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West brought his eyes up to lock on mine. “Good, I do too.”
I smiled at him and then leaned back against the backrest of the couch. “To go back to your initial question, I meant that I wondered if Skyler would be here tonight.”
“It wouldn’t be a good thing if Norman appeared,” West said and left it at that. Our hands got dirty enough with our work for Michael Alatorre’s Black Diamond Resorts. We didn’t need to drag that into our personal lives too. “Besides, I’m not worried about Skyler not showing up,” he added.
“No?” I questioned.
“Nope. Not in the least. Couldn’t you see how much he loved it, despite the pain?” West murmured.
I reached for my glass as I thought back to last weekend. I pictured Skyler restrained to the spanking bench, grimacing as he took what Norman dished out. I looked at West when the back of his hand bumped the side of my leg to get my attention.
“What?”
“And that’s a huge part of the reason why I think Skyler would be perfect for us.” West paused long enough for me to finish his thought.
“I know what you mean. He enjoys the pain,” I said as I nodded.
“It’s like he needs it. Just like you and I need to give it.” West liked to reiterate that fact all week, as if he had to reason with me. “He’ll be here because he needs it,” he insisted.
Steph and David arrived and sat across from us to chat for a bit. West took care of most of the talking for both of us, and I contributed here and there. I was preoccupied with watching the entrance, hoping Skyler—our ghost—would make his appearance.
About ten minutes later, the young man wearing a blue puffy coat and a knit beanie walked into the main room. Our ghost. My stomach dropped as those hyper butterflies sprang into action. Though I sat motionless, I was sure the people around me would be able to hear how hard my heart was thumping. I was careful not to breathe or exhale too loudly, as if any noise from me might scare him away. Unable to keep myself from staring, my gaze followed his every movement. Skyler briskly walked toward the hallway with the private rooms and disappeared around the corner, ending my dangerous and obsessive eye- stalking.
What the fuck is wrong with me?
Never before had the sight of a bottom captivated and mesmerized me like that. I needed to get it together. I rubbed my eyes with my thumb and middle finger and then slid my hand down my face. I stroked the scruff along my jaw, feeling like I had a grip now.
“Hey,” West said to get my attention. When I looked at him, a huge smile spread across his face. “Our ghost is here.”
I raised my eyebrow at him, and all I could muster to say was, “No shit.”
West barely managed to keep his laughter to a dull roar. I was glad he was able to enjoy this as much as he was. I was more than concerned about myself, however. As long as we’d been searching for our third, we’d never come any closer than this. And although I wasn’t ready to let West know, I felt an exciting connection to Skyler too. Though, I had a strong feeling West already knew.
“What’s the plan?” I asked West. “Since you’re the one who seems to still be able to control himself, what do we do next?”
“We’ll wait and see if he comes out here.”
“What if he doesn’t? I don’t want to risk him arranging something with someone else.” Even I was able to hear the near desperation in my voice, and I wasn’t a fan of the way I sounded.
“Relax, Spence.”
I was annoyed, and feared the next time I’d see our ghost he would be with someone else. I’d just swallowed the last of the water when out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of the blue puffy coat. His appearance caused a tidal wave of sorts in my stomach, and I resigned myself to the fact that I had it bad for this guy and the possibility of things working out.
Skyler had taken his hat off, and the lighting from above made some dark blond strands of his hair stick out more. In his hand he held a cell phone while he glanced about the room, probably waiting for Norman. He wandered around, occasionally saying hello and greeting people. Few people spoke to him or acknowledged him, though. While Skyler didn’t look as though he was seeking attention, he looked starved for a certain kind of attention.
My guess was that Norman saw that in him and swooped in to take advantage. Young men who had masochistic characteristics were rare. Even rarer were the ones who understood that they had those needs and embraced them.
I should have felt guilty for West and I taking away whatever happiness Skyler was getting out of his time with Norman. But I didn’t. West and I could give him more. Fuck that, we would give him more. We’d give him better.
Chapter Seven
Shawn
I stared into the empty room that Norman and I played in each Saturday. He was always here before me and had the room set up for us. That was how it’d been since we’d started playing.
Maybe he was just running late. The traffic was bad since it was raining. It had snowed during the week, and the rain was now turning the roads into a mess. So maybe it was just traffic.
Unsure of what to do, I looked up and down the hallway before I took a seat on the bench across from our room. From the inside pocket of my coat, I pulled out my cell phone and checked for texts or a missed call. No alerts awaited for me, though.
