There was this thing about birthdays, Kurt Hummel thought as he stood in front of the mirror in his dressing room, adding the last touches to the elaborate outfit he was wearing. The thing was, when you turned 30, your friends went out of their way to throw you a big party that you didn't want because you just went through a painful breakup and were in no mood for celebration. When you turned 31, however, and you were finally in a good place again, all you got was a few cards and a phone call.

It didn't matter, though. There was nothing he would rather do tonight than what he had planned.

He had made the arrangement for tonight a month ago, and Elliot had warned him that his return to Defiance after an absence of over six months would cause some waves among the staff and regulars, so Kurt planned to look his part. Tight black leather pants, white dress shirt with a bit of a silver sheen to it, black vest. He looked like he wanted to be seen, like he, in spite of everything, still saw himself.

Although he didn't plan on drinking tonight, he took a cab to the club, and was greeted at the door by Elliot, who took him to a private dining area first and then hugged him.

"Happy birthday, my friend. I wanted to talk to you before you eat, because I hope that you will accept a guest."

"Oh?" Kurt was intrigued. He had hoped Elliot would set him up with somebody.

"Yes. I always thought you might be a good fit, but you always missed each other. He first started coming after you had entered your contract with Chandler, then he entered a contract, but then, after you stopped coming, he appeared regularly and played with every Dom I set him up with, but never more than once. But now you're here again...I really think you could be good for him. You could be good for each other."

"Well, I'm here to play, so...send him in."

When there was a knock on the door, Kurt sat up expectantly, but it was only the waiter bringing a bottle of water in a cooler.

"It is so nice to have you back again, Master Kurt," he said with respectfully downcast eyes, but a wide grin. "The staff is quite excited."

"Thanks, boy," Kurt said, leaning back so the waiter could pour. "I'm glad to be back."

"Are you going to play?"

"I am. But I think I have been set up already."

"That will be cause for some disappointment. Your food will be ready in a minute, sir."

"Thank you. Please make it for two."

When the door opened again, it was without a knock. The man who entered seemed to be a little younger than Kurt, in his mid-twenties. He was quite handsome, although he was simply dressed, as if he hadn't come to Defiance to attract any attention. He looked Kurt directly in the eyes, something he was not used to at all, at least here, and quite unexpected in a sub. Kurt could see the man would require some work, and smiled. He liked a man extended a hand, still looking at Kurt. "My name is Blaine."

"Kurt." They did not offer last names; Defiance was all about discretion.

"Please sit down. I hope you like trout."

"I do, thank you. I did not expect an invitation to dinner."

It was not how things were done here, usually. Although Defiance was a lot classier than most similar etablissements, a glass or two was usually the most the men would share before they went upstairs to play.

"It is my birthday. I'm feeling generous."

"Happy birthday." The Sir was not there, not quite, but Kurt could almost hear it. And it would sound so good, when he finally did. But they hadn't even started negotiations yet.

"Oh, I intend it to be so. And I hope you will help me."

Blaine swallowed visibly. "I – I would like that."

"Good." Kurt smiled, then their food arrived and they fell quiet for a moment as the waiter served them.

"Thanks, boy," Kurt said, watching Blaine's reaction to his obvious display of dominance. "You may leave now. We'll call if we need something."

Blaine's reaction was subtle, but there. He swallowed, the grip on his silverware got noticeably tighter, and he was fidgeting for a moment, crossing and uncrossing his legs under the table. Kurt was intrigued by Blaine's obvious desire to submit and his simultaneous hesitation to do so, and he thought he was in for an interesting evening.

Kurt was quiet for a while, eating his food, letting the tension in the room build. Then he asked,

"Limits?"

Blaine was taken aback for a moment by the direct question, but recovered quickly.

"Um...Watersports, bloodplay, complete sensory deprivation. Um...I see you're only drinking water, that's good. You have to be completely sober. If there is even a little bit of alcohol involved, I leave at once."

"I never drink before a scene. Or during. Safewords?"

"I don't use them."

Now Kurt was shocked. Defiance was probably as safe as you could be in the lifestyle ouside of a committed relationship, as Doms were chosen carefully and required to go through several testing stages until they gained full acceptance. Sub abuse was rare and resulted in immediate exclusion. Still, going without a safeword was...risky. Reckless.

"You will, with me. Yellow for slow down, red for stop. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

Kurt smiled to himself. Time to get started.

"Yes, Sir."

Blaine swallowed, then straightened his shoulders and looked down. "Yes, Sir."

"Good boy. Finish your meal, then I want you to go upstairs. Room 206. Freshen up, then lay out anything you want me to use. I don't promise I will, though I will promise not to use anything on you that you haven't put there. Strip. for me."

Blaine finished his food in no rush, but he didn't delay, either. When he was done, he laid down his silverware, drank some more water, then stood and, without a look at Kurt, left the room.

Kurt took his time. He finished his food and his drink, then ordered two more bottles of water from the bar and waited until they arrived. Then he took the bottles and went up the stairs to room 206.

He silently opened and closed the door and placed the water on the side table. He looked at the rather minimalistic display of things on the bedspread: a heavy flogger and lube. No condoms. He could work with that; a simple scene was probably better for the time being. He took his time, running the tails of the flogger through his fingers and then smacking it on the palm of his hand, not hard enough to hurt, but enough to make a sound. Only then did he acknowledge Blaine's presence, circling him once and then standing before him and just watching. He was kneeling on the floor, naked, his hands on his back. His posture was perfect, his back perfectly straight, his head bowed just a little, and his legs were spread just wide enough that his half-hard cock was displayed nicely. Still, he seemed to be...not in it so much as just acting. His body clearly knew – and liked – what it was doing, but his mind was somewhere else. Well, Kurt intended to change that. He carded his hand through Blaine's hair and could see him briefly closing his eyes, relishing the touch.

"Good boy," he said quietly. "You are beautiful like this."

He spent a few more minutes like this, standing beside Blaine, running his fingers through his hair and caressing his face. Then he went to the bed, put away the bedspread and the pillows except for one, which he placed in the middle of the bed.

"Lie on the bed," he told Blaine. "Face down, belly on the pillow. Make sure you're comfortable, you're going to be there for a long time."

Blaine rose gracefully and obeyed, lying down on the bed, his ass elevated by the pillow.

"I won't restrain you, but I want you to stay still. If you move, I'll stop. And don't come without my permission."

Kurt took a moment to appreciate the beautiful sight of the sub, willing and pliant, on the bed – a sight he had much too long gone without – and then concentrated on the task at hand.

He started teasing Blaine with the flogger, slowly running it over his back, ass and legs. Blaine stayed still and silent, except for the occasional gasp when he came across a particularly ticklish spot, and once, when he teased at what he could reach of Blaine's cock and balls. After a while of this, the first stroke, though gentle, hit Blaine like a shock. He gasped and moaned and seemed to have to struggle a little to stay still.

Kurt continued flogging Blaine, gradually increasing the intensity of the strokes. He didn't expect to be able to put Blaine into subspace, not at their first scene, but he wanted him to get as near as possible. So he took care to keep a constant rhythm, not alternating the speed, but hitting evenly about every ten seconds to give the sensations time to flood Blaine's whole body.

However, he paused every few strokes to gently caress Blaine's body, soothing the reddening skin and slowly traveling down to his ass, eventually teasing at his hole.

His strokes were practised and didn't tire him much; he could do this for a long time. But he didn't know Blaine, he didn't know when the pain would change from pleasurable to unpleasant or worse, and he didn't really trust him to use his safe words. He thought he had Blaine in the right mindset now, but he didn't know if he got off on pain or on the submission alone. So, when Blaine's moans started to sound a little strained, he decided to speed things up a little. On the next pause, he quickly lubed up his fingers and gently, but without warning, pushed two inside Blaine.

Blaine shouted and fought not to move, though he couldn't help but arch his back a little. Kurt chose to ignore it, because Blaine was trying so hard and had clearly been taken by surprise. He toook up the flogger again and continued hitting Blaine in slow, even strokes while pumping his fingers in and out of Blaine's body.

"Sir, please, do I – may I touch myself?"

Kurt smiled. He was pleased he got Blaine to begging, and that he asked for this, that Kurt hadn't explicitly forbidden. But -

"No. You may, however, come as soon as you want."

"Sir, I can't -"

"Oh, you can." Kurt hadn't lost the confidence in his own abilities. He crooked his fingers, pressing directly against Blaine's prostate, and aimed a few quick, hard strokes at Blaine's ass that had him shouting again and coming hard, arching his back and then slumping down on the bed. For a few moments, the only sound was the heavy breathing of the two men. Then Kurt thought he heard a muffled sob. Kurt dropped the flooger and knelt beside Blaine on the bed, trying to figure out how to turn him without hurting his tender back, but Blaine anticipated his move and sat up. He knelt on the bed without being asked, all the while crying silently and looking incredibly frustrated. Kurt put his arms around him.

"What is it, sweetheart?"

Blaine sighed. "Fuck. I'm sorry, Sir. I moved."

Kurt smiled and brushed a sweaty strand of hair out of Blaine's face. "Yes, you did. But it seems to upset you much more than me, much more than such a small fault would justify. Do you want to tell me why that is?"

"I don't even know, Sir. I was so fixated on not moving, on being good for you, that it feels like I let you down. And myself."

"You were good for me, sweetheart. Your submission was beautiful. Thank you."

"Thank you, Sir. You are... a very talented Dom. But – you didn't – may I pleasure you, Sir?"

Kurt's forgotten erection returned with a vengeance at these words, and he was at a loss at what to do. On the one hand, he didn't want Blaine to think he wasn't good enough, or submissive enough, as he was sure to when he was rejected now. On the other hand, he was quite sure that Blaine wasn't entirely emotionally stable at the moment. It wouldn't be right.

"No, sweetheart, I'm fine."

Blaine looked so dejected at that answer that Kurt just had to give him something. He tilted Blaine's head up a little and let him look in his eyes, then he pressed their lips together. Blaine stiffened for a moment, surprised, then completely relaxed in Kurt's arms. They kissed for a while, Blaine's lips open and pliant under Kurt's. When Kurt broke the kiss, Blaine smiled again.

"Thank you, Sir. I've never been kissed by a Dom before. It was lovely."

"They missed a lot." Kurt took a pen and wrote his number on a piece of paper which he then handed to Blaine.

"You've been very good tonight, sweetheart. I would very much like to meet with you again. This is my private phone number. If you would like to play again, call or text me. I might not be able to answer right away, but I'll always return the call."

"Thank you, Sir. This is a great honor, and much appreciated."

Kurt smiled and kissed Blaine again briefly. "Now lie down, I want to tend to your back."

He took a bottle of cooling lotion and carefully and tenderly rubbed some on Blaine's back, extending the caress until Blaine was completely relaxed and close to sleep. He draped a blanket over him and pressed a kiss to the top of his head.

"I have to go, unfortunately. You can sleep here for some time."

"Thank you, Sir. Good night."

Kurt left the room, softly closing the door. He really needed a drink.