by K. C. Wells
Ellis shook his head, his gaze bewildered. “I thought I hated reading. I never liked it when I was in school, or when I was on the job. But this is… different.”
Heath snickered. “Want a laugh? I own a bookshop, so I’m surrounded by them all day. You’d think when I’m done for the night, the last thing I’d want is more books. Nope. I go upstairs, curl up with a cup of hot cocoa or tea, and jump back into the story I’d been reading.”
Ellis gave him a gentle smile, a world away from the harsh glare he’d received on arriving. “Thank you.”
Heath frowned. “For what?”
“It was you, Rob, and Tim who convinced me to give it a try, and I’m glad I did.”
Before Heath could reply, the door opened. Rob, Tim, and three or four other guys whose names escaped Heath strode in, followed by Jarod and Maggie.
“I think if this is going to be a regular thing, we might need a bigger room,” Jarod mused.
“Since when is bigger ever a bad thing?” the redhead—Jason—said with a cheeky grin.
Heath stood and gestured to where he’d been seated. “Maggie?”
She waved him off. “I’m fine.”
“Sit down, Mother,” Jarod said firmly.
Maggie flashed him a glance. “You can be so bossy.” But she sat nevertheless. A man Heath hadn’t met before stood by her side. Maggie gestured to him. “Heath, this is Maxwell. Ostensibly he’s my chauffeur, but he’s become a lot more than that. He’s a friend, confidante, and all-around amazing man. Not to mention a world-class fussy pants. Maxwell, this is Heath—he owns Wordsmith Books.”
Maxwell held out a hand. “Pleasure to meet you. I hope you don’t mind that I came with Maggie. She’s tired, and I wanted to be sure she was okay.”
“No, not at all. Glad to have you.” Heath turned to the other men. “So, did everyone read the book?”
They all answered affirmatively, before Ellis cleared his throat.
“There’s something you all need to be aware of. I downloaded some books this week, and Rob asked me where I got them. I told him about this great site I’d found where the books were free. Well, it turns out they were pirated copies. Rob had a real go at me about viruses, stolen information, and the thing that hit me most—how this was taking money from the pockets of authors. I was so ashamed, not only of basically stealing them in the first place, but of not knowing about these sites. I mean, for God’s sake, I was a copper. I should have known better.”
“They keep popping up like moles,” Heath said gloomily.
“Yeah, well, I deleted the books, then went to a site Rob said was legit, where I bought them this time.” Ellis speared them with a look. “But now you all know about them, too, so there’s no excuse.”
With that, the conversation began in earnest. Heath was excited to see that they were all eager to give their opinions. No one held back.
Jason loved it. Fred said he’d found it hard to follow, but that the world was fascinating.
“What part gave you the problems?” Heath inquired.
Fred’s cheeks became flushed. “Well… to be honest, it wasn’t the plot that gave me problems. Whenever I sat down and put on my glasses to read, my Dom got all… horny and virtually dragged me into the bedroom.” He coughed. “He… likes my glasses. The only way I could get through it was to read it while he was at work.”
They all shared a laugh over that. Heath glanced over at Maggie, who’d been unusually silent. She clutched Maxwell’s hand, still smiling, but it didn’t reach her eyes. Maxwell leaned down and whispered something in her ear. She nodded at him, then rose to her feet, still clutching Maxwell’s hand. He addressed the group.
“I’m going to take Maggie back to her place. She didn’t sleep well, and she’s tired.”
“Maxwell is going to come back,” Maggie assured them, “so that he can tell me what I’ve missed. I’m very sorry about this. I promise to make it up to all of you.”
There were calls for her to feel better.
Rob and Tim stood. “Did you want us to come with you?” Rob asked, his eyes anxious.
Maggie’s smile appeared more genuine. “You’re sweet. Thank you for asking, but no. I’m just going to have a lie-down. I’ll talk with you all later about something I’ve got in mind.” She winked. “See you tomorrow, Jarod.”
“Good night, Mother.” He stood and kissed her cheek. “Do you want me to call the doctor?”
She waved him off and gestured at Maxwell. “I’ve already got this one treating me like an old woman. Don’t you start too.”
Maxwell shrugged. “I’ll make sure she sleeps, boss. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” He wrapped an arm around Maggie’s shoulder, and Heath couldn’t miss how she leaned on him. Heath waited until she was out of the room before speaking.
“Is she okay?”
“She told me the doctor says she is. With my mother, who knows? She could have been out partying until the wee hours of the morning, for all I know.” Jarod’s words didn’t match his expression, however.
Rob must have seen it, too, because he got up and sat beside Jarod, then took his hand. “How about we call it a night?”
“No, it’s all right. Let’s finish up. Mother will be fine, I’m sure.” The way his gaze kept darting to the door belied his words. Heath wanted to say something, but when Jarod turned to him with a look that plainly said, “Well, are we doing this?” he knew well enough to leave it alone.
“All right.” Heath picked up his copy of the book and flipped through a few pages. “So Ori….”
BY TEN o’clock, they’d finished discussing the book, and Heath was surprised by some of their insights. He knew he shouldn’t be, especially after his conversation with Xavier about assumptions. How many times in his life had Heath simply assumed, rather than taking the time to discover the truth? Sure, there was Nick at the club, but what about Dave and Daria? He’d believed Daria could never be into Dave, and yet….
He knew Rob had depths, but the man continually surprised him. And Tim? Heath had honestly thought Tim was going to be the quiet one, letting others lead. What he hadn’t reckoned on was Tim’s passion for books. He dove into the deep end of the conversation with a few thoughts that made Heath think differently about some scenes in the book, and about Tim himself. It seemed to Heath that Tim identified with Ori in a way.
And then there was Xavier, the man responsible for this new train of thought. Heath thought Xavier was a top, full stop. But he’d said otherwise.
“Heath?”
He gave a start. “Hmm?”
Fred stood at the door, waving, with Jason. “I’ll see you next time, yeah?”
In a rush, Heath remembered he’d had another purpose for their meeting. “Hey, Fred? Before you guys go, can we talk a minute? I… I need some advice, and if I’m honest, I’m not sure who else I can ask.”
Fred nodded instantly. “Yeah, sure. Of course you can.”
They all came back and took a seat, giving Heath an expectant look. Now that the moment had arrived, Heath wasn’t sure how to frame the question. He didn’t want to offend anyone by… well, by assuming. Still, he had to know.
“If I ask you something, can we swear it won’t be repeated?”
“What happens in Subspace stays in Subspace,” Jason intoned solemnly, hand held up as though he was giving a pledge. The chuckles that rippled through them eased Heath’s mind.
The door buzzed and clicked open. Maxwell stepped inside and closed the door behind him. “Sorry, Maggie was restless. She’s asleep now. Did I miss much?” He retook his seat.
“Well, you’ve missed the book part,” Rob said with a wry smile, “but Heath wants a chat, and he’s being all mysterious about it.”
“Oh, right. Then I’ll pop out and let you get to it.”
Heath eyed Maxwell. He was a sturdy man, with an easy smile, and a great rapport with Maggie. More importantly, Heath trusted his instincts. “No, please. Stay. Just… I’m going to ask you not to repeat this
to anyone, okay?”
Maxwell arched his eyebrows. “You… want me to stay?”
“Well, we’re going to be discussing sex. I don’t know if you’re interested in—”
“What did you want me to teach you?” Maxwell leaned forward, his elbows on his knees, and beamed at them.
Everyone laughed, and the remainder of the tension that had flowed through Heath dissipated.
“I’ve got a question, and it might come across as foolish, so please don’t think badly of me. It’s just…. Until now, my whole knowledge of BDSM has come from books. I thought I understood some things, but the more time I spend here, the more I’ve come to realize that I don’t know anything at all. As a for instance, I assumed that the Dom is always the one who tops, but I’ve recently discovered that might not be true. Have you ever… you know, met a Dom that bottoms?”
Rob barked out a laugh. “That’s a good one. Can you see Vic bending over for anyone?”
Tim snickered. “Same goes for Sam.” He lowered his gaze. “But there’s nothing wrong with a Dom that likes to bottom on occasion. At least, I don’t think so.”
Freddy leaned in. “My master likes to be fucked now and then. It doesn’t happen often, and he’s so bloody bossy when we do it, but he does like it on occasion.”
“Mine too,” Jason chimed in. “He’s had me use a variety of toys on him as well. Master Dean might seem all big and gruff, but get a dildo or a cock up his ass, and he purrs like a kitten.” Then Jason blanched. “Oh God. Don’t tell him I said that. There are some things Doms don’t want to admit to, and I think that might be the one that gets me in permanent chastity.”
Everyone murmured their agreement.
“Wait a minute. Your Doms let you fuck them?” Rob seemed aghast. “Maybe I should bring it up with Vic.”
They all stared at him incredulously before Tim laughed. “Do you honestly think Vic’s going to go along with that?”
Rob rolled his eyes. “Of course not, but that isn’t the point. Vic will have to show me who’s in charge, which means a good fucking for me.” He sighed happily. “That man has got so many buttons to push, and it’s nice having a few new ones in my repertoire.”
“Oh, mate. One day you’re going to push the man too far.” Ellis put his hand on Rob’s knee. “Just make sure you ask him here. I want to see the explosion.”
Rob scowled. “Well, you’ve been awfully quiet on this subject. What about Wayne?”
Ellis flushed. “Wayne likes it when I rim him, but he’s not much into butt play for anything else.”
They turned to Jarod, who to Heath’s mind looked like he’d rather be anywhere else but there. “You don’t have to tell us, Jarod,” Heath said softly.
He gave a wan smile. “I know. I would never ask Eli to bottom for me, because I have no interest in being the one on top. No one has to fit into a role, though. I mean, everyone is different, and it’s those differences that make us stronger as couples and as friends.”
The words were a balm for Heath. He knew then that Xavier liking to be topped on occasion was nothing out of the ordinary. So far Heath had only bottomed for Xavier, but that hadn’t been an assumption on Xavier’s part—Heath had made it very obvious that he wanted to bottom. And although Heath liked being on the receiving end, that didn’t mean he wouldn’t appreciate the chance to meet Xavier’s needs.
Should the opportunity ever present itself.
A guy could dream, right?
Something Xavier had said, however, had stuck with him. “Do you know of anyone who’s a switch? You know, who can flip between being Dominant and submissive?”
Rob mused for a moment. “I don’t think there’s a switch here at the club. But I can’t be sure.” He peered at Heath. “You got any more questions?”
Heath shook his head. “I think we’ve covered everything. Thanks, guys. I appreciate it.”
“Is this about Xavier?” Ellis asked.
Heath didn’t want to tell tales, even if most of the other subs didn’t seem to have a problem with it. It really wasn’t his story to share. “Just something I heard.”
Ellis leaned forward and gripped Heath’s arm. “Even if it is, don’t let it change your way of thinking. Just because a guy likes to get dicked now and then doesn’t make him any less a man. I had problems with that when I met Wayne, but he taught me that submitting isn’t weakness. Besides that, if the Dom is directing the action, then they’re still on top, even if they’re bottoming.”
That was good advice.
The phone rang, and Rob jumped up to answer it. He grinned at Tim. “Seems you’re late. Sam and Aaron are downstairs at the bar waiting for you. The bartender said something about Sam grumbling that he wanted to come up and drag your arse out of there, but Doms aren’t allowed.” Rob chuckled. “That really pisses them off, doesn’t it?”
Tim scowled, pulled out his phone, and his eyes went wide. “Damn it. I was supposed to be down there thirty minutes ago. We need a clock up here!”
“I’ll get one,” Jarod said. “Get down there and…. Thanks for coming. I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed this.”
Everyone got up and filtered out of the room until only Heath and Maxwell remained. Heath gave him a grateful smile. “I hope that discussion didn’t make you uncomfortable.”
Maxwell widened his eyes. “What? Oh God, no, not at all. It’s just that….” He sighed. “Do you have time for a cup of coffee? I’ve got a few things on my mind, and I could use someone to talk to. I mean, if you’re up for it.”
It was nearly ten thirty, and Heath would have to be up early for work. But something in Maxwell’s expression tugged at him. “Sure. Where did you have in mind?”
Maxwell grinned. “I know the perfect place.”
Chapter Fifteen
“WELL, THIS is… interesting.”
Voodoo Ray’s was more than interesting. The blend of customers, the delicious aromas of pizza, and the music all seemed to blend together seamlessly, despite the fact that there were a mix of people who didn’t look like they should belong together at all. Heath gawped at the overgrown tweens dressed like Full House extras, the drag queens, and the people in dark clothes, makeup, and dyed hair, but wearing a splash of color, that made Heath think they looked like off-duty goths. It was awesome.
Maxwell chuckled. “Yeah, it sort of stops you in your tracks the first time you walk in here. I was just the same. Except now, of course, I’m a regular. You don’t know how many times Maggie’s called me up at midnight, asking if we can come here because she’s got a craving.”
Heath blinked. “Maggie… comes here?” Then he thought about it. Jarod’s diminutive mother was nothing like other women her age. Why should that surprise him?
“We come here for pizza. At least, that’s what she claims we’re here for.” Maxwell shook his head. “You should see her. From the moment we walk in, it’s like she’s the queen of the floor. The kids all know her and shout hello. And she laps it up. We’ll sit for a bit, and then her well-wishers come over, hoping she’ll grace them with a dance.”
Heath was having a hard time visualizing Maggie getting down on the dance floor. “And are you a good dancer?”
Maxwell snorted. “I don’t dance. I sit in a booth and stare. Some of them try to drag me out, but I admit, I couldn’t keep up with Mags if I tried.”
Heath chuckled, then peered at their surroundings. “So are we sticking with coffee?” He’d left the shop as soon as it closed in order to get to the club, and food had been the last thing on his mind. But with all these delicious aromas, it was difficult to think of anything else.
“How about if we have a pizza? I haven’t eaten yet, and I’m getting hungry.”
Anything that meant he didn’t go home and heat up a frozen pie again sounded good to Heath. “That sounds fine, except I’m going to need some coffee too.”
“Sold!”
They stopped at the counter and placed their order, then hung around to
wait for it. Maxwell led Heath toward a booth where they could sit facing each other. Along the way, several people stopped Maxwell to greet him, clearly looking for Maggie, and they seemed genuinely disappointed that she wasn’t there.
Maxwell slid into the booth, then sat and stared at his pizza. Heath regarded him thoughtfully. In spite of making light conversation, Maxwell hadn’t looked him in the eye since they’d left the club.
Heath picked up the shaker filled with grated parmesan. “Are you okay?”
“Hm?” Maxwell jerked his head up. “Yes, fine. Why?”
Something in his voice told Heath that while Maxwell might be many things, fine wasn’t one of them. He put down the shaker. “What’s going on?”
Maxwell picked up a slice of pizza and bit off the sharp end, then sighed. “Maggie suggested I ask you to come for coffee. Believe me, if she hadn’t been so… obstinate, I wouldn’t have.”
“Oh, well, that doesn’t hurt at all.”
Maxwell’s face fell. “Aw, damn. I didn’t mean it that way. I’m sorry.”
Heath grinned to show Maxwell he was teasing. “Relax.” He took a bite of his pizza. It was delicious. “How is she feeling, by the way?”
Maxwell sighed. “She’s tired. In fact, she’s been that way a lot recently. When I first met her, I could scarcely keep up with her. She’s got this zest for life that people half her age don’t have. But lately? She’s lost that zip.”
“Is there something bothering her? Or something wrong with her?”
Maxwell shrugged. “Damned if I know. I keep asking what’s wrong, and she gives me this dismissive wave and tells me she’s an old lady and is entitled to some rest.” He took another bite. “I love the woman. She’s been more of a friend than an employer.” A flush rose up his neck, reaching his cheeks. “Which is why she suggested I talk to you.”
Oh. This had the potential to be bloody awkward. He’s not going to…. Maxwell was a very attractive sexy man, with his dark hair and dark eyes, but Heath was with Xavier and—
“Maggie said you’d just become a member of the club, and I wanted to talk to you about that.”
