Chapter 7

Roman rounded the hallway corner, then stopped and leaned against the wall for support. Walking away from Caleb had been so hard. He’d wanted nothing more than to use him again, to order him to his knees and shove his cock into that hot, willing mouth. Jesus, the visual alone was enough to make his cock hard as iron. When had he turned into this horny monster?

It had to be because he hadn’t been with a man for so long. As much as he loved sex with women, fucking a man offered a different thrill. He could go harder, rougher, let go of himself without fearing he’d break his partner. Not that he considered women fragile, but physically, they were often much more vulnerable. That was also part of their attraction. He loved that female softness and delicateness.

But Caleb was a man in every sense, and god, the way he’d sucked Roman off… The boy had skills. Serious skills. And Roman had seen the want in Caleb’s eyes. All he’d had to do was tell him, and Caleb would’ve been on his knees for him again, ready to take whatever Roman dished out.

It wasn’t that Roman didn’t want to take Caleb up on that offer. He craved Caleb. The thought alone was enough to make his balls clench in anticipation. But he couldn’t—shouldn’t. One taste and he’d be hooked, needing more, wanting…everything. Wasn’t his current predicament evidence of that? One taste of Caleb and he already needed him again. His job, his reputation, he’d be putting it all on the line for a few stolen moments of pleasure.

He shouldn’t.

He couldn’t.

But when soft footsteps approached him, he spun around.

“Roman?” Caleb sounded worried. “You okay?”

“Yes. No. I mean…” Roman trailed off, unable to articulate the war waging inside him.

Caleb quirked an eyebrow. “You don’t sound very convincing.”

“I’m fine. Just…” Instead of attempting to explain, he veered the conversation onto safer ground. “Tell me about your work. How’d you get into cybersecurity?”

If Caleb thought it strange that Roman had walked out of the room and then started this conversation in the middle of the hallway, he was kind enough not to point out the absurdity. He leaned back against the wall.

“I started young.” A half-smile played on his lips. “My dad showed me how his computer worked when I was six or so, and I was fascinated, so my parents signed me up for a summer coding camp. The other kids were much older, but I took to it like the proverbial fish to water. Social skills were not my forte, but code was my language. I learned various programming languages, such as Java, Python, HTML, and CSS, you name it. In middle school, I managed to hack into my school’s grading system and change a bully’s grades into failing ones. They never figured out it was me. Biggest thrill of my life.”

Roman chuckled. “I bet.”

“But my dad was getting a little worried about me, so he gave me a stern lecture about using my powers for good. He made a whole superhero reference and all. And it hit home. I wanted to use my skills to protect, not to attack, to change the world for good and not make it worse.”

“Change the world, huh?” Roman admired the confidence rolling off Caleb.

“Sure as hell tried.” Caleb’s chuckle was low, a rumble that sent a shiver down Roman’s spine. “I got my bachelor’s, then my master’s. Worked corporate, government contracts… Now I’m with Wander, and I love it. Best job I could ever hope for.”

Roman had no trouble imagining why. “The side benefits must appeal to you too.”

“I sure as fuck have never had a job where my boss was also my Dom.”

“Wander fucked you?” Funny, but the thought didn’t bother Roman as much as he’d expected it to.

“Until he met Burke, yeah. He’s a…” Caleb laughed. “Forgot for a moment he’s your brother, so I’ll spare you the details.”

“I appreciate your restraint. He’s a good Dom, I take it.”

“The best I’ve ever played with. He can read you like a book, and it’s scary, intimidating, and hot at the same time.”

“You never developed feelings for him?”

Caleb shrugged. “A baby crush, maybe. Hard not to when you play with someone that intensely. But I was never jealous of Burke. Those two are perfect for each other.”

“Even if you lost your Dom?”

“He wasn’t the only Dom I played with. I still had Ryan, Lowell, and Jesse, plus Master Mark, a friend of Jesse’s.”

“And Jonah? He’s a switch, right? That means he plays both sides, or however you word that?”

“He does, but his dominant side is too soft for me. I prefer a stricter, rougher Dom, so we don’t have good chemistry.”

Interesting. Roman hadn’t realized Doms came in levels, but it made sense. “But now Ryan is off the market too.”

“He is. And I’m happy as a clam because he and Alex are a match made in heaven, but I do miss him. No offense, but that man can fuck like a beast.”

Roman readjusted himself, his cock painfully hard. “That’s what you prefer?”

His voice had gotten hoarse, gravelly.

“I love it. The rougher, the better. I don’t care if I can barely sit for a few days. It’s the best feeling in the world and centers me like nothing else.”

Roman swallowed. “How did you discover you were submissive?”

“In my second year of college, I was still a virgin and tired of it. So I went to a gay club and found an older guy, figuring he’d have the experience to make it good for me. Boy, did he ever. When he fucked me, I came so hard that I nearly passed out. We hooked up a few more times, and then he asked me if I wanted to experiment with him with some light D/s play. I had no clue what that was, but I trusted him, so I agreed. Boyd and I were together for a year as he developed his skills as a Dom and I found out I was deeply submissive.”

“Why’d you break up?”

Sadness filled Caleb’s voice. “He got a job offer in Atlanta, and I had gotten accepted for my master’s degree, so I wasn’t going anywhere. Boyd chose the job over me.”

“He hurt you with that,” Roman said.

“Childish to feel that way, I suppose. I mean, I was twenty-one, and he was thirty-nine, so I hardly could’ve expected him to take me seriously, but yeah, I was heartbroken. I thought we had something special.”

Roman couldn’t resist and cupped Caleb’s cheek. “Just because he made that choice doesn’t mean he didn’t care about you. Maybe he was concerned about your age, about you being in too deep too fast.”

“Maybe, but that should’ve been my choice, yes? He had no right to make that call for me.”

“He could’ve done it to protect you.”

“If he did, he failed miserably because that was an absolute low point. I was in love with him, you know?”

Roman’s hands itched to pull Caleb close and hug him. This man before him, brimming with life and so damn open about who he was, was everything he wanted. That honesty, that intensity, was magnetic. And it scared the hell out of Roman because he wanted to dive in headfirst. Consequences be damned.

“How old are you now?”

“Twenty-seven.”

Still so young in comparison. “I’m forty-nine.”

“I know.”

“That doesn’t bother you?”

“Why should it? I like older men. Always have. Not sure you noticed, but your brother, Jesse, Ryan, and Lowell are all around your age. Master Mark is a little younger but around forty, I think. None of them are my age.”

“Hmm.”

The silence stretched, and Roman balled his fists to keep himself from touching Caleb again.

“Tell me about the law,” Caleb said, his gaze direct, piercing. “What got you into that?”

The law. A safe topic. Roman wasn’t sure if he was disappointed or relieved. “Wander and I grew up in a working-class community with its fair share of problems, but my parents always stressed the importance of hard work and honesty. But I kept seeing people get screwed over by the system, and it infuriated me. That’s where that passion for justice developed, I think. I got my degree in psychology first, then decided on law school. I got into Harvard and, after that, never left Boston.”

“Must be tough being the good guy in a city like that.”

“Good guy?” Roman huffed out a bitter laugh. “Sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference. If you fight long enough in the gutter, you start to look like the trash you’re up against.”

“Still, you do it. You could’ve chosen to be a criminal attorney or even a public defender, but you opted to fight to take that trash out. There’s gotta be a fire inside you that fuels that.”

“Fire burns out eventually.” Jesus, where had that dark, depressing comment come from? It scared him almost as much as the hollowness in his tone. “I think it’s more a case of stubbornness, but the result is the same. I don’t back down.”

“Ever get lonely?” The question slipped from Caleb like silk, wrapping around Roman’s chest and squeezing tight.

“Lonely?” Roman whispered. He felt himself unraveling, the thread of control slipping. “Yeah.”

“You were married, right?”

“I was. Divorced now.” Roman’s lips twisted around the words, a badge of failure. “Yolanda said I was married to the job more than to her, and she was right. I was never home, and when I was, my mind was still working. When my predecessor was murdered and I was tapped for a promotion, I took the job without consulting her. She was right to walk away, as much as it pains me to admit. I was a selfish bastard. Probably still am.”

Caleb reached out his hand, stopped, then settled it on Roman’s hand, an anchor in a churning sea. “Must’ve been rough.”

“Rough doesn’t cover it.” Roman’s voice cracked like dry leather. “It gutted me and made me feel like an utter failure, even though, by then, I wasn’t in love with her anymore. It still made me question everything. Who I was, what I wanted, and above all, if I was willing to pay the price for what I wanted…”

“And what do you want?”

Roman’s heart clenched, desire and fear warring within him. “I don’t know anymore.”

“Maybe you need someone to help you figure it out.”

“Maybe.” The word lingered between them, heavy with unspoken desires and the darkness they both craved. “But I’m still not sure if I’m willing to pay the price for what I want.”

“Life’s short. Take risks. Live a little.”

“Risks can destroy everything you’ve built.”

“Or they can give you everything you never knew you needed.”

Roman’s heart hammered. He let the truth in Caleb’s words sink in. The risk, the thrill… It was tempting, too tempting. But he was a man of control, of carefully constructed boundaries. Wasn’t he?

“What do you get from it, from submitting?” he asked.

“Submission is a gift.” Caleb’s eyes searched Roman’s, blue depths filled with a silent plea. “To give yourself over fully to another. To trust them to take you apart and put you back together. Stronger. It’s not just kink for me. It’s about trust, surrender…finding someone who understands power and control.”

Roman’s pulse kicked up a notch. The air felt charged, thick with Caleb’s admission. A desire, dark and potent, bubbled inside him. Power. Control. Words that resonated with him on a level he hadn’t anticipated. “Sounds like a heavy responsibility for the Dom.”

“Only if they don’t crave it. Some do. They live for it. The responsibility, the control…” Caleb’s voice dropped to a whisper as if revealing secrets meant only for Roman’s ears.

The weight of Caleb’s gaze was like a physical touch, stirring something primal within Roman. He fought the surge of authority that clashed with his professional decorum, with the Roman Dwyer the world saw. But here, in this room, those barriers seemed far less significant. Roman leaned closer, the pull irresistible. “And you? What do you live for, Caleb?”

“Someone to guide me. Use me. Someone unafraid of what they can do to me.” Caleb’s breath was warm against Roman’s cheek, a dare wrapped in vulnerability.

Something snapped within Roman. His hand lifted almost of its own accord, fingers grazing Caleb’s jawline. That touch seared him, a confirmation of the power exchange Caleb offered so willingly.

“Unafraid.” He tested the shape of the word, the concept, his heart hammering in a mix of excitement and fear. But he couldn’t deny the rush, the intoxicating blend of risk and arousal.

“Roman?” Caleb’s voice was soft, but it carried the weight of all that stood between them.

“Shit.” Roman exhaled.

“Take control,” Caleb said in a whisper with the impact of a gunshot.

“Dammit, Caleb…” Roman’s resolve crumbled. He curled his fingers around Caleb’s wrist, the steady thrum of his heartbeat pulsing beneath the skin. “I don’t know where this will lead.”

“Doesn’t matter.” Caleb leaned into the touch. “Right now, it’s just us.”

“Us.” The word was a revelation, a commitment Roman never expected to make again. Yet here he was, poised on the edge of something that could either save or destroy him. With a sharp inhale, he let the last of his resistance fall away and stepped into the role Caleb so openly craved for him to fill.

“Kneel,” he commanded.

Without hesitation, Caleb obeyed, descending like a supplicant before an altar. He knelt in the middle of the hallway, unafraid and unashamed, the epitome of submission that sent a surge of power through Roman’s core.

“Look at me.” The words were a growl torn from Roman’s throat.

Caleb lifted his gaze. Those blue eyes held a spark of eagerness, a silent plea for what only Roman could grant. And grant, he would. He couldn’t deny Caleb any longer. Or himself.

With rough hands, he freed himself. “Open your mouth.”

Caleb complied and parted his lips, breath quickening. It was more than lust. It was trust, surrender, and something far more dangerous, something Roman didn’t want to think about too much.

He sank into Caleb’s mouth, and as Caleb closed his lips around him, he moaned with relief. Fuck, he needed this. They both did. Maybe the latter realization was what had sent him over the edge, the deep knowing of how much Caleb craved this.

After a few careful thrusts, he pushed in deeper, forcing himself to the back of Caleb’s throat. Tears welled up in the boy’s eyes, but he didn’t move, sitting completely still as he allowed Roman to use him, abuse him even.

Caleb looked up through his lashes. His blue eyes had darkened to stormy seas, heavy with desire, signaling not only acquiescence but hunger for the intensity Roman provided. There was no falter in his movements, no hesitation in his breath—only the purest form of submission offered willingly.

“Good, so good for me,” Roman said. The praise spilled from him in a litany as old as time itself. Caleb’s eyes, cloudy as they were, lit up like a beacon, a clear sign of the joy he took from serving.

“Fuck, I needed this.” Roman moaned as Caleb’s throat closed around him again. “Needed this so much. Need you.”

He babbled, his mind shutting off in a way that would scare him if it didn’t feel so amazing. Everything else faded, leaving only Caleb and him. He pulled back, allowing Caleb to suck in a few raspy breaths, then shoved his cock back into that eager hot mouth, that slick, tight throat.

Roman’s hand found its way into the chestnut tangle of Caleb’s hair, a firm grip that asserted more than control. It claimed possession. The shift was subtle, the air thicker with something unspoken, a silent dare for Caleb to accept or reject this new level of roughness.

But Caleb embraced it, and his body went slack as he allowed Roman to move him, use him, fill him until he was gasping for air. Sheer power surged through Roman’s veins. He was controlling Caleb’s air supply, the very oxygen he breathed. How had he never realized what a thrill that gave? He wrapped his left hand around Caleb’s throat as he pushed the boy’s head forward with his right hand, pinning him on Roman’s cock. Fucking perfection. Absolute filthy perfection.

Caleb’s tongue was both weapon and benediction as he worked, seeking Roman’s pleasure with the focus of one well versed in the art of giving. The sensation built—a crescendo of heat and need that coiled tight in Roman’s belly. He grappled with control, maintaining the threadbare restraint that kept him from tumbling into the abyss of desire.

“Like that, yes…” Roman’s voice fractured on a gasp as Caleb sucked him deeper. This was domination in its purest form: command and obedience in an effortless dance they acted out together. As the pressure mounted, Roman’s world narrowed to the here and now, to the man on his knees and the intoxicating rush of authority that came with every command obeyed. He set the rules, and Caleb followed, eager and willing.

Jesus, he was almost high with the beauty of it. He was pushing boundaries, exploring depths of dominance he hadn’t known existed within himself. Each bob of Caleb’s head, each muffled moan from Roman, each grunt of dominance and sigh of submission carved away at his composed facade and revealed the man beneath, the one who craved this power. What did it mean, this rush from steering Caleb’s actions, from seeing him respond with such fervor?

He lost track of time as he surrendered to the need inside him, to the seductive hum of power coursing through his veins. He commanded, and Caleb obeyed. Caleb offered, and Roman took. And when Caleb sent him right to the edge, Roman let go, spilling into his mouth as his moans echoed through the empty hallway.

Caleb suckled him until he was spent and clean, then let Roman’s cock slip from between his lips. He remained kneeling, his head bowed. He was so goddamn stunning.

Roman tilted his chin up, and Caleb eased back, his breaths coming in short bursts, lips swollen. His clouded gaze held a question, a silent inquiry that Roman wasn’t sure he was ready to answer.

He pulled Caleb to his feet and, on impulse, pressed a kiss on those throbbing lips. “Thank you. That was…perfect.”

“You’re welcome. Sir.”

Sir. There was that word again. How was it possible to crave and hate a word at the same time?

He straightened his spine, forcing the world back into focus, trying to fit himself back into the skin of the man who wielded power in courtrooms, not in the intimacy of what felt like an illicit tryst in a dimly lit hallway. “I have to go.”

“I understand, Sir.”

“I don’t mean to be…” He gestured vaguely.

“It’s okay, Sir.”

It wasn’t, but Roman didn’t have the will to continue. He tucked himself away and took a step back. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

Caleb exhaled slowly. “You will. And thank you.” Each word was saturated with sincerity. “For everything.”

What was Roman supposed to say to that? The same “You’re welcome” as Caleb? It sounded cliché and hopelessly inadequate. He opted for honesty instead. “I loved every second.”

“So did I.” Caleb shifted his weight from one foot to the other, the eagerness in his stance palpable. “I’m here, Sir. For whatever you need.” The promise hung between them, tethered to the unspoken hope that there would be a next time.

Roman swallowed, the taste of control bittersweet on his tongue. “I can’t promise there’ll be another time.”

The statement came out forced, pushed past lips unwilling to spill that truth. It wasn’t Caleb’s willingness that unsettled him, beguiling as it was, but the hunger in himself to take everything Caleb was offering and then more.

“I know. But I’ll be there anyway.”

With a final nod, Caleb turned and walked away, his steps measured and deliberate. He looked back, a silent vow etched into his gaze, then slipped around the corner, leaving Roman alone in the silent hallway that suddenly felt cold and empty.

It couldn’t go anywhere. That was the truth he clung to, even as his heart rebelled, longing to chase the freedom he’d found in those moments of passion and power. Roman Dwyer, the man who always had an answer, who argued for a living, was at a loss. And as he stood there, enveloped in shadow and solitude, he allowed himself to savor the special moment he’d shared with Caleb, the moment that had uncovered a part of himself he hadn’t known existed.

He’d tasted the sweet nectar of dominance, and the flavor lingered on his tongue, refusing to go away.