Chapter 1
AARON
Aaron had only been at the club for ten minutes, and already the night wasn’t going according to plan.
He’d expected to slip in quietly, find an unassuming spot, and watch from afar, but the crowd of half-dressed people and dim lighting left him disoriented as soon as he’d walked in, and he wasn’t sure where to go.
The last thing he wanted was to accidentally stumble into a designated play area or draw unwanted attention to himself, so he settled down at the bar and nursed a hard seltzer. He might have gone for something stronger to calm his nerves, but the offerings were limited. Which made sense. Alcohol and consent could be a dangerous combination.
He took small sips and glanced around, trying to stay inconspicuous. That strategy didn’t work for long. Despite the red bracelet on his wrist—the one that meant he wasn’t available to play—people kept coming up to him. One by one, an impossibly muscular man, a woman in leather, and a latex-clad guy half his age had sidled up to Aaron to ask for his name.
Aaron appreciated the ego boost. He did. But he would have preferred to go unnoticed for now. At least until he got his bearings.
It was his first visit here. After months of research and mountains of paperwork, he finally received the letter officially welcoming him to Chain Reaction—a well-reviewed, exclusive, LGBT-friendly kink club. It was his first step toward immersinghimself in the lifestyle, learning all the things he couldn’t learn online, inching ahead and eventually participating.
Eventuallybeing the key word.
Aaron’s plans for tonight didn’t include flirting. They definitely didn’t include shooting down three young, beautiful people out of pure bewilderment. He rubbed the red plastic between his fingers, trying to center himself. What happened to the confident and composed Aaron? He’d never once backed down from a challenge before. Yet now, a strange knot of jittery uncertainty twisted in his stomach as he stared at the drops of condensation sliding down his bottle. The excitement of starting this new chapter was ebbing, replaced by doubt. What was he getting into?
“Hey. You’re new, right? I haven’t seen you around here before,” a friendly male voice interrupted his ruminations.
Aaron couldn’t ignore the aura of warmth and the pleasant spicy scent wafting toward him. He swiveled on the stool, another excuse on his tongue, when his knee bumped against the man standing beside him. They made eye contact, and a shiver curled up his spine.
For a moment, the world was reduced to a pair of dark, hypnotizing eyes. Then, Aaron noticed the bright, genuine smile aimed at him. The man’s expression was open, enveloping Aaron in an immediate sense of safety and comfort.
Silence stretched between them. When the man cocked his eyebrow, Aaron snapped out of his trance. Fuck, he’d been staring. That was the opposite of inconspicuous.
“I’m sorry, I’m not…” He trailed off and set his arm on the counter as an explanation, gesturing to the red bracelet and silently berating himself for acting like a bumbling fool. How long had it been since he’d found himself at a loss for words?
Unperturbed, the man mirrored his movement, placing his wrist next to Aaron’s. His muscled, hairy forearm emanatedheat, and Aaron wanted to press into the welcoming warmth. Distracted by their proximity, it took him a moment to notice their matching red bands. The only difference between their accessories was the color of the second bracelet. Aaron had picked up the white one—for subs—while the stranger sported the jet-black version. A Dom.
But that wasn’t what he was trying to show Aaron. Clearly, he was trying to demonstrate that neither of them was looking to play. That he wasn’t hitting on Aaron. As the realization hit, the man’s smile widened. “Can I say hello now?”
Reluctantly, Aaron moved his arm away, immediately missing the warmth of their connection. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be rude, but I just got here, and you’re the fourth person to come up.”
“Oh, I know. I saw.” The sexy stranger winked, the gesture so smooth it had to be practiced. Aaron couldn’t remember the last time someone winked at him. Besides using the winking emoji, did people actually wink?
“I’m Jay, by the way,” the man continued, not waiting for a response. “After seeing you turn down three notorious flirts, I had to come over and experience the magic for myself.”
Heat prickled at Aaron’s neck. Great. Instead of lying low, he’d gathered an audience. He tried to play it off with a joke. “And did my magic live up to your expectations?”
“Absolutely. I half expected you to just ignore me.”
“At least I didn’t just get up and run away.”
Jay snorted in amusement. “Oh, yeah, that would not have been good for my self-esteem.”
Aaron couldn’t help but chuckle. Jay’s self-esteem taking a hit because of Aaron was a hilarious thought, since he was probably the hottest guy in the club. Possibly in the entire city.
Aaron knew he should invent an excuse and let Jay disappear back into the night, but his body refused to cooperate. Something about Jay drew him in, rooting him in place.
Jay stood close enough to feel enormous, tall and broad-shouldered, his magnetic presence eclipsing everything around him. He didn’t look like the other Doms Aaron had noticed earlier—no latex or leather, no straps and chains. Just a tight black T-shirt and worn jeans that showed off his impressive physique. Deceptively simple, yet perfect.
Jay’s dark hair had a wavy texture, a few strands resting on his forehead and framing a warm bronze complexion that hinted at possible Middle Eastern origins, and his piercing gaze was softened by the longest eyelashes Aaron had ever seen.
Against his will, Aaron’s focus dipped down to Jay’s full lips, curved into a smile and surrounded by dense stubble that dotted his jawline. Aaron loved beards and body hair, and Jay’s enticing roughness made his fingers itch to slide across the prickly surface.
Yeah. There was no way Aaron could ever touch Jay’s self-esteem.
