Desires: New Beginnings
A new dominant
A jaded submissive
What could possibly go right?
Sterling's plan is simple. Learn how to be dominant, woo his crush. The only problem is he doesn't know how to do either of those things. Getting a job at the local kink club seems like a good place to start. Meeting a kind and older submissive on his first night on the job throws a wrench into his plans.
Despite how hard he tried, Kelly was never enough for his ex-husband. Years after their amicable, yet heartbreaking, divorce, Kelly has come to terms with how things ended. Hoping to put all his doubts aside, he's ready to get back into the scene.
Kelly's first night coincides with Sterling's first shift at Desires, and he can't help his interest in the much younger man who has more questions than answers. It doesn't take long for them both to realize they have something important to offer the other. Sterling needs practice and Kelly... well, after so long away, he does too.
Questions turn into scenes and scenes turn into more, and they're just getting started when Kelly's doubts creep back in. If he wasn't enough for his ex, how can he be enough for a man like Sterling? Can Kelly learn to trust again, or will they lose everything they have built together before love can even be found?
1
STERLING
“It says here you have twelve years in the service industry.” The guy interviewing him, Steve, didn’t look up from Sterling’s resume.
“Yes, sir.” Sterling clasped his hand tightly, forcing the urge to fidget and wriggle down. “I’ve worked every day since I turned fourteen.” Sterling outlined his work history briefly for Steve, though it was listed on his resume. He’d started working in the kitchen at his family’s restaurant when he was legally too young to work, but he left that part out. His experience in his family’s kitchen had enabled him to work pretty much in every position in a bar and restaurant a person could have. He liked working behind the bar the best, however.
Sometimes he thought he’d miss working for his family, but it would be nice to get away from them. He loved them, but they were overwhelming.
“I try hire people who are more familiar with the lifestyle, but Jade vouched for you.” Steve said.
Sterling flinched. Steve was a huge guy. Bald and imposing, he had a presence. Power radiated from him even when he wasn’t saying anything. He lifted his gaze to meet Sterling’s.
Sterling’s heart thumped at the mention of Jade’s name. They were the sole reason Sterling wanted to work at Desires. Okay, not the sole reason. There was something missing in Sterling’s life. He lived with a hole in his chest that he didn’t know how to fill. Jade had been a friend of Sterling’s for a while now. Once upon a time, they’d been a server in the restaurant Sterling’s family owned. They’d since left that job for another, but Sterling and Jade had been friends since their first day on the job when Sterling stood up to a particularly nasty customer for them.
Steve put the resume down and leaned back in his chair. “Jade told me what you did for them.”
“I’d have done it for anyone. I’m not a hero or anything. No one deserves to get treated that way.” Sterling’s guts churned when he remembered how hateful the customer had been when Jade approached the table in a blouse and a skirt. The customer had been rude straight away, and Sterling had taken more than a little joy in throwing them out.
Steve furrowed his brow. “What do you know about the lifestyle?”
Sterling took a breath so deep it made his ribs ache. “Honestly? Not enough.” Sterling exhaled. He wanted to deflate like a balloon, but he forced himself to sit and stay.
Steve smirked at him. “Jade said you appeared interested. I see they weren’t off base.”
“Not at all.” Sterling relaxed a little and let himself smile. “I know that it’s not your usual practice to hire people who aren’t in the lifestyle, and I promise I’m not just some looky-loo. Whatever you need me to sign, I will sign it for you. I’ll follow whatever rules you set for me, but,” Sterling paused. Did he want to lay it all on the line? He immediately kicked himself for hesitating. “I feel like I need to work here.”
The club was practically a legend around town. Formerly, it had only been a little kinky hole-in-the-wall, but then Steve purchased it from his best friend, Alan. Renovations happened. A restaurant got added and other changes were made. Those were less well-known, however, because the kinky crowd knew how to kiss and not tell. Steve had owned another restaurant in town, but he’d recently sold that so he could devote all his attention to the club.
Steve smiled a little, and Sterling took it as a positive. He leaned forward, folding his thick arms on the desk in front of him. “Tell me, Sterling. What do you hope to get out of working here, specifically? Jade says you’re interested in the lifestyle, but they wouldn’t say more. They vouched for your character, but weren’t very chatty with what you want out of working here. So either they don’t know, or you don’t.”
“Honestly, I don’t know.” Sterling forced the lump of emotion down. “Jade, they’re so fucking—sorry. They’re so confident and happy and settled. I’ve watched them submit, and it’s the most stunning thing in the world.”
“And you want that for yourself?”
Sterling almost panicked. Had he given himself away this early in the game? Did Steve guess Sterling was stupidly head over heels in love with Jade? But then he realized Steve thought he might want to submit to someone.
“Uh, no, Sir. I don’t want to be a submissive. I mean…” He raked a hand down his face and cursed himself for the cold brew he’d shotgunned on the way down here. “I don’t want to kneel for someone. I want to earn the right to have someone kneel… for me.”
Steve nodded. “There’s a sensitivity and diversity training course you must complete before your first shift starts. No training, no job. There’s a lot of different people who work here and visit here. The training is a prerequisite for hiring. Understand?”
Sterling nodded, then he realized Steve wanted verbal confirmation. “Yes, sir. Absolutely.”
Steve leaned over and opened one of his desk drawers. He pulled out a legal size manila envelope and handed it to Sterling, who took it with only a slight tremble in his hands.
“Do the course. Fill out the forms. When that’s all done, bring it back. I’ll give you a uniform and put you on the schedule.”
“Seriously?” Sterling squeaked. “Thank you. Holy crap.” He stood and held the envelope in his left hand, offering his right to Steve. “Thank you for taking a chance on me, sir. I won’t let you down.”
Steve shook his hand, and Sterling noted how it could probably crack every bone in his hand if Steve wanted to. God, the man was solid.
“I’ll walk you out.” Steve came around from behind his desk. He led Sterling back through the building. Nothing was open yet, but some staff were present. They looked busy, but happy, as they cleaned and chatted. They greeted Steve as he passed.
“Jade says people love working here.” Jade didn’t work for Steve, though. Jade only played at Desires. It had only been through a random twist of fate that they’d met at all.
A couple years before, Sterling had been out for drinks with his friend Robbie. The night was winding down, and they were about to call it quits and head home when Sterling saw someone slip something into Jade’s drink. Sterling stepped in, told the bartender, and helped Jade get out of there before anything bad could happen. They’d been friends ever since.
“Jade exaggerates,” someone said.
Steve paused and pulled the interrupter closer with a big hand wrapped around the guy’s wrist. “Matty, this is Sterling. He’s going to work here soon. Sterling, this is my partner Matty.”
“It’s nice to meet you.” Sterling shook Matty’s hand and tried not to think indecent thoughts about his boss and his boss’s partner. Clearly, they were more than business partners, given the way Matty wrapped himself around Steve like cling film.
“I was just walking Sterling out, I’ll be back. Wait in my office for me.”
Sterling caught the heated way they looked at each other. Yep. Definitely not business partners. He made himself look away, not wanting to gawk at his boss and the way he fucked his boyfriend with his eyes.
Steve cleared his throat. “Shall we?”
Sterling’s face heated, and he set off in the direction they'd been going. Steve’s quiet chuckle unsettled Sterling, and he glanced over at him.
“You’re going to have to get used to seeing things without reacting, Sterling. It’s half the job. Some people enjoy being looked at.”
“How do you know the difference?” Sterling furrowed his brow.
“The ones who want you to see them, let you.”
“Ah.” Sterling wasn’t sure he fully understood. Hopefully, the training he’d do before he started would help him wrap his head around it. And if not, it would be a trial by fire. Nothing Sterling wasn’t used to.
Steve walked Sterling to the front door and twisted the lock to let him out.
“Was there a deadline to get the training done, Sir?” Sterling asked as Steve pushed the door open. The summer heat slammed into Sterling, and he winced at the flash of sunlight in his eyes.
“The sooner the better. It’s not an intense course, or long, but it is important.”
“Thank you. I’ll get it done as soon as possible.”
Steve grinned at him. “I know you will. Have a good day, Sterling.”
“You, too.” Sterling stepped out onto the sidewalk. When the door clicked shut behind him, he grinned and reached for his phone. Usually, he just texted Jade, but Jade had said to call them when his interview was over. Sterling decided that he’d rather facetime because any excuse to set eyes on Jade was good enough for Sterling.
Jade answered and immediately fumbled with the phone. The screen spun and swirled before coming to a stop on the floor. Sterling stared at Jade’s ceiling for a second until the familiar face came into view. “How’d it go? Holy shit, you got the job!” Jade squeaked. “He got the job!” Jade yelled out. A sick feeling slithered into Sterling’s gut.
Of course, Jade wasn’t alone. A semi-familiar face popped up over Jade’s shoulder. “Congrats, Sterling. Steve will be lucky to have you on board.”
“Thanks,” Sterling tried to keep his cheery demeanor. Jade was blissfully unaware of his feelings. If they hadn’t been, it would’ve been almost cruel the way they paraded around half dressed with their current fling. Jealousy burned hot in Sterling.
Fuck. This was going to be a disaster. How was he going to work at Jade’s fucking play pen? The place they went to cruise and find guys to do the things Sterling still didn’t have the courage to think about.
“Did you hear me?” Jade asked.
“No, sorry.” Sterling said, forcing himself to focus.
“I said we’ll have to go out and celebrate.” Jade pushed their dark hair out of their face.
“I have a course to do first, before I can start.”
“Just one drink, Sterling.” Jade batted their eyelashes at him. “Prettiest of pleases.”
Sterling’s resolve crumbled. “Okay. One drink. But that’s it.”
“Yes! I’ll text you the details. I need to go though. Randy is dropping me off at work, and I need to shower.”
“Have a good day at work.” Sterling made himself say.
Jade called out a goodbye, and the screen went black. Sterling deflated a little. What had seemed like a good idea at the time now seemed like the worst possible thing he could’ve done.
It was already hard for him to watch Jade be with people who weren’t him, and now Sterling was going to work at the place where Jade went looking for things. Things Sterling wanted to give them, but didn’t know how.
Sterling sent a text to Robbie, who knew all about Sterling’s stupid crush on Jade. Robbie had tried to talk Sterling out of working at the club, but once Sterling got the idea in his head, he couldn’t shake it.
He needed to work there. He needed to learn how to be a Dom. The endgame was Jade. He could see Jade in his mind, kneeling at his feet, looking up at him with their gorgeous brown eyes.
That’s as far as that day's dream went, though. Because after that, Sterling didn’t know what to do. What would Jade want? What would he want to do with Jade if he had the opportunity? There were so many blank spaces in his knowledge that he couldn’t wrap his mind around what he’d do with Jade. He knew he wanted them. That was as far as it went.
He wanted Jade in his bed and at his feet, and if he had to endure a little torture while he learned how to achieve that, then so be it. Jade was worth the heartache.
Saturday's Series Spotlight
Desires
E. M. Denning is a writer from British Columbia. She loves her family and animals, and anything cute and fuzzy. She writes romance for the 18+ plus crowd because she's both a hopeless romantic and a dirty old woman.
You can find her on her website, Facebook or on her blog.
EMAIL: emdenningauthor@gmail.com
What He Learns #1
Desires: New Beginnings Series
Desires Series
