Finley
Oh, I wish he’d have worn clothes for this.
Would that have been too much to ask?
“Finley…” The teasing, singsong way he drew out my name had me blushing. “You’re not paying attention to me. Naughty, naughty boy.”
Shit.
Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath and told myself he would behave if I stopped reacting. “Sorry. It’s been a long week.”
Conner’s giggle said that hadn’t been as believable as I’d hoped.
Aiming for mature and not too distracted, I opened my eyes and did my best to make immediate eye contact with the half-naked troublemaker.
Shoot.
He was already stroking his chest.
Had he gotten harder?
This was never going to work.
Looking over his shoulder toward the rest of the club, I sighed when he giggled again. I’d known he was up to something when he’d moved his chair to make sure no one else could see him talking to me. I’d hoped it was just to make sure we wouldn’t have any distractions.
I should’ve known better.
Conner was a living, breathing distraction, and unfortunately, he knew that was one of my favorite things about him.
“Finley. Finley. Finley.” He made a tsking sound that started to make me hard. Something about the idea that he was disappointed in me for not giving him enough attention just made my dick sit up and beg.
Conner knew it too.
His grin was under control, but his eyes were sparkling with mischief.
And his hand was on his cock.
Well, it was resting on it and he was still wearing his favorite tight black shorts.
So he was kind of clothed?
“I’m sorry? Did you say something?” Lord, I should’ve had a drink before I tried to talk to him. I was a super distracted drunk and that was the only way I wouldn’t notice what he was doing.
His grin said he was thoroughly enjoying my insanity. “You’re the cutest sub. So why are we sitting here instead of you going around and flirting with the single Doms?”
Yes, that was a good reminder about why I’d wanted to talk to him.
“Well, I tried.” I’d been trying on and off for nearly six months, and so far, the only person to do naughty things with me was Conner…and he just did things in front of me, so it wasn’t the same thing. “It didn’t work out as planned.”
A new strategy was definitely in order because the current plan of just talking to people hadn’t worked.
Conner sighed, finally moving his hand away from his erection to rest on the arm of the chair. “Really? What happened?”
It was never a good sign when he stopped groping himself in front of me.
Shrugging, I tried to figure out where to start. “Um, I’m not sure. One Dom I tried to talk to kept insisting that I was so innocent looking it probably meant I was a little. Another tried to explain why puppy play would be wonderful for me. One tried to fix me up with his grandson?”
I’d honestly had high hopes for the last guy.
He was sexy and older and he’d been teaching a demo on using a whip. But no…I was too cute somehow.
Conner winced, letting out a breath as he sagged deeper into the chair. “Yeah, the innocent thing is throwing them.”
Shrugging seemed to be my best response still. I couldn’t help that I didn’t look jaded and angry. I was a happy, if not slightly horny sub, who wanted to be degraded by a Dom.
Was that so much to ask?
“What about Sam? He seemed into you?” Conner’s question was so genuine I realized he hadn’t stayed to see the end of that fiasco.
“Well, he was for a few minutes?” That just hadn’t gone well at all. “He seemed to accept I knew what I wanted, so that was good.”
It was better than a lot of the other people I’d met over the last few months. It just hadn’t stayed that way. “But he started barking out orders and something about his tone made me freeze and then it all just went downhill from there.” Like one big ball of shit.
I really didn’t do well with growly Doms who seemed angry.
Why did some subs think that was sexy?
If I wanted an older guy to sound disappointed in me, I’d go home more at Christmas.
“Oh, yikes.” Conner looked genuinely apologetic. “I didn’t think to mention that to him. He’s usually laid-back with the littles and pups.”
I’d seen that too.
“I think my list made it seem like I wanted something rougher than I really do?” There’d been some kind of miscommunication, but I still wasn’t sure where it’d gone wrong.
I’d talked to him.
I hadn’t tripped over anything.
I hadn’t accidentally insulted him.
It’d been going well up until that point, and then it’d turned into a clusterfuck.
“So…yeah…now I don’t know what to do.” I hadn’t wanted him to fix me up like some kind of matchmaker, but I was starting to think I needed a matchmaker.
I was a full grown-up.
I was thirty-three for fuck’s sake.
I had a real job.
I just…I just always met the wrong people.
The closest times I’d come to having a great sexual experience at the club was when Conner flirted with me. He liked having an audience and I liked watching, so it worked out great except for the whole he was taken and a sub thing.
His Dom was really nice too.
That somehow made it even worse.
“Okay.” Conner nodded slipping into a more serious headspace even though he was nearly naked and in platform heels that would’ve killed me. “We’re going to find you the right person and you’re not going to question me this time.”
He didn’t wait for me to say anything. Charging right back in, he just gave me a look that said I was going to obey him.
Had I mentioned how hot he was?
Why weren’t submissive-dominants a thing? Or would it be dominant-submissives? They would be sexy but not scary and probably wouldn’t trigger my anxiety. Hmm, maybe they’d be classified as some kind of service sub because they’d be doing it just to make someone else happy?
“I’m going to list off what you’ve talked about wanting and you’re going to tell me if I have anything wrong. Is that clear?” His glare had my dick getting hard, but he knew that too and just looked firmer. “Finley?”
“Yes. It’s clear.” At some point I was going to have to figure out if I was supposed to apologize to Ben for getting turned on by his sub.
“Good boy.” That didn’t help my situation, but luckily, Conner kept going without looking down at my lap. “You want a Daddy feel without them actually being a Daddy. No gruff angry Doms or ones who are too blank when they find their Dom headspace.”
When he paused, I realized it’d been some sort of question and nodded. It didn’t sound like that should be an unreasonable goal to have for a Dom, but most of the currently single Doms were a bit rough around the edges for me. They made other subs weak in the knees but they gave me ulcers.
“You want to explore exhibitionism and voyeurism. You also enjoy humiliation as long as it’s on the sweeter end.” Somehow when he said that it always sounded perfectly reasonable.
Conner was amazing.
“Yes.” But no matter how businesslike his tone was, I blushed again.
“Alright, I have a few questions.” Charging right back in, he barely took a breath and didn’t think about asking if I wanted to say anything. He didn’t seem to think this needed my input except when he was asking very specific questions. “The Doms you’ve talked to have all been older. Is that what you’re looking for?”
Hmm.
Thinking about it, I gave a confused shrug. “I don’t know.”
Maybe he was right to just charge right over me.
Okay. Age. That wasn’t something I noticed in a does it turn me on kind of way. “Um, I thought older guys might have more self-control and not growl at me?”
That hadn’t turned out like I’d expected, though.
Conner rolled his eyes, making his feelings perfectly clear. “Do you get turned on by older guys or do you just not notice age?”
“That one.” Yes. “I don’t notice it.”
Sitting straighter, Conner nodded like we were making progress. “Good boy. What do you notice in a does it get you hard way?”
Ugh.
“Um, I notice when they’re touching their subs and petting them to keep them turned on. I notice when they’re calling them naughty sluts and spanking them where they shouldn’t be.” I hadn’t used his name, but Conner giggled, recognizing that moment from his own life. “I notice when they look proud of their subs when they make them come.”
Hmm, what else?
“Finley?” Conner’s sigh and the slight frustration in his voice made me squirm. “Do you notice anything specific about men’s bodies or personalities that turn you on? Do you get hard over tall men or short men or dark-haired ones or funny guys? Don’t make me ask you if you’re actually gay.”
Why would any of that be useful in picking out a partner?
“No? But I really am gay. Penises are very pretty.” When he glared at me, I ignored the way he made my dick even harder and I tried to fix whatever I’d done to frustrate him. “Um, personalities and just not being mean to me, in general, are more attractive?”
That made sense, right?
I’d figured out early in my twenties that lusting over someone in real life just because of how they looked was stupid. It was okay if I thought Superman was hot—what was his real name?—but that wouldn’t help me pick out a Dom.
Conner let out a deep breath. “Alright, we’re going to focus on personalities as the most important part of the discussion.”
That sounded much easier.
“Thank you.” I debated telling him I liked his personality, but encouraging his nonsense didn’t seem like a good idea. He made it difficult to think, and I wasn’t sure his temperament could be accurately uploaded into a Dom without it going all cockeyed.
“In an ideal world, you’re looking for a long-term partner, not just something casual, correct?” I must’ve looked startled or just confused because he kept going without waiting for me to respond. “I have someone in mind, but he’s made it clear he doesn’t want a casual play partner for here at the club. He’s looking for serious if he clicks with someone.”
“Oh.” Well, no one ever wanted to keep me, so I didn’t see the harm in playing pretend for the moment. “Sure, in an ideal world I would like a long-term Dom.”
It wasn’t a lie, but I wasn’t expecting miracles from Conner…maybe just a Dom who’d explore a few scenes with me before my ability to blurt out random thoughts or freeze up annoyed him too much?
“He’s also younger than you.” Conner paused like he’d dropped a bomb.
Was I supposed to act shocked?
“Okay.” Older hadn’t worked out like I’d thought, so maybe younger meant he wouldn’t have learned to be mean yet? Was that a learned behavior or something just biological in some Doms?
Conner shook his head but didn’t tell me what I’d done as he kept quizzing me. “Do you have any feelings or worries about a younger Dom?”
Oh, um…
“I’d like to have something in common with him? I’d like him to have his life together? I mean, he has to be a real adult.” Was that rude? “Unless that’s mean?”
Was it unreasonable?
The way Conner rolled his eyes said it was probably something…I just couldn’t decide which.
“Finley, I’m starting to see why you’ve been having such a hard time finding a Dom.” His firm glare didn’t explain what he was thinking, but it was distracting enough that I wasn’t sure it mattered. “I’m going to introduce you to a Dom who likes exploring things like exhibitionism and voyeurism, and he’d love to call you his little slut.”
Really?
There had to be a catch.
“Thank you.” I was waiting for the other shoe to drop, but that just had Conner shaking his head at me again.
“Let’s go talk to Master Jared and see what he’s up to.” Conner looked like he was starting to stand, but I was drawing a mental blank.
“Who?” I hadn’t been coming as much lately but had he introduced me to a Master Jared?
Conner barely managed not to roll his eyes again. “Dark hair. Tall. Six-pack. Sexy but his default expression always looks like he’s worried.”
Oh.
“Isn’t he a Daddy?” Hadn’t someone said he might be a sub? “Or a Handler? He always hangs around with the pups and the littles.”
Right?
Conner huffed, flopping back in his chair. “God, first it was ‘isn’t he straight?’ then it was ‘isn’t he a sub?’ then it was ‘isn’t he a Daddy?’”
All I could do was nod because I was pretty sure I’d heard all of those comments.
“Um, I haven’t been introduced to him yet?” I shrugged, trying not to make the situation worse. “When I hang out with the pups and littles, the other Doms get the wrong idea and they start avoiding me.”
It seemed to make them think I had no idea what I wanted out of a Dominant.
Conner cringed. “That sucks. The littles are low-stress to hang out with and the pups are fun. That doesn’t mean you want a binkie or a tail. People need to stop assuming shit.”
Agreed.
Like looking innocent actually meant being innocent.
I was hoping that would change at some point, but I wasn’t holding my breath. I took after my mother and she looked amazing for her age…and still looked very innocent. It was cute in a woman but frustrating for a man…and it didn’t help anyone in my family take me seriously at all.
“I would have to agree, but there’s nothing I can do about that.” Shrugging, I looked around the room, hoping to see Master Jared, but he wasn’t in the lounge. “What kind of sub does Master Jared like?”
Did he know what he liked?
How long had he been in the lifestyle?
Would he treat me like I was as innocent as I looked?
Part of me was hoping that he wouldn’t make as many assumptions as the other Doms did because of how others were treating him. But life never went that smoothly so I knew not to hold my breath over it.
Conner paused and cocked his head, thinking about the question. “He’s talked about not wanting a sub that requires a lot of structure all the time. He wants a kinky life partner, not a sub who needs him to be in control twenty-four seven. He’d like that you have your life together.”
That sounded hopeful.
I didn’t want to be hovered over all the time and actually managed, but what would he think about calling me names sweetly and spanking me on a regular basis? Did he have a problem with taking charge sometimes just to help me relax?
“What’s his worst trait?” We were going to go right for the main problem…whatever was keeping him from already being taken.
Conner barked out a laugh. “He’s a nice guy overall and nothing troubling in his background check or I wouldn’t have suggested him. He’s just too young for a lot of the subs and the weird rumors haven’t helped. I think some of the subs who’d fit in great with him are too worried to let him know they’re interested. No one wants an awkward rejection.”
Good point.
“I don’t think I mind younger.” I’d already told him what I thought about that, so I didn’t harp. “I’m more worried about making sure we’re compatible in other ways.”
Like if he’d call me his dirty slut and if he’d humiliate me right as we watched other people at the club.
Conner’s grin was wicked as he rose gracefully. “Then let’s go find out. Worst-case scenario, I’ll make you watch Ben spank me and he’ll tell you what a naughty boy you are for peeping at us.”
Aww…I might not have a Dom but I did have a very good friend. “Thank you, Conner.”
So maybe the night wouldn’t end up being a complete disaster?
Synopsis:
Finley has a problem. Somehow the Doms at Bound & Controlled have gotten the idea he’s as innocent as he seems. Unfortunately, nothing could be further from the truth and he’s getting frustrated, so frustrated, he’s decided to do something truly frightening…ask Conner to play matchmaker. It’s one of the signs of the apocalypse, but what’s a desperate sub to do?
Jared has a problem. Somehow the subs at Bound & Controlled have decided he’s vanilla…and straight. He isn’t sure how the rumors started and he’s not sure how to fix it either. The only things he’s sure of are that he’s tired of the curious stares he’s getting as one of the youngest Doms at the club and he’s very skeptical of Conner’s sudden interest in matchmaking.
When wickedly creative meets innocently naughty, fantasies spark and romance can’t be far behind.
Story Contains: M/m romantic content, spanking, exhibitionism, voyeurism, consensual humiliation play, restraints, and BDSM elements.
Author’s Note: This is a sweeter version of humiliation play. It is completely consensual and both main characters are enthusiastic about their desires. The heat level is higher than some of my other books, but it is very much a romance at heart. Each book in the series will be a standalone story.
