Page 10 of Expanding Command

Darren chuckled as he settled beside him, watching the men disappear from the room and upstairs. He leaned close to nuzzle Miles's cheek. "Good call. I'm proud of you."

Miles never doubted Darren's approval, but hearing him say it always brought a rush of pleasure and reassurance. "Thank you, Sir. We might have to wait a bit to leave, though."

Darren chuckled. "They'll be... efficient. I left that beautiful man... well, you saw. And that was after I made him jerk off for me in the garden. I could have had him spilling in his pants if I wanted." His voice lowered to a purr that was rich with undeniable gratification. "He's so ready to surrender. So beautifully needy."

"The same way I was?" Miles turned his face to return the nuzzle, stealing a kiss.

"Different from you, my love. But... yes, just as ready. He'll be an incredible treat to command." He indulged in a longer kiss, nibbling Miles's bottom lip. "You liked his little Bunny."

"So much," Miles breathed, anticipation and delight surging from the admission. "God, Dare, he's so sweet. I need him to be my sub. I need to fuck him for you."

"Perfect," Darren purred, kissing him longer, full of promise. "Not tonight. But soon. This couple is so ready to fulfil our every fantasy."

~~~

6 - A Gentleman Thief

Darren Quinn

Guiding the man who'd called himself Raffles out into the garden, Darren took in his manner and body language with a thrill of delight. Mr. Tall, Dark, and Cheekbones was even more beautiful up close than he'd been when Darren had been watching him during their suspension.

Even more intriguing were his mannerisms. Darren had half-expected the man to play it cool, to cling to the 'dominant' persona to try and impress him. Raffles' immediate, unfettered enthusiasm was a breath of fresh air and reassured Darren even more that they were going down the right path.

He moved closer to Raffles as they stood at the edge of the pool deck, lowering his voice. "If we're going to talk about this seriously, let's drop the scene names. If that's alright with you."

Raffles let out a breath, relaxing. "Oh, thank god. I'm Leander."

Like a Shakespearean hero? Darren thought, but held his tongue and smiled instead. "Darren. Pleased to meet you, gorgeous. Thank you for the offer of hospitality. We drove up for the event, but I wasn't really sure if we wanted to stay here at the manor overnight."

"That sounds exhausting," Leander agreed. "It's lovely here, of course. We've been here a few times. Zoe - the hostess - is amazing. One of those 'based out of several different cities' hot bitches, but she loves throwing events here. I hear New Year's is really legendary, though we haven't been yet. We've only been here in Boston for a couple of years. I could show you around the garden, if that pleases you?"

Darren smiled as the pretty man rambled, continuing on this time without his sub's presence to ground him. Perhaps a nervous response? It was charming. He favored the man with a warm, easy smile, hoping to reassure him. "Sure, lead the way. Did you and Bunny get into the scene together?"

"Here, yes. We were kind of long-distance for a while before we moved up here, so when we were together, we didn't really want to take the time to go out." Leander chuckled, warm and fond. "We'd both been in and out of the lifestyle before that. I tended to go pretty hard whenever I was on this side of the ocean, honestly, for... complicated reasons, I guess you'd say? Back at home, I had to be a lot more... discreet."

"Home?" Darren raised his eyebrows.

"Across the pond."

"So the accent wasn't a bit?"

Leander laughed and shook his head, slipping back into it as he spoke. "Not at all, though I've mostly lost it unless I'm speaking to other Brits. Except for words like banahnah. And tomahto." He leaned into the 'ah' sound for both of them a bit, exaggerating the accent with a grin.

"Potato, po-tah-to," Darren quipped, returning his smile. "I'm surprised you don't put it on to dom, honestly. Between the accent and those cheekbones, you could turn a sub to jello."

"I've tried a few times," Leander admitted. "Especially when I first started cruising in New York. But somehow it always seemed to give guys the impression that I was more of a hardass than I actually am, and that made it feel as if I wasn't being... authentic? Is that strange?"

"Not at all," Darren assured, still smiling. He rested a hand on the small of Leander's back as they strolled down the garden path, enjoying the faint warmth from his body beginning to seep through his fine suit jacket. "If you're a switch, it's important to nurture both sides of your desire."

"Thank you." Leander's gaze was warm with gratitude and relief. "I want to. I'm trying. It's not Bunny's fault. He'll take charge of me when I need him to, and he'll even top me, but... I know he's just doing it for my sake, and I feel bad about it."

Darren's heart twisted at his words. Leander's quiet vulnerability was as refreshing as his nervousness, and surely covered for much deeper need and uncertainty. He knew firsthand how hard it was to be 'on' all the time as a dom, how exhausting it must be for him.

"You aren't doing the same thing for him?" Darren asked, trying to keep the question simple and conversational, not accusing. How long had this sweet man been neglecting his own needs out of love for his partner? It summoned unwelcome memories of his own past, failed relationships. If Leander was secretly unhappy, this wouldn't be a wise move.

The man shook his head, dispelling Darren's worry. "No. I do genuinely love dominating him and taking care of him. Outside of play, too. He's so kind and smart. Actually genius smart, I'm not just saying that because I'm married to him. He's so loving and conscientious. I'd give him the world if he'd let me. I don't want to force him to be something he's not."

Darren nodded slowly. Leander's words were guileless and thick with unmistakable adoration. As admirable as it was, his heart twisted again, and he had to hold back from gathering the pretty man close and promising to help him. "Hence looking for other play partners."