Page 2 of Sub Mission

“Twenty-four, Sir.”

Not too bad. Young, but old enough.

“How long have you been involved with BDSM?”

He paused before answering, sending warning signals to me. Honesty between a Dom and sub was absolutely necessary, and if he lied to me on this question, I wasn’t sure we’d be able to continue. I respected his desire for privacy but knowing how experienced he was shouldn’t be something he wanted to hide…unless he was still a novice.

“Seven years, Sir.”

Fuck…he wasn’t a novice. That would have made him seventeen years old when he’d first dipped his toe into BDSM and, in my opinion, much too young to make the decision. I frowned. “Explain.”

“It’s simple mathematics, Seth,” Landon interrupted. “What’s the problem? Are you simply looking for a reason to reject Agent Daley?”

I held up my hand to quiet Landon and kept my gaze locked on Daley.

“I…I had issues in my home, Sir. At that time in my life, I struggled with…finding myself. I tried many things, from alcohol and drugs, to finally landing on BDSM. After my first…experience, I learned it seemed to ground me. As I continued, my life turned around, things grew stable, and I was able to get back on track. I knew you would question my youth and I understand why, but I can only say it was something I needed then…and now.”

It was an honest answer, not one that I necessarily liked. “What club permitted you entrance at that age?” That was one aspect I wouldn’t overlook. If there was a club out there allowing children inside, they needed to be shut down.

“No club until I was eighteen, Sir. It was a neighbor. I played at their home until my eighteenth birthday. After that, we would visit clubs occasionally.”

I’d bet they did. I could imagine some arrogant, cocky Dom strutting around with a hot eighteen-year-old beneath his whip. Youngsters were pliable and eager to please—it’s one of the reasons I tried to stay away from younger subs. Had someone taken advantage of Daley’s vulnerabilities? Forced him into something he didn’t, or doesn’t really enjoy?

I guessed there was only one way to find out. I would have one session with him and watch for…hell, I wasn’t sure what I’d watch for. He’d already shown he was well-trained.

“Do you have a regular Dom?” I asked, wondering why a man would be crazy enough to allow another to play with such a prize.

Another pause.

“I have a Domme,” he answered quietly. “Mistress Samantha.”

His eyes flickered away from mine for the first time. He knew damned well his answer wouldn’t be acceptable to me.

“Fuck, Landon!” I swore. “You think this is any better than the princesses you’ve been parading in front of me for the past three weeks? Absolutely not!”

Landon looked as confused as hell. Naturally, he wouldn’t have a clue. Hell, there was a good chance I was being unreasonable, and a really good chance I was pissed off just because he was straight.

“What?” he roared. “You’ve been practically salivating since he walked into the room. He does all that…submissive shit you’ve tried to drill into my brain. What’s the problem now?” He huffed and then added, “I’m beginning to thinkyou’rethe problem.”

I stood up and started to leave the room, before I said something both Landon and I would regret. Agent Daley’s husky voice stopped me in my tracks.

“I believe you should give me a chance, Sir. You’ll find that I’m more than…adequate as a submissive. I realize I’m probably not what you desire, but for the assignment, you could, perhaps, lower your standards. While I’m not gay and have no desire to have sex with you, I’m certainly not afraid of…toys.”

He blushed, making me think he might be moreafraidthan he was willing to admit. He wasn’t gay. Perfect, my fantasy sub.Not. He has no desire to have sex with me—that’s always a box I like to have checked off when interviewing a sub. Again, no fucking way.

“One session, Seth,” Landon urged. “If you’ve endured sessions with the other guys I’ve put in front of you, surely you can give this kid a chance. It was a six-hour flight to get him here. You could at least give him thirty minutes to prove his…worth.”

I looked at Agent Daley and then at Landon. Reproach shined brightly in Landon’s green eyes and humiliation was clearly visible in Daley’s blues. Knowing I was wasting all our time, I told Landon, “Have him at my penthouse in two hours.”

To Daley, I said, “I’ll know if you’re faking, kid. Don’t try to make something work, that’s the wrong way for any sub to behave. I’ll be very disappointed if you attempt to put on a performance for me.” Blowing out a breath of irritation, I added, “I’ll need the phone number for your regular Domme. She and I will need to talk before I touch you.”

His eyes dropped, and he immediately pulled a slip of paper out of his jeans pocket and handed it over to me. “Yes, Sir. She hoped you would want to speak with her first.”

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