Taken in Hand (22 page)

“Sounding?”

“Yeah, that’s what Adam calls it.”

“I figured it must hurt like a bitch. I had to have a

catheter once and that hurt bad enough.”

“What is it exactly? I never found out what it entailed.”

“According to Adam, it’s a set of surgical steel rods,

going from really thin to about the thickness of your little

finger. They put them down inside their subs’ dicks, into the

uretha.

Shaking his head, he went on. “One of the other

couples did the same thing, which leads me to think the perp

might have been in the club and witnessed it. Set him off in

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some way.”

“We need to double check all the employees, the

members, and all their guests.”

“The guests are hard since they don’t register in any

way, but we will again, even though nothing turned up

before. You’re the only one who has gotten us any leads. He

never baited us off before. The shrink says as well as

escalating, he’s challenging us to catch him, teasing us

because he either knows or suspects we’re watching his

possible victims. The problem is we don’t have the manpower

to watch them all as much as they should be. Philips getting

killed is proof of that. It’s just like you said, someone should

be watching the houses when they aren’t home as well as

following them. I think it may be up to you to set him off and

bring him to where we can concentrate our efforts.” He

paused with a deep breath he let out slow. “Something else

you need to know. Jeremy Rubin has disappeared.”

While Chad stared at him in disbelief, he continued.

“He left the house last night on foot, took off between a

couple of houses, and they lost him.”

“Before he killed Philips?”

“We don’t know it was him. The gay killer has never

used a gun before.”

“You don’t really believe it was a coincidence that

Philips was killed at
that
house after being taken down with

a stun gun?”

“No. Neither does anyone else.” Johansen admitted.

“The timing all fits. Rubin left his house in more than

enough time to get here, leave those notes, and get to

LeCroy’s to set things up. This time he did break in through

a back window, another break in his MO, but seeing all of

you at Morrison’s he knew he had time and no one was

home. The shrink says he’s adjusting to circumstances. He

hasn’t returned to the preacher’s house since, probably

spooked over the shooting.”

“What’s his brother say?”

“They haven’t questioned him. They’re thinking there’s

a chance he might go back after he calms down and don’t

want to give our interest in him away. Your gig is about the

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only hope we have of drawing him out where we can control

the situation.”

Chad shook his head with a weak laugh. “You’re

suggesting I do a scene?”

“Right,” Johansen said with a nod. “If you pretend to

let the professor do a scene in that club this weekend that

includes some of that CBT that might flip the killer’s switch

again.”

“Fuck. You can’t pretend something like that. You

either do it or you don’t.”

Johansen smiled shortly. “Sounds like some medieval

torture, doesn’t it? There must be some way to fake it. No

one expects you to actually do it, of course. Morrison could

just make something look good and not really…”

“No,” Chad interrupted. “The people at the club aren’t

stupid. Again, there isn’t any way to fake it. I’d have to let

him do it for real. At least once, anyway.”

Squirmed uncomfortably in his chair, Johansen

suggested, “Maybe there’s something else you could do.”

“I doubt it, not one that would work as well. No, it’s a

good idea. It could draw out the killer. Just—don’t let it get

out around the department, okay? Those assholes rag me

enough as it is. Keep this quiet, just between us and the

chief.”

Johansen nodded. “You got it, but only if it won’t harm

you. The chief will never go for that.”

“A good Dom never harms their sub. I’ve learned that

much. No, nothing is forced in, from what I’ve read. These

guys know what they’re doing.”

“Look, I know this must be really hard on you. I mean,

being around all of this and having to pretend you’re—well—

not only gay, but kinky. You got more balls than I got, and I

admire you for it. I don’t think I could do it, let alone what

I’m suggesting you do.”

Chad nodded, self-conscious and uneasy. “So far it

hasn’t been so bad. Morrison is a decent guy.”

“Good, good. You know, no one would blame you if you

couldn’t do any of this. I mean if you decide not to.”

“Yeah, I know.”

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Johansen rose wearily to his feet. “So tomorrow is

Tuesday. Think you can work something out by this

weekend?”

“Yeah, maybe. I’ll have to ask Morrison about it. He

may not even agree. He said he isn’t into giving pain.”

“I thought about that. If not, maybe this LeCroy could

do it, with Morrsion assisting, or whatever. You can ask

him.”

Chad barely suppressed a shudder at the idea of

Benjamin LeCroy doing something like that to him, with or

without Adam. “I’ll talk to Morrison,” he said. “I need to find

out more about it before I agree to it completely.”

“Oh yeah, sure.” Johansen walked toward the door.

“I…uh…I’ll let you know when they make arrangements for

Phillips.”

“I’ll go down to the station later and see if they need

any help.”

“No, the chief doesn’t want you to take a chance on

breaking your cover, not after knowing how close that

bastard got to you last night, especially since you received

those notes. That’s why I came here. If anyone is noticing,

it’ll look like I’m just interviewing you.”

“Okay, but damn it, I’d like to help out.”

“What you’re doing is helping more than any of the

rest of us.” He shook his head. “Poor Phillips. Hell of a thing.

Only a few months from retirement.” Still shaking his head

while Chad walked him to the door, he turned to look back

at Chad before he got in. “I’m going home to get some rest.

Call me tonight and let me know what you decide.”

Chad nodded and waved before closing the door and

going back to the living room. He picked up his glass to rinse

and put in the dishwasher, and then wandered back up to

Adam’s bedroom. Adam had cleaned everything up from the

night before. All Chad had to do was make the bed. He

slipped off his clothes and stretched out on it instead,

staring up at the ceiling. He was exhausted, and his head

hurt. He almost felt like he had a hangover, probably from all

the adrenalin the night before. It was barely nine-thirty, and

he had nowhere to go and little to do before Adam came

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home.

Adam—it seemed his whole life revolved around Adam

now. How had that happened? He heard Adam’s voice in his

head.
D/s relationships tend to get serious fast
.
Sharing that

much intimacy with another person is different from any other

relationship.
Was that what he had now, an honest to God

relationship with a Dom?

I am so fucked.
This is not happening
. He rolled over

and pulled a pillow over his head.

* * * *

Adam got home around noon, after phoning the dean

and telling him he had taken ill and needed to skip his last

class. It was partially true. The news about the older

detective who had questioned him so respectfully did make

him sick to his stomach, not to mention, Chad’s certainty

that the killer had really been after Benjamin and Paul.

Benjamin could be a prick at times, but he was one of

Adam’s oldest friends, their common proclivities making

them even closer than they might have been otherwise, and

Paul seemed to be a decent enough person, though he didn’t

know him all that well. It wasn’t a good idea to pay too much

attention to another man’s sub, after all, one reason for his

irritation the night before when he saw the way Benjamin

looked at Chad.

Despite his best intentions, he’d already started to

think of Chad as his. He’d known it was unwise. Chad was

still not out to anyone, even himself, let alone ready to admit

his submissive nature freely. Adam had no idea what Chad

would do when the case was over, but as Cole privately said

to him the night before, if he really cared for Chad, he was

going to have to make some compromises. Adam knew it was

obvious to everyone that Chad wasn’t totally comfortable

with the submissive role he’d taken on. Cole’s comment

came after seeing Adam over the years with several subs and

none, he said, had ever put that look in Adam’s eyes. He’d

winked and added that it was time for Adam to settle down

with someone who really mattered to him. Adam was

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beginning to think he was right.

He enjoyed vanilla sex as much as the next guy, and if

it was a deal breaker with Chad, then he could go along with

that—for the rest of his life if he had to—even though kink

was something that added spice, and he enjoyed it. He

actually believed Chad enjoyed it, too, or at least some of it.

He knew Chad would probably hate performing at the club

and being on display. Adam could live without that, like Cole

did. He would do that for Chad and still count himself lucky

to have him. In the bedroom now—that might be a different

story. Compromise? Wasn’t that what Cole was talking

about?

When he let himself in the front door, the house was

quiet, even though Chad’s car was parked in the driveway.

Usually, he had the television going night and day, even if he

wasn’t watching it. Dropping his briefcase in the living room,

he checked Chad’s room. He wasn’t there. Hearing soft

snores coming from his bedroom, he went down the hall and

stood in the door, gazing at Chad, sound asleep in his bed.

Lying on his stomach, the round, perfect globes of his

ass were only partially covered by the sheet. He must have

made some noise, because Chad rolled over on his back and

saw Adam standing there. He smiled and stretched lazily.

Adam slowly shed his clothes as Chad watched him, never

moving, never saying a word. Naked, Adam walked to the

side of the bed and looked down at him, all warm and sexy

and totally delicious.

Before Chad could argue or agree, he climbed up on

top of him and put his knee between his thighs, pushing

them apart. When Chad lay back complacently and stared

up at him smiling, he lowered his head to take his lips in a

soft kiss. Chad’s hands ghosting over his back in response.

Adam pulled his head back to look at him and couldn’t resist

going in for more kisses on his lips, his throat, and his chest.

He pressed his cock against Chad’s, rubbing them together

and eliciting a soft moan of pleasure.

Chad rubbed his thumbs against Adam’s nipples,

working them gently with his fingertips, then pushing Adam

up, he angled his head up to lick them while Adam arched

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his back, giving him full access.

When he could speak again, he whispered into Chad’s

ear. “I missed you this morning. Did you miss me?”

Chad nodded breathlessly, seeming unable to form

words while Adam’s fingers massaged his balls. Adam

stretched out to open the drawer in the bedside table for a

condom and the lube. Up on his knees, he rolled on the

condom and squeezed a generous amount of lube on his

fingers and cock. Lifting Chad’s leg onto his shoulder, he

spread the lube over his tight, puckered hole. He kept one

hand busy stroking Chad’s cock. Slipping one fingertip up

inside Chad, he teased in and out in a gentle motion.

Chad eyelashes fluttered, and Adam groaned, pushing

in deep, adding another finger and working them in and out.

Pressing up and slightly forward, he searched for the sweet

spot and found it, watching the beautiful face in front of him

come apart.

“Adam, please, harder, please.”

Sliding his hand down the length of Chad’s cock, his