Pup (Bratt)

Chapter Fifteen: French Rush

Brian let a heavy sigh escape from his lips, running his hand through his hair. Matt watched his master, sitting on the floor at his feet, head resting against Brian's leg.

They had been here for three hours so far. Brian was doing something for work, working on papers of some kind. He was getting frustrated, getting tired and stressed, Matt could tell. They had been here for a long time.

Brian huffed again, gnawing on his bottom lip. His hand gripped his pen so hard his knuckles were white, and his left hand held a calculator, where he punched numbers with fervor. "I just... What were they thinking?" he murmured to himself, eyebrows furrowing. "God, it's going to take me hours to undo this mess." He rubbed his hand over his face, leaning down to rest his head on the table.

Matt frowned, pressing a kiss to Brian's leg. Brian lifted his head, smiling softly down at Matt and touching his cheek. "You're a good boy, Matt." He murmured, and Matt turned his head to kiss Brian's palm.

"May I rub your shoulders for you, Master?" Matt asked, and Brian smiled, nodding.

"That would be wonderful."

Matt grinned, anxious to do something to please his master, scrambling to his feet and settling behind Brian. He gripped Brian's shoulders in his hands firmly, beginning to knead the tense flesh. Brian's muscles were tense, and there were knots beneath his skin that Matt knew must have been painful. Brian let out a shaky breath as Matt worked, rolling his shoulders, head dropping forward so Matt could have better access.

"You're very tense, sir." Matt observed, thumbs pressing firm, circular patterns into Brian's skin.

"I've been dealing with a lot, recently." He replied, then groaned, "God, Matt, that feels so good."

Matt's heart swelled with pride as Brian said this. He was so happy that he was able to please his master like this, that he didn't have to do something sexual in order to satisfy Brian.

His phone started to ring, and Brian scooped it off the table. "Hello?" he answered, then suddenly tensed beneath Matt's fingers as he listened to whoever was on the other line. "No. I don't want to speak with you... What?" he pulled away from Matt's touch, standing up and beginning to pace back and forth at the front of the room. "No, I cannot- I mean, I won't." he paused in his walking and speech, listening. His eyes were dark and his eyebrows were drawn. "Oh. I see. I'll be there. Yes." He closed his eyes tight, bringing his free hand to pinch the bridge of his nose, and when he spoke again, Matt was shocked to hear his voice laced with emotion. "All right. I understand." He hung up, looking at Matt through pained eyes. "Something has come up. You-You are going to have to take some time away from me."

Matt frowned. "Master? What's going on? Is everything okay?"

"Yes, pet, everything's fine. Will you be all right here without me for a few days? Do you want to stay with your friend Zacky? If you'd like I can call Jimmy, I'm sure you're very welcome at his home."

"I'll uh, I'll go stay with Zacky, if that's all right with you." Matt said, "But sir, what's happening?"

"It's a family matter. Nothing for you to worry about, love. I'll be gone for three days, four at the most." Brian strode from the study. "Pack some things. I will take you to Zacky's house and drop you off." Brian let out an exasperated sigh and began speaking in French to himself as Matt left to go to his room, sounding frustrated and angry.

Matt shoved some clothes into a bag, grabbing the current Comet Tails book he was working on, and going to the bathroom to grab his toothbrush and comb. He didn't take long, and he didn't pack much. He wasn't looking forward to being away from his master, if even for a few days. And worry was festering in the pit of his stomach. It was obvious everything wasn't all right. What if someone in his family had passed away?