Topping the Alpha: Trident Security Series (11 page)

Clicking his seatbelt back on, Nick glanced at Jake. “Back to finding your snitch?”

“Yeah. It’s what…” He checked the dashboard clock. “Almost eighteen hundred. He should be getting out of work in a few minutes, so hopefully we can catch him.” Silence filled the air, making the tension between them grow. If Jake didn’t do something, it was going to be a major distraction at a time when they both needed their heads on straight. “Nick…I’m sorry I blew you off earlier.”

The kid smirked and snorted. “Funny…I thought I was the one who blew you.”

He couldn’t help the amused grin which spread across his face. “That you did, Junior. And very well, I might add.” He paused before getting serious again and letting out a weary sigh. “I hate to sound cliché, but you’re not the problem. It’s me. I’ve got shit buried so far down inside me that I don’t know if I’ll ever be rid of it. I’ve never spoken to anyone about it, either—not the team, a boyfriend, a submissive, a shrink, or a priest, so don’t take offense.”

“You know, they say confession is good for the soul, or are you just going to suffer in a lonely silence for the rest of your life?”

Good question. Was he?
“I don’t know. I honestly don’t. But with all this shit with Wagner going on, I can’t focus on my problems. Neither one of us can afford to be distracted. I just…can you let it go for now?”

Mulling over the request, Nick hesitated a moment, then cocked his head to the side in reluctant agreement. “Yeah. I can. But after this crap with Alyssa is over, I’m going to want answers, Jake. I may not know a lot about the lifestyle, but I do know communication is a major part of it. Throwing your words from this morning back at you—is this just a game to you? Am I a convenient fling who’ll be tossed aside after I head back to California?”

Pulling into a gas station, Jake parked and turned off the engine. “You’re right. Communication is a big part of it. And the only games I play are ones that are mutually agreed upon.” He opened his door and climbed out with Nick doing the same on the passenger side. And while both dropped the subject for now, it didn’t go unnoticed to either of them that he hadn’t answered the second question.

A few minutes later, sitting in the diner across the street from the gas station where Jake’s snitch worked, Nick tried to appear relaxed and as non-threatening as possible. While the nineteen-year-old kid was comfortable with Jake, he was still wary with the stranger at their table. Not wanting to make things any worse, Nick remained silent and let Jake do his thing.

From what Jake had told him, Todd Wheeler was a kid who had fallen through the cracks of the system when his single mother died at the hand of an abusive boyfriend. Wheeler had been sixteen at the time and placed in several foster homes, each one worse than the last. After the third one, the kid ran away, hit the streets and turned to drugs to ease his emotional pain. About a year ago, Jake had come across him one night outside the YMCA where he’d been playing basketball with some guys. The kid had been looking for cars to break into for money or anything he could sell. Luckily for Wheeler, Jake had been the one to catch him and not one of the cops he’d been with.

Something about the lost, strung-out, skinny kid had gotten to him. Instead of turning him in, Jake took him to his brother’s pub and fed him. It had taken a few weeks for Wheeler to realize Jake was one of the good guys and wasn’t looking for anything in return. The kid started providing his benefactor street information in exchange for cash or food. After a while, when Wheeler took Jake up on his offer to help him get off the streets, the Dom had been relieved. He found the kid a job, a studio apartment, a drug counselor, and got him enrolled in a class to obtain his GED. Aside from one brief, remorseful setback with the drugs a few months ago, the kid seemed to be on his way to a better life.

The waitress placed a greasy bacon cheeseburger and fries down in front of Todd and walked away. After spotting a cockroach when they first sat down, Nick passed on eating anything there. It seemed as if Jake had spotted the same insect or wasn’t hungry, because he’d declined to order as well. While the kid began to dig into his dinner, Jake got to the point of their meeting. “Do you know who Oliver Wagner is?”

Swallowing a huge bite of his burger which Nick expected him to choke on, Todd nodded. “Owns a bunch of laundromats, one of those dollar stores, a landscaping business, and a few other stores and shit around the city. Some of them a little shady, but he’s got political contacts, so he gets away with it. Treats his employees like crap, too.”

“I’m aware of all that. What I need to know is, does he have a new right-hand man? Someone to do his dirty work? The guy he was using last year is serving time for drug possession and I don’t know who the replacement is.”

Through another mouthful of food, this one smaller than the first one, Todd answered, “Yeah. Some dude named something Allen. Greg or Craig or something like that.”

When Jake’s eyes narrowed at the name, Nick spoke for the first time. “You know him?”

“Not sure,” he answered. “The name sounds familiar, but I can’t place it. I’ll see what Brody can dig up on the guy.” Sliding out of the booth, Jake pulled out some money to cover Todd’s dinner plus a tip and left it on the table. “Ask around. See if you can find out anything that has to do with his wife and daughter—a hit may have been ordered.”

While Nick stood as well, Todd looked up in surprise, the burger paused inches from his open mouth. “The ones who disappeared without a trace last year?”

“Yeah. Call me if you hear anything, and stay out of trouble.”

“Where’s the fun in that?”

With a soft smack to Todd’s head for his smart mouth, Jake told the kid to watch his back, and then exited the diner with Nick on his heels.

It wasn’t long before Jake pulled into the parking lot of his condo. He’d mentioned he had some phone calls to make to Tiny and Brody, then planned on throwing together something for Nick and him to eat. Halfway into a parking space, he braked suddenly. “Shit. Forgot. I was supposed to go food shopping the other day. I’ve got nothing in the house to eat.”

Nick shrugged. “I can go grab us a pizza while you make the phone calls. That is, if you don’t mind me taking your truck.”

Leaving the Suburban idling, he climbed out of the driver’s seat. “There’s a place a few blocks up that way,” he pointed to the road heading east, “called Mama Rosa’s. I’ll eat anything on a pie but anchovies. That’s Boomer’s thing and it grosses the rest of us out.”

Nick climbed over the console and frowned as Jake pulled out his wallet. “I got it. Dinner’s on me.”

Jake seemed about to argue, but then relented. “Thanks. It’s condo 112 on the ground floor, just past the stairwell.”

Driving away, he was glad Jake hadn’t insisted on paying. While he was willing to submit to the Dom in their sexual relationship, he wanted Jake to treat him as an equal outside of the bedroom. He didn’t think he could agree to have it any other way between them.
One step at a time, Nicky-boy

The dinner run took a little longer than expected due to Mama Rosa’s being overrun by a bunch of teenagers celebrating their high school soccer team’s win against their biggest rival. Parking Jake’s truck, Nick shut off the engine, then grabbed the pizza and beer from the passenger seat. It was almost eight p.m. Maybe, if there weren’t any new leads they needed to check out, they could spend a quiet evening vegging on the couch together and talking…among other things. Striding through the parking lot, he kept his head on swivel. It wasn’t that he was expecting trouble, but the need to inspect his surroundings had been ingrained into his psyche from years in the military and combat. As he rounded the corner of the stairwell, he noticed a man about to knock on a condo door. The number on the door was 112—Jake’s unit.

“Can I help you?”

The man turned and Nick came face-to-face with the asshole—Drew, wasn’t it?—who’d been trying to set up a date with Jake in the airport. He wasn’t bad-looking, with his fit physique, blond hair, and brown eyes, but Nick was having a hard time being this close to one of Jake’s former lovers—especially one with an arrogant look on his face. His skin bristled with jealousy and annoyance as the guy arched an eyebrow and regarded him with noticeable distain.

“No, I don’t think you can. I’m here to see someone, not that it’s any of your business.”

If Nick hadn’t hated the guy from the moment he saw Jake talking to him a few days ago, then he did now. He stepped just inside the asshole’s personal space, with the only thing stopping him being the pizza he was balancing in one hand. “Well, since you’re obviously here to see Jake, then, yeah, it is my business. He already has plans for tonight, tomorrow, and every other day in the future, so why don’t you take a fucking hike.”

Instead of taking the advice, Drew crossed his arms and glared back at Nick, who was thrilled, since he was dying for a reason to beat the shit out of the guy. While they were the same height, Nick was broader in the shoulders and chest, and about five years younger. Top it all off with his training and he could take the jackass down in a heartbeat.

“Listen, kid. I don’t know who the fuck you are and I really don’t care. Jake and I have had a thing going for a long time. You’re obviously just a worthless fling he had while we worked a few things out. And since I’m back,
you
can take the fucking hike.”

To punctuate his statement, Drew knocked the pizza to the ground, and that’s all the encouragement Nick needed. He dropped the twelve-pack of cans from his left hand and, at the same time, swung his right fist at the asshole’s jaw, hearing a satisfying
crack
as he connected. Drew stumbled back a few steps, but didn’t fall. Instead, he bent at the waist and charged, catching Nick in the gut.
Damn, this was going to be fun!

After checking the time, Jake felt a wave of concern hit him. Nick had been gone for a while and should’ve been back by now. The pizza place was only three blocks away. Normally, he wouldn’t be worried, but with Wagner’s goons out there, he wasn’t taking any chances. Dialing Nick’s cell, Jake mentally cursed when it went to voicemail. “Hey, Junior, hope you’re on your way back. I’m starving.”

Disconnecting the call, he texted Ian with a quick update on the Alyssa situation. Brody wasn’t going to have any information for him until tomorrow and all was well up at the safe-house. Well, except Tiny was down thirty dollars and Henderson was down twenty—the teenager was kicking their asses in poker.

Glancing again at the clock on his cable box, his apprehension grew. Shoving his phone into his back pocket and clipping his holstered gun to his lower back, he grabbed his keys and headed for the door. He opened it and froze. Someone, most likely Nick, had dropped a pizza and twelve-pack of beer on the ground. Panic assailed Jake, but he swiftly zeroed in on the sounds of a struggle. Dashing around the corner, he came to an abrupt stop and mentally swore.

While Nick had the advantage, Drew was holding his own as the two beat the crap out of each other. Jake winced as Nick caught the other man on the chin, sending him flying backward.
Fuck!
They’d kill each other if he didn’t intervene.

Channeling his inner Dom, he barked, “Enough!” and both men froze. They were panting heavily and it was evident neither one wanted to stop. Nick took a threatening step forward and Drew sneered, egging the kid on.

Jake knew it wasn’t going to take much for them to start up again. “Don’t fucking do it, Nick. Get your ass inside.”

Halting in his tracks, Nick’s glower stayed pinned on his rival. “Not until this fucking asshole leaves.”

Drew clearly didn’t know when to quit. “Afraid of the competition, you little prick?”

Great. Just what Jake needed right now—two jealous submissives in a pissing match, trying to mark their territory. Rolling his eyes, he stepped between them and pushed Nick back a few steps. “Knock it off, both of you. Nick, get inside. I’m going to have a quick chat with Drew.”

“Jake…”

“Now, Nick.” The deep, ominous rumble left no room for discussion.

The kid glared at him, but, thankfully, heeded his order, giving Drew the finger as he turned around and stormed back to the condo. The Dom turned to his ex, who was wiping the blood flowing from a nose which hopefully wasn’t broken. “What are you doing here, Drew?”

“Well, forgive me, Jake, but I thought I was supposed to call you and set up a date to talk. When you didn’t return my calls, I decided to swing by. Didn’t realize you were baby-sitting.”

Jake growled at the sarcasm. “He’s only four years younger than you. And next time you decide to egg a guy on, you might want to make sure he’s not a SEAL.”

“I don’t give a fuck what he is…he’s an asshole getting between you and me.”

Crossing his arms, he frowned at the other man. “There is no you and me, Drew. What we had was over a year ago. I shouldn’t have agreed to a date with you the other day. Honestly, I saw Nick approaching us and was trying to discourage him from getting too attached.”

Drew scoffed as he turned to leave. “Well, I can see how that fucking worked out for you. When you get around to dumping lover-boy, give me a call. If you’re lucky, I might be available, but I doubt it.”

Jake stared at the other man limping toward the parking lot, thankful Drew was leaving. He would call him in a few days, after the guy had cooled off, and let him know in no uncertain terms they were through for good. But for now, he had his submissive to take care of. Turning the corner of the building, he spotted the beer and now-upside-down pizza still on the ground. Sighing, he picked them up and then re-entered his condo, kicking the door shut with his foot. “Nick?”

He wasn’t in the living room or kitchen. Dropping their dinner on the dining table, Jake went in search of him. He strode into his bedroom and found Nick in the attached bath, cleaning the blood off his face and hands. From what Jake could tell, it was mostly the blood splatter from Drew’s nose. Nick had removed his sneakers and torn T-shirt, standing there in only his faded jeans. Jake’s mouth watered as he eyed the perfect, nude torso. Leaning against the doorjamb, he crossed his arms and kept his voice stern. “Feel better, now that you’ve kicked someone’s ass?”

“Yeah, I do. Especially since it wasn’t just anyone’s ass, but that dickhead’s. And by the way, he started it.”

Jake rolled his eyes. “What are you, in kindergarten? I don’t give a fuck who started it, I’m just glad neither one of you got hurt more than this.” He gestured toward Nick’s bruised chin, ribs and bloody hands. “I really don’t think Drew wanted to explain to his police chief that he got into a fight with his ex-boyfriend’s new boyfriend.”

Reaching for a hand towel, Nick paused. “He’s a fucking cop?”

“Yeah, he is, not that it matters. He doesn’t want the drama of his private life to invade his professional one, so he won’t make a stink over this.”

A silence fell over them as the younger man dried his hands, face, and sculpted chest. Jake’s eyes followed the towel’s progress until Nick tossed it on the counter and took several steps forward, stopping inches away from his lover. The Dom raised his eyebrow, but made no other movements. Using one finger, Nick seductively traced the left bicep bulging from beneath Jake’s T-shirt. “So, I have a new title now, other than submissive, boy, or Junior,
huh
?” When Jake narrowed his eyes in confusion, Nick added, “New boyfriend?”

“Caught that, did you?” he murmured, his voice becoming huskier as his desire grew.

“Yeah, I did…Sir.”

Jake’s lust flared as his cock hardened with that one word. The kid wanted to play,
huh
? Well, that could be arranged. Dinner could wait. “Strip the rest of your clothes off and present next to the bed. I’ll be right back.”

Not pausing for an answer, he turned around and walked out to the foyer where one of his toy bags sat in the closet. Knowing it was completely stocked with whatever he needed, he didn’t bother to look inside as he carried it back to the bedroom. Tossing it on the king-size bed, he beheld the sight before him.
Holy shit!
Tan, muscular, and naked, the kid was fucking gorgeous.
And he’s all yours, to do with as you please.

Nick was on his wide-spread knees, hands in the at-ease position, and head bowed. Stepping forward, Jake placed a hand on Nick’s head and growled when he leaned into the touch. “Fuck, baby, you don’t know how much you fucking please me. But I’m going to show you.”

Without lifting his head, Nick answered, “Thank you, Sir.”

Smirking at the ‘damn, I’m good’ tone in his sub’s voice, Jake pivoted toward the bed and dragged his toy bag closer. “But first, Nicky-boy, you have some punishments owed to you.”

Nick’s breath hitched, but he didn’t say a word—snarky or not. Trying not to let out a chuckle, Jake bit his tongue while pulling out what he needed. While on the flight home earlier, he’d run a few possible punishments through his mind. The one he’d settled on was partly inspired by something Mistress China had told him about how she’d disciplined her last submissive. He lined up a blindfold, lube, new ass plug, wrist cuffs, and a nine-tail flogger where his sub would see them in a minute. While he still had to sit down with Nick and go over his limits, he didn’t think any of this would be something the kid couldn’t handle. But just to be sure...“What’s your safe-word, Junior?”

“Red, Sir.”

“Good. Use it if you need to. If you’re unsure of something, use the word ‘yellow’ and I’ll slow things down, so we can discuss your fears.”

Still with his eyes downcast, Nick snorted. “Not sure if you remember, but I’m a U.S. Navy SEAL. Hoo-yah. I doubt there’s much you can legally do that will scare me.”

“Next rule, Nicky-boy, is back-talk will just make your punishments longer. But feel free to keep racking up the minutes. Now, stand and kneel on the bed with your head down and that sweet ass in the air.”

Nick’s ankle joints cracked as he straightened, but he did as he was told without complaint or sass, even after eyeing the toys on the bed. Once he was in position, Jake opened the new package and applied a generous amount of lube to the butt plug. Before tossing the tube aside, he gave a quick squirt of the cool gel between his sub’s ass checks.

“Fuck, that’s cold!”

“Don’t worry, babe. It’s going to get hotter in a few minutes.” What the kid didn’t know was the ginger lube would soon create a burning sensation, lighting his ass on fire, and making him wish for the coldness. Pulling Nick’s ass cheeks apart, Jake rubbed the plug over the puckered hole a few times before pushing inward. “Relax. I’m much bigger than this plug and you took me just fine.”

He eased it past Nick’s sphincter and then dragged it in and out a few times, fucking his moaning sub. It wouldn’t be long before the kid started feeling the first part of his punishment. When the initial curse was spat out, he knew it’d begun.

“Fuck, Jake! What the fuck is that? It fucking burns! Shit!”

Jake grinned. “That, Junior, is ginger lube. And don’t worry. It only
feels
like your ass is on fire. It’ll be gone in a few hours.”

“Hours? Fucking-A!” Nick shoved the comforter in his mouth and bit down on it, muttering his curses into the bed.

Pushing the plug all the way back in, he left it there. “While I’m washing my hands, stand up, but don’t lose the plug or I’ll extend your already long punishment.” When Nick mumbled something under his breath, Jake placed a hard slap on his bare ass cheek. “What was that, subbie?”

“Shit! Nothing, Sir.”

“Didn’t think so. Make your way out to the living room and wait for me.”

Jake took his time in the bathroom, knowing he would be laughing his ass off at Nick trying to shuffle out to the living room without losing the plug that he probably wanted to rip out right now. After removing his socks and sneakers, he changed into a pair of sweats, leaving his T-shirt on. Might as well be comfortable, even if his sub wasn’t. Grabbing the blindfold, leather wrist cuffs, and flogger, he strolled out to the living room. Nick was standing next to the sofa, with his ass, fists, and jaw clenched. This time Jake couldn’t hold back his chuckle. “The ginger lube sucks, doesn’t it? By the way, clenching your ass makes the burning worse…oh, wait…you have to do that, so you don’t lose the plug.”

Growling, Nick glared at him. “It’s nothing I can’t handle” When Jake raised an eyebrow at him, he added, “Sir.”

Pushing the coffee table out of the way, he pointed to a spot in front of the sofa. “Present here, facing the couch.” When his order was followed, he stepped behind Nick and quickly attached the cuffs to his wrists, making sure they weren’t hindering his circulation. A clasp hooked the two together, one on top of the other, so his hands would be completely restrained, yet leaving his ass cheeks vulnerable. Next came the blindfold. “Hope you’re not scared of the dark.”

Nick just snorted, but then frowned when Jake turned on the TV with the remote. Ignoring him, the Dom walked into the kitchen, taking the pizza and beer with him. The twelve-pack, minus one, went into the fridge, and then he took a moment to rescue the cheese and pepperoni from the top of the pizza box before throwing two slices on a plate. Carrying his dinner back into the living room he took a seat on the couch, setting the beer on the end table with a coaster.

Lifting his bare foot between Nick’s widespread knees to his semi-erect cock and balls, he caressed them gently while explaining, “Here’s how this is going to work, Nicky-boy. I’m going to get comfortable, watch a bit of the hockey game, have my dinner, and drink a beer, while you stay right like that. Whenever I’m in the mood, I’ll give you some attention…which you may or may not like. Under no circumstances are you allowed to cum or lose that plug. If you do, then we’ll start all over. Any questions, subbie?”