"Yeah, yeah, you're just jealous 'cause you ain't getting any of this," I teased.
"Maybe," Dexter said. "Maybe not. It's something to think about."
"Let's get this stuff to the table," I said, trying to change the topic. Dexter grabbed the salad and Jake grabbed two of the water glasses already filled with ice. I lead the way carrying the steaming bowl of Carbonara.
Dexter and Jake sat down while I ran to the kitchen, returning with a pitcher of water for the glasses. When everybody was seated I noticed the look on Robert's face. I had the boys shuffled around the table so we could all get to know each other better. Jake was sitting across the table from his Dom, also seeing an unfamiliar look. "What?" was all he could say.
"I've been talking to the guys. They filled me in on more of our options, and how to be a good Dom. Just wait till we get home."
Jake gulped audibly but grinned in anticipation. His face turned red as he said, "Uh… okay, Sir."
Dexter and I teased him, but a stern look from our Doms put an end to it. Pulling ourselves together, we all started passing around the food.
After dinner we all separated again. This time Robert returned to our group after a few minutes. "What are you doing over here, Robert?" I asked. "I thought you wanted to be in the other group."
"I do, but they wanted a few minutes to talk privately. I'll leave you guys alone in a minute. This is all so fascinating. I can't wait to talk to them some more."
A few minutes later, he returned to the living room and we started talking again. Dexter took the lead this time. "I'm not sure my relationship with Leonard is going to work."
"What the hell?" I said.
"It's just that he's a total Dom and he says I'm not really a total sub. I really enjoy subbing and I totally get into it, but he says I have this other side that wants to turn the tables and be a Dom. The thing is… he's right. He doesn't have a sub bone in his body and is constantly reminding me that this is not a game. 'It's not a scene. It's real,' he says and while I get that, it doesn't keep me from wondering what it's like to be in his place. He says he thinks I'm a 'switch.' Anyway, I have a strange feeling that he wants to cut me loose. The thing is, I'm falling for him and I don't want to lose him, but I'm afraid he can't handle me the way I am. I think he's been damaged by someone like me. The thing is, I moved in with him to save money on the apartment. It just seemed silly to keep paying for it since he wanted me to be with him all the time. He gives me plenty of space to study, so it seemed perfect. Until now. I could lose Leonard and be homeless at the same time."
It was a bummer getting this news at my first dinner for my friends. It put a damper on our conversation, so we wandered into the living room once again to see what the guys were up to. It had grown quiet, piquing our interest. They seemed to have run out of things to tell Robert, so we all sat around the living room to visit as a group. We didn't really have seating for six and before long the three of us subs were sitting on the floor next to our owners. For me it seemed comfortable and natural. My life had become less stressful since Kyle came into my life. I just concentrated on my studies and taking care of his needs. I did the cooking and the cleaning for the most part, but he made all the decisions about everything else in my life. I felt like I was using him, but I think he felt the same way about me, and maybe we were both right.
After some simple conversation, Kyle checked his watch. "It's getting late guys, we better hit that bar if we're going out tonight." In a few minutes, we were all smashed into one car and heading out.
The Bar
Preston
We left the house and headed toward the bar that Kyle knew about. It was called The Haunt. We pulled around back and parked. The entrance was off the back parking lot. As we headed in, I could see that the inside was covered in what looked like reclaimed wood applied like paneling. A couple of pool tables were on one side and a bar ran the entire length of the other. At the far end was another room with additional seating. The place already had people lining the entire bar, so we headed to the back.
We all got a beer and found a tall bar table with stools around it. Jake, Dexter, and I were looking around with wide eyes, taking in what for us was an unusual ambiance. Jake and Dexter had been to bars before, but even they'd never seen anything quite like this before. On the walls were artists' renderings of beautiful, muscular men in leather wearing the same kind of boots that Kyle had me wearing.
A few people were milling around the already occupied bar. There were two open areas, marked with rubber mats, where bartenders were pouring drinks, mostly draft beer. Some of the patrons were wearing leather strap-like garments, much like the pictures on the wall, and a few of the younger ones were dressed in jeans with tapered white t-shirts. A few of the others appeared to be cowboys.
One of them saw us sitting around the table. His eyes widened as a big toothy smile spread across his face. Jumping up, he crossed the bar, walked around the table throwing his arms around Kyle, and gave him a big kiss. "Kyle, I haven't seen you in a month of Sundays. What have you been up to?" he asked.
Kyle introduced me as his 'boy,' following that with my name, which was a first for me.
The man introduced himself as Dave before Kyle had a chance, reaching out and shaking my hand, perhaps a little too long. He had a dark mustache rounding his mouth into a short goatee, and his head was totally shaved. As he shook my hand, he gave me a look like we had a mutual secret. I quickly pulled away realizing Kyle was watching.
"Easy does it, Dave," Kyle said. "That boy's mine."
"Well, you got yerself a pretty one." Running his finger down my neck, he turned again to Kyle. "No collar?"
"It's too early for that. Now, if you'll excuse us, this is Preston's first time in here," Kyle said with a note of irritation in his voice.
In my earlier research about this lifestyle, I'd seen several references to the collar. I didn't understand all the rules, but apparently being collared was a big deal. Everyone who saw a boy wearing a collar knew they were the property of a Sir who was likely near and not to interfere.
Dave said goodbye and joined his friends at the bar.
By this time, the walls of the bar were dotted with men. Most of them were talking, but some of them were casually looking over the other men at the bar. Leaning into Kyle, I whispered into his ear. "Are all these guys either Doms or subs?"
"No. Most of them aren't. There's a whole variety here. Some of these guys like the look and feel of leather. Some are into S & M. There are more ways to be into 'something' than you can count. Almost all of the people here have some kind of preference they're not willing to share with the general public. Ironically, these preferences are a lot more common than most people think."
Having examined several of the patrons coming and going, I noticed something odd. "What's with the scarf in the back pocket thing?"
"Oh that. Well you don't see that as much as you used to, but those colored scarves stand for preferences. Certain guys like to do certain things, but it's not always easy to talk. A colored scarf tells the story. There's a list online if you ever care to check it out."
The later it got, the more enthralled I was by the place. The men varied dramatically. A few were seriously overweight, and one had an unusually long beard. There were men who, to me, almost appeared to be in costume. Others wore no shirt. showing off either their muscled torsos or their hairy chest. Many were sexy as hell. Several of them were wearing heavy leather work boots. Kyle said most of them would be in leather jackets or vests when winter hit.
After an hour or so, I was getting a buzz. The whole environment made me feel like I was somewhere I belonged.
Kyle walked me around the corner toward the restroom. There was a little room off to the left that was probably meant to be an office, but the walls were painted black. There was movement. "You stay out of there," he said. I felt like a voyeur. My curiosity was piqued but I'd been given an order, so that was the way it was going to be. When we returne
d to the table, Kyle excused himself to greet an old friend.
Leonard took the other guys to see the back room and visit the restroom, leaving me at the table. Within a few seconds Kyle's friend Dave was standing next to me. He leaned against the table, holding himself up by his elbow and explained to me that I was considered available since I wasn't collared, leaving me feeling vulnerable. After a minute or so he started to leave me his phone number.
"I can't take that," I said. "I belong to Kyle and he won't like my having it. I wouldn't do anything to upset him." I'd never told anyone I was Kyle's property before. It made me feel secure and protected. I could see Kyle, over Dave's shoulder, heading back to the table double time. Reaching the table, he sat next to me glaring at Dave who excused himself after a few niceties.
"Did he try to pick you up?"
"Look, I won't lie to you, but please don't give him a hard time. He was going to give me his number, but I told him I belonged to you, and not to bother. He won't be back, but please don't be mad at him."
Kyle looked at me like he was trying to judge whether he had a reason to worry about my motivation to keep the peace. In a minute, he sat back and relaxed. "He knows better. I'll let it slide for now, but only because you asked me to. If I ever catch him trying that again…"
Kyle's comments were interrupted by the boys returning to the table. It was getting late and Leonard suggested we all head back home, so we started toward the door to the parking lot.
When we got back home and the boys headed out, I thanked Kyle for letting me have this dinner party and showing us the bar. It must have been obvious how happy I was.
He said, "Leonard and I really liked Robert. He's a natural, you know. I kind of fell into this whole lifestyle over a year or so, but from what I hear, Robert had the characteristics of a Dom before he even knew what it was. We gave him a few pointers when we were talking in the living room. Poor Jake won't know what hit him. Robert didn't really know the range of activities available to him. I told him that everything isn't for everybody. I hope he was paying attention to the parameters we laid down."
"I'm going to have to call Jake tomorrow. I'm dying to find out what happened."
"I wouldn't be surprised if Robert hasn't put a gag order on Jake by then, not to mention a gag."
"Gag, what are you talking about? Is that stuff we haven't done yet?"
"Yep, but don't worry, that's… usually not my thing."
"What do you mean usually?"
"Well some guys can get a little loud. That's when I make the exception." I made a mental note that I should control my outbursts. Then again, if I wanted to try it, I could crank it up a bit. "I hope the gag order isn't in place yet. I want to hear everything."
Dropping it for now, I finished the dishes and headed back into the living room. By then, Kyle had his computer open again and was making a few notes. He turned and told me to sit down. "I have some news for you."
Sitting down, I leaned forward with my knees together with my hands trapped between them. Something about the look on his face told me this was important.
"We're going to be doing something to help out Leonard and Dexter. You see, Leonard seems to be giving up on Dexter. He likes him a lot, but before he gets too attached he thinks he needs to break it off. Leonard guards his heart. If someone isn't just right, he moves on."
"Why would he do that? That'll kill Dexter. He's falling for Leonard. He told me he can feel that something's wrong. It won't surprise him, but I think he'll take it hard. Is it the flip-flop thing? I think Dexter called it a switch?"
"Yes. He thinks Dexter isn't a pure submissive, at least not the kind of submissive he seems to think he needs. He's afraid he has a lot of Dom in his veins and nothing he can do will ever change that. This is Leonard's problem. There's nothing wrong with being a switch. They moved in together, which actually was a good thing. Living around each other is how he was able to see Dexter's dominant characteristics. He knows he'll never be able to live with that. By living together, he was better able to determine who Dexter actually is."
"Is that it? Isn't he just being a bit sensitive? I mean he's a Dom and all, why can't he deal with that?"
"You have a point, but for Leonard, it's a very real problem. He fell in love with a guy when he first got involved in the lifestyle. The guy left Leonard and switched, becoming a Dom to a different guy that he's still with. Lots of guys are switches, but Leonard can't be a sub to anyone, and he thinks if he's with a switch they'll resent him or cheat on him after a while. So a switch makes him insecure, which doesn't sit well with his nature, but don't tell him I said that. Frankly, that's why Leonard and I never turned into a thing. He could tell I had a strong dominant side."
I knew that Kyle had been trained as a sub, but couldn't imagine him ever doing the things I did. I think he saw the worry in my face but was only too quick to put that to rest saying, "You don't have to worry about me. Part of the reason Leonard and I are still friends is that I knew I could live the rest of my life without subbing again, but I was dying to do with others what he'd done to me. Anyway, I agreed to let Dexter use the spare room until he gets back on his feet. So, if Dexter's okay with it, we're going to have a roommate for a while."
I wasn't surprised. Kyle was like that. He had a kindness about him. I was glad we could be a safety net for my best friends. "Dexter was telling me he thought this might be coming. Apparently, Leonard's been correcting his behavior more than he likes. He just thought it would go away as they got to know each other. He said he feels like letting go completely when he subs with Leonard, but sometimes he just wants to reverse roles and Leonard just can't. He doesn't want to cheat on him, so he just has to hold it in."
"He could be here as early as tomorrow. We'd better get some sleep tonight; tomorrow could be a busy day."
"After everything I saw in that bar tonight I was kind of hoping…"
"Tomorrow; tonight, we need our sleep."
The Guest
Kyle
We didn't hear anything over the weekend, then Monday I got a call from Leonard. He sounded frantic. "Dexter just walked out. I told him that our relationship wasn't going to work. He's really upset."
"Do you think he's headed over here?"
"No, he's heading to school. That boy won't miss class for anything. The thing is, when he gets out he's going to go try to find an apartment. You remember what we talked about on Friday?"
"Yeah, I'll call Preston and have him tell Dexter to come here after school. Why don't we move his stuff today? I can ask Preston to tell him it's all done."
"You better wait until Preston talks to him. I don't want him to feel like I'm kicking him out."
Not wanting to aid in a breakup, I gave it one last try. "Are you sure you can't make a go of it?"
"I like him a lot. I liked you a lot too. I just can't have another sub go Dom on me. He's a total switch and no matter what he says, I know it matters to him. You know I can't sub for anyone. As his Dom, I can't have him heading out occasionally to be a Dom to someone else. That's just not my style. I could never allow that. I did that once early on and it was hard on me. It WOULD happen again with him. It's only a matter of time."
"I hope this isn't because of me. There's one big difference between Dexter and me."
"What's that?"
"I'm not a switch. I can only sub for one man. You know that. I never subbed for anyone but you. I don't think I could."
"That does make me feel better, about you I mean. Look, now that I think about it, I'd prefer not to have to deal with this after he gets back from school to get his stuff. If Preston's able to ask him if it's okay, we can move his stuff over there. It'll be easier all the way around."
"Okay, I'll call Preston and have him tell Dexter to come over here and see if it's alright to move his stuff. I'll call you when I know something."
"Thanks Kyle."
"Hey, I owe you."
When the call was over, I rang Preston and filled h
im in. He sounded excited. I wasn't crazy about having another person in the house because being a Dom tends to be a very private thing to me. A third wheel is just that, but it was important to Preston, and I'd already promised both him and Leonard. So, it was going to happen.
It wasn't long before Preston called me back. It turned out that Dexter was relieved not to have to go apartment hunting since he really didn't have the money. He was upset over the breakup, but relieved to have a place to go when his classes got out. Not having to move his things was just icing on the cake.
I called Leonard back and filled him in. I told him I'd pick up some boxes to help pack, but he told me not to bother. He already had a few, and Dexter didn't really have much.
Within an hour, we had everything packed up and loaded in the car. "I'm sorry this didn't work out for you, Leonard. It would have been really nice to have a couple nearby we were already so close to. It just seemed right."
"I know," he said. "At first, I thought so too, but you and I are still friends. Hopefully Dexter and I can be too. I'm grateful for your help." Leonard seemed really down. The energy I'd come to expect from him just wasn't there. Falling for guys who were half of what he needed was a habit of his. "Try to talk Dexter into continuing the classes. He's doing really well, and I do want to know he can defend himself if he ever needs to."
"Will do. Take care."
When I arrived home, I loaded everything into the spare room. I was nervous, so I just started to unpack for him, hanging his clothes in the closet and deciding where the socks should go. Before I knew it, everything was done. There was a collapsible laundry bag filled with his dirty laundry, so I took it to the laundry room and started a load.
I wasn't looking forward to that evening. Dexter was probably devastated. Losing a sub is hard, but I knew from experience that losing a Dom is harder. It was going to be grim having Dexter there.
*~*~*
When the boys got home that night, the atmosphere was nothing like I'd expected. It felt more like a celebration. Preston was all smiles and I saw no evidence that Dexter was mourning the loss of his Dom.
An Extended Family Page 13