by D. J. Heart
It really was that simple.
“If you like him, we’re happy for you. And I’m glad you’re not too caught up in what other people will think to be put off dating him,” his mother said.
“It’s just a date. We’ll see how it goes,” Chad said, shrugging. He didn’t want to jinx things by investing too much. For all he knew, Peter was just looking for a bit of fun.
His parents didn’t comment further, and the rest of the dinner was spent talking about other things. Still, Chad couldn’t stop thinking about Peter. He wondered what they were going to do for their date, if he would still be comfortable with the older man, and if he’d end up back in Peter’s apartment.
He guessed he’d just have to wait and find out.
***
Chapter 18
Chad had missed both Friday and Monday’s classes, and as he made his way to the training facility on Wednesday he couldn’t help but feel nervous.
Parking his bike close to the front door, he took off his helmet and headed inside. Getting changed, he put away his things and headed toward the training room. He hadn’t even walked ten steps when Aiden came up behind him and put his arm over his shoulders. He tried to pull away, but Aiden held him in place like it was nothing.
“There you are, puppy. I hope I didn’t scare you off last week. I heard you had some complaints about me.” Aiden sounded mad.
“I didn’t—”
Chad didn’t get to finish the sentence. The arm around his shoulders tightened, curling around his neck and pulling him into a headlock. His face pressed against Aiden’s muscular pecs, the alpha squeezing his arm down in a show of pointless domination, Chad knew he was in trouble. Aiden lowered his face down so that he was speaking in Chad’s ear.
“Next time you have a problem with me, talk to me about it. Do you understand?”
Again Chad tried to tell the dickwad that he hadn’t complained to anyone, but Aiden shut him up before he could get a word out with a callused hand over his mouth.
“Nod your head,” Aiden demanded. Seething with furious indignation but knowing he was vastly outmatched, Chad did as he was told.
“Good boy,” Aiden said, not letting go. Chad went limp, submitting totally to Aiden’s humiliating show of power, just waiting for the older man to tire of teaching him a lesson. A few guys walked past, but they stuck to the other side of the hallway and didn’t intervene.
Chad was humiliated.
A minute later, Aiden rhythmically squeezing his bulging bicep against Chad’s cheek, he heard someone walking toward them.
“Does Peter know you’re playing with his new toy?”
Chad recognized the voice coming from up ahead, though he couldn’t see the speaker. It was Merchant. Chad recognized the amused drawl in his tone. It was as unsettling now as it had been the previous two times they spoke.
Aiden let go of his head with an irritated huff, and Chad pulled away. He pushed back until he had his back against the wall, standing between the two alphas. Aiden had obviously worked out before heading to teach the class, and Chad’s shoulder and neck were wet with the other man’s sweat.
It was gross.
Aiden watched Merchant like you would a particularly venomous snake. Merchant was just standing there, dressed in the same dark jeans and black T-shirt he always wore, an amused smile on his face. He didn’t look like someone Chad wanted to mess with, but from the way Aiden was glaring at him you’d think the man was a serial killer.
“We’re just having a little talk,” Aiden said. Merchant’s easy smile morphed into a grin.
“You were touching him,” he said, like it was the funniest thing in the world. “You know how Mr. Tank can be about things like that.”
Chad looked between the two alphas, the way they were talking about him making him feel about as significant as an omega.
These were the kinds of alphas Chad didn’t like being around.
“This is none of your business, Merchant.” Aiden’s words were almost a challenge, but his body language made it pretty clear he didn’t want to fight. Merchant took a step closer, and Chad almost missed the way Aiden flinched.
“Except it is my business. You see, Chad here is my new student. I’m taking over your class starting today.”
“You’re not—”
Merchant took another step forward and cut him off mid-sentence. “Peter might be your friend, Aiden, but I’m not. Or did you think that you and I were buddies?” Merchant’s expression or tone didn’t change at all as he spoke, and somehow that was scarier than if he’d gotten mad.
The question hung in the air between them. Since Aiden was clearly less dominant than Merchant, he couldn’t ignore it without giving Merchant an excuse to challenge him.
“No,” he said, the word curt and angry.
“Good. Of course, if you have a complaint you can always take it to Peter.” Merchant’s tone was mocking.
“Fuck off,” Aiden muttered, turning around and walking away. Chad was happy to see him go, except that meant that he was alone with Merchant—who was clearly insane.
“So, what exactly am I teaching and where am I teaching it?” Merchant asked, turning to Chad. Chad blinked, his mouth opening in a pretty good imitation of a fish. Merchant raised his eyebrow, waiting for an answer.
“Advanced hand-to-hand combat in training room eight?” Chad made it sound like a question.
Merchant nodded. “I can do that. How’s your dad doing, by the way?” He started walking, and Chad scrambled to follow.
“He’s good. No lasting damage if he just changes his diet and starts exercising.”
“That’s good to hear. And you? You looked pretty banged up the last time I saw you.”
Chad was surprised by the question. He’d been sore and hurting for the first two days after the class, but after that the worst had passed. He hadn’t even thought about his ribs since he got back to the city.
“I’m good. Thanks for asking.”
They made it to the training room, and Merchant walked in ahead of him like he owned the place. Chad followed, watching as Merchant moved to the front of the room and turned to face the alphas present. Now that they were inside, Merchant didn’t acknowledge him.
“You and you,” Merchant pointed to two alphas standing together, “Show me what you’ve got. Everyone else stand back.”
Chad recognized the two alphas from his last class, but he didn’t know their names. If they were confused by the change of instructor or teaching style, they didn’t show it. They moved to the mat in the middle of the room, rolling their shoulders and stretching their necks as they went.
Chad, Merchant, and the two remaining alphas all moved away from the mat, standing around the two alphas in a circle.
“Whenever you’re ready,” Merchant said, letting some impatience bleed into his voice.
The two alphas responded like a bell had been rung. They were both pretty equal in size, their bodies sleek and built for speed and agile strength, and neither one held back as they attacked.
It was vicious, and Chad couldn’t help but grin at the violence.
He watched as the alpha who was obviously going to lose struggled to get the advantage. He was on his stomach, his opponent on top of him with an arm hooked around his throat choking him out. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and as the pressure on his jugular increased, he started flagging.
Chad knew that he wouldn’t have let himself be pinned like that. He might not be able to square off against someone like Merchant, Aiden, or Peter, but these guys were on his level.
Fighting them would be fun.
“You win,” Merchant said, walking right up to the two alphas on the ground and nudging the winner with the tip of his boot. “Get up.”
The two alphas separated, both of them breathing hard and looking at Merchant like they hoped he would be pleased.
“Not bad,” Merchant said. “But you shouldn’t leave your back vulnerable like that. I’m assuming tha
t if this were real you would have snapped his neck instead of trying to choke him out?”
“Yes, sir,” the winning alpha said without hesitation. Chad looked to the guy standing next to him, but he didn’t seem to think that there was anything wrong with the answer.
“Good. Now do it again, but this time without leaving yourself open.”
Merchant stepped back, and the two alphas went at it again. Even though he was just watching, Chad’s heart beat faster as he watched them struggle for supremacy. He itched for a chance to get his turn and prove himself.
He didn’t have to wait long. The winner from the last match won again, but this time he did it without leaving himself open.
“Very good,” Merchant said. He turned around and pointed to Chad and the guy next to him. “You and you, get up here and see if you can’t do better.”
Chad turned to the guy next to him, shooting him a friendly if competitive grin. The alpha answered the expression with a grin of his own.
“Chad,” Chad said, holding out his hand.
“Kenny,” the alpha said, clapping their palms together.
“Anytime you’re ready,” Merchant said. Chad and Kenny moved apart, and then crashed together at an unspoken signal.
Ducking under Kenny’s first punch and landing a jab on his side, Chad moved back with a grin.
“This isn’t boxing, boys. Fight dirty!” Merchant walked around them, and Chad’s blood thrummed at the challenge.
The next twenty seconds passed in a blur, but they ended with Chad’s thighs wrapped around Kenny’s neck and Kenny thrashing like a wild pig.
“Good work, boys. Now do it again without the fancy footwork.”
Chad unclamped his thighs and got up, Kenny jumping up after him and getting right back into position.
This time Kenny managed to get the upper hand, but Chad didn’t take it too hard.
The rest of the class was spent much the same way, but as Merchant got a sense for their fighting styles he started giving more and more advice. It was, much to Chad’s surprise, one of the most productive lessons Chad had ever had—even if Merchant’s assumption that every real fight should end in death was more than a little disquieting.
Chad made a mental note never to get on Merchant’s bad side.
By the time the class was over, Chad was sweating like a pig and grinning like a lunatic. Kenny, looking just as tired and happy as Chad felt, walked next to him as they headed to the locker room.
“Man, that was a good class,” Kenny said. “We fucking lucked out.”
“It was pretty great,” Chad agreed. “What do you mean we lucked out, though?”
“That was Merchant,” Kenny said, like Chad should know what that meant. “He’s legendary. I heard he and Peter Tank used to do contracts together before Tank went legit.”
“Contracts?” Chad asked, sure that Kenny couldn’t mean what he thought he meant. “Like, contracts, contracts?”
“I mean… that’s the rumor. He’s a total badass.” Kenny sounded like he was talking about an action hero rather than a real person. He clapped Chad on the back. “I’d kill to be on his team one day.”
Chad relaxed. There were bound to be rumors about alphas like Peter and Merchant, and they probably even encouraged them. It didn’t mean that Peter had actually worked as a hired killer.
“Maybe someday,” Chad said.
Kenny laughed, shaking his head. “I wish, but no. The guys on his team are fucking terrifying. I wouldn’t even survive the initiation ritual.”
With that Kenny headed to the shower, leaving Chad wondering what kind of initiation ritual you had to go through to be on Merchant’s team.
Whatever it was, it couldn’t be that bad—could it?
***
Chapter 19
After showering, combing back his hair, and dabbing just a hint of cologne between his collarbones, Peter headed into his walk-in closet to get dressed. He traced his fingers over his suits, naked except for his boxer briefs, and considered his options.
His suits made him look imposing and formal, but formal wasn’t really what Peter was going for. He wanted something intimate and provocative—and none of his suits fit that bill.
He wanted Chad drooling at the sight of him.
Moving away from the impeccably constructed suits, bypassing his few pairs of jeans and casual slacks, Peter headed over to his collection of fetish wear. Reaching out to touch smooth leather, he pulled out the third pair of pants on the shelf in front of him.
These would do. Stepping into the supple leather pants, pulling them up over his muscular legs, Peter grinned at himself in the mirror. The pants weren’t indecently tight, but they showed off his ass, thighs, and package to perfection.
Peter paired the pants with a heavy pair of motorcycle boots, an unassuming belt, and a clingy black cashmere sweater that felt like he was being hugged by a teddy bear.
Neither the sweater nor the pants were something he’d wear if he wasn’t trying to get laid or doing a scene.
Looking at himself in the mirror, Peter admired the outfit even as he wondered if it was too much. He decided it wasn’t.
Heading out, Peter selected one of his nicer wool coats before taking the elevator down to his car. He decided against wearing a leather jacket with the pants, figuring he was already pushing things. If Chad wasn’t open to moving beyond slightly rough and controlling sex and getting kinky, showing up looking like he’d come to take him away to his sex dungeon probably wasn’t the best idea.
Cock pressing against the front of his pants so hard it almost hurt, Peter started the car and drove out of the garage.
He was going to make Chad pay for getting him worked up like this, and the young alpha was going to love every second of it.
***
Peter made his way into Chad’s apartment building, shaking his head at the lax security. The front door was held open by an old office chair, and though there was a moving truck parked on the curb, there were no people in sight to prevent any old criminal from waltzing inside.
The entry leading to the stairs was old and worn, and Peter couldn’t help the disdainful twitch of his nose as he took in the dilapidated mailboxes hanging on the wall. He located the box belonging to Chad, the blocky handwritten letters obviously written by the young alpha making him smile.
Moving through the entryway, Peter started climbing the stairs. He wondered how he would handle it if he had to live in a place like this. Not well, he guessed. Peter liked his home to be quiet and locked up tighter than a bank. It was different when he was out in the field; he expected to be on high alert to the point of hyper vigilance there, but at home he liked being able to relax and let down his guard.
Arriving on the third floor, Peter opened the door leading out of the stairway. The door creaked, and Peter cringed at the sound.
Why had nobody thought to oil the hinges?
Shaking his head at the general decay of the building, Peter found Chad’s apartment. Looking at the lopsided numbers on the door listing out 304, he wondered if the young alpha had money troubles. His salary should be more than enough to pay for a better apartment, and that he’d settled for what was clearly a small studio a good twenty-minute drive from the training facility was strange and suspicious.
The door separating Chad’s apartment from the hallway was obviously thin, and Peter knew without a doubt that a good blow with his fist would have the whole thing falling off its hinges. How Chad could feel safe behind a door like that was beyond Peter.
Rapping his knuckles on the flimsy wood, he stood back and waited for Chad to open the door. He squared his shoulders and puffed up his chest, his cock pressing against the front of his pants at the thought of seeing the young alpha again.
“Shit, he’s early!”
Peter could hear Chad’s voice through the door, loud and panicked and obviously caught unawares. He wondered who he was talking to. A second later the door crashed open.
“Peter! Hi!” Chad stood in the doorway, wide-eyed and wearing a suit that Peter would rather burn than let anywhere near his closet. His tie hung loose around his neck, wrinkled and limp like Chad had tried and failed to tie it multiple times.
The whole effect was adorably charming.
“I was just getting ready,” Chad said, slightly breathless but not unhappy. Peter tilted his head, projecting calm, and looked past Chad toward the alpha standing behind him. Chad saw where he was looking and startled like he’d just remembered the other alpha’s presence.
