Strangely, it didn’t feel like other men’s laughter had in the past. Scott found himself genuinely smiling along with Joe.
Right then, inviting Joe to spend a little time in his part of the world didn’t seem as scary as it had just a minute earlier. In a moment of uncharacteristic daring, Scott decided where he’d suggest Joe could meet him for their next date.
The moment Joe got out of the car, Scott wrote the invitation, before his courage could desert him.
Part Five: Cordially Invited
Joe stepped into the old fashioned elevator, turned to the highly embellished panel of controls and pressed the button for the third floor. The security guard on duty that night had let him in through the staff entrance at the back of the building, just as Scott had promised he would. Now, the guard was keeping a discreet eye on him from the middle of the department store’s deserted foyer.
Their eyes met as the elevator doors began to slide together. The guard nodded politely to Joe and touched his uniform cap; but, just before the gap between the doors disappeared completely, Joe saw the guard’s face split into a wide grin. Oh, yes. The last of Joe’s doubts disappeared. The guy definitely knew that he and Scott were there to hook up.
Whistling tunelessly under his breath as the elderly elevator carried him slowly up to the third floor, Joe once again tried to guess what Scott had planned for them that night.
At 10 pm on Thursday, please go to Harrington’s department store. There’s a staff entrance at the back of the building and a security guard will be waiting there to let you in. Once inside please take the lift up to the third floor.
And that was it.
It wasn’t really much to go on—just enough to have Joe spending damn near every minute of the three days since he’d received Scott’s note, playing guessing games with himself.
A brass plaque listing the various departments and which floor they were housed on hung on the elevator wall, but Joe made a point of not looking at it. Whatever surprise Scott was planning, Joe didn’t feel inclined to spoil it at the last moment.
He smiled to himself. Apparently, being a nice guy and playing by the rules could actually be quite fun. Who could haveknown? And who could have guessed that screwing the same man over and over again could actually be so interesting?
Finally, a genteel ding indicated that the elevator had brought Joe to his destination. The doors slid open. Joe stepped out into what looked like some sort of kitchenware department. Raising one eye brow at the vanilla-looking fare on offer, Joe glanced around, trying to catch a glimpse of Scott between the displays of pots, pans, and useless gadgets.
Joe smiled when he eventually spotted him in the adjoining department. Scott was waiting for him within sight of the elevators, but his back was toward Joe. He couldn’t have heard the elevator arrive, because he obviously had no idea he had company.
Joe took care to keep his footfalls as silent as possible as he approached. His attempts to remain undetected worked perfectly. Scott kept on staring out of a window overlooking the car park, oblivious to Joe’s presence. Apparently, it had never occurred to him that Joe might park his bike in the alleyway on the other side of the building.
The thick carpeting helped to muffle Joe’s footsteps as he crept closer still. He stopped a few yards away from Scott, unwilling to waste the opportunity of looking Scott over while he was unaware that he was being watched.
Scott’s clothes were as conservative as ever—grey trousers, a pale blue polo shirt and sensible black shoes. Joe smiled as he ran his eyes down Scott’s back and his gaze settled happily on his arse.
He wondered if anyone else knew how beautiful a body was hidden away behind that boring wardrobe? Or how kinky Scott could be, once he started obeying the orders of a dom who knew what he was doing?
No one knew. Or, to be more precise, no one else knew. Joe’s smile widened into a grin. He was the only man who knewabout that side of Scott’s personality—and that suited Joe just fine. He slowly pulled his gaze up to Scott’s face. Moving one step to his left, Joe was able to see more of his expression past the blond strands that fell into Scott’s eyes.
Scott nibbled nervously at his bottom lip as he scanned the car park below the window. His lip thinned out—just like when he was going down on Joe’s cock.
Joe rubbed his growing erection through his jeans. A moment passed. Scott freed his bottom lip from between his teeth. He hadn’t bitten down that hard. There was no sign of blood. Scott took a deep breath and glanced at his watch.
“I’m right on time.”
Scott spun around, his big blue eyes opening wide with surprise.
Every instinct Joe possessed demanded that he step forward and close the gap between them, that he grab hold of Scott and remind him exactly who he belonged to. It took every bit of self-control Joe could scrape together to remain where he was.
Scott had to be given time and space, Joe told himself, not for the first time. Scott was a novice sub. He had to have orders, but he also had to be permitted to be himself and not just become someone who did whatever his dom told him to do, regardless of his own wishes.
Joe folded his arms across his chest. He could do this. He could screw a novice sub without screwing him over.
“I d-didn’t hear you come in,” Scott said.
“I guessed that much.”
Silence filled the room as Joe waited for Scott to tell him what was going to happen next, or to come closer, or to…well, to do pretty much anything, really.
Moments turned into minutes. They might as well have been playing musical statues. Scott evidently had no idea howto make the next move. As their eyes met, it was equally clear just how much panic was spiralling through his veins. Joe didn’t need to press his fingertips against Scott’s throat to know how fast his pulse was racing.
