“The problem ishe’snot on the list,” I responded, irritated that we were wasting time with explanations that could wait. It was the closest Danny had ever come to disobeying me, so I was going to take the opportunity later to punish him for it. He needed to learn I didn’t do anything without a good reason. “And we have reason to believe this man is up to some of his old tricks with a new boy. Now, let’s not make a big deal out of things. Everyone pretend like this is totally normal.”
Corey handed off the keys to the storeroom and went to find William. Slade downed the rest of his drink and left for the back office. And I sat my happy ass on the stool. As badly as I wanted to be back there with the rest of them to make sure nothing else happened to the boy,myboy was my primary concern.
“Why does this feel like some sort of covert hostage rescue mission?” Danny asked as he wiped down the counter and began restocking the glassware.
“Have you ever been a member at a private club before?” I asked, realizing just how much Danny and I still didn’t know about one another.
He shook his head.
“Well, sometimes people slip through the cracks. And we’re a tight-knit community, so we tend to police ourselves. In this case, the guy who was behind me is a piece of shit who’s been kicked out of several groups in the state. Somehow, he hooked up with a young man who apparently has a membership. As you can imagine, that’s not a good thing. I gave John a heads up, and we’re going to take care of the situation.”
“How do you know he hasn’t changed?” Danny challenged me. “It seems unfair to assume that he’s still pulling whatever he did before. Maybe he realized he was wrong and is hoping for a fresh start.”
Fuck, this beautiful boy had a tender heart. I’d noticed that about him even before the first time I had approached him at DeSires. He was the epitome of a bartending therapist, always wanting to help people sort through whatever was bothering them. And despite what he’d been through, he still wanted to think the best of people.
I cupped Danny’s cheek and stood on the bottom rung of my stool. John and the guys had a handle on the situation on the other side of the club, and it had been far too long since I’d last kissed my boy. I pressed my lips to his, keeping things chaste “You’re so sweet, you’re going to give me a cavity. If I thought that was the case, I would be the first one to celebrate his turnaround. Unfortunately, after seeing the boy he was with, I don’t think that’s the case.”
“So what’s going to happen to him?” Danny asked as a customer flagged him down from the other end of the bar.
While I waited for him to return, I considered his question. It wasn’t my place to charge in like a white knight, but if he was in danger, we couldn’t let him go home with that asshole. This was one aspect of the community I didn’t miss. There was a very fine line as to what was allowed in terms of stepping in.
In the past, I likely would have opened my home to a sub I’d never met before, taken care of him in the most platonic of ways, and celebrated when he was able to stand on his own again. But now, I had Danny to consider, and if I worried about how he’d feel about me facilitating scenes for other couples, there was no way he’d be accept someone moving into my spare room.
There were deep lines etched in Danny’s forehead when he returned, and his attention kept darting to the entrance of DeSires. I took his hand in both of mine, giving his fingers a squeeze until he looked at me. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. I’m not sure if he’ll even accept our help, but we’ll make sure he’s okay.”
Danny swallowed hard and there were tears welling along his bottom lashes. His hands shook as he tried loading the countertop dishwasher.
“Hey, what’s got you so worked up?” I took the rag out of his hands after the third time he started wiping down the same clean spot in front of me. “Talk to me, Danny.”
“It makes me realize things weren’t really that bad for me,” he admitted quietly. “Yeah, Michael was distant, and liked to tell me I was too needy and that I needed to learn to take care of myself, but at least he took care of me.”
He choked back a sob on the final words. I rushed around the end of the bar and pulled him into my arms. As he struggled to maintain his composure, I softly petted the back of his hair.
“It’s okay, sweetheart. What someone else might be going through doesn’t negate your own experience. I’m so sorry your ex said all those things to you. I don’t know him so I’m not going to speak ill about him, but it doesn’t sound to me like the two of you were well suited if he wanted someone who wouldn’t rely on him. It sounds a lot more like he wanted a slave to do what he said while ignoring the fact you have needs as well.”
“Yeah, but he never did anything to hurt me.”
Oh, he was so wrong about that. I placed a hand over his chest. “He may not have inflicted any physical injuries outside of play, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t hurt you. The fact you have walls up to guard this tender heart speaks to the damage that was done.”
“But those don’t hurt as much anymore.” Danny leaned against me, resting his head on my shoulder. He kissed the base of my neck, and with the drone of music and conversations in the club, I nearly missed his whispered words. “Thank you, Sir.”
“It’s my honor,” I reassured him. “Now, is there anything I can help you with? I know you weren’t expecting to work tonight.”
“But we’ll still get to play later, right?” Danny chewed on his bottom lip. When he tried subtly adjusting himself, I wrapped my fingers around his wrist. “Sorry, Sir. It’s been a strange night and seeing you trying to take care of someone you don’t even know is a turn on I didn’t know I had.”
It was sad that us rallying around the young man who’d come in with Jag was uncommon to Danny. Here I was, feeling like I wasn’t doing enough to help him, and my boy saw me as some sort of hero. I was nothing of the sort; I was just a man who’d do everything in my power to protect my community.
8
Danny
It washard to believe the last time I’d attended members-only night, I’d wished I’d stayed home. If I had, I might have missed my opportunity to spend my nights in the arms of the man who was so much more than I’d ever imagined having. I knew he was caring but, until tonight, I hadn’t realized the way he’d been with me in the beginning was how he was with everyone. It was obvious he was worried about the couple that were still on the other side of the club.
While I served customers, his face was buried in his phone. I might have been jealous of whomever he was talking to if not for the fact I noticed John doing the same, tucking his phone into his pocket right before Blake picked his up. The two of them were in constant communication. It was sexy as hell to see how no one doubted them when they started barking out orders. Both of them exuded this commanding presence that could bring any sub to his knees.
Too bad for everyone else they were both off the market now. Or at least, I hoped they both were. John was definitely taken, but Blake and I hadn’t put any labels on our relationship. Tonight made me realize I wanted that. It was obvious we weren’t just fuck buddies, given the lack of fucking that happened when we were together, but he swore he wanted me. That had to mean he was trying to build something more.
And I was the one who’d been reluctant for anything beyond a quick release. Maybe it was up to me to let him know what I wanted. If I was lucky, that might thaw the glacier that was our sex life.
