Page 58 of Filtration Play
What did surprise him was how comfortable walking up to Whipped had become.
Maybe it had to do with the fact that last week most of this crew had touched him stripped and strapped down. But another factor had to do with comfort. Even though a lot of the employees at Whipped hadfive to ten years on him, none of them treated him like he was younger. An outsider. They’d welcomed him in with open arms and zero bias.
He stepped up to the front door, his heart racing a little faster. Would that last once Fin was done with him, though? Here, he finally felt like he found the community he’d been searching for. Something separate from his chaotic, albeit loving, family, where he could stand out on his own. With the edge he teeter-tottered on, he shouldn’t be taking any risks, but he also couldn’t stop living. The urge to cut wouldn’t vanish just because he played it safe.
Ollie walked inside.
The chatter washed over him, along with the scent of coffee and vanilla. A few folks sat in the two-seaters, but the café was relatively quiet. His gaze zeroed in on the hottie behind the counter, the one who’d last fucked him into oblivion in the dungeon here. Today, Fin wore a blue-and-white flannel, and their black tank top exposed sexy-as-fuck collarbones and a strong neckline. A few purple strands of hair had slipped past their beanie. They chatted with a customer, their hazel eyes crinkling with a mischievous grin, and Ollie’s heart somersaulted.
As if they felt him, Fin looked at him, and the way their whole face lit up? Yeah, he was fucked. Somewhere along the line, this infatuation with Fin had deepened—maybe over shared stories and bikes rides—but his threads had tangled so helplessly with theirs that he hoped he was never extricated.
“Coffee?” Fin called across the café. Because of course they did.
He nodded and sauntered over, not feeling the need to shout. He did enough of that in the shop when yelling for parts. When he stepped in front of the counter, the urge to lean forward and kiss Fin reared up in a big way. Even though they kissed on the regular now, this was their workplace, so he’d take cues from them.
“Here.” They placed a filled mug on the counter.
“This black?”
“You want some sugar?” they asked, their hazel eyes glinting. “C’mere.”
They placed their finger under his chin and drew him forward. Fin’s lips crashed to his in a blatant, public claiming. Heat poured through him in a ferocious sweep, and he basked in it. In the way they lightened his mood effortlessly, just from their presence alone.
When Fin pulled back, the wolfish grin on their lips made his heart thump harder.
“You know that was a cheesy-as-fuck line,” he said, his sarcasm hardwired.
“And yet it worked, didn’t it?” Fin said. “Now be a good boy and drink your coffee.”
He grabbed the mug and shook his head, amusement flowing through him. “You’re off in ten minutes, right?”
“Yeah, I won’t be long. Clearly, you couldn’t even wait to get to my house to see me.”
“Don’t feed their ego.” Nolan stepped up. “It’s like feeding a gremlin after midnight.”
“Duly noted,” he said. Nolan’s eyes lingered on him a moment longer, a knowing in his eyes after what they’d shared.
“Stop ogling my sub,” Fin snapped. “You’re about to have your hands full anyway.”
“What are you talking about?” Nolan asked.
“Didn’t you hear?” Fin arched their brows with the wicked slant that meant they tried to stir up shit. Ollie had fast started to read their expressions, since they were such a visual creature. “James is moving back to the area.”
Nolan’s cheeks flushed, which surprised Ollie. He’d only seen the guy confident and charming.
“Hey.” Meg placed a hand on Ollie’s shoulder. “I’m stealing you to chat.”
Fin shot daggers in Meg’s direction. “You’re going to poison him with your Care Bears shit.”
“It’s what I excel at.” Meg booped Fin on the nose. Fin snapped their teeth in a mock bite back at Meg. Before they could say anything else, though, Meg guided Ollie toward one of the empty two-seaters by the door.
“I feel like I’m getting dragged into the principal’s office,” Ollie said. Even though Meg was one of the most intimidating people here, she’d also been brazenly kind to him, and he’d warmed to her. To be fair, he’d fallen for what everyone else considered the other most intimidating person here. Though he’d seen through Fin’s bravado from the start.
“I mean, if we wanted to bring it downstairs, I’ve got a ruler.” Meg’s dark eyes gleamed with amusement. She took a seat, and he followed suit. “I just wanted to check in after last week, since I didn’t get the chance to. I know Fin’s your Dom, and I trust them, but as a participant in the scene and since you’ve never been to one of our Play Nights before, I wouldn’t feel right if I didn’t follow up.”
He took a sip from the coffee, a robust one Fin had picked out. He was aware they hadn’t made him pay, and they’d also been choosing things for him that were diabetic-friendly. They never tried to correct him or got pushy with him about it, though. They just offered support through action. He hadn’t realized how badly he’d needed that until Fin had come crashing into his life.
“I’m good with everything from the scene,” he said. “I might be new to kink, but Fin’s trained me well.” His shoulders tensed. He might work well with Fin as his Dom, but what would happen if theydecided they weren’t in for a relationship? If he had to start fresh with someone new? His skin ached, the urge rising.
