by M J Spence
“My friend Alex and I used to talk about it all the time. He read the same books as me and we discussed them. When he went with his Dom I was jealous but I was still happy for him.
So it was Alex that was the “friend” with Chris on the streets. Owen thought.
“You got off the subject again Christopher. Just answer what I ask you.”
“I’m sorry Sir…”
“Were you ever with a Dom?”
“I was with a few men that were pretending to be Doms but I knew they weren’t real. But even those times meant something to me. Made me know it’s what I was. That and listening to Alex tell me what it was like with his Sir. Alex showed me some of the things that he learned when we saw each other. I don’t think that Alex is really as happy as he used to be though. He has to share his Sir with another sub and I don’t think he gets as much time with him as he wants but he says that a submissive has to be patient so that’s what he’s doing.”
He was off subject again but Owen let it go.
“I have an idea Christopher. I’m not sure if it will work or not but it’s worth a try because I’m not sure if I’m ready for this. I took you because of the urging of my friends not from a real desire to have another submissive. This was just to be an experiment and just for a week.”
“Oh.” Chris said his disappointment showing.
“I would like to propose an idea. My thought first of all is that you are too young for me to take on.”
Chris interrupted “But I’m twenty Sir. I’m an adult. And I’ve had plenty of experience. Unless that turns you off. If it does I understand.”
“No, Chris. It’s your age not your experience. Well, yes it is your experience also. I’m afraid that because of your..... how shall I say background you might be psychologically damaged and you might be more than I am prepared to deal with at this time.”
“I understand. Should I get my things and leave?” He thought that Owen was already giving up on him.
“Not right now Christopher. I’m willing to give it a chance. What I would like to do is get to know you outside of my being a Dom and you a sub. I would like for you to stay here for the week and let us get to know each other on an equal basis. Sort of man to man. I need to see what I’m getting if, as my friends suggest, I should decide to do this again. But if we do this you need to keep in mind that I might decide not to continue and it might not have anything to do with you personally. I might decide that I’m not ready so I don’t want you to blame yourself if that happens. Can we agree to that?”
“Yes Sir”.
“And no need to call me Sir. Ok?”
Yes Sir. um… yes. “
“Owen?”
“Yes Christopher.”
“Please don’t think that I’m broken. I’m not. Everything that happened to me I’ve learned to put behind me. If I didn’t learn how to do that it would break me. But it’s over and done with and I’m old enough to not let it happen again. I just want you to know that.”
“Good to know Christopher. Now how about a quick dinner and then we’ll come back here and find a movie to watch. How would that be?”
“Good idea but since you’re not going to be my Dom for now can I pay? I have money you know. I have a job. We can’t go to any place too expensive but I can pay for maybe a food truck. How about that?”
“That sounds like fun Christopher. It’ll be a new adventure.”
Seven
They spent the next few days learning more about each other. Basic things like favorite foods, likes and dislikes. Owen talked more about his background and how he got into the lifestyle and Christopher was surprised to learn that Owen was once a submissive himself.
Owen dropped him off at work on Monday morning and was sitting in his expensive black suv waiting for Chris when he finished his shift in the afternoon. On Tuesday he dropped Chris at work but sent a car for him after work with a driver who opened the door for Chris and handed him a key for the elevator and a key to Owens apartment. He was told that Owen had a meeting scheduled for the evening and would not be too late getting home.
His meeting was at Andres with Liam and Ben. Ben brought along Aaron thinking that his input would be valuable.
Ben asked how the trial with Christopher was going and Owen explained the decision that they had made.
“I’m don’t understand what the fuss is about.” Aaron said. “Wasn’t this just a fun little thing that the Doms were doing for charity that was only gonna last for a week? Why the stress over someone who’ll be gone in a week?”
Owen and Liam were used to Aaron being allowed by Ben to speak his mind so it was not out of place for him to be able to voice his opinion. It was the relationship that he and Ben had and they respected it.
Ben answered him. “Yeah that’s true but it’s high time Owen replaced Tristan so I encouraged him to try out a sub from the auction and he agreed. It seemed like there was a spark between him and Christopher so here we are. The problem is that Christopher seems to have some baggage along with Owen thinking that he may be a tad young. I brought you along for a submissives point of view and you’re here Liam because you have Alex who is the same age as Chris and also it seems he’s Christophers best friend. By the way Liam how is Alex doing? Maybe we should have had you bring him along”
“He would have been no help I’m afraid. He’s very pro Christopher and he came from the same place as Christopher. I haven’t had many problems with him except some sullenness once in a while and sometimes he forgets himself and speaks when he shouldn’t and earns himself some discipline but nothing serious. I’m not sure if his background has anything to do with it or not.”
Aaron asked out of curiosity “Is he having any problem with you having another sub?”
“I’m not sure. He doesn’t say much to me about it but he seems to get along well with Lucas and Lucas is teaching him a lot. Sort of takes the pressure off of me for training although I do like training myself.” He turned to Owen “Owen are you thinking seriously about keeping this boy?”
“I’m not sure yet that’s why I needed to talk to you all. I don’t want to take on any past problems that he might have and like Ben said I’m worried about the age difference.”
Liam spoke again “The age difference is only twelve years Owen. Are you sure you aren’t just looking for an excuse not to replace Tris. You’ve had enough time to get over him. I was the one that suggested Christopher do the auction and he didn’t back out so I think that means he’s really serious about finding a Dom. You don’t want to lose him or risk him being with someone like Robert. You saw how he was bidding against you. And you must be ready Owen. You paid 4000 dollars for that boy and you don’t think you’re sure? There’s a reason that you did that. There’s a reason that you got up from the table and went for a closer look at the kid.”
“You’re not helping by calling him a kid Liam” Owen laughed.
“You know what I mean.”
Ben said “Keep him Owen. He’s meant to be yours just like Aaron is meant to be mine.” Aaron leaned and kissed Ben on the cheek. “You bet your ass I was meant to be yours Sir.” Causing Ben to smile.
“Aaron is not 20 years old Ben.”
“But Alex is” Liam said. “And I have no problem having him. He’s of age and old enough to make the decision to be my sub.”
Ben said “I think your making too much of the age thing. I think the bigger problem is his background and that’s something you’ll need to figure out on your own. Getting to know the boy on a man to man basis is a good idea to see if he’s mature enough to fit your needs. You don’t need to be in love with him you only need to be drawn to him in a D/s environment. The love will come later. Just the fact that you wanted to talk about it with us tells me that you have some interest. Give it a chance. Tristan is the past.”
Aaron spoke again “I agree. I think it’s time you give someone else a chance Sir. But if you’d like and it’s ok with Ben I could talk to him and see if
he’s sub material. I talked to him a little when Ben and I were there on Saturday and he was a bit skittish but that could have been cause you had him bare ass and he wasn’t used to it.”
“I think that’s a good idea. Aarons opinion could be valuable and it’s ok with me. Chris sees Alex a couple times a week so maybe Aaron could join them and get a chance to talk with Christopher.” Ben said.
“I’ll find out when Alex is seeing Christopher again and let Ben know.” Liam said.
“Ok so that’s the plan. Thanks for your input Ben, Liam. You’ve given me something to think about. I’m going to get going. I promised my boy I wouldn’t be too late.”
Eight
When he got home Christopher was laying on the floor again, a book in his hands. He looked up from his book and asked. “How did your meeting go? “
“It went fine Christopher better than I expected. Do you want to talk for a little while?”
“Of course. Whatever you’d like. Whats the subject?”
Owen settled himself on the couch and pointed to a chair nearby intending for the other man to sit but Chris sat on the floor at Owens feet as he always did when they talked claiming that he was more comfortable on the floor in Owens presence. Owen didn’t insist wanting the boy to be comfortable.
“I want to tell you about my last submissive and what happened with him and why I haven’t made the effort to replace him until now.”
Christopher paid close attention knowing this would probably be hard for Owen but glad that he trusted him enough to talk about it.”
“Tristan and I met while I was in law school. He was a friend of Bens and was here in Chicago going to college. At that time I was 22 and just getting into the lifestyle as a submissive. Tristan was only 18 but he was interested in the lifestyle also. His interest however was as a sub while I was always interested in becoming Dom but felt that I would be better suited to be a Dom if I experienced being a sub first. Tristan and I became friends but we lost track of each other once I passed the bar and became sub to a local Dom. I had no time for anything other than law and serving my Dom. When I felt that I had enough experience as a submissive, three years in total, I decided it was time for me to begin training as a Dom and asked to be released. My Dom had known going in that I eventually wanted to be a Dom so he agreed to release me. I was not collared to him so it was not much of a problem.
***
Ben and I were friends since high school and graduated law school together. We ended up at the same law firm and had a lot in common including the D/s thing. He already had Aaron and they were a tremendous help to me. I also spent time with a lot of unattached submissives and learned a lot. Soon afterward I reunited with Tristan and we became close. To make a long story short I ended up training and collaring him. I was 26 and Tristan 22. We stayed together for five years until Tristans mom took ill and he wanted to move back to California to take care of her and to be with his family. He was there for six months when she passed away. When I traveled to California for the funeral my intention was to bring him back with me but to my surprise Tris asked that I release him. He wanted to be with his family and stay in California. He thought he could happy there where he grew up. I assumed it was part of his grieving process after losing his mother and although I was devastated I agreed to release him. I thought he would eventually want to come back to me. I could have said no and forced him to come back with me, he was collared to me after all and he would have done that. He was that submissive to me but I knew he would not have been happy so I let him go. I loved him but I let him go. That was a little over a year ago and he still has not come back to me and I know now that he won’t. I still miss him but as my friends have said it may be time to take on another. I can never replace him but I think that I’m ready to be my true self again.
Christopher lowered his head not knowing what to say. He knew he could not replace the submissive that Owen had lost and was not sure if he had it in him to try. He also knew that it saddened Owen to talk about Tristan so he said the only thing he could think of to say.
“Would you like me in bed with you tonight? Not for sex but just for the company. That floor is not the most comfortable place to sleep.”
Owen smiled at how intuitive the boy was. He knew that Owen could use the closeness.
“Yes, Christopher that would be nice.”
Later Christopher climbed naked into the queen sized bed and snuggled next to Owen loving the feel of Owens arms around him.
“Thank you Owen” he said.
“No thank you Christopher.”
Chris laid his head on Owens chest and fell immediately asleep. Owen kissed the top of the boys head and sighed. What was he getting himself into?
Nine
The next day, was a Wednesday and Alex called Christopher at work to arrange to meet him at the end of his shift. “Hey do you mind if Aaron comes along? He says he wants to talk to us.
“No. Bring him if you want Alex. We can meet in the park. It’s a nice day out. I can come right from work if it’s ok with Owen. I’ll smell like grease but hopefully you guys won’t mind.
Chris pulled Alex into a bear hug when they met. “Alex! How’s life treating you? Are you still happy being with Master Liam?”
“It’s ok I guess.” He did not look happy.
Aaron hadn’t arrived yet so they could talk somewhat freely.
He was still dissatisfied being second in the household. Lucas was with Liam longer and of course they were closer than Alex and Liam.
“I try as hard as I can Chris but it’s not working. Maybe this was a mistake.”
“This is what you’ve wanted since we were fifteen Alex. Don’t give up on it.”
“I’m working on it. How about you? Is it all you were expecting?”
The conversation was cut short when Aaron got out of a car near them and immediately apologized for intruding on their weekly meeting. “I just wanted to see how you two were doing. I thought maybe we could hang out sometime if you wouldn’t mind. It gets kind of boring hanging with Owen and Ben. “
“Ok with me” from Chris. “Me too” said Alex. “You’ve been sub for a while maybe you can help us along.” They began to walk as they talked.
The sun was bright and there was a little bit of a breeze so it was a perfect day for a walk in the park.
”Sure I’ll help as much as I can. How are you doing with Owen Chris?” Aaron said jumping right into it.
“We’re not doing much of anything right now. We’re just getting to know each other. He’s a hard read. I don’t even know if he wants me.”
“What’s not to want? You would be a good looking guy once you get the grease smell off of you and some decent clothes on.” Aaron teased.”
Chris turned red yet again. “I just came from work. I’m a cook in a diner.”
Alex rolled his eyes. He was used to Chris like this and worse from when they were on the streets.
“The question is do you want him?” Aaron asked getting serious.
“I do. But he told me about the sub that he used to have and I don’t know if I’m up to being his replacement. I have no real experience.”
Alex said “You have experience Chris. We both do”
Aaron let that pass. It seemed to be something just between the two of them.
“Ah, you must be talking about Tris. He’s a lot to live up to but you don’t have to worry about having experience Chris.” He dropped onto a nearby bench and continued. “He’ll train you the way he wants you if he wants to keep you. I think right now what he’s worried about is your past.”
“My past?”
Yeah. I understand you had it bad growing up and he’s worried that it’s too much baggage. “
Chris was instantly on the defensive “He discussed my past with you?” His voice was rising as he realized that the confidential talk he shared with Owen was shared with Owens friends.
He was angry that Owen had betrayed a confidence. How dare he sugge
st to his friends that Chris had baggage.
He crossed the pavement to stand in front of Aaron and leaned into his face.
“I don’t have baggage, Aaron. I have scars. Alex and I both have scars and you know what scar tissue does? It keeps you from getting hurt again in the same place. Everything that happened to me is in the past and I keep it there. Every single thing that happened to me made me stronger. Made me less able to be hurt. I don’t carry it around with me. I’m fine. I’m good. He doesn’t have to worry about my past cause that’s exactly what it is. The past. “
By the time he finished talking he was pacing back and forth and realized he was taking his anger out on Aaron.
“Calm down Chris. It’s ok.” Alex said.
“It is not ok Alex. I told him about my past and he shared it with his friends and one of his friends sub for gods sake. What the fuck. That was supposed to be just between me and him.”
Alex turned a dark look on Aaron protective of his friend and said “We’re both OK Aaron. I don’t know why you brought this up. Chris doesn’t need this.”
“Sorry Chris.” Aaron apologized. “I was just telling you what he’s worried about. Didn’t mean to upset you. I might as well put this out there too though. He’s worried also about your age.”
“He doesn’t want me.” Said Chris angrily. Thinking that Owen seemed to have a lot of problems with him. Maybe these were just excuses not to keep him.
“Or maybe he does and is just getting all of the problems out of the way Chris. Look at it that way.” Alex said, Still trying to calm Chris.
“Chris every D/s couple has hurdles they have to get over. Ben was worried about me not having the ideal submissive personality but we worked it out. Just because I don’t grovel at his feet doesn’t mean I’m not submissive to him. Everyone has their own way of submitting. Age is not a big problem as long as he knows that you’re mature enough to make the decision to submit to him. This life is a power exchange. You give up the power and he accepts it but you can’t give up what you don’t have. That’s what he’s worried about. Do you understand?”