An Unlocked Heart(Collars & Cuffs Stories) (19 page)

Alex had to laugh at that. Maybe a cup of tea with Pietro was better than going home to face his family, all things considered. He nodded, feeling pleased he’d agreed when he saw the look of relief that crossed Pietro’s face.

“Okay, let’s get out of the cold.”

Pietro led the way through the darkened streets down to where apartment blocks had been built along the banks of the river Irwell, which snaked its way through the city center. By the time they reached Pietro’s flat, Alex was thoroughly chilled. Pietro let them in, taking Alex’s jacket, and Alex was thankful to be inside in the warmth. Pietro went into his small kitchen to put the kettle on while Alex walked across the tidy, compact lounge to the large window overlooking the river. It wasn’t exactly a picturesque view. They were in the heart of the city, and the horizon was hidden from view by numerous tall buildings and apartment blocks.

He sniffed the air appreciatively, detecting the aroma of green tea and jasmine as Pietro came into the lounge bearing two mugs.

“I didn’t know you drank this too,” he said, gratefully taking a mug from Pietro. Alex looked around the room. Pietro had definitely gone for a minimalist look. There was a large, squashy leather sofa, which looked supremely comfortable, a couple of beanbags on the floor, a low coffee table, and a TV mounted on the wall. Small chrome speakers hinted at a music system hidden from view somewhere. Alex plopped onto the sofa, nestling back into its comfortable seat cushions with a sigh. He was dog-tired.

Pietro grabbed a beanbag and sat at Alex’s feet, sipping his tea. There was a moment of awkward silence.

“Okay, you’ve got me here. What was so important that it couldn’t wait until Monday?”

Pietro looked distinctly nervous all of a sudden. “There’s something I need to share with you first,” he began. He gulped.

Alex was intrigued. Pietro pulled his wallet from his jeans pocket and removed a laminated card. He held it for a second, clearly reluctant to show Alex. Pietro swallowed. “You may not like this, but… oh, fuck it!” He handed the card to Alex.

Alex looked down at what was obviously a membership card of….

“Collars & Cuffs,” he read in a whisper. His head snapped up sharply to stare at Pietro. Pietro nodded, his anxious eyes never leaving Alex’s face. “You’re a member of that….” His words trailed off. Another nod. “I can see why you might not have wanted to share this with me.” Alex stared at Pietro in frank astonishment.

Pietro nodded. “I’m a submissive,” he said simply. He paused, his eyes still on Alex. Alex nodded for him to continue, speechless. “I initially went to the club after my first real relationship hit a rocky patch. I wanted my boyfriend to… to tie me up when we had sex. He didn’t want to do that. I mean,
really
didn’t. But he suggested this club he knew of, said I might find what I was looking for there.” Pietro smiled. “And boy, did I.”

Alex was amazed. “You like being whipped? Beaten? You like pain?” He didn’t know what to think. He couldn’t equate his friend with the BDSM videos he’d watched or the men he’d seen at the club.

Pietro’s cheeks were suddenly flushed. “It’s not all like that!” he insisted hotly. “Forget what you’ve seen on the Internet.” He gave Alex a keen glance. “I’m right, aren’t I? You’ve been watching stuff on the net?” Alex nodded. “Okay, then put all that aside for the moment. It’s not all about pain. Not all Doms are into inflicting pain, all right? And not all subs are into being on the receiving end, either.” He smirked. “Well, unless your name’s Dorian.” He snorted. Alex gave him a puzzled look. “Sorry, it’s just that there’s this one sub, Dorian, who’s a real pain slut.”

Alex bit back a smile. It certainly conjured up an image of this Dorian.

Pietro was gazing at him earnestly. “What’s important for me isn’t the pain. ’Cause sometimes? There is no pain. For me, it’s about… yielding control. Giving total control of my body, my emotions, to another. When I submit to Miles—when I serve him, please him, accept that he has control over me—that’s when I’m truly happy.” He laughed, shaking his head. “It’s hard to explain.”

Alex was spellbound. Something in Pietro’s quietly spoken words touched a core deep within him. He recognized his own reactions when he’d sucked Leo off, reveling in Leo’s pleasure rather than his own. He remembered Leo’s obvious delight when Alex followed instructions, and his feelings of joy that he’d pleased Leo. He also recognized immediately how relieved he was when Leo made decisions for him, taking choice out of Alex’s hands—in effect, handing control over to Leo. Alex stared at Pietro, eyes wide. “Am I a submissive?” he whispered.

Pietro smiled. “Only you can answer that, babe. But, based on the evidence so far, I’d guess yes, probably.” He grabbed Alex’s hand. “Which brings me to why I asked you here. I want you to come with me to the club tomorrow night. Let me show you what really goes on, but seen through the eyes of someone who
knows
about this.” He waited, his gaze fixed on Alex.

Alex shuddered. The thought of seeing Leo again in that place….

Pietro tightened his grip around Alex’s hand. “I should mention at this point…. Master Leo won’t be there.”

Alex arched his brows. “
Master
Leo?”

Pietro blushed. “Leo is one of the best Doms there is.” He paused, his expression sobering instantly. “Well, he was, up until a few weeks ago.”

Suddenly, it hit Alex that Pietro would have seen Leo recently. “How… how is he?” he asked, his chest tightening.

Pietro didn’t look away. “A mess,” he replied simply.

Alex felt his heart sink. That made two of them, then. “He sent me texts, you know. I ignored them. And his voice mails.” He went quiet for a moment. “I still can’t believe he kept all this from me.”

Pietro snorted. “I can.” Alex looked at him in surprise. “Ask yourself a question, Alex. If he’d told you right off what he was into, would you have stuck around? Or would you have run?” He speared Alex with his frank gaze.

Alex considered this. There was no doubt in his mind: he’d have run.

Pietro nodded, clearly reading his expression. “So maybe he wanted to work on your relationship first, get to know you, see if you two had chemistry going for you. Then I think he would have introduced you to the idea bit by bit, say, maybe with a little bondage in bed?” Alex blushed, and Pietro chuckled. “I’m not talking handcuffs here. Maybe tie you up with silk scarves, or even his ties.” Pietro shook his head. “I don’t think for one minute Leo would’ve hidden his lifestyle from you for long, once you’d gotten closer.”

Alex began to get a sinking feeling perhaps he’d overreacted—big time.

Pietro was watching him expectantly. “So how about it? Would you come with me tomorrow night to the club? You could go as my guest.” His expression was so earnest, Alex felt it only fair to do as he suggested. Besides, he wanted to see inside the club again. Finally, he nodded, and Pietro’s wide smile made him feel better about his decision.

“Listen, if you don’t want to go home tonight, there’s space right here on the sofa.”

Alex was touched. It was a very tempting thought. “You’re not expecting Miles tonight, are you?” he asked anxiously.

Pietro chuckled. “Nah, he’s staying at home tonight. We don’t see each other every night, but it works for us.” He looked expectantly at Alex. “Well?”

Alex nodded. “I’ll let Mum know with a text. Thanks, Pietro.”

Pietro got up from his beanbag and headed for the bedroom. “I’ll fetch some pillows and sheets for you. This sofa is really comfy, so you’ll sleep okay.”

Alex rested his head back against the sofa. His thoughts were suddenly of Leo, wondering what he was doing right now. For the first time since he’d fled the club, Alex felt pangs of guilt. He could have answered his texts. And then he thought about tonight’s revelation. Was he a submissive? And if so, did he really want to explore all that being a submissive might entail? And finally… did he want to carry out his explorations with Leo at his side?

Sixteen

“F
EELING
nervous?”

Alex nodded. His heart was beating so fast. Last night, this had seemed like a good idea, but now he was actually standing outside the club.

Pietro squeezed his hand tightly, reassurance that Alex wasn’t there on his own. Alex gave him a grateful smile, and then taking a deep breath, crossed the street with Pietro, heading for the main door. A different security guard was manning the door, but he smiled when he caught sight of Pietro.

“Evening, Tony,” Pietro called, smiling widely. “I’ve got a guest tonight.”

“Hi, Pietro.” Tony gave Alex a polite nod before asking for his name and noting it. Then Pietro went through the main door with Alex following him. Once again, Alex found himself in the reception area, where Pietro collected a green wristband for him.

“What’s the significance of the band?” Alex asked, noting Pietro didn’t select one for himself.

“Wristbands are for visitors,” explained Pietro. “Green means you’re checking out the club, that you’re not here to play. So the Doms shouldn’t give you any hassle.”

Alex snorted. “Tell that to Joe,” he said, remembering the Dom from that Thursday night.

Pietro gave a short laugh. “Knowing Joe as I do, why does that not surprise me? Anyway, a red band means you’re here to play and anyone can approach you.” He glanced at Alex’s wrist, now adorned with the green band. “You ready?”

Alex took a steadying breath. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

Pietro pushed open the door and led Alex inside.

Now that he knew what to expect, Alex could take in more of his surroundings. The club was all on one level, as far as he could see. The bar area had tables set out with several chairs around them, but there were also booths tucked away for more intimate meetings. Everywhere he looked, there were small fridges stocked with bottled water, and bowls containing condoms and lube were located throughout the club. There were towels stacked in bales, and the temperature was pleasantly warm. Low tables and benches were positioned around the room, and the whole place seemed to be a maze of little corners and more open spaces. There were mirrors on virtually every wall and phones located every few feet. The music was low, and the lighting was enough to be able to see very clearly the various objects that made Alex’s cock fill: whips, floggers, canes….

“I want you to look at the subs,” said Pietro in a low voice. “Look at their faces, at how they behave. Forget about what the Dom is actually doing to them. Watch their interactions.”

Alex nodded silently, his attention already claimed by two men who were having a conversation around a table, glasses in front of them. What caught his eye, however, was the sub kneeling beside one of the men. He was naked, his buttocks resting on his heels, knees spread, hands resting palms down on his thighs. His eyes were downcast, and he seemed to be oblivious to his own nudity. Alex could tell his attention was focused intently on the man next to whom he knelt. A collar adorned his neck, and Alex could see the leash attached to it, held loosely in the Dom’s hands. Although the sub’s Master was deep in conversation, his hand strayed now and then to stroke the sub’s head, running gentle fingers through his hair.

What caught Alex’s attention was the look of utter contentment on the sub’s face. Whenever his Master’s hand caressed him, the sub glowed with pleasure. There was obviously a strong connection between the two men. Alex caught his breath as the Dom leaned down, cupped the sub’s face, and, pulling him gently toward him, kissed him tenderly. There was such beauty and honesty in the scene before him that, for a moment, he forgot where he was.

“Wow.” Alex uttered the word softly. “That look—it’s like his Master hung the moon.” He perceived Pietro nodding beside him.

Pietro nudged his arm. “Look over there.”

Alex turned to see a sub kneeling before a Dom standing with his back to the wall, pants open, his erect cock being eagerly sucked. The sub was enthusiastic, clearly enjoying his task, putting his heart and soul into pleasuring the standing man, who placed his hands lightly on the sub’s head, his face rapt. The Dom was staring down at the sub, openmouthed, and the noises that escaped those parted lips, audible even over the low music, were enough to stiffen Alex’s cock further. Alex tried to adjust his cock surreptitiously before looking away, feeling as if he were intruding.

Everywhere he looked, there were men in twos or threes, all involved in some intense activity or another. And each time the attitude of the subs was the same: they glowed when their Masters paid them attention.

“Good to see you here, Alex.”

Alex turned to find Thomas standing behind him. Alex dipped his head, his cheeks reddening as he remembered his speedy exit three weeks ago. Fortunately, it seemed as if Thomas bore him no ill will.

Thomas glanced at Pietro and grinned. “Nice work, pup.” He patted Pietro’s arm before walking off toward the bar.

Alex grinned at his friend. “
Pup
?”

Pietro grumbled good-naturedly. “It’s just an expression, okay?” But his eyes twinkled with amusement and something else—pride.