Then
"Ok, I'm here. What do you need help with?"
Jace looked up from pushing around the Apfelsniflings on his plate, sitting at the table he and Phoenix had sat at inside Worldwide. He had ordered them, but only rolled them around for the last half hour.
"It's a bit of a private thing. Can I get you a coffee or something to nibble on?" Jace pushed his plate across the table as an invitation to eat because his own appetite was gone.
"I ordered an iced tea at the counter while you played choo-choo train with your food."
"Ok, please eat. I can't stomach anything."
"Damn, this sounds serious. Fill me in." Chess swung his green hair out of his eyes and grabbed a dough ball, giving Jace his full attention.
"This is strictly confidential."
"I sort of figured that one out without you saying it. I'm not one to blab, which is why I guess you called me?"
Jace nodded and drew in a breath.
Ok, man up. Talk, and get some advice. That was the plan.
"I've found the Dominant I want, but I need some advice on how to proceed." That was the entire shitshow of it. That he wanted Phoenix, the Dominant.
"Dominant? I thought you were looking for a sub? You're a Switch?"
"Sub," Jace admitted, though when saying it to Chess it did not feel as humiliating as when admitting it to someone Dominant. Chess too was looking for his match and might understand that the search was difficult when you did not fit into the more common physical boxes for subs.
"I could have sworn you played both sides." Chess rubbed his chin while going through his meetings with Jace in his head, smearing powdered sugar all over his face. Nothing about him screamed one or the other. A switch made the most sense.
"I guess that's a fair assumption. I've done both, but I know what I want and who I want from the club."
"Oh, my God!" Chess exclaimed with joy and clapped his powdered sugar hands together. "Who is it? Is it Lady Gloria? I know she's eyed you a lot. It's not that I don't appreciate your company at the bar, but you became a member to find your match. Oh, could it be Madame Hedwig?"
"No, no." Jace just closed his eyes and swallowed the lump in his throat. "It's Mister P."
Chess visibly dropped his jaw.
"But... You're...?"
"Bisexual," Jace finished the sentence and looked up into Chess' brilliant, violet eyes. Eyes that were about to pop out of his head.
Taking in the conversation, Chess shook his head to clear his thoughts. Plenty of new information he had not seen coming, but he would never judge anybody who knew who they were and what they wanted. "But he's impossible. He doesn't play with anybody. I'm not even sure he wants to. Packard says he's worried about Mister P. a lot. He still does his work there, and his exhibits in implements are perfect, but he's been grumpier than ever, and he only shows up when he has to do a showcase or train new members."
"Yeah, I might be the reason for that," Jace admitted with a slight shrug. "You know he trained me while Lady Gloria and Packard were away?"
"Sure, most of us working there do, but not the members. Training is confidential, like everything else. He trains a lot of subs and Doms. That's why it's hard to pinpoint what people are, and he's a skilled teacher from what I've heard. But nobody's ever experienced him as a full Dom."
"I haven't either, but I want to. And he told me he wanted me, sort of."
"He what?" Chess' high-pitched voice drew the attention of a few people some tables away, and he shot them a glare to make them mind their own business. "No, seriously. Mister P. told you he wanted you? Like what? His sub? His showcase partner?"
Again, Jace had to shrug. Phoenix had not specified anything. He had just said that he wanted to fuck him raw, basically. He had not mentioned anything BDSM.
"He said he wanted me. To fuck me."
"I'm going to need a bit more information than that." Chess plopped another dough-thing into his mouth and waited for the tale untold. It could only be an interesting story. Anything involving Mister P. had to be top-level secret, and he expected it to be all sorts of juicy.
Jace went on to tell Chess everything. Well, as much as he could without revealing who Phoenix was. Protection of privacy and the right to anonymity were part of the membership contract both he and Chess had signed to become members, so Jace had to omit a few details.
He could tell that they had known each other beforehand and had met through work. As long as he did not disclose Phoenix's real name or their jobs, it would be fine. Not that he could have done that anyway with working for Gareth, and what they did, but it was nice to have that sliver of truth to hang on to, but also to give his story about their first meeting some credibility.
Chess listened intensely to how their surprise meeting at the club, where Jace had expected to meet Lady Gloria, had turned into Phoenix, Mister P., offering to do the initial training, and how it had gone from there.
That led up to when Packard and Lady Gloria had returned and how Phoenix had pulled back until his big reveal at the birthday party. It had turned out to be a good base to show they had established some kind of relationship, and Chess did not seem to catch on to the minor holes in Jace's story.
Chess rubbed his temples when Jace stopped talking. "So, what you're telling me is, that Mister P. told you in October that he wanted to fuck your literal brains out, and now we're sitting here in the middle of January, and you've done nothing about it but sit at my bar and play hard to get, while secretly pining over a man you know wants you?"
Ok, when put like that, it sounded awful.
What could he say?
Phoenix had shocked the life out of him with his words that night at the party. He should have run after him, stopped him from walking away, but he had just stood there, trying to make his brain work enough to make his limbs not feel numb.
The rest of the evening, Phoenix had kept his distance, and at some point, he had left the party without a word. They had eyed each other more times than Jace could remember. Phoenix had looked nervous as if he had waited for everybody to know that he was gay, or that he had made a pass at a 'straight' colleague. Jace had looked at Phoenix as if he had not understood what Phoenix had said, and he had waited for reality to kick in, and it had all been a figment of his imagination. But from Phoenix's intense stares, he had concluded that it had very much been reality. Twilight zone-worthy reality.
Phoenix was gay?
Gay as in gay gay?
He had kept that a secret and gone with the flow of all Jace's attempts at wingmaning for him, despite his own sexual preferences. Just to respect Jace's status and maybe not out himself and make things awkward.
During the night, Jace had wondered if Phoenix had been interested before he found out that Jace was a sub. Whether it was a physical attraction or if it was the Dom in Phoenix that drew him toward Jace.
If it was the Dom, then that wonderful Dominant had wanted him out of all the subs he could choose from.
That was what had kept him back. Phoenix had only commented on his type in terms of physical attraction. He had not mentioned that he wanted to dominate Jace, and that was what Jace wanted. He wanted the Dom in Phoenix as well as the physical man.
All his thoughts had been too jumbled Jace's mind up to simply go to Phoenix to tell him he wanted him just as badly. And though he did not care if it was just for a night and basic sex or with a contract for the club as a sub, he would have been all in.
If Phoenix had been MIA before the birthday party, he had upped that to the level where his face should have been on posters of missing persons after. The few times Gareth had insisted on meeting, Phoenix had somehow gotten Gareth to meet outside the mansion. He had not shown up at any meetings at all, and poor Vlad and Rotha had gone back and forth between the mansion and Phoenix's apartment to complete their work.
Jace had casually asked Gareth about it, and he had told him that Phoenix had decided to lie low for a while in hopes that whoever stalked him would out themselves through the letters and gifts. To see if the stalker might get frustrated and make mistakes when Phoenix did not show up where the stalker would usually see him.
Or even better, just give up.
That was probably the only reason that Gareth had allowed Phoenix to isolate himself, because Gareth was worried about the stalker and Phoenix's safety. Much to Jace's chagrin, he had to agree with Gareth, and the way Cracker was happy with Phoenix's decision too, had left him with no arguments for him to lure Phoenix out. Which could also explain why he had been at the club so rarely.
But Jace knew better. Phoenix had avoided him at all costs.
And he did not want to be avoided anymore. He wanted to lay everything on the line and call Phoenix on his words. Make him take action and live up to what he had said or eat his lie.
Either way, Jace was ready to see where it would lead.
Jace had worked up the courage during the holidays because spending it at the mansion with the guys while Phoenix had gone home to visit his parents, he had understood how miserable he was without his friendship and company of Phoenix. How much he needed to reconnect with what they had built over time. And yes, there was the gamble that it was only a one-night fuck, since Phoenix had not elaborated on it being a BDSM thing. But if they did that, then Phoenix did not have to hide anymore, right?
The man would know that Jace would not out him or hold him responsible for anything when he disclosed his own bisexual needs.
"Yes. I know I'm a coward. But he took me by surprise. He doesn't know how I've struggled with getting closer to him, thinking he was straight, and that he only trained me because he knew how and there was no sex involved. He was detached and professional at every session. I did not know he wanted me as I began to long for him."
"That's so cute. You've both wanted each other for a long time, and now you're ready to admit it?"
"I am. And I'll take whatever he's willing to give me. Even if I need to grovel to make it up to him first."
Chess smiled. He had always thought that if Mister P. ever made a choice, he would choose somebody unexpected, and Jace certainly was not what anybody had seen that big, bad Dom being interested in.
"What do you need from me? Other than an ear to listen." He flashed Jace a grin. "I guess I'm not just here because you needed to show you know weird people." Chess gestured at his hair and then at the people, who still discretely glanced at them.
"I don't know how to get Mister P. to the club. I want to present for him. To show him I want him."
"Oh, I can help you with that." Chess leaned forward, his eyes full of mischief. "Packard has tried to invite me out on a date for ages. I've refused him every time. But I could take one for the team and go on a date with him if he does me a tiny favor." Chess winked with a conspiratorial smile.
"But if you don't want to date him, I can't ask you to do that." Jace felt bad that Chess had to sacrifice himself, especially if he did not want Packard at all. And it would be unfair to Packard if he got his hopes up and Chess just did it to gain a favor.
"Oh, don't worry about that. I've just been teaching Packard some humility. I told him that as long as he sleeps around and still asks me out, he can take a hike. He's not been with anybody since I said that, and he still asks me every chance he gets. Maybe both those dumb Doms deserve a break?"
"You're plain evil. You want Packard? I guess I'm not the only one who's been keeping secrets?" Jace had not had any idea that Chess was interested in the Head Dom. He never spoke of him and rarely gave him the time of day. He had only seen them interact as part of Chess' job, and they talked about work then.
"I've wanted that man since I met him. But I don't want some moronic twit who lets his dick lead him around. I want what I know he can be. A perfect Dom who does not behave like a frat boy and treats his club as his personal meat market."
"Maybe this is a win for both of us." Jace raised his glass to toast with Chess. "Now, you tell me your plan."
Fifteen minutes later, and a bit of powdered sugar damage control on Chess' face, they stood outside Worldwide at Jace's car, and Chess was on the phone with Packard.
"Packard," Chess grumbled in a low voice that was not befitting a sub talking to a Dom. "You get Phoenix to the club tonight. I don't care what you have to tell him, but you get him there and keep him there, and I'll go out with you after my shift is over. And I mean go out. Don't pack any condoms, because I'm not that kind of guy."
Jace snickered at Chess' tone and how he laid out his deal. That was a no-nonsense man, who knew what he wanted and how he wanted to be treated.
"Don't give me that. All you have to do is keep Mister P. there. You'll know why when it happens."
Chess rolled his eyes dramatically at Jace while he listened to Packard rant on.
"Ok, that's a deal. If you get him there and keep him there. And you act like a man who has his brain in the upstairs head when we go out. You can have a goodnight kiss after our date."
A goodnight kiss? How adorable was that? Jace could only smile softly at the way Chess pushed his own needs into the conversation to make Packard think it was his idea. That was rather brilliant.
"Yes, if he's there when I need him to be, we can go to any place you want to eat." Chess smiled triumphantly. "I'll see you later, Master Packard."
Chess tucked away his rather out-of-date phone and gave Jace a smile. "That's that sorted. Now we need to go shopping."
"Shopping?"
"Yes, you look great in your jeans and button-up. But you want the man to see you as a sub worth taking on, right?"
"I'm not buying those skimpy boy shorts. I want to turn him on, not laugh his ass off."
"Don't worry. Get in the car, and you drive. I know where to go."
Hours later.
As in literal multitudes of sixty-minute intervals later, Jace parked his car in a parking lot not far from Decadence. He sat there and rested his head on the steering wheel while breathing hard.
Chess turned to him with a concerned expression and stroked his back. "Are you ready for this?"
"No."
"You don't have to do it, but I think both you and Mister P. will be a lot more pleasant to be around afterward." Chess sighed but with understanding. It would be hard for Jace to come out as not only bisexual but also a sub, and in public, where he had no escape if it fell to the ground. "You know I'll be there to support you."
"I know, and I'm grateful for that. But what if he's changed his mind? I mean, I left him hanging for over two months."
"Yeah, I agree. That was a shit move. But I've not seen him show an interest in anybody else. There might be a chance that he's still hanging on to some hope?"
"You think?" Jace looked up and showed his red-rimmed eyes. He had not even noticed when that itching in them had begun, or when the tears had silently rolled from them. It was not fear of what he was going to do, it was a soul-numbing dread that Phoenix had not meant it, that even if he had, then he would have moved on. If he had missed his window of opportunity, he would probably pull back from the BDSM scene again.
He dearly hoped that Chess was right.
"Are you ready to give this a go, or would you prefer to sit a moment longer?"
"No, I'm doing this tonight," Jace stated with a lot more confidence than he felt. Come hell or high water, he was going to tell Phoenix that he too was interested, and then it had to make or break. "Come on, I'll need some help to get into that contraption you made me buy."
"You're going to look stunning in it. I promise, if Mister P. doesn't see it, I'm sure every other Dom in the club will. And when you've come out as bisexual, you'll be able to pick between all of them, not just one gender."
Together, they walked to the diner across from the parking lot to grab a bite, and then they went to Decadence.
"Chess, Jace." Brannon stood like the mountain he was at the door and checked IDs. He let them pass without anything further and went back to his work.
"He's not really the talkative type, is he?" Jace commented as they walked through the regular club to the VIP entrance.
"He has his moments. But when he's working, he knows like five sentences. Most used are 'Come back when you're old enough' and 'Not my problem'." Chess killed a laugh. Brannon was a great guy. He just separated work and private life, but outside of work, he was an open and nice man. "Ok, when we walk through the room, do not look at the Master Dominant's area. You don't need to see if he's there yet. It'll only make you nervous. Just walk straight ahead and we'll change in the subs' locker room."
Jace nodded in agreement.
"Do not look. Do not look," Jace chanted to himself under his breath when they walked into the club. He kept his back straight and his head locked to look forward, willing himself into tunnel vision with his eyes fixed on Chess' back. Chess made a quick stop at the bar and whispered something to one of the other bartenders before they continued their trek to the locker room.
"Thank you all for your time and your interest, but I'm not looking for something tonight."
Jace did not need to turn his head to know who the voice belonged to. It carried over the music and the chatter from the surprisingly large attendance of members that night. Phoenix was there, just as Chess had pushed Packard to make sure of.
There was no backing out; he had to go through with it. He was ready to face the music. All he had to do was hold his head high, be confident, and show everybody that he was the one Phoenix had chosen, and that he had chosen him back.
His nerves already got the better of him when Chess opened the door to the subs' locker room, and they walked in. The nerves were a pain, but he could handle them.
"Out!" a shrill voice shot at them a second later. "No Doms allowed in here."
Those nerves skipped rationality and went straight to panic. Jace had no doubts that those words were directed at him. "I'm not a D..."
"I said out. This is our sanctuary. Why would you even try to get in here?"
"Yes, you can't just go in here like you own the place," another said and joined the first one, along with a few others, to form an impenetrable wall between Chess and Jace and the locker room.
Chess moved in front of Jace and put his hands on his hips. "Be quiet, Sydney. Who are you to decide what people are? Jace is a sub, and he's a member, which gives him the right to be here." Chess might have been polite in his word choice, but his tone held nothing but conviction and a slight possibility of an asskicking.
The twink squad with, apparently, Sydney as their ringleader, stared skeptically at Jace. There were plenty of judging eyes on Jace to make him feel more than uncomfortable.
"You're telling me that Mr. Muscles there is a sub?" Sydney pointed at Jace and raised one of his thin, brownish eyebrows under his tousled, brown hair that fell into his forehead. In his boy shorts and nothing else, he clearly displayed everything Jace knew was most common among the male subs in clubs as Decadence. Doms loved those sweet, slender, hairless boy lookalikes. They were easy to lift, tie up, and use in any position, strengthening that power play through size.
And Sydney was a prime specimen. He even had a cute face too, with plumb, kissable lips, and large brownish-green eyes, though the cuteness was rather well hidden behind his ugly mask of judgment and superiority.
"So what if he is? This is supposed to be a judgment-free club, gender preferences, physical appearance, and sexual kinks are not to be questioned or judged. If Jace identifies as a sub and has gone through the proper training, and has been sanctioned by Master Packard to become a member, you have no say in that, no matter how narrowminded you seem to be."
"Whatever, you're just going to run to Daddy Packard at the smallest issue, like with the bets on Mister P., don't for a second think we're not aware that it was you who blabbed." Sydney pointed his accusing-happy finger at Chess that time.
"I didn't blab, as you put it. I found it distasteful and felt sorry for Mister P. that he was treated like that, when all he's ever done for any of us subs is treat us with respect. And some he's even granted pleasure and attention, you included." Chess pointed his own finger at Sydney with the same level of accusation. "Don't get all high and mighty on me when you're one of the ones who got caught doing something stupid."
Sydney snorted.
The way his muscles tensed under his skin, and he fisted his hands like he was ready to fight Chess instead of talking like an adult, almost made Jace laugh. He was not one to judge others on physical appearance, but he was wise enough to know that if it came to a physical altercation between Sydney and himself, Sydney was going down. Because Jace would absolutely step in to protect Chess, as Chess had just done for him.
"What seems to be the problem here?" Brannon's voice suddenly boomed into the room from behind Jace.
Sydney seemed to pale a bit, and his backup group stepped back to signal they had no bone in that fight. Jace turned to face Brannon.
"I was just trying to find a locker, but it seems they're all taken," Jace commented calmly. Where he got that calm from, he did not know. Maybe it was the resolve in him to accept who he was, and that meant acknowledging he was a sexual sub, but a damn strong person too.
"Oh, I see." Brannon nodded and gave Jace a respectful look. "Here, let me find one for you." He pushed past all of them and walked into the rows of lockers where most were open and did not seem occupied. He inspected them thoroughly and stopped at one at the end of a row and pointed at it. "I found one. Looks like the last available. You can take this."
Jace and Chess moved past Sydney, who stood fuming at the door with nothing to do but keep quiet.
"Oh look, he's right. Lucky for you, Jace," Chess chirped happily. He turned to Brannon and whispered for no other to hear. "Thank you. Keep this on the down-low for now. You can inform Master Packard later."
"As long as there are no issues that need his presence, I'll not make my report until the end of my shift. I'm authorized to handle things on my own." Brannon smiled and turned to Jace. "And thank you for taking the high road."
"I just wanted a place to change, not to piss off anybody or make enemies."
With another look of respect, Brannon turned on his heel and went to an absolute cutie of a boy, who stood not too far away, wringing his hands. "I'll see you later, ok, sweetie?"
"Yes, Master," the boy answered and giggled at the peck Brannon gave him on his temple.
When Brannon had left and the door to the locker room had been closed behind him, an eerie silence ensued. Most just stood around awkwardly and did nothing until Sydney stormed out in a thundercloud of rage.
The collective sigh of relief that sounded was almost comical.
Two of the guys who had backed Sydney came over and offered Jace their hands in apology. "We didn't know. Sorry for jumping to conclusions."
Taking the high road sounded so holy, but Jace chose to not hold grudges. They had made a mistake and were ready to admit it. He could not be angry with them. Being angry would take up too much of his concentration, and he needed a clear head with what he intended to do later.
"No worries. I didn't mean to cause any trouble. I know I don't look the part and trust me, that's hard enough as it is, but I'm not angry. It just caught me by surprise, as it's often the Doms who react like that."
"Well, Sydney can be a tad overwhelming, and he's a bit narrowminded. So are we, apparently, but we meant no harm. We just tried to protect our sanctuary."
"I can respect that, and had I been a Dom, I'd surely have found your unity impressive." Jace smiled and began to unpack his bag to signal that the conversation did not need to go any further. What had happened was in the past, and life could go on.
"See you inside. Welcome to the club, Jace."
They waved at them and left for the club.
"How much prep do you need? Shower, shave, enema?" Chess looked into his locker for shaving cream and razors, and an enema kit. He held out the things with a questioning glance at Jace.
"Just a shower and a clean check. I prepped before we met up. I had already set my mind for tonight before I called you."
"Sneaky. Come, we can share a stall and you can help me. I might have told Packard no, but it can't hurt to be prepared."
While they showered and got ready, Jace took in the locker room. It was a weird combination of a bathroom with plenty of stalls in different sizes to accommodate singles or groups of subs prepping together. There were the classic school gym-type lockers with an electronic locking mechanism, so all you had to do was set a code and then you did not need to hide a key somewhere when in the club. Then there was a beautification area with blow dryers, large mirrors, and chairs for those who might need to do makeup or hair before they were ready.
Jace was definitely going to use the blow driers and mirrors.
And lastly, there was a sort of lounge area with tables, couches, and chairs. There were small dining room tables where people could sit and eat, and there were even a few stove tops and fridges for them.
It was a weird combination, but a well-thought-out concept.
He understood why they called it their sanctuary.
"I hope it was ok that I got Brannon?" The cutie Brannon had kissed popped his head around the corner from a locker, where Chess and Jace dried themselves after their showers. His eyes sparkled in the fluorescent lights of the locker area, a sort of blue-green combination like opals. His lip quivered a bit from uncertainty, but he kept his tentative smile and shook his light blonde hair out of his eyes.
"Come on out, Eoin," Chess said softly to the skittish boy.
He moved free of the locker he had hidden behind and came over to them, looking up at Jace like he stared at a tourist attraction. He had nothing but awe painted all over his face.
"You're so handsome," Eoin whispered and then blushed.
"Thank you. You're quite a cutie yourself. So, you snatched up Brannon?" Jace asked and kept his posture relaxed. He easily read the kid, and he did not want to scare him at all.
Eoin blushed, even more, making his freckles completely disappear in the redness of his face that spread out down his neck and onto his naked chest.
"We just signed a contract for a month, but I'm hoping he'll be willing to extend it or even make it permanent."
"I'm sure you'll show him what he'll miss out on if he doesn't," Chess reassured in a friendly tone. "It was good of you to get him. We could probably have handled it, but backup is always nice."
"I don't like people fighting." Eoin got a pained look in his eyes. "I grew up with too much of that. I come here for my peace, to be who I am without shame, and I think others should have that right too."
Eoin shook off his memories of the past and looked at Jace, who had gotten his jeans and shoes on, and walked toward the beauty area. He slowly followed and saw Jace look at the hair dryers.
"You want to do your hair? Can I do it? I'm a hairdresser."
"That would be lovely."
With a professionally contemplating face, Eoin got Jace to sit on a chair. He grabbed a dryer and snatched Jace's brush from his hand. "I promise you'll look amazing." He began brushing Jace's hair as only a professional could. "I've seen you around a few times, but never with anybody. Are you meeting your Dom tonight?"
Was he?
Jace thought about it. That was what he wanted Phoenix to be, but calling him his Dom was a bit too presumptuous.
"I'm hoping to. I have my eye on somebody."
Eoin jumped a little with excitement for Jace. "That's great. I remember when I approached Brannon, it scared me stiff, but he was just so sweet to me."
The dreamy smile and glazed-over eyes were all Jace needed to see in the mirror to know that Eoin was more than just in it for a Dom/sub relationship. The kid had feelings, and for his sake, Jace hoped Brannon reciprocated.
"It's hard to imagine Brannon being sweet."
"Oh, but he's very sweet. He's a strict Dom, don't get me wrong, but as a person, he's a big teddy bear, and he likes to treat me nice."
"As he should."
Phoenix was probably the same when it came down to it. Though Jace would not describe him as a teddy bear, then again, Phoenix in protective aftercare-mode was the definition of sweet. He had no illusions about Phoenix's dominant power, and that he would probably be a strict and demanding Dom, but he would always be respectful, and that was what had drawn Jace in.
Jace sat on the chair and felt the warm air from the dryer hit his scalp. The brush went smoothly through his locks, and Eoin got it to mold to his will with his skilled hands. It almost felt like when Phoenix raked his fingers through it.
With a bit of some product, Eoin found in his locker, suddenly his hair lay like a waterfall of golden strands over the side of his head. There was a height to the front and the side that made it seem almost fluffed, but the styling of it to one side with the ends bent in slightly to kiss below his ear looked well on him.
"This is incredible. It looks great. You might be my new best friend."
Beaming at the praise, Eoin blushed again.
"You have glorious hair. If you come to the salon, I can cut the sides and make it fit your facial features perfectly."
Jace laughed. "I can't say no to that."
"Yes, you look like a princess there, Cinderella, but you can't go to the ball without your outfit." Chess gave Eoin a smile and urged Jace to stand and follow.
When Chess had gotten the contraption on him, and Jace stood by the full-length mirror to see the result, he had to admit that it was a good purchase and had been worth all the time they had spent looking for it.
It was not a harness like most people knew them. What he wore consisted of several pieces of smooth, dark-brown suede that fit his skin tone nicely. There was one going around his chest over his pecks, another just under them, and a third around his waist. On the back, the three pieces were connected by vertical leather strips in a sort of cross-pattern that allowed him the freedom to move but still looked intricate and sexy. The look ended with three thinner straps locked around his upper left arm, and a sort of broad leather piece around his right underarm. The piece was blank, but the salesperson had told them that Jace could come back and have his Dom's name or insignia branded into the leather for free.
How beautiful that would look with a phoenix on it. Like the phoenix on Phoenix's back and the necklace he always wore.
Chess had been right; that was the perfect outfit for him. Though he had thought he would just wear a vest, the leather made him look the part.
"You look amazing." Eoin clapped excitedly, and Chess stood there with a smug look on his face as he nodded in agreement.
"Well, Cinderella, it's time to go to the ball." Chess looked in the mirror and adjusted his boy shorts. He had a shift at the bar and had to wear them, but he looked forward to his date, where he could be a bit more toned down in his attire. He had no issues with his body, and showing it off in the tiny shorts was not a problem for him. They were eye-catching and earned him some good tips, and there was the safety of the security staff to assure him that nobody would touch him without permission.
But he liked to wear a little more when he did not work.
Standing back and fidgeting with his hands, Eoin did not follow them to the door. "Can I sit with you guys?"
"Sure, Eoin. Chess will work, and I'll be working up my nerves at the bar. Some company would be nice."
"And by that, he means drinking something non-alcoholic, because he's going to play later," Chess said, leaving no room for arguments.
"With all your Cinderella comments, I might order something pumpkin spiced, though I hate the taste in drinks."
"Let's get you to the ball then."
They walked out together and found a quiet table at the end of the bar where they could talk with Chess when he was not busy, but they could sit covered in shadow to observe the crowd. Most looked at the stage where a show with a good-looking, tall man and a stunning Indian woman did a showcase on fire-play, which was why more lights than usual had been turned off.
Though he tried to watch the show, Jace's eyes kept going to the Master Dominant's area, where he clearly could see Phoenix. His size and the man bun gave him away every time.
The show was excellent. The way the flames in orange, red, and yellow danced in the darkness, and at times turned a scary blue-ish white, was mesmerizing to look at. From the looks of it, the woman was in ecstasy, and the man was concentrated and very skilled at what he did.
Packard had been right. It was a show worth watching, and Phoenix was glad he had come. Not that he had been particularly cooperative when Packard had called and basically ordered him to attend the Master Dominant's meeting and then watch the showcases that night.
The Master Dom meeting had been boring as always, though there had been talk about the club's anniversary party in April, and that part, Phoenix had been glad he had not missed. He was investing in the club and as a silent partner, parties and promotions he had to be aware of.
Admittedly, he had needed to get out of his apartment. If his apartment had not been as large as it was, Phoenix would have gone stir-crazy from being there. And that was a huge deal for somebody who liked to be alone.
Playing hide and seek with Jace had become tiresome.
Phoenix was well aware that it was immature as all hell, and he had no excuses for his behavior other than he did not know how to handle feelings, no comprehension of what to do with himself to move on and let go of what he felt. And, yes, he was afraid, deadly scared that he had ruined a friendship that he had come to value by losing his cool and opening his big mouth. Everything he had with Jace, the ease he felt around him, and the knowledge of how they had each other's backs, could never get overridden by the need to get his cock into the man. He would happily forego his feelings and those needs for physical contact that his body signaled to him whenever Jace was around if he just got the friendship back.
He sipped his drink and relaxed into his seat.
"You don't seem as annoyed as when you came," Packard commented with hardly hidden amusement when the showcase ended.
Phoenix sighed with acceptance of the situation and the truth in Packard's words. "I know, and I needed to get out. I appreciate you calling me to kick me in the ass to get here."
"No worries," Packard said with a laugh. "It was important to get your input on the anniversary party, and I think the shows tonight are worth watching."
"I agree, Devon and Parminder were fascinating to watch in action." Phoenix waved over Jacob, who once again was the waiter for the Master Dominant's area, to get him and Packard another drink. "Who's up next?"
"Hamish and Eckhart are doing a suspension show in an hour or so. The guys need to prep the stage for it first."
With a nod, Phoenix acknowledged that and concentrated his mind to look forward toward the stage area. Earlier, he had seen Jace arrive with Chess and had seen them disappear down the hallway to the subs' locker rooms. He did not want to see him. He was afraid he would either lose his temper if he saw Jace with somebody, or that he would break down. It just hurt his heart too much to see him, and though the distance the last months had helped, he was nowhere near a state of mind where he could handle being near him. And if Jace was there to meet somebody, he would not be able to calmly walk away. That would kill something inside him to see.
Another group of hopeful subs sent on their way, and a show with Hamish and Eckhart later, Phoenix felt he was about ready to leave. He had shown up, participated in the adult part of the meeting, and been there for the fun parts with the shows.
He had been a good boy, and he deserved to go back to his solitude.
"Another drink?" Packard leaned closer to ask.
"Sure, one more. I don't really feel the usual buzz with the ones I've had. But then I think it's time to head home. I do have work tomorrow."
"Don't we all." Packard just waved at Jacob, who knew to fetch their usual orders, and he came back not long after, placing the drinks on the table for them.
"You're not drinking Brandy tonight?" Phoenix asked with a questioning eye on Packard's Cola and sipped his own Tom Collins.
"I think I have a date with Chess later, and even if he won't let me touch him, I intend to be sober and on my best behavior."
Phoenix's lips curled up a bit. So, Chess had finally given in? He had dragged the Head Dom around by his nose for a while. Maybe it was time to test the waters for them.
"You think?"
"Well, he still has the chance to blow me off when his shift is over. I've steadied myself for disappointment, but I cling to the hope." Packard sighed. The wait had been grueling, though he had understood Chess' concerns and taken his reprimand to heart. It had not even been difficult to stay away from other subs. They really did not turn him on like they used to anymore. It was the frustration building inside from wanting one person, and not even getting a chance to spend time with him, that had him worked up. The sex would come if they matched as he hoped, but the getting-to-know-each-other part was long overdue.
"I wish you luck."
Packard held up his glass. "I'll take any luck I can get."
The murmuring began not long after. Phoenix rarely paid it any mind. It usually meant a new group of hopeful subs was presenting, and he did not engage until he absolutely had to.
"I think somebody's got a big problem," a voice sounded from somewhere behind Phoenix.
Packard stood up, like he always did to ask the hopefuls, but stopped in his tracks and made a sound Phoenix had not heard before.
"Who are you presenting for?"
Phoenix stood up and saw Packard look a bit shocked, and then he turned his head just in time to hear: "Mister P..."
"Figures," Packard mumbled.
That voice...
Phoenix's eyes sought the area where he had expected a group of subs waiting, but there was only one person and a rather sizeable crowd in a circle around the area.
His heart stopped.
His mouth dried out.
If he had not known any better, he would have thought that the world had stopped spinning and time itself had stopped.
There on the floor, in a perfect presenting position, was the vision that forced itself into his every waking moment, and even more persistently into his dreams.
The hair in the overhead lights fell like a ripe cornfield over his side. It shone like golden honey, making his fingers itch to touch it. The head was bowed, giving the hair even more grace with the strands that pointed to the floor. Phoenix had no idea what the harness was called, but it was exquisite on the muscular body. The leather seemed to underline the muscles and present them even better, and the color only accentuated the tan of the skin. The soft, overly washed denim of the jeans folded around the taut muscles of the thighs, showing just how fit those legs were.
Jace.
Beautiful and with absolute poise, he sat there and waited. There were no trembles or any hesitation to detect. Jace looked calm and centered.
"Jace?" Phoenix choked out. If he had not been too preoccupied with making his tongue work to form sentences, he would most likely have been self-conscious of being visibly caught off his guard in public. "You're presenting for me?"
"Yes, Sir."
Phoenix went from cardiac arrest to critical palpitations at those words.
But why?
Though Phoenix prided himself on his brain's abilities, it did not have enough capacity to grasp the situation fully. All his mind could do was send him lewd images of all the things he had dreamed of doing to Jace, which truly did not help his situation.
"I thought you were... But you're...?"
"Bisexual." Jace finished the sentence for the second time that day. He might not be able to see much from his position on the floor, mainly feet around him, and there were a lot of those, but he knew where Phoenix was. His aura was like a blanket, trying to wrap around him, telling him he was very close.
The murmuring at his answer did not give him more confidence, but he kept his position and waited. Phoenix had to either accept or reject him.
And if he rejected him, there would be copious amounts of alcohol in his future, not those stupid mocktails Chess had served him while he had found the balls to approach Phoenix.
Dumbfounded, Phoenix stared at Jace. The man was bisexual? He had been bisexual all that time, while he himself had agonized over the fact that Jace was straight, and what he had done to Jace had been a means to an end. All that energy he had put into helping Jace fantasize about some woman had been a waste of time? Jace had been with him all along? Maybe wanting the same as Phoenix?
And he was there, in the club, presenting to become his?
Could it be?
If cameras had not been banned inside the club, Phoenix pretty much expected a tv crew to jump out and film his shock to broadcast to the world.
Everything in him was turbulent, his blood rushed south, and his heart beat so fast he got actual chest pains. Perspiration seeped into his clothes, just by standing there and looking at his finest fantasy.
Phoenix needed to breathe, to think. He could not handle the situation without calming his mind.
"Stay," he barked in an aggressive tone and stormed past Jace and through the crowd that parted for him like he was Moses.
Packard stood and took in the scene. Jace was on the floor, locked into position, doing exactly as Phoenix had ordered. Phoenix, on the other hand, stormed to the bar, where he seemingly had an argument with Chess before exiting the club.
Was he going to come back?
He was not seriously leaving the poor man on the floor like that?
Looking around, Packard saw everybody else thought along the same lines as himself. Pretty much everybody in the club had gathered to watch the spectacle. It was a first for Phoenix to speak directly with a sub and not just turn them away or tell them to meet him at his playroom or the stage. He had never let anybody hang like they did not matter.
But he had a feeling that Jace mattered more than anybody could even imagine. Phoenix's behavior fit perfectly with his relationship with Jace. He had been impossible but somewhat reasonable before he had trained Jace, but after, the reasonable part had vanished and left an even grumpier man than Packard had known before.
Outside people talking low and pointing at Jace, who still sat in perfect position on the floor, the room was quiet. The music had been stopped, there was no clanging of glasses or sounds from sexual interactions.
Everybody just waited.
He felt nothing but a soul-wrenching dread. Not even disappointment registered in him as he stayed as Phoenix had ordered. His knees did not feel the hard floor under them, his muscles did not care about the position. He had been in worse and for much longer without making a sound. That was nothing to him. All he felt was dread that he had to stand up and face everybody when he walked away after being rejected.
Double up on humiliation.
First being tossed aside by the man who had claimed to want him, and then facing everybody who would either pity him or laugh at him.
Why had Phoenix left?
He just needed to say yes or no.
It was not a trick situation.
By how the murmuring died down, Jace surmised Phoenix had returned. He felt the crowd move and that aura Phoenix had wrapped around him again, and that time he could see Phoenix's boots just in front of him.
He smelled the cologne that calmed him, and he also smelled smoke.
Had the fucker gone for a cigarette and left him to wait on the floor like some dog?
Phoenix felt a lot calmer after an emergency chat with Brannon, and a cigarette Brannon had urged him to smoke to calm down since Chess had refused to serve him a triple shot. Brannon had not said anything Phoenix had not already thought about, but it had helped to get a second opinion.
He took in Jace as he sat there. Jace did not look to breathe; his entire body seemed frozen in time. If he had to chance it, the man had not moved a muscle while he had been away. That was how perfect a sub he was. So utterly amazing, and he wanted him.
They wanted each other.
"Stand."
The way Jace gracefully moved out of his kneeling position, completely unaffected by how long he had been in it, and into a standing waiting one, was such a turn-on for Phoenix that he could barely control himself. He was not even the one who could take credit for Jace's textbook behavior and moves, but he took it in as a dying man gasped for breath.
"What is it you want?"
"To serve, Sir."
"Look at me when I'm talking to you."
Jace's eyes snapped up, making Phoenix almost stumble back at the hope and trust he saw in those baby-blues. It was as if he stared up into the sky on the brightest of summer days. Blue in such a unique color it captured your soul, but with a brightness from the sun that made you want to turn your gaze to not get blinded by it.
Yet, Phoenix kept staring.
"Tell me what you want."
"To serve, Sir."
"Don't give me that bullshit, Jace," Phoenix boomed out into the room. People around them drew back, and some subs instinctively cowered at the sound. That was the full dominant mode of a powerful Master Dom. "Say it. Say my name and state what you want. Know who you're asking and what you're asking."
Though Jace had not flinched at the sound of Phoenix's powerful voice and the attack the words had been, he felt it inside. That tingling of hope and excitement. Phoenix wanted him to acknowledge him as the gay Dominant he was. That was all he had to do, and then maybe, just maybe, the rejection he had felt coming would be acceptance instead.
"I want you. Anything you're willing to offer me, I'll take. Just sex and nothing else. One night or for however long you would want that."
Jace spoke loud and clear. He got it all out there, telling Phoenix he had the pick of anything they could possibly do together. He kept his eyes locked with Phoenix's, made sure he did not come across as indecisive or even pleading, but stood as a proud man who gave himself to the man of his choice.
"Or as your sub. For a scene only, a short-term or even long-term contract. Or no contract and just a scene-by-scene basis when the mood strikes. Whatever you're willing to accept with me, I'll be honored to have. It's you I want, Phoenix!"
Gasps rose from their audience. Only Packard, Brannon, and Jace had known Phoenix's real name beforehand, and Phoenix had willingly let Jace out that secret. To let go of the power that the name 'Mister P.' as a Dominant held to become a real person.
That meant serious business.
Jace saw it in Phoenix, how his declaration finally settled in his mind, and he was ready to accept what Jace offered him. Something in his stern look relaxed, and a softness came to his eyes, like during aftercare. It was right there, at the tip of his fingers, everything he wanted, and he just needed Phoenix to accept it in front of everybody.
He stood there. Tall and tensed up, though his face had lost its severity. From the large boots, securely planted on the ground, with his lightly parted legs in jeans that folded around them, to the unbuttoned shirt that allowed his chest to be on display. His necklace shone in the lights, forcing focus to the place between his impressive pecs like a beacon to admire his chest. The tight man bun held his black hair pulled back from his face, allowing the mesmerizing smolder in his eyes to be visible. Though Jace saw a softness in the depths of his eyes, there was heat behind them. Not like a volcanic heat, but more like an ember inside a piece of coal, pulsating with incredible heat from time to time.
With one large step, Phoenix came closer to Jace. His proximity alone stole Jace's breath away. It was like the air got sucked out of the room. He lifted his hand and carefully ran his fingers over Jace's chin.
Softly, like feathery kisses, Phoenix asked, "Are you sure? Because I want all of it."
"Yes, Phoenix," Jace whispered back in the same intimate caress of words.
Swiftly, Phoenix lifted his arms, and where Jace would normally have flinched away because he expected to be slapped, he felt nothing but at ease with Phoenix and his unexpected movements. He trusted Phoenix to never harm him, and it showed in his lack of instinctive responses.
Phoenix felt his necklace for the clasp and opened it. Gently, he lifted it from his own neck and placed it around Jace's, where he locked the clasp to leave the silver chain and plaque with the phoenix etched into it as his claim on his new sub.
"Mine!"
Hi dear Wattlings.
Thank you for reading.
Well, now we're cooking something hot. Jace manned up and Phoenix finally got his wish. How do you think that'll go on Thursday?
If you like it, then pop a vote and please leave comments. The comments are important for me to know how the story is progressing and the characters are developing. And I'd love to know what you think and interact with y'all.
Give me a follow too for updates on other work and put this book in your library. I'd appreciate that.
Love, Alix
Published: October 11th, 2021. ©Alix Davenport, Copenhagen