PureIndulgenceVSue (9 page)

The club filled up slowly. Callum assigned two of the dungeon monitors to the door to check membership. Joe stationed himself near Adam. Again, two of Craig’s friends had come and he was pleased to note Adam was being allowed to sit quietly on a cushion with a bottle of water. Every so often one of the Doms would lean into Craig and say something to make him laugh. Joe started taking note when one of them started addressing Adam. He was surprised. Most Doms wouldn’t approach someone else’s sub without first addressing the Dom. Adam kept glancing at Craig as if for permission, but Craig just ignored him and spoke to the other guy.

Eventually, Callum came back towards Joe. “The private rooms are open. Are you assigning dungeon monitors?”

Joe nodded. “I’m staying here also.”

Callum smiled for the first time in a few hours. “I never doubted it. I’m doing a demonstration with Lee. You got everything covered?”

Joe nodded grimly. Three of the dungeon monitors took up their regular monitoring positions which signaled the private rooms were open. One of his guys, Daniel, from the door, came over. “Joe, you got a call from a Rodriguez. Says it’s urgent.”

Joe looked to where Adam still sat. He was okay. “Daniel, take this position until I get back. If this group moves to a private room, I want you to keep checking them.”

Joe strode over to the desk by the entrance and picked up the phone. “Halloran.”

“Hey, I just wanted to let you know about the apartment.” Joe pricked his ears up. “We’re done, but got nothing. Sorry Joe. Details will be kept on file, but...”

Joe could mentally see the detective’s shrug. “Yeah, okay Rodriguez. Thanks for letting me know.”

“You met my brother-in-law, I heard.”

Joe smiled, but he was too anxious about Adam to want to chat. “Yeah, he’s coming tonight later I think. Sorry, but I gotta go.”

The detective quickly rang off. Joe strode back over to where Adam was.
Shit
,
they’ve moved
. Daniel met him. “They’re in room four. There’s two Doms, but one seems to be just observing. They’re taking care of Adam. Just brought him some more water. He refused to be gagged, and Master Craig was okay with it.”

Joe nodded. At least Adam was showing some sense. Joe looked through the observation glass that was in place alongside each room door so the DM’s could check scenes without going in the rooms. Joe sat on the edge of a padded bench. Craig was passing Adam another bottle of water. Adam shrugged, but the other Dom said something else and Adam took the water. Craig just waited patiently while he drank half of it. Joe had to admit, he was pleasantly surprised at the care being shown.

Craig finally took the half empty bottle and sat casually down next to Adam, talking for a few minutes. Joe wished he could hear what was being said, but Adam was showing no signs of distress, and they hadn’t actually done anything yet, so he couldn’t go in.

Joe kept glancing at the other rooms as well. With Callum locking them last night, every one of them was full and his dungeon monitors were kept busy. Joe looked back in at Adam, and he clenched his fists. Adam was laughing at something Craig had said. Joe sighed. So much for his concern. Adam looked like he was enjoying himself. A little something curled in Joe’s gut. It must be relief. Maybe Adam was suited to Craig. Clearly Craig was gay, unlike Joe. He would just wait a few minutes and makes sure everything was okay and then leave the observation to his monitors. Joe actually wondered after another few minutes when Craig casually leaned Adam against him, them both still seated, why he had worried at all. There was no alien invasion and he wasn’t going to need a lobotomy.

So why am I still standing here?

Joe sighed. Willed his feet to move...willed any small emergency that might require his presence. Anything really, from a sudden shortage of paperclips in the office to an all-out brawl in the bar. That was it. He was moving. He glanced around one last time. Adam was being lain down on the bench, but he was neither restrained nor gagged. He was just placed there casually. The other Dom was setting up some equipment. He’d taken a flogger out of a case he had brought with him. Nothing wrong with that though. Most Doms preferred their own equipment.

There was no reason for Joe to be here at all. Joe swallowed, and as he watched, Craig lifted his hand and brushed a purple streak out of Adam’s face. Both Doms laughed. Joe’s heart constricted painfully, and his fingers itched as he remembered how he had done that to Adam last night. He couldn’t watch this.

He was just going to walk away when the other Dom approached the bed. Craig bent down to say something to Adam, and they both looked at each other and smiled. Craig bent over Adam again and spoke some more. Then the other Dom undid Adam’s shorts and slid them down. Joe gazed on the scene. Adam hadn’t said a word for a few minutes by the look of things and he just lay there fairly unresponsive to being undressed. Joe glanced around for his dungeon monitors. They were both busy, but he caught the eye of one so he knew he would take over as soon as he left. Joe couldn’t watch this anymore. So much for Adam being keen on Joe. Just proved how wrong he was. Adam wasn’t protesting at whatever was being done, even by two of them.

Two of them? Like a light bulb going off in Joe’s brain, Joe instantly knew something was wrong. Ménage was one of Adam’s limits. He absolutely wouldn’t scene with more than one person. For a split second, Joe focused on Adam. His head lolled to one side away from Joe so he couldn’t see if his eyes were open. But every part of Adam’s body was relaxed. He would have been nervous, very nervous at being completely naked in front of two Doms he didn’t know. All the images of Craig pushing the water on Adam rushed into Joe. Of him insisting on Adam taking more. Adam, leaning on Craig, not because he was relaxed, but because he was being drugged.

With a snarl Joe dived for the door.

Chapter 8

Both Doms stood up sharply as Joe barged in. Much as he was itching to lay both of them out, he went straight for Adam. Daniel had followed Joe in. Adam was lying on the bench completely naked, eyes closed, breathing slowly.

“Adam.” Joe pressed in, urgent, heart hammering. “Adam.” He couldn’t breathe.

“Sir?” The question came out sleepily, lazily, lips twisting into a small smile.

“Can you open your eyes for me?”
Please.
“Please baby.” Joe stroked the side of Adam’s face.

Adam sighed. “Mmm...tired.”

“Just a little, please.” Joe was prepared to beg. Adam cranked his eyes open, and Joe drank him in.

Adam put a hand to his head. “Wow. What?” He blinked and tried to sit up. “Joe?” Joe ignored the noise going on behind him. Callum had entered the room along with other dungeon monitors.

Adam giggled. “I didn’t realize it would be so strong.”

Disbelief had Joe’s eyebrows shooting up into his hairline. “What?” He became aware of what Craig was shouting to Callum. How Adam had agreed to take something. How it was nothing. Just to take the edge off.

“Adam, you did this deliberately?” Joe was incredulous. “Oh my God. You...” Joe looked at Callum, astonished. “Of all the—” Joe bit off the insult. Adam was leaning heavily against Joe’s side after he’d struggled to sit up. “Everyone out,” Joe said. He sounded a lot calmer than he felt. He shot an apologetic look at Callum’s amused one when he just realized he’d included Callum in that order.

Joe mentally counted to ten as he tucked Adam into his side. “Look, we’ll discuss this after we get you home. We need to get you checked out first.” Adam aimlessly giggled, seeming to find the whole thing funny. Joe pulled his chin up. “Adam, concentrate.” Adam smiled and leaned forward, as if he was going to kiss Joe. Joe nearly growled. “I’m going to take you to the ER.”

Adam seemed to wake up a little at that. He stiffened and started struggling. “I’m not going to the hospital.”

Joe sighed and wanted to slap his forehead. Actually, he wanted to slap Adam. No, what he really wanted to do was lay him over his knee and smack his ass so he couldn’t sit down for a week. Joe groaned. It wasn’t fair. He shouldn’t have liked that image at all.

Adam shook. “I’m not going to the hospital.”

“Why Adam? What is it about ERs?” Joe was perplexed. Adam had reacted the same when the EMTs had seen to him at his flat. Adam had said it was money, but Joe wasn’t sure now.

Adam still shook his head. “I’m going home.” He opened his eyes fully. “To my home.”

Over my dead body
. “No. I will agree to the no hospital request providing Master Jameson or someone is here to check you out. But you come home with me.”

“But why, Joe? You’re not even bi—you said. This makes it harder on both of us.” Adam hung his head. “I don’t feel so good.”

Joe tightened his arm. “Then why on earth did you do this?”

“I-Joe.” Adam clamped a hand over his mouth, and Joe lunged for the empty water jug on the counter, just in time for Adam to throw up in it. Adam was shaking. Joe emptied his water down the sink and got a fresh one out of the mini-fridge in the corner.

He soaked a cloth with cool water and bathed Adam’s face while he sipped. “I’m sorry.” Adam hung his head. “It was only supposed to be mild, he said.”

“Why take it at all?”

Adam looked at Joe hard, and his eyes filled. “Because I could pretend it was someone else.”

Joe swallowed. Guilt slammed into him. He’d been giving Adam mixed signals for days, all because he didn’t want to be seen as being gay. But who cared? Fuck, he’d put Adam at risk over something that wasn’t really a big deal.

There was a knock at the door, and Callum appeared with Derek Jameson. Joe nodded and stood up. He encouraged Adam to lie down while Derek checked him out.

Callum beckoned Joe, and they both stood just outside the room. “I’ve told Craig Stevens and both of the other two Doms he comes in with that their membership has been revoked. I’ve also said I will be passing that on to the owners at Breathless.” Callum looked at Adam. “How’s he doing?”

Joe sighed. “This is my fault, Callum.” He looked towards the slightly open door. He could hear Derek asking Adam questions. “He won’t go near the ER though. I offered to pay. I don’t get it.”

Callum stared at Joe and didn’t say a word.

“You know something, don’t you? Why he won’t go?”

Callum shifted his weight to his other foot. “This is confidential. Lee told me, but I think you should know.” Joe nodded. “Adam was put in the foster system at nine years—” Callum looked hard at Joe. “—after his mom was put in a locked psychiatric facility for killing Adam’s twin brother.”

Joe gasped and felt for the wall to keep himself upright.

“His mother was diagnosed with Munchausen’s disease by proxy,” Callum continued.

Joe frowned. “Isn’t that where they pretend their kid is sick?”

Callum nodded. “Yeah. She’d drag them backwards and forwards to the doctor, the ER.” Callum paused while he made sure Joe understood the significance. “Trouble was, it got so the boys were getting old enough to insist they weren’t sick. So—”

Joe’s stomach dropped to his boots. “Oh God, she did something to make it real?”

Callum looked as disgusted as Joe felt. “She crushed a load of tablets up, gave it to Adam’s brother first. Adam would probably have been next, but some neighbor came around or something. By that time Adam’s brother was already sick, and it was too late. When they got to the hospital, he was comatose, and he never woke up. Adam’s stomach was pumped in case.”

Joe didn’t know how his legs were still holding him up.
He was nine, for fuck’s sake
. He felt a hand on his arm and looked at Callum.

“You’re my friend Joe, but Adam...”

Joe nodded. He knew Callum was warning him, and he deserved it.

He swallowed. There was one more thing. “Do you know how he became one of Derek’s boys?”

Callum shook his head. “He won’t even tell Lee that.”

Joe pushed the door to the smaller room open. Derek was still talking quietly to Adam. The doctor looked up as Joe and Callum walked back in. Joe studied the man’s kind face. He’d always got the impression Derek was older than both of them, but now he wasn’t sure. He’d known Derek for a few years through the lifestyle, but he’d never really been a close friend.

The guy patted Adam’s hand and stood. He addressed Callum, much to Joe’s disgust. “Vomiting has probably cleared his system, but I would like an eye kept on him tonight. I’ve made a follow up appointment for Adam to see me on Wednesday. Can you make sure he doesn’t forget?”

“He won’t.” Joe walked over and stood next to Adam determinedly before Callum could say anything. If Derek was surprised at Joe’s reaction, he didn’t show it. He just nodded, smiled benevolently at Adam, and followed Callum out.

There was another knock on the door, and a rather subdued Lee came in. Callum must have warned him to go easy on Adam. “I’ve brought your clothes down from upstairs.” He quickly gave Adam a brief hug. “If you need anything, you know where I am.” Lee glanced uncertainly at Joe.

Joe moved in closer to Adam. “I’m taking him home now.” Joe was getting fed up of having to tell people. Adam nodded and slid off the bench. Joe helped him with his pants, sneakers, and shirt. He wobbled, and Joe grabbed him. He reached in his pocket and threw his keys at Lee. “Will you bring my truck around the side, please?” Lee smiled and hurried away.

Joe felt Adam smile against his chest where his head lay. “He loves driving other people’s cars.”

“How do you feel?” Joe tilted Adam’s face up. Sleepy green eyes blinked up at him.

“Stupid.” Adam tried to lower his head, but Joe wouldn’t let him.

“No. I’m the stupid one.” He closed in on Adam’s face and just before he closed his eyes, he saw Adam’s eyes widen as he realized Joe was going to kiss him.

“Mmm...” Joe took Adam’s sounds and swallowed them. He gently brushed his lips. They were his, all his. Just like the rest of him. Adam sagged against him and Joe lifted him up so he was flush with the rest of his body.

He broke off briefly before he got too carried away. Adam needed sleep. Joe wasn’t doing anything until he knew there was nothing in his system. Everything Joe was thinking of required Adam’s full attention.