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Stede steels himself before he rings the familiar number and selects to speak to Jeff. It’s silly, but he still gets a little nervous every time during those few seconds before Jeff picks up.
“Good evening,”
“Evening, Jeff. I hope your shift’s been good so far?” Stede asks, feeling warm at Jeff’s purr.
“Boring until you called,” Jeff replies easily, having dropped the purr. “Was hoping you would.”
Stede feels his face redden. He reminds himself it doesn’t mean anything. Jeff probably says that to all his customers. “Same for me. I mean, my day was boring until I called you, and I was hoping you’d be available.”
“Good to hear.” Oh, back to that purr again.
Maybe one day Stede will not melt at that tone. “Yes.”
“Anything you want to talk about now that you’re no longer bored?” Jeff continues. “Anything in mind? Something you want to try? Or talk about? Like I said, it’s fine if you just want to chat about things.”
Stede smiles at that. Jeff is always so sweet, so reassuring. “You’re a good listener.”
“I’m the best,” Jeff insists. “Champion listener, that’s me.”
“You’re definitely a champion of putting me at ease,” Stede admits, toying with the belt of his bathrobe.
Jeff hums in sympathy. “Anything in particular that’s made you nervous? Or another bad day at work?”
Stede groans as he remembers that frustrated phonecall and his even more frustrating attempt at using a dildo. “No, no, work’s been fine lately…”
“So what’s got you nervous?” Jeff asks. “Is it something new you want to try?”
Stede looks at the dildo next to him on the bed. “It’s not exactly new, no.”
“You want me to keep guessing?”
Stede closes his eyes for a moment. “No, I’ll tell you.” He’s an adult. He can talk about sex, including the kind of sex he’s interested in. Any minute now.
“All right,” Jeff replies, tone amused.
He takes a breath. If he can’t tell Jeff, who can he tell? “I want to practise blow jobs,” he blurts, face red.
Jeff is quiet for a moment. “You want to practise blow jobs. Giving them, I assume?”
“Yes!” He laughs nervously. “Not that I have a lot of experience, um, receiving.” He feels a flash of embarrassment as he says it. Now Jeff will think he’s some pathetic idiot who’s barely had sex.
“Well, I can’t help you practise receiving,” Jeff replies, easy as anything. “But sure, we can practise your dick-sucking skills.”
And if Stede lets out a noise at that, well, it’s his business. Maybe one day he’ll be able to talk about it as casually as Jeff can. Another thing to practise. “Great!”
“We need a practice dick for that, though. Or are you one of those guys who can give himself a blow job?”
“That’s an option?” he manages. He sits up straighter and looks down at his lap. He bends over, then winces when his hips and back protest. “Well, not for me!”
Jeff laughs. “Yeah, same! Not as bendy as I used to be. Anyway, you brought a practice dick?”
“Yes.” Stede sits back up and looks at the dildo. “I figured I’d use that dildo. I cleaned it, obviously,” he adds, before Jeff can bring that up.
“Good. And y’know, you can always get yourself another dildo since you know you like ‘em. Use one for anal play and the other for oral,” Jeff says.
“I could,” Stede replies, still looking at it. Yes, that’s something he can do. He can buy more dildos and other toys he’s curious about. He can try new things with those toys, and if it turns out he doesn’t like it, well, he tried. But. He wants more than toys as well. “But what if, um, I start dating and, um, he sees my toys? Won’t that be weird? Shouldn’t I like a real cock better?”
Jeff is silent for a long moment and Stede’s nerves settle into a heavy lump. “In my experience,” Jeff says, his tone unusually serious, “if you take someone home and they make fun of your sex toy collection or get weird because you’ve got a dildo bigger than their dick, that’s a red flag right there. If they’re that insecure over some toys, they’ve probably got other insecurity issues as well and you should proceed with caution. Plenty of couples play with sex toys together, okay?”
Stede nods, a lump in his throat at how sweet Jeff is, how he seems to get the things Stede isn’t even saying. “Well, maybe I’ll get to find out myself one day,” he replies, aiming for an airy tone. “But first, let’s do that—that dick-sucking practice.” There, he said it. Face flushed and awkwardly, but he said it.
“Let’s,” Jeff agrees. “So, you wanna pretend Jeff’s there and you just suggested you give him a blow job?”
Stede nods. “Yes. Jeff’s given me one, after all.” An early end to that awkward pretend-dinner. “Seems only fair I return the favour.”
“It’s not about returning the favour. Besides,” Jeff adds, dropping back into that delicious purr, “having you squirm and whimper in pleasure when I suck you off is its own fun, pet.”
“Hng.” He is never gonna be normal about being called pet like that. “Right, yes, well, maybe I want in on the fun! With you! Your dick!”
Jeff chuckles. “My dick also wants in on the fun. How do you want to do this? Position-wise? Sitting is probably easiest.”
“Not very realistic, though,” Stede argues.
Jeff hums in agreement. “True. You could get on your knees next to the bed and put your dildo on it. But if you want to practise, then you might be there a while and it’s not exactly comfortable.”
“I could lie on my back!” Stede imagines that. Jeff could straddle his chest and guide his dick to Stede’s mouth. That could work. That could definitely work.
“Yeah, but then the other guy has to be on top of you and has all the control over how deep he’s going or for how long,” Jeff tells him.
“Exactly,” Stede replies, a little dreamily. It sounds nice. He wouldn’t have to worry about setting the pace himself.
“Right.” Jeff sounds a little strangled, then clears his throat. “That, um, that is something to try. And you can still use your hands to signal that you need a break. There’re ways to, um, do that. Yep.” He clears his throat again. “Anyway, let’s have you sitting up for now to start with for your practice. Sound good?”
“All right,” Stede agrees. It’s not as realistic, but Jeff has a point about convenience and comfort. “How do I start?”
“Depends on the kind of blow job you want to go for,” Jeff replies. “But I’m guessing that since you want to practise, you’ll want to start out nice and slow. Are you holding it?”
Stede wraps his hand around the base. “I am now.”
“Good start,” Jeff tells him. “Why not stroke it a few times? That always feels nice and lets you get a sense of how thick it is.”
Stede does as Jeff says, but he feels kind of silly sliding his fist up and down the dildo. “I already know how thick it is. It’s been inside me.”
“Different orifice, though,” Jeff points out. “And besides, don’t you want to tease Jeff a little? Build the anticipation?”
Stede nods. Jeff’s mentioned that before. “Foreplay.”
“Exactly! Bit of teasing’s always fun. Makes the eventual blow job all the better,” Jeff insists.
“Okay, I’m teasing Jeff with some slow strokes,” Stede tells him.
“Ugh, completely forgot to set the scene,” Jeff grumbles. “Hang on, you gave me another booty-call, I bet. Eager to see me.”
Stede blinks at Jeff backing up like that, but it is nicer to figure out the story a bit. “Yes. You left this morning after you—after we fucked.” His cheeks redden again, but he pushes on.
“Which you enjoyed,” Jeff says smugly.
“Very much,” Stede agrees. He still remembers the stretch of that dildo, even though it’s been longer ago than this morning.
“What if I called you, though?” Jeff asks. “What if I’m eager for another round after getting a taste?”
Stede pauses his strokes. He hasn’t really considered Jeff taking initiative like that. “You’re booty-calling me?” he asks, stunned.
“Yeah!” Jeff replies. “Why wouldn’t I? The sex was great, and obviously I want to see you again.”
Obviously. Stede knows Jeff is playing a role, but it’s still strange to hear him say it. As if it’s obvious that this leather-clad bad boy wants to see boring regular Stede Bonnet again. “All right.” If Jeff can play the part of a leather-clad bad boy who is desperate to see Stede, Stede can play the part of someone confident enough to be booty-called. “You called me.”
“Can we skip the bit where I do and go straight to the bit where you show up at my door?” Jeff suggests.
Stede is kind of curious about Jeff’s booty-call, but he nods. “Sure. I show up dressed nicely, wearing a pale green button-down shirt,” he says, remembering what Jeff has said about liking sharp-dressed men. “With a tie.”
“Excellent choice,” Jeff purrs. “I grab you by the tie to yank you inside, closing the door to my apartment.”
Stede knew what he was doing when he mentioned that tie, but he still feels a little breathless from Jeff’s description. “What are you wearing?”
“Leather trousers and a leather jacket,” Jeff replies.
Stede hums in appreciation. “And another tight t-shirt underneath?” Because he can imagine that very well…
Jeff laughs. “Who says I’m wearing anything underneath the jacket?”
Stede’s eyes widen at that mental image. “Oh.” His mouth is dry. The Jeff in his head doesn’t have chiselled pecs and abs. He doesn’t need to. Maybe there’s some chest hair. Maybe there’re tattoos. “Can I see any tattoos?”
“You really looking at my tattoos, pet?”
“You’re shirtless and right there!” Stede protests. “Yes, I’m looking! What am I seeing?”
“All right.” Jeff sounds amused. “Well, there’s a ship. One of those old-fashioned ones pirates used. And a bird in flight. And—”
“Not a seagull, I hope?” Stede asks, frowning.
“Not a—no! Who gets a tattoo of a seagull?” Jeff splutters, laughing.
Stede shrugs. “I’m sure there’re people out there with seagull tattoos.”
“Sure, and it’s a good thing you’re not one of them, or I’d never have called for your booty in the first place,” Jeff replies.
“Aw,” Stede replies, laughing. “Maybe I’ve got a seagull tattoo! A secret one!”
“Must be a very well-kept secret, then,” Jeff argues, “because I’m pretty sure I looked you over last night before fucking you and didn’t see it.”
Stede flushes at the thought of Jeff touching him and looking at him like that. “Maybe you should double-check next time and be thorough!”
“Don’t worry, I was already planning on being extra thorough with you, pet,” Jeff purrs.
Stede whimpers. Surely it’s cheating that Jeff uses that voice on him? “Looking forward to it!” he manages.
Jeff hums. “So. You’re in my hallway. I’m shirtless and wearing leather. I’ve grabbed you by your tie.” He pauses for a moment, but Stede doesn’t say anything, more curious about where Jeff is going. “I push your back against the wall and kiss you.”
Stede closes his eyes, imagining that. “I’m putting my hands on you,” he replies, feeling awkward, but dammit, Jeff called him here. He got booty-called. “On your bare skin.”
“Not the leather?” Jeff teases.
“One hand on your waist, the other one your sleeve,” Stede replies, because it’s a good point. He would want to touch the jacket as well as Jeff’s bare skin.
“Happy you could make it, pet,” Jeff murmurs. “After this morning, I knew I had to have you again.”
Stede can’t believe a line that cheesy is going straight to his cock. “Oh,” he manages. “It was—it was good for me as well. I was glad you called.”
“Do you want to do that again?” Jeff asks. “Want me to spread you open and fuck you? I’ve got a few positions in mind I think you’ll like.”
“Okay,” Stede agrees, because yes, he would like to be spread open and fucked by Jeff again. Then he remembers his plan. “I mean, um, can we try something else first?”
“Anything you like,” Jeff assures him. “What do you have in mind?”
Stede huffs at that. He’s already told Jeff what he wants to do! And here he is, making Stede say it again! “Well, after dinner last night you—you gave me a blow job. I’d like to give you one as well. But I haven’t given one before, so I may, um, need your guidance.”
“You want me to tell you what to do, pet?” Jeff purrs.
“Yes,” Stede breathes, desire burning inside of him. “Please.”
“Oh, I can do that. Let’s go to the bedroom. Please imagine it as being very clean and tidy with the bed made, by the way. And sheets that have definitely been changed somewhere in the last six weeks.”
Stede laughs. He’s never sure how Jeff can so seamlessly shift between sounding so hot he makes Stede’s brain dribble out his ears, and so funny that all his nerves disappear. “Did someone hastily tidy his bedroom before I came over to impress me?” he teases. The thought of anyone doing such a thing over him is ludicrous, but it’s also very sweet. Very Jeff.
“Might’ve,” Jeff replies airily. “Anyway, you can’t prove anything.”
“True,” Stede agrees. He looks down at the dildo he’s still holding. “So, where do I start?”
“You want me to keep the jacket on?”
“Oh, yes please,” Stede immediately replies.
“Then I am just unbuckling my belt and opening the buttons before sliding my trousers down my thighs,” Jeff tells him. “And you notice I’m not wearing any underwear.”
Stede snorts at his smug tone. “No need to worry over underwear logistics, then.” Also, he rather likes the mental image.
“Exactly. I sit down on the edge of the bed and beckon for you to come closer. You make yourself comfortable, pet. You’ll be here a while.”
Another whimper escapes from Stede’s mouth. “Okay.” He takes a deep breath, remembering what Jeff said earlier. “I reach out to wrap my hand around the base of your cock and start stroking it slowly.”
“Should’ve known you’d do it slowly,” Jeff replies.
“Seems only fair.” Stede remembers every single time Jeff told him to go slow when he was jerking off. “Besides, I’m getting to know your dick. It’s only polite.”
“Greeting it with a handshake?”
“Something like that.” He runs his fingers up and down the dildo. His own cock is half-hard just from talking to Jeff. “Until it’s fully hard.”
“Hm, that won’t take long with you stroking my cock like that, pet.” Jeff lets out a low groan that makes Stede shiver. “And I thought you were going to suck me off?”
“I will.” He will. “And I’ll start by…” He trails off, waiting for Jeff to tell him.
“Start by licking it a few times,” Jeff replies. “Root to tip. Taste it, pet. Taste good?”
Not really. His dildo just tastes like plastic, but he does as he’s told, licking it with broad strokes a few times. “Now what?”
“Lick the head as well,” Jeff continues. “That’s always good.”
Stede does that, then wraps his lips around the tip for the next part. Wait, he should tell Jeff he’s doing that. “Can I then open my mouth and start the blowjob?”
“Pet, you’ve already started the blowjob. But yes, you can open your mouth and let me slide in deeper. We’ll take that nice and slow. Let me enjoy your mouth and tongue. There’s a good boy.”
Stede whines around the tip of the dildo in his mouth.
“Yes, you like that?” Jeff continues, teasing. “You like being a good boy for me and having my cock in your mouth?”
Stede moans around the dildo, which is resting against his tongue. He’s pushed it in a little deeper. His own cock is rock hard, but with one hand holding the phone and the other holding the dildo, he can’t touch himself.
“Take it deeper, pet, then slide it back out when it gets uncomfortable.”
Stede does, pulling a face when the dildo goes far enough to almost make him gag, and he slides it back out. “It wasn’t even all the way in!” he complains. His lips brushed against his fingers where he still has his hand around the base, and that was already too much.
“So?” Jeff replies. “That’s not necessary for a good, enjoyable blow job.”
Stede huffs. He knows that. “But I want to,” he insists. “I want to be able to, y’know.”
“What?”
“Deepthroat,” he mutters, face red at his admission. But he does. He wants to be able to take a cock down his throat without gagging or discomfort. “And I can’t! But I want to!”
“Plenty of people can’t,” Jeff tells him. “And you can still give amazing blow jobs without one.”
“I know, but I want to.” Stede knows he’s sounding sulky and like a brat. And sure, there are people who can’t do it. But there are people who can. And why shouldn’t Stede be one of them? “I want to deepthroat you and take all of you!”
Jeff lets out a weird choked noise at that. “You, um, sound pretty set on that.”
Stede smiles a little at Jeff’s reaction. It is nice knowing that he can get to Jeff as well. “Yes! And you know me. I don’t quit. I didn’t give up on getting that dildo up my arse, and I’m not giving up on getting it down my throat!”
There’s a spluttered laugh. “Fucking hell,” Jeff mutters. “Yeah, fair point. You’re a stubborn one.”
“I prefer determined,” Stede sniffs.
“Yeah, determined to gobble down a cock.”
“So, how do I do that?” Stede asks. “You’ve got to have some tips?”
“Okay, fine, I’ll talk you through taking it deeper than before, but deepthroating’s too much for the first session. You’ve got to build up to that.”
Well, they would see about that. “Deeper than before,” Stede agrees. “Let’s try that.”
“Well, first thing, slide the tip back in your mouth,” Jeff tells him. “And keep letting it slide in slowly. It should be nice and wet now, at least. Still good?”
Stede hums around the dildo. So far, so good.
“Now, very carefully, slide it in further. No need to show off. Be gentle with me, pet.”
Stede closes his eyes, imagining it’s Jeff he’s got in his mouth. Yes, he’ll be gentle. He slowly pushes it in further until his lips press against his fingers again and he leaves the dildo there for a bit.
“Keep breathing through your nose, pet, stay relaxed,” Jeff murmurs. “Still good?”
Stede hums again, keeping his eyes closed. It’s a little awkward, but good.
“Try a tiny bit further, then slide it back out for me.”
Stede does as he’s told, sliding it deeper until he almost starts gagging, then takes it back out. “Ugh, not sure if that was better.”
“Oh, it was,” Jeff replies immediately. “Definitely better. Deeper. Not that deeper’s better, obviously, but, y’know. It was deeper.”
Stede frowns at that. “You sound very sure of yourself.” But Jeff’s not here with him, or he’d be able to practise on Jeff. “For someone who can’t actually see it.” He wouldn’t normally break the immersion like that, but he also doesn’t want Jeff to patronise him.
“Yeah, well, it, um, sounded like you went deeper,” Jeff argues.
“Right,” Stede says. “Can I try again?”
“You can try as often as you like,” Jeff assures him.
“And do I have to take it out of my mouth every time it becomes too much?” Stede asks, because it would be better practice if he didn’t.
“Makes it easier to talk to you about how you’re doing,” Jeff points out.
Stede hums in agreement. He knows how important that is for Jeff. “Right, how about I try it three more times and then take it out so you can check in?”
“Three,” Jeff agrees. “Okay, give it another go, and remember, go slow and take it easy. There’s no need to rush.”
Stede rushes a little anyway, pushing the first few inches in and only then slowing down. He closes his eyes again, since it’s easier to focus on the sensation like that. Easier to let the dildo slide in a little deeper and take a breath in and out through his nose before pushing it in a little further. He has to admit, the slow approach seems to be working. He feels his finger against his lips without any discomfort. He pushes it in a little further, then feels himself almost gag and slides it out by a few inches. Stede breathes in and out through his nose, focusing on staying calm.
“Still good?” Jeff asks.
Stede hums in reply, then goes for his second attempt. This time, when he hits that point of discomfort, he leaves the dildo there until he actually gags on it and only then pulls it out by a few inches.
“Did you just gag on it?” Jeff demands.
Stede hums in agreement.
“You were supposed to take it easy,” Jeff groans. “I told you, no need to rush!”
Stede ignores him in favour of trying again. He doesn’t leave it there long enough to gag on it, but he does push it in a little faster than before. It’s another useful thing to get used to. “There! Three tries!”
“Yeah, where you ignored me telling you to take it easy,” Jeff grumbles.
“I suppose I was a little eager,” Stede replies. “But I didn’t think you’d complain about me being eager to suck your cock.”
There’s another groan followed by Jeff swearing under his breath. “You’re a menace.”
Stede smiles. “So I’ve been told.” He’s enjoying this, teasing Jeff and getting an audible reaction from him. “I’m gonna try again.”
“Remember to go slow,” Jeff tells him.
Stede slides the dildo in a little faster than he did before, not pushing it as far as he can handle immediately, but instead using his hand to move it back and forth a few times to get used to that. Maybe his mistake was trying to take it deeper immediately, instead of giving his mouth some time to warm up.
“Fucking hell,” Jeff mutters.
Stede figures that sliding the dildo back and forth a dozen times is enough warm-up.
“Don’t stop now!” Jeff whines.
Stede’s surprised Jeff heard what he was doing. Surely he wasn’t making enough noise? Stede just hums, then slides the dildo deeper into his mouth, and oh, he’s right. His lips are more firmly against his finger, but he doesn’t feel the urge to gag. Progress! He pushes it a little further and gags on it slightly before pulling it back a few inches. Not bad for another attempt. He takes a few slow, deep breaths through his nose and is about to slide the dildo back in when he feels a hand around his wrist.
“Stede. Please.”
Stede’s eyes fly open at the sound of Ed’s voice.
Ed’s looking a little wild-eyed. “I know I agreed you’d end the call, but I have to watch you suck off a dildo, Stede! A dildo! With me right there!” He gestures at the chair in the corner of the bedroom with his other hand.
Stede ends the call, drops his phone on the bed and pulls the dildo out of his mouth. “Yes, because you wanted to watch what I did to myself during the call,” Stede replies. They’d gone through the roleplay fantasy earlier, with Stede saying that he loved having sex with Ed, but those phonecalls had been a lot of fun, and Ed admitting that he’d been very curious about what Stede was really doing during them. So they’d settled pretty easily on pretending they hadn’t met yet and that Ed would sit in the corner. Blow job practice had been Stede’s idea as well, and Ed had agreed to it.
“I did,” Ed says, his thumb stroking the inside of Stede’s wrist. “I do. But I also want to touch you. I think I slightly underestimated how much I’d want to touch you instead of just watching.”
Stede glances down at Ed’s crotch. Ed started out with his jeans on but no shirt, enough of a distraction that Stede closed his eyes to keep from staring at his boyfriend and ruin the pretence. But now he’s removed his jeans and his erection is straining against his boxer briefs. “Did you touch yourself?” They had an agreement on that, too.
“Stede.” Ed pouts.
Stede raises an eyebrow. “Did you touch yourself while I was practising a blowjob on the dildo?”
Ed huffs. “Might’ve. You would’ve done the same! It was really fucking hot, Stede!”
Stede’s first impulse is to deny it, same as always when Ed insists he’s hot, but he also knows how much it annoys Ed when he does. So Stede swallows the impulse. “We agreed that neither of us would touch ourself during the call.”
“Easy for you to say, your hands were full,” Ed grumbles. Then he smiles and leans closer. “Why? Do you want to punish me about it?” He waggles his eyebrows.
Oh, there’s a thought. They have played around a little with Stede taking charge. But he can’t switch between scenes as easily as Ed can. “Maybe later.”
Ed leans in to give him a quick peck on the lips. “Can’t wait, sexy.”
Stede flushes and huffs at that. “What do we do now? You’ve cut my dick-sucking practice short.”
“Hm, I think we can figure out a solution to that one.” Ed picks up the dildo with his other hand and looks at Stede. “You know you don’t need practice, right? I really really enjoy your blow jobs.”
He knows. Ed’s very vocal and encouraging. “And I really really want to figure out how to deepthroat you,” he mutters, eyes on the dildo as well.
Ed kisses his cheek. “You don’t need to.”
“But I want to.”
Ed brushes their noses together. “Still feeling stubborn, hm?”
“Yes.” He knows he is. And he knows that sometimes he’s too stubborn for his own good in the bedroom, and that sometimes Ed has to be the one to make him take a step back.
Sometimes, Ed has to take control.
Oh. Yes. He grins at Ed. “I know how we can keep practising!”
Ed raises an eyebrow. “Um, it’s dick-sucking practice. I think I know how to keep going.”
“No, no!” Stede sits back. “Like how we talked about over the phone. I lie back and you get on top of me. That way, you can take it as slow as you like instead of complaining that I’m rushing things.”
Ed stares at him for a few long seconds. “Yeah,” he croaks. “Sounds good. Yep.”
He kisses Ed, feeling that rush of joy and elation at his reaction. Ed desires him, and sometimes Stede feels bold enough to tease him and wind him up. “Shall we?” He lets go of Ed’s hand to take his phone and put it aside on the nightstand.
Ed’s looking at the dildo again. “In a minute. There’s something we should discuss first.”
Stede turns to face him. “Oh, about hand signals for during?” Ed mentioned those during the call, after all, and it’s a good point.
“That as well,” Ed tells him. “No, about what you said on the phone. You asked whether someone you’re dating might think your sex toys are weird when I suggested you could buy more.”
“I did, yes,” he mutters, ducking his head. He should’ve known this would happen. Ed’s always so perceptive.
“Stede. Did you think I would find it weird if you wanted to buy more toys?”
Stede shrugs. “Isn’t it, though?” he asks. “Wanting more toys when I have you? Not that you’re a toy,” he adds, looking at Ed and relieved at his smile. “But why should I want toys?”
“Because they’re fun?” Ed replies. “Because they can do stuff I can’t? Because we can use them together? Because I watched you use a dildo on yourself tonight, and it was really hot?”
“So you’re okay if I…”
“I am 100% okay with you buying more sex toys,” Ed tells him firmly. “Extremely okay. We can choose some together, all right?”
“All right,” Stede echoes, wondering why he was worried about bringing it up in the first place.
Ed grins. “Told you, didn’t I?”
“Told me what?” Stede frowns, not following Ed’s logic.
“That people talk to me about what they’d like to do with their partner.”
It takes Stede a moment, but he does remember Ed telling him that once during a phonecall with Jeff. “But you’re my partner. I should’ve just talked to you like this. Face to face.” He’d never needed the pretence.
“Yeah.” Ed’s voice is warm. “But sometimes talking’s easier over the phone, right?”
Stede swallows a lump in his throat. He should’ve known Ed would figure that one out, too. “I wasn’t subtle when I suggested we do this, was I?”
“Not really, no,” Ed agrees, pressing his shoulder against Stede. “Fun idea, though.”
“Really?” Stede eyes. “I asked you to roleplay your job!” He’s still kind of surprised Ed went along with it.
Ed shrugs. “Eh, that just means I get to ask you to roleplay sexy accountant next time.”
“There’s no such thing as roleplaying sexy accountant!” Stede insists, flushing. This isn’t the first time Ed’s mentioned that.
“Sexy editor?” Ed suggests, leaning closer. “Get your red pen out. Tell me where to put my commas,” he purrs into Stede’s ear.
Stede splutters at that, face hot. “I don’t even use a red pen! I use track changes, you know that!”
“I am definitely gonna figure out a way to make sexy editor work,” Ed tells him, then gives him another kiss.
“You don’t mind, then?” Stede asks, needing to be sure.
“Mind what?”
Stede shrugs. “That I—that I couldn’t talk you to normally and made up a whole roleplay scenario instead?”
Ed shakes his head. “Whatever helps you to talk to me, Stede. I know it’s—my perspective’s kind of skewed, yeah? My jobs, both my jobs, involve talking and thinking about sex and sexual acts and kinks a lot. It’s normal for me. Doesn’t mean it’s normal for you.”
“Practice,” Stede says, glad Ed gets it and isn’t making it about Stede’s inexperience or cluelessness.
“Practice,” Ed agrees. “It’s good for me, too, y’know. A reminder that most people actually get kinda awkward when talking about sex.” His eyebrows raise. “Oh, I can work with that.” He looks away, and Stede recognises that look.
“Idea for your next novella?” He already knows the answer.
Ed gets up, releasing Stede’s hand. “C’mon, that can work, right? Gay romance novella where one of ‘em forward about sex and the other one’s kind of shy and awkward about it.” He’s already walking out the bedroom and towards his desk where he left his phone. “There’s your conflict right there!” he calls out. “Room for character growth for both of them!”
Stede sighs and gets up as well, retying the bathrobe around him. He’s not surprised to find Ed frowning at his phone as he takes a note. “Any ideas for the meet-cute?” He’s talked to Lucius and Ed enough about writing that he knows the jargon.
Ed hums at that. “Not yet. Gotta figure out more about these two first. How old are they, past experiences, that kind of thing. Meet-cutes usually follow out of that.”
Stede nods. He knows Lucius prefers coming up with a funny meet-cute first and building the two heroes from there. “I’m sure you’ll think of something.” He wraps his arms around Ed’s bare waist, dropping his chin on Ed’s shoulder. “I’ve got an idea about what kind of sex they can have.”
“Oh?” Ed asks, still typing.
Stede presses closer, pleased when Ed pauses typing at the feel of Stede’s erection against his arse. “I think the awkward one should lie on his back while he gives the forward one a blow job.”
“Should he now?” Ed murmurs, wriggling his hips. “Well, I think the forward one is all for that.”
“Then, as your editor, may I suggest we do some research?” Stede asks innocently. “Make sure it’s a suitable position.”
“Keep track of all the limbs involved.” Ed puts his phone back on his desk. “Good idea.” He turns in Stede’s arms, kissing him. “Show me where to put my commas, sexy.”