Page 15 of Coffee and Tea

Colby said, “Well, we’ve already got the leather—” and then visibly heard his own words, and stopped, lips parted. And then outright shrugged, and kept going. “Well, we do. I like being Jason’s. I don’t have much that we could wear in public like this, though.”

Simon’s whole face had lit up. “Colby. Colby. Hang on, you and I need to have a talk.”

“Er…” Colby’s cheeks went pink, but only a bit. “Do we?”

“Yes. Tell me everything. How long has this been a thing? Do you have favorite clubs? Shops? Because there’s this fantastic place in Los Angeles that does custom leatherwork, you must’ve been at least once, do you like—” Simon cut himself off. Reached out, corrected the motion into a small wave. “Sorry, that was a lot. Not my business.”

“No, I…” Colby glanced at Jason. Got a nod, plus a rumble of, “Right here, babe, me and all your water-dragons,” in that casual Southern California accent, and a touch of Jason’s hand: a brush across the nape of Colby’s neck, swift and eloquent.

Colby admitted, “I know which shop you mean, and we’ve ordered some things, but I’ve never been in person…I might like to, sometime…you might know more about this than I do. Actually, can I ask you a question or two?”

Jason’s, “Question?” collided with Simon’s half-shout of gleeful, “Yes!”

“It’s research,” Colby explained to his other half. “Er…for that particular scenario…about actual clubs, the detail…”

“Come here,” Simon said, and plucked two champagne flutes from a passing tray, and waved Colby further into the alcove, near tall leather-bound books. “Come ask me everything. You two—” That meant Ben, and also Jason. “—chat about Dom things for a moment, and I promise we’ll come right back, and we’ll stay right here.”

No one else had been in earshot for Simon’s offhanded Dominant reference, but Ben was going to spank him for it anyway. Later. Maybe with a paddle, this time. And some other toys in play, for intensity.

“Colby,” Jason said.

“Two minutes,” Colby said, “I—I want to, I think. I love you.” Jason nodded.

“Two minutes, darlings,” Simon said, “the submissives are talking, entertain yourselves,” and swept Colby into a very intense discussion in the corner, with champagne-flute gestures.

That was two comments. Ben added a few tally marks to the count in his head. Not too many. Simon was so happy. Happy to be forgiven; happy to have maybe found a friend, at last.

He looked at Jason. Jason was staring at their other halves with the expression of a boulder longing to be a shield.

Ben said, “So in John Kill 3, with that rooftop chase scene…”

Jason groaned. Hand over his face. “You’re an actual spy. Please don’t.”

“No, it was great, because I recognized that roof—where you filmed, I mean. Had a meeting with someone up there, once.”

Jason dropped the hand. “Seriously?”

“Yeah. I mean, just a meeting, information, no big Hollywood stunts. Still fun, though, seeing it up there.”

“I feel like I should apologize,” Jason sighed. “For me, and the whole franchise, and that car chase in Moscow, which I’m guessing you never would’ve done…”

“Oh, hell no. But movies are movies. Entertainment. Not the same thing.”

Over in the book-corner, Colby said something too low to hear; Simon protested, laughing, “No, it truly does fit, I swear, we’ve tried—”

Jason said, “Tried what, exactly?”

“Um. Probably a lot.”

“I feel like I should know what he’s worried about fitting where.”

“He’ll tell you.”

Jason did a little head-tip, maybe surprised by assertion. Ben explained, “He loves you, and he’s yours, and your job is to take care of him.” Not as obvious as Simon’s phrasing, in case of any passersby; Jason nodded, getting it. Ben added, “So he’ll tell you, because you need to know if there’s something he wants, so you can give him what he needs.”

“You sound so sure about it.” Not exactly forlorn, but hopeful, instead; Jason’s eyes were the deep rich brown of freshly tilled earth, wanting to offer nourishment.

Ben put a hand on his shoulder, an impulse. “I’ve got some experience. And I can see the way he looks at you.”

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