Room at the Edge (22 page)

Liam’s answering smile was on the rigid side. “Yes. Sorry, Austin. I didn’t mean to sound like a drill sergeant.”

“Sir, yes, sir,” Sarah said with a giggle and let go of Jay so that she could finish the rest of her wine.

Austin widened his eyes at Jay in a way that was probably supposed to communicate something, but Jay was too busy feeling stunned at Sarah’s behavior to figure out what it was. “I’m going to find Tim,” Austin said and turned away into the crowd.

Jay was amazed by how many people fit into the new apartment space without making the place feel cramped. It was a big house overall, so the basement was equally big, but it seemed like there were a few dozen party attendees at least. He was about to start counting just to assuage his curiosity when Liam asked, “Would you find me a glass of wine?”

“Yes—” He barely managed to choke back the word
Sir
and immediately left to go to the counter next to the fridge, where there were several bottles of wine open. He delivered the glass to Liam, who thanked him.

“I won’t stay long,” Liam added.

“Well, let me introduce you around after you’re done eating. People have been wondering who you are, you know, mystery-man kind of thing.”

“If you and Austin keep calling me Sir, they’re going to be wondering about more than that,” Liam said in a discreet murmur.

“And if you keep leaning in close enough that I could kiss you, they’re going to be making some pretty accurate guesses.” Jay bit his lip. “It’s killing me that I can’t. I’ve kissed Austin half a dozen times, stood holding his hand… No one cares, or they just tease us about being so in love it’s sickening. And you… I can’t even touch you—”

“Jay—” Liam’s breath was warm against Jay’s cheek, his hand rising to grip Jay’s arm briefly. It wasn’t enough. “The party will be over soon. I’ve asked Laura and Chris to come over around ten. They can join you down here or stay with me until the last of the guests have left, whatever you’d prefer. We can spend an hour or so with people we trust, be ourselves—”

“That’s good, that’s great, but I need you now,” Jay said. Austin was the one who had panic attacks, not him, but right then Jay was close to melting down. “Austin’s mom is flirting with you. Do you have any idea how that makes me feel?”

“It’s the wine,” Liam said gently. “She’ll feel embarrassed tomorrow, but it’s not as if she grabbed me and tried to kiss me.”

“One more glass and she might.”

Austin came up behind Jay and gave him a quick, casual kiss on the cheek. “Might what? Who?”

Jay had once said that, during a scene, Liam could read their minds, without really meaning it seriously. On the off chance it was true, he fixed Liam with a death glare and tried projecting
say nothing
. Liam gave him a sidelong “are you fucking kidding me?” look back and said smoothly, “One of your guests was talking about playing a karaoke game on your Wii, but her friend didn’t seem keen.”

“Oh my God, if that’s Lisa, don’t let her. She’ll hog it for hours and end up sobbing over something sentimental.” Austin nudged Jay with his elbow. “I think my mom’s about ready to go. Tim’s going to round her up.”

A wave of relief washed over Jay, but he didn’t want to sound too glad out loud. “Oh, okay. Is there anything she needs to take with her?”

Austin shrugged. “Tim and Kelly are on it. She’s kind of tipsy; it makes her want to say good-bye to everyone at least twice, so it’ll be a while.”

“Good,” Jay said bluntly. “Come on, both of you.” He took Austin’s hand and led him toward the bedroom, weaving through Lisa and Adrienne and one of Austin’s high school friends whose name Jay had to be reminded of every time they met. Liam followed, thank God, and as soon as they were all in the room, Jay kicked the door half-closed with his foot and grabbed Liam. He kissed him hard, then turned and kissed Austin too. “I was losing it out there. I just needed a minute.”

“I’m not complaining,” Austin said. He drew Jay closer for another kiss, one hand at the small of his back the way Jay loved. “Well, I might complain about only having a minute.”

“You’re both playing with fire.” Liam winced, presumably at his choice of words. “Someone’s going to catch us at it, which is exactly what we were trying to avoid.”

“I’m not suggesting we get naked and fuck,” Jay said with a curtness born of pure frustration at the situation they were in. “I just want you. Both of you. I want to be able to do this—” He slid his hands around the backs of their necks and drew them in, making it a three-way kiss, their mouths meeting, heads turning. He closed his eyes and opened his mouth, knowing he’d only be left unkissed for a moment before a mouth covered his, a tongue slid against his own. It was erotic, it was loving, and even as his arousal grew, his desperation eased.

It ended when Liam pulled back and growled, a rough, deep sound that went straight to Jay’s balls. “God, you two destroy all my common sense, you know that?”

“Do we?” Austin hummed approvingly. “I like that.”

“Oh yeah,” Jay agreed. “Love it when we get you off balance, Sir.”

“Brat,” Liam said and slapped their asses, the noise muffled by clothing, the sting soaking through. Jay pressed against Liam’s palm, lingering on his backside, blatantly wriggling.

“If I told you to get on your knees for me, would you do it? Here, with everyone you know just outside the door?”

“Yeah, we would,” Jay said in a whisper, knowing what Austin’s answer would be. “You’re our Dom. You tell us, and we’ll do it. Suck you off, let you come in our mouths, on our faces, so we have to lick each other clean before we can go back out.”

“Jay—” Austin groaned. “Don’t. I’m so fucking hard now.”

Liam stepped back, rubbing his face. “You’re not the only one. God, I want to, I really do, but this is just too risky. We need to get back out there. Later, okay? Everything we want and more, I promise, but now I’m telling you to go back out there and behave. I’ll leave by the side door and go upstairs.”

Jay drew in a shaky breath, Liam’s orders a lifeline. “Yes, Sir.” He gestured at the bathroom off their bedroom. “Uh, I need to take a leak first.”

Liam nodded, and Jay slipped into the bathroom, closing the door and turning on the light. He didn’t really need to use the bathroom—too hard to make taking a piss easy—but he did need a moment to calm down. Jerking off would have been the ideal method, but he didn’t have permission, and if he’d asked for it, Liam would have turned him down, so what was the point?

He tried splashing cold water on his face and just got water down the collar of his shirt and wet hair. His dick was persistently rigid and visible through his jeans.

Ugh, forget it. There was nothing he could do about it except leave his shirt untucked and hope for the best. He stepped out of the bathroom, expecting to be alone in the bedroom, and instead saw Austin and Liam making out. Behind them, the bedroom door swung slightly—must be a cross breeze.

“Hey,” Jay said indignantly. “I didn’t leave so you guys could go back to messing around without me.”

“We weren’t,” Austin said.

“I was just going,” Liam said, but he kissed Jay before he left.

When Austin and Jay rejoined the party, Austin’s mom and brother were nowhere to be seen. “Oh, Tim said to say good-bye. Your mom didn’t look like she was feeling very well.” Adrienne made a sympathetic face.

“I hope she doesn’t throw up in the car,” Austin said. His face was still flushed from kissing.

Adrienne shook her head. “God, no. She wasn’t that out of it. Just tired, maybe. Now, Danny’s getting that way, lurching all over the place and knocking into people. If he even tries to open another beer, cut him off. Seriously wasted.”

Austin looked at his watch. “He said he had to get up early tomorrow to work on his car. Maybe I’ll remind him.”

“There’s no way he’ll be up before noon,” Adrienne said, “but you can try. I think a few people are going to be making a move soon, including me, but it’s been a great party. Really enjoyed it.”

She gave them both a hug and drifted off, leaving Jay hoping she was right. It was relatively early, just after ten, but the invitations had been for six to ten, so if some people left, others would follow.

“I love them all, but I want them to go,” Austin murmured into his ear.

“Laura and Chris are coming over,” Jay whispered back. “Liam’s probably going to keep them upstairs if he sees lots of people leaving.”

Austin sighed. “I want to see them, but I want this all to be over even more. God, I can’t wait for whatever Liam has planned.”

“What do you want to bet Liam keeps them around until midnight just to torment us?”

“He’d suffer too.”

Jay laughed. “He loves watching us squirm. I don’t think he’d be suffering that much.”

“After you talking dirty to him, he might.” Austin’s lips quirked in a grin. “You do know he’ll make you pay for that?”

Jay sighed, a long, satisfied exhalation. “Counting on it.”

Chapter Thirteen

“And I suppose that’s all,” Liam said. “Would you like some more wine?”

Laura was sitting on the small couch, her sub Chris kneeling on the floor beside her. His wrists were crossed behind his back, his head bowed. He hadn’t moved in the past half hour except for breathing, and from what Liam could see, the line of his shoulder was utterly relaxed. “I would, thank you. Chris can get it.”

Chris didn’t move until she reached out and touched his hair; as soon as she did, he rose gracefully and took her glass, walking to the other room without a sound.

“He’s very obedient,” Liam said. He wanted to ask the same question he’d asked earlier but wouldn’t. It would be rude, like an accusation that Laura might not know Chris as well as she thought she did, to verify—again—that Chris would keep anything he overheard in confidence. It would be questioning his loyalty to his Domme.

Laura gave him a shrewd look. “You don’t have to worry. He does as he’s told, and even if he didn’t, he’s been tuning out our conversation. If I had any doubts, I’d tell you.”

“It’s just that, well, Jay requires a firm hand, I suppose. I wouldn’t put my trust in him in the same situation.” It was hard to admit that out loud, knowing Laura had Chris perfectly trained, but part of getting together with them was to help Liam sort out how to change things so they worked more smoothly.

Chris came back with the refilled wineglass, handed it to Laura, and knelt back in his previous spot.

“We’ve been together for a long time,” Laura said, resting her hand briefly on the back of Chris’s neck. “It’s normal for the earlier months to be rocky. Be patient—with them, but even more with yourself.”

“That’s not easy,” Liam admitted.

She chuckled. “Of course not. It comes with the territory for us. We expect perfection, demand it, get off on it—and we turn that desire inward and expect it of ourselves.”

“I can definitely say that applies to me.”

“And you’ve taken on a lot in a short space of time,” she continued. “Two subs, a shift in your sexuality, moving them in… You take big bites, Liam. I like that.”

“When you list it like that, it makes me wonder if I’ve lost my mind, but at the same time I can’t imagine my life without them, even if we met less than a year ago.”

“They’ll be joining us soon,” she said. “Anything you want to talk about?”

“Yes, but it’s difficult for me to ask for help, if I’m honest. I feel as if I should be able to figure this situation—the two of them—out for myself. That it’s my responsibility, and I shouldn’t shuffle it off onto anyone else.” Laura snorted, and he gave her a rueful smile. “Yes, I know that’s ridiculous, especially given my relative inexperience, so let’s forget I said it.”

“Forgotten,” she said promptly.

Beside her, Chris held position, his submission as clear and hot as a flame, burning steadily. He wasn’t doing anything but kneeling in silence, wasn’t even naked, but Liam found his gaze going to him over and over.

“What do you see when you look at him?” Laura asked, tilting Chris’s head back, one finger under his chin, lifting it. Chris went with it, his color rising as Liam stared at him, his eyes still lowered.

It wasn’t easy to open up, but Liam gave her an honest answer. “I see…I see that he’s happy. Glowing. That he’s finding satisfaction in being what you want him to be. He’s not fighting you, not restless or bored. He’s not trying to attract your attention by moving or sighing because…”

“Yes?” she prompted.

Liam smiled. “Because he knows he’s got it. That even as you talk to me, you’re aware of him, focused on him. I envy that level of trust.”

Laura took her hand away, and Chris returned to his original position, his face serene. “It’s earned over time. It’ll come.”

“I hope so.” He took a sip of wine, making the half glass he’d allowed himself last. “Okay, there is one thing. Jay’s really interested in fire play. Well, he’s interested in a lot more than that, and all of it extreme, but it’s what’s currently obsessing him. I’m happy to try it, but not until I’ve seen it done and had some training. I put out some feelers, made some calls, but so far there’s no one relatively close who’s available to give me some pointers. Would you know of anyone?”

“A few people,” Laura responded immediately. “I can get you their contact information. Do you have a preference, man or woman?”

The idea that he might have a choice hadn’t crossed Liam’s mind. “Frankly, no. Is it too desperate to admit I’d take anyone I can get?”

Laura laughed. “No, I appreciate your honesty. I’ll check in with them and then let you know how to get in touch, assuming they’re okay with it. I’m sure they will be.”

Outside was the faint sound of a car horn, then the dual thuds of the downstairs apartment doors being closed. A moment later Liam heard footsteps on the stairs. There was no sound as the basement door opened, although Liam knew it did because Austin and Jay appeared.

“Sir?” Austin asked respectfully from the doorway.

Liam stayed sitting but set down his wineglass. “Come in here, please.” He watched their faces as they took in Chris kneeling on the floor; Austin looked pleased and relieved and eager all at once. “Not yet,” Liam told him. “Come sit with me.”