Obedience Lessons

Chapter Twelve

Andy's POV

"You were out a long time." My mother greeted me from the couch as I entered my apartment. I rolled my eyes. The woman had to stop doing that now that I'm grown. Waiting up in the dark? Not freaking cool.

From her voice I could tell she had been drinking, which meant she had to have bought some kind of wine from the supermarket since she hated beer. The TV played in front of her while she pretended to be interested in the show about cold cases of the FBI.

"And you're up late," I retorted, pulling off my sneakers and dumping them by the door.

"Oh just contemplating on the fact that my husband is banging another man," She slurred, "Tends to keep you up at night. That and sad and lonely sons that live far away from their mothers."

"Don't turn this on me, and I'm not sad or lonely. You ready to do this tomorrow? See a lawyer?" I had to make sure.

"Hell yeah. I've been through this long enough," My mother clung to a glass like it was lifesaving meds. "All year long I've known you know? I could always tell. How'd you figure I knew you were gay?"

Putting aside my shock at how long she'd known dad was cheating wasn't easy but I did it. I replied to the easier claim, "When were you planning on sharing?"

"Some things are better left up to people to decide for themselves." She said sagely, as many persons acted when drunk, suddenly everything became grand and wise speculations about how people really are and how the universe was formed, yadda, yadda. "You know... maybe it's my fault."

I sighed, jumping into the couch beside her and lifting up the bottle to take a swig. The wine was the polar opposite of Dylan's, like cat-piss compared to France's best Chardonnay - the only wine name I knew. "It's not your fault."

"Yup. You're right. It's all his fault, he's the one screwing a guy. Didn't even share, married for twenty-six years, we've shared everything."

I couldn't laugh, but I did end up with cheap wine in my nose. "Damn right I'm right."

"Language sweetheart," she admonished sleepily, forgetting that she wasn't exactly the model Christian right now.

There wasn't any waiting period for divorce in Tennessee or Maine, so my mother signed the papers the very next day in the attorney's office and gave the address for it to be airmailed. She didn't say a word about it the entire way home and refused to be cajoled into conversation. I gave up after two tries and a glare that said 'shut the hell up'.

"What do single people do on Saturdays?" She inquired when we got home.

"I usually clean and do laundry."

"I meant interesting people, son." She replied without batting an eye, "I told you, you got to hit the clubs more often, pick a guy and woo the socks off him."

I laughed, "We don't go to the clubs to get socks off mom. The clubs is for you to get your rocks -"

"Okay!" She rose her hands as if to shield herself from more homo-erotic details. Some things she wouldn't want to hear about her son despite reading all the gay books I possessed with avid interest. I'd never told her anything about it and she hadn't volunteered any explanation for her interest either. "Maybe I'll go out. See what I've been missing."

I gave her a look, then decided not to judge. A forty-six year old woman with her looks could still hit the markets like a whirlwind. "Sure. Why not? You want me to come with or-?"

"I'll be fine on my own. I just wish I knew a good place." She said with a frown. Well that I could help with. I didn't like the idea of her alone right now but it was for the best for me not to see her like that anyway. Plus if I gave her a place to go, I could have Bree keep an eye on her in case she needed help or some company. My mom and Bree had gotten along stunningly in the past. Of course, my mom didn't know that Bree was my dominatrix during that time before I came out to them. Although knowing mom, she probably had suspicions.

"I know a few places you could go. You could clear your head and catch up with Bree if you don't mind."

"Hmmm... Bree. Your old pretend girlfriend?"

Ha. She was clueless. "Yeah. Same one."

"Your mom will be a lesbian if she parties with me," Bree warned when she met me at Dylan's gates.

"I'm already a mess as it is, I don't want both my parents carpet-munching."

"You never complained," Bree peered at me over her fancy Ray Bans.

"I was a horny fucker back then, and your carpets were clean." She conceded my point by inclining her head and fixing her shades.

"I'm outta here. I'll pick up your little lady at nine."

"Bring her home by curfew."

She flipped me the bird and stalked off, swaying her hips.

I heard Spotty's barking before I got into the house and decided to walk around towards the backyard. Worst mistake ever. I hated this fucking mansion a little more by the time I reached the doggie area. There, crouched with his hands on his knees in front of Spotty was the animal whisperer himself. Spotty was losing it trying to rise up and lick him.

"It was Nick right?"

My voice startled him out of toying with the dog and he straightened up and turned to look at me, face breaking into a smile. "Yeah. Hey, you remembered."

"You're memorable, it's why the animals like you right?" I teased him, "Romeo's here too isn't he?"

He nodded yes, golden curls falling into his eyes adorably. "He's my babysitter."

I rose my eyebrows. Romeo was a power bottom. I'm sure he took his task of babysitting the cutie in front of me very seriously. "That so? I hope he's not grilling Dylan's ass."

"Would be a shame if he isn't," Nick remarked. "Spotty seems to be recovering though. The environment is doing wonders for him, he's eager and playful, responsive to commands and generally bright. Good thing you were there that day." His voice tightened, and in it I hear his dislike for Dylan. The guy had to love animals a lot. He'd be a great vet one day.

"Yeah. And Romeo's a great guy," I put in. I could feel the inner matchmaker I got from my mother stirring from its twenty-two year old dormancy. "He worked a miracle on this one."

Nick eyed me curiously. I'd probably been a bit too blatant on the referral for Romeo as the perfect catch, and mentally smacked myself on the forehead. "Yeah. Okay. So you two... he's said so much about you I just thought..."

"Nope," I finished for him. "No, not together." I shook my head, finally getting that he thought I was interested in Romeo. We'd fucked. But... Nope. Romeo and I would kill each other if we had to share space after fucking.

Nick smiled an honest-to-goodness relieved smile, blushing delicately. "Good.... Good. You wanna head out some time together, maybe get coffee for starters?"

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- Ender Xen