Wing of a Butterfly

Chapter 22

Pete opened his eyes as he felt the mattress dip next to him, then closed them again with a satisfied sigh as Vegas gently pressed his lips against his temple, before sliding off the bed and walking to the bathroom. Pete moved a little to the side so he could lay on the pillow that just started to cool, smelling the other man's shampoo and cologne on it. He smiled to himself as he pulled the blanket closer to his chest. He basked in the warmth and comfort for long minutes until he heard the bathroom door open again and he reluctantly turned to his side to take his turn and complete his morning routine.

He was still slightly sleepy, which was unusual for him, but he felt more awake as he walked back to the bedroom. The rolling shutters were still down, only letting in stray rays of the sun and blanketing the room in half darkness. Vegas was back in bed with the pillows raised high behind him as he looked at something on his phone. Pete had to stop for a moment to appreciate the view of the man, as he lay on top of the dark grey sheets, only wearing navy blue satin pants, his abs flexing as he moved a little to get more comfortable. Pete must have made a sound or the other simply felt his gaze on him as Vegas looked up and tilted his head as if asking if Pete wanted something.

Pete hastily turned away and walked to the closet. Vegas emptied some drawers and shelves for him the day before, but after everything that happened, he didn't want to waste any time putting his clothes away so he just dropped his bags on the floor. Now he opened his duffel and put his shirts on the shelves, not caring to follow any kind of system. He bit his lip as he glanced to the side and saw the neat rows of clothes on the other side, separated by fabric and colour, then took a deep breath and reorganised his shirts. He put his underwear and socks into the drawers and then put away his pants too, paying attention to keep everything neat to not annoy Vegas.

His section looked a little bit bare after he was finished, but Pete just shrugged as he crouched and put his extra pair of sneakers on the rack next to the only pair of dress shoes he owned. He bit his lips as he closed the sliding glass separator before the shoe racks, then glanced to the side, ready to stand up. His eyes stopped on a dark wooden box in the corner and he tilted his head curiously as he put his hand on the top of it. It was quite big compared to any other box in the closet. Those Pete recognised as containers for ties, watches, cufflinks and other kinds of jewellery but this was so big that Pete could have sat on it comfortably. It even had wheels on the bottom, probably for easier handling.

"Vegas," said Pete, biting his bottom lip as his curiosity won over. "What is in the big wooden box?"

There was a moment of silence, so Pete leaned back to glance out to the bed and saw how the man blinked, clearly thinking about something, before putting his phone aside and smirking when their eyes met.

"You can open it if you want."

Pete didn't even try to hide how eager he was. He turned back right away and pulled the box forward so he was able to raise the top part. At first, it didn't move until he realised there were pins at the back that he needed to push in first, probably so the box wouldn't open accidentally.

He finally lifted the lid off, then blinked as he looked into the padded interior before reaching in. He touched the first thing he saw, slowly lifting it out while trying to understand exactly what he was holding. His first thought was some kind of leather padded handcuffs based on the two adjustable circles that were connected by a chain, but he couldn't grasp why the two cuffs were such different sizes.

"The bigger is for the thigh, the smaller for ankles or wrists," said Vegas.

Pete glanced up at him, watching as the man leaned against the doorway with his arms crossed, not coming closer, just waiting patiently. Pete looked back at the cuffs, then licked his bottom lip and reached into the box again, lifting out the next thing he touched. He didn't need any explanation to understand that it was a collar, but he didn't get why it had four leashes attached to it. He thought about it as he touched the end of one of them and saw that it had multiple hooks at different lengths.