My brother slaps the hand away gently. “Psh. C’mere. And you can call me Trav, ya know.” He yanks my pup into a short and sweet embrace.
Once they’ve let go, and after I hug my parents, I place my hand on Ryan’s lower back. “Mum, Dad, this is Ryan. Ryan, these are my parents, Alice and Steven.”
“Great to meet you, son.”
“Lovely to meet you, Ryan.”
Ryan nods with a smile. “It’s nice to meet you both.”
First Dad hugs him, followed by my mum. Ryan’s surprised, yet he takes it in stride. After we all chat for a while, I tell them we’re going to get drinks and lead Ryan to the bar. “What would you like?”
“Jack and Coke?” Ryan asks.
I order two of them before trapping him against the bar. Leaning forward, I whisper into his ear, “You look very sexy tonight,” before taking the lobe into my mouth.
Breaking away in time to see him blush, I watch Ryan’s smile grow. “Thank you. You look very hot yourself. I like this,” he comments, capturing my red hair between his fingers. It’s grown a lot in the last few weeks.
“Yeah?”
“Yep.” The genuine approval from him is a surprising turn on. It’s a huge stroke to my ego that this man thinks I’m hot.
Paying for the drinks, I head back over to my parents. My mum turns to face me. “Henry! I’ve been trying to ask Travis when you’ll have the gym open. Do you have any idea?”
“It’s all been finalised, but it won’t be ready to open for probably another month,” I admit. Travis nods with me. “We still need to get all of the equipment, and there’s a few other things that need to be done.”
“I feel like we never see you boys,” Mum says. “How about you all come over for Sunday breakfast?”
“Sounds good to me,” Trav replies.
I nod in agreement.
Mum smiles at Ryan. “You’re very welcome to come as well.”
“Thank you,” my pup says. “I’d love to.”
It isn’t long before we finish our drinks. I face Ryan and hold out my hand. “Would you like to dance?”
“Yes.” He slides his hand into mine.
Leading him over to the crowd of people dancing the night away, I place my hands on his hips and move to the music. We haven’t been dancing for much longer than two songs when I look over my shoulder and see Lisa. Lisa’s brother Todd passed away only five months ago. Todd was dating David’s sister Isabel. Ever since his passing, my brothers and I have become closer to both Isabel and Lisa. Grinning at her as she makes her way over, I let my hands fall from Ryan’s hips and turn him to face her. As Lisa strides over with who seems to be her new man, I feel a different energy suddenly coming off Ryan. Assuming it’s all in my mind, I’m surprised when I turn to see him completely frozen. He’s as stiff as a board and his face is pale. She’s standing before us, as I whisper to him, “Baby?”
“Henry!” Lisa greets with her wide smile. “I see you have someone to introduce me to as well?”
“Ah…” Covering Ryan’s fisted hand with one of mine, I face her. “Yes.”
The man beside her is tall with a medium build. A few inches taller than me, he’s reasonably good-looking, but he has an arrogant air about him. The way he stands and gazes around the room makes me think he believes everyone’s beneath him. Is this man the reason for Ryan’s reaction? Does my boy know him from somewhere?
Lisa takes his arm, pulling his attention back to her. “This is my new boyfriend, Lucas.”
“Hey,” I say with a nod to him when he meets my eyes. I smile at Lisa. “This is my boyf—”
Lucas.
It’s so similar.
Could it be?
Luke.
Ryan’s ex.
The man who raped him!
Swivelling until I’m facing Ryan and blocking the other two from his sight, I gaze into my pup’s eyes and cradle his face in my hands. Beneath the shock, I see hurt. Fear. Embarrassment. Uncertainty. And I realise I’m right. This is the man. The only man in the world I’ve seriously considered killing. What’s jail time? This piece of filth raped Ryan! I want him dead. I want him suffering.
But it’s not about me. Right now, it’s about Ryan. I forget about every single person in the room besides him. “Ryan? Baby?” He doesn’t react at all. Stepping even closer, I whisper an inch away from his lips. “Pup?”
He jolts. As if I’ve electrocuted him. No, as if I’ve brought him back to life. Now, all there is in his eyes is need. A need for me to take control.
Lisa touches my arm. “Henry? Everything okay?”
“Just a minute,” I tell her without losing his eye contact. “Turn around and walk straight ahead,” I say, quiet and firm. “There’s a hallway. Go there and wait for me.”
Despite the situation, despite the fact we’re in public and anyone could’ve heard it if they were close enough, Ryan nods, and says, “Yes, Sir.”
I don’t care if anyone heard him. I am so fucking proud of him.
Luke speaks up behind me. “Hey, did you call him Ryan? I think I might know him.”
I spin around just in time to see him step forward, as if to go after him. With a hand on his chest, I smile with my teeth. Travis and David stare over at me, a few feet behind Luke. My eyes return to his and my voice is cold and hard. “You won’t go anywhere near him.”
Lisa flinches. “Henry—”
“Excuse me?” Luke scoffs.
Crossing my arms, I glare at him. “His name is Ryan. He lived in Melbourne until recently. Perhaps you met him over there, but you don’t know him, Luke .” His eyes widen with the realisation that I know. I know what he did . Enjoying his anxiety, I smirk evilly. “You know what I think?” My lips are near his ear when I warn him. “I think you need a damn good lawyer.” I watch as he stutters his sudden need to leave. Lisa’s still confused and when she starts to run after him, I take her hand.
“Lisa, I can’t explain everything right now, but please don’t go after him. He’s bad news. I don’t know how long you’ve been seeing Luke, but my boyfriend who just left? They were seeing each other. Luke hurt him, Lisa.” Her eyes widen at the seriousness I’m trying to convey. “Please look after yourself by staying away from him.” In a rush, I leave her with a kiss on the cheek.
Bypassing a few dancers and striding over to Ryan, I find him waiting for me. “I’m so proud of you.”
He meets my eyes, and the hurt there causes a pang in my chest. “I need to leave.”
“Ryan.”
“Please,” he whispers.
“Ryan.”
“Henry—”
“Pup!”
“Yes, Sir?”
“Come here.” Opening my arms, I wait until he steps into them, allowing me to hug him tight. A hand on his nape and the other on his lower back, I hold him to me and breathe deep and slow. Even through our shirts, his heart beats away frantically. We stand like that for a few moments until he calms down. Drawing back just enough to press our lips together, I kiss him slowly, sucking on his tongue as I grip his hair. He moans and his cock hardens against mine.
“He’s gone,” I tell him. “They both left. It’s completely up to you. We can try to enjoy tonight and talk about this tomorrow. Or we can go home right now.” I don’t want to pressure him to stay.
“We can stay, Sir. I don’t want to ruin the night.”
“You won’t be ruining anything. What do you want to do, pup? There isn’t a wrong answer.”
He shakes his head before meeting my gaze. “I want to stay.”
“I’ll always take care of you, baby.”
His smile is stunning. “I know, Sir.”
Chapter Sixteen
Waking up the next morning, we’re both aware of the discussion we need to have. After giving him a good morning kiss, I pull Ryan into his en suite. We each take care of business and brush our teeth before I sit him down on the bed. I tell it to him straight.
“You have two options,
baby. You can do nothing. You’ve seen him, and it brought back the pain and trauma of what happened, but I’ll help you move on from this. I’ll do all I can to help heal this open wound.” I run my fingers through his hair, pushing it back from his face. “Or, I can take you to the police station, and you can file a complaint against him. After that, I’m not sure what’ll happen. They might find him innocent, they might charge him, or it may even go to trial.”
“They could find him innocent?”
“Yes.” I let him think for just a moment. “So… knowing he’ll either get away with it, be found guilty and end up in jail, or something in between, you need to decide what to do.”
He glances up at me from the bed. “What do you think I should do, Sir?”
I shake my head. “It’s not up to me, pup. This is your decision. All I will say is, I’m on your side. No matter what you choose. All I care about is you, and what feels right for you.”
“I should do it though, right? It’s the right thing to do.”
Stepping into his space and cupping his cheek, I look him in the eye. “There’s no right or wrong. If you want to come forward and press charges, you can. If you want to let it go and move on in your own way, you can. It’s not up to me, pup. Don’t do what you think is right; do what you feel is right for you . I’ll be with you every step of the way, whichever path you choose.”
His face scrunches up. “What if he’s done it to someone else? What if he plans to? He’s dating your friend….” A tear falls, and I wipe it away with my thumb. He needs honesty.
“It’s possible he’s done it before and may do it again. But that doesn’t mean you have to do anything. I can warn Lisa away from him.”
Ryan shakes his head. “I want to. I need to. If I make a complaint about him, maybe it’ll prevent it from happening again.” He bites his lip. “If it means stopping him, I want to.”
I nod, so fucking proud of him. “Okay. Would you like me to take you to the police station?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“All right.” I press a kiss to his forehead. “We’ll leave in ten.”
Ryan glances up at me and keeps contact until he stands and our eyes line up. “Thank you, Sir.”
“Nothing to thank me for, pup. I’m your Dom and I’ll always provide for you. I’ll always be here for you. Even if I’m not with you, you should always feel my support, my care… and my love.”
He nods, and there’s a small smile. Wishing I hadn’t stipulated we’d leave in ten minutes, I force down the temptation to play. Kissing him gently on the lips, I say, “If we’re back in time before dinner, I’ll have a surprise for you.”
Ryan grins. “I’ll go get ready, Sir.”
* * *
At the police station, it’s a while before anyone is able to see us. Through the whole process, I’m so proud of Ryan. The car ride there, as we waited to be seen, and now, as he explains to the detective why he needs to make a complaint against Luke King. He tells her the assault happened almost nine months ago, before going through the whole night. She writes down everything Ryan says, asking questions quietly and glancing up with kind eyes. She doesn’t react when he tells her about his BDSM lifestyle. It surprises me when he pulls out his phone to show her photos.
Ryan glances at me before clearing his throat and handing it over to her. “This is the day after it happened.” Officer Brown takes the phone and looks at the photos. Ryan tells her to swipe left in order to see more.
“And this is all evidence that the defendant”—she pauses to glance down at the paperwork—“Luke King, assaulted and raped you, on August 13th in 2016?”
A nod. “Yes.” He fidgets for a moment. “We had a different relationship… but this wasn’t what I wanted. I told him to stop.”
She tilts her head. “A different relationship? By this you mean your BDSM dynamic, whereby you were the submissive, and he the Dominant?”
“Yes.”
“And was this incident the last time you saw him?”
“Yes, until last night. We bumped into him and… and…” His eyes find mine.
“It all came back,” I finish for him.
Officer Brown tells Ryan she’ll need to print and file the photos for evidence and take current photos as well. He simply nods. “How did you tell the defendant to stop?” she asks.
“My safeword,” he replies. “I said it. Again and again.” His voice falters, and he tears up. I hold Ryan’s hand, twining our fingers together.
“Did you also use the word stop ?”
“Yes. And I said no .”
“Okay.” She spends a few minutes writing while we wait. While she’s doing that, I hold his hand in both of mine. Placing her pen down, she lifts her head and smiles softly. “By making your statement of a sexual assault allegation against Mr King, are you wanting to take action?”
Ryan sniffs and frowns. “Sorry?”
Detective Brown twines her fingers together on her desk. “Some victims only wish to report the sexual assault and take no further action. We can record the assault and provide you with some counselling if that’s all you’re after. Your welfare and safety is our top priority, Mr Scott. However, if you’d like to press charges, I will investigate the assault and remain involved for the entire investigation and, if it goes to court, the proceedings.”
My pup squeezes my hand before giving her a firm nod. “I want to take action. I don’t want him hurting anyone else.”
She gives him an encouraging smile and passes over the sheet of paper. “Here, I’ll need you to write down the name of the hotel you stayed at. Is there anything else you can tell me about Mr King, Mr Scott?”
“You can call me Ryan. I don’t mind.”
“Okay, Ryan,” she replies. “Is there anything you’d like to add about Mr King?”
I clear my throat. “We believe he’s now dating a friend of mine. I might be able to get a contact number and address from her.”
“Okay.” She passes us a card each. “This is my contact information if you remember anything else. I’ll keep you up-to-date as things progress. As soon as I can, I’ll bring him in for questioning.”
Over an hour after we arrived and just as we stand to leave, she asks Ryan if he has a photo of Luke. Having already sent the other relevant photos to the printer, and photographed by the detective, Ryan shakes his head.
“Hang on.” Opening my Facebook on my phone, I find Lisa’s profile, and through it I search for a Luke King. The only similar name that comes up is a Lucas Prince . Recognising the man from last night, I show the photo to Ryan.
He rubs the back of his neck before crossing his arms. “It’s him.”
I show Detective Ashley Brown, as her card states, Lucas’s profile photo. “So, he introduced himself to Ryan as Luke King, and here on Facebook he goes by Lucas Prince.” Shaking my head, I mutter, “Is that suspicious or what?”
She jots it down before bringing the photo up on her computer. “Ryan, do you remember who paid for the hotel room?”
“He did, with his card.”
“Okay.” She stands and moves around her desk to hold his hand with both of hers. “You did really well. It’s a brave thing coming forward, and even more so for pressing charges. I know you said you don’t want counselling at this stage, but if you change your mind, don’t hesitate to call me. I can arrange it for you.”
“Thank you, Detective.”
She pats his arm. “I think first name basis is okay.”
My pup smiles. “Thanks, Ashley.”
“Thank you,” I add, shaking her hand as well.
Unable to wait until we’re in the car, on the way out, I lead Ryan to the men’s room. After we stride through the door, one guy leaves. There’s no one else. “Did you need to go?” Ryan asks. “I can wait in the ca—”
Pushing him up against the door, I capture his wrists and hold them above his head with one hand. With the other, I capture his chin. Crashing our lips together, I pour everything
I have into the kiss. I love this man. God knows I haven’t known him very long, and we’ve only been seeing each other for five weeks, but I’ve found it. What I was missing when I was with Sean. What I’ve been missing in my life. A true connection with someone. Someone so special I can’t see myself living without him. If all I had in the world was Ryan Scott, everything else would be bearable. I nibble on his bottom lip while thrusting my groin into his. Sliding my mouth down from his lips, I nudge his head up and pepper his neck with kisses. “I’m so proud of you. Such a good pup.” His breath hitches. He’s crying. Ryan’s tears fall silently. Releasing his wrists, I move them to wrap around my waist and cradle his head. “Baby. It’s okay. You’re okay.” I kiss away his tears until he pulls back.
“I know. I’m okay. I don’t know why I’m crying.” His half chuckle, half sob makes me hug him closer.
“I want you to know how proud I am.”
“I know, Henry. I can feel it. Thank you, Sir,” he whispers.
Caressing his cheek, I kiss him once more and take his hand. “Come on. Let’s go.” Understandably, Ryan’s a little withdrawn, and I want to take him in hand until he’s writhing and begging me for permission to come. “I want to go back to yours. I’d like to play with the man I’ve fallen in love with.”
Ryan gasps. “You really love me, Sir?”
“I’m sorry I’m telling you in the men’s. But it’s true. I love you, Ryan.”
He presses his nose into my neck. “It doesn’t matter. When I’m with you Sir, everything disappears.” His words cause my heart to flutter. “I love you too, Henry.”
With one last peck on his lips, I unlock the door and lead him out by the hand.
Chapter Seventeen
It’s the hottest fucking thing I’ve ever seen. Not only is Ryan on his bed, touching himself; he’s doing it because I’ve ordered him to. I hold in a gasp at the sight of his abdominal muscles twitching and tensing. His front teeth clamp down on his bottom lip, and I notice just in time he’s leaking. He’s panting. My pup’s close.
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