“That’s my good boy,” I praised him. We stepped aside as one of the new bartenders hurried past, muttering something about shit not being where it was supposed to be. Mav’s shoulders slumped, and I knew he’d taken the off-handed remark personally. I pulled him against me, wrapping my arms tightly around his back. “Don’t listen to him. Everyone’s on edge tonight. There’s a lot riding on everything going smoothly so the people we’ve invited will sign up for memberships.”
“I didn’t know it was going to be that type of club.”
“Not all the time, but Jack wants to have some nights that won’t be open to the public,” I explained. “It will give an added level of security for those who want to play outside the private rooms but have to worry about someone overseeing things they’d rather not have leave the club.”
“That’s really cool.” There was so much he still had to learn about the club, but I was certain the more he learned, the less he’d want to find a real job, as he called it.
“Yeah, it is.” I didn’t tell him it was also a way for Jack to allow the staff time to enjoy the club, since most of us were in the lifestyle in one way or another. He planned on having us work a rotation, so no one was stuck working every members-only night. “Now, get out there and relax. You haven’t done enough of that since you got here.”
“It feels like that’s all I’ve done,” he grumbled.
“Not by a long shot,” I countered. “You’ve busted your ass to help us get ready for tonight. You’ll start working shifts soon. And the only people you know have been equally busy. Go. Have fun before Sam and the boys head back to the playroom.”
I stepped back, holding his shoulders as I slowly ran my gaze over the length of his body. “I’m pretty sure you’d scandalize the boys and girls over there tonight, so you’d better remember your place.”
“I will, Sir.” He tucked his chin to his chest. For someone who said he’d never been in a D/s relationship, Mav had the best manners of anyone I’d ever been with. He was a natural and would be rewarded for his good behavior later.
I cupped his ass in my hands, plastering his body to mine for a goodbye kiss before we went our separate ways. Tonight couldn’t go by fast enough.
Just as I’d thought, I was distracted the entire night, trying to keep one eye on Maverick as he dragged Sam and Corey onto the dance floor. It was unusual for most of us to have the night off together, and I was hoping the three of them continued strengthening their bond. I’d preened a bit when I watched their expressions as Maverick approached, jaws falling slack, the same as mine had earlier. And really, who could blame them? Mav was, without a doubt, the sexiest boy in the entire place.
“Well, that’s quite the change from how he looks during the day,” Jack mused as he snuck up on me at the door. I jumped, hating that he’d managed to get so close without me realizing. It wasn’thimI worried about, but if he could catch me off my game, who else could have slipped past me? “Don’t worry, I’d be distracted, too, if Slade was shaking his ass like that.”
“Where is the troublemaker, anyway?” I would have thought he would be the center of attention tonight, but he was nowhere to be seen.
“He said he wasn’t feeling up to a party.” Jack shrugged but didn’t manage to hide his grimace.
“Is he feeling okay?” Slade was the wild boy of the bunch. I’d never known him to miss a night where he could let loose without worrying about getting in trouble.
“Yeah, I’m sure he’s fine. But I’m not going to lie, I’m already counting down until closing time so I can check on him,” Jack admitted. I watched him for a minute, realizing just how much he’d changed since he and Slade got together. I’d always known he was a Daddy, but until Slade managed to get past his defenses, I would have sworn he’d given up on falling in love again. “Man, I’m telling you…these boys bring us to life, but they’re going to be the death of us, too.”
“I hear that,” I agreed, mostly because I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to say.
“So, things are going well for you and Mav?” he prodded after another long silence.
“Yeah, they’re great so far.” I shuddered as Mav turned to face me, spread his legs, and dropped low on the ground before slowly coming back to standing. His hips swayed and he ran his fingers up his legs.
I’d screwed up and hadn’t considered anything for his legs when I’d picked out the outfit, but Mav resolved that issue before he’d come down to the living room. I nearly swallowed my tongue when I caught sight of the black fishnet stockings covering his slender thighs. I hoped he wasn’t attached to them because, if I had my way, they were going to be in shreds on the floor before the night was over.
“Forgive me for prying but have you always…” Jack’s question died off, as if he wasn’t sure what he wanted to ask.
“No. Not until I met him,” I admitted, having a pretty good idea of what he wanted to know. “We had a minor thing last summer, but it wasn’t until I saw him that night at Theron’s.”
“And just like that, you’re ready to switch teams?” He raised an eyebrow and puffed out his chest. I couldn’t even be pissed off at him being protective of one of the boys. That was the way he was to the core.
“Trust me, I’ve had plenty of sleepless nights trying to figure out what in the fuck’s going on in my head,” I told him. I pressed my fist to my chest, hoping to ease the ache I felt for all the times I’d explained away that first time as him somehow manipulating me. Now that I knew him better, I realized that was something he’d never do. “And it wasn’t like we fell in bed the first time we saw each other again. Mav’s made me work for it. He might be tiny, but he’s got one hell of a backbone on him. If I step out of line, you can rest easy knowing he’ll put me in my place.”
“He’s not the only one I worry about,” Jack told me, his voice softer now. “I’d like to think that after all this time, we’re more than just boss and employee. I don’t want to see you hurt any more than him.”
“Don’t worry about me. I’m a big boy,” I promised him.
“And you know what they say…the bigger you are, the harder you fall,” Jack mused. “Most of the guests have already arrived. Why don’t you go have some fun with him and I’ll take over here?”
“Are you sure?” As I asked the question, I was already backing away from the podium at the door. It was time to get things started, and tonight, I wasn’t going to hold back with my boy. We’d start out here, then we’d head back to his place, where I’d finally prove to him I wasn’t just dipping my toe in the water. I was diving in headfirst and, with any luck, I planned to land with my dick buried inside of his ass.
“Yeah. Go. Have fun,” Jack urged. “From the buzz I’m hearing, tonight might be the last night in a long while where you can relax.”
Jack gave me a firm slap on the back as I thanked him for letting me have an early night. “Take care of him. Happy looks good on you.”
