Flipping the Switch by Brigham Vaughn

ELEVEN

It took a long while for Logan to pull his brain together enough to be functional but eventually he stepped away and patted Jude’s back. He caught a glimpse of the marks on Jude’s ass. Logan hadn’t quite dared to hit Jude’s thighs hard enough to mark but his cheeks were striped with wide red lines. Fuck. That shouldn’t please Logan so much, but he felt nothing but smug satisfaction.

Especially because Jude looked wrecked. Logan hadn’t even fucked him, but Jude still lay draped over the rough table, cheek against the plywood surface, hair spilling over his face in a wash of gold, whole body limp. What a gorgeous little pain slut he was.

Logan rubbed an affectionate hand across Jude’s back, and he let out a contented purr but didn’t open his eyes or lift his head.

“I’ll be back in a moment.”

Jude mumbled his agreement, and Logan crossed the room to where a roll of rough shop towels had been left out. He mopped up the best he could, then carried some over to Jude.

He was half-awake, eyes open but still lethargic and pliable as Logan wiped him clean. Jude roused himself enough to dress, and when they were done, he turned to Logan, face blank with a blissfully ruined sort of contentment.

“That was …”

Logan stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Jude’s lower back, needing to reassure himself that Jude had enjoyed it as much as he had. “Was …?”

“Amazing.” Jude’s sigh was dreamy. “I … yeah. Damn, Logan. You can smack my ass with a yardstick any time.”

Logan laughed and kissed him. He lost himself in his touch and taste for a while but when they drew apart, he reached out, smoothing Jude’s damp hair off his forehead. “Thank you for letting me. Thank you for showing me how to give you what you need.”

Jude rested his forehead against Logan’s. “You are a hell of a student, that’s for sure.”

“How’s your ass feel? The marks looked wicked.”

“Sore as hell. I am going to be in agony tomorrow.”

“Why do you sound so gleeful about it?” he teased.

“Because I fucking love that,” Jude said, happiness radiating from his face and voice. “A well-striped ass is my favorite thing. Well, second only to a well-fucked one maybe. Honestly, it’s kind of a toss-up. And both … hnngh.”

“I look forward to inspecting your marks tomorrow,” Logan said with a purr. “And fucking your ass until you come apart completely.”

Jude’s shiver made Logan smile. He had the well-sated look of a man who’d gotten everything he wanted and that made Logan happy.

Logan had come damn hard too. Plus, he was a sadist who had finally gotten to do what he loved best. It didn’t get better than that. He slid his hands down Jude’s body and squeezed his ass, delighting in his pained whimper.

“Thank you for this,” Logan whispered against Jude’s mouth.

“Thank you.” Jude wiggled closer. “Shame Tony wasn’t here for it.”

“It was,” Logan agreed, feeling a wash of affection for sweet Tony. Logan had loved every moment of the play tonight, but he would have been even happier to have Tony here to play with too. There was something extra in the air when he was taking part.

The other night had been so damn good Logan had woken up the next morning and been sure he’d dreamt it.

“Tomorrow,” Jude said. He slid his hands across Logan’s shoulders and smiled, his whole face lit up with happiness.

“Tomorrow,” Logan agreed with one last kiss, looking forward to seeing both of his boys.

They separated and gathered their belongings. But when they reached the back door, Jude paused. “Can I say something?”

Logan frowned, concerned. “Of course. You can always tell me whatever you’d like, Jude.”

“I think you’re amazing. I know you’re newer to this role, but you’re settling into it beautifully. And this isn’t the most straightforward situation. If it were just you and Tony, it would be different, but you throw my switchy ass into the mix and—”

“Hey, I like your switchy ass.”

Jude’s face lit up with a smile. “Thank you.”

“There’s no question we’re both getting a whole lot out of this,” Logan said. “Do you think Tony is as well?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, he’s not much of a masochist when it comes down to it.”

“He’s not,” Jude agreed. “But he deeply loves to serve so he doesn’t mind it. I would never play with him the way I have if I thought he wasn’t one hundred percent on board with everything we were doing.”

“Oh, of course. I know.” Logan gave him a thoughtful look. “Do you consider yourself much of a sadist?”

Jude shook his head. He’d thought about that a lot over the years, and he didn’t get the same kind of thrill from it that Donovan definitely had and Logan seemed to. “I don’t mind being sadistic but I wouldn’t consider myself a sadist. It’s not that I’m so into inflicting pain in and of itself. I don’t mind it. It can be a lot of fun, but mostly it’s about the control.”

“Well, that works then,” Logan said with a smile. “I’m just wondering if we should keep the impact play more balanced for him. We got into this with the idea that you would demonstrate on Tony and then I could practice on you, but things are shifting, and I want to be sure we’re all getting what we need. I just think when we plan future scenes, we might want to keep that in mind. Maybe alternate what type of play we do so we make sure Tony’s enjoying it too. I don’t want to make this the Logan and Jude show and leave him out of it.”

“I agree.” Jude hummed thoughtfully. “Let’s talk to Tony before we decide anything, but yes, I agree wholeheartedly. I think we can incorporate more service and some sensation play. I feel like he’d enjoy the hell out of the two of us just overwhelming him with sensation. Feathers and ice and lips and hands and …”

“Oh, I like that.” Logan’s eyes gleamed. “We should also talk more about restraint too.”

Jude opened his mouth, probably to remind him of Tony’s rules and Logan held up a hand. “I haven’t forgotten about his prior experience. But I was thinking there might be some ways to ease him back into it. Maybe we do a scene with him on his back, you holding down his wrists while he sucks your cock and I work him over. So he’s pleasing you. You’re restraining him, and I get to do whatever I like to him. Or you. We’ll see. There are options.”

“You devious man,” Jude said, his tone admiring, his blue eyes bright and amused. “I love it. We’ll have to run it by Tony, of course, but I am totally on board for that if he is. And I have some suggestions for how we can incorporate that into tomorrow’s scene, if you don’t already have it all planned out. It’s mostly to do with Tony.”

“I have some ideas,” Logan said with a little smirk. “But I’d welcome your suggestions.”

“A blindfold. Maybe some ice. Both of us using our mouths on him. A Wartenberg wheel. Our nails. Just an onslaught of sensation before any impact play.”

“I like that idea a lot. I think it sounds perfect. I’ll definitely work that in. Thank you for the suggestion.”

Jude gave him a soft look. “God, Logan, you have no idea what it feels like to have you actually see me as a Dominant even though I’m being submissive to you. The way you talk to me, I can tell you respect both sides of who I am, and I’ve never had that before. It means a lot to me.”

Logan smiled back. “I’m glad.” He reached out and kissed Jude briefly. “I wouldn’t change a single thing about you, you know?”

The sigh Jude let out went straight to Logan’s heart and he hugged him tightly.

“You have no idea how much I needed to hear that.”

* * *

“What’s this I hear about you taking some time off?”

Logan grimaced as he held his phone against his ear with his shoulder and used both hands to slide scrambled eggs onto his plate. Jackson Maddox was the last person he wanted to hear from right now. Particularly with the thoughts of what he’d done to Jackson’s son the night before. And planned to do to him that night.

Ahh hell.This was exactly why they shouldn’t have gotten involved. And yet Logan struggled to feel an ounce of remorse.

He cleared his throat. “I needed a change of pace, and a project came up that sounded interesting. That’s all. It’s not like I retired. I’m just scaling back on my time in the office. Camille can handle it.”

Camille Henry was vice president of Shaw Construction Corp. and Logan’s right-hand person. She was sharp as hell and one hundred percent capable of steering the ship while he focused on Jude’s project for a while.

“From what you’ve said, she’s likely to steal the company right out from under you.”

Logan laughed. She was that driven, but he also knew she had a deep loyalty. “I doubt it, but even if she does … I’m not sure I care.”

“What the fuck happened to you?” Jackson sounded mystified.

Logan shrugged. “I’m reassessing my priorities, I guess.”

“Have you been kidnapped? Is this a coded cry for help?”

“Good lord, Jackson,” he said with a laugh. “It’s not that dire.” He now understood exactly where Jude got his flair for the dramatic.

“Isn’t it? You’re telling me you’ve stepped away from the office to pursue some passion project.”

Logan didn’t know whether he should be amused or horrified by his scornful use of ‘passion project’. Logan was passionate about the restaurant he was helping Jude build, but his passion for Jude was even stronger.

Logan leaned against the white-painted vintage cabinets and tried to gather his thoughts. “I’ve worked pretty much every day of my life since I was sixteen. I took my father’s small construction company and turned it into one of the leading privately held commercial construction corporations in the Midwest. I raised a kid who is a brilliant cardio-thoracic surgeon and an all-around wonderful human being, I’ve been married and divorced, and I’m fifty-three. I think I’m entitled to take a small break and think about doing something that brings me joy.”

“You are.” Jackson sounded chastened. A rare tone for him. “I … it just took me by surprise. You never talked about it before.”

“True. And I appreciate the concern. But honestly, I’ve really been enjoying myself. Pendleton Bay is a nice little town.”

“You’re in Pendleton?”

Ahh, shit. He kept his tone breezy. “Yeah. I keep hearing what a great vacation town it is and it’s really living up to its reputation. I’m staying in a fantastic little rental place within walking distance of downtown.”

“Hmm. Have you seen Jude?”

“I have,” he admitted. “He’s doing well. But I really should let you go, Jackson. I just made eggs and they’re getting cold.”

“Sure. I’ll let you get to it. Starting to think maybe I should come visit Pendleton sometime. It’s been a while.”

“Or we can meet up for lunch when I’m in Fort Benton and catch up then,” he said a little desperately. The last thing he wanted was for Jackson to come sniffing around here. “We’ll figure it out.”

“Don’t forget the holiday party.”

Oh hell.Logan had forgotten about the annual Maddox family holiday party. It was a showy, catered affair at their lakefront home, and Logan had attended every year for nearly three decades. Ever since he and Jackson became friends. That was the last thing Logan wanted to do now but wasn’t sure he had much choice. It would be suspicious if he didn’t show up.

“I’ll be there,” he promised.

“You seeing anyone? You know you’re always welcome to bring a plus one.”

“Ahh, seeing someone, yeah. But it’s new. A bit too soon for that sort of thing, and honestly, it’s pretty casual.”

“It’ll be fine. Bring her anyway.”

Jackson knew damn well he was bisexual, but he conveniently ‘forgot’ every time. Logan wasn’t surprised that he’d never told Jude. Why would he when he didn’t think it was something worth acknowledging? Jude had never let his father forget that he was gay, but that was Jude. Logan had always been more inclined to let things slide. Well, not this time.

“I’m involved with a man.” Technically two.

“Hmm. Well, bring him if you want.”

“We’ll see,” Logan said vaguely. “He may have other plans. Anyway, I’ve got to go. I’ll call you about lunch next time I’m in town.”

“Sure. Take care, Logan.”

“You too, Jackson.”

Logan ended the call, set his phone on the butcher block counter, and rubbed his palms across his face. This was exactly why he’d been so hesitant to get involved with Jude to begin with. It meant he had to be hellishly careful about what he said to Jackson. If push came to shove though, Logan could tell him about Tony and leave Jude out of the equation.

But it was casual. It was sex and kink in a lovely package—or two packages, as it were—but the three of them had no intention of ever moving forward with anything else. Just as well, since Jackson would have his head for fucking his son. Logan could only imagine what Jackson would do if he paraded Jude around as his boyfriend or partner. And with Tony on the other arm … Dear God.

Logan shook his head and reached for the plate of eggs, now cold.

He flicked on the gas burner and dumped the eggs back in the pan to re-heat. Jude would probably be appalled that he didn’t make new ones but too damn bad. Unlike Jude, who had grown up with the proverbial silver spoon in his mouth—possibly a literal one for all Logan knew—Logan hadn’t. In the lean months when his father’s construction business slowed, his parents had been forced to budget carefully or risk going without eating, and the idea of throwing out perfectly good eggs, however cold, would have been viewed with scorn.

Logan lived comfortably now—more than comfortably, to be honest. He owned a condo that overlooked the river in Fort Benton. He drove a car that was less than a year old. He had no debts except for those that the business naturally accrued. And he could retire tomorrow and do just about anything he wanted if it really came down to it.

But in some ways, he’d never really shed his frugal Midwestern upbringing. He’d lived with the looming fear of poverty that the Maddox family had never experienced. Generations of wealth had led to where they were now. Logan was well-off. The Maddoxes were in an entirely different tier.

Logan gave Jude a lot of credit for not letting it go to his head. He might be a brat in the bedroom, but he had a sensible head on his shoulders outside of it. He had an enormous drive to succeed as a chef and he worked damn hard for it. Logan had been impressed to see how willing he was to get his hands dirty with construction.

The sizzle of the pan tore Logan from his thoughts and made him realize the eggs were well and truly hot now. He yanked the pan off the burner, then scooped the food back onto the plate. They’d be overdone but oh well. As long as he had fuel in him, he didn’t care.

And he would need fuel for tonight.

Logan licked his lips in anticipation as he carried the plate over to the little nook that contained the wooden bench and table. He had two men he’d be in charge of tonight—more or less, since Jude was still running the show in a lot of ways—so Logan would have to be focused and ready for a long night.

Which reminded him, he needed to make sure his toy bag was packed. He had splurged on some gorgeous pieces a while back, but for the most part they’d languished in a bag on the floor of his walk-in closet.

Tonight, he’d get to enjoy them.