“I don’t know.”
They both knew that was a lie. Bryce lifted one eyebrow and tilted his head, giving Brent a look like he was being ridiculous.
“I met someone. Well, I think I did. It’s complicated.”
“I take it this isn’t the online guy?”
“God, no. This one’s real and not nuts.” Brent snorted and reached for his coffee, pushing away the lingering frustration over how that had ended. Taking a sip, he tried to figure out what to say. “I’m not sure if I read the signals right or not. I’m having a difficult time telling. Most Doms want to be the one to make the move but with this guy, I can’t tell. And now I’m at the point where I’m probably sending out mixed signals because I’m so confused.”
“So let me see if I have this right. You met someone in the lifestyle and for whatever reason when you guys noticed each other neither of you actually made a move. Now you don’t know what to do. Right?” Bryce leaned forward, resting his elbows on his desk.
“Yes.”
“When you first thought something clicked with this mysterious Dom, because don’t think I didn’t notice you didn’t give his name, you felt like there was something special but you didn’t say anything? You’re not usually that…passive.” Bryce looked confused.
He was right. Brent usually took a more aggressive role in letting a Dom know he was interested. But this was different. If it had been anyone else but Calen, Brent might have said something. Calen was like part of the family, which meant Brent had always put him in the off-limits category.
Everything changed the last time they were all at the club together.
They’d gone up as a big group and it had been a lot of fun. However, gradually people had wandered off. Garrett seemed frustrated and had gone home early. Several of their other friends had roamed away to play in the private rooms. Even Grant and Bryce had found someone to play with. Eventually, only Calen and he were left.
He’d been honest with his brothers that he wasn’t going to stay late and had told them all to go have fun. But when he was finally alone with Calen, he’d found that he hadn’t wanted to leave. There had been something pulling at him to stay. Calen hadn’t seemed to mind that it was just the two of them either so Brent hadn’t hurried to leave.
It probably should have felt awkward, but it hadn’t. Even dressed for the club, he’d always been comfortable with Calen. The fact that he’d been shirtless, barefoot, and only wearing slacks and cuffs on his wrists wasn’t important. He wouldn’t have even thought twice about it if people had left them alone.
Maybe it was because he wasn’t wearing a collar or maybe it was because Calen didn’t seem to be his Dom, but every time he turned around someone else was coming up to him. Offers from a soda at the bar to invitations to the playrooms were constant, but he didn’t want any of the other Doms. He’d wanted to hang out with Calen.
Eventually, they’d both gotten so frustrated at the interruptions that Calen had asked if Brent wanted to kneel down beside him to at least give the impression that they were together. That got Brent thinking, but he chalked it up to an overactive imagination. He knew Calen couldn’t have been hinting at anything.
When he’d gotten up from the chair and took those short steps over to the couch where Calen was sitting, something changed. It could have been the way Calen watched him, the predatory look that flashed in his eyes, but suddenly it wasn’t the same. He wasn’t only Calen, the friend and coworker...he was Calen the Dom.
By the time he’d knelt at Calen’s feet, he’d known he wasn’t going to see the man the same way again. They still talked about the same things…work, sports, movies...whatever came up. But the act of kneeling made his mind look at their interaction differently.
Was Calen looking at his chest?
Did Calen’s gaze linger on his neck too long?
Was it just the lights or was that a spark of interest in his eyes?
Once he was kneeling, the number of people who came up to them slowed down but some stubborn morons still couldn't take a hint. When one particularly dense older gentleman wouldn’t stop watching Brent, Calen had brought his hand up to rest on Brent’s neck. He let his fingers caress Brent softly before giving the other wannabe Dom a glare that blatantly said back off.
Even when the touch was no longer necessary, Calen had let his hand rest on Brent’s shoulder. His fingers stroked Brent’s skin sending shivers down his spine. It took all his strength not to move. He wasn’t sure if it was an unconscious gesture on the Dom’s part or if he was doing it on purpose. But Brent had no desire to chase him away, so he did his best to stay still and not draw attention to it.
Had Calen been looking for a signal from Brent?
Did the Dom even realize what he’d been doing?
Brent had a thousand unanswered question and no way to find out the answers without letting Calen know he was interested. He couldn’t figure out if the risk was worth the reward. He wanted a long term relationship. Did Calen?
He’d never let things get too serious with any one sub but he’d also mentioned settling down, eventually. Was he looking for something specific in a sub and hadn’t found it, or was he not ready in general?
“You’re not listening to anything I’m saying, are you?”
He almost dropped his coffee cup when Bryce’s voice came out of nowhere. “Huh?”
“If you’re going to ignore me, go home and drink your own coffee.” Bryce frowned at him, shaking his head.
“Sorry, you got me thinking.”
