Love & Stitches at The Asylum: Part Thirty-Three
Not sure about you, but January always feels like the longest month EVER! lol But it's the weekend and that's what counts.
Time to escape back into The Asylum.
Happy Reading!
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So far, the Doms were being a lot more difficult than the subs, and Reed still couldn’t figure out the right moment to put Sub 101 on the agenda. As always, when things got tense, Noah and Lawson were at each other’s throats.
If Reed didn’t know it might become literal, he’d find it a bit comforting.
Some things never change. I swear, if they hadn’t locked and buried and cemented over the relationship they used to have, this could so be foreplay.
There was something almost sexy about the frustrated way Noah growled at Lawson when he got worked up. Except for him practically being Reed’s dad. Or…not really, but close enough to make those kinds of thoughts weird.
Reed turned his focus to the rest of the room, sending up a vague prayer to whatever higher power was out there that one of the other Doms would call the meeting to order. Bang a gavel. Hold up a white flag. Anything.
“We’ve all made judgment calls, my man.” Dallas sat at the bar next to Seth, a bottle of lager in front of him. His leather jacket lay across his lap after whatever errand he’d just come in from. “Sometimes we make errors and sometimes it turns out. It was a wild night, and there were a thousand little things that contributed. Like letting too many people in, or not checking the trunks of the cars. Trevor is the one who trespassed, not us in our own club. Let’s learn from all the things that went wrong and improve them, not pick on one thing and tear ourselves apart.”
Lawson glanced over at Dallas, inhaling slowly as he inclined his head. “Yes, you’re right. I still think it would be worth looking into a tighter schedule for the dungeon. With an increase in membership, having the stairs crowded while people wait to get in isn’t safe. If it’s more regulated, there won’t be any need for anyone to be in the stairwell at all.”
“Maybe we need a bigger dungeon.” Curtis leaned back on his stool, one arm casually slung over the back. “We have the real estate with the unused parking lot between us and the General Clinic. We build there. Here, we can have a hardcore play area upstairs and a dedicated sports facility. A place to separate the fighting from the sex and sin. Alcohol and fights really don’t mix. We have broken glass in the gym on most nights despite the red cup rule. We could use the gym as our new general use dungeon and show arena—like for sub auctions and pony trials some nights.”
Rubbing his hand over his mouth, Noah glanced toward the gym doors. “That’s a good idea. This is the setup I always imagined, but I never considered how much we’d expand. With more Doms and subs who aren’t here for the fights it does lead to some discomfort. How popular the cigar lounge got so quickly shows we can cater to different tastes without losing the parts we enjoy.” He inclined his head to Lawson, a slanted smile on his lips. “We all bring something to the table and it would help to make sure there’s room for it all.”
This was a huge improvement. As entertaining as Lawson and Noah’s fights could be, them getting along was ten times better. Reed braced his hip against the side of the booth the subs had claimed, remembering the road trip and how much closer the two men had gotten then. They’d probably always challenge each other, but there was friendship at the center of it all, much stronger than it had been before.
Seth cleared his throat, taking a sip of a fizzy drink that could’ve been either a soda water or a spiked seltzer. “It would give more room for the furries and the littles as well. A small loft, like Curtis suggested, is nice, but they’re our most rapidly growing membership. They can’t ever be in the bar on heavy fight nights, because the rougher members are drawn in. Everyone deserves to have a safe space to enjoy themselves in the manner they find most pleasing, but some things just don’t mix.”
Grabbing Reed’s arm, Pike gave him a little shake, doing a very bad job at keeping his voice quiet. “You should do it now, man, before they give away all the space. We need a fu—is this when I start not swearing?”
“You’re in the bar in front of, like, three-dozen Doms.” Reed slid Pike a sideways look, the edge of his lips quirking up a bit. He kinda got why Seth let him get away with so much. Being bad wasn’t usually so fucking adorable, but somehow, Pike pulled it off. “You tell me.”
Voice whisper quiet, Jamie leaned across to Reed. “We need to get on the agenda.”
“Ugh, why didn’t I rope Quint in sooner?” Reed looked around the bar, wishing the other sub would magically appear. And know all the details no one had given him yet. Major oversight—on Reed’s part. “Next time I offer to be in charge of anything, punch me in the head, Matt. Real hard. Show me how much you love me.”
“Yeah, because I loved getting caned in front of everyone last time I flipped out.” Matt snorted. “Make Jamie do it. He does commercials for a living.”
“I am not an infomercial.” Jamie huffed, hands in the air like the suggestion was a bunch of bees flying around, way too close for comfort.
Reed inhaled slowly, closing his eyes. “Okay, I’ve got this. It’s gonna be fine. I just need to get everyone’s attention.”
“I gotcha, pal.” Pike grabbed a spoon from the ice cream he’d been eating, hitting the side of a glass. It tipped over, rolling off the table to smash on the floor, Keiran grabbing him around the waist before he could dive after it. “Umm...well, it worked?”
Groaning, Curtis stood. “I got it.”
“I swear, I am going to beat some ass before this morning is done.” Dallas shot Pike a look.
Which had Seth raising his brows. “Chill. It was a mistake.” He turned to Reed. “You wait to address the Board until there’s a call for general members to speak.”
“But…” Reed groaned, dropping hard onto the edge of the booth. A sharp pain was his reward for the dumbass move. He pressed his hand to his side. Time for plan B. “This is some fucking bullshit. I’m about to start knocking over a few glasses myself, then maybe they won’t start giving away half of the fucking place to the knitting club next.”
Lawson snapped his fingers, then pointed at the corner. “That’s enough. Go stand there and calm down. You will conduct yourself properly in these meetings or you will not be allowed to attend them any longer. I expect better from you, my boy.”
Ouch. Reed walked to the corner, the weight of Lawson’s disappointment hurting a whole lot more than anything physical. Curtis must’ve told him about the plan, but either it’d slipped Lawson’s mind or he was putting some hard limits on how far he’d let things go.
Limits were good. But if they kept the Doms from listening?
We’re gonna have to walk all over them.
“Is this the part?” Jamie spoke quietly to Matt, nudging Wren with his shoulder. “Reed, here’s my shirt.” He tugged it over his head. “Gimme yours.”
Wren shrank down a bit on the booth. “I’m on speech restrictions.”
“No, you are not.” Noah moved away from the bar, grabbing Jamie’s shirt to pull it back over his head. “What is up with you two? Jamie, keep your clothes on or I’m getting duct tape.”
Keiran gave Noah a sweet smile. “Maybe he’s just fucking hot, sir. Is it too soon to propose adjusting the temperature to the Board?”
“Yes, Daddy-o. Definitely too fucking hot. We are smothered under the restrictions of the patriarchy.” Jamie leaned over to Matt. “That’s Reed and Wren in the same body. How’d I do?”
Snickering, Reed leaned his shoulders against the corner, facing the bar, his arms folded over his chest. He kicked one foot repeatedly against the wall. “I think that was a pretty fucking good impenetration. You’re the shit, man.”
Nodding his head in a circle, Matt whacked the table rhythmically, breaking into song. “Buddy, you’re a boy, make a big noise...”
At which point a few of the other subs joined him in the chorus, shouting, “We will, we will, rock you!”
Okay, not exactly how I expected this to go down, but it’s pretty damn effective.
Bringing his fingers to his lips, Noah let out an ear piercing whistle. “All of you will stop this. Immediately. Dallas, go get some fucking gags for the lot of them.” He frowned at Pike, the only one who hadn’t joined in, just eating his ice cream like nothing interesting was happening around him. “Did someone break this one?”
As Noah turned, a few silks slithered down from the rafters over each sub. Matt grabbed his the quickest, hauling himself up with his sleekly toned muscles gliding under lightly tanned skin, his blue T-shirt just snug enough to make the move sexy as fuck. Reaching down, he caught Jamie around the waist when the other sub gave his bandaged hands a helpless look.
The two of them would’ve fit perfectly in one of Jacks, Shea, and Danny’s fantasy roleplays. All Jamie was missing was a pretty dress.
I’m so getting Jacks to make him one. And getting him a shot of this from the security footage.
The visuals would make the man smile. Danny would laugh. Hell, even Shea would get a kick out of it, after he finished grumbling about the Core subs being completely wild.
Needing to join in on the fun, Reed hopped up as high as he could, latching onto the silks and twisting them around his wrist like Avery had shown them all so many times. He managed to get halfway up before his grip slipped, his great escape turning into an epic fail.
Lawson let out a soft laugh, shaking his head. “All right, enough. Get down before someone hurts themselves. You’ve made your point. We are trying to prevent further injuries, not add to them, so please be careful.” He crossed the bar, holding his arms up for Matt, while Noah did the same for Jamie. “Reed, you will sorely regret it if you fall.”
Feet squared on the thick beam, Jamie looked down. Swinging his legs beside him, Matt crossed his arms over his chest. “May Reed address the board now, sir?”
“Yes, he may.” Lawson’s smile faded. “Please, come down, my boy. I can’t...deal with another one of you being hurt. I’m sorry I didn’t listen. I am now.”
Mutinous gaze softening to one of concern, Matt sat on the beam and gently lowered himself into Lawson’s arms while Jamie simply threw himself downward, trusting Noah to catch him.
Stuck on his own silk, Reed blew out a breath. “Imma just talk from here.” He kicked his foot out a little to try and find a place to brace it, but the fabric tangled around his ankles, leaving him even more trapped. “We need room for a class.”
Curtis shot out of his chair, across the room in a blur, Jared a step behind. Firm hands settled around Reed’s hips, keeping him steady while the silks were unwound from his legs.
“I’ve got you, Reed.” Curtis pressed a kiss to his cheek, his voice soft. “Good fucking job. I’m proud of you.”
“Thank you, sir.” Cheeks blazing, Reed held on to Curtis’ shoulder. “I’m taking joining the circus off my bucket list.”
“When you’re feeling better, I can teach you.” Avery hung out in the shadows above, barely visible in the inky darkness. “It’s not easy. The trick is making it look that way.”
Letting out a shaky laugh, Reed shook his head. “I think I’m good just watching you, dude. But we’ll see how I feel in a few months.” He took a deep breath, turning his focus to all the Doms in the room. “I’m sorry we took extreme measures, but this is...really important. And I don’t know how it might clash with everything else you guys got in mind. Like I said, we need a class. We were talking about how f’ed up stuff was last night and what we could do, or ask for, that might...help. There’s no Sub 101 in The Asylum. But...we’d like there to be. And we’d like Jared to be the Headmaster.”
Still standing close to Reed, Jared tugged the silk down from the rafter, bundling the teal fabric in his arms. “I would be honored, my boy.” Meeting Reed’s eyes, Jared’s own held a shadow of regret. “I’m very sorry for what I put you both through last night. I will say it again. You didn’t deserve that, and I acted rashly. Teaching a class is the least I can do to make it up to you.”
Lawson returned to his place at the bar with Matt, lifting him up to sit on his knee, arms around his waist. “I think it’s a suggestion that holds a lot of merit, but since you’ve proposed it, there will be some questions before the Board can vote. Are you prepared for that?”
“I’m glad you’re willing to do it, sir. I think you’ll make a wicked teacher.” Reed smiled at Jared, then squeezed Curtis’ hand, stepping forward and lifting his chin. This is it, the moment of truth. “Yeah, I don’t mind questions. We spent a lot of time talking about stuff, so...I think we got it all covered.”
Coming back into the bar with a milk crate, Dallas was a little out of breath. “Got the gags.” He slowed, looking around, seeming to figure out something had changed. “Why’s everyone so quiet?”
Pike slurped some melted ice cream from his bowl, lifting his head to give Dallas a sticky smirk. “Subs won this round, dude. You missed all the fun stuff.” He held up his bowl, tipping it to get a few more drops. “Can we propose bigger bowls next? This ice cream is awesome, Matt. Got any more?”
“In the freezer under the bar.” Matt nudged his chin toward the back of the bar, clearly not anxious to leave Lawson’s lap anytime soon.
Reed cleared his throat. “Ice cream after. Business first.” He tucked his thumbs into the pockets of his baggy, light blue jeans, glancing over at Dallas. “I proposed the classes, now I’m taking questions. Jared agreed to be the Headmaster and, umm...I don’t think anyone’s getting gagged.”
“Well, that’s disappointing.” Relaxing back onto his stool, Dallas sat. “Sweets, you owe me a penalty snickerdoodle for swearing.”
Blowing Dallas a kiss, Keiran grabbed a napkin before Wren could and wiped off Pike’s mouth. “I had a feeling you’d say that, sir. I have it all prepared for after the meeting so you’ll get them right out of the oven.”
At the bar, Jamie snuggled in against his chest, Noah gave Reed a serious look. “You weren’t fond of sitting in classes in high school. Why would this be any different?”
Reed rubbed his hand over his mouth. “Because I’m not a kid anymore and...it’s not math or science? It’ll be more interesting and...I’m hoping it won’t be a bunch of reading and writing. We can learn about different stuff and talk and… I don’t know, I guess it depends on the teacher. I like listening to Jared, he...knows things.”
“How do you feel about learning things that aren’t necessarily fun or pleasant, but that will keep your Dom’s property safe? Or make you a better submissive for his purposes, not yours?” Jared plucked a cigar from his personal stash behind the bar, opening the cap on the tube. He snapped his fingers at Wren, holding it out. “Trim, please, little raven.”
Coming to his side, Wren gave him a relieved look, as though part of him had been worried he wouldn’t be permitted to do anything for his Doms anymore. He trimmed the cigar, then lit it for Jared with practiced ease, like the small motions didn’t bother his hands at all. The way Jared observed him made it clear he’d stop him the second he showed the slightest sign of pain.
“I’m cool with learning whatever you decide to teach, sir.” Reed slid his thumbs free of his pockets, then rubbed his hands on his sides. “That’s another thing we agreed on.”
Pike wiggled out of the booth, climbing over Keiran and padding to the bar in socked feet. “Kinda. We’re all gonna try to be good. Some of us might find it a bit tricky. Not me, though, I’m an angel.” He ducked down behind the bar, the sound of the small freezer opening followed by a sound of delight. “What are these chocolate covered things? Imma have some, okay?”
“Chocolate covered peanuts.” Matt’s casual response had Jared grabbing for Pike’s wrist.
“Back away from the anaphylaxis, little cuz.” Curtis was half out of his chair.
Pouting up at Jared, Pike gave him a pleading look. “It might’ve been made in a safe place. And I still haven’t gotten my ice cream.” He sighed and slumped back against Jared’s shins like he’d gone boneless. “Please tell me there’ll be snacks in class?”
“There will be snacks in class.” Keiran bit back a laugh, his eyes shining with laughter as he met Jared’s eyes. “With your permission, sir.”
“We’ll discuss the particulars of class when we’ve voted that there will be a class.” Seth sighed, but his lips were twitching with amusement. “Bring the pint of ice cream and a spoon here, pixie. I want to share it with you.”
A huge grin spread across Pike’s lips. He reached toward the freezer again, then stopped, peering up at Jared. “Would you mind getting that for me, sir, so I don’t accidentally touch the danger nuts?”
“Danger nuts...” Jamie snickered.
“Yes. Excellent thinking.” Leaning over Pike, Jared plucked the hand packed pint of ice cream from the freezer. “Here you go. It’s cold, be careful not to hold it too long, and put it on a plate on the bar so it doesn’t create a watermark.”
Scrambling up off the floor, Pike gave him a serious nod, taking the ice cream with no little reverence. “Thank you, sir. I will.” He went over to grab a plate, saved from knocking over the whole pile by a quick move from Curtis. Once he reached Seth, he looked a bit more rumpled than he had when the meeting started. “It’s to die for, sir. No joke.”
“Rule one: no dying.” Seth lifted Pike into his lap.
Lawson watched them for a moment, a soft smile on his lips. He pressed a kiss to Matt’s cheek. “Your ice cream might actually be miraculous. Maybe it should be required for the classes, it prevents foul language.”
“Rewards for subs who perform well.” Jared handed Wren his cigar with a nudge of his chin like he was telling him to give it a try. “Punishments for those who don’t.”
Arms folded over his chest now, Reed nodded. “Yeah, we talked about that, too. You make the rules for all the classes. Doms can say if they don’t want their subs to do certain stuff, but, for me…” He glanced from Curtis, to Lawson, then back. “I want the full experience. Good and bad. I won’t speak for anyone else, but...you’re all experienced Doms and you know each of our limits. Jared knows when to push them, when to challenge us, so...I’d rather not have any restrictions.”
“Can we not have certain kinds of punishments?” Jamie glanced up at Noah, like the man would know what he meant.
Noah’s brow lifted slightly. “I’m not putting restrictions on your own Dom, little cat. But you’re always welcome to revisit what you consider a hard limit and that will be respected. In these classes and out of them.”
“No, sir. Thank you. We tore all that up. I’m good.” Jamie quieted, giving Jared a furtive look.
“I will not use the methods we used when I trained you, if that’s what you’re worried about.” Taking back his cigar, Jared worked his lips around it in that sexy way that made it hard not to stare at his mouth.
Matt let out a relieved breath. “Reed and Jamie are seriously hardcore. You’d never know it to look at either one of them.”
“Maybe not, but perhaps limit lists would be the perfect subject for Sub 101.” Lawson didn’t hide the disapproval in his tone as he glanced at Noah. “It’s required for all the subs in The Asylum. I never pressed the matter before, but while we’re discussing safety—”
“My boy isn’t less safe with me because I decide his limits for him.” Noah’s eyes narrowed. “I pay attention.”
“Amen.” Avery’s quiet commentary came from above Noah’s seat. “Besides, you, like, vowed it all in a church. I saw the home movies. Can’t get a better promise to obey and love and all that than a solemn vow. Can’t bake that into paper.”
Reed spoke up before Lawson could comment on that. “Can we stick to talking about the classes, because it’s really important. To all of us. We want to learn. We want things to be safe. We want to be able to give you all the best we have to offer as subs. Different kinds of subs, but it’s the main thing. Knowing how to give up control, how to serve, and how to please our Doms. The very basic stuff.”
“So, how will that help prevent what happened to Danny last night?” Jacks spoke up from the back of the room, where he must’ve slipped in with Shea at some point. “Because I am not seeing why I should trust our boy with anyone right now.”
Swallowing hard, Reed looked over at the Dom, knowing he deserved a serious, well thought out answer. “It’s not just about him—you need to know that. He’s not the only one who made a mistake. But it was a mistake and...I think this will make it so we think of other options when things might get a bit overwhelming. Learn to keep our cool instead of throwing a punch outside of the ring...or a pot.” He glanced at Keiran, who inclined his head. “How to approach other Core Doms if there’s an issue, not just the ones that first come to mind. And how to address the Doms outside of the Core if there’s...something that comes up, rather than, you know, leaving the building in the middle of the night.”
Pike huffed around the spoon in his mouth, drawing back. “Okay, yeah, but would help if I coulda gotten to anyone.”
“You were in the dungeon.” Reed threw his hands up in the air, not sure how Pike still didn’t get exactly how fucked up last night had gone. “Look, no one’s pointing fingers, but some dumb shit happened. You told Blain you were gonna handle it. Then you got stuck. You could’ve let him take charge. He would’ve gotten you through those doors and moved everyone the fuck out of the way.”
Face going red, Pike put down his spoon. “That’s easy for you to say. You know him. I was fucking scared, and there was no one except strangers. I wasn’t just handing Danny off to one of them and it wouldn’t have made me a better sub to do that. Or suddenly trust just anyone.”
Taking a deep breath, Reed lowered his hands. “I’m not saying that, man. And you’re right, it didn’t make you a bad sub to do that. Actually, it made you a damn good friend. I’m glad you were there for him. But neither of you should have been in the dungeon. I don’t think...you understood why. Not really.” He spoke softly, catching the defensive edge Pike always used when he was scared. Only, he didn’t usually admit it. And like fuck would Reed make him regret being honest now. “There’s some stuff that we can all learn that will make us safer. Not just as subs, but as Asylum subs. As Core subs. Maybe, at some point, Sub 101 could be something that’s done for the whole club, but right now I’m focused on us. On our submission, on what we can learn to make navigating this place easier and safer.”
There were a few nods. Shea took Jacks’ hand, lacing their fingers together, gesturing for Reed to go on as Jacks rested his head on Shea’s shoulder.
Reed turned his attention back to Pike, smiling at him to let him know things were gonna be okay. “I want you to know Blain and some of the other Doms around here enough to be able to ask them for help. I want some of the things that I gained through a lot of bad decisions myself to be stuff you don’t have to learn the hard way. And what you learned, what Jamie did, or Wren and Avery, or...Danny did, can...show the rest of us what we’ve gotta work on, too. With a Dom who has all kinds of his own experiences to guide us.”
“Anything that can help me be a better sub and how to do things right is good by me, but I’m not great at learning with classes. I hope you all don’t hate me when we’re done.” Blowing out a breath, Jamie leaned back against Noah. “I think some of the Doms might, too... We are having more than one Dom teach?”
Reed raked his fingers through his hair, pacing across the bar, then back. All this stuff with the subs should’ve been cleared up during the sub summit, damn it. “No one’s gonna hate you. Yes, if Jared decides we need to learn stuff from other Doms, they’ll teach. I don’t know how else to convince you guys this’ll be a good thing. I guess it depends what you wanna get out of it. If that’s nothing, then...that’s what you’re gonna get.”
“Hey, man...” Matt held out his arm to invite Reed closer. “Jams didn’t say it was a bad idea. He was asking questions. You’re doin’ great. I think we’re having a conversation about it so we’re all clear on what to expect, you know?” Turning a little, he glanced at Lawson. “I’m kinda worried about someone other than you having control of what happens to me with punishments and stuff, and I don’t want to do any kind of sex outside of our group, but I think this is good overall.”
As Reed approached, Lawson took a firm hold of the back of his neck, touching their foreheads together. “I agree with Matt. You did well, my boy. You presented your idea, now you can let the Board take it from here. As Doms, it’s up to us to be in control and we’ll handle any issues that may come up.”
“I’d like to bring up one more thing before we vote, if I may?” Jared handed his cigar to Wren again, the air around them clouded with the slightly sweet smelling smoke.
Lawson sent Reed to Curtis with a nudge to the small of his back, then inclined his head to Jared. “Of course. What is it?”
“I’d like one more person here to be able to vote, after we include him on the Board.” Jared motioned Jacks and Shea over, then clasped Shea’s shoulder. “You’re part of the team who protects us, you live here, you’ve given up a lot to be with us every moment of the day. Your boy is impacted by all of these decisions. For all these reasons, I nominate Shea to be on The Asylum Board.”
Folding his arms around Jamie and relaxing back into his stool, Noah nodded. “I second that. I’d also like to nominate Jacks. They both interact with the general membership more than the rest of us and I think they have some useful insight.”
Matt cleared his throat much as Jared had done, giving Reed a meaningful look. “You want me to do it?”
“Yeah.” Reed rubbed his hands over his face, needing to block out the rest of the room for a sec. “Please.”
Pulling Reed around, Curtis cuddled him close and kissed the top of his curls. “Good job, sparkles.”
Those strong arms around Reed made facing the rest of the Core a bit easier. As the pressure in his chest eased, Reed opened his eyes, giving Matt a little nod to let him know he was good.
“Um...” Matt met each Dom’s gaze, then nodded once. “Okay, so with stuff like we brought up today, we’d like to not have to be disruptive and we want to do all the right things especially if we’re going to have a whole class to learn how. It’d be stupid to do all that and then be jerks. Right? So we nominate Quint to represent the subs’ interests on the Board.”
Pike dug into the ice cream, holding a spoonful to Seth’s lips. “He’s like a super sub. Can I second the nomination? The whole meeting thing is super weird.”
“Officially, someone already on the Board has to nominate another member. It’s in the bylaws, which are a legal document.” Curtis looked up from where he’d been nuzzling Reed’s neck. “So, I nominate Quint.”
A slanted smile curved Lawson’s lips. “I’ll second that. If there are no more nominations, we’ll put each one presented to a vote.”
“I did have a member ask me a question the other day, as a point of order I’d like to clarify before we continue?” Dallas spoke up from his place at the bar, Keiran tucked close under one arm, all the subs having abandoned the ‘sub table’ now.
Lawson frowned as he looked up from the ledger he’d begun taking notes in. He rested one hand on Matt’s thigh. “If it’s relevant, go ahead, but from this point on I’d like to get through one matter so we can move on to the next or we won’t get anything accomplished. The subs bringing up the classes was an exception.”
“Sorry. It is relevant.” Pushing back his stool, Dallas stood. “I don’t like it, but there’s a point of legality that we haven’t addressed and no one has ever brought it up before. Basically, it’s that by State Law we are an incorporated business, and any business with a Board has to hold elections every three years where general membership can nominate and elect a Board to represent its interests. The member wanted to know when he could ‘vote out the old guard’.” He held up both hands. “Just the messenger, fellas.”
A stiff smile on his lips, Noah shook his head. “He can’t. I don’t give a fuck what legal shit you need to change, Lawson, but we won’t be running things that way. The Board is something I agreed to because being called a dictator wasn’t very appealing. Make no mistake, this is our club. The things we discuss are often personal, or based around security. There’s no ‘getting rid’ of anyone and those who join the Board have to damn well earn their place here. Which Shea and Jacks have. So has Quint. The rest can enjoy what we work damn fucking hard to give them.”
“Lawson, you know the Secretary of State. Let’s ask her office what can be done.” Jared spoke around his cigar. “Good enough?”
When Noah ground his teeth, looking ready to go deeper into the issue, Lawson held up his hand. “I’ll speak to her and sort this out.” He caught Dallas’ eye. “If there’s any further questions like that, send them my way. I’ll find a diplomatic way to address it that will hopefully quell any grumbling among the members. Or show them the door if they’re just looking to start trouble. One positive from last night is we were shown, once again, that there are a lot of potential members vying for a spot. Financially, we’re in a very good place, so I can start looking at proposed renovations.” He looked at Noah now. “And consider some of the new toys you’ve been wanting to add. If we have the space to create two different kinds of dungeons, or play spaces, it won’t be such a big issue.”
Jared set his cigar on the ashtray in front of him. “Are we ready to vote, then?”
Nodding, Dallas took a sip of his oatmeal cookie stout. “Yep.”
Right on the edge of Seth’s knee, Pike reached out to Dallas, giving him one of his sweet, pleading smiles. “Can I try some of that? You can have some of my ice cream.”
“No ice cream until he votes.” Lawson chuckled, then sat back, bringing Matt with him so he was settled against him fully. “I’ll begin. I vote to include all three nominees on the Board. I think the fresh perspective from trusted members of the Core will be very useful.”
“Agreed. I also vote aye.” Seth whispered in Pike’s ear, “And for ice cream.”
Pike grinned, feeding his Dom another spoonful of the treat. He offered the tub to Matt. “Lawson’s rules. Ice cream for votes. I’d give him a bite myself, but I don’t want you slapping me again, so I’ll let ya do it.”
“Sir, would you like some ice cream?” Matt snickered, offering the half-eaten tub to Lawson, along with the used spoon.
The edge of Lawson’s lips twitched. “Let’s leave the spoon for Pike and Seth. I wouldn’t mind a bite. With a fresh spoon.”
“I’ll vote for all three. And take some of that ice cream.” Noah plucked out Pike’s spoon, taking a big bite of ice cream, obviously just to mess with Lawson. He gave it an extra lick, which had Lawson rolling his eyes.
Still chuckling, Curtis nodded. “Aye to all three. And ice cream for me and my boy.”
Some treats would be the perfect way to end the meeting. Reed let out a soft sound of agreement thinking about the ice cream Matt had made with some of the bulk supply of Nerds, so none would go to waste. “I’ve so earned a great big bowl.”
“Yes. All three.” Jared pulled out a stack of bowls and spoons from under the bar, then headed for the galley. “I’ll get the toppings.”
“I can do it, sir.” Wren slowed as he passed Pike, who’d reclaimed his spoon from Noah and was digging out a huge scoop of ice cream for his cousin. “You’ve had your flu shots, so I suppose you won’t give the rest of the Core anything too harmful. It would be interesting to see how quickly a virus could spread with something cold, though.”
Pike leaned forward, pressing a quick kiss to Wren’s lips. “Not everything’s a science experiment, dude. It’s just fun.”
A low warning growl came from Noah as he curved his arm around Wren’s waist to stop him from going any further. Smirking a bit, Pike kissed Wren again. Reed decided to save him from an early grave and tugged Curtis’ cousin out of reach.
“Wren, there’s, like, twenty pints of ice cream in the freezer. I made some gingerbread, and a pretzel one. Bring some others out. The containers will feel good on your hands.” Still snuggled back into Lawson, Matt didn’t seem like he wanted to go anywhere anytime soon.
Tipping his head back, Jamie glanced furtively at Noah, then slipped off his lap, heading toward the galley. Both Jared and Noah seemed like they were trying to stop their subs from doing anything, being all overprotective, but not in a bad way. Yet.
Please fucking let it stay like that.
Noah chuckled as he licked his thumb, wiping off Wren’s lips. “Is there a problem, my little bird?”
“Yes, sir. That is disgusting.” Wren made a face, then glanced at Seth as Jared came out of the galley with a tray, Jamie holding open the door with his butt for his Dom. “And is he always that sticky?”
There was a strange darkness to Seth’s expression, one that made it a bit more obvious what he and Jared had in common when they’d been together an eternity ago. “Oh, I could make him stickier, if you’d care to watch?”
Cheeks going pink, Wren shook his head. “No, thank you, sir.” He ducked his head, moving with a bit less decorum than usual to Jared’s side. “I do not like sticky things.”
“I’ll have to remember that. Pity. I enjoyed our sex life.” Jared’s tone was dry as he seemed to catch the edge of Seth’s dark humor.
Wren stared up at him, stuttering. “But...I didn’t...you…”
“You’re all terrible.” Keiran swept in to Wren’s rescue, clucking his tongue at Jared before grabbing a dishcloth and wetting it to wipe Wren’s face. “You’ll love the ice cream Matt made, just for you. It’s not too sticky when it’s cold. Go sit with Jamie in the subs’ booth, the rest of us will handle the big, mean Doms.”
“Does anyone care about my vote, or should we adjourn?” Stealing both the spoon and the pint of ice cream, Dallas angled away from Pike, taking a big bite. “I vote yes, but only if there’s cake to go with this celebration.”
Keiran looked up from where he was still fussing over Wren. “There’s always cake, sir.”
“All right then. That’s a definite yes.” Dallas winked at his boy, standing again to go around the bar, where he plucked up a Glencairn and gestured to Lawson. “Whiskey, my man?”
Inclining his head, Lawson turned his attention to Shea and Jacks, who’d joined the rest of the group at the bar. “For our new Board members as well. I think they could use it.”
Shea was already half out of his stool, sitting back down at a raised brow from Lawson. “Right. There’s still shit to vote on. Fine, but make it quick. We need to get back to our boy. Quint’s great with him and all, but...he needs us.”
“Can he come in here on the bed? It rolls. And we miss him.” Avery dropped upside down from the rafter, appearing almost in Lawson’s face. “Please, sir?”
Brow furrowing, Lawson glanced toward the gym. “That’s a medical decision. You’ll have to ask his doctor.”
After letting Wren go to the subs’ booth with Jamie, Keiran came around the bar, catching Avery around the waist and flipping him in his arms. “Let’s go talk to Quint. And let him know about his brand new position that...we forgot to tell him about before getting it for him.”
“Yeah. That’ll be fun. Also, you’re getting good at helping me with dismounts.” Avery stood on tiptoe to kiss his co-sub’s dusky cheek.
“Were we going to vote on the classes? Because I’m willing to hold them. It doesn’t need to be official.” Jared nodded his thanks to Dallas, who handed him his own whiskey. “Unless there not being a Sub 101 is in the bylaws somewhere?”
Noah shook his head, turning a bit on his stool to face him. “It was just something entertaining to say to subs who might use their ignorance as an excuse for bad behavior. I think it being something a bit exclusive, for our boys, will help with some of the serious issues they have to face. I don’t think there are any objections, so consider the job yours.”
“I’d like to bring up that the only punishments in class should be lines or hand spankings. I don’t want Pike not learning anything because he’s too worried he’s going to have Lawson’s paddle taken to him.” Seth tipped his beer bottle to Lawson. “No offense.”
Letting out a soft sigh, Lawson glanced toward his office. “That’s not something you’ll need to worry about from me anytime soon. My paddle needs to be replaced and I don’t have the time to do so at the moment.”
“You won’t have to, my man.” Noah reached out and patted Lawson on the shoulder. “Trust me. And I apologize for my boy doing...what he thought would help all the other subs with their summit. He didn’t know putting it in the galley would end up with it ruined.”
“Sorry...” Chuckling, Seth, shook his head. “Galley? Ruined? Did someone think it was for pizzas or something? I know it was special.” He coughed into his hand. “I’m sorry.”
Lawson slid him a dry look. “Clearly.” He rolled his shoulders and turned his attention to Noah. “Don’t apologize for him. I’m not sure what I did to make him believe I’d be the biggest issue. I’ve used the thing on him maybe twice since he’s been part of this club. Either way, if I teach any classes, I have no problem using my hands. Or the closest available corner.”
“I’ll use a volunteer for demonstrations. We have most of the interests and submission styles represented among the Core subs. That shouldn’t be an issue. As for punishments, I would hope you could trust me to approach each sub in the manner in which they learn best. We have established between us, Bizzy, that Pike is a softer touch. Others...” Jared glanced at the galley. “Have higher thresholds.”
Swiping the rest of Dallas’ beer, like he’d decided turn-about was fair play, Pike took a tentative sip. He made an appreciative sound, then met Jared’s eyes. “I trust you, sir. I’m not sure if not having a high threshold is supposed to be a bad thing or something, though. It doesn’t make me a wimp, does it?”
“Not at all, little gremlin. I prefer a softer touch outside of scenes.” Jared narrowed his gaze at Curtis’ snort. “I do. It means a submissive is responsive to correction. I don’t enjoy wearing my arm out or wasting my time. It doesn’t mean I won’t do it, however.”
Holding up both hands, Curtis shook his head. “I’m just saying it’s not the first thing I see you reach for.”
“Because it’s not the nature of the subs I usually deal with, Wren excepted. A look can quell his worst urges, which are in most circumstances relatively mild. What happened last night is an area we know requires...a stronger approach.” Jared passed a glass of whiskey over the bar to Noah. “Thank you for taking that on last night, by the way.”
Noah tipped his glass toward Jared in acknowledgment. “He needed it, for several reasons, and he’s my sub as well. You were dealing with enough and I take my responsibility towards him seriously. I don’t enjoy giving harsh punishments either. There’s a certain...satisfaction in knowing your sub wants to please you on a level that your disappointment is enough. When it’s not, you work on getting there together.”
The door to the gym opened, Keiran and Avery holding it. Instead of the bed coming in, Quint was carrying Danny, who was little more than a blanket-wrapped bundle in his arms. Smiling at Jacks, Quint motioned for him to sit and lowered him into the Dom’s lap. “He’s still a little groggy from the pain medication I’ll be slowly weaning him off of, but he wanted to join everyone in here.”
Jacks softly kissed Danny somewhere hidden in all the blankets, then lifted his gaze to Quint. “Thank you. And welcome to the Board. This is a good day.”
“Thank you, sir.” Quint looked over at Shea as he pulled up a chair beside Jacks. “If he continues to be able to stay hydrated on his own and remains stable, there’s no reason you won’t be able to bring him home after this. Just be careful letting him walk around. He’ll be disoriented for a while.”
Making a quiet sound, Danny shifted a bit in Jacks’ hold. “Not walking is okay, too. I like being up here. You’re a nicer bed. And I like not having anything sticking in me. No more sharp things.”
The guy didn’t know how much fun sharp things could be, but not everyone did. Reed kept that thought to himself, though, something settling inside him with the other sub’s presence. Knowing he’d be home soon, that he could be here now, even if he was adorably out of it, made all the shit that had gone wrong fade a bit into the background.
From the way everyone was watching Danny, some with obvious relief, Reed wasn’t the only one who felt that way.
“What can I get you, Shea?” Jared motioned to the backbar.
Petting the tuft of hair that showed above the blanket, Shea smiled at him. “One of the microbrews my boy loves would be great.” He tapped Danny’s nose. “None for you for a little while, but we’ll enjoy one together when you get the all clear.”
“I’d like that, sir.” Danny wiggled into a half-seated position in Jacks’ arms. “Can I have some soda? Maybe with a little bit of ice cream? You said it was a cheat day.”
Whatever was in the drugs Quint was giving Danny must be good if the guy was actually asking for ice cream. The doctor Doms had a little debate about whether or not it would be good for him so soon after surgery while everyone spread out with their drinks, or bowls full of their favorite flavor of Matt’s incredible creations.
Aside from a few detours and road bumps, the Board meeting had been a success. Reed sat on the edge of Curtis’ knee at the bar next to Lawson, putting as big of a spoonful of ice cream in his mouth as he could. He snickered, giving himself brain freeze as Pike tried to mirror him and Quint took over, ignoring Pike’s pout and making him take a smaller bite.
These silly little moments were the kind of thing Reed wanted to hold onto, a bit of harmless fun, his family all together enjoying each other’s company. Sometimes, shit got really bad, and they had to figure out how to get through it.
And a few of them might be a bit roughed up when they got to the other side.
But the point was, they’d get there.
Maybe learn a few things along the way. Because there might not’ve been a Sub 101 before, but when Reed really thought about it…
Class is always in session.
****
A running theme of ice cream, love it!
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