Page 43 of Tamed (The Courtside King Duology 1)

He scowled and shook his head. “Dude’s a major dick.”

“Awesome.” Ned beamed like the punk he was, then kicked it back into gear. “Can’t wait to meet him.”

* * * *

“His name’s Sean. A good kid. New to the scene, though. Still learning the ropes. But so far, he’s really into it and wants to keep going.”

Kai listened as his friend Scott gave him the rundown on a favor. A guy he wanted Kai to take on as a sub. His roommate, Max, had been mentoring the kid, but now Scott suspected Max might try to pawn Sean off on him. A responsibility that Scott very clearly didn’t want.

“Max hasn’t asked you yet, though,” Kai clarified.

Scott exhaled. “Not yet, but it’s coming. I can feel it. He’s getting restless. And I just… I just can’t help him out. But since you sometimes dom on the side… I figured I’d run the idea past you and see if you’d be interested.”

Kai crossed his arms. “How old is he, exactly?”

“Um. Early twenties? He’s a senior at Mason.”

“Hmm.” Kai rubbed his chin.

Scott smirked. “Relax, old man. You’re barely thirty. The gap’s not that fuckin’ big.”

Kai’s lips twitched. “Full time, you say?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

Kai gave a nod and glanced away in thought. While it was true that he worked with subs at Dom District—and sometimes used to play around with bondage on former boyfriends—he’d never actually taken a sub on as his own. Definitely not a discussion he’d expected when Scott had asked him to stop by the gym.

“He’s beautiful,” Scott tacked on. “Has an awesome personality. Loyal. Fun. Just an all-around great guy.”

Kai chuckled. “You sure you don’t wanna keep him for yourself? Sounds like you think he’s perfect.”

Or maybe he was just working really hard to seal the deal.

Scott grinned, even as his demeanor turned sad. Like maybe he wished he didn’t have to have this conversation. Like maybe he wished that Sean could stay with Max.

“Nah.” He shook his head. And then just like that, his expression warmed. “I’ve definitely got my sights set on someone else.”

Kai lifted a brow. “I see.”

Scott’s heart was already taken.

“So you’ll think about it?” Scott asked.

The prospect was certainly enticing. An attractive young pup could be lots of fun. Full time, though? That was a lot to commit to. And honestly? Deep down, Kai wanted a partner. To love. Not merely some random boytoy who just wanted to play.

Who knew, though. Maybe this Sean kid was different. Not like the others. Putting Kai first instead of treating him like a pitstop; someone to indulge in till it was time to move on.

Sean was a rookie, but if his nature was truly that of a sub, wired to revere and genuinely love his Dom? Kai supposed he held potential to fit the bill.

“Sure.” He shrugged. “I’ll think about it.”

Scott’s big shoulders eased. “Awesome. I—” He paused, eyes locking on something behind Kai in the distance. That smile of his returned, brighter than ever.

Kai’s brows rose. Looked like Scott just spotted a pot of gold. Curious, he glanced over his shoulder—and went motionless.

Breck.

Headed their way with a group of friends. Not Charlie and Jegs, though. These three faces were new. A black-haired, blue-eyed fellow with his baseball cap on backward, another with bleach-blond ringlets down to his shoulders. The third, walking next to Breck, had light-brown hair and amicable eyes. Eyes that, incidentally, also looked kind of wary.

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