In the Rough

by Sara Brookes

  If he snored.

  Enver pushed up out of the chair, fighting the urge to escape. Jesus. He’d brought the brattiest submissives to their knees with nothing more than a glare, and here he was breaking into a cold sweat at the thought of something so...ordinary.

  “Do you—” Huskiness suddenly coated his voice, a thickness he hadn’t felt in years. He cleared his throat and tried again. “Do you have any plans on Friday?”

  “Same thing I do every night.” Marcus gestured to his equipment. “Hanging out with these babies.”

  “Want to do something? Away from here, I mean. The club.” Shit. Could this be any more awkward? “Just get away from all of this for the night and hang out.”

  Marcus stood. “Like a date?”

  “Yeah.” Enver swallowed, feeling like a desperate teenager waiting for his prospective prom date to accept. “Exactly like that.”

  “Best offer I’ve had in weeks.”

  * * *

  “Since you’re not talking, I’m going to assume your thoughts are hung up on whoever you fucked last night.”

  Enver snapped out of his daydream with a jerk and earned a narrow-eyed gaze from the woman sitting across from him. The vulgar words made him wince. Sure, his older sister Lucille had two kids in college and was still madly in love with her husband of twenty-five years, but in his mind, she was the epitome of innocence.

  He’d like to keep it that way. While he’d always had a challenging relationship with his parents thanks to a tumultuous childhood filled with divorce and abuse, Lucille and her two kids were his everything.

  “Thought we promised not to talk about my sex life, Lucy.”

  She smirked as she pushed her dark hair behind her ear. “Nice to have your attention again.” Blue-green eyes that matched his twinkled as she sipped her wine. “You’re allowed to be all broody and silent except for when we’re out for a late lunch.”

  He hadn’t meant to get caught up in his head, but he’d been doing that a lot lately thanks to his interactions with Marcus. He hadn’t been this antsy in years. Whenever he’d agreed to a session with a sub, he knew everything going in, even down to what kind of aftercare would be needed once the scene was over. He usually knew the submissives better than they knew themselves. There was a genuine comfort in that knowledge that kept him participating in scenes time and time again.

  With Marcus and his contraption, everything Enver knew was reset. Too many unknowns about how the machine would react to changes. And there were always changes. Marcus had been working with him, showing him how to tailor the program to his needs and desires when it came to equipment.

  Much to Enver’s chagrin, he was figuring out the nuances of the system more quickly than he’d expected. Technology made his skin crawl, but the promise of playing with Marcus outweighed that huge detail. They’d had several more sessions inside BLINC, these far more instructional than the first encounter. But the sexual undercurrent was still prevalent between the men, and Enver found Marcus on his mind almost constantly.

  He also couldn’t stop thinking about the times Marcus had seemed distant on a few occasions. Whenever he’d asked, Marcus had always snapped out of it, brushing off his distraction as nothing more than thinking about what needed to be fixed on the program. But Enver suspected that wasn’t entirely the case.

  Even at the club, in a secure and safe environment, Enver had noted Marcus looking over his shoulder at the entrance as though he was expecting someone to appear. Every time Enver prodded further, Marcus apologized and returned to his normal self.

  “Consider me properly scolded, Lucy.” Enver crossed his arms. “Just been busy with stuff at the forge.”

  “Ah.” She gave him the stink-eye. “Making your elaborate toys for the sex life we’re not allowed to talk about.”

  He held up his hands in surrender. “Please, stop it with the sex talk already. My virgin ears can’t take it. Not all of us are as disgustingly happy as you guys are.” Despite his statement, he was genuinely happy his sister and Campbell were still together. Their successful partnership had always been Enver’s model of how loving, committed relationships functioned.

  When he thought about what they had, a tightness constricted his chest. Longing washed over him as he thought about the connection he shared with Marcus. A connection built with wires and computers and an artificial world he didn’t understand.

  Another flood of memories washed over him, that handsome face relaxed in ecstasy while Enver had played with his ass, stroked the length of his body. That same face now focused and determined as he hunched over a computer making adjustments as Enver described what he was seeing. The confusing mix of reality and computer-generated play wasn’t something Enver thought he’d ever get caught up in. But sometimes he swore he felt Marcus’s body against his. His lips. His...

  “Enver.” Lucy snapped her fingers. “Do not make me say fuck again.”

  He pointed to her, smirking as he reached for his water glass. “You just did.”

  “Obviously some hot thing has you wrapped around the axle to keep you distracted instead of listening to my boring stories about work.”

  “I may not know what the hell you’re talking about, but your life is never boring.” He waved off the waiter’s offer to refill his glass. “I was listening, I swear.”

  She waggled her fingers. “You haven’t heard a word I’ve said today. You are seriously hung up on someone.” She sobered when he shot her a stern glare. “Fine. Campbell and I are working on a prototype that will help photopigment defects in his patients. We’ve conquered red-green and blue-yellow and are in talks with a few pharmaceutical companies to start trials. Total color blindness is rare, so we’re having issues finding good candidates. The eventual goal is a lens that will help the blind process signals to the brain to help them see. We’re still a long way off, but we’re making progress every—”

  “What kind of lenses?” He leaned forward, pushing his unfinished lunch to the side.

  She gave him a quizzical look, but continued, “Contact lenses to start. A patient could order them from the local optometrist. A permanent solution, and our eventual goal, is for an intraocular lens placement behind the iris and pupil, just like cataract lens replacement. It would send signals to the brain to help someone see who may otherwise be facing a life in the dark.” Her gaze narrowed, her mouth pursing. “Why are you suddenly so interested in our work?”

  He tapped the table, biting his lip to contain his grin. “I know someone who is exploring virtual reality and is looking into using lenses to help with his interface.”

  “Someone, huh?” She sat back, drumming her fingers against the table. “This someone wouldn’t happen to be the same person who has had you so occupied lately?”

  “What makes you say that?”

  “You’ve never been this interested in my work, Ennie.” Her voice was laced with that knowing tone she pulled out whenever she had the upper hand.

  “Good God, don’t call me that.” He tapped the edge of his fork, tracing the flowered pattern as he stalled because he still couldn’t believe what he was about to say. “I have a date in a few hours.”

  “Oh, sweetie, that’s wonderful.” Her face lit as she waved her hands in air.

  “He’s working on a program for the club to blend reality with computer programs that I don’t even pretend to understand.” He paused, allowing the image of Marcus that formed in his mind. Interestingly, he didn’t think about the computer-generated version of the man blissed out in subspace. Or the one who spent hours hunched over the keyboard until his fingers bled as he worked to make BLINC perfect. Instead, it was the geek tornado version he’d first met at the convention. It seemed so long ago when they’d first met. “He has some really first-rate nerd-level stuff you and Campbell would appreciate.”

  “I’d love to meet him.”

&nbs
p; “Back off, tiger.” He counted out enough cash to pay their bill and signaled for her to follow. When she joined him in the sidewalk, he pulled out his lighter and a cigarette. After inhaling a few times, he finally spoke. “It’s just a date.”

  “Oh yeah?” She gestured to the pack, waiting while he shook out one, lit it with his own cigarette and handed it to her. She blew out a stream of smoke before continuing. “When was the last time you went on an honest-to-God date that didn’t involve the club?”

  The answer to that question scared him most of all. “You worry about changing the world, okay, Lucy? I’ll worry about my dating life.” He pulled her into a hug, breathing in her familiar scent as she wrapped her arms around his waist. “Take care of the rug rats.”

  “Ha. The beauty of being a parent—soon they’ll be taking care of me.”

  * * *

  Two hours later, as he headed east, he was still thinking about Lucille’s question. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been on a date where the goal wasn’t to spend time getting to know a submissive. There was always a method to the madness. Learn their interests. Hear their hard and soft limits.

  Negotiate.

  He still wasn’t sure what had convinced him to ask Marcus out in the first place. Some part of him had hoped the guy would laugh off the invitation. Then he could banish all the residual crap that kept plaguing him and move on with his life. Maybe take a new sub at the club and pour all of his effort into their training. But he’d accepted, and Enver would be damned if he’d cancel.

  When he pulled into the parking lot, he noticed Marcus had already arrived. He parked, cutting the engine and pocketing the key ring, but he didn’t exit the vehicle. Instead, he went light-headed and gripped the steering wheel as he stared at Marcus leaning against the hood of his ’77 Trans Am. Something was different. A sucker punch to Enver’s gut that made his breath short and his thoughts fracture.

  Marcus had always been dressed business casual. Khakis. Slacks. Over-pressed and over-starched collared shirts. Hair perfectly arranged. Glasses void of a single fingerprint. Hell, his loafers usually gleamed with a shine that made the club’s boot blackers envious.

  Tonight he’d selected obscenely tight denim, a faded tee that was riding up one side to expose a strip of tantalizing skin, and sneakers. Hair that looked as though it hadn’t seen the business end of a comb in three days, and no glasses. Humor and intelligence sparked in those eyes, his smile an invitation to come closer.

  Enver’s body hummed in response. On a virtual level, he knew every inch of Marcus’s body. Knew the length and shape of his cock. Knew what it was like to have his fist shoved deep inside Marcus’s ass, muscles clenching as he came, thanks to the computer simulation. This version of Marcus was relaxed and at ease, with himself and the environment around him. He was masculine as hell, with an insanely sexy body, but also...beautiful. The scars lining one side of his face gave him a haunting edge that only added to his mysterious air.

  Seeing Marcus in the rough excited and settled Enver at the same time.

  His stomach flipped over when he realized he was being rude and ogling. He rubbed his forearms, hoping to dispel the persistent goose bumps that had erupted as Marcus watched him slide out of his car. For a split second, he’d felt naked. A sensation Enver was used to forcing other people to feel, not himself.

  He reached back into his car, snagging the jacket he’d tossed in the backseat. The higher elevation accounted for the temperature change, but Enver scented a variation in the atmosphere that signaled the mountains were going to get their fair share of snow soon.

  “Surprised that death trap made it up this high,” Enver said.

  “She’s a trooper.” Marcus traced the lower corner of the firebird insignia.

  The slow drag of his finger over the worn and cracked paint clenched a tight fist around Enver’s cock. If he didn’t calm down, he wasn’t going to make it through the two-hour tour he’d booked them on.

  “Ever thought about restoring her?” He fell in step beside Marcus as they made their way across the parking lot that was quickly filling up with other visitors. “I could give you a few pointers, get you in contact with some good sources for parts.”

  “You’re really into that kind of thing, aren’t you?”

  Enver gestured toward his car with his chin. “Rescued her from a junkyard. She was the first thing I bought with my own money and it took a hell of a lot of hours bagging groceries and mowing lawns to fix her up. Had her ever since.”

  “Someday I’d like to do the same for mine. Every time I have some extra funds, I sink it into BLINC. Priorities, I suppose.” Marcus gestured to a cluster of buildings with his chin as he shoved his hands into his pockets. “Have to say, I was curious where we were going. You were pretty vague on the details. Thought we were just going to go to the drag club again.”

  “The observatory certainly isn’t a drag club,” Enver said with a laugh. “But you will get to see a lot of glittering stars.”

  They checked in for the tour and went to stand in the waiting area. Illuminated globes in several different sizes huge from the ceiling, replicating the various planets. Different educational stations were inset into the walls, providing information about the closest display. Marcus wandered over to a large sculpture in the center of the room that was composed of hundreds of metal rods that were twisted into a pedestal that supported a large glass model of Earth. It was lit from the inside, a sparkling display of the major cities around the world.

  “You do any of the metalwork for the observatory?”

  Enver winced at the heat ribboning through his system as he watched Marcus admire the architecture. Christ. “Not a thing. Here as a plain old tourist just like you.”

  “Well...maybe not old.” Marcus glanced over his shoulder, winking.

  “Hey now.” They both laughed, and Enver was pleased to note Marcus truly was as relaxed and casual as his choice of clothing for the night. He wasn’t constantly surveilling his surroundings like he’d done the past few times they’d seen one another outside the club. “I didn’t ask before, but if this isn’t your thing, we can go to the movies or something.”

  Marcus spun in a slow circle, taking in the observatory’s brightly lit atrium, his delighted gaze landing on Enver when he completed the turn. “Oh, no. This is totally my thing.” He squeezed Enver’s hand just as the guide called everyone over to the corner for an exhibit.

  As the tour progressed, Enver found himself watching Marcus instead of listening to the information. Not that what the guide had to say wasn’t interesting, but he couldn’t stop the lingering glances each time Marcus was in his proximity. Each time Marcus lagged behind as the tour moved to the next exhibit, he caught up, his expression alight with delight. A warm glow settled inside Enver at the knowledge that he’d been the one responsible for that.

  “Lots of science happening here, huh?” he teased.

  Marcus nodded as enthusiastically as a child facing a decked-out tree on Christmas morning. “I used to spend summers at a camp. At night, I’d sneak out of my cabin and go down to the lake where there was a clearing. Stared at the stars for hours, daydreaming about going up there someday. Never made it, obviously.”

  “Is that why you came up with BLINC?”

  “At first, yes,” Marcus said. “It was a way to escape and be somewhere else. I could visit another universe if I wanted to.” His gaze slid to Enver. “Then I figured out a few more...practical uses.”

  The telling gleam in Marcus’s gaze made Enver want to muscle him against the nearest wall and kiss him. Devour his mouth again. Feel the weight of his cock in his hand for real instead of inside the constraints of the virtual world.

  Instead, he curled his hand into a fist and put some distance between them. He remained quiet the rest of the tour, aware of the glances Marcus shot his way. The agitated Marcus w
as back, and Enver knew he was the cause. He pretended to be wholly focused on the tour guide even though his body was screaming to give in to his base impulses. Everything about this man screamed at him.

  His willpower was being chipped away one damn glance at a time.

  Dusk was starting to settle in as the tour ended and the guide directed them to freely explore the grounds, including the promise of a spectacular sunset at the top of the ridge, before meeting back at the main building for a peek at the night sky through the lens of the powerful telescope.

  About half the group turned toward the well-worn path, but Enver headed to his car, retrieving the backpack he’d tossed into the backseat. “Hungry?” At Marcus’s nod, Enver slung the bag over his shoulder and they made their way to the trailhead.

  After a time, Enver signaled for Marcus to follow and they broke away from the rest of the group. The paved path wasn’t as well used as the main route, with tufts of grass peeking between cracks in the concrete. The foliage wasn’t as sparse either, causing the men to have to duck in a few places where the overgrowth had been allowed to freely grow.

  “I thought we were going up to the summit to check out the view.”

  “Thought you’d like to see this instead,” Enver said as they broke through the line of trees.

  Marcus whistled as he stepped to the railing. “It’s like the sky is on fire.”

  Enver concurred. Golden rays gave way to vivid orange, red, and pink, melting upward into purple and deep blue that would act as a canvas for the stars.

  He pulled a wrinkled tablecloth from the side pocket of the bag. “Figured we could look at some gorgeous scenery while we grab something to eat.”

  He did his best to smother the answering heat that flooded his groin at the double meaning.

  * * *

  Marcus looked over the spread Enver had brought. “Should have let me know and I would have brought something.”