In the Rough

by Sara Brookes

  Sadly, it wasn’t him.

  “You go have some fun, all right?”

  “Don’t I always?” Bracey wiggled her hips. “And if I can’t find someone, there’s always Bob.”

  Enver smirked. They’d had a few interesting sessions with her battery-operated boyfriend. A sudden thought struck him. “Hey, you aren’t the one stealing batteries from the supply closet, are you?”

  She shot him a sly smile, but didn’t respond.

  “Kochran gets wind of that, you know he’ll punish you.”

  “That’s the idea, Hercules.” She blew him a kiss as she disappeared around the corner.

  For the first time since they’d discussed parting ways, a sense of peace overwhelmed Enver. He truly felt as though Bracey was going to be okay without him.

  Enver was still standing there long after Bracey left, insides coiled tight as Marcus stepped beside him. He hadn’t realized he’d been daydreaming and it hadn’t been about Bracey. He glanced over to see Marcus had gone back to his normal attire of slacks, loafers and a pressed shirt. His glasses were also in place, as was every hair on his head. Either version of Marcus was everything Enver needed right now.

  He wasn’t interested in getting into things in the hallway. At the club at all, really. Despite his predilection for performing in public, airing his dirty laundry where anyone could hear was considered poor form.

  “Don’t all you nerd types wear a watch so you’re never late?”

  Marcus snorted loudly. “No one wears a watch anymore.”

  “Try telling that to Kochran,” Enver said as he thought about the owner’s habit of always being behind the tech curve. He followed Marcus into the room, trying his best and failing miserably not to stare at the way Marcus’s ass moved as he led Enver to the room.

  He remained quiet as Marcus unlocked the door, slid inside and immediately went to his station. The tension that had taken hold of Marcus that night at the observatory was absent as he moved with a swift grace, popping open the latches on the long rectangular cases housing the lenses.

  “I was able to upgrade the HUDs last week, so no more bulky glasses and wires.” Marcus held up a curving slice of clear plastic. The sleek set caught Enver’s interest, but not enough to erase the confusion swirling through him. Had he imagined the entire date at the observatory? The heat and passion they’d shared with the kiss? Conjured it out of some fucked up masturbatory fantasy living inside his head?

  “Ready?” Marcus wiggled his outstretched hand, obviously ready to test the setup.

  “Sorry.” Enver took the item, surprised by the lack of weight. “Distracted.”

  “We can shelve this for another time if there’s somewhere else you need to be.”

  “Why did you really bail?” Enver blurted. He’d promised himself he’d shelve the conversation for another time, but the incident stuck with him. Better to clear the air anyway so it didn’t clog up the scene once they were plugged in. “I know it’s none of my business.”

  “No. It’s not.” Marcus dropped his hands to his sides, his set of lenses dangling from his fingers. “But it wasn’t fair of me to bolt the way I did with some bullshit excuse even I didn’t believe. I had some family stuff that came up and needed to be dealt with. I’m sorry if it seemed like I was avoiding you since then. You could have called or texted—never mind,” Marcus added with a tight smile.

  Enver scolded himself for believing the worst. He wasn’t used to considering the fact other people had lives outside of the club. “Is everything all right?”

  “Won’t be for a long time. But it is what it is. We deal and we move on best as we can. Right now, we have new toys to play around with.” Marcus obviously had something weighing heavily on his mind, but didn’t want to discuss it.

  “You shouldn’t notice any differences in the display you see on your end.” Marcus set the glasses in place, obviously pleased with the change. “You’ll feel a difference in the weight of the unit on your face.”

  As soon as Enver dropped into the virtual world, he stalked over to Marcus’s avatar and pushed hard against him.

  “How flexible are you?”

  * * *

  Marcus’s blood flashed hot. The demanding tone of the questions paired with the proprietary gleam in Enver’s gaze caused Marcus’s cock to harden, both in and out of the program. “In here, as much as you need me to be.”

  “Excellent.” Enver stepped back, stripping away his shirt. “Out of your clothes and on your knees.” As he popped open the top button of his jeans, a small pile of dark green ropes appeared near his foot.

  “Glad to see you’ve finally gotten comfortable enough to work that out.” Marcus swallowed when Enver shot a glare his way. “Clothes. Gone. Got it.” He quickly stripped away his pants and shirt, his boxer briefs following. This time he left the clothing wherever it landed, not interested in making the effort to order the code string to run.

  He dropped, noting the smooth surface of the floor under his shins and the immediate strain in his knees. Not knowing what to do with his hands, he mimicked the pose he’d seen the submissive adopt in the scene Enver had assisted with in Court.

  “Go ahead and lean forward. Put most of your weight on your forearms.” Enver crouched beside Marcus as he followed instructions. “Just going to do a rope ladder around your thigh and shin. Let me know if anything pinches or hurts.”

  Marcus balanced his weight forward, feeling the burn in his forearms fade off as Enver wound a length of rope around his bent leg and moved around, repeating the process on the second leg, binding Marcus’s legs in the position.

  “Relax and let me reposition you.” Enver grasped him under the arms, shifting Marcus backward as he took all his weight. Upright again, Marcus’s shins pressed against the coils of ropes, his butt cradled by his angled feet.

  “Should have enough room to shift your knees apart, probably about shoulder width.” Enver paused for a moment. “Maybe a little wider.”

  Marcus found he did have the ability to move his legs in a wide vee.

  “Palms flat on the floor behind you.”

  He expelled a slow breath as he settled into the pose. The ache in his knees was so acute it felt real. It eased as time ticked away until it finally diminished.

  “Never gets old,” Enver murmured.

  “What?”

  “Watching a sub slip into the right headspace. Opening themselves up as they prepare for whatever they’re about to face.”

  “Means I’ve nailed the programming in that aspect at least.”

  Enver touched his chin. “How about we not worry about the system for a bit and you just relax?”

  Marcus not focusing on his program while in the system was next to impossible. His mind was always trying to conceptualize the next steps. What needed to be adjusted. Replaced. Those things were what had kept him sane for the past three weeks while he’d buried himself in work.

  He’d turned the string of text messages from Davis over to the police, who were actively searching for the fugitive. Turned out he’d skipped a meeting with his parole officer, and local authorities were on the lookout for him. There was nothing else for Marcus to do except live some semblance of a life, the persistent threat hanging over his head.

  His thoughts evaporated when Enver’s mouth closed over his. Though it lacked the actual physical connection they’d shared at the observatory, it was still just as potent. Heat burned up his chest and neck, suffusing his cheeks before surging straight down to his dick. Enver groaned, slashing his mouth over Marcus’s in a way that scraped and hurt, but Marcus knew they both needed that kind of pleasurable pain right now. When a sharp, metallic bite of blood assaulted his taste buds, a hoarse noise that barely registered as human escaped from his throat. He took a steadying breath as Enver drew back.

  “There. You’ve done an excellent
job, Marcus. Now just enjoy it. Nothing wrong with focusing on yourself for once. We can break things down when we’re done if we need to, but I think you’ve got it this time.”

  If Marcus was still having difficulties concentrating, his brain ceased to function the instant Enver looped a section of rope around his wrist. Enver repeated the action on the other side, and then joined them together. “I need you focused.”

  “Sorry,” Marcus muttered.

  “Don’t be sorry. Just do.”

  “There is no try,” Marcus said with a laugh.

  Enver smirked. “We can role play another time if you enjoy dressing up as a little green alien.”

  “Yoda kicks ass.”

  “And I’m going to kick yours if you don’t relax.” Enver stood, moving behind him, and touched the side of Marcus’s face, causing Marcus to shiver against the contact. “Just going to do another simple harness around your torso, secure it all with the arm ladders to keep you in this position. No suspension this time. Sort of a modified mummification.”

  By the time Enver had completed the tie around his torso, all Marcus knew was that in the modified back bend, he was going to end up completely exposed. Already his cock jutted up from between his spread thighs, flushed an angry red to show just how aroused this was making him.

  Outside, in the real world, he was just as excited.

  Enver set to work, his brow furrowing as he concentrated on the task. Since first watching Enver help Oz with the submissive on the wood beam, Marcus found he liked watching Enver set himself to task. He managed to find a way to balance his skill with ropes with his care of the submissive he was winding the ropes around.

  Marcus sank as each knot and cinch tightened against his body, connecting with that cottony headspace where everything felt thick and heavy. The sensations Enver made him experience inside BLINC were so addictive, he wondered what it would be like to do something like this in real life with him.

  He looked down the intricate weaving of the rope harness and discovered Enver was wrapping a length of thin, bright neon-green cord around his shaft. Though Enver still wore a mask of seriousness to show he was concentrating, the edges of his mouth were curled up.

  “You’re enjoying this.”

  Enver’s gaze flicked upward, the curl of his lips increasing. “Wouldn’t do this if I didn’t.” He turned his attention back to finishing off the last of the tie, anchoring the rope ladder constricting Marcus’s cock so it stood perpendicular to his body. The visual he must have made was intensely obscene and astoundingly erotic.

  Enver stood, shoving his hands into his pockets as he looked down at Marcus. “Now this I’d like a photograph of.”

  Marcus was glad the program didn’t have that capability, but it gave him an idea to add that feature for future use.

  “Ah. You’re thinking again. That’s my fault.” Enver crouched again, and hot, wet suction closed around the exposed tip of Marcus’s cock. The warmth of Enver’s mouth vanished, replaced seconds later by his hand. “My apologies.”

  It was maddening thanks to the rope Enver had expertly woven around Marcus’s dick at intervals. His touch was there one second, gone the next. Touch. Deny. His mouth came back, his tongue playing over the smooth crown, dipping inside the slit to gather the precome leaking from the tip.

  “You’ve very good at your work, Marcus. But you’re about to find out how good I am at mine.”

  A wicked gleam darkened those eyes as he slid his slightly parted lips over the dark pink head, painting his bottom lip with fluid. The wet heat of Enver’s mouth enveloped Marcus for a split second before withdrawing. Enver gave the tip a tender kiss before he closed his lips around the sensitive crown and sucked.

  Sparks lit behind Marcus’s eyes as Enver pushed down, taking the entire length—cock and cord together—in one swallow. Marcus whimpered as Enver began to move, taking him with long, slow pulls, manipulating the velvet steel skin. Enver’s eyes fluttered shut, blissed out on the feel of the cock filling his mouth.

  Marcus groaned when Enver pulled off, but the sound morphed into a whimper when Enver starting licking and kissing the underside of his cock and the heavy weight of his testicles. The press of the ropes against him was too much. Not enough. Everything and nothing. A maddening mix that was as intoxicating as it was infuriating. He felt it from the roots of his hair to his toenails.

  Enver chuckled softly.

  Marcus growled.

  “What I could do to you if I had you in my ropes for real.” Combined with the deep timbre of his voice, Enver’s touch against his waist caused Marcus to shiver. “The members would love someone like you. Freely giving yourself, but still demanding more.”

  Marcus’s hips moved as he fought against the ropes, fought to get deep inside Enver’s throat again. Enver took his time working his mouth and tongue up the length, playing with the cord. Just before he reached the crown, he switched directions, moving lower until he pressed his tongue flat against the sensitive skin behind Marcus’s balls. When he changed directions yet again, Marcus’s cock flexed under his tongue, a drop of clear fluid forming on the tip.

  Enver kept his gaze locked on Marcus as he lapped the bead off the crown. “Salty and sweet at the same time.” He sucked the entire length into his mouth once more. He swallowed Marcus again, and retreated, working with a brutal pace Marcus couldn’t keep up with.

  Within seconds, everything went white hot. “Fuck...fuck...fuuuuuuck.” Marcus’s body went tight beneath the ropes, his hips bucking uncontrollably against the restriction. With a loud roar, he jetted into Enver’s throat, coming harder and longer than he had in ages, jerking and twitching against the ropes binding him in supplication.

  As the intense scent of sweat and sex wrapped around them, Enver milked him dry, chasing the last flawless jolt of pleasure as it rippled through them both. When he finally found the strength to open his eyes again, Enver was looking up at him, grinning, his back moving as he struggled to take a full breath.

  Enver adjusted his position, coming up on one knee as he grabbed the back of Marcus’s head. He ground their mouths together in a greedy kiss. Marcus tasted himself on Enver’s tongue and moaned softly. Gradually, the power of the release faded, turning the kiss into something different altogether.

  Something real.

  Marcus blinked, startled at the sudden change in his vision. His eyes couldn’t focus on any one thing other than the buzz racing through his system. What he did know was that he was staring at the ceiling of the room. He realized belatedly his body felt like it was soaring. That his head felt as though it wasn’t screwed on to his body, floating freely somewhere in the clouds. Subspace wasn’t a foreign concept to him, but it had never been like this before. And never after a virtual session. He’d take time to marvel at the phenomenon later, for now he was just going to bask in the luxurious sensation.

  The ceiling blurred as Enver’s face came into focus. He stood over Marcus, cradling the back of his head, just like he had inside BLINC, holding the lenses he’d taken off Marcus’s face. “You all right?”

  “I’m good,” Marcus said slowly, as though his brain and mouth weren’t communicating. “You?”

  There was a flash of something in Enver’s eyes. Regret? Discomfort? “Good. Looks like you got all of the kinks out.”

  “Well...not out per se.”

  “Not out of it enough to stop making jokes. That’s a good sign.” Enver gave him a half-hearted smile, making no move to sever their connection.

  “What’s a good sign?”

  “Ropespace hasn’t quite worn off even though we’ve unplugged.”

  “Explains why I can’t feel my body. Like, I know it’s there, but it’s not at the same time.”

  It was Enver’s turn to frown. He crouched, checking over Marcus’s form. “Deeper than I was expecting. Probably have another good ho
ur or two of the endorphin rush before you crash. On your feet. Let’s get you somewhere more comfortable before you fall out of your chair.”

  Enver held his hand, fitting his shoulder under Marcus’s arm when he swayed. The scent of arousal and pent-up sexual energy overwhelmed Marcus’s already charged senses, spinning him higher. The room blurred a few times as a heavy weight settled into his limbs. He had no idea how it was possible to feel so wonderful and so fatigued at the same time. It was as though time had sped up all around him, leaving him to think he’d invented a time machine instead of a virtual reality program.

  All he was missing was the DeLorean.

  His head rolled against Enver’s shoulder. “Are you my density?”

  Enver snorted. “All right, McFly. One foot in front of the other. Come on now.”

  It took effort, but Marcus managed to get his feet to cooperate. Enver helped him lie down just as the world started spinning.

  Sometime later, Marcus opened his eyes again to find his head in Enver’s lap. There was no clock nearby to let him know how long he’d been out, but at least some of the fuzziness had faded and he didn’t feel as though he was wrapped in cotton anymore. He glanced up, looking at the man’s strong profile. His eyes were closed, his breathing a slow pattern in and out that indicated sleep. But the tense set of the thigh muscles under Marcus’s head gave away the fact Enver was still fully engaged with the submissive on his lap.

  Marcus cleared his throat, unsurprised that Enver didn’t jump at the sudden noise. “Sorry about keeping you longer than intended. I should have warned you I can get a little...weird coming down from subspace.”

  “Aftercare is all part of the deal, Marcus.” Enver brushed his hand against his forehead, pushing back the hair that had fallen into his eyes. “Don’t apologize for enjoying yourself.”

  Marcus wondered what the hell else he’d done, but he was too afraid to ask. “Guess it’s ready for full-on beta testing.”