by T M Chris
Well, he did deserve it. He’d known the rules, and he’d broken them, and they’d only been for his own good, but fuck. Fuck this. He was a fucking adult. Eduardo didn’t own him. If Eduardo thought he could—
It was over. He’d done it. He’d taken his punishment. Hadn’t yelled, hadn’t resisted, hadn’t cried. But he didn’t exactly feel relief either. What he felt was balled up—furious and ready to explode, taut with anger, his whole body aching with it, worse than the fire in his ass. Eduardo’s hand rubbing over the fire pissed him off. He didn’t need to be soothed, and it wasn’t fucking soothing anyway. It hurt, the fucker.
Jake gritted his teeth, clamping down hard. He was so close to being done with this, to having suffered his punishment successfully. He wished he felt better for it, that there’d been the catharsis he’d experienced yesterday even if it had broken him down to nothing more than pain and tears. At least there’d been a release.
Eduardo stood him up with a stern look. “Since you aren’t yet repentant, I’m going to assign corner time.”
“Who says I’m not repentant?” What the fuck did that mean—repentant? He’d taken his punishment.
“Your attitude says you’re not repentant. Go stand in the corner, nose to the wall, hands on the small of your back. I’ll set the timer for fifteen minutes. Let’s see what that does.”
Stand in the corner. Sure. Hands on the small of his back. Sure. Like parade rest. No big deal. Except he was fucking naked with his fucking red ass hanging out. Eduardo had spanked him like he was a misbehaving child, and now he was standing in the corner like a banished child. What the fuck kind of game was this? How long had it been? There was no way that hadn’t been fifteen minutes.
He twisted his head around to try to find a clock, and Eduardo said, “Every time you break position, I’m starting the timer over,” and fuck no, they weren’t playing that game. He knew how this came out. It was yesterday all over again. Soon he’d have racked up a couple of hours of corner time because he was about to go fucking ballistic.
“Listen—” he said, ignoring the turn-around gesture Eduardo made. “Don’t even start this—”
“Come here.”
That was more like it. A blowjob or something. Treat him like an adult.
But no. He hadn’t been summoned over to give a blowjob. Rather Eduardo guided him down onto his lap and gave him ten more sharp slaps with his gloved hand, then dismissed him to the corner again.
Jake didn’t go. Of course he didn’t. He continued to rebel, earning more punishment, ten or twenty smacks at a time, until he’d taken even more than he had yesterday, until his ass was so tender that every smack made him dance away from it. Tears flowed freely down his face, snot choking up his nose, as he begged Eduardo to please not.
Eduardo put him on his feet again. He could barely stay there, dizzy with trying to breathe through his stuffed nose, the world blurry around him through his tears.
“Corner time,” Eduardo said patiently, as he had after every round. “Fifteen minutes.”
This time, Jake made his way to the corner. It was nice in the corner. Quiet. Why had he been so resistant to it? The backs of his hands brushed the top of his red ass, reminding him to be grateful it wasn’t getting redder. His breathing settled, though he continued to cry. He was here because he’d been bad. And unrepentant. He’d put both Eduardo and himself through hell.
A warm, soft weight settled on his feet, and he looked down to see Earl curled around them, his head on his paws in a sad tableau like he knew how bad it felt to have made Eduardo mad. Jake expected Eduardo to send Earl back to his crate, but no command issued from behind him, and the two of them finished Jake’s time in the corner together.
When Eduardo called Jake over to him, he crawled there, not minding his knees, to bury his face between Eduardo’s thighs, tears falling again as Eduardo stroked over his head.
“I’m sorry,” he gushed. “I’m sorry.”
“There you go,” Eduardo said gently. “That’s all I was asking for, hmm? A little repentance. But you’re good now, big guy. All forgiven. Come on up on the couch with me. I’ve got some treats for you.”
Jake slid onto the couch, not sure how to go about it. He was too big for cuddles, but he wanted them badly. Eduardo reclined against the arm of the couch and steered Jake into his chest, and Jake managed to curl up with only his ass hanging off the deep cushion. Eduardo covered them with a throw, and that was nice—cozy and warm—but he accepted the sippy cup Eduardo handed him with a suspicious eye.
“Just so I don’t end up with juice all over my couch. It’s hard to drink lying down, but I want you here for a bit.”
Jake wanted to be there too, so he sipped from his sippy cup and ate the treats Eduardo fed him—baby carrots and chunks of hard cheese, all approved items from his nutritional plan. Eduardo gave him kisses on the cheek and the top of his head, and Jake felt like a perfectly cared-for child until he started to feel like a man again.
His cock perked up, distending the throw he’d been wrapped in, and he squirmed against Eduardo in an intentional way, trying to convey that he’d like to move this relationship forward, but Eduardo sat him up and brought out that damned notepad again. Jake huddled with the blanket wrapped around him, sullenly answering Eduardo’s questions about what he needed to do tomorrow.
Didn’t Eduardo want him? Eduardo never even got hard while spanking him, not full-hard anyway. Jake was used to scenes ending in one of two ways: with sex or with him storming out. If he actually managed to finish a scene, there was supposed to be a reward. And this wasn’t it.
Cuddles and treats, sure. A promise that they’d see each other again tomorrow, great. But was this all of it—just him being bad and Eduardo punishing him for it?
Well, he’d see about that. Tomorrow he wouldn’t be bad, and then he’d find out.
Chapter 4
Jake went home with a to-do list for the next day very much like the one he’d carried home the night before. The only new item on it was to set his alarm a half hour earlier, which he promptly did. He didn’t have any trouble getting up early the next morning because he fell asleep early. Early and hard—drained by all that crying and the roller coaster of emotions.
He woke up energized, his ass tender but his knees improving, and cruised through breakfast and a workout with enough time to find a quiet corner on the mats and do his mindfulness exercises. They were a combination of meditation and slow stretches, and they helped. He knew they did. It wasn’t like he never did them, just not routinely enough, and there was no question his day went better when he did.
The morning passed in a blur, and he walked over to the VA career center at lunchtime almost without thinking about it. The counselor they assigned him was pleased with what he’d done on his resume so far. Jake wasn’t incompetent, just uncertain, and the harder he worked on it, the more he became convinced it was all a pile of dog shit.
But the counselor said it wasn’t dog shit—in nicer terms than that—and helped him polish it to perfection. He left her office with a red-marked copy of his resume and a list of job openings that matched his skillset, a whistle on his lips and a swing in his stride.
The afternoon was a little rougher, but he bit his tongue when it wanted to get sassy and managed to end his workday without having told a single person off. The drive-thru called like a siren, but he was so close to checking off every item on his list that he kept his eyes and his steering wheel resolutely pointed straight ahead and drove right on by it to the grocery store where he stuck to his shopping list until he hit the prepared food aisle.
It had been a long day. And that pre-cooked package had the same chicken and broccoli he’d been planning to make and would only take three minutes in the microwave. Before he could go to Eduardo’s, he still had to put away the groceries and take a shower. There was probably time to make dinner too, but…
The package went into the cart and then, later, into his mouth, where
it wasn’t as tasty as it’d looked. But it had the required nutrients and got him over to Eduardo’s on time, spit-shined and smiling.
Eduardo greeted him with a smile to match his own, then took his checked-off to-do list from him and whistled for Earl, who came bounding in with sharp-eared enthusiasm. They were pals now, Jake figured, after Earl had kept him company last night, so he got down on the ground and let Earl slobber all over him, playing with him as long as Eduardo let them get away with it.
When Eduardo sent Earl off to his crate, Jake stripped and dropped to his knees. They were good enough today for him to manage, and Eduardo gave his hair a ruffle of approval before heading for the living room with Jake following on all fours at his heel. It felt like the beginning of a routine—a routine he was finally not fucking up.
In the living room, he snuffled into Eduardo’s crotch with a happy sigh. He loved being here, and for once there was nothing to dread about what would happen next.
“Good boy,” Eduardo said as he looked over Jake’s to-do list. “Look at you getting everything done. Tell me about the rest of your day. How was work?”
Jake went over his day, pleased and proud to have Eduardo listening to him with such attention, until he got to that bit at the end where he’d eaten the prepared meal. Would he be punished for that? He looked up at Eduardo with anxious eyes, waiting for his judgement.
“Well.” Eduardo scratched behind Jake’s ears thoughtfully. “This seems like the sort of thing you can use your own judgement on. If you get into a habit of it every day, I might have to set some guidelines, but spending an extra couple of dollars for prepared food once or twice a week isn’t going to break you. I’m pleased with you for being honest about it, though. Anything else you need to tell me?”
He’d been good. Good. Eduardo had said so, had read off every item on his to-do list and praised him for accomplishing it, and the one thing Jake had worried about had turned out to be nothing at all. He shook his head, unable to come up with any other infraction.
“Excellent.” Eduardo folded up the paper and dropped it on the end table. “Then there’s nothing to punish you for today. Oh dear, does that disappoint you?”
It sort of did. He’d been so proud of having been good for a change that it hadn’t occurred to him until just now that if there was nothing for Eduardo to punish him for, then maybe there was nothing for them to do. Eduardo might send him home, and this would all be over. No release, no catharsis. Maybe being good wasn’t so good after all.
But Eduardo tipped his chin up and smiled into his eyes. “When you don’t need to be punished, you get a reward.” Jake liked the sound of that. “I’m going to have you take another stab at that kink list. This time, I want you to highlight everything you’d considered a reward. And remember, it’s okay for you to enjoy your reward, even if it’s not something someone else would enjoy. Do you understand what I mean?”
“Like a scene?”
“Exactly like a scene. Anything you want, except a spanking or corner time. Why not a spanking or corner time?”
Jake wet his lips, thinking on it. “Because those are for punishment.”
“That’s right.” Eduardo accompanied his smile with a kiss for Jake’s nose. “I don’t want any association between punishment and fun. You aren’t meant to enjoy being punished, just like I don’t enjoy punishing you. I do it to help you, because you need it. But if you’ve been good, and would like me to hurt you, there are other ways I could do that. Or it doesn’t have to be pain. Rewards can be pleasure too. Since I don’t have your list of ‘yes, pleases’ yet, I’ll have to wing it for tonight.”
Eduardo tapped his chin as he considered. Jake knew what he wanted, of course, what he’d been waiting for, and he couldn’t take his eyes off it—that sweet, plump bulge nestled into Eduardo’s shorts. It made his mouth wet.
“Is there something you’d like to ask for?” Eduardo said. Lightly, like he was teasing.
Jake swallowed and raised his eyes. “Can I suck you?”
“I’d enjoy that.” Eduardo’s fingers tangled in his hair, and he gave a gentle pull, just enough for Jake to anticipate what was to come. “I have a feeling you’ll be good at it. Do you want me to tell you what a good cocksucker you are while you suck me?”
Jake nodded, eager for the praise, and Eduardo cooed at him in appreciation. “That makes me so happy. I can’t wait to have your mouth on my cock and to tell you how good it feels. Go on, Jake. Take it out.”
Jake reached into Eduardo’s shorts and down under the briefs beneath them to find his cock. It was soft, but hardening, a handful already. It would be a good thick one, perfect for choking on. He held himself back from stuffing it straight down his throat, reminding himself to take it slow. This was his reward. He got to play with the thickening length, appreciate its growing weight. He’d had an idea Eduardo was packing, but the full extension was more than he’d expected, reminding him that Eduardo didn’t get off on punishing him. Eduardo wanted him to be good. And now he had been good, and so this—this lovely hard cock—was all his.
The scent of Eduardo was more intense without layers of cloth in the way, arousing instead of reassuring. The deep musk of it played over his tongue like something tangible, like a flavor he could lick up. Lots of smooth flesh to suck and lick and relish, Eduardo’s hands steering him only lightly, allowing him to explore at his own pace. Not until he’d been nibbling around the shaft for several minutes did Eduardo say his name with a groan.
“Come on, big guy. Give me love. Show me what you can do.”
Jake rose higher on his knees to position himself over the knob he’d made shiny and wet, and then he swallowed it—all the way down to the root in a single gulp, the way he’d been trained oh-so-many-Doms ago. It was a good skill, one that had Eduardo gasping and rocking, his hands rougher now in Jake’s hair, issuing commands at last.
Jake liked that he’d driven Eduardo past the point where he could pretend this reward was only for him, that he’d compelled Eduardo to start taking for himself. He curled his fingers around Eduardo’s balls and let Eduardo do the rest, accepting the forceful thrust of his cock into his mouth and down his throat. Eduardo was so big, it was almost too much even for his honed technique, but he loved it. Loved working hard and doing well.
“Fuck, I knew you’d be good at this. You’ve got a mouth just made to be fucked. Where’s all that sass now, huh? You’re on your knees and taking it, and you love it. Love being used.”
He did. It was difficult to get into this mindset—he could only do it for a master worthy of it—but it brought him to a place more calming even than his mindfulness exercises. Everything inside him was settled and at peace. He existed only for this.
“I’m going to give you my load now, Jake. Swallow it for me? Be my good boy?”
Somehow Jake managed to nod. Not a lot of movement, but enough for Eduardo to notice because he clenched down hard on Jake’s head, thrusting deep, and blasted down his throat, his cock pulsing so hard Jake felt it like a heartbeat in his mouth. He spluttered, a little out of practice, and immediately the cock was gone. He swallowed the last traces of come, then sought out whatever more he could find on the slowly softening cock in front of him.
“Okay?” Eduardo asked.
“Mm hmm.” Happy.
“Now for my reward, I get to make you come.” Eduardo patted the couch, and Jake sat next to him, his legs shaky from how long he’d been on his knees and how turned on he was. All his blood was in his cock, which stood up straight from his body like a pole.
Eduardo pulled a tube of lube from the end table and slicked up his hand. He worked Jake over with a stroke worthy of a professional, all the while murmuring about how good that blowjob had been, about how hard he was going to make Jake come in return. He did, too. Jake shot like a fountain—come everywhere—but Eduardo only laughed and fetched a wet cloth to wipe him down with.
He went away with the cloth and came back with Jake’s
clothes, and after a moment’s consideration, Jake put on his boxers but nothing else. Clothes said time to go home. He wasn’t ready to go home, and Eduardo didn’t make him. Instead he pulled a blanket over the two of them and turned on a movie.
“Can Earl sit with us?”
Eduardo beamed at the question. When he summoned Earl over, Earl tried to climb up onto them like he was a lap dog. Jake knew how that felt—wanting to be smaller than you were—so he helped hoist Earl up until he made a semi-comfortable flop across both their bodies.
“Earl was pretty rough when you got him, huh?”
“He’d been through a lot.” Eduardo’s fingers scratched around Earl’s ears the way they so often did around Jake’s. “He had good reason not to trust anyone, but dogs aren’t so different from people. They need someone they can count on, need rules they can live by.”
“I guess that’s me too.”
“I know. But I’ve got you now. You’re going to be okay. Just like this big guy here.”
“Why would you want me though? I understand wanting a dog.”
“But not wanting a sub?”
“I don’t see why you’d want either one if they’re trouble. There are easier dogs out there.” And easier subs.
“I like Earl’s spirit. I like making broken things better.”
Aw. Eduardo was sweet. Maybe foolishly optimistic, but sweet.
“As for you,” Eduardo said with a more wicked grin. “I’m hoping we’re going to have some fun together once you’ve got your need to fight authority under control. You want to submit, I can see it.”
Jake nodded.
“And I’m going to help you do it. I like your spirit as much as I like Earl’s, but it’s time for you to meet your master.”
Jake leaned in harder against Eduardo’s side, confident he’d met his master and that his master could bear the burden that was him. He rubbed Earl’s belly and let Eduardo rub his and promised himself that tomorrow would be another good day.