Fearless.

That would have been the perfect word to describe Lucas on any other given day.

Right now, though, Lucas’ spunky persona is in hiding. Right now, Lucas is being a good boy, much to Michael’s satisfaction. Right now, Lucas is being observant. He’s being careful about the words that come out of his mouth because he doesn’t want to end up sounding stupid. Lucas wants to leave a good impression on Michael. He wants to get to know Michael better.

For the first time in a long time, getting money out of a man is the furthest thing on Lucas’ mind.

"You’re eating that as if you’ve never had real ramen before," Michael chuckles. "You should slow down before you make yourself sick.”

"Sorry," Lucas mutters, embarrassed. He stops eating to dab at his face with a napkin, trying not to focus on how hard Michael is staring at him. "You’re right, though. I’ve never had real ramen before. It’s fucking delicious. Thank you for bringing me here.”

“You’re welcome,” Michael replies. “I’m glad I was able to introduce you to something new.”

Lucas isn’t sure why, but Michael’s statement makes him blush. “Authentic places like this are a bit out of my price range, so I tend to settle for less when it comes to food. I’m sure I’ve missed out on a lot of tasty meals because of that."

"That’s unfortunate to hear. A pretty boy like you...” Michael remarks with a smirk before deciding to change his response to something less inappropriate. “A pretty boy like you should never have to settle for less, not for food or anything else. I don’t know what it is about you, but something tells me there are many people out there who would be willing to spoil you rotten.”

Lucas sits hot and flustered in his seat.

Michael is reading him like an open book, and it’s both unnerving and impressive as fuck.

Lucas is the first to break away from his staring contest with Michael, his brown eyes falling to focus on his nearly empty bowl of ramen. He stirs the remaining noodles around in the broth with his chopsticks, needing to do something to keep busy as he tries to look unbothered by Michael’s candor.

“And might you be part of that group of people willing to spoil me?” Lucas whispers the question, daring to look up.

“I’m here with you now, aren’t I?” Michael raises a brow, his dazzling smile stretching wider. It doesn’t take much to ruffle the redhead’s feathers, Michael notes. “I…” Michael pauses, cut off by the ringing of his cell phone. “Sorry. I thought I had it on mute.”

“It’s okay. I should actually be the one apologizing for taking you away from your work,” Lucas says. “I practically jumped on you in the elevator and glued myself to your side. I shouldn’t have come on that strong. You should have told me to fuck off.”

“If I hadn’t wanted your attention, I never would have spoken to you in the first place,” Michael explains after silencing his phone. “I’m glad you jumped on me.” They both laugh at the phrasing. “Most people find me intimidating, so I’m usually the one who makes the first move. I’m glad I didn’t have to do it this time. I’m starting to enjoy being surprised by you.” 

Lucas makes a mental note of that.

“So, what is it that you actually do, anyway?” Lucas asks. “Must be something lucrative if you’re out here at such a fancy restaurant spoiling a complete stranger.”

“I run a toy store for adults,” Michael answers, and he is surprised by how good of a time he's having with Lucas considering he never does this kind of thing. “Some people would probably look at it and call it a sex store, but I don’t particularly like that term.”

“Sex store?!” Lucas chokes on his wine. He places his glass on the table and wipes his mouth with another napkin. “Holy shit. That had not been the answer I was expecting to hear.”

“I’m a man of many talents. I run several businesses. The store is one of them,” Michael chuckles. “I’m also the owner of a nightclub. Are you familiar with BDSM?”

Cue the record scratch.

“Okay. I think I’ve heard enough.” Lucas sits back in his chair and crosses his arms, eyeing Michael with skeptical eyes. “You’re not seriously about to sit here and tell me that you’re some hotshot Dom who, not only has his own sex toy store, but you also run a club for kinksters? No fucking way I’m buying any of this. Who are you really?”

“Not a liar,” Michael replies. “You can Google me if you'd like, but you won’t find anything on my club. It’s part of the underground scene and is invitation only. I’m big on privacy, so it’s important I know who’s coming and going at all times.”

“If you’re big on privacy, why are you telling me all about your secret little kink club?” Lucas asks. “You still barely know me.”

“You’d be surprised to learn how much one can uncover about a person over dinner,” Michael smirks. “You aren’t as innocent as you look, Lucas. You’re exactly like me.”

“And what is that?”

“A freak.”

“Shit…” Lucas exhales a shaky breath. To hell with playing it slow. He’s ready to take Michael to the bathroom and suck his entire soul out. “You’re scarily good at reading people.” Lucas doesn’t waste any more time. He whips out his phone and Googles Michael’s name, getting all the basics. He also tries searching for the nightclub, The Sinners Playground, but as Michael had said, no search results populate.

“You weren’t lying.”

“I never had a reason to,” Michael says. “Are you ready to run away from me now?”

“Quite the opposite,” Lucas answers a bit too quickly. “What’s someone like you doing at a YouTube event? That’s a little PG for you, yeah?”

“I was there to help a friend. They run an educational channel on YouTube about BDSM. It has been part of my life for most of my life, so they wanted my input on a few topics,” Michael answers. “I don’t do things like that often. Only ever for close friends.” Michael studies Lucas for a moment. He can practically see the million and one questions bouncing around inside Lucas’ head. “You can ask me anything you’d like.”

“So this club of yours…” Lucas starts. “How does one go about getting an invitation?”

“I never advertise The Sinners Playground, so the popularity that it has is all due to word of mouth,” Michael says. “When I’m approached by inquiring people, I first vet them. After passing a thorough background check and signing a few non-disclosure agreements, if you’re able to maintain the quarterly membership fee of five thousand dollars—five hundred for those who aren’t of high-profile status—you will then be considered an official member. But I only extend invitations to people who are authentic to the underground scene. People who live and breathe all things kink.”

It’s official.

Lucas Jordan is completely in over his head.

“I’m sorry, but who the fuck can afford to throw out $5k every quarter just to go to some kinky club to be tied up and fucked for a few hours?” Lucas questions. “That’s insane.”

“You’d be surprised to hear who all comes out at night to play in my club,” Michael laughs. “I have regulars who show up at least twice a week to get their rocks off. My members range from policemen to doctors… several people from the governor’s family. They all come to my club because they know they’re guaranteed to have a good time. The quality and services that I provide are top tier. No one else is on my level."

“Well, as exciting as all that sounds,” Lucas sighs, pouting, “I don’t think I’ll be able to become a member anytime soon. I don’t have $500 lying around. I’m just a cashier.” Lucas catches Michael’s watch shining and he exhales a pitiful laugh. “You’re literally wearing what I make in a year on your wrist. I think our story might have to end here.”

“You give up too quickly,” Michael says. “There’s more to the membership process."

"Such as?"

"If you’re a submissive with a Dom, your membership fee will be waived," Michael says. "It doesn’t matter if you’re a cashier or a scientist. Real Dominant's not only tend to their submissives sexual needs, but everything else in between. Their mental, emotional, physical, and even financial health are all things that a good Dom cares for in their sub. At The Sinners Playground, if you belong to a Dom, you pay nothing for your membership fee because your Dom takes care of that for you.”

“Oh, I see.” Lucas pauses, thinking carefully about his next words. “I know this is a lot to ask, but… do you think, maybe, for just a short time… you could be my Dom? Just long enough so that I can enter your world and see if it might be something I’ll be into?”

“First answer me this,” Michael says, “have you ever had an interest in BDSM before meeting me?”

“Yes.” Lucas nods, looking away and fiddling with his fingers. "It’s nothing I go running my mouth about to my friends because they wouldn’t get it, but I’ve… done things with people before. I’m certainly not vanilla, if that’s what you’re trying to get at."

“Then if you’re absolutely serious about this, I think I can make an exception for you.”

“Really?”

“Yes. However, I can’t be your Dom. I only deal with two subs at a time and currently, my hands are full,” Michael says. “But if you’re truly serious about this, I can bring you out to the club so that you can determine whether it's for you or not. I’ll let you wear one of my submissives collars, so that way no other Dom will bother you.”

Lucas is sad to hear Michael is currently unavailable, but he does his best to hide his disappointment. “What if I want them to bother me? You just said you’re taken and the only way my membership fee will be waived is if I have a Dom who claims me. Maybe I can take the time being there to shop around for someone who might be willing to—”

“Stop,” Michael cuts in, giving Lucas a stern look. “This isn’t like you’re walking into a store to buy a new pair of shoes, Lucas. BDSM isn’t something that you maybe play with. You’re either all in or you’re not, because if you’re not and you mess around with someone who’s all in, you might end up getting seriously hurt. I don’t want that happening to you. If a submissive doesn’t have a genuine connection with their Dom, they’ll never be satisfied. Selecting a Dom is serious business, as is them taking on an inexperienced sub, so going forward, try not to speak so lightly about these things.”

Lucas is redder than the wine in his glass on the table. He hurriedly apologizes for speaking out so childishly. He can see how passionate Michael is about all of this, and the last thing he wants to do is offend the man.

“I want to visit your club,” Lucas says with confidence. “I’ll be on my best behavior if you allow me in, I swear.”

Michael considers him for a moment.

“Are you free next Saturday?” Michael asks. Lucas nods. Michael then grabs Lucas’ phone from off the table to punch in his contact info. “Send me your address and I’ll pick you up at eight. And Lucas, I’m a very punctual man, so please have yourself ready by that time.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Master,” Michael corrects, his blue eyes darkening a bit. “My submissives call me Master.”

“R-right.” A sweet chill runs down Lucas’ spine as he holds Michael's burning gaze. “Yes, Master.”

Saturday can’t come fast enough.