“Sweet,” Dominic said with laughter in his voice. “I don’t remember the last time anyone called me sweet.”
Sam leaned his cheek against Dominic’s. “I dunno… Your cock tasted pretty sweet to me.”
“Sammy,” Dominic said, half-laughing, half-groaning.
Whatever Dominic was about to say was cut off when a familiar voice said,
“A fine morning, isn’t it?”
Sam tensed but relaxed again when Dominic’s hand stroked his back.
“It is,” Dominic said, stretching out his free hand for a handshake. His expression was polite and friendly. “Milosz. I’m afraid I don’t remember your companion’s name.”
“This is my pet, Anika,” Brylsko said, stroking the leather leash in his hand. The girl, Anika, was very beautiful and very quiet, the picture of submissiveness. Brylsko looked at her with a vaguely proprietary expression that, to Sam’s surprise, seemed genuinely affectionate. “Isn’t she beautiful?”
“I’m sure she is,” Dominic said, flicking a neutral glance toward the girl before returning his eyes to Sam, his gaze becoming far more appreciative. “But I’m afraid I’m not a very good judge of female beauty.”
Christ, he was good. Even knowing that Agent 11 was straight, Sam couldn’t tell that he was anything but honest.
Brylsko chuckled. “I can see that.” He gave Sam a long look.
Sam pressed himself tighter against Dominic, hoping his uneasiness wasn’t obvious.
“Will you be attending the shibari demonstration with your boy?” Brylsko said, returning his gaze to Dominic. “I’ve been told they have amazing artists.”
Sam expected Dominic to agree, but he shook his head with a shrug. “I’m not all that interested in bondage. I’m a simple man of simple tastes. Maybe some other day if we have nothing to do.”
“Hmm, that’s a pity. I’m sure we’ll see you around.” Brylsko led his pet toward their table.
“Why did you say no?” Sam whispered when they were alone.
Dominic kissed the corner of his mouth. “Pretty sure he was testing us. We can’t seem too eager to go wherever he goes. Besides, Dominic Bommer has no history of being interested in any form of BDSM, so it would have been doubly suspicious.”
“What about you?” Sam murmured, licking his tingling lips and trying not to stare at Dominic’s mouth. He’d never been so painfully aware of another man’s mouth.
“What about me?”
“Are you interested in bondage?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Dominic said, dropping a kiss on Sam’s nose.
Sam pouted.
Dominic laughed.
“So, what now?” Sam said, glancing around to make sure no one was close enough to overhear them.
“We eat, we take a long walk around the ship. If we’re lucky, Brylsko takes off his shirt at some point.”
“And if we aren’t?”
Dominic’s face turned serious. “If we aren’t, we’ll think of something else. Can you even steal that chain?”
Sam thought for a moment before nodding. “Yes. If I’m close enough and he’s distracted by something.”
Dominic looked at him intently. “Can you put it back around his neck without him noticing?”
Sam grimaced. “Maybe.” It was a big maybe.
“Not good enough. I’m not letting you take such a risk when we don’t even know for sure that the flash drive is on that chain.”
“There may not be a choice,” Sam said quietly, though he wasn’t exactly a fan of that plan, either. It really was too risky.
“That will be our last resort,” Dominic said. “We have time to find a better solution.”
Sam pursed his lips, pressing his nose to the hollow of Dominic’s throat. “There’s another option, you know,” he whispered reluctantly. “To get him to take his shirt off.”
He felt Dominic’s muscles go rigid against him.
“No.”
“I’m just saying that—”
“No,” Dominic cut him off, his voice like ice.
Sam sighed. “He’s interested in me. I can tell. Maybe not interested enough to bid for me, but enough not to say no if a friend offered to share his boytoy.”
Dominic was quiet.
At last, he said, “We’ll find another way.”
Sam looked at Dominic’s dead serious expression and felt a warm feeling curl in his chest. In his heart.
God, this was bad.
Chapter 9
Dominic Bommer, or the man who was known as Dominic Bommer, rarely felt squeamish about doing whatever he must for a mission’s success. It had been years since something had made him hesitate.
That was why a part of him was incredulous that he had refused to consider the option that would make their mission much easier to accomplish. It was useless to deny that lending the boy to Brylsko would be the easiest way to learn where Brylsko kept the flash drive. Not to mention that swapping it for the fake one would be much easier if the mark was… distracted.
Distracted.
The mere idea made Dominic’s fingers itch for a gun, a knife. Anything.
Fuck. This was unacceptable. The boy shouldn’t have mattered. He’d done far worse in the name of Queen and Country than sacrificing a teenager’s mental health. It wasn’t as though Brylsko would kill or physically harm the boy. It was just sex. An exchange of bodily fluids. It wasn’t as though Dominic himself had never had to fuck people he abhorred for the success of his mission. So why couldn’t he let the boy do it? He had warned Sam that it wasn’t a job for someone with a weak stomach. The kid had ignored his warning, and now he must deal with consequences. Simple as that.