Pushing the Envelope is now officially available for pre-order on Amazon and All Romance E-books! You can also find it on Goodreads.
Nook doesn’t allow indi authors to put titles up for pre-order, so it won’t show up on their site until the 15th. A link to the print edition is also due to go live on the 15th.
Here’s all the details 🙂
Pushing the Envelope is 125,000 words long. It’s MM, BDSM, Erotic Romance and Contemporary. Compared to my novels I think it’s much less angst and much more sex – so a much more relaxing read 🙂
Before you go any further, it’s important to note: This work was previously published in fourteen short story installments. The existing parts of the story have been tweaked and re-edited, and two entirely new installments have been added. This edition is the first time all the installments have been brought together in e-book form.
I’ve tried to keep the price point as low as possible given the length, so it’s being listed as $4.99, the same price as Duck! and my other 75,000-ish word novels.
And on to the real info!
Blurb:
When Scott Evans sends an anonymous invitation to the dominant he’s fantasised about for months, he just hopes that Joe Stuart will be curious enough to turn up at the specified address and do a scene with him.
It never occurs to Scott that Joe will send a note back to him, or that something as simple as writing a letter could evolve into a kinky game that will test both men to the limit.
Orders, pleas, kinks and even love—there’s nothing a letter can’t contain once two hot and passionate guys start Pushing The Envelope.
Because this is a longer title, I’m putting the whole first installment up as the excerpt. Here it is 🙂
Joe Stuart pulled a crumpled envelope out of his jacket pocket and stared at the neat line of block, capital letters written across the front of it. That was definitely his name.
He glanced up at the dilapidated house he’d just driven to. It was set several yards back from the pavement, and those bits of the building that hadn’t been completely consumed by ivy hinted that it had once been a magnificent old place. A fancy sign attached to the rusting, wrought iron gates proudly labelled the house, 21 Tudor Avenue. A lopsided addition had been fastened just beneath it. Student accommodation, very reasonable rates.
Taking the letter out of the envelope, Joe ran his eyes over the contents once again, just in case it had changed since the previous night, when he’d found the note shoved into his locker at one of the clubs where he tended bar.
He was certainly at the right address, but the spark of recognition he’d expected to strike him was conspicuously absent. He shrugged and strode up the path anyway. The front door was propped open, so he went straight in.
Joe barely noticed the messy jumble of belongings that littered the hallway. The instructions in the letter were very specific. Room nine. Upstairs, last door on the left. Jogging briskly up the stairs, he headed straight to the designated room. The door marked number nine was closed. He rapped his knuckles firmly against the faded woodwork, idly wondering if he’d recognise the man who lived there.
No one immediately answered his summons. Joe frowned. He had the horrible feeling that someone was winding him up. He looked over his shoulder and down the line of doors that flanked the corridor, trying to work out what the punchline might be. Whoever had conned him out of his nice warm bed to investigate the mysterious note, they’d better hope it turned out to be bloody funny.
He knocked again.
Nothing.
No one answered his knock, no one jumped out and shouted “surprise”. Not a single damn thing happened. Joe sighed. That was what he got for letting his curiosity get the better of his common sense.
Shaking his head at himself, he stepped away from the door, wondering if it was worth going home to bed or if he should try to find some other way to amuse himself until he started his next shift at the club.
Halfway along the corridor, Joe paused. For some reason, he found himself retracing his steps and trying the door handle, just on the off chance. It turned easily within his grasp. The door swung open.
Joe stared silently into the room for several seconds. The central ceiling light was on, highlighting every detail of the man lying face down on the double bed opposite the door. The guy was completely naked but for the leather cuffs wrapped around his wrists and ankles, and he was stunning.
Lean lines of pale muscle called to Joe, just begging him to grab a whip and paint pretty lines across the pristine canvas. At the same time, a spark of possessiveness crackled through Joe. Stepping forward, he closed the door behind him and turned the key in the lock for good measure. This canvas was his. No other guys were going to be allowed to play on it until he was done.
A combination of floppy blond hair and an awkward angle obscured the bound man’s face. Joe still didn’t have a clue who he was about to screw. He took several steps forward. He was only three paces away from the bed when the lightning bolt of recognition finally hit him.
Scott!
The name circled around and around in Joe’s head as he ran his eyes over Scott’s body. Gradually, more words were added to the exclamation.
Scott.
Scott—naked.
Scott—naked and tied up.
Scott—naked, tied up, and apparently waiting for Joe to screw him.
Joe’s mind came to a stop then. He wasn’t sure how that scenario could get any better. Every element of his favourite fantasy was already there.
Frowning slightly, Joe tore his gaze away from Scott and looked around the room. There had to be a hidden camera somewhere. Things like this didn’t happen in real life. They happened in wet-dreams and solo jack-off sessions. They happened when he failed to hook up with anyone at the club and went home alone, his mind inevitably crammed full of fantasies involving the quiet guy who lurked on the edge of his group of friends.
To hell with it. If someone was filming them, that was fine with Joe. If nothing else, it might prove to be a hellishly good souvenir of the occasion.
Joe placed his fingertips against the inside of Scott’s ankle, just above the leather cuff. Scott jerked. The chains connecting his bondage to the bed-frame rattled. Joe waited, his fingers resting lightly on Scott’s skin. No actual protest arrived. Joe gave Scott a few extra moments, just in case he wanted to speak up and tell him what the hell was going on.
Nothing.
It seemed that Joe had free rein. He smiled to himself as he shrugged off his leather jacket and tossed it onto a chair in the far corner of the room. That was when he saw them.
He’d been wrong to think there was nothing anyone could have added to the scenario to make it even better. Joe strode across to the chest of drawers and stared down at the row of toys some thoughtful person had laid out on top of it.
Joe glanced over his shoulder. Scott’s eyes were still closed. Whatever private fantasy he was playing out, it didn’t seem to include seeing the man who’d be screwing him just yet.
Joe hummed cheerfully to himself as he considered his options. Floggers, and butt-plugs, and whips, oh my! He picked up a thick wooden paddle and tested the weight of it in his hand. It was heavy—far too substantial to be used on a guy who wasn’t used to getting his arse spanked very hard and on a very regular basis.
Joe studied Scott’s naked form once more. Scott had an amazing arse. His buttocks were rounded and well developed, with just a little bit of extra padding. His skin was pale—as if he’d hidden it away from the sun for years.
It was hard to believe anything had ever landed against the lean lines of muscle that decorated Scott’s body. He was so perfect, so untouched—virgin territory. And, for a little while at least, he was Joe’s to do with as he pleased. Damn, but the world was a bloody brilliant place on occasion.
Joe set aside the paddle and picked up a small leather flogger. The strands were soft. The impact would be light. In the hands of someone who knew what he was doing, it would be perfect.
Joe turned toward the bed.
Scott’s forehead was furrowed with concentration, as if he was struggling to work out where Joe was, and what Joe was doing, without opening his eyes.
Joe flicked the leather lightly against the back of Scott’s calf, right above the patch of skin he’d caressed with his fingertips. Scott lurched against his restraints. He opened his eyes.
“I was starting to think you’d fallen asleep on me,” Joe teased.
So much worry flickered in Scott’s eyes, Joe forgot about all the fun he’d planned to have with the flogger. He sat down on the bed next to Scott and pushed a lock of blond hair back from Scott’s face.
“Second thoughts?” Joe asked, careful not to let any annoyance seep into the question.
Scott shook his head, rubbing his face against his pillow in the process. He closed his eyes once more.
Joe tightened his grip on Scott’s hair and tugged until Scott opened his eyes.
“You’ve never struck me as a guy who makes a habit of tying himself up and offering his arse to a stranger.”
Scott jerked his shoulders, as if he was so new to bondage he’d yet to work out that a man couldn’t shrug properly while bound that way.
“Cat got your tongue?” Joe prompted.
A blush spread across Scott’s cheeks. “That’s—that’s, kind of…I m-mean, that’s the whole p-point.”
Joe stared down at him, trying to work out what the hell that jumble of words was supposed to mean.
“You’re not the easiest guy to talk to.” Scott pronounced each syllable very slowly, very carefully, as if he had to focus really hard to get them out properly.
Joe didn’t often find himself speechless, but for several seconds he couldn’t think of a damn thing to say. Finally, he asked, “I’m not?”
Scott turned mute again. He shook his head, tugging at Joe’s hold on his hair.
“I don’t remember you ever…” Joe smiled. He couldn’t remember Scott uttering a single word to him in all the time they’d been regulars at the same club and shared the same group of friends.
He did, however, recall Scott blushing a lot. Now that he thought about it, he recalled catching Scott staring at him more than a few times too. All the pieces clicked together inside Joe’s head. “This is one hell of a way to get a man’s attention, darling!”
Scott stared down at the bed sheet, uncertainty shining brightly in big blue eyes.
“Bloody effective way too,” Joe admitted.
Scott glanced up for a moment. Their gazes met.
“It’s safe to say I’m completely fascinated,” Joe said.
Scott offered him a tentative smile.
Standing up, Joe adjusted his grip on the flogger. The toy stopped being something that just rested idly in the palm of his hand and once more became something to be used.
So, Scott had a crush on him and was too shy to just hit on him in the usual way. Joe wasn’t about to complain. “Your safe word is unicorn. Understand?”
“Y-yes.”
“Good.” Joe managed to catch Scott’s eye just before he brought the flogger down lightly against Scott’s leg, an inch above where it had last landed.
Scott gasped, but there was no trace of fear in his expression. No mythical creature rushed to his lips.
Joe brought the flogger down on Scott’s other ankle and set about working his way up each of his legs with perfect symmetry. He kept the touch of the leather light, more a tease than anything else. It was barely a hint towards what Scott might receive from him in the future, but it was the most he could risk. Scott was obviously a novice, and Joe didn’t have that much time before he was due at work. If he was going to whip and run, he had to be careful.
Damn, but Scott really was gorgeous. His arse clenched each time the leather fell against his skin. It was so easy for Joe to imagine being buried inside him to the hilt. He could practically feel Scott’s muscles working around his shaft, trying to milk the orgasm from his cock.
A pale pink hue spread across Scott’s skin as Joe drove the scene forward. It almost looked as if Scott’s buttocks were embarrassed at being flogged. Or, perhaps, embarrassed at how much he liked it. A steady stream of gasps and groans filled the air between the gentle thwaps of leather against skin.
Moving up the bed, Joe aimed the flogger at Scott’s arms. Keeping the strokes extra-light in deference to the thinness of the muscles there, Joe deftly spread that pretty pale blush all the way to Scott’s wrists.
An especially loud moan of pleasure left Scott’s lips when Joe turned his attention to Scott’s back, and began to bring the flogger down just a little more heavily. No words. No stuttering. Scott arched off the mattress in a completely instinctive offering. He was begging for more, even if he wasn’t conscious of it.
Joe tilted his head to one side and studied Scott’s profile. There was no hint of worry there now. Scott was lost in pleasure and obviously loving every moment of it. Little by little, Joe coated Scott’s back with rhythmic kisses from the flogger.
The leather strands danced across Scott’s skin, keeping perfect time. The rhythm was addictive; so was the sight of Scott moving to meet each lash. Joe’s pulse fell in time with his strokes. Every heartbeat sent more blood rushing to his cock. His shaft ached behind his fly, desperate to be allowed in on all the fun.
Joe rubbed the heel of his hand against his crotch as he finally set the flogger aside. As he watched, Scott’s expression slowly morphed into one of complete and utter horror.
More than ready for what would come next, Joe folded his arms across his chest and waited. Several seconds passed before Scott blinked and opened his eyes.
“You—you s-stopped!” No accusation of murder could have been laced with more condemnation.
“Don’t I have that right?” Joe shot back.
Scott opened his mouth, only to hesitate and close it without saying anything.
“Don’t I have the right to do whatever I want with you?” Joe pushed.
With his lips pressed tightly together, as if he was struggling to hold back an argument, Scott nodded.
“Good,” Joe murmured. As he ran his eyes over Scott’s body, Joe absentmindedly toyed with his fly. He couldn’t remember the last time such a mild scene had him so close to coming in his jeans. He didn’t even realise he was massaging his cock through his clothing until he saw the way Scott was staring at his groin.
Joe stepped forward, not in the least inclined to stop playing with his cock. It felt too good to quit. It made far more sense to make the muted sensations stronger.
Scott’s eyes followed Joe’s every move as he undid his jeans and pushed the denim aside. There was no other fabric to get in the way, no need to get rid of boxers he hadn’t bothered to put on. From the look on his face, Scott couldn’t have been more surprised if he’d discovered his “date” was wearing a lacy pink thong, rather than simply going commando.
“How long have you been imagining how it will feel when I screw you?” Joe asked, keeping his tone of voice light and almost conversational.
Scott whimpered. No real words happened.
The guy had a stutter—Joe was fine with that. But not even trying to answer? “That’s not good enough.”
Scott looked up and met Joe’s eyes for a moment, before turning his attention back to Joe’s cock.
“I want a verbal answer.”
Scott’s Adam’s apple bobbed rapidly. Joe barely held back a groan as he imagined how it would feel if Scott were deep throating him while he did that.
“For—forever,” Scott finally managed to stutter out. “I’ve been i-i-imagining it f-f-forever.”
Joe tightened his grip around his cock as pre-cum leaked from its tip and smeared along its length. “Have you ever done this before?” he asked.
Scott jerked his gaze up to Joe’s face. “I’m n-not a— I mean of c-c-course I’ve—”
Joe grinned. Scott was cute when he blushed. “So you’ve been screwed before, have you?” he translated helpfully. “You’re not a virgin?”
Scott gave up on words and simply shook his head. His fringe fell into his eyes.
“But have you ever subbed to another guy, ever been tied up?” Joe asked.
Another shake of his head.
“You’ve never been owned by a dominant, never promised to do as someone else said or accept the consequences?”
Scott stared longingly at Joe’s cock, but made no attempt to answer, not even with a gesture.
Definitely not good enough. Joe turned his back on him.
Chains rattled, letting Joe know that Scott was pulling hard at his bonds. It was so easy for Joe to imagine Scott trying to peer around his body so he could continue to watch the show, but Joe didn’t look over his shoulder to check, no matter how tempted he was.
“N—never,” Scott said.
Joe didn’t even try to hide his pleasure with that admission as he turned back to face Scott once more. “Perfect.”
Hope shone in Scott’s gaze as their eyes met. Yes, Joe repeated silently to himself, completely perfect. “You know what that means, don’t you?” he asked, as he stepped closer to the bed to stare directly down at Scott.
* * * * *
Scott Evans knew he had to answer Joe if he wanted Joe to remain facing him, but it wasn’t easy. He opened his mouth, but he was so nervous, all he managed to do was croak out something unintelligible. Whimpering his annoyance with himself, he shook his head and prayed that would suffice.
It might not have been a verbal answer, but it was honest. The longer he spent tied up in Joe’s presence the more certain Scott was that he didn’t know a damn thing about anything.
Joe was still jacking his cock, his movements slow and lazy, as if he had all the time in the world, and fully intended to spend it doing a million and one erotic things. Scott helplessly watched Joe’s hand move up and down around his erection, again and again.
There was nothing half-hearted about Joe’s actions now. His grip tightened. Each stroke covered his cock all the way from root to tip. Joe’s jeans slid down a little as he worked his shaft, revealing large, low hanging balls covered with a dense coating of short dark hairs.
Scott licked his lips, desperate to taste Joe, to be allowed to wrap his mouth around Joe’s cock and show him that he wasn’t a complete novice.
Joe stepped closer to the edge of the bed. “That means,” he said, leaning down until his lips almost caressed Scott’s ear, “that a part of you will always belong to me. I will always be the first man you submitted to—I will always own that.”
Scott turned his head, straining his neck in an effort to face Joe properly. Joe remained leaning over him. His lips were just an inch away from Scott’s mouth. Maybe if Scott could twist his neck around just a little further then—
Joe pulled away just a moment too soon. A frustrated moan hit the air, and Scott knew the noise had to have come from him. Joe’s grin just grew wider when he heard it. He didn’t relent in the slightest. There would be no kiss.
Scott slumped back against the mattress, letting himself fall face first into the pillow as he struggled to hide his disappointment. Every inch of skin on his back still tingled from Joe’s touch. It was hard for Scott to believe the flogger wasn’t still dancing over his body as he closed his eyes and made a concerted effort to accept Joe’s refusal to kiss him with something like good grace.
Tugging at the leather around his wrists and ankles, Scott squirmed and rubbed his erection against the mattress. His cock was so hard. He needed to come so badly. Not being kissed was the least of his troubles, really.
The sheet covering the mattress teased his shaft as he squirmed, but it wasn’t enough. Scott needed more. He needed Joe’s cock buried deep inside him. He needed Joe’s hand wrapped around his hard-on. He needed—
A sudden flash of lightening earthed itself in Scott’s right buttock. He gasped. Twisting against the mattress, he desperately tried to look over his shoulder. He was just in time to see Joe’s hand leave his arse. A faint palm print was already blossoming in its wake, a darker patch of pink against the lighter blush the flogger had already painted on him.
“That’s enough of that.”
Scott dragged his gaze up until he reached Joe’s face. Joe didn’t look angry. That was good. He actually seemed amused.
Joe moved to kneel on the bed between Scott’s spread legs. His jeans were bunched up around his hips. He still had his T-shirt on, though the thin material did little to hide Joe’s glorious build.
Craning his neck, ignoring the way the muscles cramped across his shoulders as the cuffs pulled at his wrists, Scott watched in silence while Joe spread a generous coating of lube over his fingers.
When Joe moved his hand out of Scott’s line of sight, Scott lowered his head back onto the pillow. The first slick touch against his arse made him tense. Joe made no complaint about that as he circled Scott’s hole with one fingertip.
The single digit caressed the tight ring of muscle again and again. Spirals of pleasure grew inside Scott, and each twirling rope of sensation only increased the tension inside him.
“Relax for me.”
It was the worst thing Joe could have said. Scott’s muscles instantly knotted until each one ached from the strain. Scott doubted he’d been that tight when he’d been a virgin.
Scott closed his eyes, knowing he was screwing up his one chance with Joe, but not able to do a damn thing about it.
“That was an order, Scott. Not a suggestion.”
The pressure behind Joe’s fingers remained light. There was no anger in his words. They were just statements of fact, and they slipped past all of Scott’s defences.
Bypassing his brain completely, the command rushed to his cock. If it was possible, he got even harder. From there, letter by letter, the words danced up and down his spine. Slowly, his body began to obey Joe’s order.
Scott felt himself relaxing, one set of muscles at a time, until his hole finally welcomed Joe’s finger inside him. It took Joe less than a second to find Scott’s prostate. He rubbed against that sensitive little spot as if in praise for Scott following the order so well.
It was impossible to remain still and silent while Joe toyed with him that way. Scott turned his face into the pillow in an effort to disguise his moans as Joe slid a second finger inside him alongside the first.
Scott bit down on his pillow. His hips bucked. Any control he might have had over his body deserted him. Sucking in gasps of air around his pillow case, Scott helplessly tried to ride Joe’s fingers.
Without warning, the pillow disappeared from beneath Scott’s head. Cotton rasped against his lips as it was jerked away from him. Scott gawped in confusion as the pillow flew through the air and landed in the far corner of the room.
“I’m the only one who’s allowed to gag you from now on,” Joe growled. “And if I don’t gag you, it’s because I want to hear you.”
Joe’s hands came to rest on the sheet to either side of Scott’s body as he leaned over him. Denim rubbed against the inside of Scott’s thighs; Joe’s T-shirt teased the lightly flogged skin on his back. The mattress dipped, causing the cuffs to tighten around Scott’s wrists and ankles. Those sensations all became irrelevant when slicked latex brushed against Scott’s hole.
“Please.” Scott arched his back and pushed out his arse.
Joe’s whole body pressed down against him as Joe bent his arms. Suddenly, he nipped at Scott’s neck. It wasn’t a kiss. Joe’s lips didn’t touch Scott’s skin. It was nothing but a display of primitive dominance, and Scott tipped his head to one side in eager acceptance of it.
Solid muscle pinned Scott to the bed, holding him in place just as effectively as any leather bondage. Joe rubbed his cock against Scott’s arse, but Scott seemed to be the only one who was in a rush to have it inside him.
“Tell me how much you want this,” Joe ordered.
Panic raced through Scott’s veins at the prospect of admitting any such thing, but there was no way he could have disobeyed any command from Joe while there was a chance that compliance might lead to Joe screwing him.
“N-need it,” he blurted out. “Need your c-cock. N-need it in me. Now!”
Joe rocked his hips, pressing the tip of his erection more firmly against Scott’s hole, teasing him without actually entering him. “Is that all you want from me?”
Scott shook his head. Another nip to his neck killed that gesture in its tracks.
Gestures weren’t going to be enough to get him what he wanted. Scott needed words.
Words. Orders. Sex. Suck. Leather. Control. Cum. Lick. Chains. Paddles. Hurt. Please. Need. Please!
Scott offered Joe everything he could think of and, when he ran out of those things, he offered all the things he hadn’t even fully admitted to himself that he wanted.
Words tumbled from Scott’s tongue, but he had no idea if Joe could understand the breathless, stuttering syllables. He only paused when he ran out of air, and even then, he only intended to stop for long enough to gasp.
Joe thrust into him, lodging his cock deep inside Scott with one rough movement. Words became unnecessary. Scott screamed. The sound tore through the air, full of pleasure and relief. There were no attempts at syllables to mar the raw truth in it. If it hadn’t been for the soreness in Scott’s throat, he’d never have believed that he’d been the one to make the wild noise.
“Is that what you need, sweetheart?” Joe snarled into his ear.
Scott whimpered. He barely had enough free brain cells left to understand the question, let alone nod his agreement. Every other part of his mind was completely absorbed with processing the waves of ecstasy rushing through his body.
It wasn’t just a hard cock and a tight hole—not all the bliss racing around his veins was coming from his cock, or even his prostate. Far more than Scott would have ever believed possible poured out from that same part of his mind that had first prompted him to surf websites that sold the kind of toys Joe had a reputation for playing with.
As Joe pulled back and thrust into Scott again, every movement was rough and unyielding. It was obvious to Scott that Joe wasn’t just screwing him; he was taking possession of him.
This part of you will always belong to me…
Scott closed his eyes very tightly. His hands formed into fists above his cuffs. Some of his more intimate muscles clenched around Joe’s cock. Fear swirled through Scott, mixing in with his pleasure and making his head spin. In spite of all logic, it made his cock throb, too.
The possibility of Joe simply walking away the moment he zipped up his fly, of his ownership of Scott ending before it had even started, scared the hell out of him. But Scott couldn’t deny that Joe having all the power over him was as hot as any underworld could be.
Scott scraped the headboard with his fingertips as he scrambled for any sort of hold on the world. He gasped for breath as another hard thrust forced him down into the mattress. His shaft slid against the sheet each time Joe pounded into him. It was almost enough.
Joe’s thrusts sped up. His hips smacked into Scott’s freshly flogged arse with each deep thrust. The cuffs around Scott’s ankles bit into his skin as Joe pushed him further up the bed.
“Come!” Joe lifted himself a little higher on his hands. His angle changed. Suddenly, it was enough.
Scott wasn’t the only one who obeyed Joe’s demand. There was less than a second between their orgasms. As Joe yelled out his pleasure above him, Scott’s breath lodged in his throat, and rendered him completely mute. Pumping against the mattress as much as his restraints would allow, Scott made the most of every strand of cotton beneath him and tapped into each bit of friction to prolong his orgasm.
Wave after wave of scorching perfection raced through Scott’s body as his cum spilled between him and the mattress. His mind shut down. There was nothing in the world other than bliss. But, instead of floating through pleasure the way he so often had in the past, Scott now found himself trapped in a web of it. This time, his orgasm didn’t take him gently by the hand—it grabbed him by the balls and twisted.
Scott whimpered gently as he slowly made his way back through a maze of sensations and reality reasserted itself around him.
Joe’s body was still covering his, pressing down on him, making it difficult for him to take a deep breath. It was impossible for him to move, and more perfect than he’d ever known reality could be.
Every breath Joe took reverberated through Scott’s torso. Scott helplessly murmured his pleasure. He was in bed with Joe. He’d just been screwed by Joe Stuart. Part of him belonged to the hottest man he’d ever set eyes on. Life was good.
Scott had no idea how many lifetimes passed before Joe began to pull away from him. All he knew was that, as their bodies separated, he’d never felt so alone or so empty in his life. He kept his eyes closed as he heard Joe moving about the room, no doubt dispensing with his condom and straightening up all those clothes he’d never got around to fully removing.
The sounds of the door to the tiny en-suite bathroom opening and closing floated across the bedroom to Scott. A moment later, something warm and wet brushed across his arse.
“What the—?” Scott jerked away from it, as far as he was able—which wasn’t very far. His cuffs rattled, but held strong.
Joe smiled as Scott peered over his shoulder at him. He moved the wet flannel over Scott’s skin once more, deftly cleaning away the excess lube that had been drying against the cleft of his buttocks.
“You d-don’t have to…” Scott mumbled. “I can—”
“I thought we had a deal,” Joe cut in.
Scott could only blink at him in confusion. He automatically tried to turn around, but his limbs reminded him, very sternly, that there were still four pairs of cuffs keeping him firmly in place. He slumped back against the mattress.
“And the deal is that I can do whatever I want with you, and you can’t do a damn thing about it.” Joe sounded so bloody calm.
Scott tried to think of a response and failed. It was difficult to argue against facts he loved. He remained silent as Joe finished his self-assigned task and tossed the washcloth back into the bathroom.
There was no reason for Joe to hang around any longer. Scott knew that. He wasn’t going to make a fool of himself by asking for things to be any different than they were. He closed his eyes. They’d hooked up. He’d had fun. If Joe had enjoyed it even a fraction as much as him, then maybe, just maybe, he’d want to screw again sometime?
“I’m going to go out on a limb here and guess that you’re single.” The mattress shifted beneath Scott’s body as Joe sat down next to him and casually rested his hand on his backside.
Scott frowned. “I…” The way Joe palmed his arse made it so damn difficult to think. Scott swallowed rapidly and tried to make words happen, any words.
“Do you have a boyfriend? A friend with benefits? Is there anyone who comes into contact with your arse, your cock, or your mouth on a regular basis?” Joe prompted.
Scott shook his head.
Joe slid his fingers down between Scott’s arse cheeks and stroked his hole. He was sore. Even the slightest touch was enough to send a jolt of pleasure through him after the pounding he’d just taken.
“You’re sure?” Joe pushed. “I won’t be pleased if I find out that you lied to me about this.”
“Yeah, I’m s-sure,” Scott managed to say.
“Good.”
Scott wanted to lift his head and look over his shoulder, but he just didn’t have the energy anymore. It was far easier to just lie there limply and let Joe play with his body in whatever way he liked. “G-good?” he echoed.
Without any warning, Joe’s hand disappeared from Scott’s backside.
Scott nibbled on his bottom lip. Did that mean that he wasn’t good anymore? “Joe?”
Joe didn’t answer him, but that didn’t matter, because his hand had already returned to Scott’s world. Joe’s fingers brushed against Scott’s left wrist.
Scott looked up and watched Joe deftly undo the buckle to free him.
Scott shook his head. He didn’t want to be free. But explaining that there was no reason for Joe to untie him, that he could easily undo the safety releases on the cuffs after Joe left, involved far too many words that would make him stutter.
Long before Scott managed to get a word out, Joe had undone the cuff attached to Scott’s right ankle as well. A second later, Scott’s left ankle had been released from the rail at the bottom of his bed too.
“Roll over.”
When Scott didn’t immediately do as he was told, Joe nudged him pointedly in the ribs. As desperate to please Joe as ever, Scott managed to make his limbs work, after a fashion. He twisted around until he was finally on his back. His left wrist was still fastened to the head-board and he wasn’t sure if he was allowed to release it himself.
Not ready to look Joe in the eye. Scott found himself staring at his own body. His cum had dried on his stomach. His cock had softened. Scott automatically moved his free hand to cover himself.
“No, you don’t.” Joe caught hold of Scott’s wrist and pinned it to the bed. There was no way Scott could keep his gaze lowered then.
* * * * *
Joe slowly dragged his eyes up Scott’s body until he finally reached Scott’s face. He’d never seen anything so perfect. It wasn’t just that Scott’s body was hot, or even that Scott looked so much more debauched than Joe would have believed possible before that night.
Joe had never seen a man so happy or relieved to be submitting to another guy—to be submitting to him. The complete contentment on Scott’s face raced to Joe’s cock, trying to make him harden long before it was physically possible.
Scott tugged slightly at Joe’s hold on his wrist. Joe automatically tightened his grip. His fingertip met his thumb as he encircled Scott’s wrist. Apparently, that was all Scott had wanted him to do. He instantly stopped struggling and lay back on the bed, relaxed and perfect—and single.
As his lips twisted into a smile, Joe ran his free hand down Scott’s chest, tracing the centre line of his rib cage. Joe lowered his hand further, until he reached the little happy trail of light blond hairs that led to Scott’s cock.
Scott’s pubes were neatly trimmed around his cock and balls. Joe wondered if Scott had tidied himself up especially for their date. He also wondered how shocked Scott would look if Joe ordered him to shave himself completely bare. What about if he was tied down, legs spread wide apart, and he saw Joe approaching him with a razor?
There were so many firsts left in Scott, and Joe wanted to be the one to introduce Scott to each and every thing that he had yet to try. Joe was going to own every one of those memories.
“Did you buy all those toys especially for this occasion?” Joe asked, glancing toward those still neatly arranged on top of the chest of drawers.
Scott nodded. Colour rushed to his cheeks at the admission, making Joe grin.
“Did you get them all on line?”
Another nod.
Joe hummed to himself, already planning Scott’s first trip to a real sex shop. Standing up, Joe made his way to the chest of drawers in order to inspect the selection of toys once more. He’d noticed earlier that everything that usually rested on the chest had been pushed aside in order to make room for the toys. Now, he took a moment to check over those things too.
Joe jerked as every muscle in his body tensed. Amid the jumble of loose coins and almost empty tubes of hair gel, were two packets of envelopes—the same kind of envelopes that Scott had put his note to Joe in.
Joe snatched up the envelopes and counted them. He let out a breath he hadn’t realised he’d been holding, as he calculated that only one envelope had been taken from either of the packs.
No one else had been invited to Scott’s room—yet.
“How many letters are you intending to write?” Joe demanded, spinning around to face Scott.
Scott peered across the room at him, as if he didn’t have a clue what Joe was talking about.
Joe held up the packets of envelopes with all the flair of a legal prodigy displaying the ultimate piece of damning evidence.
There was no dramatic intake of breath, no scrambling to prove himself innocent. Scott merely stared at the envelopes for several long seconds. He shook his head then, as if to clear his senses. Finally, he spoke. “They w-were buy one, g-get one free.”
Joe closed his eyes and stayed very still. It was the only way he could stop himself bursting into laughter. When Joe opened his eyes, Scott was watching him in obvious confusion, but that didn’t matter. Relief sang through Joe’s mind. He grinned as he tossed the envelopes back onto the chest of drawers.
There would be no more invitations issued, no mysterious little notes left for any other men. About to turn back to Scott, Joe stopped himself short. If Scott was ready to start to explore his kinky side in earnest then, even if he hadn’t bought the envelopes with the intention of sending them to other men, leaving them there would still be tempting fate.
After a little bit of searching through the debris on top of the chest of drawers, Joe unearthed a pen and a spiral notebook. With his back still to Scott, he tore a piece of paper from the notebook. Several seconds slipped by before Joe decided what to write. But, once he knew what needed to be said, it only took a moment for him to scrawl his orders across the sheet.
Sealing the piece of paper into one of the envelopes, Joe wrote a few letters on the front of it and propped it against the paddle on the dresser.
“W-what’s going on?” Scott asked, as Joe turned back to face him.
“Seems a pity to waste all these, doesn’t it?” Joe said, indicating one of the packets of envelopes.
Scott nodded, probably on automatic pilot. Joe would have bet anything he owned that Scott had no idea what he was talking about. It was just his newly found submissiveness answering for him. He’d have agreed with anything Joe said.
“You went first. Now it’s my turn to invite you somewhere,” Joe explained.
Scott’s eyes went to the envelope and stayed there. “W-what d-does it say?”
Joe raised an eyebrow. “You’ll just have to read it if you want to find out, won’t you?”
Scott reached for the cuff that still trapped him on the bed.
“When I leave, you’re free to take off that cuff, not before.” Joe folded his arms across his chest and leaned back against the chest of drawers to wait and see what Scott would do.
Scott stilled. He was sitting near the top of the bed with his shoulder resting against the headboard and his legs folded beneath him. His softened shaft was completely exposed and still smeared with cum. He was bloody gorgeous and apparently not about to argue with Joe’s commands.
Joe reluctantly looked down at his watch. He didn’t have time to linger much longer. “I’m working the late shift at the club tonight.”
Scott said nothing.
It was Saturday. Joe’s boss would kill him if he was late on their busiest night of the week. Joe tried to convince himself that was important when it didn’t feel even vaguely relevant.
There was no need for him to stay. The scene, such as it had been, was over. Joe knew all of that. Yet he still couldn’t quite convince himself to head for the door.
Running a hand through his hair, Joe finally pushed himself away from the chest of drawers. “Here are the rules. If you want to play with me, you can only play with me. I don’t share. Vanilla with other people is fine, but you don’t get kinky with anyone else.”
“Okay,” Scott said, his voice barely more than a whisper.
“I expect you to follow the orders I’ve left for you to the letter. If you’re not where I told you to be, when I told you to be there, I’m going to assume that you’ve changed your mind about all of this. No second chances. If you want to walk away, now is the time to do it. But if you don’t want to end this, then don’t mess me about.”
“I w-won’t—”
Joe held up a hand and silenced him. “Do you understand the rules?”
“Yes.”
Joe stepped forward until he stood directly in front of Scott with his legs pressed against the edge of the bed.
Scott followed his every move, tilting his head back to look up at him.
Sliding his fingers into Scott’s hair, Joe made him tip his head back even further. No protest; no attempt to get out of the uncomfortable position. That deserved a reward.
Joe bent down and brought their lips together for the first time. Scott gasped as Joe pressed his tongue against Scott’s lips, demanding access.
Scott didn’t attempt to refuse him. He welcomed Joe into his mouth as if it never occurred to him to do anything else. Joe jerked Scott up onto his knees. A muffled yelp let him know that the cuff around Scott’s wrist was dragging him back and stopping him short.
Not in the mood to make allowances, Joe didn’t relent in the slightest. He kept Scott exactly where he wanted him while he thoroughly explored his mouth. Scott was his, and the unexpected yet overwhelming need to mark his territory rolled through Joe’s body like a seismic wave. Buildings toppled in his mind. Structures that had seen him through more casual relationships than he could count started to crumble.
Joe nipped at Scott’s bottom lip, pulling a moan from him. Then Joe nipped at the same spot again, harder.
Breaking the kiss, Joe stepped back. Off balance and no longer able to support himself, Scott tumbled down onto the bed. His hair was disordered and his eyes glazed with submission.
Scott put one hand to his mouth. A drop of blood seeped from the spot where Joe had bitten him. Scott looked at his blood-smeared fingertips, then back to Joe. His eyes opened very wide with shock.
Joe took another step back. Partly because he was already cutting it fine if he had any intention of getting to work on time, but also because he wasn’t actually sure what he’d end up doing to Scott if he stayed any longer. He’d never known a sub who made him want to own a person quite so thoroughly.
Turning toward the door, Joe only stopped to pick up his jacket and the remaining envelopes. He hurried out, slamming the door behind him. In the corridor outside Scott’s bedroom, Joe paused, straining his hearing to pick up any sound of movement on the other side of the door.
Chains rattled, two light footsteps sounded on thin carpet, then paper tore.
Scott was opening his letter.
Joe took one step away from the door, then another. A smile twisted his lips as he turned and walked down the stairs, then out through the front door.
The first thing Scott had done once he had permission to free himself was open the letter. Joe’s smile grew into a grin as he imagined Scott naked and sitting on the edge of his bed, reading his message.
As he reached his car, Joe glanced at his watch. Forget working out the travel time to the club. Calculating just how long it would be until he received Scott’s answer to his invitation was much more fun.
* * * * *
Scott’s hands shook so badly he had to rest Joe’s letter on the bed to have any chance of reading it. Finally, the letters steadied themselves. Joe’s scrawl was messy, but legible.
Arrive at the club at two am. Take the empty stool at the end of the bar.
No alcohol. No talking. No fidgeting. No underwear.
Expect to obey every order I give you. Disobedience will be punished.
Your safe word is still unicorn.
Scott took a deep breath. The lingering scent of sex filled his senses. Rolling onto his back, he stared up at the ceiling above his bed as if he had never seen it before.
He’d done it. Bloody hell, he really had. Joe was interested. Holding the paper above him, Scott read it again. Months of sitting in the corner of the club, watching Joe flirt with anything that moved, trying to build up the courage to speak to him and failing time and time again—it all seemed like a lifetime ago.
Scott rolled onto his stomach and inhaled deeply. The scent of Joe’s arousal clung to his sheets. Closing his eyes, Scott relished Joe’s lingering presence while he still had the chance.
He’d been granted exactly what he wanted. All he had to do now was hope like hell that he had the balls to follow through with it—to take the game out of his nice safe bedroom and into the wider world.
Shutting his eyes even more tightly, Scott pulled the blankets up over his head. Warmth and comfort surrounded him. It almost felt as good as it had when Joe had lain on top of him, pinning him to the mattress.
The letters on the front of the envelope rolled around and around inside his mind.
R.S.V.P.
Joe expected Scott to reply to the orders he’d left for him with complete obedience and Scott wasn’t going to let him down.
Kim Dare 