Matt froze, uncertain how to respond.
William popped his head around the parlor entry.
“Garland! I wondered where you had disappeared to! And here you are all alone with one of our freshmen! You naughty boy!”
William oozed into the room. Black corset. Feather boa. The whole “Sweet Transvestite” thing. He seemed flustered. Gave Matt a worried look.
“I need to borrow Matthew for a minute,” William said. He took Matt bythe hand and coaxed him out of the club chair. Motioned for Josh to join them and take Matt’s place.
“Here’s Josh! You remember him, don’t you, Garland?” William guided Josh into the chair Matt had just vacated. Substituted one guy in gold boxer briefs for another. Ushered Matt out before Garland could object.
Closed the pocket doors to give Josh and Garland some privacy.
William and Matt were in the entry hall.
William apologized profusely. “I’ve been so focused on Paul, I forgot to keep an eye on you. Luckily, I intervened before it was too late.”
“Too late?” Matt asked.
“You saw the handcuffs?” William whispered.
Matt nodded.
“That’s his kink. Restraints. Rough. Borderline abusive. Probably not a good fit considering your…history. We generally only let our senior members entertain Garland.”
Matt appreciated that William had been watching out for him. Thanked him for doing so. But wasn’t willing to just walk away from those hundred bucks. More than a hundred now, considering Garland’s kink. How hard could it be anyway? The handcuffs and stuff?
Matt had an idea. The reckless kind that worked out brilliantly about 65% of the time, went disastrously wrong the other 35%.
“Just checking,” Matt said. “Is Garland the only lawyer here tonight?”
“Isn’t one enough, dahling?”
Matt nodded. One would do. “I’m going back in there,” he said. “I’ll tell Josh you need him.”
William sighed in resignation.
Back in the parlor, Matt resumed his seat in the club chair facing Garland.
Garland wore an amused smile. “I’m guessing that switcheroo had something to do with my handcuffs? Keeping you away from them since you’re a freshman? Sending in the more experienced Josh?”
Matt shrugged. “Have you ever done a name change for someone?”
Garland’s black eyes twinkled. “And here you are, back in the ‘big boy’ chair and Josh gone. William can’t be too happy about that. I assume he’s eavesdropping just outside the door, ready to rescue you again, if necessary.”
Matt crossed his arms, trying to disguise his nervousness. He’d marched back in there full of confidence that he could manage Garland. Already the power dynamic was ebbing away from him and towards Garland.
“Name change?” Matt repeated. “If you want to cuff me and face fuck me, the price includes afree name change.”
Garland polished off the remainder of his Manhattan. The handcuffs on his wrist jangled. He set the glass down on the side table by his chair. “Name change. Got it. No problem. Anything else?”
“Four hundred dollars.” Matt tried to sound confident. He’d never asked for that much money in his life. He didn’t know whether to be more worried about a “Yes” or a “No” from Garland. A “No” meant no deal. No money to pay for the New Year’s Eve date with Adam. A “Yes” implied that he wasn’t fully understanding what it was he was agreeing to do.
Garland leaned forward, licked his lips. “For that kind of money, I expect to play rough. Slapping and shit.”
And there it was, wrapped up in pretty words and topped with a bow: “slapping and shit.” Matt could not claim he hadn’t been warned. A cold frisson of fear coursed through his veins. He shivered.
He leaned forward as well, locked eyes with Garland. “Okay, but let’s get two things straight. First, I’m not consenting to be raped. Secondly, this ‘slapping and shit’ better not leave bruises or handprints. Keep this in mind while you’re doing your ‘slapping and shit,’ that at some point I’ll be out of those cuffs and I’ll remember whether you went too far. If you do—go too far, I promise you your Porsche will pay the price. Slashed tires. Shredded convertible top. ‘Shithead’ carved so deep in the paint, it won’t sand out.”
