Joey
“He seems like a nice guy,” Beck said when Ethan disappeared.
“He is.” Joey shook his head. “I have no idea how I found him when I did, but I’m not letting go now unless I have to.”
“What does he say about that?”
Joey grinned. “He’s willing to travel with me. To work as an assistant if it fits what he enjoys doing.”
“He’s giving up Whitby?” Beck raised his eyebrows.
“He’s willing to.”
“And what about you? What do you want?”
Joey smiled. “To make Ethan happy.”
Beck laughed and shoved him away. “You sappy shit.”
“When you meet your man, you’ll know what I mean.”
Beck scoffed and held up his hands. “No way, man. I’m staying free and single forever. No chains keeping me from being free.”
Joey didn’t reply. Instead, he changed the subject to the event Beck wanted to talk about, and they went through the plans to make sure everything was in place. As Beck turned to leave, Joey stopped him.
“I felt the same way, remember? Look at me now.”
The corner of Beck’s mouth curled. “It’s not for me.” He nodded and left, closing the door behind him.
Joey had a feeling the man would eat his words one day, and Joey would be there to rub it in. As he tidied away the documents they’d been looking through, Ethan came back.
“Did you get everything you needed?”
Ethan nodded. “I think I’d enjoy it. At the very least, I’m happy to give it a try. I won’t ever leave you in the lurch, so if I didn’t enjoy it, I wouldn’t leave until you’d found someone you could trust to take over.” He slid his arms around Joey, staring into his eyes, and Joey couldn’t look away. “I think this could work, Joey.”
Joey blinked at the sudden burning in his eyes, and he buried his head in Ethan’s neck. “I hope so.”
****
After spending the remainder of the previous afternoon and evening together—without any of his friends bothering them—they lazed in bed the next morning. Joey had a fitful night’s sleep and had woken several times. Each time, Ethan wrapped himself around him and soothed him back to sleep, but Joey felt bad for disturbing him.
He skimmed his fingers along Ethan’s arm, where it draped across Joey’s stomach. Ethan’s head rested on his chest, his warm breaths puffing over his nipples. Although they had spoken about Ethan’s choice at length, Joey still couldn’t believe he was willing to walk away from his life in Whitby.
“Are you sure, Ethan?” he asked for probably the hundredth time.
Ethan chuckled, and Joey couldn’t help but smile in response. “I’m sure. It’s not like we’re moving to another country, Joey. I can still visit everyone.”
“I know. It’s just a big step.”
“It is. But it’s one I’m willing to take.”
“Are—” Joey’s phone rang, and he reached past Ethan to unplug it from the bedside table. “Unknown number.” His heart raced as he answered. “Hello?”
“Joey Reynolds?”
“Yes. Who’s this?”
“Denny. I knew Elliott.”
Joey scooted up the bed, the cold of the headboard taking away some of the warmth Ethan had provided. Ethan did the same. “How did you know him?”
“We were…intimate. I originally met him about a year ago at a party. We hooked up. After that, whenever our paths crossed, we would sneak away, find a room. I’m assuming you don’t need more information than that.”
“No, I’m good. Why didn’t he ever tell me about you?”
“I asked him not to make it public.”
“Why? Was he not worth your time?”
Denny sighed. “He was, but I’m not out. Or rather, I wasn’t.”
His voice rippled on the last words, and Joey softened towards him a little. “What happened?”
“When?”
“That night, and I’m assuming you had a coming out you weren’t planning on.”
Denny huffed. “You could say that. I’d rather we talk in person than over the phone. Can you meet me?”
Joey stared at Ethan. “Where and when?”
“Today, two o’clock. Battersea Park bandstand.”
“Okay. I’ll be bringing a friend.”
“Who? I don’t want the police involved yet. I need to talk to you first.”
Joey frowned. “It’s not the police. It’s my boyfriend.”
Denny was quiet for a moment. “You have a boyfriend. Elliott didn’t mention it.”
Joey gritted his teeth. “Yeah, well, Elliott didn’t tell me a lot of things, so it seems.”
“Okay. I’ll see you there.”
The phone went dead, and Joey let his hand fall to his lap.
“Everything okay?” Ethan asked, covering Joey’s hand with his.
Joey nodded. “We’re meeting up with the guy at two o’clock. He didn’t want to talk over the phone.”
“That’s understandable if there’s something important.” Ethan glanced over his shoulder. “It’s eleven o’clock now. How about we get dressed and go for some brunch?”
Joey raised his eyebrows. “Brunch?”
“It’s too late for breakfast and too early for lunch; therefore, brunch.”
“I can think of something to tide us over until lunch,” Joey said and rolled them until he caged Ethan beneath him. “I’m thinking…ties. One for each wrist and ankle. One for your eyes. One for your mouth.” He lowered his head and voice. “Maybe something to cover your ears. You won’t know what I’m going to do to you until I’ve done it.” He skimmed his lips over Ethan’s jaw. “What do you think?”
“I don’t think I’m going to last long if you do that to me,” Ethan whispered.
Joey raised his head, staring into Ethan’s eyes. “You’ll last as long as I make you.”
Ethan’s eyes flared, and he licked his lips. “Are you sure this is the right time?”
“It helps me push aside everything else and concentrate on you.”
“Okay.”
Joey dropped a kiss on his lips and then climbed off him. “Strip the bed down to the sheet and lay on your back. I need to get supplies.”
As he rummaged through the drawers, he could hear Ethan moving behind him, but he didn’t look to see if he was doing what he was told. Joey had no doubt he would. He picked six ties from one drawer and noise-cancelling headphones from another. When he faced Ethan again, his lover was lying on the bed as he’d been asked to, and Joey’s gaze ran the length of him. His muscular physique might be seen by many as butch—or a giant, as Christi had called them—but he was in perfect proportion everywhere. His chest tapered into the V of his abdomen, heading into his groin, where his cock stood proudly. Joey couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face at the sight.
He wrapped the ties around his hand as he stepped closer, dragging out the moment. As much as he wanted this to last hours, he was on borrowed time. He put everything on the bed beside Ethan’s hip and chose the first tie. He slid the fabric around Ethan’s ankle, tying it tight enough for him to feel it, but loose enough to not stop the blood flow. Then he moved on to the second ankle. He repeated the action for his wrists, tying them low enough that it wouldn’t strain Ethan’s arms as they continued.
“I’ve left a long tail that you can pull to free yourself should you need it,” he said.
“Thank you, Sir.”
Joey ran his hands down Ethan’s arms, the goosebumps flowing in the same direction, and then he straddled Ethan’s thighs. Grabbing another tie, he placed it over Ethan’s eyes and beneath his head, bringing it back to the front to tie off.
“Colour?”
“Green, Sir.”
“When I put this final tie on, you’re not going to be able to talk easily. I will assume everything is fine unless you use your fingers. One finger means green. Two fingers mean yellow. Five fingers mean red. Understood?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Repeat back what I said.” Ethan did. “Good. If for some reason that doesn’t get my attention, I want you to make as loud a noise as you can for as long as you can, however you can. Be it with your limited voice, hands banging on the headboard, or anything else you can think of.”
“Yes, Sir.”
He leaned down and ran a hand along Ethan’s jaw. “I never want to hurt you.”
“I know, Sir. Hurt is only allowed during play, not when someone wants out.”
“Good.”
He smoothed the tie over Ethan’s mouth, which opened without being asked. Joey knotted the tie, making a mental note to get some sort of hood or ball gag in the future. He nipped at Ethan’s lips. “Right, final item. These will block out all sounds. You’ll be completely deprived of everything but feel. Are you ready?” Ethan put up one finger. “Good.” Joey slid the headphones over his ears, and Ethan stilled. Joey ran his fingers down Ethan’s jaw to his chin and nipped at his lips once more. Then he pulled back and climbed off the bed.
He’d purposefully not grabbed everything he wanted to use when Ethan could see because it would spoil the surprise. He went back to his drawer and pulled out a Wartenberg wheel, a feather and a cock sleeve. When he turned back to the bed, Ethan’s chest heaved, but his cock strained. Joey placed everything on the bed except the feather. He held it just above Ethan’s ankle and then skimmed it slowly across his skin. Ethan flinched, which Joey expected, but then settled as Joey continued to weave the feather up his leg. When he reached Ethan’s groin, his cock bobbed, precome leaking down the swollen red shaft. Joey kept going past it, without touching, and down his other leg.
Then he removed it and grabbed the wheel. Again, Ethan flinched when it first touched his abdomen, but he stayed as it made its way across his stomach and chest. Joey made sure to run it over his nipples, and they tightened in response. Joey catalogued every response to the stimuli.
Picking up the feather again, he ran the feather down one side and the wheel down the other several times before swapping over. Ethan panted through the tie in his mouth, his nostrils flaring, and Joey put down the wheel and feather and wrapped a hand around his cock, smearing the fluid around to coat it for what he had planned next.
The cock sleeve had bobbles on the inside so it would stimulate him even more. Joey rested it against Ethan’s tip, and Ethan froze—even his chest, as if he wasn’t breathing. He slid just the head of Ethan’s cock into it, and Ethan bucked, but Joey pulled it free again. Ethan groaned behind the tie, and Joey smiled. He repeated it, rotating the sleeve so it hit all the nerve endings beneath the head. Ethan writhed, and sweat beaded on his skin. Lowering the sleeve onto his cock fully, he paused, keeping it still and making Ethan mumble behind the tie. Joey was determined to make him lose control.
Holding the sleeve in place, he grabbed the wheel again and ran it across Ethan’s nipples. Ethan’s neck strained as he pressed his head into the mattress. Joey chose one nipple to focus on and slid the wheel back and forth over the tip. He added the sleeve into the mix, lifting and lowering it. If only he had three hands, he would’ve used the feather on the other nipple, giving him three sensations to deal with.
The sleeve made a slicking noise, and Joey knew Ethan was already close. But Joey wanted inside him before he could come. He wanted to feel him tighten around him.
He left the sleeve around Ethan’s cock, though he didn’t expect it to stay on. It would slowly work its way off, but the sensations would keep going until it slid free. He reached for the lube and prepared Ethan as quickly as he could while still using the wheel on him. When he was ready for him, Joey slid a condom on and slicked it and wrapped his hand around the sleeve, which had fallen off during his ministrations.
He held his cock at Ethan’s pucker and the sleeve at his cock. He slid inside him at the same time he slid the sleeve down his cock. Ethan shouted behind the tie, but his fingers were inside his fist. When Joey sank deep inside, he paused. He crawled closer, lifting Ethan’s ass to rest on Joey’s thighs, keeping them tightly bound together. He wasn’t planning on going anywhere. The feather skimmed across Ethan’s nipples, and the sleeve slid down Ethan’s cock repeatedly. But still, Joey didn’t move. He could feel Ethan rippling around him, but he was going to send Ethan over the edge without fucking him more than he already was.
Ethan writhed and squirmed on the bed as Joey continued with the feather and sleeve. Ethan’s ass tightened on him with each slide until Joey’s cock was strangled. Ethan tensed all over, his body becoming a block of ice before he yelled and the contractions around Joey’s cock had him needing to move. He gritted his teeth through the need until Ethan’s body relaxed a little, and then he put everything down and gripped Ethan’s hips. Moving back a little, he withdrew once and slammed into him. After that, he couldn’t stop and fucked him hard and fast to his own orgasm. Just before he went over, Ethan contracted around him again, and Joey’s eyes widened at the second release of fluid over Ethan’s stomach.
“Fuck,” Joey groaned as he released into the condom. He gave himself a second’s breather and then pulled free. Throwing the condom over the side of the bed, he leaned down and lapped up every splash of come on Ethan’s body. If he paid special attention to his nipples and cock, who could blame him?
When he was done, he pulled Ethan’s wrists and ankles free first, and then his mouth, which he kissed and kissed to help with his dry mouth—at least that’s what he told himself. He removed the headphones, kissed him again, and untied the tie around his eyes.
Ethan blinked lazily at him. His body splayed over the bed when Joey had left his limbs as if he couldn’t get the energy to move.
“Hey,” Joey said.
“Hi,” Ethan croaked.
Joey leaned across the bed to reach the glass of water he’d put there and helped Ethan to sit up. His lover rested fully against him while Joey held the glass for him to drink his fill.
“Thanks.”
Joey nuzzled his cheek against Ethan’s head. “You’re welcome.”
Despite the uncertainty of what was to come that afternoon, Joey’s body was humming. Yes, the orgasm helped, but his mind, too, was calm and ready for whatever was going to be thrown his way. He had no idea what Denny was going to tell him, but he was pretty sure he wouldn’t like it. With Ethan by his side, he could manage anything.
“You okay?” Ethan mumbled.
Joey tightened his hold on him, rubbing his hands over his body to help centre him. “Yep. Let’s get you into the shower.”
Holding a rag doll under the spray would’ve been easier than keeping Ethan from folding himself onto the floor. He was completely loose and flopping all over the place. Eventually, though, they were washed and dried, and when they climbed out, Ethan was steadier.
“We need to do that again,” Ethan said as they dressed.
Joey glanced at him, but Ethan was staring at the bed and the discarded ties and equipment. “We will. Maybe next time, though, we do it when we don’t have to be anywhere. You were far too relaxed afterwards.”
Ethan wrinkled his nose, and Joey chuckled. “Sorry. That was intense. And I loved every minute.”
“I could tell.”
Ethan’s stomach rumbled. “We need lunch.”
“Oh, it’s lunch now, is it?”
Ethan pointed to the clock. “It’s twelve-thirty. It’s no longer brunch time.”
Joey laughed. “Okay. Lunch it is.”
Before they left the apartment, Joey dragged Ethan into his arms. “Thank you for coming with me. For all of this, really. When you first met me, you couldn’t have known what you were getting into, but you’re still willing to go wherever this takes us, and I can’t thank you enough.”
“I’m glad I’m here. That you’re not doing this alone.”
Joey kissed him. What else could he do?
After they’d grabbed some lunch from the cafe Joey visited often, they headed to Battersea Park. They wandered through the grounds, hand in hand, until they reached the bandstand. Joey slowed, staring at the man sitting on the steps. A man he hadn’t expected.
“You could’ve warned me,” Joey said when they stopped in front of him. “Using Denny was a bit of a misnomer.”
The man spread his hands. “What did you want me to say?”
“That you were Dennis Carter, the billionaire, playboy guitarist of the biggest band in the country.”
“And would you have come?”
“Probably not.”
“Exactly my point. Who would believe this playboy was gay, huh?” Dennis said, waving a hand towards himself.
That was the exact thought going around and around in Joey’s head.
Dennis freaking Carter was gay?