Page 59 of Counterpoint
“Yes,” Adrian said, answering the unasked question.
Yes, Dom looked like that when cuffed. He swallowed. “Oh.”
Adrian’s arm slipped off Dom’s shoulder and his hand touched the small of his back. “Come see my friend’s work.”
He was drawn deeper into the gallery. The photos showed more here, out of the view of the street. Breasts, nipples, the hint of pussy and cock. Heat burned through Dom slowly, not in his balls or dick, but deeper. In his gut and soul. His mind.
All the men and women in these photographs were tied with rope. Lengths and lengths. Cords over flesh, pressing in. Restraining. Beautiful designs of knots and lengths, of arms and legs and torsos.
Dom could barely breathe. The beauty, the serenity. The strength, too, in those closed and opened eyes and mouths, those haunting faces, caught for a moment in something so profound Dom’s body itched as his mind cried out.
This.This.He wanted this. His skin under those knots. Bound. Caught. Safe.
“My friend Janelle’s work.” Adrian’s voice was reverent.
“Not the photos.” Dom could barely get the words out through his tight throat.
A nod. “The rope.”
“It’s...exquisite.” Dom moved closer to the photographs. They drew him like a magnet turned toward the north. Oh god, he ached and buzzed and needed.
Adrian followed, his hand still on Dom’s back, fingers brushing against where his shirt and jeans met. “I thought you might like them.”
That Dom might like the concept. This was—an offer.
“Can you do this?” Dom kept his voice low, a mere murmur.
Adrian heard anyway. “Not like she can. She knows bodies so well, she can suspend a submissive in the air by their bonds.”
Holy fuck.Dom tried to imagine that—being tied so tight and hanging above the ground—but his brain overloaded and he could only swallow a moan.
Those hot fingers caressed his back. “It’s something I want to learn. But I do know how to tie someone up.” Adrian skimmed a hand up to Dom’s neck. “I’d like to try something else first, because this—” He gestured at the photos. “This is a lot to process at once.”
Yeah, it had to be. “That’s...yes. I want this. But yes. I trust you.”
Adrian turned his face and kissed him with that heady mix of hard and soft. Control and giving. When he opened space between them, he smiled. “Is there any one of these you want?”
It took Dom a moment to realize what Adrian meant. “You don’t have to buy me one of these.”
A shrug and a grin. “But I want to. And they’re notthatexpensive.”
They weren’t, really. Not for what they were. Heck, he’d dropped far more than two hundred on single pieces of art for his house. Still. “Adrian.”
“Dominic,” he countered. “I can afford it.” His finger shot up to tap Dom’s lips. “And I’m guessing you can, too. If there’s one you want, let me do this.”
In the end, Dom chose one of a man’s legs, bound by a web of rope, his stomach and a hint of his swollen dick visible. A swirl of ink, just a few lines, swept over his hip. Adrian paid, a little red dot was placed by the placard, and they were told when they could come claim their purchase.
As they shook hands with the gallery owner, the door opened and a smooth, lilting voice called out Adrian’s name. A woman entered, elegant and tall and stunning. Black hair, dark eyes, and deep brown skin.
Adrian started when he saw her, and a smile broke out on his face, one that was comfortable, but not the sunshine Dom saw when Adrian smiled for him. He was grateful for that and also itchy at how much he was grateful.
Relief that he didn’t have to be jealous was overshadowed by the fact that he would have been. He was head over heels in love with Adrian.
“Janelle.” Adrian took her hand and kissed her on the cheek. “I had no idea you’d be here.”
Janelle. The woman who could suspend people in nothing but rope. Excitement, desire, and embarrassment flared. Dom’s cheeks warmed and he hoped he wasn’t blushing too badly.
“Same, though it’s always a pleasure to see you.” They parted, and Janelle peered at Dom. “And this is...?”
