His eager nod was filled with delight and completely fake.

  One of our first rules would be that he couldn’t do my chores without us talking about it first. But that conversation could wait. “We’ll start working on the list this weekend. How does that sound? After we go do a bit of shopping, and as long as you talk to someone this week, we’ll move things around in your new office.”

  Thursday and Friday gave him plenty of time to talk to someone.

  He gave me a little pout. “What if I don’t find someone to talk to?”

  “As long as I know you’ve made a reasonable effort, we’ll still move everything around.” I leaned closer and gave him a peck on the lips. “But only if I think you’ve tried. Got it?”

  “Yes.” He threw himself against me, hugging me tight. “That’s perfect.”

  Wrapping my arms around him, I gave him a tight squeeze and just held him as he slowly relaxed against me. When he was calm and back to his normal self, I kissed the side of his head and gave his ass another pat. “Come on. Bedtime.”

  He pulled back and gave me a cute pout, but I shook my head. “No, we’ve both got to get up early for work tomorrow and you worked hard today.”

  Between his regular job and therapy and all the driving, he’d had a long day.

  The yawn that tried to sneak out said I was right. “Come on, baby. Let’s get you ready for bed.”

  He huffed but snuggled close again and nodded. “With lots of cuddles before bed?”

  “Absolutely. Snuggling with you is one of the best things about spending time with you.” He wiggled happily, and as he teased me, I could hear the smile in his voice.

  “And spankings. Those are good too.”

  Laughing, I hugged him tight. He was right, spankings and snuggles were the best things about spending time together. “Bedtime.”

  I smacked his ass, making him moan. “Before you end up with a spanking but no orgasms for days.”

  That got me a quiet huff, but as he pulled away, he yawned, ruining his sexy pout. “I hate it when you’re right.”

  “No, you don’t.” Smiling, I helped him get off the couch and gave him another kiss. “Go get ready for bed and I’ll be there soon.”

  He had a small apartment and an even tinier bathroom, so there was no way both of us could do anything at the same time. “I’ll make sure the door is locked and I’ll be right there.”

  Asa gave me a quick hug and then hurried off toward the bathroom down the hall. He’d almost made it when he stopped and twirled around. “Does Landon count?”

  It took me a second to realize what he meant.

  It hadn’t been exactly what I was picturing, but it would work. “Yes, Landon counts.”

  The beaming smile made agreeing with him worth it. I’d figure out another way to push him to find more friends later, but it would work for the time being. Opening up was a slow process sometimes, and if he was comfortable with Landon, that would make getting together with everyone easier.

  “Thank you, Master.” His smile turned sweet as he yawned again. “For everything.”

  “You’re welcome, baby.” Giving me one last happy look, he stepped into the bathroom. It felt almost wrong to accept thanks over just being a decent boyfriend and Master, but I knew from his point of view everything we did together was special and new.

  I just hoped one day he’d come to expect good things from life instead of being surprised by them.

  Chapter 23

  Asa

  I really shouldn’t say anything.

  But maybe I could just say hello and it would count?

  I didn’t have to overshare or say anything personal.

  Small talk would have to count, right?

  Master really should’ve made the rules about talking to someone a bit clearer.

  “Are you okay?”

  Shit.

  He was right there.

  When had he walked across the coffee shop?

  Escaping down to the coffee shop for a few minutes had been my manager’s idea because we both knew I didn’t deal with the big bosses very well. They’d come by and want to pretend to be interested with what we did, but then they’d ask stupid questions.

  My manager said I had good intentions when I answered questions, but I had a feeling that was just a nice way of saying I lacked people skills. Thankfully, he liked my work well enough not to care.

  But the one thing I hadn’t counted on when I’d come down to work in the coffee shop for a few minutes was seeing Coffee Shop Guy or, as Warner called him, Pizza Guy.

  And he was still expecting a response.

  “Yes, I’m sorry for staring. I was just trying to decide if I wanted to say hello or not or if that would count as a conversation.” Shit.

  Now I looked insane.

  His lips tightened like he was trying not to laugh. “I think saying hello counts as a conversation.”

  “I did too, but I wasn’t sure my…my boyfriend would.” Might as well make sure he didn’t think it was the worst come-on in history. “I’m supposed to have a conversation with someone who might be a new friend.”

  He finally smiled. “And you picked me?”

  “It’s not as random as you might think.” Yeah, I sounded insane, and trying to fix it wasn’t helping the situation any. “I’ve seen you flirt with the younger barista that works in the morning and you used to deliver pizzas to one of my boyfriend’s friends. So you’re not really a stranger.”

  Where was a sinkhole to swallow me up when I needed one?

  Why did Florida get all the sinkholes?

  He coughed a few times, doing a terrible job of covering his laughter, and shook his head. “I think you might be the most interesting person I’ve met in a while.”

  “You have no idea.”

  That just got me another odd look, but thankfully he didn’t press for details…because God only knew what would come out of my mouth if he did. “How did you know I was your friend’s pizza guy?”

  “My boyfriend’s friend. I don’t know Warner well enough to call him a friend.” Warner’s name had the guy’s mouth dropping open. “Do you remember him?”

  It turned out to be a good guess because Coffee Shop Guy, formerly Pizza Guy, nodded. “I think so.”

  “He ordered from you every Friday?”

  That got me another nod and he took the seat across from me. “He talked about me?”

  This conversation was not going how I expected. “Well, yes, but we were at the same restaurant a week or so ago and you were with a woman and a small child and he was surprised because, well, he was hoping you weren’t quite that…straight?”

  Was there a better way to say that?

  The next time Master made me talk to strangers he was going to be there to do it with me. That was going to be non-negotiable.

  The nameless man nodded slowly then shook his head.

  When that was all I got, I spoke up. “That response was not helpful.”

  He chuckled and that seemed to get his brain going again. “I mean, yeah, I was out with Lynn and Becca, but I’m not straight.”

  That was only slightly more helpful.

  Something about my expression gave that away because he grinned. “She’s my sister-in-law and that was my niece.”

  “Ah.” Now what? “Would it be alright if I passed that information on to Warner?”

  Was that appropriate?

  Coffee Shop Guy blinked a few times before resting his elbows on the little bistro table. “Do you think he’d want to know?”

  “Yes.” I thought that was a sufficient answer, but he snorted.

  “You’re worse than me. Tell me more.”

  “Oh.” Um, tell him what?

  Stuart was going to owe me a lot of shopping this weekend.

  “Um, I’m going to be seeing him tonight when we meet for…well, when we meet…” Oh dear. “We’re going to meet, so I’ll tell him there, and yes, I think he would appreciate knowing he…he read at least part of the situation correctly.”

  There was a damned good reason I never talked to people outside of work.

  I was terrible at it.

  A smile spread over the guy’s face, making him look even younger than he already did. “He really talked about me?”

  Hadn’t we covered this already?

  “Yes.”

  “Are you going out to dinner again? I mean, I can’t just show up at his house and say hello, but if he really wanted to talk, I guess I could show up randomly at the same restaurant and see if he came over? What do you think?”

  Oh dear.

  “I think…I think…” This was beyond painful. “I think the only way to answer your question is to overshare about my personal life, and I don’t know if you would find that offensive.”

  He was back to blinking at me.

  Great. I was a bug again.

  He finally shrugged. “You overshare and I promise not to be offended. Besides, now I have to know what you’re into because I’m curious.”

  Now the bug was interesting.

  I wasn’t sure that was much better.

  “You can’t tell anyone because I don’t know what Warner’s going to think of me telling you about where we’re meeting.” I waited until he straightened and nodded, clearly taking it seriously, before I continued. “We’re meeting at a club in DC called Bound and Controlled.”

  When his eyes widened, I realized I didn’t have to be nervous. He already knew about the club.

  “Really?”

  He seemed to like that word.

  “Yes.” What else was I supposed to say? “So dropping in isn’t really an option, but he’s single and from the teasing he got from Master and his friends, he’s very curious about you.”

  Shit.

  Master.

  “Master?” Coffee Shop Guy grinned and went back to leaning against the table as he took a sip of his drink. “Really?”

  We were going to have to work on his vocabulary.

  “Yes.” His expression said I didn’t have to worry about his reaction, though. “I don’t have any idea what Warner would like to be called. Or what…activities he’s interested in.”

  No point in making him think I had any idea what the man was like in a scene.

  “But he’s into BDSM?” Coffee Shop Guy shifted in his seat and got a faraway look in his eyes before focusing back on me. “He looked so…so nice that I guess I just assumed he was more straitlaced than that.”

  I nodded. “They all look like boring lawyers, but they’re not.”

  He grinned. “What did he say about me?”

  “Um.” I had to think for a moment. “I only caught a few things, but he wasn’t sure if you were into BDSM too or if you were even gay. And my Master kept teasing him about ordering pizza every Friday just to see you. Master said he should have talked to you sooner. The Italian place he’s ordering from now keeps trying to fix him up with women.”

  Coffee Shop Guy’s face scrunched up. “I know who you’re talking about. The lady that owns it is pushy. He doesn’t need one of her granddaughters. He needs someone more colorful than that, even if it’s just to hang out with.”

  I wasn’t exactly a people person, but that wasn’t the response I’d been expecting.

  “I was thinking about getting a membership there…” His voice drifted off again, but I wasn’t sure what he was thinking.

  The club wasn’t cheap and if he’d been working two jobs until very recently, maybe there was a less expensive way to get to know Warner. “I think bringing him pizza might be a better idea if you just want to test the waters?”

  That was logical, right?

  “Unless you have a new job and need to work?”

  He shook his head. “No, thank god. That was insane. And it’s actually my free night…but you don’t think that would be weird? I mean, pushy or something? If he’s a Dom, he might think that’s inappropriate?”

  I shrugged but tried to come up with a logical response. “Well, yes to my understanding he’s a Dom, but consent is very important and you haven’t got any rules in place to say you shouldn’t make the first move. Especially since you now know he’s gay and single.”

  “Yeah…” Coffee Shop Guy leaned back and took another sip. “He didn’t know I was gay or anything, so I can see why he didn’t flirt with me…and it could’ve made things awkward.”

  “Making you uncomfortable seemed to be the last thing he wanted.” Warner wasn’t Master, but he seemed polite.

  Coffee Shop Guy sat straighter and looked a bit like he’d decided to take on the world. “What time were you supposed to meet at the club?”

  “Eight. So as long as you get there a bit earlier than the usual time you used to deliver his pizza, it should be fine.” Hopefully.

  “And the worst thing he could say is that he’s not interested in me.” Coffee Shop Guy looked at me like I was supposed to respond, so I nodded.

  “I agree. But the chances of that are slim. He’s already mentioned being interested in you and as long as you have similar…interests, I think your odds are very good.” Realistically, his odds were better than mine on nearly every date I’d ever been on.

  He finally looked a bit nervous and blushed faintly. “I’ve never done anything like that. Do you think he’d mind?”

  “Judging from my Master’s reactions when it came to my inexperience, I would conclude that it will not be an issue.” In fact, the data would indicate that he’d like being the one to teach Coffee Shop Guy, but I wasn’t sure enough of that to volunteer the information.

  “Did he say I was too young for him?” Coffee Shop Guy was back to leaning against the table. “I haven’t dated in for-fucking-ever, but some older guys just don’t like dating younger men. Well, the really nice guys don’t seem to like dating too young.”

  I could relate to that. “It’s the weird sleazy ones that seem to skew toward younger men. But I don’t think that will be an issue with Warner. He doesn’t mind that Master is older than I am…and I’m fairly certain they’re close in age.”

  I should have asked more questions about Master’s friends.

  “What the hell.” He sat up again. “You only live once. I’ll do it.”

  With that decided, I glanced down at my phone. “I have to get back to work. Um, is it appropriate to give you my number?”

  If he turned out to be insane or some kind of stalker, Master was never going to make me attempt to friend anyone again…what were the odds of that?

  “That’d be great.” His smile said nice guy, though, not stalker.

  Damn.

  As we started to exchange contact information something else occurred to me.

  Maybe I should’ve talked to Master about this first.

  ****

  “I talked to someone today, but I might not have made the right choices. But I talked to them so I get my reward, but I don’t know if I need to be punished too.” It was entirely possible that I should’ve waited until after he finished opening the door to explain the problem.

  Studying me for a moment, Stuart stepped back. “Come inside first. Did you forget you had a key?”

  “Oh, yes I did.” That was a recent enough development that I hadn’t even thought of it.

  That had him trying not to smile and doing a terrible job of it. “First, is this an emergency or are you simply concerned about your choices?”

  “Concerned about my choices.” That answer got me a kiss on the forehead.

  “Then put your clothes away and come kneel. When we’re ready, you’re going to tell me what happened, and I’ll decide about punishments and rewards.”

  Relief rushed through me. Just knowing he was going to sort through everything made me feel better. “Thank you, Master.”

  He stroked my cheek and smiled. “Making new friends is hard.”

  “It really is.” It felt like the afternoon had been a thousand hours long.

  I got another kiss, this time slow and tender on the lips, before he pulled away. “I’m going to go get dinner out of the oven.”

  Nodding, I started stripping off my shoes and socks. “Yes, Master.”

  Stripping off my clothes in the foyer seemed almost second nature now. I had a feeling that the hardest part about moving in was going to be figuring out when I wore clothes and when I should be naked. Just thinking about it made me realize that wasn’t on our list of things to talk about.

  I made a mental note to add it as I finished removing my clothes and folding them in the basket. Something about the simple routine had the stress I’d been carrying around fading, and as I reached up to stroke the chain around my neck, I had a hard time remembering why I’d been so worried.

  As soon as I felt the calm come over me, I went into the living room and over to my cushion. Master had it positioned by the couch and as I took my place, the last of my frustrations faded.

  “Beautiful.” Master’s voice coming from the doorway to the kitchen made me smile, but I stayed still, resting my hands on my thighs just like I was supposed to.

  His fingers trailed over my head and down my face as he came around me and sat down on the couch. When I was surrounded by his legs and his hands were stroking my face and neck, he smiled, kissing my forehead. “Who did you talk to today?”

  “Warner’s pizza guy.” I felt my worry creeping back through me, but Master’s chuckle said he wasn’t mad. “He was at the coffee shop.”

  I’d remembered to text Master about going on my enforced break, so he knew what I was talking about. He shook his head, still grinning. “I didn’t even think about you seeing him again. I guess we should have.”

  Nodding, I leaned into his hands and closed my eyes, soaking up his touch. “I wasn’t sure if talking to him was a good idea, but I was staring at him so long he came over and talked to me instead.”

  That made Master laugh and I found myself smiling. “That doesn’t surprise me, imp. Then what happened?”

  Now we were at the part where I wasn’t sure if I needed to be punished or not. Peeking one eye open, I shrugged. “I might have set Warner up on a date?”

 

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