by Chris Owen
They rocked together for a long while and Noah showered his back with nibbles and kisses. Noah wasn't in any hurry at all. Every thrust, every movement was easy and free of tension. He was tasting Tobias, feeling, experimenting. "I love your body," he told Tobias. "I love savoring it. I love that you asked me this time, told me you wanted me and asked me to make love to you. I know it's hard for you to do, but it sounds so good."
Tobias shuddered, turning his head far enough for a kiss. "I love you. I love being in you, and I can't even describe what this feels like. Thank you for doing it, for giving me this." He rocked back a little more and the angle changed just a bit. "Oh!" he gasped, his ass spasming. "You might just get this old man up again."
"I'm feeling very patient," Noah said and then kissed him as he took advantage of the new position they'd achieved.
"Oh, good. I used up all my superstud last night." Tobias' tone was teasing, but he was feeling the tingles of heat in his body, his erection starting to fill as Noah moved in and out of him. This is what he wanted, what he craved. "I need this," he whispered. "Not all the time... just. Now. I need it now, love."
"Me, too." Noah reached up and caught his chin, turning his head so they could kiss again. "Me, too, baby."
It was hard to know how long they simply enjoyed each other after the talking stopped. The air was rich with soft moans and heavy breathing, accompanied by the constant swoosh and gurgle of the hot tub.
Noah's fingers found Tobias' and tangled with them, while one hand remained perched on his hip. His thrusts were measured and slow, and even as Tobias felt Noah's need build, his pace didn't.
Tobias found himself pushing back with more eagerness. The desperation wasn't there, just arousal and love; passion heating like the water they played in. He sighed and rocked back, moaning every time Noah's cock slid over his gland. He felt hyperaware of every thrust, every movement, every kiss. "Sweetheart," he said softly. "God, you feel so good. Make me hungry."
"You make me want you, lover. Your heat, your body. This is so good, you feel a part of me like this." Noah's breath was thinner, coming quicker, and his hips were starting to grow tense. He licked up the length of Tobias' spine. "Taste so good."
"Oh, God." Tobias gasped, his back arching. "Touch me?" He was suddenly right there, right on the edge of orgasm, and he had no idea how it had snuck up on him so quickly.
Noah's hand slipped from his and found Tobias' cock. Fingers gripped him firmly and started to stroke in time with Noah's thrusts. "You feel so good, so good." Noah's teeth grazed Tobias' shoulder, and he caught the muscle there and held it between his teeth. His thrusts were heavier now, but not rushed; deeper, but not urgent.
"Oh, God, oh, God, oh, God!" Tobias chanted, his orgasm starting to roll over him in waves. It wasn't exactly languid, but it went on for ages, starting at his toes and pushing right through him. "Noah! God, yes, sweetheart! Oh, God!"
"Ah!" Noah cried out, letting go of Tobias shoulder. His body shuddered as he followed Tobias over into release. Tobias heard soft sobs and long moans in his ear. "Baby, Tobias, baby," Noah panted at him, as his orgasm washing through him. The earth didn't move, Noah didn't scream or slam him; he didn't claw at the tub or any of the things he'd done earlier. This time it was quiet, and obviously intense. "Love you."
"Love you," Tobias whispered back, still shaking. He had to move, had to turn and sit and hold his lover; the need to do so was almost as deep as his need to come had been. He waited only a moment, long enough to make sure Noah had finished coming, before shifting and easing away. He moaned as Noah slipped out of him, hating the loss, but knowing it had to happen or he'd fall. Turning, he gathered Noah to him, thankful for the water around them to hide what he was sure were tears. "I love you so much," he said softly, his arms wrapping tight around Noah.
Noah pressed his face into Tobias' neck. His own tears didn't seem to bother him so much, and his shoulders shook slightly while Tobias held him. "That was incredible. So good. So intense, my God." He pulled away just enough to kiss Tobias soundly.
"It was amazing," Tobias said simply. "You are amazing. You know that? You do things for me no one ever has; making love to me is such a small part of that."
"I can say exactly the same thing about you. Exactly." Noah smiled and wiped at his eyes with the back of his hand, laughing softly. "God, I'm such a sap when I'm well laid."
"You're in good company," Tobias admitted, smiling. "Want some juice? Just to sweeten us up some more. We're not quite saccharine enough."
Noah laughed harder. "Yes. Yes, please."
Tobias grinned and looked at the pitcher and the glasses. "Oh, oh. Trouble."
"Trouble...?" Noah look perplexed.
"In order to pour, one of us will have to let go. And I'm not ready." Tobias blinked innocently. "I think I just hit saccharine."
"Oh, God, it's making my teeth hurt," Noah groaned. "Tell you what. I'll get it, and you can watch my ass, it's the next best thing." Noah physically moved Tobias' hands and slid over to the tray.
Tobias watched Noah's ass. It was a nice ass, nicer than most, and he had very fond memories of being in it, of spanking it, of marking it. It had his initials on it. "Mine," he growled before he could stop himself.
Noah poured them each a glass. "Tobias, you're so possessive. Do you have any idea what a turn-on that is?" He moved back, hands full of juice, and seated himself on Tobias' knees. "Thirsty?"
"Thank you. And thank you." Tobias slid one hand over Noah's thighs. "I'm glad you like possessive -- I can't seem to turn it off."
Noah sipped his drink. "I love it. There's nothing better for the ego than knowing you're wanted, trust me."
"I want you," Tobias said in a low voice. "All of you. All the time. Trust that."
"Oh, I do. I definitely do." Noah kissed him again. "Wow, I feel much more limber. Think it's the tub or the sex?" He grinned.
"What's the right answer here?" Tobias asked with a wink.
"'Yes.' The right answer would be 'yes.'" Noah chuckled and slid off Tobias' lap to the seat beside him where he could soak.
"Yes," Tobias said dutifully. He laced their fingers together and smiled, relaxing back. "So. Want to move in with me? Sign on for another go round, lasting until we say so?"
"Yes. Yes, I do." Noah smiled and finished his juice, setting it aside.
Tobias smiled at him and took another kiss. "Good. I love you."
"I love you too... sir." Noah winked at him and returned the kiss.
Chapter 21
Tobias had asked at the hotel, being very explicit about what he wanted, and the concierge had come through for him very nicely. The bistro was perfect. The food was lovely, the coffee was incredible, and there was even live music. He and Noah were seated along the side, looking out a huge window, and the waiters were not the sort to hover around them. They had privacy and could see and hear whatever they wanted.
On the table between them was the folder with their old contract, the suggested new one, blank paper and pens.
"Where do you want to start?" Tobias asked, handing Noah a copy of the new draft. "Residence or new rules? Time frame?"
"You certainly come prepared." Noah looked over the contract. "Hmm. Well, let's do the easy stuff first. Time frame."
"Open with built-in checks set for every... six months?" Tobias suggested. "Or would you prefer to have it at a year with a contracted statement that if you or I feel the need we can request a renegotiation before that at our discretion?"
"Actually," Noah set his coffee down and leaned forward. "Don't take this the wrong way, but... I was thinking, since we'll both be getting used to new living arrangements, that our first one should be after three months. I'm willing to agree to a year with the option to renegotiate after that."
"That makes sense," Tobias said easily. He wasn't in the slightest worried about Noah backing out after they'd moved in together, and tweaking could very well be needed. "All right then." He made a note of it on the cont
ract, quickly figuring the date they were to talk again. "Late July. Anything else about the time frame?"
"Nope, open-ended is great."
Tobias smiled. "Residence. I'm going to sign the condo over to Phantom, but as that's between him and me, I won't put it in here. In here, I've stated that within the next month I'll make a clear effort to locate a suitable residence for us. Which we have to define." He grinned wryly. "How much space do you want, sweetheart?"
Noah snorted. "I'm going to be honest, Tobias. I have some money stashed away, but not enough for a down payment on a place in the city. You're welcome to what I've got, but beyond that, what you buy, and how big, and all that? That's really up to you, I'll just be happy if it's downtown near-ish to where I am now."
Tobias shrugged. "It's for us both. I want to make sure you like it, that there's something you need. Do you want a room to yourself, two? I'll take care of main living, playroom, the cars... all that sort of thing. But you're going to live there, too, as my submissive and as my partner. You have a say."
Noah studied Tobias carefully. "One room is plenty. Something with a view of the street. And in a perfect world, since I'm doing most of the cooking, the kitchen is important." He licked his lips and picked up his coffee.
"Right. So, nice kitchen, room with a view." Tobias wrote it down and looked up. "Anything else?" Really, it was like pulling teeth to get Noah to ask for anything for himself.
Noah shrugged. "A garage might be nice. I could have a bike..."
That made Tobias stare. "A bike?" he said faintly. "You'll need leather."
"Oh, I have leather." Noah grinned.
"I'll get you more," Tobias promised. "Garage." He looked over the contract and made another note. "Guestroom. Security. I really am looking for a small converted warehouse, aren't I? Or a floor of a larger one. Oh... soundproofing..."
Noah snorted. "Or a brownstone. There are a lot of those around. I'm leaving the rest of the logistics to you."
Tobias grinned. "All right then. I'll take care of it. Now... rules. Do you want contracted duties for around the house, or is the current service agreement good enough?"
"That depends on whether I'll be expected to do more than I have been." Noah winked. "If the chores are going to remain more or less the same, then I don't see a need to change the agreement. But if you want me vacuuming naked every evening, we're going to have to talk."
Tobias snorted. "Once a month?" He leaned forward a bit and picked up his coffee cup. "Seriously, though. You wanted harder. I won't make you do anything unreasonable, and I won't make you a slave -- I have a cleaning service at the condo and will happily continue that, but if you'd prefer to have everything laid out rather than at my whim, say so now. It's your ass."
"I think I'll be happier in service to you than to a contract," Noah said easily.
Tobias nodded and let it go, making a note. "You'll keep your safe words and right to refuse anything; I keep my obligations and duties toward your health. Play with others as situations arise? I take responsibility for the sexual health of any other partners."
Noah nodded. "Thank you. And so what about money?"
"What about it?" Tobias asked, confused.
Noah raised an eyebrow. "Well, I'll be pulling a paycheck. You want it? You want part of it? Should I pay half the mortgage and utilities or just pay you?"
"I don't want your money," Tobias said evenly. "Save it. Put it in an account somewhere. Buy your bike. Buy a horse."
Noah looked like he'd swallowed a lemon. "I'm not a kept toy, Tobias, I'm a submissive."
Tobias stared. "A kept... Jesus. I know full well you're not a toy, kept or anything else. But you're my submissive, and it's my job to protect you. To care for you. To--"
"Not to pay for me, Tobias," Noah interrupted. "Not to pay for. You don't pay my rent for me now, and you're not going to pay my way when we move in together, either. Protecting me has nothing to do with money."
"You won't be able to afford half," Tobias said bluntly as he put down his pen.
Noah chewed his lip. His jaw worked and he stared at the table but said nothing. When he finally looked up, Tobias saw the hurt and anger in his eyes. "I know. What exactly is the point of telling me that?"
"The point is that there's no point in offering. I can do this for us. You're fully aware that I have a lot of money. It hasn't been an issue before, and I don't see why it is now. I know you're not after it -- that's why I can give it."
Noah pushed back from the table. "Excuse me a minute? I'm just going to hit the men's room." He didn't wait for an answer, just disappeared toward the back of the restaurant.
Tobias watched him go for all of three seconds before following. He moved carefully, not wanting to attract attention, but he still managed to get there at the same time as Noah. "What's wrong?" he asked as they walked in together. "Noah--"
Noah stopped and looked at him. "I have to pee, Tobias."
"Right. Well, I'll just wait and see if that stick gets out of your ass while you're at it, and then you can tell me what the hell is wrong here. Because until you do, I'm just going to be in the dark and making it worse."
"Stick in my ass? What about the fucking steel rod up yours?"
Tobias growled. "Once more. What the hell is wrong here? What's wrong with me paying the rent? It's not like I'm renting you."
"No, it's worse. It's like you're buying me." Noah sighed and stepped farther into the men's room. "I really do have to pee," he said, pulling down his fly.
Tobias' jaw dropped and he stared for far longer than normal. "I am not!" he protested loudly, drawing a strange look from a man washing his hands. "Noah. That's not what I'm doing, and you know it." He took a deep breath and pushed his hand through his hair. "Don't you?" Doubt crept into his voice.
"Look, I know that's not your intention. You don't think that way, I know that. You think that you're taking care of me, that it's all part of your responsibility toward me. But, Tobias, it's not." Noah peed, put his dick away, and went over to the sinks. "Nowhere in that contract does it state that you have to pay for everything." He sighed as he washed his hands. "I'm sure that to you whatever I can pay you will be insignificant pennies, but to me, it's hard-earned money. It's important to me that I contribute. Otherwise, I become indebted to you; I'm no longer self-sufficient. I don't want to move in with you. I want to move in together. If you pay for everything, then it will always be your home that I live in. It will never be ours." Noah grabbed a towel and dried his hands. "Can we go sit down now, please?"
"Fine," Tobias said faintly. He stood where he was until Noah walked past him, trying to understand what Noah was saying. He finally followed Noah back to their table, noting the irony of following and not leading for once.
"Look," he said as he sat down. "I'm not trying to take anything away from you. I simply have no idea what on earth I'll do with your money. I don't need it, is all I was trying to say, but you obviously don't see any kindness in me paying for your housing. So give me what you're paying for rent now and I'll... do something with it." He had no idea what, exactly, he'd do with it, but there was always a bank account waiting to be opened. It was the best offer he could manage under the circumstances.
Bradford hadn't said anything about money. Phantom hadn't had any, and then he was a slave -- even if he'd had money, it would have gone to Tobias. Noah was nobody's slave.
Noah reached across the table and took Tobias' hands in his. "I do see kindness in you wanting to take care of the rent, the bills, of me. I do. I see plenty of kindness in everything you want to do for me. I'm sorry that I can't make you understand what this means to me. I'm obviously not explaining it well enough. You're usually so intuitive when it comes to me, I suppose I just assumed you'd see this, too."
He pulled one of Tobias' hands up to his lips and kissed his fingers. "I'm sorry I got upset with you. If I can figure out a better way to explain it to you I will, but for now I'd appreciate it if you could just accept that I
need to do this. I don't care what you do with the money; it's yours once I give it to you."
He could do this. A nice little investment portfolio, some stock somewhere... Noah would have a retirement plan, if nothing else. He nodded, his gaze not leaving Noah's eyes. "I'm sorry I don't understand. But if this the way you want it, that's fine."
"It's what I need. Thank you." He let go of Tobias' hands and picked up his coffee. "So... what's next on the list?"
Tobias shook his head, feeling more than a little foggy. He picked his pen up and looked over the contract and his notes. "Play. Scenes. Others." He looked up and shrugged. "Tell me your thoughts."
"We already discussed this, didn't we? I'd prefer to discuss other partners as they come up. We both like the fantasy stuff. And we discussed that we'd like more scenes, um... 'outside our comfort zone' I think is how you put it." Noah was speaking slowly. "Right? Was there more to it than that?" He hesitated, watching Tobias and fiddling with his cup. "I really threw you with that money discussion, didn't I? I'm really sorry."
"You have nothing to apologize for," Tobias said immediately. "I just never thought about it, and certainly not from your point of view. It's my error, and for me to apologize. I do. I'm sorry I made assumptions and didn't think it through. The last thing I want to do is... is... restrict you in ways we haven't agreed to. Thank you for speaking up."
He rolled his eyes at himself and put the pen down again. "I'm really sorry, Noah," he said sincerely. "And you're right, all that stuff is in there. Look it over, see if there's anything else you want to add in -- I'll just drink my coffee and try to find my dignity."
Noah looked down at the table and put his hand on the contract. He ran his fingers over it and glanced up at Tobias a couple of times before picking it up and turning pages.
"If it helps, I don't really think you have a rod up your ass." Noah gave him a hint of a grin over the top of the contract.
Tobias snorted. "Might help if I did, but I don't suspect I'll get the hot tub treat anytime soon." He raised an eyebrow and tried not to smile. "Special occasions only, yes?"