Page 104 of Pretty ’n Peak

Austin knew exactly when it was. He’d already looked it up, finding Mateo’s name buried alphabetically in the list of artists.

It wouldn’t be weird to show up, would it? He was a friend. People supported each other like that.

Though if Mateo were maybe interested in one more scene…

I’m a capable, talented Dom, he repeated to himself. I’m attentive to my subs, and they enjoy working with me.

With Mateo, it felt true.

Not just true, but exciting, leaving his stomach fluttering.

He let himself observe the feelings. Coming to the club tonight, taking in the world of kink, had been a positive experience. He did feel more confident and capable.

But visiting Mateo again in a small town library art show made his whole body feel warm and hopeful. Definitely aroused.

It had to be alright to at least reach out about attending, right?

Austin realized that the scene in front of him had ended, the soft words and movement shifting toward aftercare that he shouldn’t stick around to observe.

He turned back to the lounge, thoughts tumbling over each other as he tried to organize his “homework” experiences into something coherent.

Someone stepped in front of him in the dim room. “Hey, Austin.”

Over the low throb of music, he couldn’t place the voice. “Hello? Sorry, I can’t tell who you are.” He hated doing that, but it was necessary.

“It’s Levi. Good to see you!”

“Oh, hey Levi!” Levi was a sub, one of the many he’d been friends with before he stopped coming to the club. The tall, gangly man was full of mischievous energy with a big heart. He’d found a Daddy Dom a few years ago, a quiet, more serious guy who probably enjoyed his antics.

Austin found he’d missed him.

“Jamie was just telling me about you.”

Austin rolled his eyes. “Jamie is a gossip.”

Levi laughed. “It’s probably not what you think. Though he did mention that you found a cute boy for the weekend and might be turning into a Daddy Dom…” His voice turned teasing.

Austin huffed. He was glad Jamie supported him, but his weekend with Mateo was… still something he was trying to figure out.

“Seriously, though, he said there were some changes we could make to the Cuffd app to make it more accessible to vision-impaired users.”

“Oh!” Austin brightened. Levi worked for Cuffd, and his Daddy owned the company. “Yes, there are. A few of them, actually. But the biggest one is arranging non-editable checklists, like the kink list in someone else’s profile, so that an automated reader can just pick up the selected items.”

“Ah… I can see how that’s a problem.” There was a thoughtful pause. “And I can think of a few ways around it.”

“I could go over some of the more elegant ones with someone on your team. If that’s not overstepping, I mean.”

“That’s right. You’re a programmer, aren’t you? If you’re interested in consulting, Cuffd would be happy to pay you.” Levi tilted his head to the side, though his expression was still unreadable to Austin’s eyes. “In fact, we’ve got job openings at all levels, if you’re interested in something new. We’re expanding, and one of the things that’s been far too low on our bucket list is accessibility. We could put you on that project to start off.”

Austin found his chest swelling, his mind already racing ahead. That sounded like… like something fun again. A new challenge, and something worthwhile.

“It sounds like you’re offering me a job,” he said carefully. “Can you do that? I mean, don’t I need to interview or something first?”

Levi snickered. “Well, seeing as I’m sleeping with the boss… No, just kidding. You’d put in your resume the normal way, and be interviewed by someone who doesn’t know you. If that’s even possible in the small world of Portland kink.”

“Is being kinky a job requirement?” he asked, half joking.

“Not quite. But let’s just say… I see five co-workers in this room right now.”