Snow Regrets
Page 20
Once I’d seen who the boy was meeting, I was stuck. I couldn’t leave him alone with that ass.
Things started off just fine. The nervous boy had been watching the doorway to the lounge and recognized the Dom right away, which had me feeling better. But as Samuel came over, the stilted greeting and the way the sub shook his head as Samuel pointed to the floor by his chair made me realize they didn’t know each other well.
As nervous as the boy was, it was clear he wasn’t ready to kneel for anyone.
Samuel either didn’t realize it or didn’t care, because I could see his attitude from across the room. Wishing I was closer, I had to make do with watching their body language since I couldn’t hear their voices over the noise from the club. Most of the time, I found the low hum of conversations relaxing and the sounds of pleasure coming from the back rooms exhilarating, but at that moment, I wanted it all to quiet so I could listen.
Ben was now watching them intently. “How did he end up with that prick?”
“No idea, but it’s not going good. The boy has scooted back from the table about six inches in the last five minutes and he went from blushing and nervous to ashamed. I’m not sure what that ass said, but I can’t let it go on much longer.”
The way he kept retreating was clue enough, but the look on his face made me want to gather him up in my arms and hold him. He was doing his best to hide it with a reasonably blank face, but he was crushed.
“Deep breath, Pops. He might just be pushing the boy a little.”
“Don’t call me that. And if he’s testing limits, the sub doesn’t realize it.”
I was a “Daddy Dom” and freely admitted I had a lower limit for seeing subs in distress than a lot of other Doms. But even keeping that in mind, I was having a difficult time staying out of it. I preferred to see subs blushing and squirming, not shrunk back and nervous. Physical pain was one thing—every boy needed a spanking from his daddy occasionally—but what I was watching seemed like emotional pain—and that wasn’t something I was comfortable with.
When Samuel rose stiffly from the table, saying something to the boy, I thought maybe their date was improving. However, the way he started gesturing with his hands and pointing toward the hallway that led to the private rooms made me realize it was only getting worse. Storming off to the back, Samuel looked like he expected the boy to follow him, but the sub wasn’t moving.
Ben shifted and I could feel him starting to stand.
“No. I’ll go talk to him.” Rising, I ignored the grumbling coming from Ben and walked over to the table where the sub still sat.
He wasn’t looking at the hallway any longer. He was staring at his drink. I couldn’t decide if he was upset or going into shock, but his blank expression made me nervous. Whatever had happened seemed to have pushed him to the limit.
There wasn’t time to plan the best approach, so I winged it.
Reaching the table, I pulled a chair around to sit beside him. It seemed like he could use comfort more than space, so I put one hand on his shoulder. That was when he must have realized he wasn’t alone, because he jumped and a cute little squeak came out of his mouth.
Giving him a squeeze, I let my hand stay resting on him. “Are you okay, Boy?”
He blinked at me with wide eyes before glancing down to the bands on my arm, black for Dom and green to indicate my willingness to play. “I’m fine…Sir?”
Pushing away thoughts about how cute he was, I nodded. “That will do, Boy. And you’re really not fine. I understand if you don’t want to talk about it. However, I need to make sure you’re okay.” Speaking calmly and trying for a soothing tone, I attempted to let him know it was safe to tell me anything that had happened.
He looked around and went back to playing with his glass, twisting it around in circles on the table. His nerves were still showing, but he hadn’t pulled away from my touch. If anything, there was the lightest pressure against my hand where he was leaning into it.
Unconsciously seeking a soothing touch, or something more?
“You don’t have to do anything here that you find objectionable. If someone makes you uncomfortable, he or I,” I pointed to Ben, “will be glad to help. That guy over there is one of the owners, and he wants everyone here to be taken care of.”
Tension radiated through him as he glanced over at Ben. He turned back to me. “There isn’t a problem. I’m fine.” He sighed and seemed to realize by the look on my face it wasn’t going to be enough because he sagged down in his chair. “We were just meeting for the first time. We’ve been talking online, but this was supposed to be for getting to know each other more. I…I thought we were on the same page, but evidently not.”
Since he’d started opening up, I didn’t back off. “What wasn’t clear?”
His cheeks reddened a touch, and he went back to concentrating on his drink, but eventually he answered, “I thought…I…We didn’t want the same thing.”
The stoic sub took a deep breath, obviously trying to pull himself together. “His profile said he was…well, he liked it too…but I might have misunderstood. Thanks for checking on me. I’m just going to—” His voice cracked and his hands started to shake. Putting the glass down, he set his hands in his lap and sat up straighter. “I think I’m just going to head out. This was a mistake.”
He said it with such tired resignation I knew he would walk away from whatever he wanted. He’d end up being one of those guys who just shoved it in a mental closet and let it quietly die inside of him. “Hey, he was a mistake…but this…” I looked around the club at all the people who’d managed to find a place where they belonged. “This wasn’t a mistake.”
Sadness seemed to envelop him. “You don’t understand.”
Letting my fingers softly caress his shoulder, I tried to figure out what to say. “I think you’ll be surprised. Aside from the occasional ass-hat, you’re going to find that most of us are open-minded. There’s a variety of people here, and I guarantee there’s someone else that likes the same thing you do.” The club had such a diverse group, no matter what the sweet boy was interested in, someone could relate to it.
I didn’t know why I was fighting so hard to connect with him. I should have left him alone after I knew he was fine. There was just something pulling at me that wouldn’t let me walk away. Yes, it was the right thing to do, but it was more than that. “Come over and sit with us for a while. Ben’s looking for an excuse to goof off, anyway. I think he’s probably got paperwork waiting for him in the office.”
A questioning look passed through his eyes and I could see him weighing the options. Would he take the chance or was he done? How much did he want to find people who’d understand? I’d seen it over and over. With some people, the pull to discover a place where they belonged was stronger than the fear. But with others, they couldn’t seem to push past it.
“I don’t know…” He looked around again.
He wasn’t refusing outright, so I pressed forward. “I’m Marcus. Come sit with us. At least let us give you a better memory of the club. You wouldn’t want to hurt Ben’s feelings, would you? This was a terrible first impression.”
That had the ghost of a smile teasing at his lips. “For a few minutes.” Then he took another deep breath and straightened. “I’m Eric. Nice to meet you.”
Check out Silent Strength to see how Marcus pulls a reluctant Eric out of his shell.