Page 23 of Pretty ’n Peak

Mateo was surprised by the burst of flavors on his tongue. Bright and sweet, cool and refreshing. It was different from the agua fresca his mother made from whole lemons or other fruit, but just as tasty. Better than anything he could have made, and he had all of his senses.

“It’s perfect.” And much more special since it was just for him.

Austin smiled again, sipping his own drink. He added a bit more water and stirred again. “Let’s find somewhere to talk.” He looked around the lobby, then moved toward a couch, glass in one hand and cane held a few inches in front of him, not quite touching the floor.

Mateo watched as, once again, Austin patted the low table before setting down his drink, then touched the back of the couch before sitting. The movements were fluid and automatic, adding only a second of delay. If Mateo hadn’t known why Austin was doing it, he might not have even noticed them.

Mateo sank to the other cushion, not touching, but close enough that Austin could reach for him if he wanted to.

Hopefully he would.

“So, consider this an opportunity to bring up anything you want. There are no dumb questions or inappropriate reactions.”

That was a nice beginning. But he still couldn’t figure out where to start.

Austin’s hand drifted over Mateo’s knee, then reclaimed his hand. “Is this better?”

“Yeah.” So much better.

“When you’re ready. We can just sit quietly for a while.”

It was nice just being quiet together. Austin’s gentle touches were calming on his hands. Somewhere behind him was the quiet trickle of an indoor waterfall.

That left his mind free to go back to… “Is that guy, Master Carlos, uh…” That wasn’t a real question.

“Is he really going to chain you to the Saint Andrew’s cross and flog you during a public demonstration? If that’s what you want. And only if that’s what you want.” Austin gave his hands an extra squeeze. “If you want to do something else with him, either in public or in private, you only have to tell him. How are you feeling about it?”

“Nervous? Excited? Um… Scared?” He would never have admitted his fear like that to most of the people he knew, but Austin was different.

“Turned on?” Austin suggested.

Mateo nodded, then remembered to verbalize. “Uh, yeah.” He was lucky his jeans were so loose, because his erection almost ached with how long he’d been aroused.

“It’s OK to feel all of those things. In fact, sometimes that mixture of nerves and arousal is what people chase. It can be good to feel a little jolt of fear because the adrenaline makes the pleasure more powerful.”

Mateo sucked in a breath. He thought that was what he wanted. He had fantasies that started that way.

“But the fear is only exciting when you also feel enough safety and trust to give in to it.”

It was like Austin had read his mind. That was exactly the distinction that he hadn’t been able to figure out on his own. “I think right now it’s more fear-fear.”

“That’s alright, too. I apologize if I threw you into the deep end. I didn’t think that Carlos would suggest a public demonstration right away. And for that, Carlos might owe you an apology, too. I didn’t hear you actually saying that you wanted what he was suggesting.”

“Oh, um. I mean, he was kind of right. I was looking at the X thing.”

“The Saint Andrew’s cross.”

“Yeah. And maybe flogging?” He wasn’t sure which one was flogging, but he knew it meant being hit with something. The idea made his balls draw up tight and his stomach twist. “I mean, I like the idea of it. I even like the idea of people watching me.” Another nauseating, thrilling fantasy. “That’s what it would be, right?”

“Yep. Most of the people at the mixer tonight will probably be at the demo tomorrow. There will likely be two to four scenes. Some might be more like a tutorial or workshop, and some will just be playing, sexually or non-sexually, in front of an audience. There are a lot of people who get off on having all of that attention. Maybe knowing that everyone is looking at them, but no one else can touch. Some people feel powerful and sexual, knowing that everyone is aroused by their performance. Others might feel vulnerable and exposed, allowing them to explore more dimensions of their submission.”

Mateo barely suppressed a moan. How would he feel up there? Powerful or vulnerable? Maybe both?

Austin chuckled, low and dirty. “Mmmmm… You like that. I can hear your breath change, you know.”

Mateo shouldn’t enjoy it so much that Austin was paying such close attention to him. Or that Austin sounded like he was at least a little bit aroused, too.

“Yeah, um, I do. It’s just… I’m not sure if I’ll really like it. I still don’t even totally believe that pain feels as good as it looks in porn. Or at least I don’t know if my body is wired that way. I might hate it. And realizing that in public would be…” God, horrifying. Humiliating beyond belief.