Queer as Muke

1.15.5 The Ties That Bind

"I've been in competitions for the past three years. I've held regional and national titles..." Josh tells Sam, handing him a tumbler of whiskey at his home later that night.

"I'm impressed," Sam replies, taking a nervous sip. "And surprised."

"Surprised?" Josh sits down on a chair a little away from Sam, his bulky frame filling it and the white dressing gown he's put on.

"Who would have suspected?" Sam explains. "Especially considering your other life?!"

"The one where I wear a suit and crunch numbers and treat the clients with undeserved respect? That's not who I really am."

Sam looks confused, and a little disgusted at the same time, "And this is?"

"It's amazing Sam, how it's allowed me to expand my horizons. In other areas too, even in business!" Josh gets up, coming to sit very close to Sam. He puts an arm over the cushions at the back of Sam and leans in a little too near for Sam's comfort.

Sam clears his throat nervously and scoots backwards on the sofa. "So, being a leather Daddy is the key to your success?!"

"Oh you have no idea once you give yourself permission!"

"What, to chain people up? Tie them down?" Sam glances in Josh's direction, his proximity is unnerving but Sam has to admit he's curious...and a little turned on. Josh's confidence in himself and being completely at ease and knowing who he is oozes out of him and it's most definitely an aphrodisiac for Sam.

"That can be the most liberating part of all - relinquishing control. Allowing someone else to give you pain...or pleasure...whatever you most fear and desire."

Josh's fingers massage the back of Sam's neck. Strong fingers, thick fingers. Sam has a sudden image and his butt hole twitches. Stammering he asks, "Would you mind if I used your bathroom?"

"It's right downstairs." Josh's fingers leave Sam's neck and he has to admit he misses their pressure. Setting his drink down on the glass table in front of him, Sam hurries off before anything else happens.

Arriving down the wrought iron spiral staircase that Josh directed him to, Sam opens the first of only two doors down there, flicks the light switch on and takes an involuntary step forwards, staring at the equipment inside.

"I see you found my playroom," Josh says into his ear from behind him.

"Uh, I'm sorry, I-er went through the wrong door," Sam mutters, looking at the ground because he can't face looking at Josh.

"Or not..." Josh walks in slowly, making Sam take a couple of steps backwards until he's fully in the room. "So what do you think?"

"Well you certainly gave your decorator a free hand!" Quips Sam, not really knowing what to say.

"Would you like me to give you a little demonstration?" Josh carries on walking, thereby pushing Sam more and more into the room.

"Uh, no. I just wanted to wash my hands." Sam gets tangled in some chains hanging from the roof and flights to free himself, feeling flustered.

"We'd both enjoy it. I always thought you were hot."

"You-you did?!" Sam looks at Josh fully for the first time since he handed him his drink upstairs.

"Vanilla boys are always the wildest, all that unfulfilled desire..." Josh takes a step forward, running his hand up the lapel of Sam's jacket as Sam stumbles backwards, ending up sitting on something that he doesn't even want to know what it does.

Josh unties the knot of his bathrobe revealing a leather studded harness around his torso and a large bulge packed into a shiny black thong. "Why don't you allow me to introduce you to yourself? To the real Sam Williams? I promise I won't do anything you don't want me to."

Sam gazes upwards, licking his lips unconsciously.

"You say stop and I'll stop," Josh tells him alluringly, taking one of Sam's nipples in his strong fingers and giving it a twist.

It's the alarm bell that Sam's been waiting for and he shoots up from his sitting position, twisting away from Josh and knocking over god knows what. "Stop! I didn't come here for this!"

"I know, you're just an observer."

"That's right, and I think I've seen enough."

"So?"

"If you'll just excuse me..."

Sam picks his way around Josh and finds a path out of the room. Just before he gets to the door Josh pipes up from the middle of the room, standing exactly where Sam just left him.

"You know what I remember about you the most? Every day in the business school cafeteria you'd have the same thing for lunch. So reliable. I used to marvel at how the menu never changed. I guess neither have you..."

Sam detaches his tongue from the roof of his mouth, "Thank you for the drink." He takes one last look at Josh before leaving.

~~~

"I didn't know! I had no idea!"

Michael walks into his apartment to the sound of Luke's voice talking to someone.

"He was going to give the baby hot milk, he didn't test it on his arm!" Maddie tells him when she sees him, holding Gus protectively to her.

"I didn't know!" Luke explains to him.

"It's a good think I walked in when I did, Gus could have been scalded!"

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry!" Luke cries.

Michael pulls a face, annoyed with himself for not telling Luke to test the milk before he left. And now Maddie's arrived, all self satisfied that he's a negligent parent and he'd done such a good job all weekend, well except for tonight!

"What the fuck are you doing here?" He explodes, ridden with guilt.

"I came back from Brisbane early and there's a message on my voice mail from Geordie saying she left Gus here with you," She retorts. "So I came by to check on him and it's a good goddamn thing I did! Pawning him off on anyone, so you can go to the leather ball?!"

"Hey, Luke is not anyone!" Michael tells her, furious that she's described him like that.

"I love Gus!"

"Honey, I know you do, this isn't about you. Here take him," Maddie hands Gus to Luke by way of an apology and rounds back on Michael.

"This is about you," She says, pointing her finger at Michael. "And what an irresponsible shit you are!"

"Listen, I went out for a couple of hours!"

"Yeah but you shouldn't have been out at all! Because you see the thing about being a parent is that you don't get anonymous sex breaks twice a day! Give me your car keys."

"Excuse me?"

"Give me your car keys so I can go and get his car seat out of your car! I'm taking Gus home."

"No you're not! This is home, at least for this weekend." Michael realises he's waving a leather whip in Maddie's direction that he somehow brought home with him. Turning around, he looks for a place to put the whip.

"Sorry, your privileges have been revoked!" Maddie says, taking Gus off Luke again.

"Don't fucking tell me what my privileges are!" Michael cries, furious again. "I'm his father! Who are you?!" He asks cuttingly.

Maddie shuts her eyes as he opens up the old wound again. She cradles Gus's head in her hand and kisses him. "I may be no-one, but I love him enough to know that his needs come before mine. Which is more than can be said for you!"