“I’ll need a test subject for tonight,” I mentioned.
He blinked. “Um.” Then he stepped back and pointed at James. “He can do it.”
I smirked faintly. “That’s fair. I know brats aren’t…you know.”
He knitted his brows and tried to stand taller. “Aren’t what?”
I leaned forward as if I were going to whisper a secret. “Brave.”
Ash rumbled a laugh. “Yeah, that’s a rumor we’ve debunked repeatedly.”
Truly.
The corners of Jordan’s eyes tightened. “I can totally do it! Iwilldo it!” He locked eyes with me. “I will do it. Sir.”
Adorable.
“We’ll see.” I smiled. “Nobody’s getting up there with me if I think they’ve been taunted or pressured into it.”
James cleared his throat. “I, uh…don’t feel pressured.”
Good to know.
“But I wanna do it,” Jordan argued weakly.
James shot him a cocky little look. “Then you should’ve volunteered yourself instead of me.” He glanced back at Ash and me. “Is there a dress code?”
I shook my head. “Come as you are. People show up in everything from jeans and tees to underwear.” That applied to Jordan as well. “And you wouldn’t be the first Little to join the Pajama Parade out there if you wish to wear that at Mclean.”
Jordan’s relief was instant. “Really? That’s awesome. Maybe next time, though. I picked out a pair of cute briefs for tonight.”
I was definitely looking forward to that.
CHAPTER 6
Ash Riley
Iblew out a breath and switched lanes before our exit. “Yeah, I ate too much.”
Nate chuckled, gaze glued to his phone. “Told you.”
Yeah, yeah.
I side-eyed him, admittedly excited to see him in action for the first time in a very long time. Even before we’d separated, kink had been an infected topic for me, so I hadn’t engaged as much as I had back in the day. But I still had my memories, and Nathan was a force to be reckoned with in his rigger mode. He came off as damn strict—because safety was his priority. His punishments were severe for the same reason. Mistakes, on the other hand, were forgiven instantly. It was the willful disobedience and recklessness that legit pissed him off, and nobody could blame him. Rope bondage wasn’t generally a safe kink.
“Have you decided what you’re gonna do?” I wondered.
He hummed. “I think so. It’s mostly beginners there tonight, so after my usual safety intro, I’ll have about forty-five minutes.Enough time for a Server’s Hand, maybe show some basic knots, and possibly a single-column waist harness.”
I understood about half of what he said, but it was 100% sexy as fuck. Nathan in his element. Unyielding, assertive, calculating, and more observant than anyone I knew. Whoever was his rope bottom had his undivided attention.
I wanted it fixed on Jordan tonight, but I’d leave that up to Nate. It was possible he’d prefer James.
It was just… I wanted to see how Jordan reacted to Nathan. If the boy had the guts to unleash his bossier side—which I doubted. Over the years, subs and brats had miscalculated our levels of dominance more times than we could count. They initially thought I was the big bad wolf while Nate was the kinder, more patient Dom. And sure, he had patience. He was nurturing and diplomatic. But unless I was in the mood to hunt down my prey, I was way more laid-back. My fuse was long.
Nate’s wasn’t necessarily shorter—in fact, he never lost his cool—but he was sure as hell quicker to shut things down.
The reaction whore in me wanted to see Jordan’s switchyness tickle Nate’s dominance.
