Fic: Arthur/Dom: Mature audiences only
Who: Arthur And Dom
When: Pre-Movie Canon
What: The job leads to revelations
Warnings: Talk of sex and D/s
For as long as Arthur had been doing dream share, he had known two things. Every job came down to the same basic formula, and no two jobs were exactly the same. The formula was in the approach. Intel. Basic information. Learning the patterns. Set up the dream. Make the heist. What those steps entailed changed from one job to the next but this was the first time Arthur found himself standing in the foyer of a darkly lit sex club holding the looped end of a leash in his hand. A leash that was attached to a collar about Dominic Cobb's throat.
The mark was known to frequent the place at least three times a week, proving the belief that he likely suffered from some form of sexual addiction. Despite his reservations about the club, about how they might gain entranced, Arthur knew that an addiction was the easiest and surest way to get an in with a mark, to open the subconscious doors that would give them the information they were being paid to gather.
Dress and mannerisms, the etiquette of such a place, was easily enough picked up online. So was the cover they would need to get past the door and into the club. Cobb had drawn the short straw. Arthur was just glad that they hadn't needed a forger and called in Eames on this one. Last thing he needed was the man making comments about what a cute couple they made, or how he'd always seen Arthur as the dominant sort.
Truth was, Arthur was sexually dominant, and had always known this, but it wasn't something he went sharing with anyone. Not even with the man he'd worked with for nearly seven years, and had indulged in numerous fantasies over. Cobb was devoted to his marriage, even after they'd lost Mal, and Arthur wouldn't betray the trust and loyalty they shared merely for what promised to be intense and mind blowing sex. Now they were faced with pretending to be lovers, a couple indulging in a high energy power exchange through domination and submission, and Arthur wasn't certain he was going to make it to the end of the job without ruining everything they had. Or taking Dom like he'd fantasized. Or both.
Arthur had almost wished Dom had argued, refused to go along with the suggestions. Instead he stood there, wearing a pair of jeans that were like second skin, and a black tee that Arthur wasn't sure would fit James, if he was honest. Heavy boots completed the outfit but it was his look that left Arthur dry mouthed and a bit tongue tied. Perfectly clean shaved, his hair hadn't been gelled back as he often favored, honeyed strands falling over his brow. Despite having a handful of years on Arthur, the overall impression was a bit delicate, sweet compared to Arthur in his tailored suit and slicked back hair. In the end it was a bit erring on the side of overdone but Arthur wanted to make sure to minimize the chance that anyone could try and actually take Dominic home with them. Armed though he was, Arthur had every hope the evening wouldn't end with him having to shoot someone.
"You look pissed."
Spoken softly, taking care that his words came out to match his appearance, Cobb nudged Arthur lightly against the shoulder. Just that voice combined with the leather strap in his hand was nearly enough to make the point man whimper. It didn't help Cobb was gazing at him with those ocean blue eyes, golden lashes darkened slightly with mascara and just touched with a hint of chocolate brown eyeliner, lips just slightly parted. It was enough to make the point man ache, shifting against the sudden tightness of his trousers. He could do this. He could make it through the night. He could...
"Sir."
Dom added the word with a slow curve of his lips, one side lifting higher than the other. Arthur's entire world pinpointed on that face. Forget the music, the club. Hell, in that moment the mark could have walked up to him and handed him everything they were looking for and Arthur wouldn't even have noticed. All he saw was that wicked smile, the attempt at innocence as darkened lashes lowered and then raised, eyes widening a bit more as they did.
"Cobb..." His voice was low, warning.
"Dominic," he corrected, tongue touching the center of his lip briefly. "If only tonight, Sir."
Two years on the run. Years before that they had been friends, close enough that Arthur had been there when Mal went into labor, had shared late nights and laughs and been there for one another. All that time, everything they had gone through and Arthur had never seen that light in his friend's eyes. Many had called Arthur Cobb's lap dog, his loyal companion, but for the first time Arthur truly realized what a two way street that had become. How had he missed that gleam? Had Cobb, for whatever reason, hidden it all this time, and now, under leash and collar, found himself unable to hold back his emotions.
Twisting his wrist, Arthur looped the leash over his hand a second time, pulling the leather taut. Not looking away from Cobb's gaze, he shifted his hand, pulling back to pull the other man closer, to him until their bodies just barely brushed. Leaning down and in, his lips just brushed the line of Cobb's cheek before bussing against his ear.
"I'll only give you this warning once," he whispered. "You are mine tonight. Anyone touches you, and I will put them down."
He hadn't meant to say the words, certainly hadn't meant to growl them in those low, dark tones. For a moment it occurred to Arthur he'd gone too far, overstepped his boundaries and Cobb was going to call and end to the surveillance. Instead the older man shivered, hand suddenly gripping Arthur's arm as he shifted, pressing tight to his point man's side with a sound that sounded suspiciously like a whimper.
"Been that way for a while," he whispered.
Maybe Arthur misheard him. Maybe it was his own imagination. What he didn't imagine was the press of Cobb's dick against his hip. Certainly not imagining the way the other man moved, hips rolling to make the truth entirely unmistakable. Dominic Cobb was collared, being led into a sex club, and he was hard. Pulling back, Arthur met that boyish gaze once more, frowning.
"Since... I didn't know you were into..." He tried to imagine Mal into D/s, dominating Dom as he seemed to be enjoying. Likely as hard for Cobb to imagine as it was Arthur given the way he laughed.
"Right stimuli, Ar... Sir," he said, a bit more of the man Arthur knew showing through. "You like specificity so here it is. It isn't the collar, or the environment, or the control, or you. It is all of it. Right stimuli coming together. Now, we have a job to do."
For a moment he was Cobb. Business and extractor, and willing to do whatever it took for that next job, no matter the risks. For a moment he was in charge, leading Arthur on their next adventure, not caring if they were stepping in where angels feared to tread. Then he moved again, hand sliding along Arthur's waist and up under his jacket, his touch almost cool against the suddenly flushed and overheated skin barely protected beneath tone on tone striped linen.
"Later," he murmured, moving to press them together, flush.
Arthur knew he could feel it, know that he was hard and excited, his breathing in quick gusts that Arthur suddenly found he couldn't hide. Long fingers tightened around the leash even though Dom made no move to slip away. Dark eyes met Cobb's pale, cool gaze and he knew. He knew in that instant that Dom would let him have it all. If he'd led his extractor to the nearest bench, Cobb would have eagerly straddled it, offered himself to Arthur then and there.
It was the image that came to him, unbidden and welcomed at the same time. Cobb stripped down, all sinew and pale skin, a body that Arthur had seen on more than one occassion but never indulged in. Now he knew that he could. He knew that he could have Dom down over a padded leather bench, collared, bound, skin marked and red and likely begging for more. Would he beg? Would Arthur want him to?
For a moment there was nothing in Arthur's world but Cobb. Close enough he could pick up the man's scent, the way he fairly vibrated in anticipation, the impression of his cock like a brand burned into the skin of Arthur's hip. They hadn't even crossed the threshold and Arthur wasn't sure he'd make it through the night without dragging Cobb to a corner and making him answer for keeping this secret for the devil knew how long.
It was going to be a long night, and suddenly Arthur had no idea how it would end.
*********
"How long?"
Cobb was standing in front of Arthur, just taller than the elegantly dressed man. It provided a good screen for him to make the demand he'd been thinking about all night. Not that he'd let those thoughts distract him from his work.
The Mark had arrived shortly after they had. Compared to the cheap, off the rack suits he wore day to day he was actually stylish. A bit sleazy but certainly an improvement over those suits. Sleek, velvet trousers, a shirt much like the one that Cobb wore, and heavy motorcycle style boots on his feet. He was the textbook picture of a dominant and it had actually made Arthur smile, wanting to chuck the man into one of the clubs he used to frequent overseas and see just how he fared. The image itself had left him nearly grinning, confusing Dominic though he didn't break their cover.
They had made a circuit of the room, taking their time as if exploring a new play place. Many approached the pair, several asking for time to play with Cobb. Each time the point man's attention strayed from the Mark, the job they were on, to Dom. He watched the other man's reaction, finding himself positively enchanted by the way his lashes fluttered, how he swallowed past the excitement he so obviously felt, deferring to the man holding his leash with the tiniest of smiles. At one point Arthur had thought to ask him if he wanted to play, to not hold back a man that had spent two years doing nothing but grieving. Instead he watched and waited, needing answers before he gave up his control, figuratively and literally.
When the Mark had taken a break from playing with a girl that was too tiny to call petite, curling up on a long couch with a bottle of water and the girl perched on his lap, Arthur had seen his opportunity, even if the timing, the place and all that had witnessed, made it a poor choice for moments to have in depth conversation.
"Not much longer," Cobb murmured back, turning his head so that only his point man would hear him. "I want to see just how he handles the girl when he leaves, if he's paying her, or what sort of situation they have going on. It won't be much longer now."
For a moment Arthur nearly let it go. If Dom was focusing on the job and nothing more, he could at least give his extractor the same consideration. Except even as he nodded, turning his head to the man and his companion, Cobb shifted. Moving to press back against Arthur with a slow, sinuous roll of his body. It was erotic, incredibly sensual and entirely deliberate. Not with the way Cobb arched back, hands brushing along the side of Arthur's thighs, caressing as his breath brushed against the curve of Arthur's jaw. In that moment Arthur knew unequivocally that Dominic Cobb was a dyed in the wool ass, and sexier than any man had a right to be.
"Not what I meant," the point man growled, turning his hand to loop the leather around his palm. Once. Twice. A third time so that it gave a slick tautness to the leash. "How long have you wanted this?" It wasn't all he wanted to know, but one question at a time.
"From you, or in general?" No hesitation in asking, fingers gripping the slack fabric of Arthur's trousers and using that hold to pull him a bit closer.
He didn't give in to that wicked temptation. Not yet. Not even with the way his entire body seemed to tense, almost painfully so, wanting to take, to use, to follow all of Cobb's teases to their logical conclusion. Not yet though. Not on the job. Not until he knew what this meant.
"Start with general and then me," he murmured, every breath he took drawing in the scent of sex and musk and the man pressed against him. Just the way his lashes fluttered every time Arthur spoke was almost enough to make the point man forget his worth ethic. Almost.
"Always been a bit submissive," he admitted softly. "Sexually. Depends on the person, the timing, what we're talking about. For you?" Cobb drew a breath, the movement grinding him against Arthur.
There was no denying the hard length of his cock straining against the fly of his trousers, breathless as he held perfectly still instead of indulging in the desire to grinding himself against Cobb's flank. "For me," he prompted, free hand moving up and caressing the side of his partner's jaw, soothing and provocative at the same time. "How long have you been thinking about this?"
"Months."
Such a simple answer yet Arthur's eyes widened, stunned. Priding himself on his ability to know, to learn everything about everyone, and yet he'd missed this.
"Don't." Despite the collar, the confession, there was still so much of Dom in that single word. "I didn't want you to know. Thought I could keep it to myself. Blame the mark for ruining that. I swear, Arthur, I wouldn't have ever said a word. Not until..." He touched the collar around his throat. "Not until you made it clear you wanted it too."
All the touching and grinding and teasing and that was the words that verbally pushed Arthur back, taking a single step to put that buffer between their bodies. It was bracing, shockingly cold in a warm room. Arthur's hand tightened around the leash, feeling the edge of the leather cut into his palm, enough to let him draw a full breath. Needing to think, wanting to search his own thoughts for the truth. Did he wanted Dominic Cobb as badly as the man himself wanted his point?
Two years on the run. Two years of one night stands and pretty girls that didn't need his name and rent boys in too tight jeans and crooked grins. Arthur could claim it was just the need for contact, sexuality and hedonism coming together in that moment when Cobb was throwing himself at Arthur, offering almost anything from the look in his eyes and the touch of a body that was sleek and strong at the same time. How many men had Arthur had in dark rooms, back alleys, all that were the same. Narrow eyes, sharp features, strong men that caved so easily to his touch, craved whatever he might give them. Had it been Cobb he'd been thinking of that entire time, or just whom he could have here and now, punish and enjoy and delight all at the same time?
His gaze strayed to the Mark, rising from the couch and practically dumping the girl on the floor. Her laughter was harsh, braying, but he bent to kiss her brow even as she worked to seat herself on the leather sofa once more. No money exchanged, just words and smiles. She was Arthur's new target, the means they'd come there for, all they needed.
The man brushed past them and Arthur kept a tight hold on Dom's leash. Like that their night was over. All Arthur had to do was going to the door, walk them to the car and undo the collar. Like that it would be over, Arthur could pretend Dom had never made a confession and they could go back to business as it had been. All Arthur had to do was make it clear that he didn't want the same things Cobb did.
"Come on," he said, giving a tug on the leash.
And leading Dom to a round table in the corner of the room. One of the chairs had its back to the wall, and as Arthur lowered himself to sit, he uncurled a bit of the leash to give Cobb slack. Arthur patted his thigh.
"Sit down."
Despite admitting to a submissive, sexual nature it was obvious that a million emotions took hold of Cobb in that moment. A hint of uncertainty, fear, likely worrying about how much would change between them if this continued. Arthur knew that despite his rather stoic appearance, the same concerns had a vice-like grip on his heart. When Cobb slid over his lap, perching like a child might on a scary Santa's lap, Arthur was unwilling to let him off that easily. Sliding his hand over his partner's legs, he drew them up and over his lap, forcing the extractor to sit across his lap. It left Cobb off balance, sliding an arm around Arthur to keep himself upright. Pausing only a moment, giving in to his own desires it would seem, as he leaned into Arthur, his other hand coming to rest against the point man's chest.
Nodding his approval, Arthur curled an arm against Cobb's back, leash still held but slack, the fingers of his other hand cupping the point of Dom's chin.
"Talk to me, Cobb." Again speaking low and careful, brooking no argument from the other man. "What's going on here?"
"You put a collar on me and I got off on it. That's all it is."
Two years on the run, a virtual lifetime before that when they'd worked as partners with Mal. If they actually put together all the dream time they'd shared, it was likely that they'd had more than a lifetime, and it had always been working in tandem. Maybe Dom had thought about this before. It was entirely possible he'd never put any thought into it until Arthur had given that ultimatum about Dom being touched. In the end, it didn't realize when it had occurred to Cobb that he wanted Arthur. What mattered is that he did - and that he was being the same friend he'd always been in giving Arthur that out. All he had to do was agree and it would be forgotten, ignored, never spoken of again. That would be all it would take, Arthur was certain.
"No, that isn't all it is," Arthur murmured, fingers caressing the line of Dom's jaw. "Not unless that's all you want it to be."
"Don't." Again that line between submissive and the strong man that Cobb was showed in the way his fingers wrapped around Arthur's wrist, holding tight enough the thuddy race of his pulse was almost painful. "You're not my point in this, Arthur. You aren't required to do what I want, just because I want it. I don't want that. I never did."
"And if it is what I want?"
The moment stretched between them, the sound of the club fading into the distance around them. Neither looked away, barely seeming to blink as a million moments and a dozen possibilities passed between them in a glance.
"Is it what you want, Arthur?"
Adam apple bobbing as he swallowed, the point man nodded. "Yeah. It is. You're what I want. This..." A quick snap of the leash and Cobb groaned. "I want it. Not here though. You're... You'd be mine and I'm not sharing you, even just to let others watch."
The bright sheen of what might have been tears made brilliant mirrors of Dom's eyes as he pulled away, sliding off Arthur's lap careful as to not jerk the leash away.
"Let's go then. Now." The last said with just a hint of the urgency that showed in the strained lines of Dom's body, the still straining length of his cock. A length Arthur couldn't resist stroking, long, nimble fingers giving Cobb a quick squeeze. What had been a rushed, heady breath became nearly gasping panting as Dom held so still for that touch, every exhale a needy whine.
"And that," he murmured, moving towards the door with Dom in tow, giving a sharp snap of the leash. "Will be the last time you give an order tonight."
When: Pre-Movie Canon
What: The job leads to revelations
Warnings: Talk of sex and D/s
For as long as Arthur had been doing dream share, he had known two things. Every job came down to the same basic formula, and no two jobs were exactly the same. The formula was in the approach. Intel. Basic information. Learning the patterns. Set up the dream. Make the heist. What those steps entailed changed from one job to the next but this was the first time Arthur found himself standing in the foyer of a darkly lit sex club holding the looped end of a leash in his hand. A leash that was attached to a collar about Dominic Cobb's throat.
The mark was known to frequent the place at least three times a week, proving the belief that he likely suffered from some form of sexual addiction. Despite his reservations about the club, about how they might gain entranced, Arthur knew that an addiction was the easiest and surest way to get an in with a mark, to open the subconscious doors that would give them the information they were being paid to gather.
Dress and mannerisms, the etiquette of such a place, was easily enough picked up online. So was the cover they would need to get past the door and into the club. Cobb had drawn the short straw. Arthur was just glad that they hadn't needed a forger and called in Eames on this one. Last thing he needed was the man making comments about what a cute couple they made, or how he'd always seen Arthur as the dominant sort.
Truth was, Arthur was sexually dominant, and had always known this, but it wasn't something he went sharing with anyone. Not even with the man he'd worked with for nearly seven years, and had indulged in numerous fantasies over. Cobb was devoted to his marriage, even after they'd lost Mal, and Arthur wouldn't betray the trust and loyalty they shared merely for what promised to be intense and mind blowing sex. Now they were faced with pretending to be lovers, a couple indulging in a high energy power exchange through domination and submission, and Arthur wasn't certain he was going to make it to the end of the job without ruining everything they had. Or taking Dom like he'd fantasized. Or both.
Arthur had almost wished Dom had argued, refused to go along with the suggestions. Instead he stood there, wearing a pair of jeans that were like second skin, and a black tee that Arthur wasn't sure would fit James, if he was honest. Heavy boots completed the outfit but it was his look that left Arthur dry mouthed and a bit tongue tied. Perfectly clean shaved, his hair hadn't been gelled back as he often favored, honeyed strands falling over his brow. Despite having a handful of years on Arthur, the overall impression was a bit delicate, sweet compared to Arthur in his tailored suit and slicked back hair. In the end it was a bit erring on the side of overdone but Arthur wanted to make sure to minimize the chance that anyone could try and actually take Dominic home with them. Armed though he was, Arthur had every hope the evening wouldn't end with him having to shoot someone.
"You look pissed."
Spoken softly, taking care that his words came out to match his appearance, Cobb nudged Arthur lightly against the shoulder. Just that voice combined with the leather strap in his hand was nearly enough to make the point man whimper. It didn't help Cobb was gazing at him with those ocean blue eyes, golden lashes darkened slightly with mascara and just touched with a hint of chocolate brown eyeliner, lips just slightly parted. It was enough to make the point man ache, shifting against the sudden tightness of his trousers. He could do this. He could make it through the night. He could...
"Sir."
Dom added the word with a slow curve of his lips, one side lifting higher than the other. Arthur's entire world pinpointed on that face. Forget the music, the club. Hell, in that moment the mark could have walked up to him and handed him everything they were looking for and Arthur wouldn't even have noticed. All he saw was that wicked smile, the attempt at innocence as darkened lashes lowered and then raised, eyes widening a bit more as they did.
"Cobb..." His voice was low, warning.
"Dominic," he corrected, tongue touching the center of his lip briefly. "If only tonight, Sir."
Two years on the run. Years before that they had been friends, close enough that Arthur had been there when Mal went into labor, had shared late nights and laughs and been there for one another. All that time, everything they had gone through and Arthur had never seen that light in his friend's eyes. Many had called Arthur Cobb's lap dog, his loyal companion, but for the first time Arthur truly realized what a two way street that had become. How had he missed that gleam? Had Cobb, for whatever reason, hidden it all this time, and now, under leash and collar, found himself unable to hold back his emotions.
Twisting his wrist, Arthur looped the leash over his hand a second time, pulling the leather taut. Not looking away from Cobb's gaze, he shifted his hand, pulling back to pull the other man closer, to him until their bodies just barely brushed. Leaning down and in, his lips just brushed the line of Cobb's cheek before bussing against his ear.
"I'll only give you this warning once," he whispered. "You are mine tonight. Anyone touches you, and I will put them down."
He hadn't meant to say the words, certainly hadn't meant to growl them in those low, dark tones. For a moment it occurred to Arthur he'd gone too far, overstepped his boundaries and Cobb was going to call and end to the surveillance. Instead the older man shivered, hand suddenly gripping Arthur's arm as he shifted, pressing tight to his point man's side with a sound that sounded suspiciously like a whimper.
"Been that way for a while," he whispered.
Maybe Arthur misheard him. Maybe it was his own imagination. What he didn't imagine was the press of Cobb's dick against his hip. Certainly not imagining the way the other man moved, hips rolling to make the truth entirely unmistakable. Dominic Cobb was collared, being led into a sex club, and he was hard. Pulling back, Arthur met that boyish gaze once more, frowning.
"Since... I didn't know you were into..." He tried to imagine Mal into D/s, dominating Dom as he seemed to be enjoying. Likely as hard for Cobb to imagine as it was Arthur given the way he laughed.
"Right stimuli, Ar... Sir," he said, a bit more of the man Arthur knew showing through. "You like specificity so here it is. It isn't the collar, or the environment, or the control, or you. It is all of it. Right stimuli coming together. Now, we have a job to do."
For a moment he was Cobb. Business and extractor, and willing to do whatever it took for that next job, no matter the risks. For a moment he was in charge, leading Arthur on their next adventure, not caring if they were stepping in where angels feared to tread. Then he moved again, hand sliding along Arthur's waist and up under his jacket, his touch almost cool against the suddenly flushed and overheated skin barely protected beneath tone on tone striped linen.
"Later," he murmured, moving to press them together, flush.
Arthur knew he could feel it, know that he was hard and excited, his breathing in quick gusts that Arthur suddenly found he couldn't hide. Long fingers tightened around the leash even though Dom made no move to slip away. Dark eyes met Cobb's pale, cool gaze and he knew. He knew in that instant that Dom would let him have it all. If he'd led his extractor to the nearest bench, Cobb would have eagerly straddled it, offered himself to Arthur then and there.
It was the image that came to him, unbidden and welcomed at the same time. Cobb stripped down, all sinew and pale skin, a body that Arthur had seen on more than one occassion but never indulged in. Now he knew that he could. He knew that he could have Dom down over a padded leather bench, collared, bound, skin marked and red and likely begging for more. Would he beg? Would Arthur want him to?
For a moment there was nothing in Arthur's world but Cobb. Close enough he could pick up the man's scent, the way he fairly vibrated in anticipation, the impression of his cock like a brand burned into the skin of Arthur's hip. They hadn't even crossed the threshold and Arthur wasn't sure he'd make it through the night without dragging Cobb to a corner and making him answer for keeping this secret for the devil knew how long.
It was going to be a long night, and suddenly Arthur had no idea how it would end.
*********
"How long?"
Cobb was standing in front of Arthur, just taller than the elegantly dressed man. It provided a good screen for him to make the demand he'd been thinking about all night. Not that he'd let those thoughts distract him from his work.
The Mark had arrived shortly after they had. Compared to the cheap, off the rack suits he wore day to day he was actually stylish. A bit sleazy but certainly an improvement over those suits. Sleek, velvet trousers, a shirt much like the one that Cobb wore, and heavy motorcycle style boots on his feet. He was the textbook picture of a dominant and it had actually made Arthur smile, wanting to chuck the man into one of the clubs he used to frequent overseas and see just how he fared. The image itself had left him nearly grinning, confusing Dominic though he didn't break their cover.
They had made a circuit of the room, taking their time as if exploring a new play place. Many approached the pair, several asking for time to play with Cobb. Each time the point man's attention strayed from the Mark, the job they were on, to Dom. He watched the other man's reaction, finding himself positively enchanted by the way his lashes fluttered, how he swallowed past the excitement he so obviously felt, deferring to the man holding his leash with the tiniest of smiles. At one point Arthur had thought to ask him if he wanted to play, to not hold back a man that had spent two years doing nothing but grieving. Instead he watched and waited, needing answers before he gave up his control, figuratively and literally.
When the Mark had taken a break from playing with a girl that was too tiny to call petite, curling up on a long couch with a bottle of water and the girl perched on his lap, Arthur had seen his opportunity, even if the timing, the place and all that had witnessed, made it a poor choice for moments to have in depth conversation.
"Not much longer," Cobb murmured back, turning his head so that only his point man would hear him. "I want to see just how he handles the girl when he leaves, if he's paying her, or what sort of situation they have going on. It won't be much longer now."
For a moment Arthur nearly let it go. If Dom was focusing on the job and nothing more, he could at least give his extractor the same consideration. Except even as he nodded, turning his head to the man and his companion, Cobb shifted. Moving to press back against Arthur with a slow, sinuous roll of his body. It was erotic, incredibly sensual and entirely deliberate. Not with the way Cobb arched back, hands brushing along the side of Arthur's thighs, caressing as his breath brushed against the curve of Arthur's jaw. In that moment Arthur knew unequivocally that Dominic Cobb was a dyed in the wool ass, and sexier than any man had a right to be.
"Not what I meant," the point man growled, turning his hand to loop the leather around his palm. Once. Twice. A third time so that it gave a slick tautness to the leash. "How long have you wanted this?" It wasn't all he wanted to know, but one question at a time.
"From you, or in general?" No hesitation in asking, fingers gripping the slack fabric of Arthur's trousers and using that hold to pull him a bit closer.
He didn't give in to that wicked temptation. Not yet. Not even with the way his entire body seemed to tense, almost painfully so, wanting to take, to use, to follow all of Cobb's teases to their logical conclusion. Not yet though. Not on the job. Not until he knew what this meant.
"Start with general and then me," he murmured, every breath he took drawing in the scent of sex and musk and the man pressed against him. Just the way his lashes fluttered every time Arthur spoke was almost enough to make the point man forget his worth ethic. Almost.
"Always been a bit submissive," he admitted softly. "Sexually. Depends on the person, the timing, what we're talking about. For you?" Cobb drew a breath, the movement grinding him against Arthur.
There was no denying the hard length of his cock straining against the fly of his trousers, breathless as he held perfectly still instead of indulging in the desire to grinding himself against Cobb's flank. "For me," he prompted, free hand moving up and caressing the side of his partner's jaw, soothing and provocative at the same time. "How long have you been thinking about this?"
"Months."
Such a simple answer yet Arthur's eyes widened, stunned. Priding himself on his ability to know, to learn everything about everyone, and yet he'd missed this.
"Don't." Despite the collar, the confession, there was still so much of Dom in that single word. "I didn't want you to know. Thought I could keep it to myself. Blame the mark for ruining that. I swear, Arthur, I wouldn't have ever said a word. Not until..." He touched the collar around his throat. "Not until you made it clear you wanted it too."
All the touching and grinding and teasing and that was the words that verbally pushed Arthur back, taking a single step to put that buffer between their bodies. It was bracing, shockingly cold in a warm room. Arthur's hand tightened around the leash, feeling the edge of the leather cut into his palm, enough to let him draw a full breath. Needing to think, wanting to search his own thoughts for the truth. Did he wanted Dominic Cobb as badly as the man himself wanted his point?
Two years on the run. Two years of one night stands and pretty girls that didn't need his name and rent boys in too tight jeans and crooked grins. Arthur could claim it was just the need for contact, sexuality and hedonism coming together in that moment when Cobb was throwing himself at Arthur, offering almost anything from the look in his eyes and the touch of a body that was sleek and strong at the same time. How many men had Arthur had in dark rooms, back alleys, all that were the same. Narrow eyes, sharp features, strong men that caved so easily to his touch, craved whatever he might give them. Had it been Cobb he'd been thinking of that entire time, or just whom he could have here and now, punish and enjoy and delight all at the same time?
His gaze strayed to the Mark, rising from the couch and practically dumping the girl on the floor. Her laughter was harsh, braying, but he bent to kiss her brow even as she worked to seat herself on the leather sofa once more. No money exchanged, just words and smiles. She was Arthur's new target, the means they'd come there for, all they needed.
The man brushed past them and Arthur kept a tight hold on Dom's leash. Like that their night was over. All Arthur had to do was going to the door, walk them to the car and undo the collar. Like that it would be over, Arthur could pretend Dom had never made a confession and they could go back to business as it had been. All Arthur had to do was make it clear that he didn't want the same things Cobb did.
"Come on," he said, giving a tug on the leash.
And leading Dom to a round table in the corner of the room. One of the chairs had its back to the wall, and as Arthur lowered himself to sit, he uncurled a bit of the leash to give Cobb slack. Arthur patted his thigh.
"Sit down."
Despite admitting to a submissive, sexual nature it was obvious that a million emotions took hold of Cobb in that moment. A hint of uncertainty, fear, likely worrying about how much would change between them if this continued. Arthur knew that despite his rather stoic appearance, the same concerns had a vice-like grip on his heart. When Cobb slid over his lap, perching like a child might on a scary Santa's lap, Arthur was unwilling to let him off that easily. Sliding his hand over his partner's legs, he drew them up and over his lap, forcing the extractor to sit across his lap. It left Cobb off balance, sliding an arm around Arthur to keep himself upright. Pausing only a moment, giving in to his own desires it would seem, as he leaned into Arthur, his other hand coming to rest against the point man's chest.
Nodding his approval, Arthur curled an arm against Cobb's back, leash still held but slack, the fingers of his other hand cupping the point of Dom's chin.
"Talk to me, Cobb." Again speaking low and careful, brooking no argument from the other man. "What's going on here?"
"You put a collar on me and I got off on it. That's all it is."
Two years on the run, a virtual lifetime before that when they'd worked as partners with Mal. If they actually put together all the dream time they'd shared, it was likely that they'd had more than a lifetime, and it had always been working in tandem. Maybe Dom had thought about this before. It was entirely possible he'd never put any thought into it until Arthur had given that ultimatum about Dom being touched. In the end, it didn't realize when it had occurred to Cobb that he wanted Arthur. What mattered is that he did - and that he was being the same friend he'd always been in giving Arthur that out. All he had to do was agree and it would be forgotten, ignored, never spoken of again. That would be all it would take, Arthur was certain.
"No, that isn't all it is," Arthur murmured, fingers caressing the line of Dom's jaw. "Not unless that's all you want it to be."
"Don't." Again that line between submissive and the strong man that Cobb was showed in the way his fingers wrapped around Arthur's wrist, holding tight enough the thuddy race of his pulse was almost painful. "You're not my point in this, Arthur. You aren't required to do what I want, just because I want it. I don't want that. I never did."
"And if it is what I want?"
The moment stretched between them, the sound of the club fading into the distance around them. Neither looked away, barely seeming to blink as a million moments and a dozen possibilities passed between them in a glance.
"Is it what you want, Arthur?"
Adam apple bobbing as he swallowed, the point man nodded. "Yeah. It is. You're what I want. This..." A quick snap of the leash and Cobb groaned. "I want it. Not here though. You're... You'd be mine and I'm not sharing you, even just to let others watch."
The bright sheen of what might have been tears made brilliant mirrors of Dom's eyes as he pulled away, sliding off Arthur's lap careful as to not jerk the leash away.
"Let's go then. Now." The last said with just a hint of the urgency that showed in the strained lines of Dom's body, the still straining length of his cock. A length Arthur couldn't resist stroking, long, nimble fingers giving Cobb a quick squeeze. What had been a rushed, heady breath became nearly gasping panting as Dom held so still for that touch, every exhale a needy whine.
"And that," he murmured, moving towards the door with Dom in tow, giving a sharp snap of the leash. "Will be the last time you give an order tonight."