Page 18 of Pretty ’n Peak

He looked to the subs at the front of the room. Some of them were posing. Others were laughing. All of them were either skinny and twink-ish or muscular and toned, with acres of supple skin on display. And they all seemed so young.

Like subs were supposed to look.

Mateo knew that was a stereotype. He’d met Jamie’s boyfriend upstairs, and Neil wasn’t young or skinny.

But he also wasn’t kneeling on the floor, sucking a dick-sicle.

Mateo knew what he would look like up there. Aunque la mona se vista de seda…

“What was that?”

He hadn’t meant to say it out loud. “Um, it’s just this phrase. It means you can dress a monkey in silk.” That was the part he’d said. “But it’s still a monkey.”

It was what he thought every time he started to reach for something pretty.

He could still hear his father’s voice, laughing when he walked into Mateo’s sister’s room and caught ten-year-old Mateo in there trying on her dress.

He hadn’t even said it meanly. More like it was a funny joke. Mateo’s brother had laughed too. And the rest of his family when his father relayed the story over dinner.

Mateo had ripped off the dress instantly, of course. Because the second he looked back in the mirror, that was all he could see. A chubby, ugly monkey trying on silks.

“That’s ridiculous.” Austin cut through his thoughts. “Let me promise you, if you were kneeling up there, you would be sexy. A big, strong guy on his knees… that’s hot.”

Mateo’s mind spun in a million directions at once. Austin saying he was hot, even indirectly, made his pulse race. But then again, Austin couldn’t actually see him. And, well, he didn’t always want to be a big, strong guy. Not that he was even that strong, which would have at least been something. He was just big.

Austin leaned in a little closer. “And if you want to dress in silks… I assure you, you would have a very appreciative audience.”

Mateo didn’t even know how to respond. Did Austin mean that he would be the appreciative audience? Or just other Doms in general?

And could Mateo really see himself up there wearing…

Mateo shut down the thought. He was here for a weekend of exploration. But exploration meant testing out his pain tolerance. Maybe some rougher sex. Not… not…

Austin’s broad fingers smoothed over Mateo’s hands, thumbs stroking his palms and sending those delicious shivers through him. “Doing alright, boy?”

Mateo let out a soft breath. Now Austin was calling him boy. When he’d imagined the possibility before, it always sounded hokey. But when Austin said it, it wrapped around him like a warm blanket, even as it zinged straight to his cock, making him feel more sexy and alive than he ever had before.

But there had been a question. He nodded automatically. Then shrugged.

Then, much later, realized that Austin was still waiting for a response because he couldn’t see. “Uh… I’m fine.”

Austin’s forehead wrinkled, his magnified eyes widening like they were trying to check Mateo over. Like they didn’t quite believe him.

“Really, uh, I’m fine. I just don’t want to do the crawling thing.”

“Then you don’t have to. Do you want to watch?”

He’d only been listening to the commotion with half an ear, but he knew they were almost ready to begin.

“Sure.”

He hadn’t realized that agreeing would mean that Austin let go of his hands. He almost wanted to grab them back.

But that wasn’t fair. Austin wasn’t available. He was just walking him through things.

And, seriously. Mateo was a twenty-eight-year-old man. He could handle a silly game with sexual overtones. This shouldn’t be a big deal.

He watched the subs scramble across the floor. Some of them were clearly aiming for more points by going faster, laughing with cute chocolate-coated grins as the water spilled from the spoons. A few were careful and focused, eyes as much on the finish line as they were on the line of Doms waiting just behind it. Others managed to weave a slinky strut into their crawling, hips popping with each flowing move, arms outstretched like cheetahs prowling through the grass.