Scorched Edges (3 page)

“How about trading that for a date with me?” Beau asked. “I don’t know who this bloke Fermat is, but I’d hope to be more stimulating company.” The silence that followed was long enough that Beau began to wonder if he’d been cut off.

“Fermat
was a French mathematician who’s given credit for early developments that led to infinitesimal calculus, including the technique of adequality. He researched number theory, analytic geometry, probability and optics. But you don’t care about that… Sorry. You
really
want to go out with me?”

“Why do you sound so surprised?” Beau grinned at the receiver.

“But you’re so… And I’m just… And I don’t, I mean…”

“Marty… I’ll pick you up at seven. What’s your address?” Beau let a little of his inner Dom filter into his voice. Marty immediately reeled off the details.
He responds so well to orders.
One hundred percent sub…definitely.
Beau listened to Marty’s short, fast breaths.

“I have your number now, so if I’m delayed for any reason, I’ll give you a call. I’ll look forward to our evening very much, Marty… See you later.”

“Yes… This evening. Thank you!” There was a thump and the line went dead. Beau guessed that Marty had dropped his phone.

Beau made himself a coffee and crawled back into bed with his laptop. He did a quick scan of the news and read an article about the previous day’s fire. Thankfully the journalist had stuck to the facts and there was no mention of the painted message. Beau had no doubt that should even a hint of suspicion that a serial firebug was on the loose get out, the Internet would be full of speculative stories. The early fires had been too minor to even make the local gossip sheets, let alone the nationals, but the guy was escalating and the latest burn had gained some coverage, albeit just a column or two.

“He’s not after publicity,” Beau mused. “He’s trying to attract attention, but from an individual…someone on my watch. We need to start talking to each other, to hunt for clues.” He ought to start with himself. Beau couldn’t think of anyone he’d annoyed enough to cause such obsessive behavior. He hadn’t dumped anyone in years. At the club he was careful only to play with willing house subs and Carey would soon let him know if he’d upset anyone. The Underground took care of its staff and Carey didn’t stand for ungentlemanly behavior.

“So if not me, who could it be?” Beau ran what he knew about his colleagues through his head. Most were happily married, both to the job and their respective partners. In his regular watch there were two other guys who were out, neither of whom was into the scene. Of the younger, single guys, Beau wasn’t aware of any issues. The station house had a few women on staff but none were on his watch. Even the station cat was a pampered ex-stray. The plump ginger moggy had probably befriended every mouse within a mile radius and made some kind of mutually beneficial ‘no-chasing’ agreement to allow him more time to snooze in the equipment locker.

“This is getting me nowhere,” he muttered. He brought up a list of local restaurants and focused on where to take Marty for dinner. Serial arsonists could wait until his weekend was over.

Chapter Two

“He’s going to be here any second.” Marty folded his arms and gave himself a hug that did nothing to calm his nerves. “Why the heck did I give him my address? We could have met at the restaurant.” He did yet another circuit of his tiny flat and plumped a cushion. Everything was tidy and in its place. The space was too small for him to have the luxury of being a slob. Marty added another log to the wood burner, then took the half a dozen paces to his bedroom to check for the third time that the bed covers were straight. He’d already changed out of his comfy old jeans and varsity sweatshirt into dark wool trousers and a soft sweater of deep burgundy. His hair flopped into his eyes and he pushed it away with a shaky hand. The intercom buzzed and he almost jumped out of his skin.

“Oh God, oh God, oh God!” Marty ran to the panel and stabbed at the button. “Yes?”

“Marty, it’s Beau.”

“Yes, yes…of course. Please come up.” He pressed the release button for the street level entrance then took a few deep breaths.

When the knock at his front door came, Marty was tempted to run away and hide in the bedroom. “He’ll just chop his way in with an axe—firemen are good at that kind of thing.” He plucked up his courage and opened the door. Six feet five inches of ebony haired gorgeousness walked in like he owned the place.

“You’re beautiful, Marty.” Beau smiled.

You have to be kidding me, I am not a girl!
Marty lifted an eyebrow and forgot his nerves but then Beau handed him a bunch of stunning sunflowers and Marty melted. His knees threatened to give way.

“You brought me flowers?”
Oh, that’s smooth, you idiot. Talk about stating the obvious.
The tiny lines at the corner of Beau’s eyes crinkled with amusement.
He has eyes like thunderclouds. Wow.

“I did.” Beau walked to him and encircled Marty’s waist with his arms. His lips parted as he dipped his head toward Marty.

“Hello.”

Marty froze. He had no idea what to do, but it didn’t matter because Beau took charge. The kiss was gentle, chaste and utterly perfect. Marty parted his lips, but then he remembered himself and stepped back. He had to break it off or he’d end up letting Beau do whatever the hell he wanted, and Marty had no intention of coming across as a needy slut.

“I… I should put the flowers in water.” Marty went to the kitchen and dug out his only vase. His hands shook a little as he filled it then arranged the flowers. He left them on the draining board and went back to join Beau.

“Can I get you a drink or anything before we leave?”

“No thank you.” Amusement flickered in Beau’s eyes but he made no attempt to take hold of Marty again. Marty felt a little disappointed. He’d half hoped that Beau might decide to ravish him right there on the rug in front of the fire. His face heated at the thought.

“Do we need to leave straight away?” Marty asked.

“We have a few minutes.” Beau crossed to the couch and made himself at home, stretching his legs out then crossing them at the ankles.

“You’re really tall,” Marty blurted out. “Oh God.”

“Hey, relax, sweetheart. No need to be nervous. Come and sit here with me.” Beau patted the seat next to him. “When did you last go out on a date?”

“Um…never,” Marty admitted. He took a sneaky peak at Beau’s face, expecting to see an expression of scorn or maybe pity, but Beau appeared to be delighted. “I’ve never had a boyfriend. At university I had a few hook-ups but students aren’t interested in commitment… Damn, why am I even telling you this? You don’t need details of my semi-sordid past.” He was making an idiot of himself. It wouldn’t surprise him if Beau decided to get up and leave. “How about you tell me a bit about you instead?”

“Only if you sit here next to me.” There was a tone of command in Beau’s voice, and Marty found himself obeying immediately. He perched on the edge of the seat as far as possible from his date. A smile twitched the corner of Beau’s lips.

“Well, let’s see. I’ve been with the fire service for just over five years. Before that I was in the Royal Marines. Signed up out of school at eighteen. Spent some time in Belize, Afghanistan and Germany. My parents live in Devon. They were both teachers but they retired early. Now they run a B&B on a farm and keep assorted livestock including a bunch of rabid chickens that I loathe. I have a younger sister, Imogen. She lives in New Zealand with her sheep farmer husband and two kids. That’s it. Not very exciting.”

Marty pushed his specs up his nose. “It sounds a lot more interesting than six years at university followed by a job as an analyst.”

“You realize I know that you’re not just any old analyst, don’t you? Don’t worry…I know you can’t talk about it.”

“I work in an office, chained to a desk, Beau. Apart from the day we met, when Becket tried to get me killed, they don’t really let me out.”

“Chains huh? Sounds like my kind of employer.” Beau smirked.

“I don’t— I mean that’s not what… Oh, you’re teasing me.” Deciphering codes came a lot easier to Marty than working out the nuances of other people’s conversation. “I’m sorry, I’ve never been properly socialized.”

Beau fell about laughing. “You are so fucking adorable. I think we should go out now before I’m tempted to throw you down and fuck you unconscious.”

Marty gasped.

“I’ve shocked you.” Beau stated the obvious. He didn’t seem at all bothered by that possibility.

“No, well yes. Maybe a little.” Marty was so flustered he didn’t know what to do with himself. It didn’t help that his cock was tenting his trousers, practically begging that Beau live up to his words. Marty resorted to a change of subject. “Where are we going to eat?”

“Well, I wasn’t sure what kind of food you liked, so I went for Thai. Plenty of different options and lots of vegetarian if you’re not a carnivore.”

“I’m a meat eater, I particularly enjoy chicken.”

“Then we are going to get along very well indeed.”

“So, we’re not going to your club?” Just thinking about what The Underground might be like sent shivers of delight down Marty’s spine.

Beau gave him a questioning eyebrow raise. “Would you like to go there? The food’s fantastic, but I thought it might be a step too far for a first date.”

Marty considered his answer carefully before he spoke. “I know you’re a Dominant, Beau. If that didn’t intrigue me I wouldn’t have agreed to see you. I don’t want you to think that you need to be anything other than yourself when you’re with me.”

Beau tapped his fingers on a black denim-clad knee. “I can cancel the Thai Orchid. It’s Saturday night so they’ll have no trouble filling the table.” He paused, and Marty held his breath.
Please don’t ask me, tell me what to do. I don’t want to make any decisions.

“Fine. The Underground it is.” Beau pulled out his phone and canceled the table reservation.

Marty took a couple of secret deep breaths and pushed down the urge to hyperventilate.

“Time to go then.” Beau stood and offered Marty his hand.

Marty took it and was surprised by how gentle such a strong man could be. Beau didn’t yank him to his feet or attempt to crush his fingers, he just lent support while Marty rose from the squishy sofa.

“Thank you.” A ‘Sir’ hovered on the tip of Marty’s tongue. He bit the inside of his cheek to stop it spilling out. While Marty went through his routine for going out, Beau kept a hand on the small of his back, never losing contact. The reassurance of that touch prevented Marty from bolting.

Beau hailed a cab on the street outside Marty’s building, and needless to say, one pulled up immediately. Marty rolled his eyes. If he’d tried to flag a taxi down a new ice age could have started while they waited for one to stop. On the short drive, Marty was grateful that Beau didn’t attempt to make small talk. Marty’s mouth was dry, his heart pounded to the beat of mild panic.
What the hell am I doing? I love Thai food and instead I’m on my way to a BDSM club. Fuck.
Marty chewed on his lip. He didn’t feel comfortable swearing, even in his head. He could almost hear his mother scolding him.
‘Martyn Jonathan Standish, wash your mouth out. Cursing is just a sign of a lack of intelligence. If you can’t think of a more erudite phrase, keep quiet.’
He hadn’t realized that his knee was bouncing until Beau put a hand on his thigh.

“Sorry.”

“I know someone else who has the exact same habit, so don’t worry. We can still go somewhere else, Marty.”

“No. I want to go. How can I know what it’s like unless I experience it first-hand? Otherwise I’m just making uninformed assumptions based on…”

“Marty…we’re having dinner. That’s all.” Beau put his arm around Marty’s shoulders and pulled him close. “I’ll take care of you, so stop worrying. The Underground has a great restaurant and a talented chef. If it helps, you can imagine you’re at any old restaurant.” He paused. “Of course you may have to focus on me and not check out your surroundings…”

The warmth and strength of Beau’s hold were exactly what Marty needed. He calmed instantly. “Sorry, I have a tendency to overanalyze things. I like to have all possible information, do my research before trying something new.”

Beau chuckled. “All the research in the world won’t help you when it comes to the lifestyle. You can scour the Internet, talk to dozens of people, read books…but you’ll never get the same answers twice. BDSM is unique to every individual involved. It’s what you want it to be.”

When they arrived outside the club, Marty was impressed by the immaculate building and the polite security staff. At the reception desk, Beau introduced him to the very pretty attendant.

“Marty, I’d like you to meet Christian.”

Marty stared. “Christian? As in Becket’s Christian?”

“That’s right.” Christian smiled. “It’s lovely to finally meet you. Becket talks about you all the time. I’m glad Mr. Beauman finally got up the nerve to ask you out.”

“Cheeky brat,” Beau said with a grin. “I just wanted to pick my moment, that’s all.”

“Of course.” Christian winked at Marty.

Marty couldn’t take his eyes from the slim strip of leather around Christian’s neck.
Oh my God. My boss’s boyfriend is wearing a collar. That’s…that’s…so hot! I wonder what it feels like.
Marty touched his neck then jerked his hand away. Christian didn’t bat an eyelid.