Impress Me Not: Neon Underground

Chapter 16

The night went surprisingly well, even though the jerk was still there. There was still plenty of laughter and music as everyone enjoyed themselves with no filter. Mateo enjoyed watching them this time, instead of being a part of it. He had originally thought that he was going to be in the crowd cheering and possibly finding someone to come home with. Now that he was here, though, he felt more like he wanted to sit back and watch the chaos.

"What's with the collar anyway?" he asked Melvin. Of course, tall, dark and grumpy was over at his table still, enjoying more drinks than Mateo ever thought he could handle. "Is that what you're into?"

"I'm into many things," Melvin answered. He always had a stupid smirk on his face whenever he looked at Mateo. He hated it. "The collar, however, is mainly to showcase one of the major kinks that many people enjoy."

"Why would you enjoy wearing a collar?" He continued his questioning. "That just seems stupid."

He didn't get the whole sexual fantasy around it, but he mostly wanted to act disgusted because he enjoyed the look in the man's eyes when he did. Melvin always had a flicker of anger whenever he said something like that, mixed with amusement and something else. Mateo didn't know why, but he enjoyed making him pissed.

"Have you ever been pulled into a room by your belt before?" Melvin asked. His eyebrows arched up in amused curiosity. It made his features pop out more in the warm lights.

"No," Mateo said. That did unlock a new fantasy though. He wondered what that was like. He vaguely remembered seeing something like that happen in the movies, but that was just about it. He didn't think people did that outside of the television screen.

"That explains it, then," The dark man chuckled again. It was a low one that sent shivers down his spine. "The idea of wanting to wear a collar could be a desire for many things. It could be that you want to be owned and taken care of by someone," He paused and leaned into him. "Or it could be that you wish to be desired so bad that someone will pull you by the throat in order to have their way with you."

That elicited a wave of excitement that Mateo had never had pulse through him. No one had made his body react in such a crazy way that this man did.

"So," Mateo cleared his throat, trying to keep up the conversation. "That's your thing then?"

"Not entirely," Melvin shrugged. He acted so normal about all of this. It was as if this was just an average day for him. "But that's none of your concern."

"Why wouldn't it be?"

"Because you don't even want to know me," he answered, his eyes growing serious. It was the first time that night that they had.

"What makes you think that I don't want to know you?" Mateo was caught off guard with that. Of course, he wanted to know more about this man. He was still trying to figure out just how he had convinced him to go back into one of those rooms again.

"Because the last person that I thought you merely wanted to know about, I found out you wanted his business, instead," Melvin spared no time getting right to the point.

"Oh, will you stop bringing that shit up!" Mateo scoffed. "I don't even work for that company anymore. The last thing I want is to remember that shit."

"You don't work there anymore?" Blue eyes captured his, a spark of curiosity in them. They were like a siren against the sea. "What about all the money you got from it? I would have thought a man like you would still be trying to get more money and success."

"You know," Mateo started. "You don't know me as much as you think. I'm not all about making money."

"That's definitely what you made it seem when you came into my cousin's café with a pen and paper in your hands," Melvin frowned.