Dom of Ages (16 page)

I braced myself for the rush of heat and pain I felt sure was coming, my muscles tensed, my gaze focused on that candle.

Eli dripped wax onto my balls.

The cry I had ready to push out died when the wax hit them. It wasn’t that bad, no worse than when it landed on my belly or thighs. I laughed, the sound shaky. “Wow. I thought that would be much worse, Si—”

I arched up off the bench with a breathless scream, my hands clenched into fists, my fingernails digging into my palms, my belly taut.

“Oh, sorry, did that big splash of wax land on your cock?” Eli asked innocently. He grinned. “You can stop gasping now, pet.”

“Oh fuck!” The words shot out of me, my body one quivering mass of flesh. I trembled, my inner thighs twitching as I moved swiftly to grasp my dick around the root, squeezing it tight.

Eli put down the candle and bent over me to take my mouth in an urgent kiss. I groaned into his mouth, my hands rising to catch his face between them, holding him there. Eli held nothing back, kissing me fervently, clearly on a high from the scene.

Finally he broke the kiss and gazed at me, smiling. “So how was that?”

I knew I was grinning like an idiot. “It was amazing.” I glanced along the length of my body and grimaced. “Except we haven’t finished, have we?”

Eli chuckled. “Time for the butter knife.”

Eli

I LISTENED
to the sound of Jarod downstairs in the kitchen, getting things ready for the morning. The thought saddened me. Sunday night had brought with it the end of my holiday: back to the old routine.

Except it wasn’t, of course. Now there was Jarod to wave me off in the morning, to greet me when I returned home at night. The realization sent warmth pulsing through me. Having said that, some routines had been sadly lacking during the last two weeks, like my runs with Ben.

Now there was a thought. I glanced at the time on my phone. There was always the possibility that he was working; I’d lost track of his schedule. I took a chance and called him.

“This better be damned important,” he huffed into the phone.

I listened to his staccato breathing, and started to grin. “Do I even want to know what you’re doing?”

He snickered. “It’s not what
I’m
doing, but that’s fine, Scott can keep at it while I talk.”

I heard Scott grumble in the background, his words incomprehensible, almost as if he were talking with his mouth full.

Oh.

I tried not to laugh. “Listen, if this is a bad time—”

“Nope, just fine. What’s up?” Scott gave out the merest hint of a moan, and Ben’s breathing sped up.

“I was only calling to see if you wanted to go for a run in the next few days. I’m feeling the need.” The whole conversation had a surreal quality to it.

“Mm-hmm. Oh, yeah, just like that.” Ben cleared his throat. “What? A run? Sounds good. I’m working four nights this week, but I’m free Tuesday, if you want to meet up after work.” He groaned. “Oh God, perfect!”

“Ben?”

“Sorry. Got a little… distracted.”

I could imagine. “Shall I call back another time?” I said, chuckling.

“Ooh, yes, boy….” Ben was panting. “Just a minute, Eli.”

Clearly I’d picked the wrong time to call. I put the phone down and waited a few moments. When I heard Ben shouting, I figured it was safe to pick up again.

“Feel better now?” I asked jokingly.

“Bloody hell, yes. Go get ready for bed, Scott.” Scott squawked loudly, muttering something about wanting his own relief. “Who are you here to take care of?”

“You, Sir.” His voice was quieter now.

“Then get ready. You know the drill, and you know how I expect to find you when I get in the room.”

A cheerful yip went out, and I heard a door slam.

I smiled to myself. “He’s got you wrapped around his finger, Ben.”

“Damn straight, but don’t let him know that. And now that the blood has returned to my brain….” He snickered. “Was that everything, or was there something else you wanted?”

It suddenly occurred to me that there was. “Actually, I needed to talk to you.”

Almost immediately his voice was alert. “Is everything okay?”

“Yes, it’s fine. I need to ask you something, though. Is the invitation to Collars & Cuffs still open?”

“Of course! What finally changed your mind?”

“Before I answer, I need to ask you some questions. Are you certain that we’ll be accepted?”

There was no hesitation. “I promise you that everyone will greet you with open arms. Leo and Thomas vet every member very carefully, and they’ll make sure that you’re well taken care of.”

“And what about Jarod?” After seeing firsthand how he’d been treated at Spitfire, he was my main concern.

Ben chuckled. “Tell me something. You’ve met Scott. Do you honestly believe Jarod would be able to get away from him? That boy will probably hug him to death.”

He had a point.

“I’ve got an idea. Why don’t you come to the club tomorrow night? I’ll introduce you to Leo and Thomas, and you can see what you think. Bring Jarod too.”

I thought quickly. “I’ll come, sure, but I’m not bringing Jarod. No offense, Ben, but I’ll hold off on that until I’ve had a chance to see the club for myself. He’s had enough bad experiences of clubs to make him wary of going to another one.” Now that I thought of it, I decided I wasn’t going to tell him about my visit. If all went well, then yes, but I wasn’t about to get him agitated if we weren’t going to go there.

“Yeah, I can understand that,” Ben acknowledged. “Well, in that case, I’ll see you tomorrow night after work.”

“Sure.” I couldn’t hold back the little chuckle. “You’d better go. You have someone to take care of, remember?”

Ben barked out a laugh. “Scott can hold his horses until I’m ready. I
am
the Dom in this relationship, after all.” He hung up, and I laughed, knowing without a doubt that he was flying to the bedroom to take care of his boy.

I placed the phone on the bedside cabinet and undressed, my mind on the coming visit. Jarod had enjoyed going to the clubs with Phillip when they were first together, although they’d become more insular as the years had passed. I’d liked going to Lancers, until it became Spitfire. And there were still things I wanted to learn. Maybe it was time for a fresh start for both of us.

I found myself hoping that Collars & Cuffs was exactly what we were looking for.

I PUSHED
open the heavy wooden doors and stepped into the reception area, to be greeted by a young man with an infectious smile.

“Good evening! Welcome to Collars & Cuffs.”

I peered at his name badge and returned the smile. “Hi, Elliott. I’m here to see Ben Winters.” I could feel music pulsing through the floor.

He nodded. “You must be Eli. Ben told me you’d be visiting.” He reached under the desk and handed me a lime-green wristband. “Please sign yourself in,” he said, indicating a large open book on the desk in front of him. “And don’t forget to return the band before you leave.”

I complied with his instructions. Elliott reached under the desk once more, and the large metallic doors to my left clicked.

“Go straight ahead, and you’ll find the bar, where Ben is.”

I thanked him and entered the main area of the club. The percussive beat of the music throbbed through me, not overly loud. I spied the bar with its comfy chairs, the wall monitors showing what was going on in different areas of the club. The familiar sounds reassured me immediately. Even at first glance, I could tell this was nothing like Spitfire.

“You made it!” Ben waved at me from behind the bar, his face stretched in a wide grin. He turned to a young man and spoke quietly with him, before coming around the bar and greeting me with a warm hug. “I was beginning to think I’d never get you here.”

I laughed. “Why, do you get a commission each time you bring in a new member?”

Ben guffawed. “Cheeky sod.” He gestured to the bar. “Unfortunately I can’t spend a lot of time with you tonight. I’m training a new guy, and it’s his first time behind the bar.” He glanced around and then smiled. “But I’m going to leave you in some very capable hands.” Ben led me across the floor toward a very tall man in jeans and a white shirt who was talking with a man clothed in a pair of leather pants and a harness. “Leo, you got a minute?”

The tall man turned and gave Ben a nod. He patted the leather-clad guy on the arm and then walked toward us, his hand outstretched.

“You must be Eli. Ben’s talked about you.” He took my hand in a firm shake. “I’m Leo Hart, one of the club’s owners.”

I smiled politely. “And Ben’s mentioned you, several times.”

Ben grinned. “Well, now that you two have finally met, I’ll go back to my bar.” He squeezed my upper arm. “Come see me before you go, yeah? We can set up a time for our run tomorrow night.”

“Sure.”

Ben nodded toward his boss. “Thanks, Leo.”

“No problem.”

I waited until Ben was gone before returning my attention to Leo. “Is there somewhere we can talk?”

Leo arched his eyebrows. “Right down to business, eh? I like that. Come with me to the office. My business partner is in there, and I can introduce you. Then we can have a chat.”

I followed him to the office and stepped inside while he held the door open. An older man sat at a wide desk, laughing with a guy whom I estimated to be in his late twenties. The younger man turned as I entered and rose to his feet, offering me a shy smile.

“Thomas, this is Ben’s friend, Eli,” Leo said, closing the door behind him.

Thomas’s face lit up. “At last! Ben’s been talking about you for ages.” He got up from his chair and leaned across the desk, hand held out. I shook it, taking in Thomas’s appearance. He had to be in his late fifties, with green eyes and neat gray hair. Thomas gestured to the younger man at his side. “This is Peter, my partner and submissive.” I loved the way his eyes shone when he gazed at Peter. It was good to be able to put faces to the names I’d heard in my conversations with Ben.

Peter gave me a polite nod. “Pleased to meet you, sir.” He glanced at Thomas. “I’ll leave you alone, Sir.”

Thomas bobbed his head and then moved closer to kiss Peter’s cheek. “I’ll come find you later, okay?”

“Yes, Sir.” With another nod to me, Peter walked gracefully around the desk and out of the office.

Thomas indicated the chair in front of the desk. “Please, have a seat. Would you like some coffee?”

I sat down. “That would be nice, thanks.”

Leo perched on the edge of the desk, leaning back. “Ben tells us you’re interested in joining the club.”

I held up my hands. “I’m here to check out the club, that much is true. But I’d need some answers from you before I made any decision about becoming a member.”

Thomas paused, coffee pot in his hand, and grinned at Leo. “Well, this is new. Normally, we’re the ones asking the questions.” He peered intently at me. “I take it we’re being vetted.” He didn’t seem to be offended by the idea.

I couldn’t disagree, seeing as this was exactly what I was doing. “I’m sorry, but I’ve had some bad experiences recently with a BDSM club. I’d want some assurances before joining.”

Thomas handed mugs of coffee to me and Leo and then sat down in the big leather chair behind the desk with his own mug. “Of course. Can I ask which club are we talking about? Because I’m familiar with all the BDSM clubs in the Greater Manchester area. It’s not as if there are that many of them—less than five, in fact.” When I hesitated, he gave me a warm smile. “I’m not about to go spreading whatever you tell me, but it would at least give me an idea of your experiences so far.”

“We went to Spitfire, although when I first went there, it was called Lancers.”

Thomas nodded. “Lancers used to be a wonderful club. I knew its owner, Clive, from way back. But yes, it’s gone downhill in recent years. It’s also gone through several changes of management.” He tilted his head to one side. “What happened?” There was genuine interest in his voice, his body language.

I took a drink of my coffee and then launched into a description of that disastrous last visit. Leo made a low growl at the back of his throat, and Thomas looked unhappy. “Clive would never have allowed that to happen,” he said when I’d finished. He studied me in silence for a moment, his hands wrapped around his mug. Then he gave a slow nod. “I understand your reticence, and I’m so sorry Jarod had to go through that. I can tell you, however, without a shadow of a doubt, that the submissives in this club would make Jarod feel very welcome.” Leo murmured in agreement.

He did sound very confident, I had to admit.

“Why don’t I introduce you to some of the Doms who are here tonight? Maybe some subs too?” Leo said with a smile. “That way, you can get to hear about the club from the horse’s mouth, as it were.”

“That’s a good idea,” Thomas added. “Then you can make up your own mind.”

“I’ll go see who’s around. Back in a sec.” Leo got up from his perch on the desk and headed out the door.

“You may be vetting us, but it seems Leo’s already decided about you.”

I frowned. “Excuse me?”

Thomas chuckled. “He wouldn’t be off rounding up members if he didn’t get a good feeling about you.”

The thought warmed me.

Thomas gave me a speculative glance. “We’ve talked about Jarod’s needs, but what about yours? What are you looking for in a club?”

“Me?” Jarod was uppermost in my thoughts. Then it struck me. Ben had said more than once that Thomas used to train Doms. “Well, to be honest….” I thought about our contract. “There are things both of us would like to explore,” I began.

“But with which you’re unfamiliar,” Thomas concluded, his gaze trained on me.

I nodded. “I’m proficient with a whip, a flogger, or a cane,” I admitted, “but I’ve become almost a… vanilla Dom, I suppose.”

“Was there anything in particular you’d like training on? I know you mentioned being unhappy that your training was cut short.”

I thought about it. “We
have
talked about using sounds, and Jarod is not averse to pain, so I thought about something a little… different, maybe.”