Deviations: Submission by Chris Owen, Jodi Payne Read Free Book Online Page A

He pulled a cigarette out of the pack on the bar in front of him and lit it, continuing without waiting for a response. "Right. Well, it's my fault, not his. The first year Noah and I worked together we did pretty well. He was a little tentative, I was a little green. At first, it didn't take much to push him and he didn't ask me for more. Then we got into a rhythm with each other and he started to test and push me more and more. So in one of our sessions I had promised him punishment for disobedience. I had bought a cage-by this time we were meeting almost exclusively at my place. He expressed some concern, told me he was afraid of it, asked me to keep an eye on him, that kind of thing. He seems anxious, but I had no idea...
    "So I sent him to it, made him lock himself in and throw me the key ... I sat and did some work. I excused myself for a moment to use the restroom, told him where I was going and promised him I'd be right back, and then I left the room.
    I couldn't hear him protesting once I'd left the room. I wasn't gone five minutes, but when I came back he had bruised himself bloody trying to get out. I have no idea what happened, why he freaked, and he would never tell me. When I grabbed the key and went to let him out he swore at me. He 47

    Deviations: Submission
    by Jodi Payne, Chris Owen
    just wanted to leave. It didn't matter what I said, he wouldn't let me comfort him."
    Brett shook his head and sipped his beer again. "I let him go. I didn't really have much choice, you know? Anyway, a few days later he called me. We met up here at the club and we talked a lot and he told me about this guy he'd been with for a while before me who he'd really trusted, but I guess this Dom got into drinking or something and betrayed him. We were just never the same after that. He would get angry if I didn't push him hard enough, and I was honestly afraid to go too far with him. I admit, I was way outside my comfort zone.
    I never could win him over again.
    "What I can tell you is he's a natural sub, he's loyal as anything, and he will never, ever lie to you. If anything, he can be too honest, tell you too much. I imagine that was his downfall with the first guy."
    Tobias put down his glass carefully and told himself that he wasn't there to train a top or alienate Noah's last steady Dom. If Bradford was right, the two men were still friendly.
    So he wouldn't call the man an idiot for leaving a sub in bondage, for not supervising him, for not doing his job. He wanted to, though, very badly.
    He focused on his glass and tried to order his thoughts, squashing all the violent ones. God, he wanted a cigarette.
    "So the guy before you is the one who cut Noah's shoulder?"
    he asked, making a mental list of other questions. It was a neutral start.
    Brett had let his gaze fall back to his beer and seemed to be in his own thoughts before Tobias finally spoke up. He 48

    Deviations: Submission
    by Jodi Payne, Chris Owen
    glanced over at Tobias. "I don't work with knives yet," he said softly. "Look, I know what you're thinking and I've made my peace with Noah. I've learned from that mistake, so please, it's between him and me now, all right?" He must have sensed Tobias eyeballing his pack of cigarettes and slid them over in front of him.
    Tobias didn't even bother fighting the urge, just took a cigarette and lit up. "All right," he said, blowing out a stream of smoke. He could tell by the way his lungs didn't even protest that he'd had one drink too many, and that it wouldn't be the last of the night. "All right. Not my business. Well, maybe it is. Christ." He inhaled again and sipped his scotch.
    "So what are the main things? No cage, no sensory dep ... is he a pain slut?" Tobias was fairly certain, even in his current state, that he couldn't go through that again.
    "God, no. He won't balk at the bullwhip, but he really gets off on a simple flogger or a crop. You can tie him in knots if you want to, but he's not into blinding pain. He'll