CHAPTER 61: WHAT HAS BEEN SEEN, CANNOT BE UNSEEN… WHERE THE {BLEEP} ARE THE BLINDERS WHEN YOU NEED THEM?!

JUSTIN:

After the meeting with Sterling Music, Inc., Brian and I went in search of Ted. Thankfully, Lori covered and finalized the meeting with Marta and Jessica, proving how valuable she will be to Kinnetik. With Mel and Ted out of the office at the same time, I couldn’t imagine trusting any two of their underlings the way I trusted Lori to put this deal to bed. The fact that Josiah got Jared to see the vision and genius marketing strategy of joining Heirloom’s brand to Marta’s just upped the ante. Not even the boys in New York will see this coming. I can smell the Clio already being forged with this campaign.

But now we have to turn our attention back to Brown Athletics. Not only did Leo increase the current contract, but he also included two other major divisions of his multi-billion dollar sportswear company. Now ordinarily this would not be considered a problem, but with staffing the way it is at Elite right now, we need to know if we have anyone we can pull from the Unique branch without any of our current accounts suffering in the slightest. As our go-to for the profit and loss margin, Ted should be able to answer that for us relatively quickly, instead of waiting for one of his underlings to run the figures for us.

An hour of searching all three branches later, Ted is still nowhere to be found. So Brian has the bright idea to go to Ted’s condo, since his secretary said that he was in the company of Dale. He is working in preparation for his meeting later this evening with Lori and Janean, while Mel, Brian, and I deal with the interview. Brian and I both know that he’s been pouring over Lindsay’s financial journals pretty nonstop since he got them from Mel. But we really need these figures, especially since we’re planning to work remotely.

“Sunshine, what are you thinking over there?” Brian asks me, while making a right turn on First, en route to Ted’s apartment.

“Just wondering how we’re going to accomplish everything we’re setting out to do, Brian. I’ve gone over all the plans and contingency plans that I can think of.”

“Any conclusions?”

“Well, at this point, Kinnetik is already establishing itself past what Vanguard was. So that’s a plus, but if we take the conglomerate route…”

“Well, Christian has already agreed to join Hobbs Construction to Kinnetik Enterprises, and with Mommy Taylor’s real estate company, that gives her another steady contracting company at her fingertips. I mean, the guys and gals she uses now are reliable, but it never hurts to have another company on hand so that she can grow her business even faster than it has already. This way, she can split the work between her commercial and residential properties without delays, which is especially useful if a project runs over the estimated completion date. As for Vic and Emmett, HoneyGrass is also joining, which gives us a leg up when it comes to the event planning portion of our own business as well as theirs. With Ted splitting off part of the business into financial planning, that’s sure to become another major source of revenue. And let’s not forget Mel and Janean…”

“I know, Brian. It all just feels like it’s moving so fast.”

“That’s because it is, but when have either of us been known to take things slowly?”

I smile. “Never. We usually just jump in with both feet and pray for a soft landing.”

“Bullshit!” He laughs. “You pray, while I plan to never come down! So don’t start getting cold feet on me, okay? This time there aren’t any cliffs that we won’t dive off of together.”

And I know that he’s speaking the truth. There won’t be any more Kinney cliffs, or Taylor curves that we’ll have to face alone anymore. Somehow that knowledge reassures me more than anything else he could have said at the moment. Mel has said it more times than not lately… Brian and I are magic together. And that being the case, there’s no way we can fail at whatever we set our minds to accomplish. I just get scared that I’m living in a fantasyland that’s going to come crashing down the minute I open my eyes and take a good look around. I snicker, thinking of Johnny Castle’s line to Baby in Dirty Dancing: Don’t look down; Look right here. And Brian would probably laugh me out of this car if he knows I just thought that!

“Well Ted’s not here,” he tells me. “Any other idea of where he could be? We already know he’s not at the Diner.”

None of us have been there since this whole mess started. It’s become like an unspoken rule between all of us to avoid Deb at all costs. My mother told me a little about the run in between her, Joan, and Deb. To say that I was disappointed is an understatement, although I can’t figure out why. In a lot of ways, Deb is like Lindsay. If it doesn’t affect her personally, or her agenda, than a situation couldn’t possibly be as bad as we all are making it. That’s the way she’s acting where Michael is concerned. Because Michael did this shit to Brian and I; because he stole from us and NOT her, it wasn’t that bad. But when it came to her lock box, she acted as if the world had ended and Michael was the worst person to have ever existed. I wonder if there is any hope for her, not for Michael’s sake, but for her own!

I turn to Brian, who still looks to be deep in thought. “That leaves only one place we haven’t tried to find him, but um…”

“What, Sunshine?”

“Um, are we really sure we want to go there?”

“And just where is there?”

“Dale’s house.”

“We could try there. I mean, we do have a standing invitation and all…”

“True, we do, but… what if…”

“What if what, Sunshine?

I shake my head to clear the wayward thoughts that suddenly surfaced. “Nevermind. Chances are they just needed a little seclusion since they are dealing with sensitive information and Ted’s office as become a revolving door similar to what the loft once was.”

“O-Kay,” he singsongs as we get back into the car. “But remember this is good ol’ reliable Ted we’re talking about. No way is he going to be doing anything but what he’s supposed to be doing, which is working.”

I nod, as Brian backs out of the parking space. On the way there, we go over more plans for the day as I fill him in on what Hunter told me upon his arrival back at the office. I’m still wracking my brain, trying to figure out if there is anything that I haven’t told him. It’s not that I’m worried, but more that Brian doesn’t react well to surprises. And nothing that Michael could think he has over me would be considered good. So I have to really work hard to recall my memory of a time not so long ago, but better off forgotten.

We pull into the driveway of Dale’s house, and I have to say that it’s impressive. Even from the outside, I can tell it has cathedral ceilings, which is great because Dale is 6’5. No way could I imagine that he would be comfortable in a house without extremely tall ceilings. From an architectural viewpoint, I can just about imagine how grand it looks inside. It kind of reminds me of the Schickle mansion, where Mel and Lindsay had their commitment ceremony, which means Dale must have done pretty damn well in his career since leaving Wharton to be able to afford a home like this. Not bad for a guy who hails from Hell’s Kitchen in New York.

Brian rings the doorbell, and we wait… and wait… and wait some more. Just as he decides to lean on the bell, the stately door is cracked open a tad bit, but no one is there. Cautiously, we step inside, wondering just what the fuck is going on. The sound of a gasp and then a soft moan echoes throughout the foyer. All I can think is that someone might be hurt. I look at Brian, and know that he’s thinking the exact same thing I am. TED! Brian rushes ahead of me, almost pacing himself at a dead run. Meanwhile, I’m opening each door we pass, checking all the rooms along the way. The moaning, and noise of a strap slapping against flesh keeps growing louder as we near the end of the long hallway. Whatever is going on, has to be commencing behind a door which is once again, slightly ajar.

Brian and I each take up a post on either side of the door jamb, looking at each other and communicating silently. Where the fuck is Dale while this is going on? What the fuck is happening to Ted, who is whining piteously and uttering the word ‘Master’ over and over again? Brian holds up what looks to be a poker from the fireplace we passed in the middle of the hallway that I’d barely even glimpsed on our way down here. He holds up his fingers counting: one… two… three, as he extends his long arm, slightly pushing the door a little more. I can’t help but feel the pounding of my heart in my chest. I want to stop him, scared of what we might find on the other side of that door. But I know I can’t. If there is any hope of saving Ted, we have to step inside.

Brian enters the room on stealth-sounding feet with me close behind him. I don’t have a weapon, but I have a mean left hook that has served its purpose on more than one occasion, and I have to hope that it’s enough right now because if it isn’t… NO! I won’t think about that. Moving further into the room, the first thing I notice is that it resembles a medieval dungeon, like those often read about in historical literature. The wall is lined with all sorts of whips, chains, and other devices that could bring either incredible pleasure or immense pain. My palms feel sweaty, wondering which Ted is enduring just now, but his piteous cry interrupts my musing once again as another slap against flesh disturbs the quiet. Brian keeps moving forward, and I follow him in the direction of the sound. The bright flicker of a fireplaces glow is before us, a giant shadow playing on the wall, as the figure leans forward into another. A hushed, yet deep whisper rents the air. ‘You finally gonna tell me what I want to know’, he says, and I can barely contain the shiver and chill that wracks me.

Nearing the corner, Brian halts to listen in on the quiet conversation that seems to be taking place, as the body moves back into full glow of the light. He raises his hand again, and it’s then I see something resembling a cat-o-nine tails dangling from the closed hand. I can picture the entire scene in my minds eye, and I don’t know whether to be excited or scared. It’s weird, but before the man has a chance to swing that arm forward, Brian moves into the space behind him and… stops. I can’t stop my own forward momentum which causes me to careen into Brian, dislodging the only weapon we have between us from his hand.

“Mother of God,” filters shockingly through Brian’s lips, and despite my own misgivings, I step around him to view what engendered that response from him.

“Oh G…” I blink twice, trying to wrap my own head around what it is that I’m seeing. “Te… Oh my God…”

I look over to Brian, who seems to be almost catatonic as he’s also taking in the scene before us. For there is Dale in all his wonder and glory, stark naked, with his arm raised to ply a leather cat-o-nine to the bare ass of our CFO. I can’t help it… I burst out laughing- in relief, in shock, and some misplaced hilarity- at the fact that good ol’ reliable TED is actually the myth, and in his place is the real Theodore Aloysius Schmidt, otherwise known as Little Fish, face first on a St. Andrew’s cross, dressed in a leather fucking thong with his bare ass hanging out, moaning in pleasure and pain while pleading for the next lash to be delivered. I… I… yeah, my innocence is now COMPLETELY destroyed!

“Brian, Justin, uh… what are you guys doing here?” Dale asks, a slight smirk on his face.

“We… we…” Brian can’t even begin to utter anything else, not that I blame him.

The shock of this moment couldn’t possibly be lost on either of us, except Ted, who is so obviously in subspace that he’s completely oblivious to the fact that anyone else is in the room besides Dale. Ted’s a bonafide submissive? The fact that he has anything other than vanilla sex is absolutely mind-boggling! It’s no wonder that Brian’s brain seems to be scrambling on some otherworldly frequency right now. I mean, Emmett always alluded to the fact that there was more to Ted- the darling Teddy- than we all knew, but to see AND hear the evidence of that… well, that’s something else entirely.

“What Brian is trying to say… um, is that we needed Ted to run some figures for us, but it can wait. I think we… um, should probably let you guys continue where you left off. Brian, let’s go…”

“You guys don’t have to leave,” Dale says. “In fact, there’s another room down the hall that you could use if you want to have your own adventure.”

“Really?” I ask hopefully, not doubting for a moment that my still silent partner is having the same reaction to Dale’s declaration. I shake my head to clear the images that are surfacing again, only this time with me in Ted’s place. Shackled against the wall, facing forward, with anticipation clamoring through my body. God, it’s been a long time since Brian’s dominated me in such a manner. I shake my head again, reminding myself that this is about business. “No. Thanks, but we really should be going now. Can you be at the loft at five so that we can talk to you both before you meet with Lori and Janean?”

“Sure thing… Oh, and Justin, if you and Brian decide to change your minds, there’s a locker in each room with all you’ll need, including an en suite bath with the laundry facilities for afterwards. There are also fur-lined cuffs so that no matter how tight Brian clamps them on, no one will know your dirty little secrets. Think about it,” he tells me, and smiles knowingly before turning around to Ted again. “Now, Little Fish, are you ready to start again from the beginning?”

“Yes, Sir,” Ted whispers, a sigh of relief behind the sound.

As we leave the room, I cannot stop the flow of, “Oh my God, Brian did you notice…” but I don’t get a chance to finish that sentence. Instead, I’m pushed hard against the closed door, and kissed to within an inch of breathing. I return it with the same passion that Brian is giving me. I would say that it was a shock seeing Ted like that, but in another world not too far in the past, Brian and I wouldn’t have hesitated to join the scene.

Without stopping the kiss, Brian shifts me over along the wall to the left. I follow his lips, already knowing that he has decided to take Dale up on his most generous offer. Never one to turn down being fucked by Brian, I want to see where this leads. Opening the first door we come to, Brian reaches behind me to open it. I almost fall through, which disengages my lips from his. His strong arms reach out to catch me, and bring me into his body, giving me the full body contact I suddenly find myself needing more than my next breath. The fact that we’re still fully clothed is irrelevant, I just need his strength even as my knees start to weaken with the anticipation.

He turns me around, and I’m faced with a room, this one completely done in mirrors. Even the raised bondage bed reflects my image back to me. The floor to ceiling windows behind it are draped with the gossamer curtains, giving the room an ethereal feel while the sunlight pours through them. As he closes the door, I notice that even it is mirrored, and I can’t help but envision myself being fucked against it. There are even what look to be mirrored tiles beneath my feet and are completely devoid of even the slightest footprint. It occurs to me that I’ll be able to see Brian driving into me no matter where I look, and my breath catches in my throat with that knowledge.

“Take off everything, including your socks, Sunshine,” Brian orders, even as he’s doing the same.

I don’t hesitate in following his command, knowing that my obedience is about to be well-rewarded. It’s a very rare day lately that Brian and I get to fuck in the middle of the afternoon. We’ve been working so damn hard, trying to get everything up and running smoothly before we go to California, and then back for the trials, that we’ve had to limit our frequency of late. It’s still intense whenever we get together, but I definitely miss those stolen moments we used to share between my shifts at the Diner, or in the copy room, broom closet, and afterhours in his office at Vanguard when he was still my boss. There were times when we were almost caught, with him having to pretend he was leaning over my shoulder to show me something I might have missed while our pants were down around our ankles behind the tall table in the conference room, or moments when he would reach over me, seemingly to get a cup from above my head in the staff lounge while he’d almost make me cum in my pants from licking the sensitive spot behind my ear. So many moments, so many memories, and I miss them.

I stop briefly in divesting the rest of my garments, mesmerized by the sight of every inch of Brian being revealed. I take the opportunity to study him from every angle the mirrors afford me. The tell-tale smirk on Brian’s lips tells me that my regard has not gone unnoticed. To say that Brian is a beautifully-made man has always been an understatement in my book, but being able to see all of him- the muscles and sinew underneath that soft skin moving all at the same time- is a very heady experience. It makes me want to hurl myself at him and demand that he fuck me immediately, but I know I can’t do that. Right now, he’s the Dom, and me, his willing sub. And in this room, at this moment, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Brian leads me over to the bed, and pushes me down to lie horizontally across. The lushness of the purple silk sheets is already taking me to the most sensual haze within my mind imaginable. I don’t even try to resist the urge to rub myself against them. Brian slides himself down beside me, placing a large hand on my abdomen. The heat from that appendage in direct counterpoint to the coolness of the sheets makes my nipples rise to occasion. Brian takes notice, and flicks his tongue across the right crest, causing my body to immediately seek the wetness.

“So, Sunshine. What do you want?” He licks me again, adding a small suck at the end. It’s only enough to tease, but never to satisfy. “Do you want to be tortured with tight ropes, manhandled while in manacles, or cum delayed with clamps? Choose wisely.”

“Hm… is it wrong to want all three?” My breath quickens as he flicks again.

“You know there are no wrong answers with me. But… well…”

“Well what?”

“Be careful what you wish for,” he warns, the rasp I love entering his voice as it deepens. “There’s only one simple rule here: you close your eyes, I’ll stop. I want you to see every fucking thing I do to you in this room. I already have your heart, but call me greedy. I want all of you. I want your complete focus on me- not only what I do, but how I make you feel. Don’t hold back from me. Nothing else matters right now. Got it.”

“Yes.”

“Yes?”

“Yes, Sir,” I breathe. And with that one two-word sentence, I feel my pulse leap heavily, and then settle back into a lazy, almost sultry cadence.

As Brian walks around the room gathering what he wants for our erotic afternoon delight, I settle into the bed the correct way. I can’t help but watch him as he prowls around the place like a panther. God, I love the way he makes me feel. I always have, and yet there were times I hated it. The time when I was with Ethan was the worst. I missed the sexual web Brian would weave so effortlessly around me with nothing more than the mere hint of a suggestion, or that single-minded focus he’d look at me with. It’s a place within my mind where I would lose track of time, and sometimes be unconscious of the fact that I was actually breathing autonomically. It was like his breath was my breath, and when I would feel as though I was about to run out of it, he breathed for me, and breathed life into me.

I know it might sound a bit weird, but there is no other way to put it. He was such a part of me- still is such a part of me- that when he wasn’t there I felt like I was suffocating. Sometimes, when I really thought about what I’d so foolishly allowed myself to throw away in favor of a faux ideal of romance, I felt physically ill and my body actually hurt with the need only Brian could fulfill. Even now, it frightens me sometimes that I could want someone so much that I would literally become a living cliche. But it’s times like this that I relish it because somehow I know, bone-deep, that I’m not alone in this particular obsession.

He climbing onto the bed now, kissing up my body, instructing me to stay still. Part of me wants to disobey him just to incur a punishment. His are truly legendary, but the other part of me- the part that knows I need this in ways I cannot give voice to- needs him too much to delay what I know is coming. I feel him tug at my ankles first, using the elastic bands at the bottom of the bed to secure them. They don’t allow complete freedom of movement for me, will let Brian move my legs into whatever position he wants using his own body to keep me in place. It’s a subtle reminder that the only control I have over this entire situation is to say my safeword. And I’ll be damned if I’m going to feel the need to utter that fucker’s name at this point in time. It’s bad enough we have to talk about him at all, but I refuse to during sex, which is why I chose it.

The little sucking kisses he’s leaving at my most obscure erogenous zones are driving me insane, and it’s all I can do to keep from squirming.

“Put your arms up above your head,” he tells me, guiding them slowly where he wants them.

I can tell he’s just as aroused as I’m getting, but he controls it better. Years of practice I guess, but it doesn’t matter as long as he’s mentally with me. Once I’m restrained to the bed, Brian begins his exploration, down my neck, straight down to my chest. The one thing that Brian knows is just how sensitive my nipples actually are. He knows that I could cum just from them being manipulated the right way alone. Which is why he usually gives very brief attention to them, before moving on and returning to them much later in the game. But today he seems almost hellbent to get my first orgasm out of the way, teasing me to the point where I feel like I’m going explode at any moment.

Just before the tell-tale tingle fully coalesces, he stops, which causes me to almost utter a protest. It’s then that I feel the coolness of the metal clamps, at first pressing against the sensitive crests before latching on. Brian smiles down at me slyly, before sitting back on his haunches and reaching out his thumbs and forefingers to squeeze those little torture devices ever so slightly. The jolt which raced through me causes my body to bow and retreat, both trying to seek the pleasure, and run from the slight pain at the same time, but Brian is merciless. He contracts his fingers, and releases them in rhythmic succession until I’m almost at the point of no return again. I let out a small groan of frustration, even as he smirks at me again.

“No, Sunshine. Not quite yet,” is all he says, before palming a bottle of oil that I wasn’t even aware was on the bed.

As he heats up the liquid between his hands, I’m trying to brace myself for the next onslaught of sensation, I know isn’t long in coming. As first, it gives a cooling feeling to my overheated skin… well it did, until he blew on it. FUCK! I want to scream, but I dare not. Although it was expected to some degree, no mental block I could have erected would have prepared me for the feeling the liquid gives me. It’s like being hot and cold at the same time. It has me shivering, and ready to plead for the ultimate release, especially while Brian massages the liquid onto my dick, and on my inner thighs. His eyes meet mine, and I feel the shockwave of his regard zing through me as he continues his ministrations. I’m grabbing onto the small chain of the manacles, hoping for some kind of purchase to keep me grounded to the here and now. I don’t even have to look to know that my knuckles are white from holding on so tightly right now, trying to remain mentally present for a little while longer before I slip into subspace. I know Brian sees it, and is more determined than ever that I come undone. This is Brian both at his best and his worst. The best because the both of us know that by the end of this experience, I’m going to be beyond satisfied and sore in all the right places. But at his worst because he will take his time unraveling me. Brian knows he can keep me on this sexual merry-go-round for hours if he wanted to, and there’s nothing I can do about it.

I look above me, unwilling to meet his eyes at the moment as I take deep breaths, trying for the illusion of some type of control. But as I do, the view of Brian bobbing his head up and down my shaft as I’m laid out before him has me right back at the point where I want to cum so fucking badly. I try looking away to the side, but it’s even more erotic as I see Brian deepthroating me from every fucking angle. It’s the most exquisite form of torture, and I’m suddenly considering having the bedroom at our new house done solely in mirrors.

Brian introducing his lubed fingers into my hole brings me back to focus immediately. My cock is still lodged in his throat, and as he swallows around it, I feel the tingling heat from the lube. There’s no way in hell I can stay completely still now, no matter how much I try to mentally fight the mandates of my body. One… two… three.. press into my prostate. One… two… three… press into my prostate. The speed of the rhythm varies, but the result of my gasps, moans, sighs, and pleadings never changes. I know that I’m begging him to fuck me- chanting his fucking name like it’s the most profane word on this earth and like a prayer by turns. But I can’t help it. I’m in that space within my mind where nothing else but Brian matters, not even my next breath. There’s no time, no space, no me, and yet I trust him to take care of me; to not leave me trapped within my own mind, feeling nothing but the intense pleasure for too long.

I can feel him lifting my legs to enter me, but it feels almost like it’s happening to someone else. My body is no longer my own; it’s his. All his! Everything in me lives and breathes him, and although when I’m conscious of it, it scares the hell out of me, right now, all I feel is peace. Here I don’t have to think, all I have to do is feel- not just his body, but everything that goes along with Brian Kinney. He doesn’t have to ask me for anything, I give all of myself freely. Every particle that makes me who I am belongs to Brian in this place within myself, and I’m happy… relieved even. This… this is what I missed during my stupid phase. I missed this total freedom of trust and unconditional love, and everything that goes with it.

Ah, there it is… I can feel the tremor deep within me that only Brian has ever been able to give me. It’s building even as his speed increases, even as his whispered words of pride in me, encouragement, and love penetrate the farthest corners of my psyche. I want to tell him in words what I’m feeling but I can’t. All I can do is show him by giving the emotions roiling within me to him through my body. I’m in love with him too deeply, but I’m not scared. In fact, I’m reveling in the fact he’s here with me. We’re riding this emotional tidal wave together. The knowledge, along with the my body’s needs conjoin resulting in the most explosive eruption of orgasmic bliss I’ve ever had, just as he yanks off the clamps to intensify the sensations. The aftershocks rock me to my core, even as I register his strong arms and gentle hands keeping me anchored to some semblance of reality. It’s like I can’t stop cumming long after my body’s natural fluid has left me, but he hasn’t let me go. He constantly talks to me, asking me to come back to him, to not leave him, to be with him. His touch and voice are soothing me, bringing me back to the realm of conscious thought, and I feel the wetness on my face although I’m not sure if it’s from him or me. Finally, after I don’t even know how long- minutes or hours, it doesn’t matter- I open my eyes. At first, the waning light hurts them, but as they adjust, they meet the hazel eyes of the man I love.

“Welcome back, Sunshine. How are you?” Brian asks, softly as he continues to massage my limbs. I didn’t even feel it when he released me from the restraints.

“Thirsty, but good. I’m great actually. I feel boneless, and sore in all the right ways.”

Brian kisses me, smiling down at me as he does so. “It’s been a long time…”

“Yes, it has, but well worth the wait.”

“We have to get home soon, but…”

“I know. I don’t want to leave either. The fact that no one really knows we’re here, except Ted…”

“Yeah, it’s a relief, but…”

I sigh. “I know. But Brian, once this is all over, promise me…”

“We’ll decide what to do then, okay?” he asks gently, so that I know he’s not upset or feeling any anxiety about what he said while I was away.

“Okay,” I say and snuggle into him to take a short nap before we go back to face the rest of the world.