Scorched Edges by L.M. Somerton

instantly. “The storage unit fire was confirmed as arson. The investigators believe the preparations were made well in advance. Two units were hired under a false name, using cash. There were two seats of the fire, in those units. An industrial solvent was used as the accelerant, ethyl ether based. It has a sweetish odor and wouldn’t have been noticeable. The fire spread through the roof, which was the building’s weak point. The fire protection systems had been disabled.”
    “Calculated and efficiently executed. This guy knows what he’s doing.” Becket steepled his fingers.
    “What’s worse is that it is now fairly certain that Beau is this idiot’s target. All the fires have been on Beau’s watch. That wasn’t enough of a link until last week’s incident. Beau was the only firefighter that changed shift that day. It’s not categorical proof, but I don’t believe in coincidence. There was another message as well, found on the back wall of the building in red spray paint. ‘See me dance’.”
    “That’s been found at all but one of the fire sites, is that right?” Becket asked.
    “Yes. The very first suspicious fire was an allotment shed. It was completely destroyed—nothing left but ash, so if there was a message there it went up in flames.”
    “I’m going to get Aiden to do some digging into backgrounds of The Underground’s members. If anyone holds a grudge against Beau, there might be a likely candidate there.”
    “He can’t come up with any ideas. He’s thought long and hard, but he’s never dumped anyone and he can’t think of any particularly persistent subs or jealous Doms. Won’t you get into trouble using our resources on this?”
    Becket shook his head. “I have clearance. This concerns your safety, Marty. Aiden can dig in places other investigators won’t be able to reach.”
    Marty finished his coffee and glanced at the clock. To his surprise an hour had passed. “Thank Aiden for me. I hope I get to meet him in person one day. I really appreciate your help. You’ll let me know if you find anything, won’t you?”
    “Of course. Now go and enjoy your evening. Forget about all of this for a few hours and have some fun.”
    Marty grabbed his jacket and made his escape. Just knowing that Becket and Aiden were on the case made the weight on his shoulders a little lighter.
     
    * * * *
     
    Marty made it home in record time. He’d been anticipating the night ever since Beau had told him he’d booked the playroom. Since then, Marty had received regular texts from Beau adding to his list of instructions. “In no particular order,” Beau had said. He sent the messages when they popped into his head. Marty was determined to follow them all to the letter. Beau was picking him up at nine—that meant he had a little less than three hours to get ready. They wouldn’t be eating at the Club so he had to fit a meal into that time as well. Beau had said to eat light but Marty wasn’t sure there was any room in his stomach for food, it was already full of hyperactive butterflies.
    The peace and quiet familiarity of his flat calmed him. Marty stripped to his boxers and put his clothes away neatly. The first two tasks on his list were the ones he dreaded. He wanted to get them over with. Beau’s first instruction simply read Clean Inside . An enema kit in a sealed package sat waiting in Marty’s bathroom cabinet. After that came shaving, most of which could be accomplished in the shower. Alistair had recommended some depilatory cream for the harder to reach bits, much to Marty’s relief. It seemed a much safer option than putting a razor anywhere near his balls.
    Ninety minutes later the worst was over. Marty was buffed, polished and fuzz free from the neck down. He cleaned his teeth and dried his hair, using some product to make it more tousled than usual. Alistair had taken him to a shop in Soho called The Fetish Forum to find an outfit that fulfilled Beau’s next text, Leather and