“That’s good advice. I don’t do either of those things and I don’t intend to start. I’m grateful that Alex took a chance on me and I’m not going to blow it.”
Cocking his head, Mackie smiled. “I have a feeling you’re going to be fine. You seem to have a good head on your shoulders. Must be all that clean living in Montana.”
“Michigan,” he reminded Mackie with a roll of his eyes.
Shawn wandered in from the shower area, dressed in street clothes. “Hey, a bunch of us are going to the Tea Cup for breakfast. Are you coming?” He directed the question to both of them. They were the last ones in the dressing room.
Mackie sighed. “Thanks, but I’m on lockdown for the night. Val ordered me not to go out. He expects me to be in his room when he returns from wherever he went.”
Quinn frowned and he couldn’t help shifting his gaze to the boy’s groin. Bite marks were visible on his inner left thigh. “Is that okay with you?” He knew the question might be crossing a line, given their short acquaintance. But Mackie had been kind to him and given good advice, so where was the difference? He worried about how Val treated the guy.
Mackie fluttered his lashes. “Of course. He’s my Master.”
Shawn made a gacking noise. “Don’t even try to figure out what makes this one tick. Are you coming?” He directed the question to Quinn.
“Oh.” A big yawn tore out of him before he could say more. He smiled. “Sorry, no. I’m exhausted.”
Shawn gave a little wave. “Suit yourselves. See you later.”
“Don’t worry. Going to that diner is pretty common among the boys. It’s the only one open all night in this area. You’ll get on the right schedule pretty quick, then eating after your shift ends will seem normal.”
Mackie headed out, apparently not concerned about parading his naked ass around the club after hours. Quinn followed, having thrown on a pair of jeans. Even so, he felt exposed in a way that he didn’t while dancing. Something about flashing so much skin while going about his ordinary life seemed embarrassing, except that he and Mackie were only going to their rooms—or Val’s, in the other boy’s case. There probably wasn’t going to be anyone seeing them, anyway.
Because he was walking behind Mackie, he got a good look at his new friend’s exposed ass. It was covered in welts that had been an angry red when the evening began and now were more mottled. He winced at the view.
“Doesn’t that hurt like hell?” he asked without thinking as they entered the elevator.
Mackie pushed the fourth-floor button before turning guileless eyes on Quinn. “What? My ass-paddling? Of course. That’s the whole point.” A look that was pure sex crossed his friend’s face and his eyelids drooped.
Embarrassed, yet unable to let it go, Quinn flicked his hand in the direction of Mackie’s groin. “How about that?”
Now the boy’s eyes closed for a moment before he shot Quinn a mischievous smile. “Only a little and just at first. After that, it sends me flying to this floaty plane that is the best high ever.”
The elevator dinged and they got off on the fourth floor. “He doesn’t really drink your blood, though, does he?” The very idea was repellent.
Now Mackie popped his eyes out. “Sure, he does. That’s the whole point. It’s part of his kink, and it’s not like he drains me of it. He’s not a vampire or anything,” he added with a little chuckle.
They’d reached the door to Val’s room. Mackie leaned on the jamb. “It’s part of our negotiation. You know…” he continued when Quinn raised his eyebrows in confusion. “Those of us in the lifestyle discuss in advance how we play. We set respective limits, soft and hard.
“I like a man to take charge, put me in chastity from time to time and wallop my ass. I wear these welts with pride, not shame, and it doesn’t hurt that the members tend to tip me more when they can see how much punishment I took from Val.”
Quinn wrinkled his nose. “Isn’t that kind of sick of them?”
“Nah. That’s their kink and I don’t mind. Val would totally respect my limits if I asked him not to mark me on nights when I dance. I don’t, so if he tells me he needs to spend time with me before I work, then I give him what he wants.” Mackie looked at the floor and chewed at his lips. “I was a real mess when I came here. I’d been living on the streets for a while, turning tricks when things were really bad. I needed a firm hand to get my life back on track and Val gave that to me. If he wants to suck my blood, that’s fine with me.”
Quinn glanced at the bite marks while he digested Mackie’s explanation. “How do they close so quickly? They seem like they were done a lot earlier than this afternoon.”
Mackie shrugged. “Val has some kind of ointment he uses. I don’t really pay any attention. I’m so deep into subspace that you could land a plane in the room and I’d never notice.” He held up his hand. “I know your next question is, what is subspace?”
Quinn grinned. “Ah, yeah?”
“I’ll give you the BDSM primer tomorrow. Right now, I’m going to lock my horny self into a cock cage—I’ll explain that tomorrow, too—and watch TV until Val gets back. I count on him to set limits for me, and he insisted I not go out tonight. I don’t expect him to explain why because that leads me to question his judgment, which also leads me to fighting him and getting into trouble. The whole point of having a Master is to simply obey. It’s liberating in its own way.” The boy pushed the door open. “I’ll see you tomorrow, sweetie. Get some sleep. You were positively fierce tonight.” Blowing a kiss, he shut the door.
Quinn continued to his own room, which was a concept he still couldn’t quite wrap his mind around. Once inside, he stashed his tips in the drawer of the nightstand where he kept his other money. Eying the tidy sum, he came to an obvious decision. He grabbed two hundred dollars and threw on a T-shirt and flip-flops, because slinking around in only jeans seemed too skanky. Then he took the back stairs to Alex’s floor. He hesitated only a moment before pushing the door open.
He walked right into the man himself.
Alex grabbed his new go-go boy by the shoulders before he toppled over. Maybe the humans were right after all about the existence of some cosmic manipulator. It seemed as if he was destined to cross paths with this boy in a way that constantly tempted him.
“I beg your pardon.” He forced normality in his voice even though he felt his world go off kilter as much as the boy’s body was. A sudden thirst rose in his throat and it took tremendous effort to swallow it back.
Quinn looked at him with wide blue eyes. “I’m sorry, sir. I didn’t mean to barge in on you.” He blinked a few times.
“No apologies necessary,” he replied with another hard swallow. He forced his hands to release the boy, although he hovered a moment to make sure he was stable. “My door, as it were, is always open.”
Alex took a step back for good measure. “I was actually just returning from an errand.” Which, considering the hour, must have sounded farfetched, yet given that they’d run into each other—literally—in his vestibule, what else could he say? “Is there something you require?”
Quinn stood staring for a few more seconds before breaking his gaze away from Alex’s face. “Oh, um…no. Not exactly.” He held out his hand and opened his fingers. “I wanted to give this back to you.”
Alex stared dumbly at the bills in the boy’s palm. “Money?” he finally said with furrowed brows.
The human licked his lower lip, likely an unintentionally provocative gesture that nonetheless caught Alex’s attention as much as a sledgehammer to his head would. “I wanted to repay you the advance you gave me.” Another swipe followed by a brief bite of the pink flesh sent Alex’s blood pulsing. “I’ve made so much in tips alone that I don’t need it.”
Alex’s thoughts had already scattered. “Need what?”
Quinn blinked again. “The money?” He raised his hand another inch, putting the wrist that much closer to Alex’s saliva-flooded mouth.
It would ta
ke almost no effort to clasp that hand and bring all those luscious veins within biting distance. He would be so gentle, sinking his teeth into the flesh covering the wrist with as much care as something inherently violent could be done. He’d found drinking from the wrist to be the most civilized way to partake of a human’s blood. No tempting cock brushing against one’s cheek. No need to mash and grind bodies in a way that would encourage another basic claiming by way of a dick sliding into a tight hole.
The errant thoughts caused him to shudder and he must have uttered some primitive noise, because Quinn’s eyes went wide while he took a half-step back. He continued to offer the repayment, however, and that simple show of faith undid Alex even more. This boy was guileless and trusting, even after the way his family had betrayed him. He needed protecting. From me most of all.
He forced his baser instincts down and brought a smile to his lips that he hoped looked reassuring and friendly and not desperate and predatory. “That’s terribly kind of you, Quinn, but I assure you I have no need of repayment. Besides, it was an advancement of your pay, not a loan. Repayment was never required.”
“Oh.” The human still stared at him, still blinked a number of times. One could almost see the gears churning inside his pretty head. He lowered his hand and fisted the bills by his side. “I guess I forgot that. Sorry.”
“Sorry for what?” He was losing the thread of the conversation again. It kept disappearing into the bright blue pools of Quinn’s eyes.
“Disturbing you?”
Now it was his turn to blink as he struggled to formulate a suitable reply. It didn’t help. Instead, he heard himself saying, “My dear boy, you disturb me simply by existing.”
Seeing the sudden confusion morphing into hurt in the human’s expression, he was forced to clarify what he’d meant. He had only himself to blame. The humans would say he’d let the cat out of the bag, and while he’d witnessed the true meaning of that expression, it didn’t change how apt it was under these circumstances. He was lashing himself with each unguarded word.
He took a step closer to Quinn, pleased when the boy stood where he was instead of instinctively trying to distance them again. “What I meant was that I find you compelling, against my better judgment.” He took another step closer. “I really shouldn’t. It’s entirely inappropriate, and yet…”
Quinn took a shallow, shuddery breath. “You mean because I work for you?”
Alex nodded. “Because of that and for other reasons.”
Once again, the boy licked that bottom lip before truly testing Alex’s resolve by taking a half step closer. “What other reasons? Like because you’re a little older than I am?”
Alex chuckled at the innocent observation. “Dearest boy, you have no idea just how much older than you I truly am.”
Quinn roamed his gaze down Alex. It was like a visual caress that made Alex hard even while his blood pounded in his head, not his groin.
Quinn refocused his attention on Alex’s eyes. “It doesn’t matter. You’re gorgeous for any age.” His breath hitched. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”
Whatever resolve Alex had held on to with a death grip nevertheless slipped from his grasp. Leaning toward him, he cupped Quinn’s jaw and raised the boy’s face while he lowered his own. He hovered his lips over the pulse at the base of the boy’s throat. “Apology not accepted. Do you mean you want me?”
Alex froze, waiting for the answer, telling himself that he was stupider than any human he’d ever cursed for being so. He was also more of a predator than he’d accused Dracul of being. The right thing to do would be to let go of this boy, rebuke him for his insolence and banish him from the fifth floor, if not the entire club. Staying here, becoming involved with him, put Quinn at risk in all kinds of ways… Adrian targeting him was only one of them.
“I…” A flutter of warm breath caressed his cheek. “Please.”
The ambiguity of the response should have been enough for him to pull back and let go. Instead, he closed the bare inch between them and pressed his lips against the gently pulsing skin. He felt the warmth of the human body, so unlike his species’ core temperature, and the slow beat of the smaller heart.
Quinn shuddered at the contact. If the boy had made the slightest effort to evade the kiss, or had tried to repel Alex in any way, he would have stopped. He would have released his hold, stepped back and apologized for his unforgiveable lapse and he would have corralled his interest in the boy. Instead, the human leaned in, grasped hold of Alex’s arms and all but melted into his touch. That was what caused him to lose what little restraint he’d held on to.
Pressing his mouth more firmly into Quinn’s neck, he pulled him in closer. He dropped his hand from the boy’s chin to wrap it around his shoulders, giving him greater leverage. He pressed opened-mouthed kisses all the way up the slender column of Quinn’s neck, making his journey slow. He was in no hurry and wanted to taste every sweet inch of flesh he could.
Far from remaining passive, the human angled his head to expose himself more to Alex’s touch. The grip of his fingers on Alex’s arms tightened in testimony to how affected he was by such a small amount of attention. A sigh escaped those pretty lips, then a soft moan. The sound was so intoxicating that Alex was inspired to heighten his efforts. He worked along the jaw line before taking the boy’s mouth.
He had intended to keep the kiss light and closed-mouthed. It was Quinn who demanded more. On another sigh, the boy parted his lips in invitation—or maybe he only did it on instinct. Regardless, Alex lacked the strength to ignore the opportunity. He slipped his tongue inside the welcoming warmth and began a gentle assault. Quinn’s tongue met his and joined in the dance.
I am the first.
It seemed both impossible, yet just as obvious, that no one had ever even kissed this beautiful boy. How sad and how irresistible that realization made him. Alex wanted to go where no man had been allowed before. Knowing that he might very well set the tone for the rest of the boy’s sex life, he tried to go slow to make the exploration of Quinn’s mouth a leisurely journey with no expectation of anything more.
Quinn was having none of that, either. With a loud groan that echoed down Alex’s throat, he pressed closer. Being weaker than he’d like, Alex responded by grasping the boy’s hip and pulling him against as much of his larger body as he could. A hard ridge pressed into his thigh, testament to how much effect he’d had on the human. Quinn wanted him. There was no denying that. The question was what to do about it. How far should I take this?
Not far. Kiss him then send him off to bed. His own bed, you weak-willed lunatic.
He intended to act on his inner command, pulling away as a prelude to ending the kiss, except the second he tried to throttle back, Quinn whimpered and clutched at him with greater strength.
So instead of doing the right thing, he did what they both wanted and swept the boy into his arms. Quinn stiffened only for a second before relaxing into the embrace. He swirled his tongue around Alex’s with obvious, if clumsy, enthusiasm. In the face of it, Alex abandoned any pretense of restraint. Keeping their lips fused, he marched the boy over to the apartment door.
Val had installed a security pad that worked on both a code and a thumb-print. And because Quinn weighed next to nothing, it was easy for Alex to hold the boy with one arm while reaching to press their way into his apartment. He didn’t stop to consider how he’d never brought anyone else into his current home—not for this. Not for sex. He’d always sought out basic gratification elsewhere, either with strangers or occasionally club members in the lower rooms designed for those kinds of assignations.
This floor was his domain and his only. Here, he could be himself without worry of being discovered as ‘alien’ by the humans. Bringing Quinn here made no sense. He should turn around and take the boy back to his own room. It would be safer that way. Wiser. Nevertheless, he made no effort to abandon his course. The only question left in his mind was, where should he put the boy d
own so that he could access the rest of his lovely body?
He chose the quickest solution and, taking the short flight of steps in one bound, strode over to the very place where he’d placed Quinn a mere two days ago. Perforce, he had to release those welcoming lips in order to lay the human on the sofa without crushing him. The small, distressed mewl at their parting was most gratifying.
“Greedy boy,” he chided with a grin. “I’m not going far.”
Quinn gazed at him, his mouth all puffy and pouty from their long kiss. “I don’t know what to do. I don’t even know what I want.”
“Not to worry. I do.” Kneeling by the side of the couch like the supplicant he was, he brushed a few strands of hair from Quinn’s forehead. “You must tell me if I do anything you don’t like. And, if you tell me to stop, I will. Immediately. You have my word. Understand?”
Quinn gave a quick nod before reaching for Alex’s cheek. “Will you kiss me again?”
“My dear, nothing would please me more.”
He pressed his lips to the boy’s palm before reclaiming his mouth. This time, he started slow and stayed that way. Despite Quinn’s entreaties, he didn’t invade with his tongue. Instead, he pressed wet kisses along the lips and at each side of them. Then he trailed his tongue along the edge of the jaw and down the throat, repeating his journey from the earlier one in the vestibule, except in reverse.
When the collar of Quinn’s T-shirt impeded his progress, he took a moment to strip it off the boy and toss it aside. He’d seen this naked chest before. Of course, he had. This time, though, he touched it, running first his palm then his lips along all that satiny smoothness. He allowed only a brief detour to the small, pink nipples. When he swirled his tongue around each hard nub, Quinn gasped and bucked.
“So responsive,” he murmured against the skin. “I could spend all night on these delectable pecs.”
Quinn’s chest rose in an undulating wave at the remark, testament to how reactive he was to everything. There suddenly felt like not enough time in the waning night to do all the things Alex thought the boy would enjoy before exhaustion overtook him. So, he went with simplicity and the one thing guaranteed to please any boy, virgin or not.
Blood Dance Page 9
