Page 56 of Filtration Play
They entered the bar, which was a Prohibition-era relic. The amber lighting created the perfect ambiance to frame the hardwood surfaces, and the green vinyl barstools formed a neat line down the massive bar. But they veered toward the private booths along the side, made of the same green vinyl. Jazz filtered through the whole place, and they didn’t quite hate the sound in this setting, even though the musical genre made them a little stabby.
“Uh, Fin?” Ollie said. “Pretty sure this is a bar.”
Fin placed a hand on their chest. “Oh my stars, I had no idea.”
Ollie rolled his eyes. “Fine, I’ll trust that your idea of sustenance isn’t a Tom Collins.”
“Mmm, depends on the Tom Collins. The average amount of spunk contains about 252 milligrams of protein.”
Ollie groaned. “First off, that joke is fucking terrible. And second, do I want to know how you know as much?”
“Petty debate. I’m highly motivated when it comes to being petty.” They guided him to a seat and let go of his hand. The fact that they’d held hands with him the entire time smacked them in the face. That wasn’t something Fin did with anyone, yet Ollie continued to be the exception. Hard to keep his fantasies tamped down over small slips like that.
“That tracks.” Ollie snagged one of the menus. The overhead brassy chandeliers overhead cast ever-shifting patterns across the place.
“Are you a wings guy?” Fin grabbed a menu as well.
“I feel like that’s a trick question.” Ollie’s eyes crinkled with his grin. “If I say no, are you going to leave me stranded here?”
Fin shot him a look. “I’d never leave you stranded. And I brought you here because even though this place is known for liquor, they have the best damn wings in San Francisco.” Besides, wings were more diabetic-friendly, and they’d wanted him to have a solid option afterward.
“Yeah, I dig wings,” He handed over the menu. “Feel free to order what you think is best.”
“Damn, sweetness,” Fin said. “Give me all that power, and I’ll go mad with it.”
The server came over, and Fin placed the orders for them, reveling in the slight eyebrow lift at ordering waters and plates of wings in a place known for booze. Every chance they could get to stir up a little chaos, they’d take.
“How are you feeling after everything?” they asked. They’d had some brief check-ins with Ollie after the scene down in the dungeon, but it wasn’t the same with everyone around them. Plus, they’d been more focused on making sure they got a little sugar into his system than breaking down what they’d done together.
“Life and the universe?”
“No, the scene, jackass.”
Ollie’s eyes danced. “Not sure what I thought it’d be like, but the scene was way better than I’d imagined. None of my worries ended up coming true.”
Fin drew their brows together. “What were your concerns?”
“If I’d freeze up or if I’d feel uncomfortable in a group setting.”
They’d been doing those types of scenes for so long it was hard to remember a time being skittish about stripping down or fucking in public settings, but Ollie was so damn new to all of it. Yet he was brave as fuck too. He wasn’t afraid to try things, something Fin had become aware of from the start. Something they valued so much in another person.
“Those are normal fears,” Fin said. “But I’m so proud of you.”
Ollie’s gaze locked on theirs, and the unabashed softness there struck them right in the chest. They played with gossamer. One careless yank and they’d rip this tremulous thing between them. Theyshould step away. They were unused to anything more than casual, and they had the tact of a wrecking ball.
They’d more likely ruin this sooner rather than later. And yet they couldn’t seem to pull back from him.
“Anyway, once you start playing in a group setting, you realize real quick we’re all human. Did I ever tell you the watermelon story?”
Ollie shook his head. His smile made him so damn gorgeous they struggled to breathe sometimes. “No, but I have the feeling I need to hear this one.”
Fin opened their mouth, about to launch into their favorite story, when their phone buzzed with a text. They glanced down, wanting to make sure it wasn’t Meg or anyone following up after the Play Night. Instead, they saw one from their mom.
Their stomach soured.
“What caused that look?” Ollie asked.
Fin sucked in a deep breath. As much as they wanted to dodge around the discussion, they had also mellowed out after an explosive orgasm from claiming Ollie in front of their friends. “My mom set a time to meet up. We already saw each other over a month ago, and that’s more than enough for me. I don’t even know where the sudden interest is coming from.”
