Room at the Top

by Jane Davitt

  With great effort, he pushed himself up off Jay, cock still buried inside him, and gasped, “You, now. Liam says you can come.”

  Jay’s hand moved on his erection in a blur, three or four quick strokes before he cried out. The first pulse shot fluid as high as his nipple—still reddened from where he’d pinched it—and his eyes slammed shut, lips parting, jaw tense as his orgasm rushed through him. Austin loved being inside Jay when he came, feeling the tightening waves of Jay’s body. He loved the way Jay’s gaze was unfocused and hazy when his eyes opened again, the way Jay’s body relaxed into boneless pliability.

  After a few minutes, Austin eased himself free and collapsed onto the mattress, grateful for its solid support. “Good?” he managed.

  “Good. The best.” Jay blinked at him and smiled.

  “Yeah.”

  Chapter Seven

  “What the hell?”

  Jay was standing by the glass doors leading to Liam’s yard, staring out. The patio was illuminated by a security light that’d been tripped by a cat wandering past, its eyes huge as it’d frozen in the sudden wash of light. In Jay's opinion, Liam's yard was boring. Grass that someone else kept short, and a small, manicured shrubbery. It was always dark when they got there, but maybe as the weeks went by and the days got longer, Liam would plant something with some color to it. Or pay someone to do it for him. He joined Austin at the kitchen table and reached into the box Liam had just opened. “That’s a plug. Mine.” Not trying it out before he handed it over to Liam had been a wrench. It was easily the biggest he’d ever owned, three rippling curves promising all sorts of fun. He stroked it wistfully with the tip of his finger, then tapped what lay next to it. “These are beads. They’re Austin’s.”

  “Thank you, Jay. I’d worked that much out for myself.” Liam continued to peer into the box as if he couldn’t believe his eyes. “Why in God’s name are they neon green and a pink that reminds me of dentures?”

  “They were on sale,” Austin said, moving to lean against the counter. “Seventy percent off.”

  “That’s no excuse,” Liam said.

  Jay gave Liam a reproachful look. Liam had made it clear the session started as soon as they walked in. Respectful words and behavior were required, not optional. It helped Jay to get into his head space before he got naked, but it didn’t mean Liam could be an ungrateful asshole.

  “They’re a”—gift didn’t really make sense when they weren’t going anywhere near Liam’s ass—“a contribution," Jay told Liam. "You buy everything, and we know how much all that stuff costs because we look at it online. You’ve spent a lot on us this last month, and this is just our way of helping out. They’re different colors because we know you’re fussy about that. And I know you’ve got this thing for red and black, but where they’re going, who gives a fuck?”

  Over Liam’s shoulder, he could see Austin shake his head and mouth something that looked a lot like shut the hell up, but it’d needed saying.

  “I do, and that’s all that concerns you.” Liam’s tone was pleasant, but there was an edge to it that gave Jay a thrill. “I appreciate that you want to contribute. It’s not necessary, and you needn’t do it again. My income far exceeds the both of yours combined, and even if it didn’t, you’re well aware of who’s in charge here, aren’t you.”

  It wasn’t a question, but Austin answered anyway. “Yes, Sir.”

  “Good.”

  Jay watched as Liam looked into the box again. “We don’t have to use them tonight or anything,” Jay said hopefully.

  “Yes, I’m aware of that, thanks.” Liam rolled his eyes and said to Austin, “He really has perfected this innocent act, hasn’t he?”

  “It’s not an act!” Jay protested.

  “Pretty much,” Austin said, then frowned and reached into his pocket. “Crap, that’s me. Sorry, I must have put it on vibrate instead of off.” He pulled out his phone and looked at it. “It’s April. I’ll be quick, I promise.”

  Austin turned away as he answered the phone, and Jay explained, “His little sister,” to Liam in a low voice.

  “I remember.” Liam looked concerned, and Jay didn’t know why until he glanced at Austin and saw how he was standing, all tense.

  “Well, what the hell were you doing?” Austin was saying into the phone, sounding anxious and angry at the same time. “Okay, yes. I said yes. I’ll be there in fifteen minutes. Just keep your mouth shut and don’t do anything stupid. Anything else stupid.” He turned back around while pushing the button to hang up the phone, looking miserable. “I’m sorry, I have to go. My sister’s been picked up by the police, and they want someone to get her from the station. I’m really sorry.”

  His gaze was fixed on the floor near Liam’s feet, his head down. Jay was already stepping forward to go to him and offer comfort—even while part of him was wondering what April had done this time—when Liam gestured at Jay to stay where he was. Liam moved in close to Austin and took Austin’s chin in his hand. “Look at me,” Liam said, and Austin did, his head tilting back. “It’s all right. You haven’t got anything to be sorry for.”

  It hadn’t taken long for Liam to come up with certain gestures or commands that were personal to them both. That grip on Austin’s chin was one of them. Jay could see how still Austin went, as if he were unable to move even an inch, though he could’ve broken free with minimal effort. Of course, he didn’t want to, any more than Jay would ever have flinched away from the slicing stroke of Liam’s thumbnail over his nipple. Always the same one, always done at least once during a session, though he never knew when it would happen. Such a small flash of discomfort compared to everything else Liam inflicted—no, gifted—him with, but it never failed to make Jay melt and quiver for some reason.

  “I have to go,” Austin said, his voice subdued. It rose. “I have to fucking go, and I don’t want to. It’s spoiling everything and—” He closed his eyes, not moving away from Liam. “Why tonight? Why couldn’t she have done this any other goddamned night?”

  Jay wanted to go over to Austin, but he’d pushed Liam enough already. The session had obviously been cancelled, but something told him Liam wouldn’t be happy if they acted any differently.

  “I imagine she’s unaware you had plans.” It was said in a reasonable tone, but Jay could tell Liam was as disappointed as they both were. This would only have been their fifth session, yet it was already the pivot around which Jay’s week spun. Losing it, walking away when he’d spent all day at work wondering what Liam had planned, made him feel the way he did when a figure of a warrior he’d been working on had been blown off a table by a sudden gust of wind, leaving something he’d created to be fierce and warlike, damaged and forlorn. He had Austin to comfort him later, though. Liam had no one. At least, Jay didn’t think Liam did. The vague possibility of Liam dating either hadn’t materialized, or Liam had decided not to share that information with them.

  “She wouldn’t have cared.” Austin did move then, stepping back, his face set like stone. “God, Mom’s going to lose it when she hears about this.” He put out his hand to touch Liam’s arm. “I’m still sorry. You’ve got a right to be angry, but she’s…she’s my baby sister. It’d serve her right to have to get out of this herself, but if she thinks I won’t come for her, she’ll call my mom and that’s just not a good idea.”

  “I’m not angry.” Liam sounded surprised. “Disappointed, yes, but I understand that you have to sort this out.”

  “I have to go with him,” Jay said, and they both turned to look at him, Austin in protest, Liam in what was probably resignation. “No, seriously. Have to and want to. It’s not good to be alone for something like this.”

  “You could stay.” It seemed like a difficult offer for Austin to make. “I could come back later, or if this ends up taking too long, maybe Liam could drive you home, after you…”

  “No,” Liam said firmly. “Not an option. Of course I’d be willing to drive you home, Jay, but there won’t be a session unl
ess both of you are here.”

  Austin made a face. “That makes me feel even worse. It’s bad enough I have to miss out, but that doesn’t mean Jay—”

  “It wouldn’t be the same without you,” Jay said loyally.

  It was quiet for a moment. Austin looked like he was struggling with something he wanted to say, and finally, softly, said, “Liam, if you…you could come with us, if—”

  “I’d only be in the way.” Liam dismissed the idea so quickly that Jay could see Austin’s feelings were hurt. It made him want to yell at Liam. “This is a family matter. I’m not a part of it.”

  “Okay.” Austin nodded and gestured at Jay. “Come on. I’m really sorry, Liam, about all of this. I’ll call you later and let you know how it went.” He walked toward the front door, where their shoes were.

  Liam gave Jay what might have been an apologetic look. “He doesn’t have to be sorry. I really do understand. Try to make him see that.”

  It was hard to be mad at Liam when he sounded genuinely sorry and worried, but Jay didn’t want to let go of the emotion completely. “You can do that yourself,” he said, and he followed Austin out.

  * * *

  Austin drove too fast on the way to the police station, but it wasn’t until he ran a yellow light that was a shade too close to red for Jay’s comfort that Jay said anything.

  “Slow down, okay? She’s safe. She can wait a few extra minutes. What happened?”

  “I only know what she told me,” Austin said, which meant he didn’t believe it. He did slow down a little bit, though. “She said she had a taillight out, but I don’t know why they wouldn’t just let her go with a warning.”

  “There must be something more to it,” Jay agreed.

  “Liam seemed really pissed off.” It was a statement begging to be disagreed with, and Jay had no problem doing just that.

  “I don’t think so.” Jay shook his head, the dangling earring he had in his left ear swinging wildly, the winged dragon striking the side of his neck. He liked the weight of it, though Liam would’ve made him take it off if they’d stayed. “You come to me naked, and you wear what I put on you,” he’d snapped when Jay had argued about that rule a few weeks ago.

  “No. No way. He feels the same way we do, but it’s not the end of the world.”

  He wriggled his ass against the car seat, trying to get even a twinge from the stripes Liam had laid across it the week before, but though the sting at the time had been electric, searing enough to take his breath away, the six clear, dark stripes had almost gone. “Maybe we can see him tomorrow?”

  “I don’t know if he’d like that. He’s all about boundaries and routine. We’ll have to wait.” The depressed resignation in Austin’s voice made Jay think dark thoughts about April. It wasn’t the loss of tonight that was making Austin sound this way. Austin was too levelheaded to mind that. It was inevitable there’d be times when Liam had to cancel or both of them weren’t available, after all.

  “I wish he’d come, though,” Jay added. Liam might not be pissed, but Jay was.

  Austin shrugged, turning into the parking lot closest to the station. “He’s not a lawyer, just a whatever…corporate law attorney. What could he do?”

  “Be there for us. Support us.”

  “Not part of the deal.” Austin turned off the engine. “If I start yelling at her, stop me, okay? It just makes her worse.”

  There was a reception desk in the entryway of the building with an officer behind glass to buzz people in. This was the first time Jay had gone with Austin to the station, but not the first time Austin had been there. All he had to do was explain who he was and the police officer buzzed them in.

  “Hi,” Austin said to the man who came over to meet them. “We’re here to pick up my sister, April Fisher?”

  “Right. I’m Officer Peterson,” the policeman said. “I wasn’t the one who pulled your sister over, but the officer who did said she was kind of uncooperative.”

  “Sounds like her. Did she run a stop sign or something?”

  Peterson shook his head. “She was pulled over for having a broken taillight, but when we checked her record, we found out she has half a dozen unpaid parking tickets. You’ll have to pay a fine before we can release her. She tried to pay it with a credit card, but it was declined.”

  None of this seemed to surprise Austin, who sighed. “How much?”

  “Six hundred and eighty dollars.”

  “What? Where the hell has she been parking?” Austin bit his lip. “Sorry, sorry. I know this isn’t your fault.”

  “She seems to prefer using handicapped spots,” Peterson said. “Plus they’ve gone unpaid for so long there are a lot of late fees.” He gestured at an officer near the back of the room, and Jay saw that April was sitting back there too, looking annoyed.

  “There are so many questions I won’t ask,” Austin said, mostly to Jay. “Like why she couldn’t park in regular spaces, and why she didn’t just pay the tickets when she got them. And why she has to be such an idiot.”

  “Took you long enough,” April said, joining them and glaring at Austin.

  “Yeah, that’s a nice way to thank me for coming to get you.” Austin looked at Peterson. “What happens if we don’t pay the fine?”

  Peterson shrugged. “She stays here over the weekend and talks to the judge on Monday morning. The car will stay in impound.”

  The expression April turned toward Austin was one of panic. “Austin! You can’t leave me here!”

  “I don’t have a choice,” Austin said grimly. “I don’t have the money. Mom’s gonna flip. What will she do without a car? She can’t afford to replace it.”

  “I’ll pay the fine. Whatever it is,” a familiar voice said behind them, and Jay turned to see Liam standing there, looking weirdly out of place. “I assume you’ll take a credit card? I doubt I have enough cash on me.”

  “Liam? What are—” Austin shook his head. “Never mind. No. You can’t.”

  “Who the fuck are you?”

  Jay saw Liam’s head turn the barest amount necessary to bring April into view. He looked her over unhurriedly, head to toe, and Jay wondered what he made of her. April’s hair was naturally the same blonde as her brother’s, but she’d dyed it for so many years—it was currently black shot through with purple—that it was a hot mess of split ends and frizz. She was dressed in black, leather-look pants and a skimpy ripped T-shirt, and weighed down with a ton of silver chains around her neck and wrists. She was sexy, he supposed, considered objectively, with high, lush breasts straining against her top, and a sullen pout that screamed kiss me.

  For one horrible moment, Jay thought Liam was attracted to her. A bad girl and a dom kind of went together—in his nightmares, at least.

  Liam turned away, dismissing April as rudely as she’d addressed him, and Jay felt a surge of relief. Stupid, really. There was no way that Liam would have—no. He was going to scrub that thought from his mind.

  “How much?” Liam asked the officer, his voice bored but polite.

  “I said, who are you?” April’s voice was shrill now, and she grabbed Liam’s arm, pulling him around to look at her.

  “He may be the reason you won’t be spending the night in a cell, not that I think for a minute that he should pay the fines, so take your hands off him,” Austin said through his teeth, shooting Liam an apologetic, hunted glance. “I’m sorry. She’s freaked out.”

  “Don’t make apologies for her,” Liam said.

  “Six hundred and eighty dollars.” Peterson gestured Liam toward a desk where he could make the payment, and Austin followed Liam.

  “Seriously, you don’t have to do this.” Austin sounded, if anything, more upset than he had previously. “Please. Don’t.”

  “I don’t want to stay here. Austin.” April had summoned up tears from who knew where, and one of them traced its way down her cheek, taking black eyeliner along for the ride. She tugged at Austin’s sleeve. “You wouldn’t leave your ba
by sister in jail.”

  Austin whirled around. “You’re such a selfish, irresponsible little bitch. Just shut the fuck up for five seconds so I can think.”

  Blinking, April stared at her brother wide-eyed; then Jay saw a flare of matching anger and her hand came up to slap Austin. “You asshole!” she shrieked, and Austin’s head jerked as her palm made contact. “Don’t you dare talk to me like that!”

  Officer Peterson grabbed on to April and dragged her backward, roughly but not as rough as Jay would have been if it was him doing the restraining. Austin was still standing there in shock, so Jay put an arm around him, ignoring April as Peterson said something to the other cop. April started to sob loudly and sat down on the floor, rocking back and forward like a baby. Austin sighed, pulled away from Jay, and went to kneel beside her.

  “Hey, come on. Don’t cry.” Austin didn’t touch her. “It’s okay.”

  “You’re being so mean to me,” April sobbed. “I called you because I knew you were the only person who’d help me, and instead you say I’m a bitch?”

  Austin looked up at Jay helplessly. His cheek was flushed red where she’d slapped him, and Officer Peterson was saying something about Austin pressing charges. “No,” Austin said. “No, I don’t want to do that. I just want her to get released…or whatever.”

  Peterson nodded and moved to process Liam’s credit card payment. “This doesn’t make me legally responsible for her in any way, does it?” Liam asked wryly, even though he had to know the answer to that question.

  “No, just for the payment,” Peterson said. He slid the slip of paper toward Liam so he could sign it, then gave him a printed receipt.

  “Could I get another copy?” Liam asked and, when he had it in hand, walked to where April was still sitting on the floor and dropped it in front of her. “There. Try not to lose it. It’s the only one you’ll be getting from me.”

  April looked up at him, her eyes narrowed. There was no gratitude in them. Whenever Jay heard someone—usually an older person in a crotchety mood—use the phrase she thinks the world owes her a living, he thought of April.