Hearts Under Fire Read Online Free PDF Page A

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    Daniel slid into the well-lit car and found a seat. He piled his bags next to him and slumped, putting his aching head in his hands.
    Thoughts of solid muscle under tight blue cotton, mismatched eyes, and quicksilver humor filled his head more than he liked. He ran through the conversation and couldn’t forget Clark’s last look of shock and disappointment. Still, given what Daniel knew about Clark, the entire encounter must have been nothing more than a come-on to warm a lonely night.
    Daniel didn’t need a one-night stand. His family and friends thought that the “computer job” explained his finances. He’d never corrected them or told them about his professional domination services, but he wasn’t able to hide it, either. Back in his post-doc days, he’d needed to advertise, and word of mouth worked for finding people he could trust. He avoided public venues and built his own dungeon, since most of his clientele wanted their privacy, but a few went on to Club Break. They were the ones who’d told Daniel about Maxwell Clark, one of the four owners.
    Clark was someone everyone liked. He dabbled in the toys, rooms, and delights of the Scene; however, “dabbled” was the key word. Now Daniel understood why Clark was so well liked. He was intensely personable, funny, and got under people’s defenses. Daniel could imagine that playful force of will crumbling most resistances. But something Daniel’s sources had added now made sense: Clark always kept his distance, and he never, ever played the sub.
    Daniel knew himself well enough to know that he couldn’t submit. He’d tried it, in order to learn how it felt, how it worked, what was needed to overwhelm another human being. As a traditional method for learning how to master others, it worked.
    However, his master, at the end of their summer contract, shook his head and said, “You’re always thinking. You’re not deliberately scheming on how to get out of it; you’re just two feet behind glass, watching, weighing everything. You can’t let go, can you?”
    Daniel shook his head, feeling like he’d failed.
    “When you were racked, clamped, filled, gagged, and hooded, what were you thinking about?”
    Looking into his master’s eyes, Daniel said honestly, “How I could do it better.”
    His master’s laughter made Daniel blush, but the next words stuck in his memory. “That’s what I used to think about, boy. You’ll do fine.”
    Playing on his strengths, Daniel did well. His schedule was full, and he managed to pay off his graduate school loans. He could now send three of his adopted siblings’ kids through college. He enjoyed shopping at James, his little blue Tesla, and dressing the part when he entertained his clients.
    Lights flickered by as the train sped through the city, and Daniel watched them as he worked over what he knew. There were reasons why he’d walked away from Clark’s advances. He had no desire for someone who couldn’t meet his long-term needs. He’d scheduled a client for Sunday night, who would meet his immediate needs without the uncomfortable feeling of being treated like a beautiful woman seduced by a big strong man.
    Grinning sardonically to himself, Daniel shook his head. That direct invitation at the end felt so typical of the love-them-and-leave-them type, so why did it still nag at him? He should write it all off as Clark just wanting to get laid, but something bothered him. That look after Daniel explained his discomfort with the wedding stuck in his head, when Clark’s tone rang true. What did he say?
    “I hate thinking about a world where someone like you isn’t accepted for who you are.”
    Daniel bit his lower lip. That was no line, or else it wouldn’t have been said so lightly. No play, as it would have bought Clark nothing.
    For someone who saw into the depths of others so readily, it felt odd to be seen.
    Daniel sighed and heard the call for his station. Forgetting Clark was going to be