“Do you have business cards?” Mal asked at normal volume. “We didn’t come planning on buying anything today, but we’ll come back another day. Will you still be here?”
“Sure. Seven days a week.”
“It would be good to get your contact information,” Nico said.
“Oh—Oh, um, sure.” She took a generic-looking business card from out of a small holder that looked like it hadn’t been touched in years. Maybe ever. She took a pen and jottedsomething down on it. “I’m Lisa. Feel free to stop by anytime. We’re here until nine PM every night.”
“Excellent,” Mal said. “Thanks, Lisa.”
“Anytime.”
They perused some of the other shops so they didn’t look too suspicious, then made their way out of the market. Nico checked the time, letting Mal know their bus wouldn’t be there for ten minutes. Neither spoke as they waited, though Nico returned to his most comfortable place, his back to Mal’s chest.
Only when they were finally on the bus, in seats at the very back, did they actually speak. Nico side-eyed the man across the aisle from them. Mal’s gaze followed. He wore a trench coat but his legs were bare, his forehead resting on the chair in front of him. There were questions to be asked, but on public transportation, they minded their own business.
“Those guys were triad, right? The two men on the pallets?” Nico asked in a hushed whisper.
Mal shrugged. “I mean, there’s no real way to tell. Whoever they were, she sure seemed afraid of them.”
Nico dropped his head to Mal’s shoulder. “What do we do now?”
Mal fished the card out of his pocket, hoping to find a cell phone number. Instead, he found a scrawled message. Just three words and the time.
Blue Velvet Diner 10:00 PM
Nico lifted his head, looking at Mal with wide eyes. “Blue Velvet Diner? Never heard of it. Where is it?”
Mal googled it quickly. “Melville.”
Nico frowned. “That’s like forty-five minutes from here.”
“She must be too scared to meet locally,” Mal said.
“So, we’re going, right?” Nico asked.
“We have to clear it with Jericho first and borrow a car, but yeah. It’s not like we have much else to go on.”
“Can you even drive?” Nico asked, narrowing his eyes at him.
“Can you?” Mal countered, pinching his nose.
“I can…” Nico hedged. “But somepeopleprefer I don’t.”
Mal barked out a laugh. The man across the aisle lifted his head to glare at him.
“Do those people wear uniforms and carry badges and guns?” Mal teased.
“No,” Nico said, indignant. “I just get…easily distracted.”
Mal gave him a soft look. “It’s okay, Fidget. I can drive.”
Nico sat in the middle of the classroom, his feet kicked up on the bar at the bottom of the empty chair in front of him. Beside him, a guy in a jersey was eating beef jerky and mainlining a Red Bull. The smell was making Nico nauseous. His phone sat on his desk, half hidden by a rarely used notebook. He’d opened it and even held a pen so it appeared he was listening to the professor and taking notes. He wasn’t. Even with his meds on board, he couldn’t concentrate on anything except what had happened with Mal. Without the distraction of the Pearl River District and Casey’s mom, Mal—and last night— was the main focus of all Nico’s thoughts.
He’d let Mal spank him. No, that wasn’t even accurate. He’d antagonized Mal into spanking him. Without any sex as a buffer. He’d let his best friend, his roommate, put him over his knee and spank him like a child. Hard.Sohard. Mal hadn’t held back even a little bit. It still hurt now. Even worse, Nico liked that it still hurt. Craved it, even. Found reasons to fidget in his hard seat just to feel the ache of it. That morning, goosebumps haderupted on his skin when he’d run his fingertips over the bruises. It was still hot, still felt raw when he touched it, like a sunburn.
Mal had done that to him. Marked him. Nico chewed on the end of his pen thinking of how hard Mal had been while spanking him. Nico had been hard, too, but he’d thought Mal might do something about it, take care of it for him when they fucked after his punishment. But things hadn’t escalated to sex after that. Instead, Mal had just cleaned him up and cuddled him, tucking him against him and holding him like he did every night, like spanking him was something that happened between them on a regular basis. It confused Nico. Not that Mal was so caring afterwards, but how he was so…casual about it. Like spanking his best friend was all in a day’s work.
It made Nico feel…unsettled. He was used to sweet Mal, caring and attentive Mal. The one who laid beside him each night. But last night’s Mal had been so…cold, calculating, distant. There was no anger. He hadn’t done it out of malice. He’d done it because Nico had craved it. Because Nico had desired to feel…something.
