Jay matched Aaron’s pace, determined to break the sudden awkwardness. “This place is great. I know a lot of people who shop here for clothes, and I’ve bought a few floggers here. They cost ten times more than the mass-produced stuff, but the quality is top-notch.” He gave Aaron a reassuring smile and opened the door, gesturing him inside.

  To a newcomer, the space was intimidating. The air was thick with the earthy smell of leather. Display cases lined the walls like museum exhibits, showcasing a variety of leather products arranged with obvious care. A stern man dressed in all black and covered in tattoos stood still by the counter, watching their every move.

  Jay had figured out on his first visit that the eerie atmosphere was a facade, meant to warn off those who came in for a quick browse and left immediately after seeing the price tags. He’d spent enough time and money at the shop to be at ease, and he wanted Aaron to have the same experience. Narrowing his eyes in warning, he placed his palm on Aaron’s lower back in a show of silent support. "Hey, Tank, this is Aaron."

  Tank’s face remained impassive, not a twitch of muscle on his body, as he looked from Jay to Aaron. Aaron didn’t flinch, openly returning the stare.

  After a few tense moments, Tank gave a slight nod and grunted a greeting.

  "We're looking for some sexy outfits today." Jay fought to hide his smile as Tank made a low noise and pointed to the recessed entryway in the corner, a black velvet drape barring the way. Jay vaguely recalled stepping in there once before realizing his interests lay in the other areas of the shop.

  "What a charmer," Aaron whispered to Jay as soon as they were out of Tank's earshot.

  "I think he was really disappointed he didn't make you cry," Jay whispered back.

  "Whoa." Aaron stopped short after parting the drape. The room was an impressive sight. Most clothing stores were packed with overflowing racks and endless choices, but here, the pieces hung in isolation, each one presented as a piece of art.

  "I can only imagine how much these cost." Aaron dragged a finger over the intricately stamped leather of a black vest.

  "It's definitely not for everyone, but you do remember bragging about having a good job, right?"

  "That I did." Aaron’s attention wasn’t on Jay anymore as he wandered off, brushing his fingertips across everything within his reach. After a slow circuit around the room, he drifted back to where Jay was standing. “What should I get?”

  “You’re asking me? You’ve already pointed out that I’m not exactly fashion-forward.”

  “I’m not asking you to dress yourself.” Aaron waved the thought away. “You’re a Dom, so you’re the perfect demographic. What would look good on me?”

  Jay hummed with indecision, his gaze darting from pants to skirts to harnesses. He imagined Aaron in each item, his mind growing hazier with lust. His face was on fire by the time he glanced back at Aaron, certain that his blush would give him away.

  “I don’t…this is something you should pick yourself,” Jay muttered, searching his mind for something helpful. He wanted to ask what kind of outfits Aaron used to wear, but it seemed like too intimate a question, and he didn’t want to bring the ex-husband into the conversation. Besides, it was obvious that Aaron was new to the club scene. Playing at home was completely different. For all Jay knew, Aaron had been naked for every scene.

  The mental image sent a fresh wave of heat to his cheeks.

  “Maybe there’s something you’ve always been curious about? Anything you’ve seen at Chain Reaction that got your attention?”

  Aaron pursed his lips in thought, then moved to the display with skirts and the shortest shorts Jay had ever seen, trailing a finger down the seam of a flared black miniskirt.

  “You like it?” Jay asked.

  Aaron whipped around and faced Jay with an earnest expression on his face.

  “I’m going to ask you a question, and I want you to be honest with me. I know what the correct answer is, which is that everyone is beautiful and should do whatever their heart desires and all that. I don’t want that answer. Give me the actual truth, okay?”

  There was a hint of vulnerability in Aaron’s voice, and Jay wasn’t sure he could promise the truth if it meant hurting Aaron’s feelings. “I’ll try.”

  Aaron fidgeted with the hanger in his hands and bit his lower lip. “Would I look ridiculous in a skirt? Not am I allowed to wear a skirt, because yes, of course I am. But would I, a thirty-eight-year-old man with a few white hairs and skinny legs, look ridiculous in it?”

  Jay’s mind helpfully provided a vision of Aaron wearing the skirt—and nothing else. He would look delectable, his torso bare and inviting, his thin waist wrapped in soft leather that fell to his shapely thighs, barely covering the plump ass that haunted Jay’s fantasies. Jay would be able to brush his hand up Aaron’s legs, meeting no resistance, his fingers hidden from view. Free to do whatever he wanted.

  “Okay, I’m going to get it.” Aaron declared with a smirk and turned away to keep shopping while Jay slowly came back to reality. Why didn’t Aaron wait for him to answer the question? The realization dawned when he took a step, instantly aware of his erection. The slim fit of his jeans didn’t do much to hide his excitement.

  Jay willed himself to calm down. While Aaron had correctly interpreted his reaction as a compliment, Jay didn’t want to cross into creepy territory. Taking a few deep breaths, he joined Aaron by the crop tops.

  “I don’t think you’d look ridiculous in the skirt,” he said in a low, gravelly voice full of leftover desire.

  “I figured.” Aaron shot him a radiant smile. It wasn’t his usual smirk, but something genuine that calmed Jay’s worries.

  They spent a few more minutes browsing. Aaron paused by a harness made up of belts and chains, mesmerized by its complexity. Jay bit his tongue and looked away before his imagination ran away with him. Again.

  Fuck, Aaron would look hot as sin in that strappy contraption.

  Finally, after petting a leather cuff engraved with vaguely Celtic designs, Aaron announced he was done. “I’m going to start with the skirt, see how that goes, and come back for more.”

  Tank was in the same position when they came up to check out, his scowl slightly softer.

  “Do you need a different size?” he asked.

  Aaron peered at the small linen label sewn into the seam. “Nope, this is perfect.”

  “No returns if you change your mind,” Tank grumbled. “Only if there’s a defect.”

  Aaron made a noise of acknowledgment and paid with a credit card, unfazed by the price. Jay wasn’t surprised—he didn’t know Aaron’s salary, but the man had dropped a small fortune on furniture last week without flinching. He seemed like the type to save his money for practicalities and rare luxuries rather than spending it frivolously.

  “I might come back for one of those cuffs,” Aaron mused as they walked out of the shop. “Those designs were incredible.”

  “I think Tank does a lot of his own embossing.”

  “Tank contains multitudes.” Aaron’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “I should know better than to judge a book by its cover.”

  “Are you going to take that out for a spin tonight?” Jay nodded at the linen dustbag in Aaron’s hands.

  “I can’t,” Aaron said. “I wanted to see your surprise and hang out, so I kind of ran out in the middle of working on a presentation that’s due tonight. I’m going to grab some takeout and head back to the office.”

  Tender warmth stirred in Jay’s chest. Aaron had left work, something time-sensitive and important, just to be with him. It had been a long time since Jay felt like anyone’s first priority, and the realization hit harder than expected. He swallowed the urge to get emotional, keeping his voice even. “I’m glad you had a chance to escape for a bit. I’ll drive you back.”

  “Can you stop somewhere for food? I’m sick of the places that deliver to our building.”

  “Sure. How about Thai fusion? Spicy Lotus is a few blocks away, and they don’t deliver, so you wouldn’t have tried them yet.”

  Aaron clapped his hands in excitement and rushed to the car. “Yes, please!” Jay followed, glad he could make Aaron smile.

  Rush hour traffic slowed them to a crawl. After a few minutes of barely moving, Aaron pulled out his phone and excused himself to check emails. Jay turned the radio volume down and gave him some space, patiently following the car in front of them until Aaron groaned and threw his head back in frustration.

  “I don’t understand why people don’t read emails and then ask questions they’d already know the answer to if they would just read the email.”

  “I’ve met a few of those,” Jay commiserated, checking to make sure Aaron was off his phone before asking something that weighed on his mind. “Your job seems really involved. You’re always working early mornings, late nights, weekends… Is it worth it?”

  “Not gonna lie, it’s awful right now,” Aaron admitted. “I’m the biggest proponent of work-life balance you’ll ever meet, so this schedule is completely off-brand for me.”

  “So why are you doing it?”

  “I joined right in the middle of a major reorg, so there were a ton of moving pieces to manage. Every department was restructuring, vision statement and goals were completely overhauled, IT was implementing new technology platforms. The whole thing was a complete mess. I got a hell of a signing bonus to jump straight into the chaos.”

  “Sounds intense,” Jay said, taking advantage of the stoplight to look at Aaron. “I keep forgetting to ask you—when we had lunch, you told me about the whole thing with getting people to take you seriously. How’s that going at this new job? Is everyone completely charmed by you yet, or are you still working on it?”

  “The jury’s still out.” Aaron scrunched up his face. “Kelly, the COO, loves me, but she’s the one who offered me the job after we met at a conference. The other executives say they like the direction I’m taking, but David, our CEO, is really hard to read. I have a feeling he doesn’t think my position is necessary.”

  “He’s an idiot if he doesn’t see how amazing you are.”

  Heat crept up Jay’s neck as soon as the words were out of his mouth, and he concentrated on the road to avoid eye contact. Could his crush on Aaron be any more obvious?

  “Thank you,” Aaron said softly, his voice low and sincere. The conversation petered out, and they listened to the radio until Jay pulled up in front of the restaurant. Aaron reached for the door handle, then seemingly changed his mind and turned to Jay with an unguarded expression. “I’ll see you at the club tomorrow?”

  Jay frowned. The idea of missing Aaron’s debut in that skirt was physically painful, but he couldn’t cancel his plans.

  “I can’t. I promised my sister I’d babysit my nephews so she can have a date night with her husband.”

  “Aww, you’re such a good brother. How old are your nephews?”

  “Seven and eight. Adorable and terrifying.”

  Aaron hummed in noncommittal agreement. He’d mentioned being an only child, so he probably didn’t have any frame of reference for how amazing and awful children could be at that age. Would Aaron think them charming or annoying when he met them?

  If he met them.

  Because why would he?

  An insane idea crashed into him, coming out of his mouth before Jay even had a chance to process it. “I have a soccer game tomorrow afternoon, and my sister’s dropping off my nephews there. You could come meet them and watch me play?”

  In the following silence, Jay’s brain finally caught up to what he’d just said. Did he invite Aaron to watch him play amateur soccer and meet his family? This was sure to send him running for the hills. Any second now, Aaron would say a polite goodbye and flee. Jay had to find a way to backpedal hard. Turn it into a joke. Pretend he had a mini-blackout. Sleeptalking and sleepdriving were also still in play.

  “I’d love to.” Aaron said, putting a stop to Jay’s silent panicking. “Do I have to know anything about soccer? Most of my knowledge comes from British sitcoms.”

  “It’s just for fun,” Jay said, trying to bridge the gap between the chaos in his mind and the calm conversation they were somehow having. “I would temper your expectations. It’s mainly an excuse for us to run around and goof off. Kicking the ball is secondary to having fun.”

  “I think I can manage to follow that.” Aaron chuckled. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Jay watched him disappear behind the heavy, ornate door of the restaurant, not sure whether to be terrified or excited about this new development. It’s like his entire world was tilting off its axis.

  Or, maybe, it was finally tilting into place.

  Kink Talk

  DomicronPersei8: So this seems like something that should have come up before, but what do Doms wear? Like, I've seen plenty, but I never really registered their clothing unless it was something insane that I could never pull off.

  DomPetty: You go out all the time, what do you wear now?

  DomicronPersei8: My normal clothes?

  DomPetty: If it's working for you, just stick with it.

  DomicronPersei8: Let me rephrase. Doms, what do you wear? Subs, what do you like to see Doms wear?

  DomAndDommer: I just wear a tight T-shirt and pants with lots of straps and chains on them. A blazer if I’m feeling extra.

  SubZero: That is exactly how I pictured you, Dommer.

  DomAndDommer: …is that bad?

  SubLime: Let's not give anyone a fashion crisis here. I'm down for a nice tight shirt.

  SubAir: I’m partial to tight T-shirts myself.

  SubSequins: How about a tight cop uniform?

  DomOliver: I think that's straying into stripper territory.

  DommyBoy: You can't beat an expensive-looking tailored suit. Has everyone drooling, in and out of the lifestyle.

  DomicronPersei8: Thank you for the only useful suggestion.

  SubMarine: I second. A sharp suit is unrivaled.

  SubZero: I can go for a suit. And a belt with a nice heavy buckle that could double as a restraint.

  SubLily: A sexy pantsuit is the hottest. Exhibit one: sexy teacher fantasies.

  SubAir: We have a consensus. Suit is clearly the only correct answer.

  Chapter 14

  AARON

  Jay’s directions brought Aaron to a lovely park he hadn’t visited yet. Meandering along the paved path, he glimpsed baseball fields and picnic areas through the trees, all of them teeming with activity on the pleasantly warm afternoon. Aaron loved roaming around parks in his free time—people-watching, going off the paved trails to brave the wilderness, or bringing a book and reading it from the comfort of a blanket thrown across plush grass.

  He was in a good mood today. Heading back to work instead of staying with Jay the previous day had been frustrating, but he was proud of the last-minute presentation he’d put together. The board had requested a six-month plan from all department heads, so at least he hadn’t been at the office alone. He’d shared his Thai food with Zoe, who was agonizing over her own slides, and they ended up helping each other out. As much as slightly tweaking colors in bar charts counted as helping.

  The soccer field came into view, and Aaron picked up his pace, his messenger bag swinging on his shoulder. He was nervous.

  He’d jumped at Jay’s invitation, curious to see this side of his new friend—and maybe a little thrilled at the excuse to spend more time with him. But beneath the excitement was something else. A restless, jittery sensation that squeezed his chest and grew with every step.

  Jay made the afternoon sound casual, but Jay also had this strange effect on Aaron where his usual confidence was knocked completely off-kilter, making him question things he normally wouldn’t. Like, what if Jay’s sister hated him? What if he said something stupid to Jay’s nephews because he wasn’t used to children? What if Jay’s teammates had a problem with his eyeliner?

  He slowed down, wondering if he should find a restroom and wash his face, when a familiar voice called out his name. It took him a moment to recognize Jay jogging toward him. His green jersey was a burst of color, so different from the familiar black, but it was the shorts that made Aaron stop in his tracks.

  It wasn’t that he’d expected Jay to wear jeans to the game. He just never considered what the alternative might be.

  “You made it!” Jay radiated happiness as he skidded to a stop a few feet away. Aaron couldn’t help but grin in return, noticing a sparkle in Jay’s eyes. As a rule, Jay seemed to effortlessly belong everywhere he went—from the dangerous darkness of the club to the bright lights of the coffee shop. But it was here—on this sun-soaked stretch of grass, with his ruffled hair and scuffed-up sneakers—that Jay looked truly in his own element.

  Also, his muscular thighs were a revelation, and it was physically painful for Aaron to keep his eyes from dipping down.

  He cleared his throat. “Wouldn’t miss it! It’s my first time at one of these.” He gestured to the simple metal bleachers. “Is there a specific place I should sit? Like home team and away team areas?”

  Jay barked out a laugh and clapped Aaron on the shoulder. “I told you to lower your expectations, but maybe I should have suggested you get rid of them altogether. We’re playing another casual team from a different gym, so this is neutral territory. And the only reason we even have matching uniforms is because Tim,” he turned around and pointed at a man stretching his hamstrings, “thought it’d be funny for his landscaping business to sponsor the team.”

  “Got it. Is cheering allowed, or is that not casual enough? I can snap my fingers instead.”

  “Cheering is about the only thing for you to do.”

  “Shucks.” Aaron flashed a teasing smile. “Should have brought my pom-poms.”

  Jay’s mouth twitched, and he took a step closer, his voice low and husky. “You’re distracting enough without the pom-poms, Aaron.” His name on Jay’s lips sent a shiver through him, but Jay was already stepping back, the moment gone. Aaron might have accused himself of imagining the whole thing if not for Jay’s gaze lingering just a beat too long before his expression shifted.