Chapter 3

Noah didn't wait in the foyer like a girl waiting for her prom date to arrive. Not that any of his buddies would have noticed. They were already inside, making sure they had the best vantage around the stage where Moira and Coop were set to play. The new guy, Luke Harris, was shadowing Gage. Although he hadn't seemed all that eager to step inside the club, once inside, his gaze had darted from one scene to another, widening now and then as he'd spotted some sight that blew his mind.

Noah understood what Luke was feeling. Not too long ago, he'd been the wide-eyed newcomer wondering what planet he'd transported to. He'd been shocked but exhilarated by everything he'd seen. And now, Luke would be front and center at the stage where Coop and Moira were set to play out a scene with Anton and Britney—Anton being one of the club's most experienced Doms, and Britney, his enthusiastic sub. Although what the committed couple was planning was a mystery.

If he weren't hoping for a glimpse of Hoyt, he'd be right there with the other guys. However, what would happen if Hoyt did show was the source of his sour stomach. So he sat nursing a glass of carbonated lemonade, his gaze bouncing between the stage in one corner of the salon and the foyer, even farther away.

The moment he spotted Hoyt, his entire body tightened. His heart thudded. He waited until Hoyt's gaze scanned the room and passed him. Noah felt a moment's disappointment until that pale gaze returned and rested on him.

He didn't wait, even knowing he was acting a little too eager. He scooted off his stool and strode through the center of the salon, for once not noting the interesting activities happening all around him. Instead, his glance took in Hoyt's frame, dressed in a dark button-down shirt that stretched across his well-muscled chest and biceps. It swept down well-washed jeans to shiny black cowboy boots. Hoyt's dark hair was pulled back in a ponytail. A glint of silver shone in one earlobe, and he carried a small duffel.

Hoyt lifted his chin as Noah drew near. "I spoke with Jenn. She has a new sub she'd like me to work with. Want to tag along?"

Noah's mouth felt a little dry, so he confined his response to a nod. Then he trailed Hoyt through the salon to the changing room. He still wore his street clothes and planned to stay that way because, again, he didn't want to appear too eager to play. Tonight, he was in dark cargo pants belted at the waist and a plain dark green tee.

As Hoyt unlocked an empty locker, he said, "Jenn says you're still learning the equipment—that you've wielded a flogger and a paddle, but that you seem to enjoy receiving punishment as opposed to giving it."

He couldn't have been blunter. But Noah guessed he didn't want to waste any time with politeness. The fact was, Hoyt's words sent a thrill straight through him. "I'm new. But, yeah, I don't mind being flogged or paddled."

Hoyt began undressing, hung his shirt on the hanger, and stepped out of his boots. "Has anyone ever tried a whip on you?"

"No." Noah's face grew warm, partly due to the question but mainly because Hoyt removed his boxer-briefs and tossed them in the locker, too. His cock was long and a shade darker than his tanned skin.

Hoyt unrolled a pair of slick black leather pants and stepped into one leg. "Have you ever been restrained?"

Noah's tongue dried as Hoyt tucked his dick into his pants and pulled up the zipper. What had he just asked? "Not sure I'd be into that—restraints. I don't like the idea I can't escape if I need to."

Hoyt nodded and tugged on his boots. "Any taboos? Anything you aren't willing to try?"

It seemed as though he was interviewing him instead of the sub he was waiting for, but Noah shrugged. "I think I might be nervous about having circulation cut off from my dick—I can be ringed, but I don't like my dick turning purple."

Hoyt's mouth twitched. "That all?"

Noah cleared his throat. "Think so." Was he trying to gauge whether he had any prohibitions about being with another man?

"Then come on." Hoyt slammed the locker closed and strode toward the door. "Next time," he said over his shoulder, "I'll want you to strip before we get to the room."

Noah's jaw dropped, which didn't really matter because Hoyt still hadn't looked his way. Noah followed closely, realizing Hoyt had been interviewing his sub for the night— him .

The room Hoyt led him to was off the red corridor and was just as well-appointed as Mondo Acevedo's playroom, which Noah had enjoyed a time or two. The Memphis PD cop was another of the club's masters.

He followed Hoyt inside, watching as he went straight to the cabinets and began taking items from the wall.

Without looking his way, Hoyt said, "Leave your clothes on the spanking bench. We won't be using it. Do you have a safe word?"

Since he hadn't really been pushed before, he hadn't needed one. But he'd chosen one in advance, thinking of this day. "Stick shift."

Hoyt grunted but continued to pull things from the cupboard—lotion, then lube—

Beginning to quiver, Noah began to strip. Just because Hoyt had pulled out lube didn't mean he intended to have sex with him. But that didn't stop Noah's cock from stirring and filling. He grimaced and sucked in a deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart. When his hand went to the top of his jeans, he didn't bother turning away to hide what this was doing to him. Hoyt would know soon enough.

"Go ahead and lie face down on the massage table. I won't use a helper to prepare you," Hoyt said, his voice a lower rumble than before. "Jenn also said she thought you might be into a little play with a man. Was she right?" His dark gaze settled on Noah, his expression shuttered.

Noah nodded, his gaze locking with Hoyt's for a long moment. Fuck, I'm really going to do this. He pushed his pants off and straightened.

Hoyt's gaze dropped. "Yeah, guess she was right." He lifted his chin. "Whenever you're ready to start."

Again, Noah cleared his throat. "Yes, Sir."

He walked to the table, all too aware of his dick bobbing in front of him. His balls were hard, his cock beginning to ache. It wouldn't take much, hell, maybe just another low rumbling command, and he might embarrass himself.

He leaned over the table and grasped the edges, pulling his legs up and lifting his hips to straighten his cock beneath him. Lying on it wasn't very comfortable, but he spread his legs to give his balls some room, then lay looking away from Hoyt.

Warm oil drizzled over his back. Large, hard hands began to move over his shoulders and back, kneading away his tension. Warmth spread over his skin, and he let go a long sigh.

"The starter for the Camaro will be in at the beginning of next week."

Noah's eyes were closed. The pressure of the fingers digging into the sides of his spine was divine. "'S good," he murmured.

Hoyt's hands moved downward, rubbing his buttocks.

Noah's ass and thighs tensed, but the blissful lethargy didn't fade. Arousal licked at his balls, thickening his cock even further. Whatever Hoyt wanted, he'd damn well give him, no matter who the hell might be watching them from the cameras mounted discreetly in the ceiling. He was just another sub being worked on by a Dom. It didn't matter that they both had dicks.

Hoyt's thumbs pressed into his thighs and worked downward.

Noah couldn't hold back his moan. He couldn't remember ever feeling this way—warm all over, aroused, sleepy…strangely happy.

A hand closed around his balls and tugged them gently.

Noah's breath caught. His eyes opened. But he made no sound of complaint or pleasure. He waited.

Hoyt continued to palm his balls, rolling them, coating the sac with oil, and tugging them now and then until Noah remembered to breathe again. Only now, the pressure of his own weight on his cock was too much. He wanted to rut. To lift his hips and fist himself—anything to release the excitement that caused his heart to beat loudly in his ears. More than that, he wished he could roll over and feel Hoyt's firm grip stroking up and down his shaft.

Hoyt withdrew his hands. "Roll over now."

Noah didn't hesitate. He turned and lay back, curving his fingers over the edges of the table at his sides while Hoyt drizzled more hot oil over his chest and lower abdomen. His cock pulsed to the beating of his heart.

"I didn't renew my membership," Hoyt said as he laid his hands on Noah's shoulders and began to smooth the oil down his arms in quick, efficient strokes. "I prefer to play at home."

Play. He liked to play at home. Was this an invitation? "Am I free to speak?" At Hoyt's nod, he said, "I come to the club with friends to blow off steam, but I don't need it—the club, that is."

Hoyt flicked a glance at his face but quickly looked at Noah's belly, where his hands smoothed, pressing down. "What do you need, Noah?"

The pressure of Hoyt's hands seemed to push Noah's blood toward his groin, further swelling his cock. Noah couldn't help the lazy dip of his eyelids. Hoyt's hands felt too good, kneading his belly. Damn, he wished Hoyt would brush his cock. He lay in anxious anticipation of an accidental touch. "I need to find out who I am. What I might be."

Hoyt nodded again. "I can help you with that, but I'll tell you upfront—I want something back." His hands halted where they were on either side of Noah's hips, bracketing his cock without touching it.

Noah was dying, biting his lip against the urge to beg the man to touch his cock. It was full, aching. His balls were rigid. "What will you want?"

Hoyt's gaze was icy calm as it bored into Noah's. "I'll want sex. I'll want to blow you and for you to blow me. I'll want to fuck your mouth and your ass. But I'll teach you. I'll take care of you. Make sure you're comfortable with me. That you're safe to explore."

Noah's belly quivered he was so aroused. "I think…I'd like privacy to…learn."

Hoyt gave him a slow nod and then grasped Noah's shaft with both hands. With twisting motions, he glided his oiled hands up and down Noah's shaft.

"Oh, fuck," Noah said, his fingertips biting into leather.

"This will be an exclusive arrangement," Hoyt said. "No playing with others unless I'm there and I allow it."

Noah gritted his teeth and gave a quick nod as Hoyt tightened his grip on an upward stroke. Noah's hips followed, lifting his ass off the table.

"You'll be my sub and follow my commands. I won't always be gentle."

"Fuck, fuck," Noah said, beginning to sweat. "I'm close."

Hoyt's hands let go of his cock. "Raise your legs and hold them against your chest," he said, reaching for the tube of lubricant.

Noah shook his head but did it anyway, spreading his thighs as he slipped his hands behind his knees. He knew how he looked, his skin slick, his balls and cock exposed.

Hoyt squeezed a dollop of clear gel onto one fingertip, spread Noah's cheeks, and rubbed the gel around Noah's anus.

"Jesus," Noah hissed, knowing what was coming.

"Has anyone used your ass before, Noah?" Hoyt asked, his voice pitched lower.

Unable to draw a breath, much less speak, Noah shook his head.

Hoyt slid his finger inside. "I like fucking, Noah. Like the way a sphincter rings me. It's tight, hot."

And Noah was tight and hot. His ring clenched around Hoyt's thick finger, and he wondered how the hell he'd take more.

Hoyt's finger twisted and pushed deeper—as deep as the doctor during his annual physical, but he hadn't considered that discomfort exactly pleasurable. This, however, was pure bliss. At that moment, Hoyt rubbed the special spot deep inside, and a cramp tightened his balls. "Hoyt, Jesus…" He groaned and curled upward, heat filling his face and chest, his ass burning. "Don't fucking stop."

"I'll let you have that. This once. I won't punish you for commanding me. Fact is," Hoyt drawled, "I want to watch you come. Do it…" he said, rubbing that particular spot again, " now ."

Noah was surprised by a sob at the same time his balls exploded, and heavy spurts of come jetted from his cock. Creamy ropes hit his belly and his chest; one fell against his lips. And still, Hoyt stroked his prostate, rubbing gently but insistently as his blue eyes glittered and his broad, square jaw tensed.

When he'd completely blown every ounce of come, Noah settled back against the leather and placed his forearm over his eyes. He'd never come that hard. Never felt this naked. Maybe it was simply the fact Hoyt was a man and knew exactly what would give another man pleasure that made the experience so powerful, but Noah wasn't sure.

He thought the wild emotions roiling inside him now might be attributable directly to Hoyt. Again, he felt pulled toward him by an impossibly dark and irresistible attraction.

The finger pulled free. A soft terry towel rubbed his ass. Hands urged his legs downward.

Noah moved his arm from his eyes and let it settle above his head as he watched Hoyt continue to rub him with the towel, removing come and excess oil.

When he tossed it away, he pinned Noah with a direct stare. "Noah, I know we don't know each other well, and I'm breaking the club's protocol, but I'd like to take you home. Will you come?"

Hoyt's expression gave away nothing of what he might be feeling, but a downward glance proved telling. His cock was thicker and stretched along the inside of one leather-clad thigh. And even though he'd just come, Noah wanted more of Hoyt.

"Yes," Noah said, accepting Hoyt's hand to rise and sit on the table's edge. "But there's something I want," he said, his gaze level. "I'd like to keep this between us."

"Afraid your friends will see us?"

Nothing in Hoyt's set expression said how he felt about that—whether he was angry or disappointed. But Noah guessed he'd prefer honesty. "I'd just like to keep this private. No distractions. I don't want anyone else influencing how I feel about this. So do you mind keeping this between us—for now, anyway?"

Hoyt's mouth pursed, but he gave a nod. "My bike's parked outside the back exit. Do you need to tell anyone goodbye?"

Noah shook his head, his stomach filling with those odd fluttery feelings again.

Hoyt walked to Noah's clothing and handed him his pants. As Noah dressed, Hoyt's gaze slid over his body, more intimately than it had before, lingering on his cock, his chest, then rising to meet his gaze.

Noah knew where this was going. Knew they might skip a ton of preliminaries, but he didn't need them. His body was already tightening again. The sooner he was alone with Hoyt, really alone, he knew things would happen quickly, and he didn't really want time to consider what any of this meant—this wild attraction, this need that centered in his chest, because he thought maybe Hoyt was every bit as lonely as he was. That there was something painful in his past. The hints of bleakness he'd seen in his eyes the day before had seemed to mirror his own pain.

For Hoyt to be this transparently intense, this eager to climb right over everything he was—a man, a Dom—to get straight to the intimacy of being with him, pointed at something.

And Noah was more than just curious now. He wanted to know who Hoyt was, what drove him, what secrets lay behind his hooded gaze. He tucked his cock inside his pants and reached for the shirt Hoyt handed him, only Hoyt didn't let it go. Instead, the other man tugged on it, pulling Noah closer.

Noah drew a shaky breath and let himself be reeled in until they stood so close one deep breath would cause their bare chests to meet. His nipples tightened. When Hoyt leaned toward him, he closed his eyes.

A firm mouth glided over his. Noah opened. Hoyt thrust his tongue inside and then licked along Noah's tongue, coaxing Noah's to come into his mouth, where he then sucked on it.

Noah groaned, closed the gap between their chests, and went with his instincts, lifting a hand to grip the other man's hips and aligning his clothed cock with Hoyt's.

Hoyt clutched Noah's ass and the back of his head and growled deep in his throat as he rubbed up and down Noah's shaft.

Noah was in good shape and knew what a hard body felt like, but Hoyt's muscle was more than hard; it was bulky, hot, and trembling against him.

When Hoyt broke the kiss, Noah fought the urge to follow him. Instead, he stood close, their cocks still aligned, and he knew with an unwavering certainty that he was ready for this. For Hoyt. "Let's go," he said.