CHAPTER ONE
SPRING BREAKShad never been more than a week of Jasper locking himself in his room and keeping quiet. How enjoyable the week was always inversely correlated to the number of times he saw his father, which meant spring breaks were usually shit.
This year was different. Now that he’d moved in with his cousin Amber, her fiancé Terrance, and their three housemates, he no longer had to sneak around his own home to avoid verbal or physical blows. This year Jasper intended to enjoy himself, especially while he had a small break from both college and his part-time job. Which was how he ended up standing inside a kink club on Saturday night.
He scrubbed his palms against his slacks—a bit too small since they were borrowed from Matt, one of his housemates—for the fifth time since getting out of the car. Touch of Leather was far classier than other clubs he’d been to, but then, none of them had catered to anything more than dancing and drinking. The bar was well stocked with every kind of nonalcoholic drink imaginable, and there was a sitting area with posh leather sofas and dark-wood, live-edge coffee tables. Black-and-white photos were interspersed along the walls, but he was too far away to make out anything more than the shapes of bodies.
Amber and the others—Terrance, Keith, Matt, and Reiko—had already vanished into the play area, and while he was curious what was in there, he wasn’t ready to cross that threshold yet. Despite the fetish videos he’d watched and his growing curiosity about bondage, seeing all this up close and personal was something else entirely. Especially when Amber had invited him along only a few hours ago.
Instead he went to the bar and ordered a soda, wishing he was a few months older and could have downed some liquid courage before they left the house. Then again, Amber would probably kill him if he got drunk just to try something new with a stranger. He wasn’tthatstupid, thanks.
He took his drink to a comfy armchair and settled in to people-watch, ignoring the little voice in his head piping up with aYou’re stalling.Maybe he’d get lucky enough to catch someone’s eye while lingering in the sitting area. He sipped his drink with a soft snort.Yeah, right.
People weren’t wearing as much leather as he’d expected. Most were in casual clothes, but there were a few who dressed the part: leather pants, corsets, fishnet. He caught sight of a man wearing a collar with a leash attached. A shiny silver collar that glinted against his dark skin.
Jasper watched him as his partner led him into the dungeon, absently touching his own throat as he slumped further into his chair. No way was he going to get anyone’s attention sitting in the corner like this, but the thought of going in there alone made him feel like puking. He wasn’t entirely sure if that was the excitement or the nerves or both. With a sigh he pulled his phone out and found a game to keep himself occupied until his cousin was done.
At least he’d gotten out of the house for a bit. He could even call it experiencing something new… if he ignored the heat of self-loathing in his gut for getting all the way here and chickening out.
He’d only finished half his soda when someone sat in the chair next to him. From the corner of his eye, he caught the dark fabric of an expensive suit. Someone way out of his league. Probably waiting on someone. Probablystraight. Such a travesty.
“Seeking pain or pleasure?” a quiet voice asked, and it took Jasper a moment to realize Mr. Suit was talking tohim.
Jasper glanced up, choking on his soda and nearly shooting it out his nose. Dark hair, hazel eyes, and a face that belonged on aForbesissue about the hottest entrepreneurs of the decade. “Uh, what?” he asked, pinching his stinging nose, his eyes watering.Real smooth, dumbass.
Mr. Suit raised an eyebrow, and Jasper kissed his chances of making a good impression goodbye. “Are you here to play?” he asked, glancing at the white band on Jasper’s wrist. The band had a red line through the center that marked him as a guest, new to the scene, and “vanilla.” Because Amber was a bitch.
Jasper sat up, nerves fluttering in his stomach. “Maybe? Are—” He cut himself off, taking in the rest of Mr. Suit’s appearance:mussed but effortlessly styled hair, expensive watch, shoes so polished he could nearly see his reflection. Definitely out of his league. “Are you offering?”
“Depends.” Mr. Suit tilted his head and offered his hand. “I’m Vincent.”
“Jasper,” he replied, shaking Vincent’s hand. “And pleasure. Definitely pleasure.”
Vincent smiled briefly and let go. “In that case, why don’t we talk?” He stood and motioned to a set of doors near the bar.
“Sure,” Jasper said, hating how he was suddenly breathless. No way was he this lucky. “Holy shit, he’s hot,” he whispered as he stood and followed Vincent into another lounge, this one empty aside from chairs and tables.
This was fine. Have a talk with the gorgeous guy who hopefully wanted to play with him.
He totally had this.
CHAPTER TWO
VINCENT MOTIONEDto a chair at one of the smaller tables, then sat across from Jasper. Once they were settled, he leaned back and crossed his legs. “What kind of pleasure are you seeking?”
Jasper wrapped both hands around his glass and bit his lip, shifting once in his seat and then stilling like he was trying hard not to fidget. “What do you mean?”
Well, that partly answered the question of how new to the scene Jasper was. The white band had caught his eye on his way out, and the way Jasper had been absorbed in his phone was not an image he liked to see in his club. He wasn’t sure who’d brought Jasper in—few of the members even had guest access—but maybe he should rescind that completely if this was the result. He didn’t mind members bringing in their friends, but abandoning them was a dick move.
“Some people enjoy being tickled,” Vincent said. “Or having hot wax dripped over their bodies. Others are more interested in sexual release.” He tilted his head when Jasper shifted in his chair again. “What is it that brought you to my club rather than a seedy strip joint?”
Jasper cleared his throat. “I-I kinda want to know what being tied up is like.”
“Kinda? Is that a ‘I like thinking about it but don’t really want to experience it’ kinda, or a ‘please tie me up and torment me’ kinda?” Vincent asked, holding back a chuckle when Jasper’s breath caught.
“I’ve never done any of this before.” Jasper glanced up, his blue eyes bright in the low light. “But I want to. I’d like to try. With you.”
Vincent couldn’t exactly say no in the face of that eagerness. Especially since he didn’t like the idea of someone so inexperienced getting in over their head. He did everything he could to keep his club a safe space, though there were more than a few hard players among the members.
