Burke’s thumbs rubbed against the bare skin above Chase’s waistband as he shrugged. “Some submissives find me too vanilla as a dom. If you were looking for whips and chains, you’ve come to the wrong place.”
Chase thought of Burke telling him what to do, calling him “sweet boy,” forcing him to come. He swallowed through a dry throat. “I don’t think that will be a problem for me.”
“Good.” All at once, Burke released him, stepping back. “My bedroom is the second door on the left. Undress and wait for me. I’d like you sitting at the edge of the bed when I arrive. I’m going to pour myself another whiskey.” He grabbed Chase’s chin, tilting his head up to meet his eyes. “I’ve only had one, and I’m not impaired. I will neverbeimpaired when playing with you, do you understand?”
“Yes, sir.”
Burke shook his head, clucking his tongue. “Try again.”
“Yes … Professor?”
Nothing. Chase racked his brain, then licked his lips, trying a third time. “Yes,Alpha.”
Burke’s eyes gleamed. “There it is.” He dropped Chase’s chin and tilted his head in the direction of the bedroom. “Go.”
Chase was supposed to wait naked in a bedroom he’d never set foot in before while Burke poured himself a leisurely drink. A drink he most likely did not intend to finish. It might have been an insulting request, if not for the heat in Burke’s eyes, the way he looked like he wanted nothing more than to rip Chase’s clothes off right there and fuck him against the door.
Itwasa game, Chase realized. A test of both their willpowers, as well as Chase’s obedience.
Well, fuck it. Chase was an athlete. He was good at games, well practiced in self-denial in pursuit of a higher cause.
He slipped past Burke and walked down the hall, listening to Burke’s footsteps heading in the opposite direction, presumably to find the kitchen. Or maybe a bar cart—he seemed like the type.
The bedroom Chase found was large but uncluttered, the bed neatly made with a dark-gray comforter and cream sheets. It had more of that heavy, dark antique furniture. A matching set—dresser, bed, bedside table, and wooden chair with a brocade seat.
Burke had elegant taste as well as money. If not for the age gap, the inappropriateness of their respective positions, and the fact that Burke was about to introduce Chase to the world of kink, Chase’s parents might even approve.
The room smelled like Burke, too, and Chase inhaled greedily. He was grateful he couldn’t catch any underlying omega pheromones. Chase knew what this was—the “one time only” had made it pretty clear—but he didn’t need any sensory reminders of it.
He toed off his shoes and stripped, folding each article of clothing neatly and setting it on the bedside table, where the only other occupants were a phone charger and a novel. Chase didn’t recognize the title, but it had the look of a spy thriller.
Cute.
Naked, Chase sat on the foot of the neatly made bed. He was almost surprised to find he was still hard. He’d thought maybe his nerves would kill his boner, but if anything, they just seemed to … enhance it. Was that a thing? Boner-enhancing anxiety?
Any moment now, Burke would be in here with him. He was going to touch Chase, kiss him again, make him come—possibly more than Chase wanted to. He was hopefully going to fuck him with that alarmingly large erection.
Chase’s belly tightened, his cock jerking in the air. He wanted to wrap a fist around it, to relieve some of that ache, but he had the feeling that wasn’t allowed, even if Burke hadn’t expressly forbidden it.
So Chase sat with his hands gripping the edge of the bed, his feet flat on the floor. The air was cool but not cold. He was comfortable and uncomfortable at the same time.
He waited for his alpha.
4
Chase
Burke’s steps were heavy in the hall, although it sounded to Chase like he’d removed his dress shoes at some point.
The alpha stopped in the doorway of the bedroom, and Chase’s breath caught. The shoes were gone, yes, and Burke had unbuttoned the top three buttons of his shirt, a smattering of dark chest hair now peeking out. He was holding a tumbler of whiskey with one of those single oversize ice cubes.
Definitely a bar cart guy.
Burke stood in the doorway for a long moment, his gaze tracing over Chase’s nude form, the weight of it as heavy and heated as his touch had been.
Chase was comfortable with nudity. He liked his body just fine, and he had plenty of experience with the casual nakedness of team locker rooms and a certain roommate with very few boundaries. But he’d never been … perused like this. So thoroughly, yet with an almost detached air, despite Burke’s obvious approval for what he saw.
Chase was hyperaware of every inch of his own skin. Of his cock, which stood heavy and full, aching to be touched.