“Do you?” Jet asked with a grin, then pointed directly behind me.
When I turned, I saw that beneath an oval mirror, a small vanity tastefully presented what looked like lubricants, condoms, and gloves. On the wall, a surprisingly unintimidating selection of objects were carefully hung, from a feather duster to a small coil of velvet rope, and centered in it all, a black leather paddle.
I straightened my back. Okay, not entirely unintimidating.
“Is this kind of thing in every room?” I asked.
“Well, a few rooms have specialty equipment.” Jet lowered himself to the couch, then swirled his drink lazily. “And plenty of people just meet someone and go home, preferring their own place. I don’t think we’ll be displacing anyone by relaxing here, if that’s what you’re wondering.”
I chuckled. “Not exactly, but good to know.”
It struck me how comfortable he was, while I was still reeling from about three of my low-stakes encounters. Like that first night when we met, I felt an urge to show him that I could hold my own. I needed to prove I was capable of more, of going for what I wanted, like Jet seemed to do.
Except standing there, once again, the only thing I was sure that I wanted was Jet.
“Sorry you got called a daddy,” he said. “Joking aside, I know the feeling. About a year ago, this kid DJ asked me what it was likeback in the old days,and I nearly dumped my beer over his head.”
I lifted the feather duster from its spot. “So, old timer, you’ve probably used all of this equipment in your day, huh?”
“You wouldn’t be wrong to assume that.”
I laughed. “So, yes then.”
Jet stood and joined me, his presence enough to make me warm. The weight of him next to me felt good in my body, like I could stand right there and match his strength. He took the feather duster out of my hand, then poked me in the chest with it. “I’ve used some of these tools more than others.”
“Feathers weren’t a favorite, I guess, considering you just poked me with the handle of that thing.”
Jet chuckled. “I liked sensual things, actually,” he told me. He rubbed the feathers slowly over his palm while he talked, and I could practically feel the touch of it on my skin. “Deep massages, honey and oil, riding the pleasure out so it hurts.” He grinned, then placed the feathers back in my hand. “I know that’s nothing like the filthy man from the alleyway.”
I placed the feathers down on the table, harder than I intended. My cock was hard, and the image of oiled-up Jet massaging me was refusing to fade away. Once again, I felt torn open, hurt and disappointed in myself for never having sex like that, and burning with how much I wanted to have it right then.
“I did try this kind of thing once, a long time ago,” I told him. “My first girlfriend. We were nineteen. I had no idea what I was doing, but I brought like, cherries and whipped cream into bed. I saw something in a movie and thought it was romantic, but she hated it. She made fun of me, told our friends, and then we broke up a week later.”
Jet winced. I’d kind of forgotten about that story, actually. Typical it would come out now, this way that I was comfortable baring myself with Jet, as though this strange little room were a secret universe where only the two of us existed.
“Hey,” he said, “that actually sucks. It’s fine to want different things, but she shouldn’t have been shitty to you about it.”
I waved my hand. “We were young. Neither of us knew how to behave in a relationship anyway.”
Jet frowned. I could tell he didn’t fully accept that, but he didn’t push it. “More reason you should have a good time tonight.”
I glanced to the door, then took another sip of my bourbon. Just hanging out in there with Jet sounded ideal to me. I could still hear the easy lull of the rhythmic music he’d put on, lusciously beautiful.
“It might not happen for me tonight.” I forced a smile. “Not enough people looking for hot bears after all.”
Jet didn’t say anything, but I was suddenly aware of how close we were, somehow each having leaned in and inched toward each other. I could feel my heart thudding, and a part of my brain screamed that I should run away now, that I couldn’t trust myself.
“Then everyone here is a fool,” Jet told me.
I licked the back of my teeth. “It would be easier, if I knew what I wanted and could go ask for it. I’m kind of just waiting for a good offer.”
Jet turned to the collection of toys. “You could just pick something here and try it out,” he said, then lifted a small silver ball with a flared tail. “Butt plug?”
“I definitely did not prepare for that tonight.”
Jet leaned back on the heel of his boots, glancing at my ass. “That’s a shame. Your ass is one of your best features.”
“You’re impossible,” I said. My cheeks felt warm, and again, I wanted to throw myself against Jet and kiss him.
