How to Train Your Dom in Five Easy Steps Page 8

  Eddie strolled into the Globetrotter garden, on the lookout for Jeff’s dark head. Ah, there he was, halfway through a pint and scowling at the sunset. Or at least, it might have been a scowl. He could have just been squinting against the light. What Eddie had first mistaken for general all-round surliness, he was now inclined to think was just a quirk of genetics. Jeff was simply cursed with one of those serious faces, and unless he was actively smiling, he tended to look like he was in a bad mood. Combined with his muscular breadth and shorn head, he probably scared most people away.

  Maybe that was why Jeff had such a hard time finding a sub. Lucky for him Eddie found the whole mean-and-thuggish look a right turn-on. Even better if he knew it was just a veneer. After all, it wasn’t easy to trust someone who genuinely was a violent psychopath.

  Eddie put his latte down on the table. “You know if the wind changes, you’ll be stuck with that frown forever.”

  Jeff stared at him. “It’s not windy.”

  “Never mind. Just something my stepmum used to say whenever I pulled a silly face at her.” Eddie straddled the bench of the picnic table so he was facing the sunset too. The Mendip hills rolled away before them, crisscrossed by hedgerows and dotted with church spires and farmhouses. “It’s no wonder this place is popular with a view like this.”

  Jeff just grunted in response.

  “What, you don’t think it’s beautiful?”

  “I like the view from my garden better. Too many quarries in this view.”

  “Where?” Eddie followed Jeff’s finger as he pointed out the quarries. Now he was aware of them, he could see the scars to the landscape, like limestone cliffs. “I always thought those were natural cliffs.”

  “Nope. All blasted out of the hillsides.”

  “So you object to them? Funny, I didn’t have you down as an environmentalist.”

  Jeff rubbed the back of his neck and looked down at the tabletop. “Yeah, well, I just don’t think they need to have so many of them around here. All those lorries are well noisy. And you get rock dust coating all the trees in the woods nearby. And, you know, it’s bad for the wildlife and shit. Destroying their habitats.”

  Eddie gazed on Jeff with a newfound respect. “I had no idea you’d care about all that.”

  “Yeah, well, you haven’t grown up round these parts.”

  “What makes you say that?”

  “You don’t talk like a local.”

  “That’s because my family don’t talk like locals. I grew up in Bradford on Avon.”

  “Right. So you’re not local. That’s in bloody Wiltshire.”

  “You got a problem with people from Wiltshire now, have you?” Eddie teased. “You know it’s right on the border with Somerset. I drank scrumpy as a teenager too.”

  “So what you drinking posh coffee for now, then?”

  Eddie took a sip of the beverage in question and smacked his lips ecstatically. “Mmm, well, not only does it taste heavenly, but since I’m driving and really want to keep a clear head for our little chat, I thought it was for the best.”

  “No one drinks coffee in a pub,” Jeff insisted.

  “And yet here I am, doing just that.” Eddie took another slow and sensual sip just to annoy Jeff.

  “Makes you look soft.”

  “And that should bother me why, exactly?”

  Jeff didn’t seem to have an answer to that, and while he could think of a thousand and one things to chat about, Eddie let the silence stretch out. He wasn’t going to drag Jeff into this conversation kicking and screaming. Let him decide for himself when he was ready to talk. Grumpy-bear types preferred to feel they were in charge of things, and Eddie was a patient man.

  Most of the time, anyway. He did have an almost irresistible urge to wind his legs around Jeff’s under the table, but since he wanted to keep his original set of teeth, he decided he’d best not. It was a shame, though, as he’d bet anything that deep down, Jeff was a snuggler, even if he didn’t like to admit it.

  Eventually, Eddie’s patience paid off, and Jeff cleared his throat. “Listen, I’ve been thinking…” Jeff looked at Eddie as if for a prompt, but Eddie just nodded encouragingly. Jeff didn’t seem to blush when he was embarrassed, but he was scratching his neck like he had fleas or something. When he did speak, it was directly into his empty pint glass. “It went all right last week, and I was thinking maybe we should set something like that up regularly. Let me practice something different each time. You seem to know what you’re talking about, and I reckon I could probably learn something off you. I just don’t want to cock this all up again next time I’m with a woman.”

  “So what exactly do you want to learn from me?”

  Jeff shrugged awkwardly. “You know, the usual. Bondage and all that. Nothing gay, though. Just whatever kind of stuff you think women are into.”

  “What if I said a lot of female submissives are into anal play?”

  Jeff’s eyes widened. “They are?”

  “Yep.”

  “Why?”

  “Probably the same reason a lot of vanilla women enjoy it. It feels good. And then there’s that added frisson of wrongness for the pervs.”

  “How come you know so much about what women like?”

  “I could ask how come you know so little.” Jeff frowned, and Eddie relented. “I’ve always had close female friends. And then Maddy and I have been friends since college, so I know plenty about what female subs are into.”

  “You really talk about that kind of thing?”

  “Yep. Not all the time, because that would be boring, but sometimes I go round for the evening, and we drink wine and stay up scoffing chocolate and chatting about all kinds of rubbish. I kip on her sofa quite often.”

  “That sounds suspiciously like a girly sleepover.”

  “Are you seriously telling me you and your ex never used to sit up with a bottle of wine and chat?”

  Now Jeff looked so awkward Eddie wanted to take his words back. “Sarah didn’t drink. And she was always out doing things. Sports and aerobics and shit like that. Nights we were in together, we’d just crash in front of the telly.”

  “Oh.” She sounded like a riot, but Eddie bit back the sarcastic comment. Who knew what sort of feelings Jeff was still harbouring for his ex? “And what did you do on the nights when she was out?”

  “Sometimes telly. Sometimes watching a game of footie down the pub. Sometimes pottering about in the garden.” Something about the way Jeff’s voice softened at the end made Eddie suspect that the gardening had been his preferred occupation.

  “I’m going to have to see this famous garden of yours next time. It must be amazing.”

  Jeff shot him a wary glance. “It’s not finished yet.”

  “I’m not bothered about that.”

  “Maybe. If it’s a nice evening.”

  “It’s a nice evening tonight.”

  That got Jeff’s attention. “You want to come back tonight?”

  “Why not? Like you said, there’s plenty to be practising. I thought of a five-step plan. You worked on corporal punishment last week, so what about some sensory play this time?” Jeff looked confused, so he clarified. “Stuff like wax and ice, electricity and so on.”

  “I don’t think I’ve got any of that sort of thing.”

  “Doesn’t matter. Lucky for you, I came prepared. I’ve got a suitcase of kink in the back of my car.”

  Jeff’s head snapped up. “You have a suitcase of kink too?”

  “Yeah. It’s not so strange. Lots of subs collect their own toys too.”

  “Oh.” Jeff was staring at Eddie with something like wonder, which was kind of weird, but who knew what was going through that head of his? Still, wonder was something Eddie could work with. “Once we’ve tackled sensory play, if I feel like I can trust you enough, then we’ll do rest
raint the week after.”

  Jeff’s pupils flared with interest. “You’ll let me tie you up? With rope?”

  “No promises, but yeah, that’d be fun. Maybe just some cuffs first, though.”

  Jeff looked crestfallen. “Oh. Okay.”

  “Are you really into trying out shibari, then?”

  “Shi-what, now?”

  “Shibari. Decorative rope bondage. It’s an ancient Japanese art.”

  Jeff pulled a face. “Dunno nothing about that. I just want to tie you to my bedposts.”

  Now that was something Eddie could get behind. “Ooh, face up or down?”

  “Down.” Jeff sounded pretty damn certain about that.

  “And when you’ve got me facedown in four-point restraints, what will you do to me?” Yeah, Eddie was flirting, but hey, this was a conversation about sex, so it was allowed, wasn’t it? “Come on, Sir. Let me know what fantasies you’ve got going through that shaven head of yours.”

  Jeff was scratching the back of his neck so fiercely it was a marvel he didn’t draw blood. “Just wanted to beat you some more. Didn’t get a chance to use the cane yet.”

  “And when you’ve covered my arse in red welts, what then?” Could Eddie get him to admit to it? He continued in a low voice. “I’d be completely at your mercy. I wouldn’t be able to stop you if you wanted to ream my arse. You could fuck me like that, facedown and helpless. You could do it hard and deep, and while you’re doing it, you could look down at the welts you made all over my arse. And then you could pull out and come all over them. Yeah, you’d like that, wouldn’t you? I thought as much.”

  Jeff shifted uncomfortably on his seat and cast a nervous look around the garden. “So what if I do?”

  “Then great. I’d love that too.” Of course, Eddie would enjoy it even more if the shagging was interspersed with kisses, and if he’d been fitted with a cock ring first, but he wasn’t going to add those little details of his fantasy in because he was fairly sure they didn’t feature in the “I’m not gay, honest” version that Jeff had playing out in his head. But he did now risk a minor footsie manoeuvre, running the tip of his shoe up the inside of Jeff’s left shin.

  Jeff jerked and looked around wildly. “Watch it. We’re in public,” he hissed.

  Eddie deliberately did not look around. “The garden’s nearly empty and you know it.” It was a lovely evening but too chilly for sitting out for long. The tables nearest the back door were filled with the terminal nicotine addicts and their hangers-on, but the rest of the garden was all theirs. But it was getting chilly…

  Eddie drank down the last of his coffee. “So how about we head back to yours, then?”

  “Yeah. Okay. Good idea.”

  But when Eddie stood, Jeff remained sitting, scratching his neck again. He was going to rub it raw if he wasn’t careful. “Not having second thoughts, are you?” Eddie said lightly. “I meant what I said before. This is like taking a step outside your normal life, and no one ever has to know anything about it. It doesn’t make you any less heterosexual, and you don’t even have to think about me outside of the time we’re together.”

  “That’s easy for you to say,” Jeff muttered. “You’ve bloody well wormed yourself into my head, though, haven’t you? What if you start wanting a relationship with me and go getting all obsessed?”

  “Trust me, darling, I don’t do relationships. Nothing serious, ever.” It was a lie, but Eddie did his best to channel Maddy so he could put Jeff at ease. “I’m too happy being a free agent. Come on. No need to worry about me.”

  “Yeah, okay. Just, erm,”—scratch, scratch, scratch— “could it wait a minute or two. I can’t really stand up right now.” Jeff finally met Eddie’s eyes. “That fantasy of yours got me a bit overexcited.”

  “Ohhh.” Eddie couldn’t suppress the grin as he leaned forward to peer down into Jeff’s lap. His shorts were tented proudly. “I see your predicament.”

  “How come you’re not hard?” Jeff complained. “You’re the one who’s actually gay, after all. Doesn’t seem fair.”

  “Maybe I’ve just got excellent self-control.”

  Jeff glared at him.

  Time for honesty, perhaps. “Oh, okay. I did get a semi-on while I was outlining that little fantasy, but since I know you’re not going to be kissing me and subjecting me to genital torture, it’s not as much of a turn-on as it could be.”

  “Do gay Doms do that, then?”

  “Genital torture is usually pretty high on their list of favourite pastimes.”

  Jeff went pale under his tan. “I meant the kissing.”

  Interesting. “Not all of them do, but I’ve always liked it best when there’s snogging. Even your most degraded piss pig enjoys a kiss now and again. Submissives do want to feel cherished, even while they’re being hurt and insulted. It’s kind of what makes it fun rather than being an ordeal. Otherwise, it’s only a step away from sexual assault.”

  “Huh.” Jeff appeared to be mulling that one over. “What’s a piss pig?” he eventually asked.

  “Subs who are into extreme humiliation, usually involving watersports and drinking piss. It’s a gay thing. I mean, I know women can enjoy that too, but the whole gay scene tends to be more extreme. Straight fetish clubs are incredibly tame in comparison.”

  Jeff had gone almost green now. “That’s taken care of it,” he said, rising from the bench.

  Eddie checked him out. While Jeff’s dick was still prominent, he had a feeling that was just the natural state of affairs for a man as large as him. Yet again, he had to wonder why the female subs weren’t going for him. Okay, his manners were pretty shocking at times, but once he’d got the hang of when to finesse and when to go for brute insults, he should be able to carry home any sub he wanted. The man had a fine body, so long as you liked them hairy.

  Shame about the awful clothes. A faded old promotional John Deere T-shirt, baseball cap and badly hacked-off stonewashed jeans really wasn’t Eddie’s fantasy-Top outfit.

  “You got any leather jeans?” he asked. “You’d look super hot in them.”

  Jeff rolled his eyes. “I don’t go for all that goth stuff.”

  “Leather isn’t goth. It’s sexy. Tactile. Smells good. Trust me, nearly all subs love a man in leather. And if the goth thing’s worrying you, you don’t even have to get them in black. You could go for brown, if you wanted. Or maybe a nice pair of suede chaps over jeans…” Eddie trailed off, imagining just how hot a shirtless Jeff in chaps could be. Forget about the bloody jeans.

  “I don’t want to look like one of them gay cowboys.”

  “But you’ve got the tan and the body to carry it off. Just a thought, anyway.”

  “You should be thinking less about that and more about what I’m going to be doing to you when I get you back home.”

  Ooh, that was more like it. Confident Jeff back again. “I can’t think about that too hard, or I won’t be able to drive. And you don’t even know exactly what I’ve got in my suitcase, do you, Sir?” Eddie winked and turned to leave.

  Jeff growled, and Eddie smiled to himself. Teasing Tops was way too much fun to ever stop.

  Jeff climbed up into his truck and took a moment to sort his head out before starting the engine. Fucking hell! Eddie was a bloody tease, there was no two ways about it. Jeff was out of his depth with this one. He could admit it to himself, but he was buggered if he was about to let on in front of the bloke. Eddie would probably just wink and wiggle his arse and do something annoyingly sexy, like that way he made his voice all purry and low. Or the way he batted his eyelashes. Sodding hell, why had Jeff ever taken him for a just a normal bloke? Normal straight blokes didn’t flirt like that, did they? No, they went for the caveman approach and just told birds what they wanted to do to them.

  Eddie was flirting like a girl.

  Except he wasn’t. Not re
ally. There was none of that crazy hidden agenda Jeff kept tripping over when women were involved. And Eddie didn’t get all emotional and burst into tears for no reason when Jeff spoke his mind.

  Eddie was much easier to understand than any woman Jeff had ever met. What did that say about him, that he understood gay blokes better than he understood chicks? He’d lived with Sarah for almost fourteen years, and she’d still been a bloody mystery to him at the end.

  Maybe straight blokes and gay blokes had more in common than Jeff had realised. And Eddie did have an amazing car. Which, right now, was waiting for him at the exit to the car park. Shit. He should get his arse in gear.

  Jeff started up the engine, not sure whether to curse the day Eddie entered his life or to celebrate it. He’d never been this bloody confused and turned on all at once. Things in Jeff’s world were meant to be simple. Straightforward. No messing.

  And yet here he was, leaping dick-first into a situation that bloody well terrified him.

  Fuck it. Sitting around chewing on it wasn’t going to make things any easier to understand. Jeff needed to work Eddie out of his system with a few more sessions together. It was the only way to do it. Familiarity breeding contempt and all that.

  His mind made up, Jeff flicked his headlights on, revved the engine and peeled out of his parking space. Let the good times roll.

  Chapter Nine

  This time Jeff followed Eddie back to Hook St. Norton, growing increasingly envious of the power behind the Jag’s engine. Eddie was sprinting ahead while Old Maud was huffing and puffing behind her, like the unfit kid who came in last on school sports day. If only Jeff could afford to run two vehicles, but he didn’t have the funds, and there was no way he could manage with just a car when he had to lug tools and materials around. It was a pain in the backside, though.

  Would Eddie let him have a go driving her? Maybe if Jeff treated him nicely enough. Eddie had liked the rough stuff, but he’d also said something about liking kissing, hadn’t he? Could Jeff bring himself to kiss another bloke? Like full-on snogging, with tongues?

  Nah, that’d be well gay. He’d have to think of something else that didn’t involve exchanging bodily fluids.