“Let’s do that. I want to see you one more time before someone sweeps you away.”
Aaron shook his head. “Don’t be silly. What do you think, an hour?”
Jay shifted on his feet and squared his shoulders, his sharp suit and stern demeanor making him an imposing presence that towered over everyone else. A hot coil of desire unfurled inside Aaron, stirred by how small and weak he felt next to Jay’s powerful body despite them being almost the same height.
Jay leaned in, his breath brushing along the exposed nerves of Aaron’s neck, and murmured, “I will find you.”
He disappeared into the crowd, leaving Aaron feeling off-balance. He considered sitting down on the couch to do some deep breathing but didn’t get a chance before someone tapped him on the shoulder.
“Aaron,” Alex purred and wound his arm around Aaron’s waist. Coming from anyone else, that behavior would be too forward, but everyone knew Alex was a huge flirt and completely harmless. As harmless as a Dom could be, anyway. He’d been thefirst person to express interest in Aaron on his first night here, and he seemed just as interested tonight. “I see you’ve changed your colors.”
“Mhmm. What do you got?” Aaron flashed Alex a flirty smirk. A part of him was uneasy, wishing it were Jay touching him instead, but that wasn’t fair to Alex, who was a nice guy and a popular choice among the solo subs at the club. Aaron could do worse.
“Ooh, feeling bratty? I’m in the mood for a spanking tonight.” Alex raised an eyebrow and tightened his grip slightly, waiting for Aaron’s response.
“I don’t really do bratty.” Aaron wiggled away. “And I definitely don’t do punishments. Sorry, Alex, I don’t think this was meant to be.”
Alex shrugged and gave him a good-natured squeeze on the arm. “You should think about it—you’d make a good brat. But you do you.”
The next few conversations were a variation of the same thing. Everyone who came up to him was perfectly nice. No one was pushy or overbearing. No one asked for anything outlandish or inappropriate.
And no one offered Aaron what he wanted. His heart sank as, one after another, they all assumed Aaron was a brat.
It wasn’t a dynamic he found appealing for himself. It worked for many others, and it was hot in porn, but he just didn’t see himself as bratty. He knew what he liked and wasn’t afraid to speak his mind—that didn’t seem like something to be punished for.
As much as he yearned for someone to force him to submit, to put him on his knees and take away his control, he couldn’t imagine actually surrendering to any of these people.
Except for one.
Leaning against the bar between the chats, Aaron kept zeroing in on Jay, who was easy to spot, his presence too magnetic to ignore. He never stayed alone as people kept approaching him, touching him, flashing coy smiles, making their interest obvious. Even Gordon tried his luck, though Jay’s exasperated look shut him down quickly.
Unfortunately, others were more successful. Each time Jay leaned in close to whisper into someone’s ear, Aaron’s stomach clenched and twisted.
“Are you open to play tonight?”
Aaron tore his eyes away from the gorgeous young woman batting her eyelashes at Jay and focused on the tall, shirtless man in front of him. There was a twinkle in his eyes as he waited for Aaron to respond.
“Depends on what you’re looking for,” Aaron said defensively.
The man chuckled and shook his head. “I get the feeling that no matter what I say, it won’t be what you want to hear.”
Aaron’s eyes darted over to the spot where Jay had been standing. Empty. His stomach lurched, frustration and longing sinking their claws into him.
“I think you’re right,” he admitted. “I’m sorry, I’m having an off night.”
“No need to apologize. Maybe next time.”
“Maybe. Good luck tonight.” Aaron mustered a smile and pushed away from the counter, heading to the restroom. Ironically, it was the quietest corner of the club. No need to sneak a quick blowjob in a dirty stall when everywhere else was an option.
Not that the stalls were dirty. Every surface was sparkling clean despite the heavy crowd tonight. There must have been an entire cleaning team on standby.
He waited a few minutes to calm down, dabbing his face with a damp paper towel, before walking back into the chaos. Thefeeling of floating on air was gone. Looking hot turned out to be pointless, wasted on the men who approached him with all the wrong suggestions. The sweet brush of leather against his thighs was no longer exciting, and the thin mesh was making him itchy. His head pulsed, the weight of disappointment settling across his chest.
It was time to go.
He searched the crowd for Jay, hoping to say goodbye, but he was nowhere to be seen. Must have slipped away to a dark corner with some lucky sub. Aaron didn’t want to witness any part of that scenario. He’d text Jay when he got home.
He made his way to the door, ripping the bracelet off his wrist to head off any more pick-up attempts. Almost to the entrance, a pair of strong hands encircled his waist and stopped him short.
