Page 2 of The Boss (Roosters #7)

Aaron

Eleven p.m. and I was still bouncing like a ball of energy.

I should have been exhausted after working all day, but instead, I was pumped because my destination was The Playhouse.

Knowing I was about to indulge a few kinks at a private BDSM club had my adrenaline going and my stomach clenching.

It was a weird mix of excitement and fear, like the feeling I got before boarding a roller coaster.

Membership at The Playhouse wasn’t cheap.

I wouldn’t be able to afford it, but I got lucky.

Someone sent me a free pass and I was going to use it tonight.

When I first saw it in the mail, I tossed it in the trash.

Past experience left me reluctant to get involved in BDSM again.

I saw red flags and intuition told me I was being set up by an angry ex.

I’d met him online shortly after I arrived in New York.

He’d seemed like a good match, but what did I know?

I was na?ve and oblivious to what was going on.

The Dom I’d connected with, Martin Hughes, had turned out to be a sadist who believed all subs were masochists.

I had tried to measure up to Martin’s standards, and I still bore the scars today.

Thanks to him, I didn’t trust easily, not even myself.

How did I know I wouldn’t make the wrong choice again?

But I had an itch to scratch so I retrieved the pass and called the number.

The owner, Brett Holiday, answered on the first ring.

He was very professional and asked me a lot of questions.

I was still hesitant, but he assured me I would be matched with an experienced Dom.

Playing the dating game was tough and it was even harder to find a compatible man who was into kinky shit, like me.

I was bored and lonely so I set up a date.

Tonight was the night, and despite being worried I was determined to go ahead with the plan. I called an Uber and went outside to wait. The driver arrived promptly and ten minutes later he pulled up to at a dark intersection. “Are you sure this is the right place?”

My throat constricted. “This is it.”

I gave him a good tip, waited for him to drive off, and then ducked into a dark alley.

The door was gray and unremarkable except for the gold numerals, 56.

I pressed the buzzer and a bouncer, dressed in black, checked my pass and directed me to Mr. Holiday’s office.

The directions took me through the bar. Trendy and modern, it appeared to be a place to check out the players and talk.

I kept walking to Holiday’s door, which opened at my knock.

The man who stood there was nearly as handsome as Maxwell, only for some reason he didn’t make my knees go weak in the same way. “Hello, I’m Brett Holiday.”

I put out a hand. “I’m Aaron Marshall.”

His handshake was firm and brief. Brett ushered me into his office and offered me a seat.

We made small talk for a few minutes and then he got down to business.

“When we spoke, you told me you were new to the scene, so I set you up with an experienced Dom. He’ll discuss your boundaries and safe words with you. Is that agreeable?”

My anticipation warred with my nerves. “Yes.”

“Good. Let’s get started.”

I followed Brett to a private room and he left me alone with my thoughts. My gaze bounced from the bondage bed to the spanking bench to the items hanging on the wall. Whips, floggers, paddles… My blood heated with eager anticipation.

* * *

Maxwell

I entered the club through a back door and went directly to the office. Brett whistled appreciatively at my outfit, black leather pants, black boots, and a white shirt. “I haven’t seen you dressed like that in a while.”

“It feels good.”

“Looks good, too.” Brett grinned. “Your boy will love it.”

“I’m not looking for a boy.”

“You forget who you’re talking to. I know you better than you know yourself.”

“Whatever.” I shrugged. “It might be over before it begins. I expect he’ll do a runner when he finds out who his play date is.”

“He’ll come around. He’s skittish, but he wants this. And from what you told me, he wants you.”

“Maybe I’m reading too much into it.”

Brett frowned. “Nobody can read people like you. That’s why you’re such a great lawyer. Anyway, you won’t know unless you make a move.”

Brett was right. He usually was. I’d thought about this long and hard before asking Brett to intervene and send Aaron a pass to the club.

It was the best way to arrange a personal meeting.

If I was wrong and Aaron was not into the scene, it would avoid the embarrassment of a face-to-face overture.

Aaron could ignore the invitation and life would go on.

But I was right, and here we were. It was still an awkward situation, considering our work relationship, but I was counting on it being worth the challenge. Still, I hesitated.

“Well, go on then, Max. Make it happen.”

“Wish me luck.”

He winked and pointed at the door. “Break a leg.”

“Let’s hope not.”

I walked over to Room Three, stood at the closed door, and took a few deep breaths.

Whenever I entered a dungeon, I left my identity behind.

Tonight was a little different. Aaron knew exactly who I was and I was hoping that wouldn’t get in the way.

This could be a terrible mistake, but I had to take the chance.

Seeing Aaron every day didn’t leave me much choice.

The way he looked at me with his hungry eyes made me nuts. I had to have him.

Stop stalling.

I took another breath and when I crossed the threshold, I was no longer Maxwell Barnes, Esquire. I was Master.

Aaron had his back to me, studying the handcuffs and chains hanging on the wall.

“See anything you like?”

Aaron turned and his shocked expression said it all. He kept opening and shutting his mouth like a fish out of water. I smiled inside. A fish about to be hooked .

“What is this? Some kind of joke? A test?”

“No. It is what it is. A play date.”

“Nice. So, you hired me to be the boss’s plaything. Fuck you.” Aaron crossed the room, passed me, and headed for the door.

“Wait.”

Even in his angry state, Aaron couldn’t help obeying. He froze in mid-stride.

“Look at me. Please.” I waited for him to turn around. I saw need in his eyes, and it was a potent aphrodisiac. It was what I’d been missing. I needed to be needed. Fulfillment was in my grasp, and I was determined not to fuck it up. “Just hear me out.”

“Are you going to fire me if I don’t?”

“This has nothing to do with your job. Whether you leave or you stay, business goes on as usual in the office.” I sat in one of the two leather chairs in the room and motioned him to the other.

“I’m not staying,” he said stiffly.

“You had a reason for coming here. If you really wanted to leave, you’d be gone already. Have a seat. Please.”

I breathed a sigh of relief when Aaron finally sat, and I chose my words carefully.

“I want to explain why I arranged this meeting, and why I had to use deception to get you here. First, I wasn’t sure you were in the scene and I wanted to spare us both the embarrassment if you weren’t.

Second, I wasn’t sure you’d come if you knew you were meeting me.

You’re a private person. So am I. As a rule, I keep my personal life separate from work. ”

“So why break the rules now?”

I wanted Aaron badly. In order to gain his trust, I had to be brutally honest. “Because I think you need me.” I put up a hand to stop his protest. “And I need you.”

“I needed a job. That doesn’t give you any rights to the rest of my life.”

“I think you need more than a job. I think you have a need to give up control. I have needs, too. You see me as Maxwell Barnes, Esquire, but there’s another title I hold dear. Master. It’s been a long time since I trained a sub. I miss it.”

Aaron swallowed hard and squared his shoulders. “Why me?”

I shrugged. “A feeling of rapport, compatibility, chemistry. I think you feel it, too.”

“Maybe I do, but you’re my boss, and off limits. I didn’t even know you were gay.”

I smiled. I was willing to confide more if it would keep him here. “I always knew I was gay. I can’t say the same about being a Dom.”

Aaron’s interest was piqued, just as I knew it would be. “When did you know?”

“It was a process. I met Brett freshmen year in college and we started fooling around, but it wasn’t working. We were better friends than lovers. I moved on with a man I met in a club. There was something different about our dynamic.”

I paused suddenly remembering something.

“There was a time, I lent him my favorite sweater and he ruined it at a frat party. I was angry, but half-fooling around when I told him he deserved to be punished. He didn’t laugh, protest, or get angry.

He lowered his eyes and said, ‘You’re right, Sir.

I deserve to be spanked.’ It was so fucking hot.

I whupped his ass and we spent the night in bed.

That’s when I knew who I was meant to be. ”

Aaron hung on every word. “Did you stay with him?”

“Until we outgrew each other. Eventually, I compared notes with Brett and we realized how alike we were. That’s why it never worked for us. We started going to BDSM workshops. Eventually we found The Playhouse and the previous owner mentored us. When he retired, we bought him out.”

“You own this club?”

“Yes. Half of it, anyway. I have my hands full with the law practice. Brett runs the club. Occasionally, I do a scene with a sub. So, what do you say, Aaron? Do you want to play a scene with me?”