Jonah groaned. “I dunno… Goddamn... Just wanted to get with the guy once, so I could stop fucking obsessing. But no, gotta be doing this texting shit instead.” He shot Sean a look, one of utter frustration. “I’m a boring fucking texter, Sean. I can’t keep his interest this way.”
Sean chuckled and sat up. “You’re not a boring texter.”
“Yeah. I am. And an awkward one, too. Like, one word answers to everything he asks.” Joe frowned, then spotted his book under the table. He swiftly swiped it up as if the thing gave him comfort. “Matter of fact, after the non-conversation we had this morning, he’ll probably never message me again.”
Sean grinned. “Send him pictures. Everything’s better with visuals.”
Jonah looked at him drolly. “Of what?” he deadpanned. “My big, strapping Star Wars collection?”
Sean laughed. “Oh, c’mon. You’re more creative than that.”
Jonah scowled and glanced away.
“Okay, fine. Then another way. The tried-and-true approach.”
Joe looked at him. “And what way exactly is that?”
Sean shrugged. “Next time you see him, offer the man a blowjob. Blowjobs always fix shit fast.”
“Ugh. I suck at blowjobs.” Jonah’s shoulders drooped lower. “Would probably do more harm than frickin’ good.”
“I don’t know about that. Just need a little know-how. What to do and when… and for how long.”
Jonah eyed Sean dubiously. “That sounds awfully complicated.”
Sean smiled. “Nah. Not really.” He unscrewed his Coke. “Just Google the word “edging” and do a bit of research.”
Jonah lifted a brow. “Edging? Sounds like trimming a damn bush.”
Sean coughed out a laugh, nearly choking on his drink. “I assure you, my friend, no hedges involved. Just a whole lot of crazy-hot fun.”
Immediately, his thoughts drifted back to Friday night, when he’d done a little edging himself. God, all those sounds he’d elicited from Max’s mouth. All those shivers and twitches. How Max fisted his hair...
“Hello? Earth to Sean.”
Sean blinked. “Um, what?”
Jonah looked at him. “I said, where’d you learn about edging? Oh, wait,” he drawled. “Lemme guess. From your Dom.”
Sean nodded with a shrug. “He’s taught me a lot of things.”
“I’m sure he has.” Jonah watched him for a second. “How long are you gonna keep seeing him?”
As long as it takes to finally win the guy over.
“I dunno. Up through graduation, I guess. Until I leave for Australia.” Australia. Sean’s heart squeezed unhappily at that, thinking back to when he’d asked Max to come with him. They’d been having such a good time, letting loose on the dance floor. God, at one point, Sean swore Max was about to say yes.
“How ‘bout when you come home? You gonna start back up with him?”
Sean sighed, not liking the implications of Joe’s questions. That after all that time, he and Max still wouldn’t be together. That he will have ultimately failed. “I dunno. I guess maybe. I’ll just… play it by ear.”
Again, Jonah regarded him for a long, thoughtful moment. “You like him,” he finally muttered. “You’re not just crushing anymore.”
No, he was straight-up fucking falling for the man. Although, lately, it felt a lot more like flailing.
Sean smiled, just a small one, and shook his head. No point denying it. “Nope. Not just crushing. I’ve definitely got it bad.”
Jonah opened his mouth. Shut it. Frowned, then tried it again. “But you’re not trying to date him, right?”
“Actually, I am. Trying, that is. We’ll see how it goes.”
Jonah didn’t exactly look happy. Just kind of rubbed his mouth and groaned. “That can’t possibly be a good idea, Sean. Tell me you see this.”
Sean stiffened. “There’s nothing wrong with dating a Dom.”
“Maybe not, no. But not a Dom for fucking hire.”
Sean winced at his words and looked away. Jonah was right in that respect. Sean knew he was. But it still didn’t change the way Sean felt. “I know what he does, and I’m okay with that.” Sort of. Not really. He didn’t exactly want to share.
Jonah cursed and shoved his glasses back up his nose. “Man, why do you want this guy? Why can’t you like someone else? You know, someone who’s actually nice and shit, and doesn’t fuck other guys for a living.”
Sean clenched his teeth. “He teaches at Mason, too, remember?”
“So, what, that makes the other stuff okay?”
“Yes… No… Ugh. I don’t fucking know.” Sean scrubbed his face. Exhaled. “One step at a time. First, I gotta get him to let me in.”
“Let you in? What’s that mean?”
“He doesn’t typically date clients. Well, actually, he doesn’t date at all. So, yeah, there’s that. And the fact that he’s so… jaded. I just… I just gotta prove to the man that I’m worth taking a chance on.”
Jonah’s expression turned grim. “You need to think about this, Sean. Besides the fact that your Dom doesn’t sound especially stable, your world and his just don’t fucking fit. You’re not compatible. Can’t you see that? Isn’t it totally fucking obvious? Trying to make shit work with him is only gonna make you miserable. Come to think of it, it already is.”