Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

M atthew regretted wearing his snug, red leather shorts because they chafed the welts the cane had left on his tender bottom. It probably wouldn't be as irritating if he were standing. After he was allowed to scrub his face clean of the last of his ruined makeup, Master Del led him out to the pit. Once there, the Dom found an oversized, plush chair with an ottoman and pulled Matthew onto his lap. Snuggling with the Dom, who'd given Matthew one of the best scenes of his life, was more than enough to make up for any discomfort he experienced.

When Matthew shivered, despite the warm air in the club, Master Del asked one of the servers, Cassandra, to bring a blanket for him, which he then wrapped around Matthew's torso. "Better?"

"Yes, Sir. Thank you." He rested his head on Master Del's shoulder, his eyes closing as the remnants of subspace taunted him.

They had another ten minutes or so before the raffle winners were drawn. More and more D/s couples settled into the many seating areas situated around the pit or looked down from above on the second floor. Some were the Doms and subs paired up through the Secret Santa, while others were in established relationships. Many of the submissives appeared to be still recovering from their scenes. Matthew spotted Natalia with a dreamy, satisfied look on her face, sitting on Master Dimitri's lap in an area closer to the stage. He was happy his friend seemed to have had fun with the Dom. She would probably call Matthew on the phone sometime tomorrow to chat about their scenes, as they often did, so he'd get all the details then.

"Here you go, Sir."

Matthew opened his eyes to see Cassandra had returned with three drinks—what looked like an appletini and a whiskey on the rocks, and a cold bottle of water. The pretty sub used to work at the club, like other submissives, to pay off part of her membership, but since being permanently collared by Master Stefan and going back to school for nursing, she only filled in on occasion. Matthew knew Kristen and Angie had asked the collared subs to swap out with the single ones who were supposed to work that evening so they could participate in the Secret Santa. That included the waitstaff, the front desk personnel, boutique clerks, and the sitters at the child-care center on the other side of the parking lot from the club.

Cassandra handed the green drink to Master Del, who held it out for Matthew to take. The Dom then took the short tumbler and water bottle from the woman before she left them.

"I didn't even hear you order these, Sir," Matthew said as Master Del clinked their glasses together. "Thank you."

"You were dozing again, pup. No worries. Is the appletini okay? The waitress said it was one of your favorites."

"It's perfect, Sir. Thank you." Holding the drink with both hands so he wouldn't accidentally spill any of it, he took a sip and sighed in delight as the sweet taste of apples with a kick of vodka tantalized his taste buds.

Master Del smiled. "That's the only drink you're allowed tonight, though. It'll take you a few more hours to recover from our scene."

"Yes, Sir."

After tasting his drink, the Dom said, "I understand you had your final exams yesterday. How did you do? Have you gotten the results yet?"

"No, Sir. I won't find out until probably after Christmas, but I think I did really well. I know I was spot-on for my practicals, so it's the written exam I'm worried about. That's what candidates usually have problems with and have to retake it if they fail."

"Well, from what people in the club say, I'm sure you aced both the practicals and the written."

Sitting up quickly, Matthew winced as his tortured ass and thighs protested. "People have been talking about my exams?"

Nodding, Master Del swallowed another sip of the amber liquid in his glass. "Uh-huh. Doms, subs, your bosses, and fellow employees—apparently, everyone's had their fingers crossed this week but didn't want to say anything to you. They figured you were nervous enough as it was. You have a lot of supporters here who are immensely proud of you, pup, and they're certain you'll go far in your career. Does that surprise you?"

"A little, I guess." He snuggled against the Dom's chest when he was pulled closer again. "I have a bunch of friends here, but I didn't realize so many members were interested in my job or that they knew me beyond working the front desk."

"You light up any room you walk into, Matthew. How could they not know or want to know you?" He paused as an announcement came over the sound system stating that the ticket booths were closing and asking all subs who sold tickets to bring them to the stage. Masters Mitch, Ian, and Devon were already up there, bringing the raffle drum front and center.

Master Del ran a hand up Matthew's arm. "When can I see you again? I want to take you to dinner and get to know you better."

His eyes widened. Oh, be still my heart! "Really?"

"Really. That is if you'd like to go on a date with me. If you'd rather we keep our relationship to the club for now??—"

"No! I mean, yes, Sir! No! I mean—crap." Frustrated, he took a deep breath and let it out, grateful to see an amused smile spreading across Master Del's handsome face. Is this truly happening? "Can I start over, Sir?"

"I really wish you would. Please."

"Sir, I would love to go on a date with you. I have to look at my schedule before I commit to a day and time, though. Some of my shifts have been switched around with the upcoming holiday. We try to make sure the medics and EMTs with kids can be off on Christmas. I also picked up a few overtime split shifts over the next two weeks—it's a busy time of year. And on Christmas Eve, my folks and I always volunteer to help cook and serve dinner at a homeless shelter."

The Dom chuckled. "I might have to stop calling you ‘pup' and call you busy bee instead. But I have a better idea. You check your schedule and let me know when you're free for lunch or dinner. It doesn't matter to me as long as I can see you again. As for Christmas Eve, my mother and I used to volunteer at a women's shelter whenever we could—which wasn't often, but we tried to put in some time to help. Would I be able to come with you on Christmas Eve?"

Matthew fell a little bit in love with the man right then and there. "Um, if you want to, Sir, we could always use an extra set of hands. That would be great."

"Then it's a date. But, hopefully, we'll have plenty more before that," he said with a wink.

His head spun, but before Matthew could say anything more, Master Ian's voice boomed over the club's speakers, "Listen up! It's time to pull the winners of the raffle. If your name is called, please come up, and Master Mitch will give you an envelope with all the information you need to plan your trip to the Master Key Resort. If a winner isn't present, we'll contact them tomorrow, but feel free to blow up their phone tonight and let them know they won. Also, club employees, make sure you thank Master Del for buying a few tickets in each of your names. Thanks for the donation, Del."

Matthew gasped and stared at the Dom whose lap he sat on, while thunderous applause came from the other members. Master Del squeezed Matthew's waist and held up his almost empty glass to acknowledge everyone else. With pinkened cheeks, he appeared a little embarrassed at the attention and the fact that his charitable act was announced.

Oh, Goddess of Twink submissives everywhere, I could fall hard for this man. Please don't let him break my heart!

On the stage, Master Devon rotated the big raffle drum, and the crowd's excitement seemed to vibrate the walls. When Matthew finished his appletini with a gulp, Master Del took the glass from him and swapped it for the bottle of water sitting on a little table beside their chair. "Drink all of that—we have to rehydrate you."

As he did as he was told, Master Mitch drew the first ticket from the drum and handed it to Master Ian, who looked at it, then groaned and rolled his eyes. "Master Brody, come up and get your bloody ticket. As if you haven't spent enough fucking time at the resort already."

A loud hoo-yah echoed off the ceiling, and everyone laughed, cheered, and clapped. Brody Evans was a major computer geek and a retired Navy SEAL who co-owned Trident Security. He and his wife, Fancy, had a little boy named Zane, who was just over a year old and absolutely adorable.

Once the Dom retrieved a manila envelope from Master Mitch and thrust his hands in the air, bellowing out another hoo-yah, the exuberant crowd was ready for another name to be announced. The following three winners were Cassandra, Sterling, and Mistress Roxy, whose submissive wife, Kayla, yelled louder than Master Brody had.

The barrel was spun for the final time, and Matthew held his breath. It would be so cool to win a trip to the resort he'd heard all about from the owners and their wives. He glanced furtively at Master Del.

Would he want to go with me if I won?

He couldn't help but think something was building between them in the short time they'd known each other. Something special. Something he'd hoped to find someday—the man who would be his forever.

Master Mitch handed the final ticket to Master Ian, who, surprisingly, smiled broadly this time. "Well, I can't think of anyone more deserving than this person. He's worked his ass off for the past year, and I, for one, am proud of him. I know, without a doubt, he'll make an amazing paramedic soon. Matthew Behan, get your one-hundred percent fabulously gay ass up here!"

He froze when the head Dom said the word "paramedic" because, as far as Matthew knew, no other members were paramedics or EMTs taking the course. When his name was finally announced, his jaw dropped, and his eyes grew to the size of saucers as the crowd whistled and yelled out their congratulations. Matthew didn't move until Master Del stood, letting the sub slide down his thighs to a standing position. The Dom kissed him on the cheek. "Go on, pup! Get your prize. Congratulations."

When the reality hit him, Matthew covered his mouth and jumped up and down before running toward the stage. He'd never won anything that big in his life and still couldn't believe it happened this time. Masters Ian, Devon, and Mitch shook his hand before the latter gave him a large envelope. Matthew turned and waved it in the air. As the cheers rose and then dwindled, he hurried down the steps and back over to Master Del, who grinned at him. Matthew threw his arms around him as the taller man laughed and hugged him back. "Congratulations. As Ian said, it's well deserved."

Matthew was on cloud nine. It felt like he'd won a million-dollar lottery—a fantastic trip, a Dom he was already falling for, and hopefully, a new career as a paramedic. He couldn't wait to see what the New Year would bring. If it were anything like tonight, it would be awesome.