Chapter 1

‘Keep… pushing…,' Tommy said, using every ounce of energy he had in his body. ‘Just one… more… lift.'

Tommy just about managed to complete the rep and then gladly let his dumbbells fall to the floor. The rubber coated weights made a thudding noise as the dropped onto the protective matting beneath the bench and Tommy was left with a feeling of pure satisfaction.

They weren't exactly heavy weights. Certainly they weren't heavy weights compared to the kinds of sizes that some of the other people in the gym were throwing around. But that didn't matter. Tommy was happy with his personal achievement, and that's what counted as far as he was concerned.

Tommy was twenty years old and coming to the Tough Stuff Gym was one of his favorite things to do in his spare time. With his sandy-blonde hair and emerald-green eyes, Tommy was already a pretty noticeable figure amongst the larger, far more gruff men who usually occupied the free weights section.

And as far of those bigger, stronger men went, Tommy would often find himself imagining all kinds of scenarios where they pinned him down, spanked him, revealed their cocks and made him their own personal plaything.

In fact, Tommy would often take mental notes of his favorite heavy lifters in the the gym and use them in his fantasies late at night. Tommy was no perv, but if he could subtly get a look on some of the toughest, gruffest looking men in the gym then he was absolutely not going to miss that opportunity.

And Tommy would often see the men looking at him too, which simply made it all the more exciting for him. They were bigger, stronger, tougher - and that was just how Tommy liked it.

The fact that Tommy also had a dangling little strawberry earring in one ear and also had a penchant for tight workout clothes just made him stand out all the more.

Tommy didn't mind standing out from the crowd though. Tough Stuff Gym had a very clear policy that everyone was to be treated with fairness and respect. There would be no passive-aggressive or rude behavior tolerated at Tough Stuff, and Tommy felt comfortable to be himself there.

After wiping down his bench, Tommy stood up and checked his phone. After swiping away a few app notifications, Tommy saw that he had received a message from his manager at the Velvet Iron…

STEVEY: Hey, Tommy. Thanks again for agreeing to do that extra shift today. Just wanted to double check that you're still good to come in? And YES, we still do have some birthday cake leftover from yesterday for staff to snack on!

Tommy grinned. The thought of having some deliciously colorful and frosting-covered cake to munch on during his work shift was something to look forward to, that was for sure.

Cake! Fuck yeah.

As if work wasn't fun enough already.

But maybe I should do some extra cardio in preparation?

Tommy actually loved working at the Velvet Iron. It was one of the best spots in the whole city for subs to come to and have fun, go wild, or simply chill. In other words, if you were a sub and wanted to express yourself totally unselfconsciously, then the Velvet Iron was the place to be.

The Velvet Ironhad an array of kink-inspired rooms, play areas, and a whole lot more. It was just perfect. And it was especially perfect for Tommy because he was a sub too.

New York City may have been an enormous, diverse city but not everyone understood what a sub was. Some people could even make judgmental or mean comments about it when they found out. So having a place like the Velvet Iron was essential.

Each and every club member was different.

Everyone was covered at the Velvet Iron. Tommy loved to see the subs and their Doms having a wonderful time together. Tommy didn't have a Dom, but he was beginning to wish he did. The idea of having a big, strong man to look after him was appealing in the extreme. The only problem was that Tommy just hadn't met the right man who would sweep him off his feet.

Perhaps Tommy's lack of a Dom was also down to his refusal to take anything in life too seriously. Whether it was career aspirations, bedtimes, or relationships, everything was to be taken in a lighthearted, casual way as far as Tommy was concerned. This super-relaxed attitude also applied to his shift start times, much to the annoyance of his bosses at the Velvet Iron.

Tommy knew he didn't have long left at the gym, but he still felt like he was having too much fun to leave. Tommy cast his eye around the gym's vast floorspace and his eyes settled on the long row of treadmills. Seconds later, Tommy was up and running on the treadmill. He may have been on a tight time limit, but if there was going to be cake and treats at work, he had to get the calories worked off in advance.

Having completed the first cardio blast, Tommy should have hopped off and headed straight to the changing room. But feeling good from one sprint workout, Tommy simply couldn't resist another…

I guess I'd better hit the showers now.

I am on a warning at work for tardiness after all.

LOL, just one more bit of cardio won't do any harm!

‘Phew!' Tommy said, casually walking into the locker room with a big smile on his face having just beaten his previous personal best on the treadmill's sprint triple-challenge. ‘I am… beat!'

Tommy was dripping with sweat and ready to hit the shower, that was for sure. But as Tommy began to strip down, he couldn't help but notice that the locker room was suddenly full of other guys coming in for their showers too.

Unlike Tommy, these guys were all on the larger side. Taller, broader, and with the kind of shoulders and biceps that could have been mistaken for boulders and granite rocks, these were seriously impressive men.

But it wasn't just the men's bodies that Tommy was interested in.

Tommy had a thing for sportswear. In fact, Tommy would have said that sportwear was his number one kink, outside of age play. The sight of burly men in their tight shorts and sweaty lycra t-shirts was something that just did it for Tommy.

And the longer the men in their hot, sweaty sportswear were around Tommy, the harder it was for Tommy to not get visibly aroused.

Gulp.

I think I need to get into that shower.

If I don't, I think my dick might just start drawing too much attention…

Before his cock could get any harder, Tommy rapidly covered himself up in is large, fluffy yellow towel and hurried inside one of the private shower cubicles.

After rapidly shutting the door behind him and turning the shower on, Tommy was soon happily washing away the sweat and giving his tired body some much needed refreshment under the shower's hot water.

But Tommy's mind was still very much focused on the men outside. Tommy began to wonder if any of them were Doms. They certainly had the look for it, and Tommy couldn't help but imagine what it would feel like if one of them burst into his shower cubicle right there and then and gave his wet bottom a good, hard spanking…

Tommy giggled at the thought of his wet butt cheeks being spanked by a gruff man in nothing but a pair of tiny shorts, or even just a pure-white jockstrap.

Tommy wasn't entirely sure where his love of guys in sportswear came from. It probably dated back a long way, but all that Tommy knew was that he found it super-hot. Tommy's dream scenario was a strong, gruff man in a wrestling leotard. The super-tight fit that left nothing to the imagination and the tight, soft, stretchy material was something that never failed to excite Tommy.

Two Doms, both in wrestling suits…

Taking it in turns to spank my butt and stuff their cocks in my mouth…

Fuck… so freakin' hot!

However as fun as it was to fantasize, Tommy grudgingly knew that he was already super-late for work. If he spent any more time daydreaming, he may as well not even bother showing up at the Velvet Iron at all.

After washing off the remaining soap on his slender, toned body, Tommy left the shower and began to get changed into his clothes.

As Tommy was rummaging around in his sports bag, he was met with a comforting sight. It was the photo of him and his father that Tommy cherished the most - the pair of them climbing a tree together when Tommy was young. Tommy had always been a risk taker and this photo reminded him of where he inherited that trait from.

Ever since Tommy's father sadly passed away, Tommy was determined to not let anything hold him back from having fun. And if that meant taking a risky choice, then Tommy was pretty much always up for doing that.

Sure, Tommy's decisions had sometimes landed him in hot water, but so far it was nothing so bad that it served to change his approach to life. As far as Tommy was concerned, if there was a chance to have fun he was going to take it.

Speaking of fun, Tommy looked at his watch. He was definitely going to be late for the start of his shift at the Velvet Iron, but if he hustled, he might be able to sneak in before anyone noticed…

The Velvet Iron was as busy as ever.

New York was a big city, and the kind of place where there was always enough people to fill up somewhere that catered to a group of people's needs. With its perfect mood lighting the reception area was the perfect vibe to set the tone.

Fortunately for Tommy, he had managed to scoot across from the gym and to work just in time. It wasn't even a case of sneaking in, Tommy actually made it on time. Well, on time as far as Tommy considered it.

Tommy's boss Stevey saw it slightly differently…

‘Only ten minutes late,' Stevey said, flicking his rainbow-colored bangs to one side. ‘Well, it's better than an hour late!'

Stevey burst out into laughter and gave Tommy a pat on the back. Stevey had been working at the Velvet Iron since day one and was generally an easy-going boss who was always there for his staff when they needed to talk or express a concern.

That wasn't to say that Stevey didn't know how to put his foot down at times too, though. And if Tommy thought that he was going to completely get away with being ten minutes late for his shift then he had another thing coming.

‘Okay, so, I know how much you just love doing the daily drinks inventory,' Stevey said, standing with his hands on his hips and his fingers hooked into the belt loops of his jean shorts.

‘Oh no! Please no!' Tommy said, rolling his eyes in mock disgust. ‘Not the inventory!'

‘Ha! Well, try getting here on time and you might not get left with doing it,' Stevey said. ‘You can work reception for a bit, but I need the inventory done in the next couple of hours, okay?'

‘Yup, you got it,' Tommy said, sarcastically but playfully doing a double thumbs up to his boss. ‘I'll get right on it!'

Tommy and Stevey exchanged a warm-hearted smile. They may have been employee and boss, but ultimately they were good friends. This was just another thing about working at the Velvet Iron that Tommy enjoyed.

All the staff got along so well together. That wasn't to say that there were no disagreements. But if there ever was a problem, and this was rare, then people would simply talk about it and make things right. There was no sniping or back-biting at the Velvet Iron, which made it a truly wonderful place to work at.

As the shift progressed, Tommy did indeed do the inventory as requested by Stevey. It was as boring as ever, and Tommy wasn't overly keen on sitting in the storeroom looking through stock levels and counting up each individual juice box.

However, someone had to do the inventory. And on that particular day it was Tommy. Once he was finished, Tommy clicked submit on the iPad and walked back out into the reception area.

As Tommy took his place at the reception desk, his eyes were immediately drawn to a group of guys who were just entering…

‘Jeez,' Tommy said, mumbling the words under his breath.

The group of men were all tall, broad shouldered, and wearing dark t-shirts with tight pants. The men had tattooed arms and necks and seemed to be giving off the vibe that they owned the place…

They look a bit scary.

But fun too.

I wonder who they are…

Tommy didn't have to ponder the identity of the men for long. One of the men, clearly the group's leader, caught Tommy's eye and made a beeline for him at the reception desk.

‘The name's Troppo,' the man said, lifting his black Armani shades off his eyes. ‘Xane Troppo. You've maybe heard of me?'

‘Um… m-m-m-maybe?' Tommy said, tripping over his words a little.

Xane Troppo, whoever he was, was certainly a striking figure. He must have been early thirties and had the darkest brown eyes and jet-black hair. With his dark, highly tailored suit he was dressed differently to the other men in the group but he certainly had the same level of swagger – if not more.

Tommy's eyes were drawn to Xane's diamond encrusted gold watch. Tommy wasn't especially into that kind of thing, but the watch was so bright it was impossible not to look.

‘I've got plenty more of these,' Xane said, grinning. ‘Just don't ask me how I pay for them…'

Tommy felt his heart flutter. He couldn't tell if Xane was a nice guy or not. There was something dangerous about Xane, an edge to him that was provoking a reaction in Tommy.

‘I… I… um, how can I help you?' Tommy said, feeling himself blush. ‘Are you a member here, or?'

Xane shot his group of friends a look and burst out laughing.

‘A member? No,' Xane replied, licking his lips. ‘But I'd maybe like to be. I mean, I definitely would if all the boys here are as sweet as you.'

Tommy didn't know what to say. This situation was a bit on the intense side. Tommy looked around for Stevey, but then remembered that Stevey was on a conference call with the Velvet Iron's sister business over in LA.

Is Xane flirting with me?

I'm not sure I know what to think of this guy.

But he is sexy though…

‘Well, if you want me to give you a tour, I'm happy to,' Tommy finally said, his voice trembling with excitement.

‘I've got a better idea,' Xane said. ‘Let me give you a tour. Let's bust out of this place and party.'

Tommy didn't know what to say. His shift was due to end, but he barely knew Xane. Hanging out with strange older men wasn't something that Tommy was in the habit of doing.

On the other hand, Xane was new, and he was exciting. The way he dressed, his confidence, it all added up to a compelling case in his favor.

And after all, life was all about taking risks, right?