“I’m good, Master. I promise, I’m a good boy.”
Andrew’s lips came close to Curtis’s ear. “I appreciate it, darling. Today. Some other day, I want to find out just how naughty you can be. I’m looking forward to it.”
“The things you do to me!”
Andrew sat up. “I know. I’m that good.” He grinned broadly and swatted Curtis’s thigh playfully. It was nowhere near enough to really hurt, but Curtis was so ramped up he felt his cock taking an interest. His moan was cut short by a deep kiss from Andrew, which he only broke when they were both out of breath.
“Clothes, boy. Then we talk and maybe have a little snack. And then we set a date.”
Curtis grumbled a bit before he got out of bed to put his underwear and slacks back on. Andrew did the same, though he didn’t put his T-shirt back on. Curtis only hesitated for a moment before he threw his own shirt in the hamper. Two could play the naked game.
The knowing look on Andrew’s face and his delighted grin made Curtis feel all fuzzy inside. It was good to have a Dom again. A Dom who intended to stay, who wasn’t just there for a night of kink without the kind of deeper connection Curtis so desperately craved. They went back to the dining room, where the contracts still were on the table.
“Would you like some tea before we begin?”
Andrew smiled. “Black tea?”
“Not this late.” Curtis shuddered. “I’m way too old to consume stimulating beverages before going to sleep.”
Now Andrew laughed outright. “You’re not that old, Curtis. In fact, I’m pretty sure you’re not much older than me and I’m forty-four.”
“I’m forty-eight, which isn’t ancient, but I’m also no spring chicken anymore. But to tell you the truth, I couldn’t have caffeine after six o’clock since I turned twenty. Somehow, my body just doesn’t like it.”
“I can see that being the case. Me, I’ve lived off coffee during my training and in the first years when I started building my business. Though I have noticed that I’m not coping as well as I used to.”
“Herbal tea it is. Do you have any preferences?”
Andrew shrugged. “Not really. I rarely drink tea, and if I do, it’s either iced tea with so much sugar you wouldn’t know the ingredients anyway, or whatever bag I have available.”
Curtis stared at him in horror. “You’re a heathen! I knew there was something wrong with you. I knew it. Let me tell you, the farting under the covers, I could have learned to tolerate, but this—I’m not sure there’s a future for us.” He winked.
Andrew winked right back before he schooled his features into a pleading expression. “I know I’m clueless, but I’m also willing to learn at your feet, boy. Do you think you can find it in your heart to give me a chance?”
Curtis pretended to ponder the question. “I don’t know. There’s so much to learn….”
“Please, Curtis. Pretty please?”
Now Andrew looked at him like a puppy that had been kicked, while waggling his eyebrows like crazy. Curtis couldn’t keep his laughter in. It had been so long since he’d had such relaxed fun with somebody who wasn’t a sub. If he thought about it, he’d never had such fun with Jasper, whom he had thought to be in love with.
“You get your chance, Master. But you have to promise to study hard. We Brits take our tea seriously. Very seriously.”
Andrew took him in his arms and kissed him while laughing at the same time, which made for an interesting experience. “Thank you, boy. I’ll do my very best.”
There was that Freddie Frinton quote again. Sometime soon, Curtis would have to find out if Andrew truly liked old films or if he just thought the line was funny. Not tonight, though. Tonight, he would give his Dom a first lesson in tea.
“Rule number one: No bagged tea. Not ever. Whole leaves and a tea strainer are the way to go.”
Andrew nodded and followed him eagerly into the kitchen.
Chapter 13
ANDREW WATCHEDwhile Curtis prepared their tea. He moved with effortless grace through his kitchen, pulling an old-fashioned teakettle out of a cupboard and filling it with water from a water filter. Then he went to an open cupboard next to the fridge, where an array of colorful metal bins was waiting. None of them looked the same: some seemed to be very old, others fairly new, some had Chinese and Japanese landscape pictures on them, others simply showed one color with the word “TEA” emblazoned on the bin, and Andrew spotted one or two with art prints on them. Curtis’s hand hovered over a deep red bin with black kanji signs on it.
“How about something refreshing? Peppermint and lemongrass.”
Andrew shrugged. “Sounds good to me.”
Curtis took a small measuring spoon out of a drawer, hooked two tea strainers into the mugs he had chosen, filled them each with four spoons of tea, and poured the hot water over it. While the tea steeped, Curtis took out a small plate and arranged some chocolate chip cookies on it.
