Before Scott got a word out, Joe pointedly turned his attention toward an empty stool at the end of the bar. Every other seat was taken, but that one stood aloof from the crowd, with a reserved notice in the shape of a sharply pointed pyramid on top of it.
Take the empty stool at the end of the bar.
That was one of the orders Joe had put in his note. Scott hurried across, moved the reserved sign aside and clambered onto the high stool. He looked toward Joe, hoping for some hint of approval, but Joe was already serving someone a drink as if he’d completely forgotten about Scott.
Scott squirmed in his seat, and only partly because his arse was still a little sore from the combination of the leather flogger striking his skin, and Joe’s cock sinking into him earlier that evening.
Never taking his eyes off Joe, Scott reached into the pocket of his coat and took out the note Joe had written for him. He glanced down at it. There was barely enough light to read by, but that was okay. Scott had already memorised every word.
Arrive at the club at two am. Take the empty stool at the end of the bar.
Okay, Scott had done that. He hadn’t screwed up yet. The world was still spinning away on its axis. No need to panic.
No alcohol. No talking. No fidgeting. No underwear.
Scott shifted uneasily on the stool. All of those things could be mentally ticked off.
Expect to obey every order I give you. Disobedience will be punished.
“Stay there.”
Scott jerked his head up. The lighting behind the bar did a great job of creating a brooding, sexy atmosphere, but it was bloody useless to actually see by. Their gazes locked. Joe’s eyes were so dark, they looked completely black.
All too soon, Joe turned away. Scott was vaguely aware of another bartender calling out closing time and all the other customers being ushered toward the exits.
Your safe word is still unicorn.
Scott took a deep breath and slid the note back into his pocket. The important thing now was to not hyperventilate. Scott tugged at the neckline of his T-shirt.
No fidgeting.
Damn! He’d known that would be the hardest order to obey. Intertwining his fingers, Scott stared down at his knotted knuckles as the noise from the crowd faded away.
A door slammed, making Scott jump. His trainer slid off the foot rest attached to the legs of his stool. His hands skidded against the bar as he tried to brace himself against it, but somehow he kept his balance.
Closing his eyes, he cursed himself for a fool.
“You still want to lock up?”
Rather than peering over his shoulder to find out who had spoken, when Scott opened his eyes, he instinctively looked for Joe. He spotted him standing at the far end of the bar, mopping up spilt beer.
“Yeah, I’ll be here a while yet.”
Someone out of Scott’s line of sight tossed a heavy set of keys to Joe.
Scott heard footsteps walking away, but the sound stopped registering with him when Joe turned toward him.
“Ever been behind a bar?”
No talking.
Scott remembered the command just in time. He shook his head.
“It’s about time you corrected that, don’t you think?”
It took far too long for Scott’s brain to put the words together inside his head and work out what sort of order they represented.
“Get around here,” Joe translated for him. “Now.”
