Page 60 of Filtration Play
“What the hell?” Hera balled her hands into fists. Meg’s tone brooked no argument, and she’d turned into ice, not responding to Hera at all. “I’m sure you’re enjoying this.” Hera turned on him, her gaze flashing.
Ollie lifted his hands. “Literally just met you a minute ago. Though I can say it’s not leaving the best impression.”
Hera narrowed her eyes and glanced at Fin, then back to the door. “You’re going to regret being such a bitch, Meg.”
With that, she stomped out the door, slamming it shut behind her.
“Fuck,” Meg muttered, running her fingers through her hair. “I should’ve handled that with more tact.”
Ollie shrugged. “I’m not sad she got handed her ass.”
Meg scrubbed at her face. “But Hera’s the one hosting Fin’s photography show. I don’t want them to deal with any blowback.”
“Yeah, but if she said that shit to Fin, they would’ve fired back with worse.” His blood hummed, the energy from the situation amping him up even higher. His insecurities jangled like an alarm, and he would need to address this soon, most likely with his therapist.
Meg heaved a sigh. “You’re not wrong. I’ll need to be on the alert, though. I’ve never trusted her.”
“Why’s that?” he asked. Meg seemed to have a honed intuition, and he was beyond grateful she saw him in such a good light. Praise from her meant more than it coming from most.
“I’ve been in the scene for a long while, and I’ve made my fair share of mistakes over the years. Sometimes people broadcast their red flags from the start, but other times, it’s the responses they give when you set firm boundaries. Kink’s all about power exchange, so respecting boundaries is of utmost importance, even outside of a scene. I set mine with her, and rather than accepting them, she pouted and pushed. Red flag.”
Ollie leaned back in the seat, letting that sink in. The entire time he’d played with Fin, they’d been clear about their boundaries from the start. And in the process, they’d taught him to communicate his, which was invaluable. He’d grown more, understood more about himself in the past month than he had for years.
“Sounds like Fin’ll be better off without her then,” he said, feeling a little vindication after what a bitch she’d been.
Meg’s jaw tensed. “If problems arise, we’ll handle them.”
“Why does that sound ominous and threatening?”
Meg’s grin turned positively feline. “Just my natural aura.”
“Fucking done.” Fin marched over. “Ollie, stop lazing about on the couch with Meg. I’m starving.”
He lifted a brow. “What for?”
They stopped in front of him, crossed their arms, and a wicked grin lit their face. “Depends. If you’re offering your ass, I’ll have that for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.”
Well, he should’ve seen that one coming. His cheeks burned. Meg, on the other hand, seemed unfazed.
“Do you have a second?” Meg asked, probably to broach the Hera situation.
“Tomorrow, okay?” Fin rocked back and forth on their heels. “This one’s been temptation from the moment he stepped in.”
Heat flushed through him from head to toe. God, he loved the way they talked about him, how brazen and unashamed they were.
“Sounds good,” Meg said. “Have fun, you two.”
He pushed up from the seat, and Fin wrapped their hand around his neck, drawing him down for a kiss. This one was as intense and as direct as them, and it sent a rippling thrill through him. Fin had a way of making him feel claimed that he’d never experienced but sorely loved.
When Fin pulled away, he was a little breathless.
“Come on, lover,” they said, reaching down and grabbing his hand. “We’ve got a long and sweaty night ahead of us.”
Fuck yes.
Chapter Twenty
The night before, Fin had enjoyed Ollie until the long hours of the night, and he’d even crashed at their place. Having him in their space was becoming easier and easier, something they hadn’t anticipated with how long they’d been by their lonesome.
