by Jane Davitt
“So we have two parties,” Jay said. “One kink, one vanilla.” He brightened. “Oh yeah. I know which one I’m looking forward to most. You can keep us naked and on a leash all night, Sir.” He caught his breath. “Oh God, would you whip me with everyone watching? Please?”
“No,” Liam said. “Absolutely not. I’d like to meet up with Laura again, and we can invite her and her partner over for drinks, maybe dinner, but a party with you on display like that…no.” He rolled his shoulders as if trying to shed a memory. “I’ve been to events like that years ago, back in England, and they weren’t as much fun as they sound.” He bit his lip. “Okay, maybe that’s not entirely true…but the potential for disaster is there, and given I don’t know these people…no.”
“We know them,” Jay said, but he subsided when Liam met his hopeful look with a blankly indifferent stare.
Austin agreed with Liam. What they did was private, and though he liked being around people in the scene, the thought of being spanked or whipped in front of an audience was enough to make his toes curl. The monthly BDSM meetings they’d gone to the year before had been sedate, even if the topics under discussion had been anything but. He couldn’t picture those people naked in Liam’s family room at all, and seeing that most of them were straight couples, he didn’t want to.
“This discussion isn’t getting us anywhere,” Liam said. “Austin, I can see it’s been stressful for you, but you handled the situation, so don’t dwell on it. Maybe starting off a load of washing will take your mind off things. Jay, clear the table and deal with the dishes.”
“What about you?” Jay asked, making Austin roll his eyes. God, would Jay just stop pushing?
Liam smiled and stood. “How thoughtful of you. I’ll have a coffee in the family room. And when you bring it to me, perhaps we can take a moment to discuss your attitude.”
He walked around the table to Jay and tilted Jay’s chin up, studying his face before patting it. “You don’t need to misbehave to get my attention, Jay.”
“Sir…”
“Trust me to see when you need taking in hand,” Liam said as if Jay hadn’t whispered his name. “Trust me, Jay.”
Austin, close enough that he could’ve touched them, his ass still warm from Liam’s hand, felt excluded, shut out. In that moment it was just the two of them, locked in their ongoing struggle.
Without taking his gaze off Jay’s face, Liam reached out and slapped Austin’s ass, ending his isolation. “Laundry.”
Grinning, his good mood restored, Austin went to obey.
Chapter Twelve
“Jay, do you want me to set up a buffet table along that wall? I think if we move the bookcase over, it should fit. You don’t want to block the doors to the garden. I know it’s too cold to have them open, but if there was a fire, we’d need to get to them.”
“Why do moms always think disasters are about to happen?” Austin asked, saving Jay from replying to Sarah. “Sure, that’d be great. Don’t you move anything, though. Just point us at it, and we’ll do the heavy lifting.”
Jay smiled at Sarah and nodded his agreement, completely tongue-tied. He’d spoken to her briefly when she’d arrived with a car full of party food, but every time she looked at him, he remembered that she knew way too much about his sex life and thought he was capable of hurting Austin. He wasn’t sure which one made him the most uncomfortable, but he sure as hell knew which one hurt.
She’d been shown around the basement apartment—and entered through the external door Liam had told the builders to add, reached from a path leading around the house and opening into a small space with a tiled floor and hooks on the wall for coats. An internal door off it led directly into the apartment, and though it’d cost them some space, it prevented the temperature dropping every time the outside door was opened.
It also underlined the fact that the apartment was separate from the house, though Sarah didn’t seem at all suspicious about that. There was no reason for her to be. Clothes hung in the closets; there was food in the fridge and toothbrushes in a holder in the bathroom. It was incredibly tidy, but any space Austin lived in was like that.
The table in place, Sarah peered up the stairs leading to the upper floors. “Do you use these much?”
“Not really,” Austin said. “Liam put a lock on the door. We’ve all got a key, but if he wants us, he knocks. He doesn’t just walk in.”
“Is he coming to the party?” She gave Austin an impish smile. “I think you should invite him, even if only to give me someone my own age to talk to.”
Jay cringed inwardly. They really didn’t need Sarah thinking of Liam that way. God, she was only five years older than Liam; what if she flirted with him or something, thinking he was up for grabs? In the time Jay had been with Austin, Sarah had dated a few men, but not seriously. It didn’t mean that couldn’t change. Austin’s brothers were talking about moving out, Timothy to live with his girlfriend, and Sean had an offer of a job in a different state. With April at college, Sarah would be in an empty house for the first time in two decades.
“He said he’d stop by for a little while, but I think he has other plans,” Austin said casually, and Jay gave a silent sigh of relief. Austin must have been practicing that sentence for days to have it come out so naturally.
“I’m sure he has a very full life.” Sarah glanced at the clock. “Oh, I should get that Brie into the oven, or it won’t have time to get nice and brown. Are you sure you told your friends six?”
“Yes, I’m sure.” Austin sounded amused. “Are you sure this is our party and not yours?”
“Hush,” Sarah said and bustled off to the kitchen area, where everything was still new and shining despite Austin’s attempts to mess it up and make it seem lived in. “Austin, come put these vegetables out on trays. Jay, would you see if you have a bowl for this dip?”
They spent the next twenty minutes getting food ready; then Austin’s brother Timothy and his girlfriend Kelly showed up with a stack of pizza boxes just as cars started to pull into Liam’s thankfully generous driveway. After that there wasn’t any time to think with the flurry of activity as friends arrived and were given the brief tour and people who didn’t know each other were introduced. Austin’s family took over in the way that they did—not on purpose, but there were so many of them, and they talked like everyone else knew their in-jokes. Luckily for Jay, he had learned most of them over the years, so at least he knew what all the laughing was about.
Jay started his third beer, intending to make it his last. He wanted to end the day with a spanking from Liam at the very least, and if he was tipsy, Liam would raise his eyebrows, shake his head, and keep anything that followed very strictly vanilla.
Jay approved of the way Liam took good care of them, but he didn’t see why he couldn’t get spanked when he had a mild buzz from a few bottles of beer. A spanking wouldn’t push him anywhere near his limits. He took a sip from the bottle, sighed, and set it on a table already crowded with empties. Three beers wasn’t much, but why risk it?
Deciding to clear away some of the debris, he grabbed a trash bag and went around the room, tossing in paper plates and crumpled napkins. He put the plastic cutlery into the sink to be washed. No sense in wasting it. Christmas was coming up, and they’d probably have another party then. Moving between people, shouting over the music someone had turned up too high, he made steady progress, filling his bag and leaving the surfaces ready for more plates and glasses. The food was disappearing rapidly, and as he passed by the table, he snagged a piece of crusty bread laden with mozzarella, a slice of tomato, and fresh basil, sinking his teeth into it with an appreciative moan.
When he’d put the trash bag out, he headed back to the food, but halfway there he saw Liam walking down the stairs and changed direction.
Liam looked good, dressed casually—for Liam—in dark gray chinos and a thin black sweater, the sleeves pushed up to reveal tanned, muscular forearms.
Jay wanted to go to the
foot of the stairs, drop to his knees, and wait, head down, for a command. Wanted Austin to join him, the two of them ready to serve Liam, wait on him, but it was as much a fantasy as the ones he’d had in class at high school, daydreaming about being hauled up to the teacher’s desk and bent over it for a caning.
He sighed, pasted on a polite smile, and joined Liam.
“Hi! Are we making too much noise?”
“Well, I did knock a few times before giving up and using my key, so maybe,” Liam said with enough amusement in his eyes that Jay relaxed. “I’m not here to complain, though—at least not if there’s some food left and maybe a glass of wine? I worked through supper, and I’m starving.”
“Liam, there you are! I was starting to wonder if you were really coming,” Sarah Fisher said. It was like she had appeared out of nowhere.
Please, please may she not have designs on Liam. The thought of it was enough to make Jay squirm.
“Can I get you something to eat?”
“You don’t have to play hostess for me,” Liam said, reaching to take the hand she’d offered him and clasping it briefly. “Just point me at the food. Or make one of these younger ones do it.” He indicated Jay, who nodded.
“Sure, come on. I’ll show you,” Jay said.
As Jay led Liam over to the table they’d set up, Liam asked, “How’s it going?”
“Good. You’re sure we’re not too loud? We were going to kick everyone out around ten, anyway.”
Liam shook his head. “It’s fairly muffled; it wasn’t bothering me. It seems everyone is well behaved.” He looked around as Austin walked over to join them. “Ah, there you are. Having fun?”
“I was starting to think you weren’t going to show,” Austin said, then frowned when Jay grinned—like mother, like son. “What?”
“Nothing,” Jay said. “Liam, try the lasagna. It’s great.”
“Yeah, and that’s something I made,” Austin said.
“You’re a good cook,” Liam said a moment later after swallowing a mouthful.
“He gets that from me,” Sarah said, appearing beside Jay and reaching past him to scoop up a handful of salted cashews. She popped one into her mouth and washed it down with a gulp of white wine. A big gulp. With dawning horror Jay realized she was well on the way to being drunk. Motherly, warm, efficient Sarah Fisher, unsteady on her feet and definitely ready to flirt was more than Jay could cope with, but she had an arm around him now, the glass of wine tipping at a dangerous angle. Luckily—or not—there wasn’t much in it. “These nuts are all I’ve eaten in hours. Too busy talking.”
“Mom, how much wine have you had on an empty stomach?” Austin seemed amused, not anxious. “You know you’re a lightweight when it comes to drinking. Okay, hand over your keys. No way are you driving home.”
Sarah gave him an exasperated frown and flapped her hand at him, sending cashews flying everywhere.
Maybe they should’ve had the party before the new carpet was fitted.
“Silly. I’m fine. And Tim’s already said he’d drive me home. He came in Kelly’s car, so he can take mine, and I’ll come back tomorrow for the dishes and help with the cleanup.”
“There’s no need for that,” Liam said. “I’m sure Austin and Jay will find time to return them in the morning. Washed, of course.”
“Yes, Sir,” Austin murmured automatically, the words so familiar coming from him to Liam that it took Jay a moment to react.
Shit.
He held his breath, but Sarah gave Liam a puzzled look, as if she was trying to work out why he was giving her son orders, then began to laugh. “Austin, don’t be rude. Liam was just being considerate, weren’t you, Liam?”
Liam’s answering smile was on the rigid side. “Yes. Sorry, Austin. I didn’t mean to sound like a drill sergeant.”
“Sir, yes, sir,” Sarah said with a giggle and let go of Jay so that she could finish the rest of her wine.
Austin widened his eyes at Jay in a way that was probably supposed to communicate something, but Jay was too busy feeling stunned at Sarah’s behavior to figure out what it was. “I’m going to find Tim,” Austin said and turned away into the crowd.
Jay was amazed by how many people fit into the new apartment space without making the place feel cramped. It was a big house overall, so the basement was equally big, but it seemed like there were a few dozen party attendees at least. He was about to start counting just to assuage his curiosity when Liam asked, “Would you find me a glass of wine?”
“Yes—” He barely managed to choke back the word Sir and immediately left to go to the counter next to the fridge, where there were several bottles of wine open. He delivered the glass to Liam, who thanked him.
“I won’t stay long,” Liam added.
“Well, let me introduce you around after you’re done eating. People have been wondering who you are, you know, mystery-man kind of thing.”
“If you and Austin keep calling me Sir, they’re going to be wondering about more than that,” Liam said in a discreet murmur.
“And if you keep leaning in close enough that I could kiss you, they’re going to be making some pretty accurate guesses.” Jay bit his lip. “It’s killing me that I can’t. I’ve kissed Austin half a dozen times, stood holding his hand… No one cares, or they just tease us about being so in love it’s sickening. And you… I can’t even touch you—”
“Jay—” Liam’s breath was warm against Jay’s cheek, his hand rising to grip Jay’s arm briefly. It wasn’t enough. “The party will be over soon. I’ve asked Laura and Chris to come over around ten. They can join you down here or stay with me until the last of the guests have left, whatever you’d prefer. We can spend an hour or so with people we trust, be ourselves—”
“That’s good, that’s great, but I need you now,” Jay said. Austin was the one who had panic attacks, not him, but right then Jay was close to melting down. “Austin’s mom is flirting with you. Do you have any idea how that makes me feel?”
“It’s the wine,” Liam said gently. “She’ll feel embarrassed tomorrow, but it’s not as if she grabbed me and tried to kiss me.”
“One more glass and she might.”
Austin came up behind Jay and gave him a quick, casual kiss on the cheek. “Might what? Who?”
Jay had once said that, during a scene, Liam could read their minds, without really meaning it seriously. On the off chance it was true, he fixed Liam with a death glare and tried projecting say nothing. Liam gave him a sidelong “are you fucking kidding me?” look back and said smoothly, “One of your guests was talking about playing a karaoke game on your Wii, but her friend didn’t seem keen.”
“Oh my God, if that’s Lisa, don’t let her. She’ll hog it for hours and end up sobbing over something sentimental.” Austin nudged Jay with his elbow. “I think my mom’s about ready to go. Tim’s going to round her up.”
A wave of relief washed over Jay, but he didn’t want to sound too glad out loud. “Oh, okay. Is there anything she needs to take with her?”
Austin shrugged. “Tim and Kelly are on it. She’s kind of tipsy; it makes her want to say good-bye to everyone at least twice, so it’ll be a while.”
“Good,” Jay said bluntly. “Come on, both of you.” He took Austin’s hand and led him toward the bedroom, weaving through Lisa and Adrienne and one of Austin’s high school friends whose name Jay had to be reminded of every time they met. Liam followed, thank God, and as soon as they were all in the room, Jay kicked the door half-closed with his foot and grabbed Liam. He kissed him hard, then turned and kissed Austin too. “I was losing it out there. I just needed a minute.”
“I’m not complaining,” Austin said. He drew Jay closer for another kiss, one hand at the small of his back the way Jay loved. “Well, I might complain about only having a minute.”
“You’re both playing with fire.” Liam winced, presumably at his choice of words. “Someone’s going to catch us at it, which is exactly what we were trying to avoi
d.”
“I’m not suggesting we get naked and fuck,” Jay said with a curtness born of pure frustration at the situation they were in. “I just want you. Both of you. I want to be able to do this—” He slid his hands around the backs of their necks and drew them in, making it a three-way kiss, their mouths meeting, heads turning. He closed his eyes and opened his mouth, knowing he’d only be left unkissed for a moment before a mouth covered his, a tongue slid against his own. It was erotic, it was loving, and even as his arousal grew, his desperation eased.
It ended when Liam pulled back and growled, a rough, deep sound that went straight to Jay’s balls. “God, you two destroy all my common sense, you know that?”
“Do we?” Austin hummed approvingly. “I like that.”
“Oh yeah,” Jay agreed. “Love it when we get you off balance, Sir.”
“Brat,” Liam said and slapped their asses, the noise muffled by clothing, the sting soaking through. Jay pressed against Liam’s palm, lingering on his backside, blatantly wriggling.
“If I told you to get on your knees for me, would you do it? Here, with everyone you know just outside the door?”
“Yeah, we would,” Jay said in a whisper, knowing what Austin’s answer would be. “You’re our Dom. You tell us, and we’ll do it. Suck you off, let you come in our mouths, on our faces, so we have to lick each other clean before we can go back out.”
“Jay—” Austin groaned. “Don’t. I’m so fucking hard now.”
Liam stepped back, rubbing his face. “You’re not the only one. God, I want to, I really do, but this is just too risky. We need to get back out there. Later, okay? Everything we want and more, I promise, but now I’m telling you to go back out there and behave. I’ll leave by the side door and go upstairs.”
Jay drew in a shaky breath, Liam’s orders a lifeline. “Yes, Sir.” He gestured at the bathroom off their bedroom. “Uh, I need to take a leak first.”
Liam nodded, and Jay slipped into the bathroom, closing the door and turning on the light. He didn’t really need to use the bathroom—too hard to make taking a piss easy—but he did need a moment to calm down. Jerking off would have been the ideal method, but he didn’t have permission, and if he’d asked for it, Liam would have turned him down, so what was the point?
