Jasper shrugged, setting his coffee on the table. “What if I am?”
Matt snorted. “He’ll string you along until he’s bored and then toss you aside.”
“Oh, you mean like Shayne did?” Jasper asked with a sneer. At least Vincent wasn’t teasing him with something he wasn’t willing togive.
“Matt—” Keith said, but Matt talked over him.
“He goes through play partners like you go through games. He doesn’t even stay with them long enough to form a relationship.”
Who the hell was asking for a relationship? “Great. Then I’ll have maybe a few months of great sex before I go back to being miserable.” He shoved to his feet, about to ask Amber how he could use her guest access next week when he noticed the way Matt was staring at him. “What?” he snapped.
“He had sex with you?”
“How the fuck is that any of your business?” He wasn’t sure what the hell Matt’s problem was, but he was done with this conversation. “I’m going back to bed,” he said, escaping up the stairs to his room.
He locked the door behind him and collapsed on his bed with a groan. He knew they meant well, but having so many people prying into his life after so many years of being ignored was too much to deal with sometimes. He tried not to be a dick about it, since he was living here rent-free, with the promise to help with chores, butfuck. Did they have to be so overbearing?
He needed to finish registering for his classes since they filled up fast. He couldn’t risk losing his scholarship because he missed a required course, but he couldn’t muster the strength to get up and deal with that scheduling nightmare yet.
He buried his face in his pillow with another groan. All he could think about was Vincent’s hands on him. The memory of Vincent sinking to his knees in front of the chair, with all that refined grace and authority, was the single hottest thing he’d ever seen. He didn’t know why Matt was so shocked by the idea of Vincent having sex with him, but he couldn’t help but assume it was because they both knew Vincent was way out of his league.
CHAPTER SIX
VINCENT WASN’Ttoo surprised when he woke to a text from Amber on Sunday afternoon. It was a simple:WTF did you do to my cousin???
He ignored it and rolled over to doze another half hour, already cursing himself for not sending Jasper back downstairs when Amber called. The moment those five applied for membership to his club, he’d sworn not to get involved with them again. Which hadn’t been too hard, considering how he fell out of touch with them after his mother’s death, but Amber was as vigilant as she was strict. There was no way to avoid her, especially if Jasper returned to the club next week.
When he finally got out of bed, a mild buzz of irritation under his skin made his reply a bit harsher than he intended.Nothing so bad as abandoning him in a fetish club.When he hadn’t received a response a few minutes later, he tried softening it a bit withWhy?Not that he was worried. At least not beyond his obligation to ensure someone he’d played with didn’t have a breakdown because of him.
Amber didn’t respond until after he’d eaten lunch and showered.He’s asking about club membership
Vincent chuckled, glad he hadn’t scared the brat off. Despite his reservations about Amber and the others, Jasper was fun to play with. And his bratty, snarky wit might have been exactly Vincent’s preference. He sent aYou know how to applyand took the lack of any further response as a good sign.
He headed to Touch of Leather and busied himself with work, ignoring the few of his staff who knew him well enough to tell him to take an actual day off. Tuesdays were his usual day off. The club was closed Monday and Tuesday, and closed early Sunday night, but he had a few other businesses to check in on when he wasn’t at the club, and a standing appointment on Monday.
The club’s grand opening had been less than a year ago, and while it was doing well, he couldn’t quite bring himself to leave its day-to-day operations to his staff yet.
Especially when someone as wet behind the ears as Jasper had managed to find his way in without a proper safety net.
BY THEtime the weekend came around again, he found himself in his office, glancing at the security feeds while he finished checking over the finance reports. Amber hadn’t contacted him again, and there’d been no application for a Jasper, but he was willing to wait and see. He might have even been hopeful.
As a Dom without his own sub, he was requested by club members for the occasional scene, but few of them compared to Jasper. The ones who did were already attached to a partner or two in some way and were merely looking for a specific bit of play they couldn’t get at home. Some only needed the kink, others wanted release, but Vincent never got off with any of them. He didn’t have sex unless it was with his own sub, with a contract in place.
Around ten, Jasper finally arrived and propped himself against the bar. Vincent caught a brief glimpse of Amber before she headed for the dungeon with Terrance.
Vincent waited a moment, then picked up the phone, keeping an eye on the screen as the bartender picked up on the other end. “Blond with blue eyes—his name is Jasper. If he asks for me, give him the key to room three.”
“Right-o, boss,” she sang and hung up. She spoke briefly to Jasper, laughed at something he said, and flashed a grin at the camera as she turned to find the keycard. She handed it over with a flourish and a wink.
Jasper took the card, lingering at the bar a few moments before turning. He passed from camera to camera as he headed upstairs, finally stopping in front of the third door.
Vincent waited until Jasper stepped inside, then left his office. He’d already let security and the floor monitors know he might have an appointment for the night, so he headed to the room. Room three was similar to two on the inside—bed, fridge, chest, chair—but instead ofa sofa, it contained a spanking horse. The wall across from the bed was lined with paddles and floggers, which currently held Jasper’s attention.
“See one you like?”
“Huh-uh,” Jasper replied, glancing at Vincent and tilting his head. “Do you always wear suits?”
“Usually.” He slipped his jacket off and draped it over the back of the chair. He sat, pointed to the cushion in front of him, and waited.
