Slow hand, p.32
Slow Hand, page 32
He pushed himself up into a sitting position, and Jathan let go of him. Thierry's stomach clenched. Jathan's face tightened, and his eyes filled with fear and the expectation that this wasn’t gonna end well for him.
"Jathan seems to be a switch," Master Rhys repeated. "About halfway through the scene, he started asking questions, and a few minutes later, I noticed him fighting the urge to take over. So with some soft instructions, I allowed him to help me. The last few minutes of your scene, that was all him. And that's why I let him do the aftercare because he needs to understand that's an essential part of it."
Daddy’s gaze traveled from Master Rhys to Jathan. Then he blinked a few times. "I'll be damned," he said. "You keep surprising me, brat. How the hell did I miss that?"
Jathan's bottom lip quivered. "Are… Are you upset with me, Daddy? I didn't mean to. I can just be your boy if that's what you want. This doesn't have to change anything. I know you—"
Daddy stopped his words by placing a finger on his lips. "Hush, brat. Let me process for a moment, okay? This blindsided me, but I'm not upset. I'm not angry, you hear me? I still love you. I still love you both. But you have to give me a minute to let this sink in."
Relief painted Jathan's face, and that only increased when Daddy held out his arm in silent invitation. Jathan cuddled against him. Thierry jumped up from his chair and rushed over to them. He let out a sigh when Daddy pulled him close.
“The three of us can’t do anything normal, can we?” Daddy mumbled. “We have a Dom who likes to bottom and submit occasionally, a boy who wants to serve, submit, and be a little, and another boy who’s a middle, likes to top, and as we now found out, seems to be a switch. For the love of everything holy, are we trying to hit some kind of BDSM bingo card between the three of us?”
Humor had filled his voice, and Jathan snickered. Thierry pressed his lips together. He shouldn’t laugh about this, but the way Daddy had said it was so funny. One look at a grinning Jathan and Thierry lost the battle. Seconds later, the two of them were laughing. Then Daddy, Master Rhys, and Cornell joined in, and they were all in stitches.
By the time Thierry could stop laughing, his belly hurt, and he had to wipe the tears from his eyes. How amazing was it they could laugh about this?
“It shouldn’t be this funny, but it really is,” Master Rhys said, pulling Cornell close to him and kissing the top of his head. Thierry loved watching them. The way Master Rhys took care of Cornell always made his stomach flutter because he was so sweet to him, so tender. He cherished him.
“We’d better laugh about it,” Daddy said. “Otherwise, we’d make it way too big, too heavy. It’s not. That being said, I’m not sure where we go from here. Is Master Rhys right, brat? Are you interested in becoming a Dom? Or at least, receiving training?”
Jathan sighed. “It’s all new to me, Daddy. I didn’t know this about myself.”
“In hindsight, I should’ve seen it,” Daddy said. “You’ve always taken charge of Thierry and told him what to do in bed, and you’ve bossed me around a few times. I remember thinking if I should call you out on it, but I didn’t because I figured it was nerves or you being unfamiliar with the dynamics.”
“Can I ask you something, Jathan?” Cornell said.
“Are you about to drop another bomb on us? Because the last time we talked, you told me I was in love with my boys, and before that, you concluded Jathan was a middle. I was just wondering if you had any more revelations up your sleeve,” Daddy said jokingly.
“He asked me, Daddy, not you,” Jathan said. Thierry had been watching Cornell, and he looked a little sheepish.
Daddy had picked up on it as well because he groaned. “Oh god, he does have another grenade… What is it this time?”
“Let him ask his question, Daddy. Sheesh,” Jathan said impatiently, and Daddy smacked the back of his head.
“Respect, brat.”
“You’d better hope and pray I don’t become a Dom because then I get to be in charge, and you’ll have to call me Sir,” Jathan fired back, and Thierry was in stitches all over again at the pure shock on Daddy’s face.
“God help me,” Daddy mumbled.
When they’d calmed down again, Cornell smiled. “I was curious, Jathan, if you’re interested in being a Dom in general or only under specific circumstances. If I were to volunteer for a training session with you as Dom and me as your sub, would you be interested in that?”
Thierry looked at Jathan. How would Jathan answer this? Cornell had once again asked a good question.
Jathan stared at Cornell, chewing on his bottom lip. “I’d like to watch Master Rhys do a scene with you to see what he does and how, but I have no interest in doing a scene with you myself.”
“And with Thierry?” Cornell asked. “Master Ford said he’d love to explore more impact play with him. Would you want to do that with him?”
Thierry feared that by the time this conversation was over, Jathan’s bottom lip would be destroyed. He couldn’t blame him. These were hard questions, and Thierry, who prided himself on knowing Jathan inside and out, had no clue how he’d answer them, how he felt about these things. They were all in uncharted territory.
“I don’t think so. I could see myself do the stuff Daddy does when we’re…”
His cheeks grew red, and Daddy chuckled. “Boy, after we’ve shared this, I doubt they'll be scandalized by what we do in bed. Spit it out.”
“That’s not what you said yesterday,” Jathan quipped, and Daddy’s mouth dropped open for a moment before he burst out in laughter.
“You cheeky little…” He took Jathan’s head under his arm and rubbed it with his knuckles. “Brat. You’re a cheeky little brat, and I love you.” Then he grew serious, and his rub became a caress. He pulled Jathan’s face up and kissed him tenderly. “Tell the truth, sweetheart. We need you to be yourself.”
Jathan nodded, the stress gone from his face. “I like what you do to Thierry when we’re having sex,” he said to Daddy. “Like edging him or playing with his nipples. But I don’t see myself spanking or paddling him. He doesn’t need that from me. He needs that from you, but I can’t explain why I feel that way.”
“So it’s just me,” Daddy said, his tone factual. “It’s me you want to…dominate.”
“Do you want to take the lead in any other areas than sex?” Cornell asked. “Say, setting rules or telling your Daddy what to do during the day?”
Jathan’s face displayed horror. “Hell no. Daddy’s in charge, and I don’t want that responsibility.”
“How did you feel when you watched me do those things to your Daddy?” Master Rhys asked. “What went through your mind?”
Jathan hesitated, but then he said, “That he needed it. When he agreed to do this, I thought it would be a demonstration that he derived pleasure from it, to show me and maybe Thierry that that sh-stuff got him aroused. But it was more than that. He said he liked to submit occasionally, but I hadn’t expected him to surrender to it the same way Thierry does to him.” He turned toward Daddy. “You needed it. That wasn’t you demonstrating something. You were into it.”
Daddy nodded. “I was, but I can’t submit like that to everyone. It has to be with someone I trust. And needless to say, I trust Rhys blindly. He’s practiced on me plenty of times when he was in training, so it made it easy. And I was looking forward to it, yes. It had been a while.”
“I want to be the one to give you that,” Jathan said, surprise coloring his voice as if he was realizing something only now. “It shouldn’t be Rhys. It should be me. I only want to do it to you, not to others or Thierry and not all the time. But when you need this, I want to be the one who provides it.”
Cornell nodded. “That’s what I figured. I don’t think you’re a true switch, Jathan. If that were the case, you’d want to dominate Thierry as well or take control at other times. I think you’re just a really good boy who wants to give your Daddy what he needs. You saw he needed that pain, that submitting, that release, and you wanted to be the one to give it to him. Does that sound right?”
All eyes were trained on Jathan. “I…I think so, yes,” he said softly, then looked at Daddy. “Is that a good thing? Is that okay with you? If you don’t want that, we can—"
Once again, Daddy cut him off by putting a finger on his lips. He took a deep breath. “Brat, how could I possibly be upset about this? Didn’t you hear what Cornell said? This is you being such a good boy for me that you long to give me what I need. That’s amazing.” He kissed Jathan lightly on his mouth. “We can work this out, brat. This is a good development.”
“You know what’s interesting?” Thierry said. “You worried about me having such a desire to please Daddy I’d allow him to cross my boundaries, but you’re the one at risk. If your desire to give Daddy what he needs is that strong…”
Daddy nodded. “You’re right, baby boy. So we’ll set up a contract, Jathan and I, for those sessions where he’s in charge.”
Jathan let out a soft gasp. “Y-you’ll let me do it?”
“Of course, brat. You said it yourself. I need this. Not every week or even every month, but sometimes I crave that release.”
“I’ll train you and supervise where necessary,” Master Rhys said. “We’ll make sure you have the knowledge and skills to do this.”
“Thank you,” Daddy said to Rhys, who reacted with a cheeky grin.
“Are you kidding me?” he said, laughing. “This is the best way to get revenge on you for all those times you had a little too much fun using me as a test object. Don’t forget that I know exactly where your weak spots are.”
Jathan chuckled. “Care to tell me?”
Master Rhys sent him a flashing smile. “Hell, yes. We’re gonna have a blast, boy.”
42
Six Months Later
“Daddy, I'm home!" Jathan called out as he walked from the garage into the mudroom, closing the door behind him.
God, he was hungry. He hoped dinner was early today, though he smelled nothing yet. Oh, wait, Daddy would want something light, what with tonight’s session, so maybe he was on his own? Soup would be good. If he remembered correctly, there was some leftover tomato soup in the freezer.
"We're in the living room!" Daddy shouted back at him.
Jathan took his dirty shoes off and placed them in the cubby Thierry had put in the mudroom. He hung up his coat and put his backpack in the assigned spot. Thierry had gone a little overboard with the organizing, but Daddy had told Jathan to humor him and go along, and since it wasn't that much trouble, Jathan figured he could do it. He’d learned to pick his battles with Daddy, and this wasn’t one of them.
In the kitchen, he grabbed a can of Coke from the fridge, then walked into the living room. He came to a sudden stop, almost dropping his can. What the fuck?
Daddy sat in his favorite chair, the book he held indicating he'd been reading. But his slacks were unbuttoned and his cock out. Between his legs, Thierry was kneeling on a pillow, cradling Daddy’s cock in his hands. Judging by the blissed-out expression on his face, he didn't seem to mind one bit. Well, that was a new one. Every time Jathan thought Daddy had tried everything with Thierry, he came up with something else.
"Come give me a kiss, brat," Daddy said. "As you can see, I’m rather comfortable and don't want to get up."
Yeah, no shit. Jathan put his Coke on the coffee table, then made his way over to Daddy and leaned in for a kiss. Daddy pulled him in, his tongue immediately surging into his mouth, and Jathan let out a happy sigh. His body relaxed, as it always did at the merest touch of Daddy.
He'd never thought he'd say it, but it was like his body recognized its owner. Or its caretaker, more accurately, though Jathan had to admit he didn't object to the term owner as much as he’d done in the past. The truth was that Daddy pretty much owned him…and he was more than okay with it.
"Mmm," Daddy moaned into his mouth. "I missed you today, brat."
He told him that every day, and every day, Jathan believed him a little more. Now he was certain of it. Daddy loved him and really missed him when he was gone.
Daddy ended the kiss, but he didn't let go of Jathan, pulling him down to sit on the armrest. "How was your day, brat?"
"Good. The classes were okay, and we've been assigned a project I'm excited about."
"What kind of project?"
“We have to choose a controversial topic from a list and pick a side, for or against, and then write a two-page paper to defend our choice, based on factual arguments. I picked the effectiveness of mandatory minimums.”
"Mandatory minimums? That sounds right up your alley."
A few months ago, Jathan had found the courage to talk to Daddy about his plans for the future. Law school was his dream, and Daddy had been supportive. Jathan had started with his undergrad at SUNY, taking a broad range of introductory classes. Classes had only started two weeks ago, but he loved it so far.
Jathan pointed at Thierry. "What's up with that?"
Daddy chuckled, ruffling Thierry’s hair. "The theme this month is humiliation play, so I'm testing Thierry’s boundaries in that. We've discovered he doesn't like to be my footstool or function as a side table, but he loves a little verbal humiliation, and he excels at being a cock warmer. His task is to sit there and hold my cock in his hands, keeping it warm. And he's doing a great job."
Jathan smiled, shaking his head. He'd never understand why Thierry was into stuff like that, but it seemed to float his boat, so whatever. He got up from the armrest, grabbed his Coke, and plopped down onto the couch across from them. "Are we still on for tonight?"
"As far as I'm concerned, yes. Rhys texted me he's good on his side. He's bringing Cornell and Raf, so Thierry and Raf can have a little playdate, and Cornell is willing to supervise them. Brendan is out of town for a conference, so Raf is staying with Rhys and Cornell for a few days."
"Oh, good. It's been a while since they had a playdate. That'll be fun."
Finding a balance between the three of them and their different needs hadn’t been easy, and they still made mistakes, but they’d come a long way. Thierry needed to serve, and he loved exploring new things with Daddy, but he also needed time to be a little every day. They’d tried a few different approaches, but in the end, they had settled on a strict routine, scheduling time slots when Thierry could be a little, when he could serve in the household, and when he could be or do whatever Daddy had cooked up for him.
For Jathan, things had been a little easier, and he and Daddy had found a good rhythm. Every day Daddy spent at least an hour one-on-one with him where they’d talk, play chess, watch a movie together, or shoot hoops. Jathan craved those moments, and he knew Daddy did too.
He'd become less angry, less rebellious, though he still had his moments. Daddy kept him on a short leash with strict rules that he enforced without exception. Those had been a source of discontent in the beginning, but over time, Jathan had come to appreciate them as they provided him with the stability he needed. He still leaned hard on Daddy at times, and he'd been there for him every single time.
“So, what’s on the planning for tonight?” Daddy asked.
Jathan grinned. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
Daddy raised an eyebrow, but his eyes were sparkling. “I would, actually. I’m not dumb enough to agree to submitting when I don’t know what my Dom has planned for me…”
A rush tore through Jathan. My Dom. He loved it when Daddy so effortlessly accepted what could’ve been so complicated. But it wasn’t. With an ease that had astonished all of them, they’d found a balance in that aspect of their relationship as well. Jathan did a monthly session with Daddy submitting to him and Rhys instructing and supervising. They’d had some hiccups, but they’d found their rhythm now, and they both loved this monthly ritual.
“It’s nothing you can’t handle,” he teased, winking.
“Is that how you want to play it? Keep in mind I can make your life very miserable, brat. My revenge will be served ice cold but slow.”
Jathan laughed. He loved this part of their dynamic, the sparring and the teasing. “But, Daddy, I promise you’ll love it…”
Daddy laughed. “I’d better, brat.”
Daddy checked his watch, then said to Thierry, “Time’s up, baby boy. You did really well.” He took his dick from Thierry’s hands and tucked it back in. “How did that feel for you?”
Thierry beamed as he got up and stretched. “How long was that, Daddy?”
“Half an hour. You did good, sweetheart. Real good.”
“I liked it, Daddy,” Thierry said.
“I could tell by your rosy cheeks, baby boy. You were blushing so pretty for Daddy.”
Thierry blushed all over again, and it was adorable. “I liked holding it for you, Daddy. Like I was cherishing something valuable.”
Daddy chuckled and pulled Thierry on his lap. “My cock is valuable, baby boy. It deserves to be cherished, wouldn’t you agree?”
“Mmm.” Thierry sighed, cuddling happily with Daddy.
“So, brat, care to give me specifics for tonight?” Daddy brought the discussion back to the previous topic.
Jathan could hear when he was coming close to the end of Daddy’s patience. “Since you seemed to love the spanking we did last time, Rhys has taught me to use a paddle this week, so I’ll be trying that out on your ass tonight.”
Daddy winced. “Boy, I have a whole day of meetings tomorrow.”
Jathan shrugged. “You’d better bring a pillow, then. It’ll be worth it, I promise.”
Daddy’s face softened. “I know, brat. I’m looking forward to it.”
How could he not love a man who said shit like that? He’d known it for months, if not longer, but he’d never said the words. He’d thought about them often, but it had always felt like the wrong time, like he should save them for a special occasion. When they were going on the cruise Daddy had booked for them, for example, the same gay cruise Rhys and Cornell and Brendan and Raf would be on. But that was three months from now, and did he want to wait that long?
