Secretly Submissive ~ Prologue
Fandom: Angel (Buffyverse)
Series Rating: E
Series Pairings: Liam/William (Angel/Spike), Liam/Lindsey, Spike/Lindsey, Spike/Lindsey/Angel
Series Characters: Angel (Liam Devlin), Spike (William Pratt), Lindsey McDonald, Wesley Wyndham-Pryce, others tbd
Word Count: 1442
Chapter Warnings: human au, fluff, innuendo, light flirting
Series Warnings: human au, fluff, angst, Dom/sub, smut, bondage…more to be added as series progresses
Summary: Liam Devlin, hardworking investor and businessman, receives an unexpected awakening in the form of William Pratt, the unassuming bookstore owner he met online.
A/N: heavily inspired by one of those ‘choose your adventure’ type virtual game apps but with a lot more smut. Angel is written to be a bit more like his human self, cocky and a bit of a slut (affectionate), whereas Spike is still basically Spike, just wearing a William suit. Timeline is slightly vague… basically those middle years where smartphones exist but ppl still used IM and chat rooms.
Liam glanced away from his paperwork when his computer dinged, his lips twisting in a small smirk. Opening his email, he saw the alert for his newest match on WeChat. Included in the alert was a thumbnail of the profile picture, and he clicked on it to enlarge the image.
The photo was of a young man with chin-length, blondish hair, with sharp cheekbones and a pair of crystal blue eyes looking out mischievously from behind a pair of old-fashioned wire-rimmed glasses. The man was smiling at the camera, one hand in his pocket, a stack of leather-bound books tucked in his free arm as he leaned back against an ornate, wooden desk, surrounded by bookshelves.
Intrigued, Liam closed the image and clicked the link to the profile of his potential match. Scrolling down the profile page, he took in the important details, bypassing the bits that were inconsequential to his purpose for signing up with the site in the first place.
Name…William H. Pratt
Age...27
Location...Los Angeles, CA
Occupation...Owner/Operator of Effulgence Antique Books & Rare Texts
He had to admit, he was suitably impressed. This William was merely a year older than he was and was managing his own business. Definitely more than he would have expected based on the rather bookish looking man in the included photo. He himself didn't expect to rise to CEO for a couple more years.
Liam had been using this particular chat site for a while now, and had previously matched with a few people who were able to fulfill his rather particular requirements in a sexual partner. Not that any of them had lasted longer than a month or so. A couple had wanted more from him than he was prepared to give, but most of them he had just simply quickly tired of. He'd yet to meet a man or woman who could offer the challenges necessary to hold his attentions for long.
Taking another look at the profile picture, he found himself wondering how long this one would keep him interested. The young man was certainly handsome enough to merit a trial run. Clicking back into his matches, he clicked the check mark next to William's name and since the blonde was still logged on, entered a message into the IM box. He still had half an hour before the end of his work day, and another hour before he had to set out for his dinner meeting, and with nothing pressing for his time between now and then, why not see if he could set himself up for a little fun in the near future?
L: Tell me, Mr. Pratt, do you value hard work?
He sat back in his chair, deciding to give it a minute to see if William was eager enough to answer quickly. Sure enough, barely a minute had passed before his computer pinged his reply.
W: Of course, I do. I wouldn't be where I am if I didn't.
Liam's smirk widened, and he began to type.
L: Good. Because I live a fast-paced life, I put in 110% into everything I do, in work and in play. Anyone I let into my world has to understand that. You think you can keep up?
W: I'd like to think so. Care to be a bit more specific, mate? Your bio said you're in finances, but didn't go into much detail.
L: I'm in the investment business. I play the stock market, which means I have to keep my mind sharp 24/7. One second's hesitation could make or break a guy in this field, and I don't plan to break.
W: Never really been one for stocks, maths weren't much best subject in school, either. But, I do well enough to keep the books balanced, and my employees paid. All that stock broker stuff just looks like a bunch of squiggly lines to me.
L: Fair enough. Don't really need you to understand what I do, as long as you understand the importance it holds in my life. Mate, maths? You're not American, are you, Will. I can call you Will, can't I?
W: Will is fine, for now. And no, not American. English, pet.
Liam felt an unexpected flash of arousal surge through him at the sight of William referring to him as 'pet', but quickly pushed it aside to focus on the rest of the words appearing on the screen.
W: And trust me, I completely understand how important a bloke's career can be to him. Spend more time than I care to admit making sure my business stays in the black. Not as much call for rare books these days, but it's my life's work. My calling.
Liam's smirk turned into an actual smile at the thought of the blonde bustling about those stacks of books, helping customers and filling out orders. Perhaps their lines of work weren't so completely different.
L: Glad to hear it. You like what you do, and you work hard to keep it thriving, that's always a plus. So, inexperienced with how the stocks work, huh? I can work with inexperienced. And not just with investing.
W: Think you'll find I have more than enough experience where it counts, mate. ;)
L: That, I can work with. >:)
W: Might be tru. Haven't exactly decided if I can work with you though, yet.
L: Playing hard get, huh? I'm used to the chase. Nothing in my life ever comes easy.
W: Bit of a double entendre in there, eh?
L: Caught that, did you?
W: Oh, yeah. Appreciate the word play.
L: Think you'll appreciate more than that when the time comes.
W: If, mate, if the time comes.
L: Oof. Confident, aren't you, Will? Just remember, you matched with me first.
W: Thinkin I'm not the only one who's confident here, Liam. And you chose to match back.
L: True. Need a little nudge in the decision making?
W: Depends what you had in mind, pet.
Liam felt that odd thrill again at the endearment and felt his cock twitch in his slacks. Pulling his head back in the game, he pulled up a picture from his personal files and attached it to the IM. Nothing risque, just a more detailed photo of himself than he kept in his profile, a full length image of him, leaning back against his desk, much like William's own profile picture, smiling at the camera. He waited for the reply, hoping to cinch the deal before he was due to leave.
W: Christ, you go to work looking like that?? 0.0
L: Gotta stay dressed for success. Rule #1 in the Handbook for Industrious Businessmen. ;)
W: I'll keep that in mind. XD So, what exactly is a bloke like you doing on WeChat? Seems like someone who looks the way you do, and as successful as you are, should have his pick of the crowd anywhere he goes. There must be queues round the block to get at ya.
L: Honestly? There's no shortage of choices. But…I'm in the market for something more specific.
W: *Something*?
L: Shit. *Someone* specific. Been a long day
W: Sounds more like a Freudian slip, mate. Your subconscious speaking for you.
L: …maybe. Not going to ask about the specifics?
W: Sure, I'll bite.
L: Nah, I'll fill you in on the details later.
W: Son of a- you brought that up just to wind me up, didn't you?
L: Heh…maybe…or, maybe I don't think you're ready to hear it yet.
W: Think I can decide that for meself, thanx.
Oh, this one had a bit of a bratty streak in him. Liam could already picture the fun to be had introducing William to the 'specifics'. Time to test the waters a bit.
L: Is that right? Well, maybe I think you might need a strong, dominant, person to decide things for you sometimes.
As he waited for Will to answer, his phone alarm went off, signalling the half hour mark before he was due to his meeting.
W: Really?? You've nerve, pet, I'll give you that.
L: Yes, really. >;) But more on that later. I've got somewhere important to be right now.
W: Some kind of business meeting? Melding of the minds? Liam? Oh, come on!
*Liam has left the chat*
Liam ignored the pinging and turned off his computer. Gathering up his phone and briefcase, he adjusted himself and left the office. Hopefully, the meeting wouldn't run too late and William would still be up. He was looking forward to setting up a meeting of a more pleasurable kind very soon.