Page 6

Tristan

I did - in my opinion - a remarkable job of keeping my expression neutral and friendly as I led Xander and his brother back over to our table, though Brandon's sharp eyes as he took me in missed nothing.

He was going to have an opinion about it, and his tiny stature didn't make it any less terrifying for me to know that I was going to have to face his questioning.

"The rest of the rabble," I announced, offering a grin at Xander as I slid back into my seat.

"Brandon, Vincent, and Nate."

We'd picked one of the U-shaped booths near the front of the bar, meaning that it was easy for the rest of us to shuffle around so that Xander could slide into the booth first, and then Ethan, making us all practically shoulder-to-shoulder as we settled in.

Xander offered a small, shy smile, and raised his hand to wave. "Hi."

Ethan's eyes were wide, and they were fixed firmly on Vincent, sitting directly across from him.

Vincent, oblivious fucker that he was, barely glanced at him with a small smile before he returned his attention to his phone, clicking through whatever text message thread was holding his attention.

"Xander.

You're the newbie?" Brandon offered a small but mildly vicious smile as he stuck his hand out for Xander to shake, crossing in front of me without any heed for my personal space.

Brandon was the very definition of a twink, barely standing at five foot six with his stature lithe and sweet-looking.

His dark hair was a little long right now, brushing the very edge of his jaw, and the piercing through his nose and bottom lip gave him the "I graduated from high school in my punk phase and never left" look.

Ostensibly, I could throw Brandon around without thinking twice about it.

But his terrifying aura made that a poor decision on anyone's part who thought that they could take him, and the fact that he was the studio's resident power top made him even more terrifying.

Specializing in degradation and edging, for anyone who was wondering.

He'd offered to film with me...once.

I had politely declined, not because I was opposed to kink or bottoming, but because...well, he was my friend and he low-key terrified me.

I wasn't afraid to admit it.

Xander seemed to sense the terror radiating from Brandon's very being, as well, because he hesitated for a moment before he reached out and grasped Brandon's hand.

"Nice to meet you too.

Yeah, I'm...the newbie."

He flushed a little, and Brandon's eyes flicked over to me, his grin turning a little sharklike before he nodded.

"Nice to meet you.

I'm Brandon.

I'm sure we'll work together at some point."

My hand curled into a fist on top of my knee under the table, and I was tempted to let out a fucking growl at Brandon's words, though I bit back the sound before it escaped me.

But only just.

Growling.

Me.

Like a fucking caveman.

What the hell was that about?

Despite the fact that the damning sound didn't leave me, Brandon looked my way again anyway, and there was a twinkle of knowing in his dark eyes.

He glanced over at Nate on his other side, and our resident photo-only star smirked at me, running a hand through his messy blonde hair.

"Tell us about yourself, Xander," he said, turning his attention to the man in question.

"Might as well jumpstart the 'getting to know you' phase."

The flush in Xander's cheeks deepened, and God, I was going to hell for liking the way it made him look so sweet and bashful.

My cock twitched in my pants, and I curled my hand into a tighter fist at the urge to wrap my hand around it and give it a squeeze.

I was going to fucking wreck this man, at first opportunity.

"Well..." Xander started talking, explaining how he'd come to work at the studio and some other things about his family, but I was only listening to with half an ear.

Vincent had finally put his phone down and was nodding along as Mark, the bartender, brought over all our drinks and a plate of nachos for all of us to share.

Vincent was a tall man with copper-colored hair, his ears lined with piercings and his eyes blue.

If Brandon was the studio power top, Vincent was the BDSM expert.

Bondage, orgasm denial, degradation and praise in turn...there was very little that he wouldn't do...with one major exception.

He never bottomed, and rarely scened with anyone that he hadn't met and bonded with on a personal level.

He had few partners that he would agree to film with, and only those who agreed to his terms were allowed anywhere near his scenes.

I had theories about his desperate need for control, as well as his perpetual single nature, but they weren't polite to bring up in casual conversation.

Vincent was a dear friend, if a little distant, and all I wanted was for him to loosen the reins of that control, just a little bit.

So that he could be happy.

The way that Ethan was looking at Vincent as if he were a tasty treat that he wanted to eat up...well, if I were a betting man...

Xander nudged me gently in the ribs, tearing me out of my musing.

I looked at him, mildly amused at the fact that I still needed to look down at him just the slightest bit, our height difference obvious even while sitting, and I leaned close so that I could speak quietly and still have him hear me. "Yes?"

His cheeks pinked again, and...fuck, it was pretty.

My cock twitched again, but I steadfastly ignored it as he licked his lips, and then murmured, "So...you guys really come here every Sunday?"

I smiled, my fingers itching with the desire to slide around the back of his neck so that I could play with the hairs that curled there.

"Yep.

Sunday is the only day of the week where nobody films or works, so..."

Xander nodded, licking his lips again. "Right."

His voice was a little breathy, and I bit back a groan as I pulled back some.

Ethan had managed to finally pull Vincent into a conversation, and they were politely discussing their favorite places to eat around town.

Ethan's cheeks were even more flushed than his brother’s, his eyes a little starry, and I couldn't stop myself from chuckling a little at the sight of his blatant smittenness.

I lifted my cup to my lips and took a sip, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Brandon and Nate both watching me and Xander closely.

A small smirk was playing on Brandon's lips, and I steadfastly ignored my friend as I looked at Xander.

He didn't look away from me, despite the mild humiliation and arousal that I could see reflected in his eyes.

Humiliation at what, though? Being caught looking at me? Being caught being turned on?

I couldn't stop myself.

My eyes flicked down, and I saw the bulge of his cock twitch when I looked at it, the furthest thing from soft.

It wasn't a full-blown erection, something that made a twinge of disappointment twist unexpectedly in my stomach, but...

It was pretty damn close.

Words bubbled to my lips, words that I steadfastly clamped down.

I wanted to ask Xander if he wanted to get out of here.

I wanted to invite him back to my place.

The urge was so strong that it stunned me for a moment; I hadn't felt the urge to bring someone home...well, in years.

Since I started working for Studio Black.

My interest level in a romantic relationship had fizzled around the time that I'd started having sex on camera for money, and now...

Now I wanted to know what Xander looked like in my bed.

All sleep-rumpled and sweet, his eyes sleepy after having spent the night.

Was he a coffee, or a tea person? He looked like he might like tea, though it would probably depend on the weather...

My phone buzzed in my pocket, startling me out of my thoughts, at the same time that I felt Xander's phone buzz, also in his pocket.

We broke our staring contest, and I hummed softly as I pulled my phone out and opened the email that had come through.

A smile broke out on my lips, and I looked at Xander, who peeked up at me from his screen.

"Looks like the review is in, baby star." I waved my phone around, the email from Cole setting up our meeting to review the photos from the shoot bright and clear.

Xander dragged his teeth over his lower lip, and an uncharacteristic look of uncertainty crossed his eyes.

He looked up at me, doubt reflecting in the pretty depths, and his voice was low and a little trembly when he spoke.

"What if...what if Cole didn't like them?"

The sight of his fear, his uncertainty, did something to me, and before I thought twice about it, I threw my arm over his shoulder and pulled him into my side, his body pressing firmly up against mine in the most perfect way.

I leaned down, pressing my lips to his ear so that I could whisper without anyone else overhearing, and I murmured, "Xan, do you really think that those photos turned out anything less than fucking scorching?"

He shook a little in my arms, and after a moment, he slowly shook his head.

His breath hitched when my lips curved up in a smile, and the urge to press a kiss just under his ear was almost too strong for me to resist.

Instead, though, I squeezed his shoulders a little tighter, and I whispered, "Don't worry, Xan.

I'll be right there.

Nothing to be afraid of.

It's going to go perfectly.

If Cole has anything less than effusive praise to give to you, I'll be truly surprised."

I couldn't stop myself from darting forward and grazing my teeth over the shell of his ear, then, just barely.

Enough that I felt him shiver in my arms before I pulled away, and I winked down at him when he looked up at me, his eyes a little glazed.

"Sound good?"

He licked his lips, and then nodded, letting out a shaky sigh.

"Yeah, okay.

Sounds good."

I nodded, and then - with no small amount of reluctance - released him, and moved back into my spot.

We were still close, just not pressed side to side, and I immediately missed having him pressed up against me.

I reached out and snagged a nacho, for lack of anything better to do with my hands, and when I looked to my other side, Brandon and Nate were both watching me with knowing smirks painted on their faces.

I was struck by the childish urge to stick my tongue out at both of them - the smug assholes - but instead I reached up and scratched my face with my middle finger, making sure they both saw it before I dropped my hand again.

Brandon snorted, and he shook his head, and the conversation flowed better after that.

My stomach settled a little with the arrival of the email, and I found myself looking forward to the Monday morning meeting more than I'd looked forward to anything in...well, forever.