I’d read that book. I’d read it half a dozen times; it was one of my favorites.
As I sat back down in the chair, my mind was spinning. Was that the book he was clutching when I saw him in the bookstore? Was that why he was blushing so much?
If he was reading that book… that meant that there was a slightly less-small chance that he was into what I was into.
And from the way he cast his eyes downward, and his submissive nature, and not wanting to get into the way of things, and that “softness” about him…
I didn’t think he was likely to be a Dom.
Happiness and hope bloomed in my gut at the same time as I realized that maybe, just maybe, all my dreams had come true.
Then he reappeared and sat back down at the table. He looked down at his bag, then looked up at me sheepishly.
“…did it tip over?” he asked, guilt clouding his features.
“Yes,” I said truthfully. “Why, did I put it back wrong?”
His face went white and he stiffened up.
“Uh, no… I just… um, it’s nothing.”
There was a silence that stretched out between us, and I figured neither of us knew what to say. But we both knew on some level that I had seen the book.
Everything hinged on this one simple thing now: and that was if he felt comfortable telling me about it. If he didn’t, that was the end of this and I’d have to find another way to get him to talk about his desires.
Even if that took forever, I was willing to do it. I would move heaven and earth for Luke, just for the chance to have him at my side. Just for the chance to see him smile.
“…you saw it, didn’t you?” he finally said.
I bit my lip. “I saw a book… sorry, I didn’t mean to, I just slid it back into your bag…”
He stiffened up again, then said very quickly, “I— I didn’t know how long lunch was, and I wanted something to do in case you left, and I would already be here by the lake near this coffee shop and wanted something to read and—”
I put my hand on his, which quieted him down.
He looked at me with alarm, but didn’t pull away when we both undoubtedly felt the electric sizzling chemistry on the spot where our hands touched.
“It’s okay,” I said, something in my chest pulling me towards him. “That’s one of my favorite books.”
He blushed a bright red, then looked down at his plate of separated food.
I was trying to figure out if this was too much for him; if this was going to send him into another anxiety attack. But when he looked back up at me, his eyes were filled with this look that I couldn’t place at first:
Relief.
“I picked it up the other day when I saw you at the bookstore,” he admitted. “I’ve been… looking for books on this stuff. It took me forever to work up the courage to even pick it up, let alone buy it.”
He pulled his hand out from underneath mine, and all I wanted was for him to put it back.
“No one can know I like this. No one can know I’m like this.” He said, looking off at some fixed point across the lake.
“I’m like that too,” I declared, sitting up straight. My true self: My Dom self, was coming to the surface. “It’s nothing to be ashamed of.”
You’re one to talk, whispered a nasty little voice in my head, You wouldn’t even tell your family about your last sub. You wouldn’t even pretend that he was your boyfriend.
I shook my head, shaking the thought away. “Look, it’s no one’s business what you like in the bedroom except yours. Everyone else in the world can eat a dick.”
“People are nosy,” Luke uttered. “Especially… especially my mother. Honestly, part of the reason I brought this book with me today because I was afraid that she’d stop home sometime today and find it.”
My eyebrows came together. Luke looked to be a grown-ass man, sitting across from me. But, he didn’t examine the drink menu, or try to get the waiter to even bring him a Mimosa.
“How old are you, if you don’t mind me asking?” I asked.
“Twenty,” he said sheepishly.
“And… your mom still goes through your stuff?” I asked.
Something wasn’t right.
“She does. Every chance she gets. She wants to know everything about my life.”
I stilled my tongue. I had opinions about that, but this was not the time or place to share them.
I wanted Luke to feel important; independent. I wanted him to feel like he was on top of the world, but more importantly, I wanted to show him that such a thing was possible.
“I’m going to ask you something. Do you trust me?”
His blue eyes looked up to meet mine. There was no hesitation when he said “Yes. I trust you… for some reason.”
I steeled myself and asked, “Would you like to see what this world — what that world—” I gestured to his messenger bag, “—is like?”
7
Luke
I took a greedy gulp from my water glass, unable to believe that I was getting an invitation — some kind of weird invitation — into this world that I had been so excited to explore for years.
“Absolutely,” I said, not breaking Adam’s green gaze.
“Alright.” He said, a smile shifting his beard into a different shape. “Just know that at any time you can say you don’t want to be there. At any time, you can tell me that you want to go home and I will take you there,” he assured me.
Excitement was twirling around through my body. Was this really happening? Was this man with the calming, yet commanding presence really inviting me into his world?
“I’d like you to come over so you can see my collection. Is that something you might want to do?” He asked me pointedly.
“Your collection?” I asked, keeping my voice down as the waiter came by again.
“Separate or
