Vincent didn’t bother answering. He was tired enough he’d likely say something foolish likeBecause you love me. It was too early to think they were feeling anything but lust for each other despite their chemistry both in and out of bed. Another month or two and maybe he could believe it was something more.
When he heard the shower turn on, he finally stopped stalling and tossed the covers off. He used the bathroom, then headed down to rummage through the playroom. He already had an idea of how he wanted Jasper for the photos, but he picked through the toys and accessories to see what he could add.
Silver nipple clamps with a short, thin chain and rods of Asclepius dangling on the ends caught his eye. Leave it to Zachto have pieces to fit all the themes in the room. He picked them up and continued on, though nothing else called out to him before he reached the bundles of Shibari rope. This time he picked only the black, since most of the photos he wanted were going to be black and white anyway.
He paused by the stash of collars on his way out and hooked his fingers around a simple black leather one. He’d yet to put one on Jasper and knew the moment he did that he’d want to keep it there, but that was a risk worth taking. What was the point of having professional photos taken if his sub didn’t look the part as much as possible?
He snatched the collar, headed back upstairs to dump his haul on the bed, then took a quick shower while Jasper was making a light breakfast. Once he was dressed in jeans and a T-shirt he joined Jasper at the table and pressed a kiss to the top of his head. It was still too early for him to be hungry, but he managed to eat most of a piece of toast before his stomach threatened to revolt.
Jasper only ate a few bites before giving up, and Vincent wondered if maybe he should have fought Ash a bit harder on the scheduling, but they were already up. They could sleep after.
He ushered Jasper up to the loft and found a pair of tight black boxers for him.
“Is this all I’m going to wear?”
“Technically, no,” Vincent answered, unwinding the black rope.
Jasper grumbled something under his breath that sounded like “Such a dick.”
“I could leave you naked, if you like,” he said and pretended not to see the narrow-eyed glare Jasper shot him. “Or maybe you’d prefer nothing but a cock ring.”
“You made your point, Sir,” Jasper groused.
“Have I?” he asked, looping the rope around Jasper’s back like a lasso and pulling him closer. “I have other suggestions.” He snickered when Jasper rolled his eyes, adjusting the rope so the center was resting against the back of Jasper’s neck. Then he set to work on an elaborate harness.
The familiar motions and texture as the rope slid between his fingers were soothing, more so when he got them right the first time and didn’t feel the need to undo and rework his knots to keep them tight and neat. Jasper’s breathing slowed and deepened as Vincent worked, and he glanced up to find Jasper’s eyes half lidded. “Don’t fall asleep.”
He heaved a sigh and audibly forced back a whine even as he swayed on his feet. “So tired.”
“Maybe you should stop staying up so late,” Vincent taunted, smirking in the face of Jasper’s accusing glare and baleful grumble. “Should I add letting you get your beauty sleep to the contract?”
“Yes. Otherwise I might bite you even more.”
Vincent hummed in amusement and tied off the rope as he reached the end of it, then stepped back to check over his work. Rather than the typical diamonds, he’d covered Jasper’s torso with a line down the center that had acute angles coming off to wrap around his sides and back. They overlapped in different directions for an abstract pattern that drew the attention in and down.
He debated a moment on continuing the pattern down Jasper’s legs, but a knock at the patio door let him know they were out of time. He motioned Jasper to get the robe hanging on the bathroom door as he pocketed the clamps and collar, then picked up the other bundles of black rope in case he found a nice tree to tie Jasper to. The white blindfold from the other night was on the nightstand, and he grabbed that too before heading downstairs.
Ash was leaning back against the patio railing, camera bag slung across his chest, a small battery-powered lantern in one hand and a travel mug in the other, which he lifted in response to Vincent’s quiet “Morning.” He glanced to Jasper with a nod, then turned to lead the way onto one of the paths. Vincent reached for Jasper’s hand and followed.
They headed towards the hot springs but turned off before reaching them. It was still dark enough to need the lantern, but the sky was starting to gray, and the warm summer night air promised a hotter day to follow. After a few more minutes of walking on a path Vincent could barely recognize as a path, they reached a small clearing.
Ash stopped a few steps in and turned. “Will this work?”
Vincent couldn’t see much other than a tree near the center, but he trusted Ash to know the best spots for photos, especially around his own home. “Yes.”
Ash set the lantern on the ground, followed by his mug and bag. “We’ll only have an hour or so,” he said quietly.
Vincent only knew about the golden hour from listening to Ash in college. He didn’t speak much, but photography was his passion, and Zach could always wheedle more than a few sentences out of him by asking about his cameras or photography. Vincent supposed being raised in a cult, as Ash had been, would leave its mark on anyone.
He left Ash to get set up and turned to Jasper. “Ready?”
“Not really,” Jasper murmured, his arms wrapped tight around himself.
Vincent considered him for a moment, then grasped his chin to tip his head up. “You can still say no, pet.”
Jasper’s shoulders relaxed, and his lips twitched in a faint smile. “I know, but I didn’t know I was going to be nakedoutside.”
“You’re not naked,” he replied, resisting the powerful urge to roll his eyes. He could have suggested Jasper be naked—Ash did full-nudity photos—but he didn’t need something that explicit. At least not for Jasper’s first time.
