“Come on in,” Master Gavin said when Mason knocked on his office door before starting mid-afternoon preps in the kitchen.

“Master Gavin, I ... I need to talk to you if I’m not interrupting something important.”

“Something wrong with the drinks order?”

“Oh, no ... no ...” Mason murmured, still standing on the threshold and staring at his sneakers. “It’s about a personal matter.”

“I see. Please, close the door and have a seat.” Master Gavin stood and leaned against the front of the desk, crossing his legs and facing Mason, who sat in the tan leather armchair. “Would you like a cup of coffee? Maybe some tea?”

“No, thank you, Master Gavin. I’m good.”

Again the toes of his shoes drew all of his focus as he tried hard not to stare at the manly glory laid out in front of him. The pristine shirt the Dom wore balanced perfectly with his brown skin and did a poor job of hiding the planes of rippled muscles underneath. It didn’t help that Mason was at eye level with his crotch and cursing the dark slacks that hugged his muscular thighs so well. Mason’s hands started trembling so he gathered them in his lap and he hoped he could do without talking, because he wasn’t sure he would find a steady voice. The courage he had taken strength from the night before was waning and left only nervous shivers of uncertainty.

“Mason, your breathing is uneven.” Master Gavin’s deep voice echoed in his ears, then he felt a warm hand splaying between his shoulder blades. “Please, breathe deeply. In and out. In and out.”

Mason did as instructed and a bottle of water was placed in front of him. The soothing hand rubbing his back retreated too soon and left his skin prickling, even through a layer of cotton.

“Master Gavin, I would like to ... to become a sub.” He fiddled with his fingers and still couldn’t find the nerve to stop looking at the floor. “I managed to save a bit of money so I can afford the club fees.”

“Of course, Mason. You’ll have to go through the vetting procedure with all the other wannabe members, then I can arrange for one of the club Doms to train you. Got any preferences?”

“Um, yes, Master Gavin. I ...” Mason swallowed twice to try and get a steady voice back. “I’d like it to be you.”

He shyly attempted to raise his eyes and found Master Gavin’s grey ones staring firmly at him with an indecipherable expression. Seconds ticked by in a poignant silence full of anticipation and not the least bit discomforting, then Gavin’s voice scratched that stillness.

“Why me?”

Words ran wild and escaped Mason’s mouth before he could block them. “You are the best Dom at Tied Up.” Master Gavin didn’t comment on that and his steely eyes silently nudged Mason to keep talking, as if the man already knew there was more to it. “You’re demanding, Sir. And fierce. I think that’s what I need.”

“How could you be so certain about that? I’m pretty sure you’ve never seen me in action, so to speak.”

“I don’t need to. It’s in your stance, in your voice, in the way you move around the club.”

Master Gavin stood quiet for a bit, his stare unwavering, seeming to assess each word Mason had said. “Why do you think you need that?”

How could he explain that being under the control of a dominant man gave him the peace he craved and needed not to fall apart? “I need to submit to a man, a man who’s willing to care about me, who worries about me.” Mason’s throat closed thinking about the fact that he had never been treasured: his family had tossed him away like a trash bag, his friends ... well, he hadn’t had any that stuck around much since middle school, and his occasional hookups never went past sharing first names and body fluids. “Since I came to Portland, I’ve been so lonely that I’ve thought a lot about myself and I’ve come around what is missing in my life. Someone to take control ...” Mason’s misty eyes settled on Master Gavin’s again. “Because I’m a mess.”

His boss waited for him to deepen that last thought, then, as no more words came out of him, acknowledged his request. “Okay. A sub’s training is usually made by a few sessions. We’ll go through the basics of what a Dom requires in a submissive and I’ll counsel you in finding out what your limits or curiosities are, if you haven’t figured them out yet.” His voice was deep and low, and soothing to Mason’s nerves. “There will be no sexual contact between us. The training sessions are only about preparing you to be a sub at the club and to behave properly in the presence of other Doms.” A dark shadow quickly darkened the man’s gray stare. “We’ll discuss more about this on our first session. I guess you’d find it convenient if we met an hour and a half before the beginning of your shift. That’s if you agree with that, of course.”

“Yes, Sir. That would be good.”

“Then what about we start on Friday?”

“Yes, Master Gavin,” Mason replied and then, sensing their conversation was over, slightly bowed his head, stood up and went toward the door. “Thank you.”

“Any time, Mason. Any time,” a deep and low voice whispered behind him.