“Thanks. Nora ordered me to do something today to make myself relax before tonight. Drawing usually works.”
Griffin closed the sketchbook with obvious reluctance. Michael took it back from him and walked over to the bed where he slipped the book under his pillow.
“Usually? Nervous about tonight?” Griffin stood up and started strolling around his old room.
“A little.” Michael sat on the edge of the bed and tried not to stare at Griffin. Griffin cracked him up. He just walked around in his underwear as if he couldn’t begin to care what people thought about him. Of course, Griffin had a crazy-good body, so why not walk around almost naked?
“When’s the last time you f**ked?” Griffin asked as he sat on the edge of Michael’s bed and rolled onto his back. Michael shifted nervously. An almost-naked guy was lying on his bed. He should have disliked that, wanted to dislike that…couldn’t quite bring himself to dislike that.
“Um,” Michael began as he turned to sit cross-legged, his back to the headboard. Personal questions—he hated them. His dad always grilled him with personal questions. “Nora asked me the same thing yesterday.”
Griffin raised his eyebrow at him.
“You know what that means, right?”
Michael shook his head.
“She’s getting your sexual history. Means fluid bonding.”
“Fluid bonding?”
“Sex without condoms.”
“Wow,” Michael said, his stomach tightening a little. “Is that safe?”
“She’s clean. Gets tested constantly. All the 8th Circle bigwigs do, myself included. And she’s got an IUD so I wouldn’t worry about knocking her up.”
“So do you and Nora, you know, fluid bond?”
Griffin sat back up and scooted to the top of the bed, leaning back against the headboard right next to Michael. Once again Michael breathed in Griffin’s scent. Michael decided to find out what kind of soap Griffin used just so he could buy some and smell it whenever he wanted.
“Nope. I don’t with anybody.”
“How come?” Michael asked, genuinely curious. Guys at school were always bitching about their girlfriends making them wear condoms.
“Mick,” Griffin said, turning his head to stare into his eyes. “There is nothing, and I repeat, nothing I haven’t done. And I’m not talking just sexually. Every bad act on the face of the earth, minus murder and rape, I’ve done it. So there’s this part of me that wants to hold something back just in case I’m ever actually in a real relationship with somebody. Does that sound sappy and romantic? If so, don’t tell anybody. I’m supposedly l’enfant terrible of the Underground. I’d like to keep it that way.”
Michael grinned, not entirely sure what a l’enfant terrible was but deciding he liked the term.
“A little sappy. But not in a bad way,” Michael said, surprised that Griffin would have this sort of softer side to him. Art? Saving part of himself for a real relationship? “So you never, you know—”
“Come inside anyone?” Griffin finished for him. “No. Never. Sex talk from Dad, age thirteen. ‘Son, we have more money than God. You get a girl pregnant, and she’ll take half of it. Condoms every time.’ And then he gave me a box of Trojans.”
Michael burst out laughing at Griffin’s impression of his father’s stern voice. Remembering something suddenly, Michael stopped laughing.
“Wait. Nora, she went—”
“Nora went down on me. If you stayed and watched until the end you would have seen me put on a condom before I finished up.”
Mentally Michael dug a hole and crawled inside it. Griffin had seen him watching two nights ago?
“Griffin.” He finally choked the words out. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean… I was just on the way to the kitchen and heard—”
“Mick, calm down,” Griffin said, smiling at him. “I’m not mad. This is me. I f**k in front of people all the time. I was only irritated you didn’t come in and join us.” Griffin gave him a wicked smile.
Michael’s toes went a little numb.
“I think Nora might have not liked that,” Michael said, not entirely sure if that was true. He’d fantasized about threesomes before. Last night in fact his mind had wandered a little too far and he’d imagined Nora dominating him while Griffin watched.
“Your mistress loves an audience. In fact, I’ve watched your priest f**k your mistress after King and I f**ked her.”
Michael felt his eyes wanting to pop out of his head.
“You’ve seen Father S…”
“Fucking? Yes. Back when your mistress was still just a sub like you, he’d do all sorts of shit to humiliate her at our club. Which she totally got off on. You know why me and King and your priest all f**ked her once in the same night?”
Michael shook his head. He couldn’t imagine.
Griffin leaned in close as though he was about to share a secret. Every muscle in Michael’s body stiffened as Griffin’s tattooed, muscular shoulder pressed against his. Michael tried not to notice the drop of water sliding from Griffin’s hair down his neck and coming to rest in the hollow of his collarbone.
“It was her birthday. And that’s what she asked for,” Griffin whispered.
“Oh, my God,” Michael breathed, pulling his legs to his chest again. Not out of self-protection but to hide his sudden erection.
Griffin closed the sketchbook with obvious reluctance. Michael took it back from him and walked over to the bed where he slipped the book under his pillow.
“Usually? Nervous about tonight?” Griffin stood up and started strolling around his old room.
“A little.” Michael sat on the edge of the bed and tried not to stare at Griffin. Griffin cracked him up. He just walked around in his underwear as if he couldn’t begin to care what people thought about him. Of course, Griffin had a crazy-good body, so why not walk around almost naked?
“When’s the last time you f**ked?” Griffin asked as he sat on the edge of Michael’s bed and rolled onto his back. Michael shifted nervously. An almost-naked guy was lying on his bed. He should have disliked that, wanted to dislike that…couldn’t quite bring himself to dislike that.
“Um,” Michael began as he turned to sit cross-legged, his back to the headboard. Personal questions—he hated them. His dad always grilled him with personal questions. “Nora asked me the same thing yesterday.”
Griffin raised his eyebrow at him.
“You know what that means, right?”
Michael shook his head.
“She’s getting your sexual history. Means fluid bonding.”
“Fluid bonding?”
“Sex without condoms.”
“Wow,” Michael said, his stomach tightening a little. “Is that safe?”
“She’s clean. Gets tested constantly. All the 8th Circle bigwigs do, myself included. And she’s got an IUD so I wouldn’t worry about knocking her up.”
“So do you and Nora, you know, fluid bond?”
Griffin sat back up and scooted to the top of the bed, leaning back against the headboard right next to Michael. Once again Michael breathed in Griffin’s scent. Michael decided to find out what kind of soap Griffin used just so he could buy some and smell it whenever he wanted.
“Nope. I don’t with anybody.”
“How come?” Michael asked, genuinely curious. Guys at school were always bitching about their girlfriends making them wear condoms.
“Mick,” Griffin said, turning his head to stare into his eyes. “There is nothing, and I repeat, nothing I haven’t done. And I’m not talking just sexually. Every bad act on the face of the earth, minus murder and rape, I’ve done it. So there’s this part of me that wants to hold something back just in case I’m ever actually in a real relationship with somebody. Does that sound sappy and romantic? If so, don’t tell anybody. I’m supposedly l’enfant terrible of the Underground. I’d like to keep it that way.”
Michael grinned, not entirely sure what a l’enfant terrible was but deciding he liked the term.
“A little sappy. But not in a bad way,” Michael said, surprised that Griffin would have this sort of softer side to him. Art? Saving part of himself for a real relationship? “So you never, you know—”
“Come inside anyone?” Griffin finished for him. “No. Never. Sex talk from Dad, age thirteen. ‘Son, we have more money than God. You get a girl pregnant, and she’ll take half of it. Condoms every time.’ And then he gave me a box of Trojans.”
Michael burst out laughing at Griffin’s impression of his father’s stern voice. Remembering something suddenly, Michael stopped laughing.
“Wait. Nora, she went—”
“Nora went down on me. If you stayed and watched until the end you would have seen me put on a condom before I finished up.”
Mentally Michael dug a hole and crawled inside it. Griffin had seen him watching two nights ago?
“Griffin.” He finally choked the words out. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean… I was just on the way to the kitchen and heard—”
“Mick, calm down,” Griffin said, smiling at him. “I’m not mad. This is me. I f**k in front of people all the time. I was only irritated you didn’t come in and join us.” Griffin gave him a wicked smile.
Michael’s toes went a little numb.
“I think Nora might have not liked that,” Michael said, not entirely sure if that was true. He’d fantasized about threesomes before. Last night in fact his mind had wandered a little too far and he’d imagined Nora dominating him while Griffin watched.
“Your mistress loves an audience. In fact, I’ve watched your priest f**k your mistress after King and I f**ked her.”
Michael felt his eyes wanting to pop out of his head.
“You’ve seen Father S…”
“Fucking? Yes. Back when your mistress was still just a sub like you, he’d do all sorts of shit to humiliate her at our club. Which she totally got off on. You know why me and King and your priest all f**ked her once in the same night?”
Michael shook his head. He couldn’t imagine.
Griffin leaned in close as though he was about to share a secret. Every muscle in Michael’s body stiffened as Griffin’s tattooed, muscular shoulder pressed against his. Michael tried not to notice the drop of water sliding from Griffin’s hair down his neck and coming to rest in the hollow of his collarbone.
“It was her birthday. And that’s what she asked for,” Griffin whispered.
“Oh, my God,” Michael breathed, pulling his legs to his chest again. Not out of self-protection but to hide his sudden erection.
