Page 1 of For Life
PROLOGUE
ANT
PLAYINGATTHEXCLUB in my kitten mask, it felt like I was home. Or at the very least, among my people. It had taken a while to go from that kid in Shepherd’s Kitchen, to being their friend. I was ready to branch out and work on my own, and Shepherd was being more than supportive. All of the Rainbow Collective, as Cielo called it, were in attendance at the X Club that night. It made sense they were all there, since they were all board members of the club now, or partners of board members. I wasn’t fully in the group yet, but they always made me feel welcome and gave me the sense of community I’d been craving since I ran away from home at seventeen.
Being newly out as non-binary, and having just turned twenty-one, I was enjoying going to as many parties as I could stand. Ages seventeen to twenty were all about survival and learning who I was. I’d hired Cielo the year before to help teach me how to be a good sub, but had never worked up the courage to ask them to top me.
Poor little enby, still an ass virgin while attending kink events and dancing it up at gay clubs. It didn’t help that I was tall, fit, and blond. I was a twunk, according to my friend Roman, which made men want me to fuck them. It was easy, and a lot less scary, so I went with it. At the club though, I could be my little kitten self without restraints put in place by how I looked.
A familiar face caught my attention and I did a double take. That was not who I was expecting to see walk into the X Club. Ever.
Looking lost in a crisp white shirt and black suit without a tie, Officer Wu’s eyes were wide in wonder or shock. Taking pity on the man, I made my way along the path between the two playing areas.
“Officer, fancy seeing you here.”
He startled and looked closely at me, clearly trying to recognize my face under the mask. He fidgeted with the yellow, green, and red wristbands, none of which were on his wrists yet. He was cute in his confusion, almost blushing if he didn’t have dark tan skin.
“I suppose I look different in leather hot pants and a full face mask, Officer,” I explained, taking the hood off and sending my glittery, butt plug earrings dangling. “I’m Anthony, Ant, we met at Shepherd’s Kitchen.”
Realization dawned when he could see me, “Oh, of course. Mr. Costa. Thanks again for your assistance with that case.”
Seeing his withdrawal into a work mindset told me I had about one minute before this guy bolted, and who knew if he would venture back into a club again.
“No problem, Officer. Want me to fill you in on how things work here?” I reached out to pat his shoulder gently in reassurance and hit a brick wall. Damn, this cop was hot. “I’m guessing you blanked during any explanations?”
“Please, call me Max, and I would love that,” Max smiled at me so wide his dark eyes went narrow, and even though he was older and broader than me, I found it cute.
“Max, short and sweet, I like it.” Placing my hand back on Max’s arm, I steered us towards the entrance so we could see the whole room and not be talking too close to the scenes. “That’s why I picked Ant as my nickname instead of Tony.”
“Actually, it’s Maxx, with two x’s, so not as short. My mom was just learning English and thought it meantmore. Like more love, more size, more prosperity,” he rubbed his neck and shifted from one foot to the other, rambling as if he was uncomfortable and oversharing as a result. “but since my Chinese name is Man-Lóng, I stick with Maxx.”
Holding back from telling him I liked a long man—because that would be super insensitive, no matter how accurate—I said, “I could see how that might get you bullied as a kid, I sympathize.”
Maxx looked me up and down like he was looking for my flaws and finding none, which I found hella flattering, but I figured it was time for some distraction.
“Want me to explain the wrist bands?”
“Yes, please,” he said emphatically, grasping my shoulder then, sending happy endorphins throughout my body. I was thankful for my tight pants keeping my erection hidden, though it was normal at the club. “I hate feeling out of control or not fully prepared.”
Grinning, I ignored the strong Dom vibes in that statement and covered the basics. “Green wristband means anyone can approach you and ask to play. Yellow means they should ask first. Red means don’t approach unless you know me, I won’t be playing or won’t play with strangers. On the left means Dominant or Top leaning, on the right means submissive or a bottom.”
He seemed to consider for a moment then slipped the green and red bands into a jacket pocket before slipping the yellow one on his left wrist. So maybe Maxx knew he was Dominant leaning? I didn’t comment, just held up my green right wrist. I didn’t plan on anything sexual, and preferred to be the bottom or sub in kink.
“See, it communicates a lot very quickly.”
Maxx looked around the room, eyes darting in curiosity as he tried to take everything in. “And can you just walk up to anyone and ask to play?”
“You could,” I laughed, imagining how that would go. They really should have described this stuff at the door, but maybe they asked if he’d been to the club before, and his “yes” made them think he’d played. It was not a meat market. “If they have a green wrist band on the side that works with your wants, and they aren't already playing or engaged with another person, you can. And always ask to touch first.”
“Oh, that makes sense, of course.” Maxx nodded then frowned at the hand that had touched me, and my hand that had touched him.
“It’s okay, we kinda knew each other and now you know. I’ll keep my hands to myself from now on,” I teased. “Wanna watch some scenes?”
“You don’t have to keep them to yourself,” Maxx uttered to both our surprise. “I mean, yeah, let’s watch.”
Seeing the normally confident and competent officer flustered was cute. Letting it go because he was clearly out of his element, I turned to see what was going on after being in our own little bubble. Most of my friends were resting off to the opposite side after their scenes, so I pointed out the ones he knew and explained aftercare. He nodded but didn’t seem unaware of the topic. Probably did some research before coming, which was good.
Seeing Q and A with their sub, Cielo, I was so happy that they had gotten past the threats against them and the club. The former board member was a creep and I was glad he had been ousted and outed as a scumbag. The three of them deserved all the happiness.