He poked at his food with a frown and forced himself to eat. When he finished he headed back to his room to sit on his bed and stare at his phone for several minutes.
He wasn’t sure why he felt hesitant, or why there was a nervous flutter in his chest, but he finally took a breath and called.
Vincent answered on the second ring. “Hello, pet.”
“Hello, Sir,” Jasper replied, a smile tugging at his lips. The nervous fluttering vanished at the sound of Vincent’s voice. He shifted back on the bed and settled against his pillows. “How was your day?”
“Much quieter than this morning.”
Jasper rolled his eyes with a soft laugh. “Speaking of… I talked to them. We’re good now,” he said, picking at the frayed hem of his shorts.
“Good.” When Jasper didn’t say anything else, he asked, “Did something else happen?”
“No. Not exactly.” He sighed and pulled his knee up, tipping his head back to stare at the ceiling. As much as he loved being with Vincent and finally experiencing things he’d only fantasized about, he couldn’t help feeling overwhelmed the moment they were apart. The more time they spent together, the more he realized how little he really knew about how all this worked and how misleading all the porn was. Obviously.
“Keith said there’s no such thing as a perfect sub?” He hadn’t meant it to sound like a question.
“That’s true.” Vincent snorted softly. “Not everyone enjoys a mouthy brat.”
“But you do,” Jasper said, voice quiet. He found himself holding his breath as he waited for Vincent’s response.
“Yes, pet,” Vincent replied, just as quietly. After Jasper let out a loud, shaky breath, he continued. “That’s part of why we work so well.”
“Even though I keep messing up? You can’t possibly enjoy dealing with me.” He had to know. If Vincent was frustrated with his lack of experience—with kink and relationships both. If he really wouldn’t rather have someone like Keith, who knew who and what he was and was comfortable with himself.
Vincent was silent for a moment, and Jasper could practically hear the little frown Vincent likely had. “If I wasn’t prepared for the work needed for you to learn all this, I never would have agreed to that first dinner.”
Jasper clamped a hand over his mouth, but not quickly enough to stifle the soft choked gasp as a wave of relief crashed over him.
Vincent sighed. “If you’ve been worried that I’ll get bored or tired of teaching you, stop it,” he said firmly. “You have no idea how—”
Jasper bit his lip, waiting for Vincent to finish that sentence, but several long seconds passed without another word. “Sir?”
He almost expected Vincent to brush it off, to say it was nothing and change the subject, but Vincent surprised him yet again with how willing he was to be honest about everything.
“You have no idea how incredible it is, finding you before you’ve been told how you should act or think as a sub,” Vincent said. “I don’t expect you to change who you are, pet. I only expect you to be willing to explore your depths with me.”
Jasper blinked back the tears of relief and gratitude that Vincent was the one he’d ended up with his first night in the club. He’d really have to make sure he didn’t fuck all this up, and he’d have to thank Vincent somehow. “Okay,” he whispered and cleared his throat. “But I think I’m going to need lots of help plundering all my depths.”
“We have time. You’ve done fine whenever I plunder your booty,” Vincent said dryly.
Jasper laughed, not even caring that it was a little shaky with the release of nerves. “You definitely jolly my Rodger, Sir.”
“Oh my God,” Vincent replied, sounding stuck somewhere between wanting to laugh or cry. “No more puns.”
“Or what? You’ll punish me?”
“Yes. With marshmallows.”
Jasper grinned, relaxing against his pillow as the anxiety and worry melted out of him. “You drive a hard bargain, Sir.”
“Oh good. Here I was worried I’d lost my touch,” Vincent said. “Are you feeling better? Anything else we need to address?”
“No, I think I’m good now.” Jasper bit his lip and shifted until he was stretched out on his back. “But if I’m not allowed any more puns, how about some phone sex?”
Vincent chuckled. “Good night, pet,” he said, before hanging up.
Jasper scoffed and stared at his phone, not quite able to believe Vincent hadhung up on him. And he’d even turned downphone sex.
