Roped (19 page)

“There’s no such thing,” Tackett laughed. “My pup likes putting a flare on things.”

“Pup?”

“It’s what I call my Micah. He can be a very naughty one at times.”

“Micah doesn’t mind being called a pup and a boy?” Jamie asked in confusion.

“Not at all,” Tackett responded. “I’m not calling him a dog or a small child, Jamie,” Tackett explained. “They are more terms of endearment of his standing, much like he calls me sir, master, or mega-Dom.” Tackett smirked.

Jamie picked at the label on his water bottle as he tried to wrap his mind around the whole thing. No way would he ever be able to call Tek either pup or boy. It didn’t fit him. Yet the idea of dominating Tek was something he’d been thinking about a lot lately. His favorite fantasy of late involved Tek naked and tied to their bed with thick ropes around his wrists and ankles. His thoughts were preoccupied by it; he wanted to try it but had no idea how to approach Tek.

“I can tell you have some questions,” Tackett said, interrupting Jamie’s musings. “Trust me; nothing you can say will shock me. I’ve pretty much seen and heard it all. Hell, I’ve been a Dom for over twenty years so I can assure you I’ve done most of it too.”

“Wow!” Jamie exclaimed. “That’s a long time. How did you get into it? I mean, how did you know you were a Dom?”

“I’ve had a propensity for kink since I was a teenager,” Tackett said easily. “I’ve also always been a demanding lover. I like being in charge, so I guess you could say I’ve always been a Dom. What about you, Jamie? Have you always been a Dominant?”

Jamie had to think about that for a moment. On one hand he supposed he’d always been kind of dominant, but he’d also been less than confident when it came to his desires and sometimes looked to Tek for guidance.

“I don’t know,” he admitted truthfully. “What makes you think I am?”

“I’m very good at reading people. The way you’re taking in the club and by the way you respond and react to what you see, you’re trying to fit yourself into those roles. You’re more comfortable when seeing yourself as the Dominant, and yet, your man there is also a Dominant so you’re trying to figure out how that’s going to work.” Tackett leaned back in his chair and tipped his water bottle at Jamie. “How am I doing?”

“Impressive,” Jamie said, astonished at how much Tackett had figured out just from observing him. “Any advice?”

“The way I see it you have two choices.”

“Which are?” Jamie encouraged, leaning forward and listening intently.

“One, you could bring in a submissive. I can introduce you to Rig and Bobby. They used to own this club before Ty and Blake bought it and have been in the lifestyle longer than I have. They are a wealth of information and are also both Doms who share a boy.”

Jamie shook his head vigorously. “No way!” he said adamantly. “Not that I wouldn’t want to meet them, but I don’t share Tek.”

“If you’re serious about exploring kink that involves dominance, then your only other option is to switch.”

Jamie ran a hand over his chin and then propped his head on his hand. “Switch what?”

“Roles. You’ll have to learn to be both submissive and dominant. Oops, I’m being summoned,” Tackett announced, looking to the bar where Micah was motioning him with a hand, and stood.

Jamie had been listening so closely he hadn’t even been paying attention to his surroundings. Tackett was obviously better at it than he was. Jamie imagined Tackett Austin could teach him a lot, and not just about kink.

Tackett fished in his pocket and pulled out a business card, then handed it to Jamie. “Here’s my card. It has my cell number on it. Call me if you’d like to discuss the lifestyle further. It was very nice meeting you, Jamie.”

“Thanks, I will,” Jamie assured him and took the card. “It was nice meeting you too,” he said sincerely.

“I’ll look forward to our next conversation, then,” Tackett said and, with a wave, walked to the bar.

Jamie watched him go. Tackett walked with a confident stride, head held high, each step deliberate. Jamie might not be as good at reading people as Tackett was, but he knew enough to know an alpha male when he saw one. And Tackett Austin was one. Jamie glanced at Tek who was scrutinizing a patron as he entered the club.
And there is another one
. One Jamie couldn’t wait to dominate.

“Y
OU
WERE
awful quiet on the way home,” Tek said, tossing his keys on the coffee table. “Everything okay?”

“Everything’s fine,” Jamie responded, his voice muffled as he dug around in the fridge.

Tek flopped down on the couch and propped his legs up on the table. “You didn’t get too bored, did you?” he asked as he rolled his neck.

“Nah,” Jamie said as he handed Tek a bottle of beer and sat down next to him with his own. “I met Tackett Austin. We sat and talked for a while. He’s kind of cool.”

“Micah’s Dom, right?” Jamie nodded. “He introduced himself to me when he came in the club. What did y’all talk about?”

Tek took a long pull from his brew and relaxed farther into the couch. His feet were a little achy from being on them so long, but for the first night on the job, he’d done all right.

“This and that,” Jamie said with a shrug.

“This and that?”

“Yup,” Jamie answered concisely as he sipped on his beer.

Tek knew there was more to the story than what Jamie was telling him by the way he was avoiding Tek’s gaze. Tek stared at him with an eyebrow raised knowingly and waited.

“What?” Jamie finally asked after the silence became too much for him.

“I want to know what you and Tackett talked about that’s got you so damn quiet and avoiding my eyes.”

“I’m not avoiding them,” Jamie denied and gave Tek a sidelong glance.

“Mmm-hmm,” Tek murmured disbelievingly.

The longer Jamie stayed quiet, the more curious Tek became, but he waited patiently. It did little good to nag Jamie into telling him what he and Tackett had talked about. The silent staring thing, that got Jamie every time.

“Knock it off,” Jamie grumped and snatched the remote from the side table. “You’re being a pest.” He clicked on the TV and started going through the channels.

Tek didn’t respond, rather he shifted on the couch a little so his head was turned directly toward Jamie and waited. Jamie continued to zip through the channels, but Tek was getting to him. He could see the flush of color move up Jamie’s neck as he got flustered.

Jamie turned his head and glared at him, his lip curling into a sneer. “You are the most annoying fucker I’ve ever met. Did you know that?”

“Yes, I’m aware of it.” Tek smiled sweetly at him. “It’s part of my charm,” he teased and batted his lashes at Jamie.

“Fine!” Jamie switched off the TV and tossed the remote aside. “We talked about how he could tell I was a Dom and you must be my boy.”

Tek’s eyes went wide in shock and then narrowed as the color increased in Jamie’s cheeks, a sure sign he was lying. “I call bullshit. I’d wager he called it the other way around after he saw the size of my guns.” Tek flexed his bicep.

Jamie rolled his eyes. “Yeah, that’s it.”

Tek downed the rest of his beer and set the bottle on the table. “So really, what did he say?”

Jamie licked his lips nervously and shrugged. “It was weird. The guy could tell what I was thinking from just watching me. He’d make one scary fucking Fed.”

Tek blinked at him and stiffened automatically. Anytime he was reminded of his previous life, he had the same reaction. He was getting better at pushing the thoughts of what he’d done out of his head, rarely ever had nightmares anymore, but the past still weighed heavily on him.

Jamie must have noticed his reaction because he quickly added, “Sorry,” and laid his hand against Tek’s thigh.

“’S’alright,” Tek assured him and entwined their fingers. “So what was it you were thinking about that Tackett figured out?”

“He said he could tell by the way I was checking out the club, from my reactions or some shit, I was trying to imagine myself in the different roles, which I was. And then he said I was more comfortable imagining I was a Dom, which was right. Freak, huh?”

“Both,” Tek confirmed.

Jamie stared at him and pursed his lip. “What do you mean both?”

“The fact that you were thinking about yourself in the role of a Dom and that Tackett knew it. What’d he say about me?” Tek asked curiously.

“He said you’re also a Dominant.”

“Pfft, that’s obvious,” Tek snorted.

Jamie ignored Tek’s jest. His expression stayed thoughtful. “Then he gave me some advice…. You know,” he muttered with a shrug. “If we ever decided to do that stuff.”

“Which is?”

“Well, on the first one, I told him no fucking way,” Jamie said adamantly, shaking his head. “He said we could get a third, you know, a submissive to share. I told him we don’t play like that.”

Tek nodded. He and Jamie were still figuring out their roles, what they liked and disliked and always trying new things. But they were both powerfully possessive and would never invite anyone else to join in. Hell, neither of them wanted the other to go without a shirt around others, and it was only partially due to the tats on their backs that would expose them as Crimson VIII members.

“So if we did want to play,” Tek said noncommittally. “What advice did he give?”

“Tackett said we should switch.”

“Switch?”

“That was my response too,” Jamie chuckled. “Take turns being the Dominant.” Jamie reached into his pocket and pulled out a card and handed it to Tek. “He said he would be more than happy to answer any questions. He’d even introduce us to a couple of Doms who are a couple. They used to own the club.”

Tek took the card and studied it. Tackett was the CEO and President of some software company Tek had never heard of. Rich business owners were definitely the kind of friends he and Jamie needed to be associating with rather than the lowlifes they’d grown up around. And if they happened to be part of the BDSM lifestyle, all the better. Tek was learning quickly that discretion and keeping an open mind without judgment were a must for anyone working in or a patron of the Guards of Folsom. It was the perfect environment for him and Jamie.

Tek handed the card back. “So are you going to call him?”

Jamie stared at the card for a long drawn-out moment. From the thoughtful expression on his face, he was carefully choosing his words. Tek thought about telling him he thought they should. The idea had definitely piqued his interest, but he waited to see what Jamie thought.

“I’d like to,” Jamie said quietly. “That is, if you want to?”

Tek took the bottle out of Jamie’s hand and set it on the table, then shoved him back on the couch. “I think it would be fucking hot,” he said, leering down at Jamie and waggling his brow. Tek pressed his groin to Jamie’s and rolled his hips seductively. “Wanna try now?”

The clank of bottles hitting the floor sounded seconds before Tek wrapped his arm around Jamie’s neck and flailed ineffectively as he was rolled. The next thing he knew he was on his back where the table had been, a ripe curse on his lips.

“Yeah, I do,” Jamie growled and grabbed Tek’s wrists, pinning them over his head.

Tek blinked up at him, stunned momentarily until the dizziness passed. “Bastard,” he finally grumbled.

“You asked,” Jamie chuckled and then nipped Tek’s bottom lip.

Tek was about to roll them again when Jamie brushed his lips against Tek’s. The soft brush of their mouths and Jamie’s warm breath caused Tek to shiver, and he parted his lips. Jamie teased and lapped gently at Tek’s mouth as he positioned Tek’s arms so he could grasp both Tek’s wrists in one hand. He brought the other to rest against Tek’s cheek. Tek went passive, allowing Jamie to do what he wanted, and was rewarded with a seductive moan. Jamie deepened the kiss, exploring Tek’s mouth with a gentle sweep of tongue, and Tek forgot all about trying to get the upper hand as the need heated inside him when the tender kiss increased in strength and passion.

Breathing in heavily through his nose as jolts of electricity zinged through him, Tek encouraged his lover by rolling his hips, increasing the friction against his hard cock. Jamie gasped, responding in kind by pressing his full weight down on Tek, grinding his equally hard shaft against Tek’s.

Tek’s hands curled into fists as he fought the urge to break free from Jamie’s solid grip. He wanted to rip Jamie’s clothes away, dig his fingers into the thick muscles of Jamie’s back, and take control. The dueling desires were maddening. He loved dominating Jamie, taking charge over such a powerful creature, and yet being on the receiving end of such a powerhouse of brute strength was a major fucking rush. He shook all over as the battle between the two opposing desires raged.

Tek groaned as Jamie grabbed Tek’s pec and squeezed hard, curling his fingers into the thick muscle. The heavy caress was almost too much, painful and yet not nearly enough.

“Fuck,” Jamie grunted against Tek’s mouth and suddenly grasped the material of Tek’s dress shirt and yanked, buttons popping, material tearing.

“Asshole,” Tek growled and started to struggle.

Jamie tightened his hold on Tek’s wrists with one hand and tore at Tek’s shirt with the other, ignoring Tek’s complaints. “Keep fighting me and I’ll be forced to tie you down.”

“I’d like to see you try,” Tek dared. The muscles in his arms strained as he pulled against Jamie’s hold. Fuck the bastard was strong.

Jamie raised his head, his blue eyes dark with lust, and leered at Tek. “Is that a challenge?” he asked thickly.

“Good luck with that,” he said wryly.

With lightning quick speed, Jamie had Tek’s biceps pinned to the floor with his knees, Jamie’s groin against Tek’s chin. Before Tek could even utter a complaint, Jamie whipped off his belt and secured it around Tek’s wrists.

“Want to challenge me again?” Jamie laughed and nudged the bulge in his jeans against Tek’s chin.

“Yeah,” Tek snarled. “I dare you to whip out your dick and see if you can avoid my fucking teeth.”

“Challenge accepted,” Jamie said dubiously and popped the button on his jeans and eased down the zipper.