This was their cue to get dessert and move to the living room, where everything was already set up. Curtis sat down between Collin and Peyton, who gave him an encouraging nod that let Curtis forget what a pain in the ass the man could be. Dean started the first film, and Curtis simply enjoyed being with his friends.
Chapter 15
ANDREW DIDa last mental check of his two supply bags—one for food, the other for sex—before he rang the bell on Curtis’s door. After a few moments, Curtis opened with a broad, happy smile.
“Hello, Andrew. It’s so nice to see you!” Curtis sounded a little breathless and eager, just like Andrew wanted him.
“Hello, Curtis. It’s great to be here. I’ve been thinking of you all the time.”
“Even when you were at Club Eros?” Curtis stepped aside to let Andrew in, his tone slightly teasing. Andrew grinned and kissed him on the mouth before he entered the house.
“Club Eros was nice, definitely more suited to my tastes than Club Submission, but none of the subs there could hold a candle to you, if that’s what you wanted to know.”
“Thatisall I wanted to know.” Curtis winked. “No, seriously, I’ve heard good things about Club Eros.” He wanted to take Andrew’s bags, but he declined.
“It’s a very decent club. Mixed, like most of the BDSM clubs in the area. The people are solid middle class, and the club management is big on security. I couldn’t stop comparing it to Club Whisper, though, which kind of spoiled the evening a bit. Can you imagine, they don’t have three different kinds of lube in the bathrooms?”
He grinned when Curtis opened his eyes comically wide, pressed his hands against his chest as if he were wounded, and let out an exasperated gasp. “No! What kind of club hasn’t? The horror!”
They both started laughing while they went to the kitchen, where Andrew placed the basket with the food on the counter and the bag with the sex toys on the ground. These two would get mixed up soon enough if everything went the way he planned. Andrew took Curtis in his arms to kiss him more thoroughly. Tasting his boy again was such a delight, especially since Curtis reciprocated the kiss enthusiastically. There was no feeling like having been missed. After a few moments, though, Curtis tensed in his arms. Andrew drew back to look into those mesmerizing eyes.
“What’s the matter, boy?”
Curtis sighed deeply, freed himself from Andrew’s grasp. “I don’t want to talk about it, but I know I have to, and I’m not sure how to start.”
Andrew felt alarmed, tried to find a clue about what this was all about in Curtis’s expression, but all he saw there was a mixture of worry and anger he couldn’t quite place.
“Is this about us, boy? Do you have second thoughts? Do we need to talk about the contract again?”
Curtis shook his head. “No, I’m not having second thoughts. Though what I have to tell you is, in a way, about us.” He lowered his gaze for a moment and took another deep breath before he lifted his gaze to Andrew. “On Friday, my ex visited me in the gallery. I didn’t even know he was back in the States. He came uninvited, and I threw him out almost immediately. I just think you should know this. He came with flowers, roses, to be exact, and though I didn’t let him stay long enough to explain his reasons to me, apart from him needing money, I’m sure it can’t be anything good. And I don’t want to think about him or whatever he’s planning, but I also can’t just let it go unspoken.”
Andrew felt like a rock had just been removed from his heart. He’d feared Curtis might have decided to end their relationship before it even began. So hearing about the visit from the evil ex was not welcome news, but news he could deal with rationally as soon as he got the spike of jealousy piercing his guts under control. He reached for Curtis to draw him back into his arms.
“It’s fine, Curtis. Boy. I appreciate you telling me so openly about it. I can see this isn’t easy for you. Is there anything I can do to help except being my understanding, supportive self?” Andrew infused the last words with just enough humor to make his intentions clear. To his relief, Curtis smiled broadly.
“No, thank you, Sir. You being your awesome self is all I need. If he shows his face again, I already have a cutthroat lawyer on speed dial who I can unleash.”
It irked Andrew a tiny bit that Curtis seemed to have the situation already under control, but then again, this was better than him having to take action against a man he didn’t even know.
“Wonderful, boy. Does this mean we can leave this unpleasantness behind and start our celebration?”
Curtis’s smile could have lit an entire small town. “Yes. I can’t wait.”
“Very well. Since this is our first official, thorough scene together, I thought we’d do something special.” Andrew allowed a salacious grin to appear on his lips. The shudder he got from Curtis in return made his already half-hard cock swell instantly. “You told me you’re not much of a cook, boy, which is why I brought food with me. It doesn’t need hours of preparing and isn’t very complicated, but it’s tasty and allows me to concentrate on you while I’m preparing it. How does that sound?”
“Wonderful, Master.” Curtis was already panting slightly. His cheeks had a healthy, rosy color Andrew wanted to turn into a full, blazing red until the end of the evening.
“Good. Your safewords?”
“Degenerate Art for stop, Dali for slow down, Macarons for go.”
Andrew nodded. Good. The fun could begin. “I want you to strip, boy. Do it slowly, for my viewing pleasure.”
The red in Curtis’s cheeks deepened. He nodded and started by opening the first buttons of his light blue shirt. Curtis’s fingers trembled lightly, and Andrew wasn’t sure if it was arousal or nervousness. Probably a mixture of both, he decided. Which was good. It showed how into this Curtis was.
Each undone button revealed more of Curtis’s pale, smooth skin. The tan practically everybody in Miami seemed to have was completely absent in Curtis. Given how light his skin tone was, Andrew could imagine that he had to be careful in the sun. Something to always remember. Curtis had now opened the last button. He looked up at Andrew while he slowly let the shirt slide from his shoulders. Andrew’s own breath quickened, while more of his blood pooled in his groin. At this rate, his brain would be empty before Curtis was completely naked.
“So beautiful.” He stepped forward to take the shirt from Curtis’s hand and place it on the breakfast counter. “Go on.”
