“You were going in, right?”
“Yeah, a friend told me there was an event going on….” My face got hot, even though I wasn’t embarrassed of my kinks anymore. The time Ashton had walked in on me with a boyfriend-turned-sub strapped to my dorm bed popped into my mind, as if it was only yesterday rather than almost ten years ago.
Ashton laughed and winked, like maybe he was remembering too. He’d been the sweet, naïve one then, somehow. “Yeah, there sure is a party. Let’s go.”
He hustled me through the crowd and inside the front door. We went to the left through a set of double doors that I thought were new, or at least were new since the last time I’d been out downtown, which wasn’t saying much. We went up a long set of stairs to a landing. Everything out here was painted a flat black, even the railing hooked to the walls, almost as if waiting for a mural or something to go onto it. To our right was a small booth with glass at the top, like the ticket counter at the movies.
“You have to show your ID and sign a discretionary contract to get inside.” Ashton nodded at the gray-haired man in the booth, who indeed seemed to be getting paperwork together.
“Really?”
Something serious flashed across his face. “Eventually we’re going to turn this floor into a private club, but for now we’re only doing events. The contract lets you get in. Once we have the club set up, if you join you won’t have to do it every time. Basics are, you promise that you won’t hurt anyone without their explicit consent, you’ll leave if asked, and a few other things.”
“So… New Gothenburg is finally getting a….” I wanted to say sex club, but that seemed a little too New York City for us, so I laughed instead. “This is so displayed. I know Triple X has backrooms, but this is ballsy.”
“That’s why we’re not sure exactly what we’re doing yet. It’s not a leather club like Triple X tends to be. It’s sort of a catchall. And you’re right, these aren’t hidden backrooms in a hick bar.” He fluttered his fingers toward the door. “We can’t agree on direction, that’s part of the reason it’s not a fully functional club yet.”
“Sounds like you’ve been up to good things since the last time I saw you.”
Ashton ran his fingers through his shocking white-blond hair. “Not sure if they’re good, but they’re entertaining.” He winked at me and my gut twisted. He was always a sexy fucker, and nothing had changed. I went over and signed several forms, flashing my ID even though the man wasn’t very interested in looking at it, then Ashton opened the door for me that led into the event. We walked through into a small corridor with hallways running off in both directions, and another matte-black door was in front of us. Behind this one, I could hear laughing and barking over a mild dance mix. My stomach warmed at the unexpected turn the night had taken. Ashton smirked and dramatically opened this door for me as well.
I trailed him inside and stopped in my tracks, not quite believing my eyes. He laughed and pushed me forward. In the middle of the room there was a play area set up, about sixty feet of Astroturf hemmed in by a low white picket fence, and inside there were about eight men, naked except for puppy masks, jocks, harnesses, and happy tails. Around the fence stood men and a couple of women tossing balls for the pups. My stomach tightened and I almost bent forward at the thrill that shot through me. Gasping, I rested my hand over my heart and gave it a thump.
“Nice, huh?” Ashton asked, closer to me than I had realized. I shot him a glance out of the corner of my eye and then went back to staring as two more pups were released from leashes into the play area. Oiled skin gleamed under the lights. Long backs, powerful thighs, and holy fuck, one guy wasn’t wearing a jockstrap. His hard dick bounced between his legs as he wagged his tail enthusiastically.
“Uh, yeah.” My voice had gone high and I didn’t have much control over it.
Ashton snickered. “Hey, let’s catch up later tonight,” he said, staring at someone off in a corner wearing a black shirt with STAFF across the front in big white block letters. The man gestured frantically his way.
“Sure.”
Ashton sped off, his hair a bright blur under the colorful lights that turned overhead, and I was left stunned stupid.
I’d had a friendly puppy in Enrique. We had played daily at one point, but it had been a while since I saw anyone in their gear, and the puppies in the play area were enthusiastic and beautiful. Ranging from slim-bodied to solid to sculpted, they were all energetic. The sort of puppies who would need a lot of attention and care. I let out a long breath as I took a few steps forward and shoved my hands into my pockets. It seemed like everyone in the play area right now was already here with someone, which made sense. Unreasonably disappointed, I headed toward the bar. Maybe I would hang out until it was late and I was falling asleep in my beer, if only to watch the tight naked bodies on display.
To the left of the play area was a huge circular bar that seemed like maybe it could be taken apart to move it if necessary. It was already clustered with people sitting around on high stools in various states of dress. There was a man in a full-body black Lycra outfit topped by a sleek leather Doberman mask that made me want to stare more than I should. I walked around, searching for a seat, and finally found the last barstool without a butt in it. Somehow, I also had a prime view of the pups playing. Longing sank its claws into me. I wanted a pup to put in there. I hated sitting on the sidelines so much that I wasn’t only a player on the Mighty Unicorns , I was the team captain and coach. I just couldn’t sit on my ass with a beer.
“What can I get you?” asked a harassed-looking man on the other side of the bar with fire-orange hair tipped in turquoise. He was young and cute, and clearly not interested in me.
“Railbender. Bottle.”
He nodded and had my beer opened and to me so fast I barely had time to pull my wallet out to hand him cash. “Keep the change.” That did get me a smile, but he was quickly on to the next person. I sat there awkwardly for a moment, wondering if maybe I should have gone home to change after all. Everyone here seemed to already be with someone, and my sweaty kickball uniform wasn’t about to bag me a date.
I spun around to watch the puppies playing again, resting my foot on the bottom rung of my stool. I tried to put my beer on my knee, but it was bouncing already. Fuck, I would be out of here in twenty minutes, and I knew it. This was exactly why I’d split with Enrique six months ago and hadn’t taken anyone out since. I had trouble camping out at a bar, hated apps, and I was busy all the time. Berating myself, I chugged most of my beer in one go, getting ready to bail. I glanced toward the doors, mentally preparing myself to leave these sexy pups.
A man slipped through the doors and glanced around. Immediately, he snagged my attention. He wasn’t dressed right, either, only he wore a full suit. He ducked his head and fumbled something out of a pocket in his suit jacket. He slipped a thin collar around his own neck and started walking before he had the leather fastened, his fingers still working at the back of his neck. My stomach fluttered with heat from simply watching him slink toward the bar. He made eye contact with me, and his eyes were a misty blue that glittered in the bright lights above the play area and had my dick taking notice. Hell, he was pretty. We stared for a second and then he glanced away. Was he shy or had he already decided he didn’t like the look of my scruffy, sweaty self?
Either way, he continued toward me, his stride long and easy, showing off the cut of his suit pants. What kind of a puppy was he? I could imagine he thought of himself as a sleek greyhound, or a prissier breed like a saluki. And that pink collar? He was adorable in it.
He came to a stop close by, and I hopped off my stool. He blinked upward, shorter than me by a few inches, still trying to get his collar to slide together. His pout deepened and he let out a small irritated sound.
“There aren’t any other stools, thought you might like this one. Here, let me help,” I said and moved around behind him. He froze, but his hands fell away as I grasped the warm leather and neatly buckled the shiny silver clasps for him. I caressed a finger over the closure. “Does it need to be tightened?”
“No, thank you,” he replied in a small, prim voice that matched that perfectly maintained collar and had me smiling. On impulse, I ruffled his hair, and he turned and knocked my hand away, his eyes blazing with outrage. I raised both hands. He took the seat I’d vacated, and I reached around him to grab my beer. I stared at him out of the corner of my eye, and he ignored me—completely.
Blowing out some air, I wondered if I should maybe go toss the balls for the pups, if that was allowed, but there was something about this guy. His sharp cheekbones looked like they would be nice to run my fingers over, and the furrow between his eyebrows needed to be caressed away.
“Maybe once you have a drink we could go play fetch together?” I was too loud and I knew it, and I was standing too close to him, probably, since the warmth from his shoulder seemed to radiate out against my chest. I could already sense myself crashing and burning with him as he turned and raised one perfectly manicured dark eyebrow in my direction. Fuck, those eyes. They were so pale blue they almost didn’t seem real, but then it struck me that maybe they weren’t. There was a slight narrowing of the pupil that was unusual, pointing it at the ends. I let out a shaky breath. He was wearing contacts, and I didn’t know why, but that was as hot as the collar.
