Defying Dominance (MxM) (18+)

16

Chapter 16: Daniel

"It's a karaoke club," Jace says, showing me a photo of the outside of the building. "It's not a very popular place because it's new and there are a ton of them around, but it's never boring. Just not crowded. And Cameron is going on a date today, so most of the cameras and shit will be following him."

"Really? Why?"

"Because he's the eldest. Plus, we're taking your car. They're not gonna know I'm in that. So you're okay with this date?"

"Yeah. You like karaoke?"

"So much. I love it so much. Do you?"

"I like watching and hearing other people do it, but I'm...not good at singing. So I just don't."

Jace tilts his head. "I bet you're a fine singer."

"I sound like a strangled cat."

Jace laughs as he locks his phone and slides it into his pocket, leaning back in my beanbag chair. "Do you still want to practice for the next project for Bondage?"

"I mean, of course I do. I like to practice until I'm perfect. But I don't want to upset you before our date later."

"It was less upsetting last time and more so that it...made me feel a way I hadn't felt before and that was unsettling. I was worried I would slip up in public. But we're in your house, in your room, and no one else is home. If I slip up...I'm safe."

He feels truly safe here. Good. He needs that. I sit up on my bed, crossing my legs. "How did it make you feel?"

"You look and sound like a therapist in a shit movie." Jace shifts on the beanbag so he's sitting more on his knees. "It made me feel...floaty. Warm. All I cared about was you and those feelings. I didn't want you giving any attention to anything but me. But then I remembered I was in class and had to make those feelings go away because I didn't want to do something stupid with people watching."

"Sounds like subspace."

"That's what Cameron said too! He said to ask Avery but that feels invasive because Avery is Avery and I don't want to make him not like me. I-How come you know about subspace?"

"Because I've done research about it all, so I'd know everything my future sub could possibly ever need. The guy that put Art of Submission together wrote a book on it, too. Read it all. But it usually takes more than just...tying your wrists up to get someone into that headspace."

"Yeah...Cameron says it's because I've repressed it too long, so it was easy to fall into it. But I liked how it felt. I felt calm. I wasn't even thinking about Dad or being a fuckup or disappointment...It was a nice break."

I frown and lean forward. He'd said that so...matter-of-factly. "You aren't a fuckup, Jace. Don't say that."

"I mean...Dad wouldn't be pissy with me if I wasn't fucked up."

"You're a sub, not fucked up. Your dad is the fucked up one."

Jace shrugs noncommittally and flips over to lay on his back, legs stretched up and resting against my wall. "The next project is arm bindings, yeah? And the one after is chest work? You wanna just practice both at the same times? So you get lots of practice and I can get used to it?"

"Yeah. You looked at the syllabus?"

Jace nods. "You reading all of yours and being so ready for everything made me feel a little guilty, so I skimmed our outlined projects and classes."