vince was panting, his eyes locked on the now gagged sub. They both watched the Dom on the screen caress the sub's mouth stretched around the ring, before he untied his pants. An impressively long and thick cock popped out and the sub's eyes widened and his tongue darted out of his opened mouth.

Picking up the furred crop, Cason began with tickling strokes over those tight nipples to increase their aching sensitivity before moving to trail the soft fur up and down Vince's thighs and balls. His sub's hands clenched into fists against his legs and strained as he tried to move his hips and get more.

"Like that?"

He nodded.

"You want me to stroke your cock, don't you?"

"Yes, but—" Vince shut his mouth instantly when Cason stopped making small circles on his tight balls, lifting the crop away. "Good. Very good," Cason said when Vince closed his mouth with a sharp snap. He rewarded his sub by trailing the crop up his leaking cock, knowing how intense the light caress would feel when every inch was tight and throbbing. Sliding the mitt onto his other hand, he used every touch to drive the man cradled against him higher and higher.

Every mindless moan took Cason's breath away. Vince was so fucking hot. He'd stopped thinking, stopped doing anything but feeling exactly what Cason wanted him to feel. If Cason's dick got any harder it was going to bust right through his pants and he couldn't help but rock against Vince.

"Watch," Cason told him after he'd been teasing for at least an hour, driving the sub deeper with each touch. Vince blinked and opened his eyes slowly and focused on the screen again.

The Dom was holding the back of his sub's head and fed him his cock through the ring gag. Slowly, he pressed forward until his pubes brushed against the stretched lips and then he stopped. The sub's throat worked as he gagged but he did not move, didn't fight, just stared up at the Dom with wide eyes and let himself be choked. "I love that," Cason said. "Love the trust in his eyes. The way he knows his Dom is going to take care of him even as he uses his throat, so he doesn't panic when he can't breathe. That is true submission."

That was what Cason wanted to see in his sub's eyes. If he ever found one that wanted to stay longer than one scene. For tonight, he wanted to show Vince that he could trust like that, so that he'd know in the future it was possible to have someone take care of him. He'd teach the other man that he deserved that consideration from any Dom he chose.

Cason put down the crop and the mitt. "I want to do something to push you." He opened the black case, exposing the slender steel wands. "Do you know what these are for?"

"Yes, sir." Vince didn't tense; he stayed relaxed against him and watched as Cason pulled the three millimeter wand out of its slot by the smooth ball at its tip. The tiny rod glinted in the light.

"Have you ever played with sounds before?"

Vince shook his head.

"I'm going to show you how good it can feel to have your cock filled." He wasn't going to penetrate Vince with his cock but he needed to put something inside the gorgeous man. He dragged his mouth up Vince's shoulder, sucking and biting, until he reached his ear. "Are you ready for that?" he asked in a deep voice.

Vince shuddered. "Please." He writhed against Cason, thrusting his hips and his seeping cock into the air. "Sir. Please."

A sub begging him to be filled was the sweetest sound to Cason. His nostrils flared and he couldn't resist the urge. He nipped Vince's neck and then sucked hard, pulling up a mark right below his ear. His mark belonged on the outside of the sub's body, just like the one Cason was leaving on the inside. He could taste the salt on Vince's heated skin and he moaned.

Fuck, he wanted this more than once. He wanted to spend hours tasting every inch of Vince's body. He wanted to bite his ass, spread his cheeks and drive his cock into that tight hole. Cason pulled away and stared at the dark purple mark with pleasure for a full minute as he struggled for the control he was going to need.

He pulled the sterile Surgilube out its pocket. He slicked up the sound and then warned Vince. "You are not going to cum." His hand slid from the base of that angry erection to the tip for the first time. He let his callouses drag over the sensitive skin, knowing how much that drove subs crazy. He trailed his fingers back down and found the snap under Vince's balls. He unsnapped the tight leather from that ring, but left the cock ring still snugly bound at the base of Vince's engorged erection.

Vince shuddered and moaned deep in this throat. His breath came fast as he panted. Vince bit his lip, tucking that soft pink bottom lip in between his white teeth as he struggled to follow Cason's orders. The way he fought to obey thrilled Cason.

"So good," Cason told him. "I'm going to make you feel so good." He squeezed more lube into his hand and began to lube up Vince's cock, using his hand to open his slit into a small hole and pushing lube in with his thumb.

Gasping, Vince pushed back hard against him, rubbing his ass back and forth against the steely ridge of Cason's cock. His voice was a deep growl when he spoke, "Oh yeah, you feel that, don't you?" Cason chuckled when Vince nodded.

He needed Vince to stay still and the way the sub's feet were shoving against the bed and his legs were writhing, he wasn't going to in that position.

"Put your feet over my legs." Vince didn't move. "Now, Vince."

Slowly, Vince put his legs over Cason's calves, opening his thighs and taking away the last ability he had to control his body's movement. He pushed more lube in Vince's slit and then took a firm grip around the head. "Deep breath now."

The slender metal rod was tiny but next to the hole in his cock, it must have looked huge to Vince, who took in a deep breath but didn't let it out. He stared down at what Cason was about to do to him, at the sound poised to slide inside his cock.

A guttural moan filled the air as Cason slid the tip into Vince's cock about an inch, then pulled it out before letting it slide in again, a little farther than the first time. Vince's groan seemed to go on forever.

Cason waited until Vince was forced to drag in a ragged breath and then he dropped the sound, burying it inches deep until the ball at the end stopped it from going any farther.

Vince cried out. His head thumped hard against Cason's shoulder as he went rigid. A deep red flush began to work its way up his neck. Knowing Vince wasn't going to last, that he'd drawn out the scene almost to its peak, Cason moved one hand down and quickly unsnapped the cock ring as he used his thumb to set up a soft tap on the ball of the sound buried inside Vince.

"Cason!" Vince's back arched and Cason plucked the sound out and stroked as the slender man shot rope after rope of sticky white cum all over the rigid muscles of his stomach and chest. The smell of the sub's heat, his spicy scent coupled with the smell of his cum, was too much for Cason.

Lost in the moment, no longer a Dom with iron control but a man who needed that connection with the man coming apart in his hands, Cason grunted, his teeth clenched, and shuddered hard as he thrust twice against Vince's ass. He spilled inside his underwear for the first time since he'd been an oversexed youth and loved every second of the pleasure sending sharp shocks through his balls.

CHAPTER SIX

Cason unwound the red cords around his legs and Vince's wrists. He opened the drawer on his nightstand that held a small box and dropped the used toys in it for cleaning later. He had an unpleasantly sticky mess in his pants, but he wasn't ready to get up. With everything out of the way, he rolled the sub in his arms over so they were on their sides, still snuggled together. For long minutes he enjoyed the smooth muscles of Vince's back against his chest as they lay quiet, breathing together.

Vince let out the occasional shudder as he slowly came down. "Jesus." His voice was hoarse. "I have never come that hard. I think my balls turned inside out."




Needing You



Chuckling, Cason nuzzled the smooth shoulder in front of him with the raspy stubble on his face. He was already addicted to making the sub in his arms feel good. Damn, he wished he got more than a single scene. He could feel the tension he'd seen and felt in the man in his arms had melted away.

"You were deep in your sub-space," Cason said. He yawned, exhausted himself from the intense feelings. He found himself stroking over Vince's hip. "You want to stay?"

Vince nodded, rubbing his face on Cason's bicep that was curled under his head. "Yeah," he said softly.

Not ready to let him go, Cason smiled, happy that Vince wanted to be with him a little longer. His thumb stroked back and forth. "Stay still, I'll be right back."

He rummaged around in the closet and pulled out two pairs of lounge pants. Going into the bathroom, he grabbed a washcloth and put it in the sink, turning the water on so it would get hot. He peeled off his pants and underwear, balling them up and throwing them in the hamper in the corner.

He cleaned up and then pulled on his pajamas. Rinsing out the washcloth he got it wet again, then grabbed the blue pair of pants he'd taken out for Vince. The slim man was stretched out on his back when Cason went back into the bedroom. His eyes were closed and a small smile turned his lips up at the corners.

Relaxed and sated. Cason loved that look on a sub. He climbed up on the bed beside Vince and proceeded to clean him up, using the soft cloth to wipe up all the cum off his chest and stomach, then gently washed his cock and balls to remove the lube.

"I got these pants for you to put on." Cason handed the soft blue pajamas to Vince. "I'm going to go get some water."

When he came back from the kitchen, Vince was under the covers, his blond hair spread across Cason's favorite pillow. Crawling under the covers, he handed Vince the uncapped water. "Drink this. I don't want you getting dehydrated."

Vince drained the bottle, sighing when he finished. "Oh, that was good."

Cason sat down on the edge of the bed, taking the empty bottle and tossing it in the garbage. He shut off the light and snuggled into the bed. He lay next to Vince on his side. He was surprised when the smaller man rolled over and buried his nose in his neck. "Hmm, you smell good," Vince said.

"Thanks. How are you feeling?"

The smaller man insinuated one of his slim legs between Cason's and then went limp. "So good, like I'm almost weightless, but I'm tired."

It felt natural to wrap his arms around Vince and stroke his back. "I'm glad you feel good, you always should, when you come down from an intense scene." What they'd done hadn't been much, but he'd spent a long time teasing Vince and driving him crazy.

"Sleep." He was tired too, but Cason's mind was busy. He'd always taken care of his subs after a scene, but he'd never had one sleep over. There was always this sense of ending, a distinct finality when they were done that they were done. With Vince, he wasn't feeling that.

There was so much he wasn't sure of outside of his ability. He'd spent so many years knowing what he had to offer, and taking pleasure in helping the subs through the scenes they needed. He'd grown dissatisfied over the last year, restless in a way he'd never been before.

Maybe he shouldn't have focused solely on the subs touched by the spirits that needed help. Though, thinking hard, he couldn't pinpoint any other sub he'd met whose center was hidden from him, even if they were happily paired with a Dom. His sex life had never been stale, but planning the scene for Vince and watching the man's face and body for the clues he needed had felt amazing. Instead of trusting his ability to tell him what to do, Cason had been completely focused on Vince; that urge to make sure he was filling the sub's needs had made it so much more immediate and stimulating.

He didn't want to give it up. Snuggling up to the man curled into his arms, he sighed. Morning was soon enough to talk with Vince. As much as he hated the power being out of his hands, he couldn't do more than ask Vince if he wanted to play again. Whatever the captivating sub answered, would be what they did.

Cason could enjoy the night though. Closing his eyes, he nuzzled his cheek against Vince's soft hair and sighed, content to hold the other man until he woke up.

The only problem with that was that when he woke up, Vince wasn't in the bed. Pushing up on his elbow and running his hand across the bed, Cason felt warmth. The toilet flushed and he slumped back onto his pillow. Vince hadn't left yet.

The lean young man sauntered back into the bedroom naked as the day he was born, rubbing his stomach and yawning. He must have left the pajama pants in the bathroom hamper.

Fuck, he was gorgeous. Cason's hard-on throbbed; he wanted that body under him, over him... any way he could get it. "Want to get some breakfast?" he asked before he could stop himself when he saw the other man pull on his bright red underwear. Vince froze mid-stretch for his pants.

He stood up slowly, turning to look at Cason. "Really?"

Sitting up, Cason nodded. "Yes. I liked talking with you before. Your roommate and my best friend are together. We're both in the lifestyle and we're going to be around each other. I thought... we could be friends."

"Just friends or friends with benefits? I mean," Vince looked down, "last night, you didn't even fuck me."

Cason stood up from the bed, the sheet slithering down his body to pool at the floor. Vince's eyes locked on to the erection jutting in front of him. "I do want you, Vince." There was no hiding how much, and he didn't want to hide it anyway. "The scene last night was for you, because you needed to know that being a sub doesn't mean pain, or not getting what you need even though I was in charge. You were too sunk into your sub-space to notice, but I came too. You're fucking hot, you have to know that. Watching you do something that scared you, because I said we were going to do it, did it for me.

"I get off on being able to push sub's boundaries by making them do things I want them to do. Things I know make them nervous. You didn't need to get hurt, that's not your kink. You got off on doing what I told you to do." Cason smirked. "There's a lot I still want to do to you."

Vince's cock responded to the command in Cason's voice. His lips were parted and his eyes dilated, leaving just a small ring around the blown pupil. "Yes." He stepped forward and shuddered as Cason reached out and pulled him close. "I've never felt like I did last night, all zoned out like that. But...?"

There was no but that Cason would allow to stop them. "What?" His hands crept down to the red underwear, slipping under them to squeeze Vince's ass.

"You never do more than one scene with a sub." Vince searched his face, his hands landing on Cason's shoulders as he held on tight, digging his fingers in. "Do you want to sign a contract?"

That wasn't where Cason wanted to go at all. Especially with Vince's past experiences, but he did want the other man to know he was wanted. "That's a bit more formal that I was thinking. I don't want to own you or tie you down. I want to play with you, for as long as you want to play with me, at least until you are sure of what you need. I don't do relationships," Cason didn't say it was because no one seemed to want one with him; he had some pride, and he didn't want to scare Vince off, "actually, I don't usually do more than a single scene with a sub."

Vince searched his face. "Why me?"

Once again Cason wished he could tell Vince exactly why he fascinated him so much. He didn't want the young man to think he was crazy, or scare him off, so he just shook his head. "I don't know. You're different. I want to get to know you better. Playing with you was fun. If we can do that too, so that you learn what you need and how to protect yourself when you play with someone else, I'll be happy."

A pink flush spread across Vince's cheeks. "Page told you about that guy, didn't he?"

Cason nodded. "He did. That wasn't smart, and as bad as it sounded things went, you were lucky. If we do this... no Craigslist, no other Doms. Not until you know what you really need and who can give it to you."

"Is that an order?" Vince's cock was weeping against Cason's hip.

Cason pushed Vince's underwear down to his thighs and palmed his ass, pulling them together so their erections ground together, just enough precum between them to turn the rub into a slick glide. "Yes."

Licking his lips, Vince nodded. "Okay," he said. "Okay."

Cason lifted one hand and brought it down hard on one rounded cheek. His hand stung and Vince yelped. "Sir! Okay, sir."

With a firm grip on Vince's ass, not avoiding the spot that was probably stinging, Cason pushed his cock forward and ground against Vince. "You want this, you remember my rules." He pulled the smaller man against him, guiding their thrusts slow and steady, pausing to grind their cocks together. "No playing with other people. Remember your manners when we play."

Vince nodded several times, panting.

"And you talk to me. Communicate."

"Yes, sir!"

His own need ratcheting higher, Cason slid one hand between them and grabbed Vince's slender prick and his. He used a firm grip, giving them something to thrust into.

"Close," Vince panted.

Not quite there, Cason shook his head. "Not yet. Wait... wait."

A whine started in Vince's throat, but he didn't come. Cason drew it out as long as he could, enjoying the build, the sweat darkening Vince's blond hair, the way the sub's mouth was open wide as he struggled to drag in the air he needed.

Vince began to shake. Unable to hold on to the edge any longer, Cason let go. "Now!" he grunted.

The hot cum spilled over his hand as they both came hard. Cason's toes curled against the bedroom rug under his feet. The smell of their spunk and the squelching slick sounds made him even hotter as he stroked them both hard to draw out every last burst until it was too much sensation and he had to stop.

"Fuck." Vince leaned into him and Cason held him tight. Cason just laughed.

"Shower."

They showered together but each washed themselves. Cason loved the smell of his shampoo and soap on Vince's skin, though. They woodsy scent smelled even better on Vince than it did on him, when he was unable to resist and pulled the younger man into his arms for a quick kiss.

"Diner food okay? I know this great fifties nostalgic place a few miles away. They have horrible coffee, not that you drink it, but their omelets are delicious."

"Sounds good to me. Want to take my car?"

Riding in that gorgeous vehicle? "Hell, yeah."

Cason locked up behind Vince and then followed him out to his car. Vince opened his door and then closed it behind him. The car smelled of leather and a bit like axle grease.

"This is a really sweet ride. I can't believe you restored this."

Vince ran his hand along the dashboard. "Yeah. Definitely a labor of love. It makes me feel good, you know? And I can focus when I'm working on cars. The basic stuff is okay, but I like doing the classic restoration the most. I've been talking with my boss, he owns the Pearson Auto Shops, and he's been talking about starting a custom shop in the empty storefront next door and letting me be a partner."

Cason raised his eyebrow. "Really? That sounds like a great opportunity."

"Yeah, it is, but I have to finish school first." Vince grimaced. "It's been a lot of fucking work, but I'm almost there. I've been taking part time classes for business management. It's only an Associate's degree, but with that and my experience, I'm golden."

"When do you graduate?"

"Next month."

"Cool. That's the diner there." Cason pointed to the small red building on their right. The restaurant had black and white tiled floors and tons of chrome accents. There was a juke box playing oldies in one corner of the dining room area.

They took a booth with bright red benches that matched the paint job. "Wow," Vince said, looking around. "This place is pretty great. I love the nostalgia vibe."

"Yeah, I like it. They make an awesome Santa Fe omelet. They have these big biscuits instead of toast I always get too. I never need to eat lunch when I've had breakfast here."

They ordered, both of them getting juice. Once their food came, they focused on eating. "You're right, these biscuits are great."

"So, is your family going to come visit and celebrate your graduation?"

Vince shook his head, still chewing his last bite of biscuit.

"Why not?" Cason couldn't believe Vince's family wouldn't come celebrate his hard work. "You don't have to tell me, if it's a bad subject." Maybe Vince had a falling out with his family. A lot of gay men did.

Swallowing, Vince wiped his mouth with his napkin. "No, it's fine," he said. "My family's great. My parents are okay with me being gay. It was a little tense at first, my dad didn't really understand. He's sorta old school and I didn't fit his idea of a gay guy. Nothing like the horror stories you hear though. My younger brothers are only a few years younger than me, so they were young teens when I came out."

He shrugged. "They didn't care. They were going to come up but my little brother's graduation is the same weekend. Besides, airfare is expensive."

He took a drink of his orange juice. "What about you? I know you do the wood working, and you're friends with Brandon, and you have a day job."

"Well, I'm a counselor over at the college. I help kids pick career paths, advise them when they are having issues with their courses, professors, roommates... stuff like that." Cason cut another bite of his omelet, enjoying the bite of the peppers and onions along with the smooth eggs. He reached for the Tabasco and put a bit more on the last few bites.

"My family is really close. They live in the city too. We're Greek, so I have a big family with lots of cousins and stuff, though I'm literally the only boy and an only child. We all know everything about everyone, there's no privacy. I am surprised my parents didn't tell me I was gay before I told them."

Vince laughed. "Really?"

"Yeah. My dad married outside the community though, so my mom and my grandma are Southerners, born and bred for generations back to the Civil War. I learned home cooking from Grandma, she made fried chicken that was to die for and the biscuit recipe I finally cajoled out of her is even better than the diner's."

"So if your family knows everything, do they know about," Vince waved his hand between them, "this sort of thing?"

"That I'm a Dom?" Cason asked. Vince nodded. "Yeah. It's not the subject of dinner conversation, but I'm not ashamed of what I do in my life, or my bedroom."

Vince leaned back in his seat. "That's really cool."

Cason shrugged. "No one can make me feel bad about my desires unless I let them. I know what I like, and as long as my partner is enjoying himself too, it's all good. Kink comes in all flavors."

A slow smile crawled across Vince's face. "You are definitely to my taste."

That sent a shot of lust to Cason's cock. He groaned. "I'm so not a teenager anymore."

Vince burst out laughing. "Okay," he said slowly. "I have no idea what you mean by that."

Cason set his fork down, completely full, and wishing he did have the libido of a teenager. Vince was hot, but when he laughed... he was fucking gorgeous. "You make me want to go right back home to play some more but I need a bit more time than that."

Vince ducked his head a little, his cheeks pink. The mix of outgoing and shy turned Cason on. Ideas of things he could do to Vince next time rolled through his mind. Without his ability to guide him, Cason intended to plan out every aspect of their scenes together meticulously.

"I'd love to go back to your place but I have to do laundry today and study."

Disappointment rolled through Cason but he had his own things to get done before he had to go back to work. Brandon's order wasn't the only one he had. As much as he wanted to spend all his time with Vince, he had to be realistic.

Coming on too strong could spook Vince. He'd had his life taken over by his last boyfriend; Cason didn't want him to worry that he would do that to him too. They were not dating; they were friends. Getting attached would be bad for Cason when Vince moved on; he had to protect himself too.

He paid for breakfast. They stepped outside and ran for the car. It was pouring down rain and they were both soaked by the time they were inside.

"Damn." Cason wiped at his face. "I hope we're not damaging your seats."

Vince reached into the backseat and grabbed a towel. "Here. The seats will be fine, they're protected 'cause; it rains too damn much not to have them sealed."

They had to let the car run for a few minutes to de-fog the windows. "Do you have your phone?" Cason asked. "I need your number."

"Yeah." Vince pulled it out and they exchanged numbers. Cason leaned close to Vince when he stopped in front of Cason's house, his thumb rubbing against Vince's cheek. "Thank you," Vince said when he looked up into Cason's eyes. "I... I had a really good time."

Cason smiled. "Me too. I'm really glad you agreed to spend more time with me." He leaned forward the last few inches and finally took those lips with his own. Cason kept it simple, rubbing his lips side to side just a little to taste every inch, flicking lightly with the tip of his tongue.

Vince let him explore. Cason nipped him a little before he pulled back. Damn, just kissed was almost as good a look on the blond man as the blissed out expression he got post orgasm.

"I'll talk to you later, okay?"

Vince licked his lip and Cason almost kissed him again. Almost. He put his hand on the door handle.

"Bye."

CHAPTER SEVEN

Vince was a texter. Cason kept his phone on vibrate during office hours, but during breaks between appointments he'd text back and forth with the younger man. They talked about the newest junker motorcycle Vince had picked up, what Cason was cooking for dinner, their tastes in music, movies, and books among a ton of other things.

It was probably one of the strangest ways Cason had ever gotten to know a friend or a submissive. But it fit the young man who only seemed to sit still and focus when he was in the middle of a scene.

"What are you grinning about?" Tiffany asked. She was sitting on the couch he kept in the corner of his office while they ate their lunches. Her swollen ankles were propped up on the coffee table.

"Oh." Cason dropped his phone in his lap and picked up his chopsticks. "Not much. Just made plans to have dinner with a new friend tomorrow night."

Balancing her take out box on her rounded stomach, Tiffany gave him a look. "A friend... or a boyfriend?" She gave him a lecherous leer. 

"Oh, Gods. Don't do that. That's too weird from a hugely pregnant woman." Cason ducked when she threw her fortune cookie at him. "Ha! Missed me."

"I want my cookie, give it back." Wanting to avoid the chopsticks that would inevitably sail his way if he didn't, Cason got up and grabbed the cookie off the floor. He tossed it on the couch next to Tiffany and then sat back down.

"Right now we're just friends. Sort of. It's a little complicated."

Tiffany laughed. "Okay. Enough said. Hey, I wanted to tell you my mother saw that gorgeous inlay work you did on the head of the crib and wants to order some tables from you."

Cason perked up. He loved doing inlay, though it was meticulous work that demanded a lot of time and attention. "Really? That's great! Thanks."

"Thank you for the gorgeous crib. Everyone at my shower loved it. My mother is the pickiest woman ever but she thought the shading you used was beautiful, so I gave her your card." Tiffany closed up the take out box and stuck it in the bag next to her. She opened her cookie wrapper, then took out the tiny scrap of paper sticking out of one edge. "Confucius says..." she squinted at the writing, "you will get your greatest dream today." Snorting, she rubbed her belly. "Yeah, right."




Needing You



No toys; just me, my hands, wanting it slow, deep, and passionate.

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Click Here to listen: .mp3 format or .ogg format. (17 min/mp3)

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