Room at the Top (17 page)

Jay walked over to join them, giving Austin two sets of legs to stare at, one pair bare, one pair wearing expensive dark pants. Liam’s wardrobe didn’t vary much, but Austin found himself wondering if they were the same pants Liam had been wearing when he’d left the room. They showed no creases beyond the sharp one running down the center, and they smelled faintly of dry-cleaning chemicals. Weird.

Jay cleared his throat. “Do you want… I mean, is this something we need to talk about?”

Liam shook his head. “No. I don’t think so. Just get dressed, both of you. Jay, drink some of the juice over there if you need it. Again, I’m sorry.”

Austin felt ridiculous being the only one kneeling, so he stood again, grabbing on to Jay’s arm to steady himself as the blood rushed to his head. The three of them were crowded close like this, close enough that it felt natural for him to slip his arm around Jay’s waist. As soon as he’d done it, he realized he was underlining how alone Liam was, especially when Jay put his arm around Austin’s shoulders, but he couldn’t push Jay away. Inviting Liam to hug it out wasn’t really an option either.

Awkward. All of it. Austin wasn’t sure what had happened to sour the end of what had turned out to be an incredible session, but he was ready to go home and sleep, curled up with Jay in their bed. Tomorrow he’d have the situation with his sister to cope with—and a fucked raw ass that would be sore as hell—but that was tomorrow.

“Did we do something wrong?” he blurted and regretted it immediately because it made Liam’s face harden again.

“No. For God’s sake, Austin, not everything is about you.”

None of them moved.

“Then what is it about?” Jay’s voice was small.

“I’m just…” Liam shook his head and rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t know. But it’s not your fault, either of you.”

“You can talk to us, you know.” Austin wanted to reach out to Liam, keep the connection that was so strong during a session from fading away. “Not just as our dom about what we do together, but about anything.”

Liam’s eyebrows rose. “Really? You’re familiar with corporate law then? I had no idea.”

“No, you know I’m not, but we both have jobs and we know they can get stressful.” Austin took a risk and tried a direct question. “Is it that? Work? Or—”

“Austin, you and Jay are both charming subs, but I don’t think we’re at the stage of braiding each other’s hair and sharing secrets, and frankly I prefer it to stay that way.” Liam stepped back and ended that part of the conversation with a finality Austin was forced to respect. “Get dressed. In front of me, this time.”

He stood, arms folded across his chest, and watched them separate and go over to their folded clothing. At the end of their third session, he’d stayed to watch them dress and controlled the order each item had gone on, drawling out instructions from the chair. It’d been a surprisingly erotic experience, but tonight Liam just watched in silence, his gaze more often than not on the bare wall.

Austin felt self-conscious, relieved when he was finally covered up.

Jay tucked his T-shirt in, then changed his mind and pulled it out again. He was moving with gingerly care, and Austin bet that as soon as they got home, Jay would strip and go to soak in the tub. Tight jeans had to be the last thing he wanted to wear given what he’d endured. “Will we see you next week?”

“Yes.” Liam sounded impatient. “I told you, nothing’s changed and nothing’s wrong. Just go home and try to forget about the less than ideal start to the evening.”

He turned on his heel and led them to the front door. Usually he opened it to usher them out, and they left with a nod from him, Liam barely waiting for them to reach their car before he closed the door.

Tonight he paused, studying them in turn. “Poor boys,” he said unexpectedly. “You look so crestfallen. There’s really no need.”

“Let’s see.” Jay began to count on his fingers. “You hated the present we got you, April put a dent in your bank balance—”

“But I’m paying that back.” Austin wasn’t sure how, but he would. Installments, maybe.

“And then we both came without permission. Yeah. Consider our crests all droopy and shit.”

Liam chuckled. “Along with other parts of your anatomies?” He shook his head. “Forget it. All of it, including the money—though I think you should impress upon your sister that I’m not prepared to step in and help her again, Austin. You, yes, but not her. And I appreciate the thought behind your gift, Jay, even if that’s all I liked about it.”

Jay seemed more cheerful, which of course made Austin feel better too. “Okay, well—we’ll see you next weekend.”

“Don’t,” Liam said, glaring, “be late.”

Chapter Ten

Saturday morning was one of Liam’s favorite times in the office. It wasn’t that he disliked the space during the workweek—the vast majority of his work hours were on his own whether he was at the office or at home—but on a weekend it was quiet and peaceful, much easier to focus.

There were always people in the office, even on a Sunday, of course. It was just the nature of the job. Liam had known before he’d gone into law that it was a field that required dedication and long hours, but the facilitatory nature of corporate law had appealed to him in ways that other types of law didn’t. He preferred to save his confrontations for places other than a courtroom.

He’d come in to get some documents he needed and decided since he was making the trip he might as well put in a few hours’ work while the building was at minimal capacity. He had lifted a hand in greeting to another of the firm’s employees while coming in, but didn’t bother to close his door because he didn’t anticipate being interrupted.

As a result, he nearly jumped when a shadow appeared in his doorway. “Saul. How are you?”

“I was going to ask you the same question,” Saul said. He looked strange in jeans and a casual shirt, the uniform of their profession left behind. “I’m good. I heard the Bernstein deal’s a wash.”

It wasn’t a case either of them had worked on, but because the company that had hired their firm to handle the negotiations was large and willing to pay handsomely, it had been a topic of much discussion in the office for weeks.

“Yes, I heard that as well. Shame, after all that work.” Liam wasn’t convinced the attorney in charge of the situation had been up for the job, but it wasn’t the sort of thing one could say out loud.

“We were talking about taking Junior out for drinks Friday night. To that new place, you know, Candy’s—or whatever it is. It’s a Hooters rip-off but who cares when it means racks like that, right?” Saul flushed and glanced over his shoulder, then wiped his brow exaggeratedly. “Whew. Just the kind of thing I’d say and then find Miriam standing behind me, you know?”

There were so many things wrong with Saul’s few sentences that Liam wouldn’t have known where to begin, so as usual he didn’t bother to try. “Candy’s?”

“Yeah, it’s over near the highway. Where the crummy Chinese place was? The one where Daniel and Joe and those guys got food poisoning that time?”

All of this required more knowledge of office gossip than Liam was interested in. “Right. Sadly I have plans Friday night.”
Thank God.

“You can’t have plans as good as these.” Saul leaned against the door frame as if he was getting comfortable for a protracted conversation, something Liam was not at all in favor of. “Come on, it’ll be fun. We’ll have a few dozen drinks, ogle some hot women.”

“Appealing as that sounds,” Liam lied, “I really do have something else to do.” Something that would be a great deal more satisfying than the horror of spending an evening with drunken coworkers.

He knew he tended to come across as rather dull, and he didn’t care. There were fellow attorneys at the firm whose company he enjoyed; they were generally his age or older, and most of them had been married for at least two decades. Strangely, though, the younger attorneys seemed to focus on convincing Liam to socialize with them while leaving his peers alone. He hadn’t sorted out if this was because he was single and they felt guilty knowing he was on his own, or if they genuinely thought he’d be good company. He suspected it was the former but hesitated to ask for clarification because he knew it would make him seem more interested than he actually was.

“You’ve got almost a week to make different arrangements,” Saul said, obviously not willing to let it drop. “Change your plans.”

“I don’t want to,” Liam said mildly and looked at Saul. “I like my plans.”

“You go out with Jordan all the time,” Saul protested. “Didn’t you play golf twice last week?”

Liam blinked. “I didn’t realize my off time activity was a matter of such interest.”

Saul must have heard the hint of irritation in his voice. “No, it’s just…Junior wants you to come.”

“Junior couldn’t possibly care less what I do.” Liam was aware now that he needed to end this conversation soon before he said something he’d regret. His shoulder ached, a combination of the aforementioned golf games and the paddling he’d given Jay the night before, and he really wasn’t in the mood to argue. Saul, on the other hand, seemed to get off on it.

“Well, you’re wrong about that. People like you, Liam. You shouldn’t close yourself up in here like a hermit. Get out, have a good time.”

“I appreciate the invitation,” Liam said carefully. “But it won’t be possible. I really do have plans. Another time.”

For a few seconds, Saul studied him, then nodded. “Okay, sure. But I’m going to hold you to that. See you on Monday?”

“Of course.” Liam had planned to work from home on Monday, but under the circumstances, he didn’t want to appear antisocial. He could work in the office instead if it meant ending this.

He was more than grateful when Saul went away, and he wished he’d stopped in for those two minutes to collect what he’d needed and then taken it home and worked from there. It could be distracting, though, trying to work in a house where Jay’s and Austin’s voices echoed in every corner. It seemed strange they’d managed to become such an important part of his life in such a short time.

Speaking of which, he made a mental reminder to phone Jay later in the day and check on Austin. For all he knew they spent weekends catching up on their sleep, something he definitely remembered doing himself back when he’d been younger. The night before had been difficult—what with Austin’s sister and her brush with the law—and Liam wanted to make sure Austin was dealing with all of it in a way that wasn’t emotionally damaging.

In an ideal world, no one would need therapy. In this world, many people did but didn’t get it for a variety of reasons. Liam believed some of them turned to the world of doms and subs. He found it reassuring, but he also recognized it was a fine line to walk and the last thing he wanted was to contribute to someone’s issues. He wanted to be sure his interactions with Austin were helping, not hurting.

Liam worked at the office for another hour or so, then wrapped things up and neatened his desk for Monday before leaving. He waved to Saul—on the phone, thank God—on his way out. It was already well after noon when he stopped at the grocery store for supplies. Often, he had a different supermarket deliver, but sometimes it was nice to wander the aisles and choose individual pieces of fruit by touch and smell instead of just by checking a box on a Web site. Not, however, on Saturdays. The store was crowded, and people kept bumping him with their shopping carts. When the same woman bumped into him a third time, he frowned and opened his mouth to say something—what, he wasn’t sure.

“I am so sorry,” she said, fluttering her eyelashes at him, and Liam realized she was flirting with him. “I should have my license revoked.”

“Somehow, I don’t think that would help,” Liam said.

“No, probably not. But I’m still sorry. I thought the worst of the crowds would be here in the morning, but I guess I was wrong.” She was lovely, with long dark hair and a curvaceous figure.

He gestured for her to go ahead of him. “Please, ladies first.”

“Thank you.” She smiled at him and moved her cart past his. “London?”

Liam nodded. “Very good. Most people are lucky to guess the correct continent.”

“Guess is the right word. But it’s faded, your accent. You’ve been here awhile.”

“Years,” Liam agreed, taking a bottle of tomato juice from the shelf and setting it in his cart.

“I went to England in, hm, I guess it was the midnineties. Wow, that makes me feel old.” She wrinkled her nose in an endearing way.

Liam was quite sure she was hoping to be told she looked young. In fact, she did—not more than thirty-five or so—which certainly wasn’t old by the definition of anyone but a teenager. “Where did you go?” he asked instead, following her to the next aisle even though he probably didn’t need anything there.

“Different places. It was one of those group tour things. You know, it was fine, and we saw all the stuff they tell you that you
have
to see, like Stonehenge and whatever.” She stretched to reach a box of trash bags that was just out of her reach.

“Let me get that,” Liam said, and did before handing it to her.

“Thank you.” She let her hand touch his a little longer than strictly necessary. “Oh, I’m Leslie, by the way.”

“Liam.”

“Two
L
names,” Leslie said. Her eyes were very soft and warm. “That must mean something.”

It didn’t mean anything as far as Liam was concerned. Any other time, he would have been pleased to pursue something with her, even just a cup of coffee, but today he found himself less than excited at the prospect. In fact, he found himself thinking about Jay and Austin. “Yes, well. It’s been very nice talking to you. Have a nice weekend.”

He turned and left, not looking back so he wouldn’t feel guilty about the expression of disappointment he was sure was on her face.

He ended up doing some of the household chores he had a tendency to put off, including changing the lightbulb above the garage. By the time he’d eaten dinner, he discovered the day was nearly gone and he’d never phoned Jay. No time like the present, so he picked up the phone rather than put it off any longer.