Page 4 of Whirlwind

Chapter 2

Julio

Julio stretched as he walked into the garage. The guy last night, Randy or something, had been fun, but he’d wanted to sleep over and they’d had to have a conversation about it at 2am. Now he was tired and cranky.

At least Taylor would be here to brighten up his day. He couldn’t see him anywhere, so he just moved toward the sounds in the back. It was a repetitive rubbing sound, and he grinned at the thought of Taylor jerking off in the garage. Oh, how he’d like to walk in on that scene.

Of course, he was actually buffing the side panel of a car that now had a far-less-noticeable dent in it. He looked tired, though, which made Julio want to just cuddle him all up.

Not that he could ever say that. “Morning, Taylor. Rough night?”

“Why? Do I look like shit?”

No. You’re perfect. But you look like you need someone to fuck you hard, then tuck you in and take care of you.“You just look tired. Still sexy, though.”

Taylor shrugged. The movement rippled down his strong arms, giving him a moment of fragility. Like he wanted to hide himself.

Julio wished he could give him the confidence that he lacked. Even though it was that fragility that had drawn him to Taylor in the first place. That tantalizing mix of strong, muscular man and sweet, gentle compliance. He wondered if Taylor even knew that about himself. He jealously wanted that fragility all to himself.

But in seven years of flirting, Taylor had never once flirted back. When his best friend had first drunkenly divulged that he was gay, Julio had been over the moon. They already spent all their time together, so dating would be the natural next step. Even before he’d discovered BDSM, there was something in Taylor’s sweetness, his eagerness to please, that had called to Julio. Something that made him want to tie him up and keep him safe in his pocket.

He’d valiantly refrained from making a pass at him that night while he was wasted. But when he’d tried to strike things up the next morning, it had been a disaster. Taylor rebuffed every advance, getting more and more uncomfortable. At the time, Julio had been destroyed.

He kept flirting though, even though he knew Taylor would blow it off. At first it had been in desperation. Now their flirting had become almost a joke. Julio got more outrageous, and Taylor either ignored it or got snarkier.

More recently, Julio had added a sneaky agenda. He wanted Taylor to know that he looked good. That he was worth it. That it was OK to flirt back.

It was a few years ago, after watching Taylor turn down guy after guy, that he’d started to figure things out. Taylor actually believed that he wasn’t attractive enough to deserve a date.

Or, and this was far more hypothetical, he was into some kink that was odd enough that he assumed no one would be interested. Either way, he could count on one hand the number of times that Taylor went home with someone. And each one hurt.

Of course, he’d handled it by shacking up with every guy who came along. It never worked for long, though. Everyone he met was too… something. Too clingy. Too distant. Too flirty. Too bossy. Too submissive. Too needy. Too removed.

For a while, it had been a relief to slip into the Dom role. This, he figured, was what he’d been missing. The sweet simplicity of a paddle in his hands. The adoring eyes of a sub kneeling at his feet. The instant connection that a blindfold and a rope could form between two people.

He’d learned the role well, and he knew there were subs lining up to play with him. But after a few years that paled, too. He still went to the club to get his fix.

Yet even after a long day working at Taylor’s side, he still ended up watching movies on his couch a couple nights a week. Or eating tacos at their favorite hole in the wall. Or dragging him out to Whirlwind for a few beers. Or inviting him over to play video games. It was almost perfect. Almost.

Julio sighed. While he’d been woolgathering, Taylor had quietly moved on to his next task. It looked like he was working on the Ford that neither of them had been able to get to yesterday. There was something wrong with the power steering, which could take a while to figure out and replace.

By the time he walked over, Taylor was already under the truck, with only his frayed pants and scuffed boots visible. They chatted for a few minutes about the schedule for the day and parts that were supposed to come in. Business as usual.

He’d drifted over to a dirty Chevy and popped the hood. When he heard a message tone and a buzz behind him, he didn’t stop to think as he picked up the phone.

It was Taylor’s phone, but he just keyed in the password and waited a moment for it to load. It was probably their friend Ben asking if they were coming out to trivia night. For some reason, Ben had decided that Julio was too flighty to trust with decisions like that.

What he actually saw was so different from what he expected that he nearly dropped the phone. The text was only one word, “hey,” but it was the app that was a surprise. Taylor was on Grindr.

Gritting his teeth, Julio tapped on the message. Who the hell did this guy think he was? The cheeky grin and muscular chest in his picture only made him angrier. Was that who Taylor wanted? He swiped left.

Then, he realized what he’d done. Taylor didn’t belong to him. It wasn’t even his business who Taylor was dating. Or having anonymous sex with. Julio had even been encouraging him to get out more. He shouldn’t have ever touched the phone.

Taylor was still under the car, thank God. He tried to restore the message, but now he was in someone else’s profile. Maybe he should try the settings or something.

But that just took him to another profile. This one just showed a picture of someone’s wrist in pink leopard print handcuffs that looked like a gag gift. In fact, hadn’t he given some just like that to his friend Eric a few years ago? He tapped a few other buttons, but he kept coming back to that same profile.

In a flash of insight, he realized what it was. Taylor’s profile. Taylor’s wide hand chained to… yep, it was definitely Taylor’s bed post. His pulse quickened.