Collars 'N' Cuffs

by Wayward Ink

  Even as I posed the questions to myself, I knew the answers.

  Yes. Yes, I would leave. As much as I loved Rhys, I couldn’t spend my life being something and someone I wasn’t. I had to stay true to myself.

  That knowledge didn’t stop Rhys’ frown from hurting me. It pained me greatly—the effects physical. My gut actually ached and my throat closed over.

  “Have you been that unhappy these past ten years? Has our sex life been that unsatisfying? Was I that terrible a lover?” I whispered and, despite my best efforts, the agony I was feeling leached into my voice.

  Rhys jerked around to face me so quickly, I flinched involuntarily. “No! Why would you think that?” The tone of horror in his voice matched his expression.

  “You’re clearly not happy with my not wanting a twenty-four-seven D/s relationship. I can only conclude that what we shared prior to our experimentation with BDSM wasn’t satisfying for you. And that hurts, Rhys. That hurts a lot. Why haven’t you ever said anything?”

  “I haven’t said anything because I was happy. I was satisfied.”

  “Was?”

  “Shit. That came out wrong. I am happy, Jack. I love you. I don’t know how to explain. It started out fun, sort of like playacting, but then, I don’t know, the power, the control, it… it was seductive. Addictive. It’s only with your words that I realize I’ve let it get out of hand.”

  I nodded. “I can understand that, babe. Truly, I can.”

  “Sorry.”

  Again, I nodded, too choked with relief to verbalize my feelings. We’d sort it out. We’d talk and learn and talk some more, and we’d find some middle ground to meet on. My eyes filled with water and I squeezed them shut to keep my emotions from spilling over.

  Firm but gentle hands cupped my face. My eyelids relaxed as warm breath fanned over my cheek in the moments before the lips I loved best in the world pressed against mine.

  I GROANED AS Rhys pushed another bead up my ass. That was number seven. Would he use all ten on me this session?

  Another groan eased out of me. I wanted to thrust my butt out for more. I wanted to push my aching cock into the specially made table Rhys had me bound to. I wanted relief. I wanted to come. Hell, I was just an aching ball of want.

  “Still, my pet. Be good and hold still. I can’t give you your reward if you aren’t good.”

  At the word “reward”, I whimpered. Rhys’ rewards were sublime. Always.

  He slowly pulled two beads out before equally slowly pressing them back in, teasing me and testing my resolve.

  “Do you want more, my pet?”

  In and out. In and out, he played with the beads. Played me like a maestro.

  I dropped my chin to my chest, giving a slight nod.

  Rhys chuckled, twisting the beads within my channel. “I don’t know, Pet, you don’t sound too convincing. You’re going to have to do better than that.”

  I bit back a knowing smile—he wanted me to beg. He loved to hear me beg for his cock.

  That was okay with me. More than okay, because I loved begging him.

  LILY VELDEN lives on the east coast of Australia, her family having emigrated from Holland when she was a child.

  Lily has always had a love of language and a beautifully crafted sentence, and admits to having a fetish for collecting quotes, poems, and song lyrics. What she won’t admit to is how many notebooks she’s filled with those quotes… Her fascination carries on into her artworks where she often incorporates text. When a shoulder injury slowed down her art practice she decided to explore her love of the written word more fully and began writing. “I’ll paint my pictures with words.”

  Not that she’s abandoned artmaking in its entirety—Lily collaborates on the designs for all her book covers.

  There are many things Lily loves. Here are just a few of the PG rated ones: a good laugh (all the better if caused by a naughty joke), the smell of freshly baked goods and mown grass, a smile from a stranger, rainbows after the rain, and witnessing a promise kept.

  LILY VELDEN can be found at:

  Website: http://lilyvelden.wordpress.com/

  Email: lilyvelden@live.com.au

  Twitter Name: @LilyVelden

  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lily.velden

  Tumblr: http://lilyvelden.tumblr.com/

  “HURRY UP, PRINCESS! We haven’t got all day to get to the airport,” Radu yelled as he trotted toward the entrance.

  Tudor hoped he’d stay like that, head turned to spew stuff over his shoulder, and collide with the doors. Radu deserved the bump to his head, and it would spare Tudor the need to punch him. The fucker was so annoying lately. And why on earth did this client need both Radu and Tudor there? They hardly ever sent more than one person to meet a client at the airport. Hell, in most cases, they arranged for one of the company drivers to pick them up. They treated their clients like royals, but not like gods.

  To Tudor’s chagrin, Radu turned in time to push his way through the glass door. He caught the fucker smirking, so his friend must have guessed what was going through Tudor’s head. No matter; he’d make sure the guy tripped next time. He’d get his revenge sooner or later.

  Doing his best to follow Radu to the car parked in the company’s allotted segment—they’d upgraded to some prime spots right in front of the building after thorough negotiations with the owners—Tudor had to give the guy props for his progress. It had taken him over a year since he’d started following Tudor to the gym, but he was looking way better. He had more stamina, and, as he’d proved today, he’d gotten quite fast. Despite his anger, Tudor couldn’t help but feel a little proud.

  “C’mon, your gayness, strut your stuff all the way into the car,” Radu said, clapping a couple of times for emphasis. Yup, the guy was looking good these days, but his mouth still needed to be bleached or something.

  “Radu, don’t make me bang your head against the steering wheel,” Tudor warned as he closed the door, putting a little too much strength into it.

  “Yo, don’t break the door, okay? Still company property!”

  Tudor growled at him and tried to relax into the seat. He wished he could do something to scare Radu into shutting up. But somehow, Tudor doubted that approach would ever work. Even scared out of his mind, he imagined Radu could find a smart comment that needed to be shared with the world.

  “So, who are we picking up, anyway? Did we forget to grab a red carpet or something?”

  Radu shrugged, focused on getting them out of the parking lot and into the flow of traffic around Pipera. A lot of companies had moved offices recently, yet new ones kept popping up, with more tall buildings opening for business every year. The roads, however, were still as narrow as before. Thankfully, someone clever had dragged their way through building a few bridges that made life in the area a little easier. It wasn’t rush hour yet, so they might just make it to the airport in half an hour or so. It could go up to two hours in no time. And down to fifteen minutes well after nightfall. The beauty of traffic in Bucharest!

  “C’mon, man, just tell me. Who’s the hotshot new client? And why all the groveling?”

  Radu sighed and turned briefly to glare at Tudor. “Can’t you just sit your fabulous ass down and shut up? You’ll meet them at the airport.”

  Tudor snorted and clapped Radu’s shoulder. “You don’t know, do you?”

  “Right, that’s it.” Radu rolled his eyes and proceeded to ignore Tudor for a few minutes. When he spoke again, he said, “I know the name of the company and of the person we’re supposed to pick up. That’s it. Not my deal, to be honest. Someone else in my department.”

  “Ha! So you took orders from a subordinate to pick up their client at the airport.”

  “No, fuckwit. This came from the CEO. You, me, and our butts being kicked all the way to the airport to make them feel welcome. Romanian hospitality or some shit like that.”

  “Oh, well, whatever makes us more money, I guess.”

  Radu turned up the r
adio to cut off the conversation and they drove in silence for a while. The traffic was bearable and it looked like they’d be early. Tudor thought they might even have time for a coffee, if they played their cards right.

  “Wanna swing by the Starbucks in Baneasa Shopping City on our way to the airport?” Tudor asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

  Radu groaned and stole a glance at the onboard clock. “You buying that girly mocha thing you got me addicted to?”

  “Fine; I’m buying the largest they have.”

  “Good. Then it’s totally worth the speeding tickets I’m risking to get all of this done in time.” True to his word, Radu sped up and switched to his Bucharest driving mode. Like Tudor, Radu only used this mode in Bucharest and other parts of Romania. They were always a lot tamer when driving abroad—less attuned to the survival mode required by their capital city if they wanted to get somewhere this year.

  A WHILE LATER, coffee cups in hand, they made their way to the International Arrivals section of the Henri Coandă Airport.

  “Don’t we need to hold up a sign or something? How will they recognize us?” Tudor asked.

  Radu waved his hand dismissively. “It’s okay, I’ve seen the guy’s LinkedIn profile.”

  Right then an announcement came through. A flight from Zurich had been delayed.

  Radu groaned and swore, then turned to Tudor. “We better sit down. That’s the flight we were waiting for.”

  Tudor replied with his very own, but not so loud, swearing, then plopped down in one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs.

  “Calm down, man. I’m not that bad company,” Radu said, grinning at Tudor.

  Tudor ignored his friend, unwilling to even try to converse with him. Radu could have handled this on his own. Why the fuck had he been dragged here?

  “Wow, princess, stop pouting, okay? You’ve been such a sourpuss lately, I want to punch you in the face.”

  “You can always try,” Tudor said, extending his arms in an inviting stance. “I’ll even let you land the first punch.”

  “Dude, don’t be like that. Really, now, what the hell crawled up your ass?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Yeah, right. C’mon, Tudor, tell me. Is this about your birthday?”

  Tudor shook off Radu’s hand. Of course this was about his birthday. It was in two days. This freaking weekend. And he was going to spend it alone, because Kahoni couldn’t make it.

  Since meeting his boyfriend in Hawaii, they’d had a pretty amazing relationship. Chilled, mutually involved, fun. In short, the good superseded the huge issue of having to travel across continents to see each other. Unlike his previous Broadway-star boyfriend, Vincent, Kahoni was willing to make as much of an effort as Tudor was. Whenever one of them was too busy to travel, the other would make the trip. They’d managed to see each other every month. Until now. This time, Kahoni failed to make the trip to Romania to celebrate Tudor’s birthday. Something about an aunt getting sick.

  And that right there was the problem. Not the fact Kahoni wasn’t coming, but the fact he’d given Tudor no details. Well, you’re supposed to keep the lie simple, to not get caught. Was Kahoni lying though? Or was it hard for him to talk about his aunt?

  Tudor wanted to have faith in his boyfriend; he really did. He’d fallen for the Hawaiian bartender-by-night-and-surfer-by-day; he’d fallen harder than he ever imagined he could after Vincent. For a while, he’d been convinced he’d struck gold. But now…. Now it had been six tiring months, and Kahoni, like Vincent, might just prefer less of a headache when trying to see his boyfriend.

  Vincent had seemed the perfect guy at first too. Granted, he’d been unwilling to put any effort into the relationship from the start. Kahoni was different, but maybe he acted that way because he knew of Tudor’s past experience. Maybe he’d really believed he could do better than Vincent, only to have the reality of their long-distance relationship prove him wrong.

  Tudor sighed deeply and stared into his friend’s eyes. Radu was right. Ever since finding out Kahoni had cancelled his travel plans, he’d been absolutely awful. Radu took most of the heat because, unlike other more intelligent people such as Magda, Tudor’s best friend, the guy was always in Tudor’s face. Always trying to get him to “relax, have fun, live a little… you know, be gay, dude!”

  “Yeah, it’s about my birthday. What else?”

  “Dude, his aunt’s sick. You know how they are—all tight and family comes first. I mean, you’ve actually met them!”

  Tudor nodded. “Yeah, I did. But that is why this is so… confusing.”

  “I’m sorry, you’re fabulous and all, but you make no sense.”

  “I know his aunts. Why does he always dodge me when I ask who’s sick?”

  “Maybe it’s worse than he said and it’s your favorite one?” Radu tried a smile, which Tudor ignored.

  “I met them all at once over a huge dinner, where they all had questions and advice. I can’t even remember them all, to be honest.”

  “Well, see?” Radu almost jumped out of his seat. “Your boy toy is smart. Maybe he figured that out and didn’t want to embarrass you or something.”

  Tudor sighed and shook his head. “Why the fuck are you always on his side? You’re supposed to be my friend, not support him all the time! You were the complete opposite with Vincent.”

  “Vincent was a douche,” Radu said, his voice taking a dangerous edge. “He acted like an ass from the start and made your life miserable. He was the biggest selfish bitch I’ve ever met. Kahoni is not like that.”

  “Oh, excuse me, Mr. Perfect Judge of Character!”

  Radu grinned and nodded his thanks. “Why, I didn’t know you’d noticed. I am pretty good at it, you have to admit.”

  Tudor wanted to contradict him but couldn’t. Radu really was a great judge of character. He was never wrong, even if his descriptions of other people were as offensive as they could be. He felt Radu’s arm around his shoulders, and a gentle squeeze made his heart sink even further.

  “Trust me, buddy. He loves you. It’s clear in his fucking puppy eyes every time he looks at you. He’s not Vincent; I guarantee that.”

  “Thanks, Radu.”

  “Don’t thank me yet,” Radu said as he started to move away from Tudor. “All I am saying is your relationship won’t end because Kahoni is a dick. There are still plenty of ways you can screw this up.”

  Tudor chuckled, hoping the display would make Radu come closer. The guy was pretty good at dodging Tudor’s punches to the shoulder by now and knew to stay away for a bit.

  The announcer’s voice broke up their cat and mouse game. The delayed flight was now preparing to land. Which meant they might get out of here in about twenty minutes. Depending on where the hotel was, and on traffic, Tudor might get to be all showered, fed, and ready for a video chat with Kahoni before his beau’s early morning surf lessons.

  “Hey, go stand on that side,” Radu said, pointing to the far right exit. “We can’t afford to lose the guy in the crowd.”

  “I don’t know what he looks like, dimwit.”

  “Fat, bright red hair, and failed hipster beard. Should stand out quite a bit.”

  As people started pouring through the gates, directed by the steel handles, Tudor focused intently on everyone coming toward him. No one even remotely redheaded was in sight. Maybe the dude had a lot of luggage and would be late. Just when he thought he’d spotted his guy, strong arms grabbed his waist and someone rested their chin on his shoulder. His first instinct was to drive his elbow back into the aggressor’s chest, but a familiar scent stopped him even before he fully recognized it.

  “Hello, gorgeous. Waiting for someone? Or can I pick you up and have my way with you tonight?”

  “Kahoni,” Tudor whispered, feeling a little weak in the knees. “You bastard!” There was no strength behind his accusation, although Tudor tried his best to sound upset. He was too relieved Kahoni was there.

  When Kahoni loosened his hold, Tudor qui
ckly turned and pulled him into a big, strong hug. “I’m so glad to see you!”

  “I’m sorry, baby. I just wanted to surprise you. But it’s fucking hard when you keep asking a million questions.”

  “Not my fault you couldn’t come up with a believable story,” Tudor muttered, his face buried into Kahoni’s neck. He could feel the other man’s laugh through the contact with his lips, and a new wave of relief washed through Tudor as he sank deeper into the hug and the familiar scent that always drove him wild.

  “I know. I suck at lying. I couldn’t bring myself to use any of my aunts’ names. It felt like going too far.”

  “Good to know.”

  “Okay, lovebirds. Time to go. This is still Romania, and I don’t want to deal with any nasty comments right now.”

  “You mean like the ones you typically make?” Tudor asked, arching an eyebrow at Radu.

  “Mine come from a place of love, fucktard. Besides, Kahoni hasn’t been here long enough for me to be sure you wouldn’t beat the hell out of anyone who even looked funny at you.”

  “Hey, I am not a violent guy! Stop saying shit like that about me.”

  Kahoni, who had wrapped an arm around Tudor’s waist and was walking alongside him, chuckled and bent forward to make eye contact with Radu.

  “Was my gorgeous boyfriend pouting a lot?” Kahoni batted his eyes innocently, making Tudor snort. Right, like Radu hadn’t complained to him about Tudor’s sour mood.

  “Like you wouldn’t believe! A kid who lost his entire family and then got no presents for Christmas would have been less depressed than Tudor after you told him you weren’t coming.”

  They made their way to the parking lot and Radu shooed them into the back seats. Not that they’d complained much. Tudor was in desperate need for a kiss, and Radu had tinted windows, so they could go at it without anyone seeing them.

  Tudor usually hated Bucharest traffic, but not today. Today he was on top of Kahoni, even awkwardly so, his lips sealed to his lover’s, his hips thrusting with no semblance of rhythm.

  “Whatever you fuckers do, don’t get come stains on my car,” Radu warned. For a brief moment, Tudor thought his friend sounded rather short of breath, but Kahoni’s tongue on the side of his neck distracted him.