Settling Down (3 page)

Even still, he wasn’t looking forward to that conversation.

Tim’s howl of pain brought his attention back to the stage. The watch had dropped, and those clover clips were pulling at both nipples so hard he was bent over. Or maybe he was bent over already, and Jae wanted to kick himself for not paying attention. Now he’d have to ask what Reggie did that was the final straw.

Reggie quickly unfastened both clamps and hauled Tim to his side. There were tears in Tim’s eyes, but he hadn’t called “red.” Good. Besides, the bulge in his boxer briefs was sign enough that, while painful, it wasn’t completely unbearable.

“Shush,” Reggie cooed. “What’s the time, David?”

David quickly checked his phone. “Eleven minutes.”

A few groans of disappointment washed over the crowd, like they were all expecting fifteen minutes too.

“Good boy,” Jae called to the stage, and Tim visibly relaxed.

“Good boy indeed,” Reggie said, squeezing Tim close. “As far as I’m concerned, Predicament Play has the punishment built in, so no need to add injury to insult. Everyone give him a hand, and we’ll settle those bets after announcements.”

That was Jae’s cue to come and retrieve Tim and take him to the back for aftercare. Tim leaned against him once he was on the stage and was easily led to the back room. Those memories of listening to that heavy Southern accent the first time he saw Tim on that same stage, that spunk, never failed to make Jae grin just a little harder.

It was almost enough to make him forget about the terrible news he had to share.

But not now.

“I tried,” Tim gasped as Jae wrapped a blanket around his shoulders, then pulled him on his lap. “But you know Reggie.”

“He’s evil.” Jae laughed. “How are the nips?”

Tim moved the blanket to show him. Red, sure looked sore, but no broken skin. “I’m rocking undershirts for the next week, but they’re fine.”

“So I shouldn’t touch them?” Jae leaned close to blow cool air over the exposed one, making Tim nearly jump out of his lap.

“Maybe after a day, Sir.” Tim wrapped the blanket close around him again.

“Aw.”

David poked his head into the back room. “How’s my favorite training dummy doing?”

“He’s doing fine, dummy,” Tim muttered into Jae’s neck. “Tell Reggie they’re still attached.”

“Oh please, you loved it.” David snorted, exchanged a glance with Jae, and then sighed. “I better get him off the stage before they question him to death. You owe Madam Trudy that forty bucks, by the way, but she can wait for it. No rush.”

Once David left them alone, Tim was staring at him, his gaze steady. He didn’t miss that sigh. “What was that about?”

Jae wouldn’t insult Tim by feigning ignorance. “Later, when we get home. Right now, relax. You did a great job tonight. I’m so proud of you.”

SOMETHING BIG
was up, and not knowing what made Tim terrified.

He got dressed, they said their good-byes, Jae paid Trudy, they drove to Jae’s place, and Tim was in the kitchen making the man a drink. Kraken and Coke, his usual.

He was entirely too on edge himself for alcohol, so a bottle of water would work for him.

Once the drink hit Jae’s hand and Tim folded himself on the floor next to the couch, he was ready to hear anything. Or at least needed it to be over already. “Okay, what’s going on?”

Jae sipped at the dark liquid, swallowed, took his time, and Tim took it as a reminder of who was in charge. “You know David and Reggie are looking out for you, right?”

Tim sighed to keep his impatience in check. Better to hear it at Jae’s feet than in a corner, or worse, tomorrow. “Yes. I hope this isn’t about my demo stuff, is it? I thought we all agreed that—”

“Tim, Max Fielding is coming to town.”

Oh.

Tim suddenly couldn’t think of anything else. Just, oh. Oh, it’s raining. No, a dog just pissed on his foot.

The man who ruined his fucking life would be in the same city he was.

Jae was still talking. “David and Reggie tried to discourage the committee from offering him an official invitation, but there was only so much they could say and respect your privacy….”

Tim held up a hand. “Wait, an invite to where?”

“The Leather Ball.”

Now it was Tim’s turn to take a long drink before responding. Nice, cold water. Washing away the sudden taste of bile in the back of his throat. This was a joke, wasn’t it? A terrible, awful joke, and any moment now, Jae was going to say, “Surprise!” and hand him two tickets to Maui or somewhere they could spend all day in thongs.

But Jae’s expression didn’t change. Seriously concerned, waiting.

“Well.” Tim winced at how his own voice croaked. “I’m sure Reggie and David tried their best.”

Jae raised one of his eyebrows, but he said nothing.

In the interest of filling the silence, Tim added, “I suppose if the others didn’t know, they just didn’t know. It’s something I should have considered that I couldn’t hide forever.”

Silence.

“I’ll talk with Gloria, and we’ll see about arranging things with the ball. I won’t cancel our sponsorship, of course.”

And even more silence.

Rage licked up Tim’s spine, and he spat hot fire. “What are you waiting for? Say something, for fuck’s sake!”

“I’m waiting for that, for you to stop being so damned reasonable. Be angry, Tim. You have every right.”

Tim looked at the water bottle in his hand, and the urge to throw it at something—a wall, the kitchen, or even at Jae—was so strong he had to set it down on a coaster. “I’m fucking terrified. And pissed.”

He couldn’t even look at Jae anymore, and hated him a little for telling him anything. It was a good night, a great demo. The way his shirt had rubbed against his sore nipples was a great reminder of that, but now the scratchy sensation made him think of clamps long ago. And pain of the wrong sort. And waking up in a hospital.

And that shirt had to
go.
Now.

The wadded-up shirt hit the couch next to Jae, who reached down to rest a hand on his bare shoulder. But Tim flinched away from the touch. Too familiar, too much right now. His heart raced, and he needed to get away now. “I need a shower, Sir.”

“Go on, pet. When you’re ready, meet me in the bedroom.”

Bless that man. Bless his orders. Bless him for giving Tim something to focus on, for turning that need into something he could do for his Sir. His proper Sir who would never, ever hurt him like that.

He set the hot water on blast, ignoring the aches of the switches and the clamps, needing it all to overwhelm his mind so he could think straight.

And then he threw up. Thank fuck he was already in the shower.

“Tim?” Jae called from the other side of the door.

“I’m fine.” Okay, that was a lie. “It’s alright!” Also a lie. “May I have a moment?”

Silence met his request, so he hoped he was granted it.

Fuck Max. Fuck him and his fucked excuse for domming. Didn’t Reggie or David tell everyone he ended up on Do Not Play lists? Did that not make it to this side of the country? Didn’t Leather Aid vet their invites? How did this shit happen?

All Tim wanted to do was live his life in peace. He was regretting ever telling anyone about what happened to him. Gloria, Reggie, David, his closest friends could now be the ones to fuck him over. One slip, and Max would know they knew, and it would all be over.

Lawsuit. Losing everything he’d built.

Bile tasted awful coming out again.

He wanted to hide. Pack up and move again. Maybe Maui? Would Jae come with him?

Ridiculous. He was a grown adult, not a scared child. He had a business and friends and a lover with a life and friends and family of his own.

Tim had so many things to lose.

The water was growing cold as the thoughts raced through his mind. Nothing would settle down, not his mind, not his stomach that clenched over and over again.

He’d have to get out of the shower eventually. And no pretending to be “fine.” Damn it. The downside of being so open to Jae’s attentions was he couldn’t just hide. Not anymore.

Jae, for his part, was quiet when he finally emerged from the shower, still shaking. Tim was wrapped in another towel and led to the huge bed. He couldn’t sleep, but being in Jae’s arms helped him feel a little bit safer, not quite so alone.

ANOTHER DAY,
two more interviews.

At least one of them looked promising.

She rocked the ’90s andro look—short blue hair, silver hoop in the right nostril, flannel shirt over a black tank top, cargo shorts, honest-to-goodness beaten-in Docs.

So many points awarded.

“Cheri at your service.” She extended her hand and smiled with crooked teeth, one at the bottom missing, but it was all so damned charming. “I hope at your service, anyway.”

“Only one way to find out.” Tim returned the smile and led her to the office. “Pardon the boxes. It’s part inventory.”

Gloria, counting the drawer to start the shift, was already giving signs she was pleased with this choice. She hadn’t burst out laughing at Cheri’s clothing choices and gave Tim a thumbs-up behind the girl’s back.

For someone who said she didn’t find Ms. Pantsuit’s judgment bothersome—they got two negative Yelp reviews out of that whole kerfuffle—she’d gotten more up-front about her opinion of interviewees. Tim appreciated it. They’d have to work with both Gloria and him of course.

“So, Cheri, what brings you to my shop?” Tim asked as he took a seat in front of his desk.

“Well, you need a clerk, I’ve got clerk skills. I’m hoping we’re a good match.”

Honest. Good. “I noticed from your résumé that you have the experience, but this isn’t a bookstore or a clothing shop. At least unless you had to give sex advice as well there.”

Cheri didn’t blush or blink. “Can’t say I have. But in college I helped organize some condom giveaways and STD workshops.”

Even better. “This is bit more personal than just ‘here’s a condom, don’t catch a bug,’ but it’s a good start. Have you been here before?”

“Nope, just moved back into town after I graduated.”

Tim was on his feet, encouraged for once. “Let’s have a little tour of the place while I ask you very off-beat questions that, I swear to you, I’ve been asked, and we’ll see how you handle them. I don’t expect you to know all of the answers, though. Working here will be a learning experience.”

The distraction was so welcome Tim could have done twenty more interviews with twenty more Cheris. Her eyes got super wide at the fist-shaped toys, and her laugh at the music-player-operated vibrators was more amusement than shock. She asked more questions than he did.

“So, like, you have to field a bunch of really dumb questions, do you?”

Tim held up a hand. “There are no dumb questions. Each one helps someone have a good time, or at least not hurt themselves or someone else. Though, yeah, some questions do give me the urge to facepalm, it’s not a good idea to do it in front of a customer.”

Cheri nodded “Yeah, I get it. Make ’em feel bad, and they won’t buy anything. So what’s this thing?” She pointed to what looked like a pile of leather straps on the other side of the shop.

“Oh, that’s our kink section. You familiar with it?”

“Um, well, I’m kinda new….”

Tim patted her shoulder. “No worries. You’ll learn, and if you have any questions, feel free to ask me. I’m an old hand at this sort of thing.”

“Stop hogging the girl, bitch. It’s my turn,” Gloria insisted as they passed the counter.

Cheri busted out laughing. “There’s enough of me go around.”

“Oh, I like this one,” Gloria declared and pointed to the video section. “Now come on, let’s see how you handle some possibly creepy situations.”

No one had gotten that far along in an interview. Tim could have done backflips.

With the two talking and laughing, Tim found his thoughts returning to the dreaded news. Max was in town. Jae’s parents were due in a few days, and he’d be picking up Poppa the day after. His fingers flexed involuntarily, and he needed to do something. Gloria had the counter organized. Everything was organized and clean, and nothing needed restocking. They’d only been open an hour. Fuck.

“Hey, Tim!” Gloria yelled from the video shelves. “What happens when you touch latex again?”

“I die. That’s all anyone needs to know. Can’t touch it, can’t smell it.”

He swore his scars felt itchy at the explanation.

The bell on the door rang, and Tim was relieved to have a distraction.

Until he saw who was entering. Older man, bearded, broad shouldered, blond, with brown eyes that looked right at him with surprise.

Tim swallowed hard, keeping more bile down, and arched his chin. “Welcome to Little Earthquakes. How may I help you?”

Max Fielding narrowed his eyes. “What are you doing here?”

Same voice, rough, once good for making his dick hard, now made the poor thing want to retreat into his abs. But this wasn’t a dungeon. “This is my shop. May I help you?”

His shop. His turf. His. He could even tell the asshole to leave. Wasn’t being this close violating the restraining order, anyway? Wait, that was online interactions only. Fuck!

Oh, the surprised expression he got was so satisfying. Didn’t think a “crybaby” like Timothy Myers could own his own business, did he? What did Max expect, for him to hide under his bed for the rest of his life?

“I was told this was a good place for condoms. But I think I’ll go somewhere else.”

“Good,” Tim wanted to say. He could be as polite as possible, but damn it, he’d rather see Max go buy his Magnums elsewhere.

“Told you,” Gloria crowed as she and Cheri returned to the counter. “But we keep an EpiPen at the counter, because we can’t afford to lose him.”

She quieted and glanced at the door, then at Tim. “Is there a problem, Timmy?”

“No, Mr. Fielding was just leaving,” Tim replied, extra emphasis on the “Mr.” He was no master here.

It almost made the urge to vomit again go away.

Max snorted. “Actually I changed my mind. I think I’ll browse, see what this place has to offer.”