Mahiro became a professional figure skater for one reason -- the object of his lust from the time he was a teenager, Alex Breschi. But he never advanced far enough for Alex to notice him. Now Alex is retired from skating and working as a thriller author, while Mahiro gracefully bowed out of competition to become a successful app developer and professional Dom in New York City.<br><br>Reality and fantasy collide at a penthouse play party when Mahiro meets his idol. Alex is researching a book, and he wants to learn more about the lifestyle. In fact, he wants to be trained as a submissive. By Mahiro.<br><br>Mahiro knows it's a terrible idea. He's hardly objective, and Alex is a novice. Still, all those years of longing shatter his reserve, and he cannot refuse to have the man of his dreams in his hands.  He's going to make sure Alex notices him now. It's only a business arrangement, and since Alex is returning to Russia in a few months, Mahiro can have some fun without divulging his past ... or his obsession. What does he have to lose?

Florentine

Mahiro takes a moment to get it, but he does.


“Stay,” he says, a hand on Alex’s arm. “Stay with me tonight. Come upstairs and we’ll get Indian food and sit on the sofa and hassle Adam when he comes home. This is part of our life together, too. Stay. Be with me tonight.”


Alex grins and tucks his shirt under his arm before pulling Mahiro to him for a sweet kiss. “Yes. For as long as you’ll have me,” he says.


Mahiro looks around the playroom, illuminated in the flickering candlelight, and sees the shards of wax all over the black sheet, the black leather cuffs dropped on the floor, the roses that glow with the warmth of love. The aftermath of their play is scattered across the room, but he’ll deal with it tomorrow. Tonight, he has Alex. He walks around the room and blows the candles out one by one and then takes Alex by the hand and leads him out of the playroom and into the rest of their lives.


Chapter 82