Valentino

Nero can't be comfortable, but imagining his discomfort has my cock hard in my pants. I can't help but flash a smirk at him, one he returns with a dark look, and I chuckle. I check in at the front, powering down my phone and tucking it away so I'm not distracted, and I introduce Nero as my "plus one."

Jeremy, who's seen me here for years, blinks at Nero but doesn't offer any commentary as he puts our respective wristbands on—mine, for dominant; Nero's, for taken, though I don't know if Nero understands the color coding of this particular club.

"Come on," I say, leading Nero inside. "The sooner we get this over with, the sooner we can get that cage off your cock." My smirk gets even bigger. "Or you can leave it on forever. You know. It's really up to you. Consequences of your actions and all that."

It's only a shame I'd had to take the collar off. His throat looks bare now. Especially since he's wearing a dark t-shirt along with tight leather pants that show off his ass beautifully.

It's tight enough to hint at what's going on underneath his pants, too.

Nero bares his teeth at me for a second. "Don't worry, Daddy. I'll behave." His eyes begin scanning the room. It's set up a bit like a bar, with only one public play space. There are plenty of private rooms for people who want to get a bit more hot and heavy.

And of course, some people are wearing chains and kneeling or crawling, even out here.

Nero's eyes catch on one of the women sitting at the feet of a man. He looks down at his wristband, then back to her.

"Awfully presumptuous of the clerk," Nero says. "What if I didn't want this color?"

"You're my guest," I say, as though I had nothing to do with the selection of the bracelet. "At least I didn't give you a submissive tag. Everyone would've been all over you then." I'd have had to fend them off, of course, because no one is touching Nero but me.

The possessiveness is strange, but I can't help it. For as long as I'm keeping him, he's going to be mine.

"Yeah?" Nero leans in close to me and wraps his arms around my neck. "Then why aren't you wearing the same color as me? Since you're also taken? Or are you going to cheat on me, Daddy?"

"With the first person I see," I say without missing a beat. "Hello, Heather."

The dark-haired submissive smiles up at me, "Hello, sir." She looks curiously at Nero, and I can't blame her for wondering what's going on. I don't think I've ever brought a man with me, and I've never left with one. I've occasionally taken one to the private rooms for a session, but the fact that I'm bisexual can't be a very open secret.

New Bristol is a bitch that way.

Nero only steps in closer to me, resting his head against my shoulder and wrapping his arms around my chest possessively. "Hmm. No wonder you moved on, if these are the kind of people you played with before."

Heather's never been the type to play nicely with others, and her eyes flash dangerously at the comment. "Your submissive isn't very friendly," she says with a frown that makes her full lips look somehow less appealing.

"You know how the clingy ones are," I say, my voice dry—like I'm not talking to one of the clingiest subs at Club Alpha. I pat one of Nero's hands. "Is Peter here yet? Business before pleasure, I'm afraid."

Heather pouts at me, but she nods. "I saw him with Linda. Silvano and Dan are with him too. It looked like Linda was going to have a very good night." She motions toward one of the more private areas of the club.

"Sorry for Linda, but I'm gonna have to cut her fun short," I say. "Maybe the two of you can find solace in each other's arms."

"She won't even try to pick up a flogger," Heather says with an exaggerated sigh. "I'll just wait for you to finish up."

"Yep. Run along now." Nero makes a shooing motion. "And don't bother coming back. I'll keep Daddy plenty busy on my own."

Heather's brows arch. "Daddy?"

"It's a long story," I say, trying for exasperation but mostly sounding amused. "Go on, Heather."

She must finally get the hint because she backs off, bowing her head to me before vanishing into the crowd.

I take one of Nero's hands off of me and use it to twist him so he's fully facing me, flush against my chest. "Someone's being awfully bold," I tell Nero. "Are you trying to make things difficult for me, little cub?"

"Why would I do that?" Nero answers cheekily. "Do you really want to get down and dirty with random people right now? You don't know who's got what hidden in unknown holes."

"Are you always this possessive, or did I just pull the short straw?" I ask him.

Nero averts his gaze. "Do you always tie up and fuck half-dead twinks?"

His reaction surprises me, and I touch his chin, guiding his face back so I can look at him. The moment feels heavy for some reason, and I reply quietly, "No." This is just as new to him as it is to me then. "Just the lucky ones," I add to try to lighten the mood. "Come on." I let go of him.

He's quiet as I lead him towards my... not friends, not really, but we're all part of the Cresci Crime Family.

Brothers-in-arms, if you consider the mob akin to an army.

"Don't act out with these people," I hiss as we get closer. "They won't be as friendly as Heather."

Nero nods, and his hands are strangely stiff at his sides. "Yeah. I do know that."

I eye him. I'm sure he does, at least in theory, but at the same time... He didn't know that Heather wasn't someone important. He could've started something back there, and pushing forward, I have to make sure he's aware of the consequences of his actions before he fucks up. "Is anyone going to recognize you?" I ask him quietly, approaching the doorway.

"No." Nero runs a hand through his hair. "I never meet with anyone in person." He answers so smoothly that I want to believe him, but I know he's a practiced liar.

It's too late to change anything now, though.

Maybe it would be better if he waited out here, but despite how I've caged up his cock as a bit of insurance, I know it isn't a foolproof plan. He could still get into trouble while I'm not looking.

I notice a few of the other people with the "dominant" wrist bands eyeing him.

Yeah, he could definitely get into trouble.

"Then I'll introduce you," I say, while also putting a bit of distance between us.

I only knock briefly beside the archway before I head past the curtains and into the private seating area.

Like Heather had said, Peter is here, with Linda—a pretty Latina woman with black hair in a pixie cut—sitting on his lap. Dan is sitting close enough to touch, while Silvano is at the edge of the rounded booth, sipping from a whiskey glass.

Silvano spots me first, raising his glass at me. As usual, he's wearing a tailored pair of slacks and a fine dress shirt, even here. The only concession to the casual nature of the club is the lack of jacket and tie. "Valentino! I didn't think you'd be here today. Word was that you were busy with some overseas deal."

Dan stares at me a little longer than necessary, and if I was a paranoid man, I'd think there was something to it. The lights have him all washed out as it is, so it's hard to really see his reactions.

"Not today, I'm afraid." I smile at Linda. "My apologies, lovely lady, but I need to speak to these men in private. If you'll find Heather, I'm sure she'll get you a drink."

Linda frowns at me, but Peter nods and claps her ass to shoo her away. Once she's past the curtains, I head over to the table. Nero stays where he is, stance tense.

"Who's he?" Dan asks, pointing at Nero.

"One of my new staff," I answer smoothly. "I'm training him up, so I figured bringing him here would be an easy job to ease him in."

It's the story Nero and I had agreed on, and Nero certainly manages to look like he's attempting to be a bodyguard.

Silvano snorts. "Isn't he a bit skinny for it? Anybody who goes for him will snap him in half."

That draws a wicked smile out of Nero. "Sure, they can try. But it turns out, even three-hundred-pound men are susceptible to bullets." He casts a deliberate look at Dan, who is not quite 300 pounds but still has a lot of heft to him, and Dan flushes in anger.

Silvano laughs in response. "Okay, that's true. I'm Silvano Cresci. What's your name? I don't like talking to strangers."

"Nero Jacobs," Nero responds.

I wonder how often he uses that last name, since he said it so easily despite it not being an aspect we'd discussed. But he's probably very good at thinking on the fly, and I assume he has a few extra identities lying around for just this sort of occasion.

"So, Xanders, why'd you drive off my bit of fun for the night?" Peter asks. "In front of the boss, no less! I was gonna have Linda blow him."

I glance at Peter, studying him for a moment. Silvano is the boss's son, not the boss, unless something else has changed in the days I've been recovering. But no. Silvano looks too relaxed to have newly transitioned into power, and I'm sure someone would've let me know if his father met an unfortunate demise as well.

Wouldn't that be an interesting turn of events?