Things had definitely gotten heavier than I think either of us had intended.
Luckily, right about then, Jordan came rushing over to me. “Dude! You gotta see this!”
He clamped his hand around my wrist and started dragging me across the room. I looked back at Jack, needing his reassurance that we were good. He nodded, shooing me away.
“Go, I want to check on a few more things and chat with Doug and Eli.” He followed, catching up to us quickly with his long strides. He cupped my cheek and planted a chaste kiss on my lips. “We’ll talk about this later, baby. Okay?”
“Yeah.” I let out a deep breath and, along with it, the tension I hadn’t realized had been collecting in my shoulders.
“You sure you aren’t upset?” I wanted to reach up and smooth the creases from Jack’s brow. Even if I had momentarily questioned why he asked me here, I was cool now.
“I am,” I reassured him. “Now that I know you want me here, there’s nothing to worry about. I’ll go see what’s got Jordan so excited, then I will come and find you, okay?”
“Sounds like a good plan.” Jack kissed me once more, this time cupping my ass as he forced his tongue into my mouth. Maybe I was mistaken, but it sure as hell felt like he was staking his claim on me in front of everyone who had wandered into the bar so far that night.
As we crossed the room, Jordan still holding on to me as if worried I would flee, I noticed a few critical glances and one guy who barely concealed his distaste. The old me would have flipped him off. I didn’t have time for judgmental assholes in my life. I didn’t even know this guy, what the hell was his problem?
“Looks to me like someone’s jealous,” Jordan surmised. I glanced over at him, and he nodded toward the guy who looked like he’d just swallowed something sour. “Man, you should’ve seen it. As soon as Jack kissed you, that dude went from nearly bouncing on his seat to…” He waved his hand around at nothing in particular. “That.”
“I hadn’t even thought about that,” I admitted. There were so many things I hadn’t considered when it came to visiting Jack at work. I knew he’d never really fooled around with guys here at the club. He confessed to me one night, that it was hard for him to find somebody because it was difficult to discern who wanted him and who wanted to brag that they’d had him. Still, what would happen if these guys stopped coming in once they realized he was off the market? It was sort of like the whole theory in that movie about the girls bartending in New York City. Places like this worked if you appeared single but weren’t available to anyone.
Jordan smacked my shoulder. “Whatever you’re thinking, stop it. That man is crazy about you.”
“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean it’s a good idea for me to hang out here,” I argued.
“They’ll get over it.” I startled at the sound of Eli’s voice nearby, then offered him a smile of thanks. He joined us, standing to the other side of Jordan as he continued. “If you ask me, you are exactly what Jack needs in this place. Since he and Colin broke up, he’s been hiding out in his office because of fools like that. They aren’t always the best at taking subtle hints, and he’s too professional to be rude to them and tell them to back the fuck off.”
“But what if they stop coming in?” I asked him.
Eli simply shook his head, rolling his eyes as if it was ludicrous to think my presence could cost him business. “The customers around here are even more loyal than anyone we get at my place. Where our customers have their choice of bars, there aren’t many kink clubs around. And there’s sure as hell no other place within a fifty-mile radius that does everything Jack and his crew have introduced here. The people who come in here, they’re looking for a unique connection. Whether that’s someone to hurt them, humiliate them, tie them up, or tell them they’re a pretty boy—people know this is where they can find it. If those boys shy away because one man is off the market, they have nowhere else to go to meet people.
“So, essentially, you’re saying Jack has a monopoly?” Jordan asked.
Eli chuckled and kissed the side of his head. “No, sweetheart. What I’m saying is, he has built what others have tried and failed. That’s why people keep coming back here. And once the new room is open, I think he’s going to see even more business.”
“You’ve got to see this!” Jordan dragged me into a room that was a night and day difference to the rest of the establishment. The walls were bright and cheery, with a huge mural along the back wall. It was interesting to see the clear delineation between various setups.
I crinkled my nose when I noticed the oversized playpen, soft toys, and blocks at the far end of the room. Definitely not something I wanted to try, but as I scanned the entire room, I noticed a progression.
Next to that, there was a low bookcase filled with picture books, different blocks, what appeared to be a train set, and a huge bin of crayons. Then, next to that, was a completely different variety of toys. And closest to us, the space was a muted blue with two bean bag chairs on the floor and an entertainment system against the wall. My eyes widened as I took in the assortment of gaming systems there. “What in the world is this?”
“It’s a special room for Littles!” Jordan responded, already on his way to the entertainment center.
“Is that something you’re into?” I wasn’t going to judge him if he was, but I didn’t understand it.
“I don’t need the stuff that’s down that way, but this is freaking awesome.” He tossed a controller to me, and we flopped onto one of the bean bags.
The tightness in my chest eased as an old school game loaded up. I pushed the jealous little twit from earlier out of my mind and stopped thinking about the pressure of being Jack’s partner when we were here, as Jordan talked shit about how he was going to kick my ass.
“In your dreams,” I retorted. “We’ve been playing this since we were little, and I can’t remember a single time you’ve won.”
“Yeah, well maybe I’ve been practicing,” he shot back, and I quirked an eyebrow. “What? It could happen.”
“No, it couldn’t,” I responded. “I love you, J, but you suck at video games.”
“Boys,” Eli admonished us. Why in the hell did that get my dick hard? I shook my head. No way was I going to get turned on by my boss. “Play nice or we’re turning it off.”
“Sorry, Daddy,” Jordan mumbled.
