by Drew Sera
“Sir, may I take that with me?”
“Of course, Sydney.” I stroked her head as it rested on Anthony’s shoulders. “Of course.” I cleared my throat and gently set it down in the box of items to keep.
I felt numb and almost sort of dizzy. I wanted us to finish going through this place because I couldn’t stand it anymore. Anthony and Sydney continued going through a few plastic containers by her bed while Matt and I began putting trash in a few bags to haul out. The few times I caught Matt’s eyes I could tell what he was feeling too. Everything within these walls sucked.
I went into her bathroom to see if there was anything she needed from it. Her tub caught my eye and what Matt told me Anthony had mentioned about their visit with Chris. Sydney said that after Howard would leave, she’d come in here and sit in the shower facing away from the drain so she didn’t see the blood. It hit me like a freight train and I closed the bathroom door, pretending I had to use it. I just needed a few minutes to sort my head out. When I stepped out of the bathroom I came face to face with Matt. He knew I was getting stressed out.
“Okay?” he asked quietly.
I nodded. We had been here for hours and it was emotionally draining for all of us. This apartment just sucked the life out of us. She didn’t have any food in the place other than mac and cheese boxes and the convenience store was just across the street. I thought the walk would do me some good.
“I’m going to go across the street and get some drinks and munchies. What does everyone want?” I asked and headed towards the door.
While I waited for responses, I saw something on the door jamb that caught my eye. When I got closer, I saw they were hash marks or some sort of counting marks. The marks went up and down one entire side of the door and there were marks on the other side as well. What the fuck was this for?
“Sydney,” is all that I got out. Matt came over and was looking at the same thing on the wall. I was quickly trying to count the marks that went in groupings of fives. I had to stop counting because my eyes couldn’t focus anymore. Anthony was now by my side and was running his fingers over the black marks on the doorframe.
“One thousand fifty-nine,” Sydney said.
Three sets of eyes spun around to look at her. She was still shifting through some papers and hadn’t even looked up. The number casually rolled off her tongue.
“One thousand fifty-nine, what?” I asked.
“Col,” Matt called my name trying to get me to calm down before I lost it. I had enough sense to stop and take a deep breath. Anthony was on his way over to Sydney while I still asked about the marks on the door. I needed to know what the fuck this was for. Sydney had a scared look on her face and had her arms wrapped around her legs again. What the fuck was this? I felt like control was quickly slipping out of my hands here. I’ve been in the BDSM lifestyle for most of my adult life and never have I seen so many non-consensual, sick things being done to a person in their own home. But Anthony was right, this wasn’t a home. Anthony had her in his arms now.
“What is it Sydney? What is that number for?” I realized it came out harsher than I had intended, but I needed the answer. Not knowing was not an option. No answer. I pushed myself away from the door jam on my way to Sydney and met Matt’s chest instead. He gripped my upper arm and pulled me towards the door.
“We’re going to go get those drinks. We’ll be back,” Matt announced and then pushed me out the door.
I waited until we were making our way down the steps before talking. Thank God Matt was here to keep me calm. I felt like I was losing that battle though.
“Calm down, Col. You’re going to make yourself sick. It’s a lot for everyone, just be patient.”
“I have to know what those marks are for. She’d see it every time she came home or left. It means something.”
“Fine, it probably does and it’s probably not pleasant. Calm the fuck down, Colin. You’re not doing anyone any favors by pushing her anymore. You’ve pushed enough and she’s near a breakdown up there. Let her get finished so we can all leave this place in the past.”
I nodded and used the time outside to calm myself. I felt in control of my emotions again by the time we got back upstairs.
“Break time. Anth, Syd come on,” Matt called them away from the boxes of stuff they were working on.
The four of us sat down to eat some junk food and hydrate. When Sydney sat down on the floor Anthony pulled her to sit on his lap and I crouched down to set a bag of M&M’s on her leg and kissed her forehead. “I’m sorry, baby.”
She nodded and smiled at the candy. You’d thought I just handed her gold. She tore into the candy and began popping the green ones in her mouth. Anthony was getting playful with her by tickling her and trying to get a kiss. She started giggling as she tried to escape his kisses and tickles.
“I like your candy kisses, sunshine.”
Anthony calmed his movements and held his hands over her tummy. I was glad he was holding her. She needed the physical connection.
Matt and I began gathering trash and putting it in bags to haul out while Sydney and Anthony continued going through a few plastic boxes near her bed. The apartment was suffocating. The air was heavy and it just fucking sucked. I sat down on the bed and watched Anthony hold things up and Sydney say “keep” or “trash” to. Most was trash. Next to her pillow was a yellow tank top. It looked extremely soft and very worn. I held it up and turned it around for Antony to see. It had Iron Man on it and a smile appeared on Anthony’s face.
“That’s my sleep shirt.” Sydney said with a proud grin on her face.
“Little kitten loves superheroes, Col.”
I glanced down at Sydney and saw her cheeks were red but a playful little smile appeared on her face. She was shy about it, and it was obviously something that I assumed she kept to herself, but Anthony got it out of her during their date. She had a playful gleam in her eye so I decided to get her talking about superheroes. Maybe she’d relax a little bit.
“Do you have a favorite?”
In unison, Anthony and Sydney both said “X-Men.” They looked at each other and smiled. Sydney actually gave me a full-blown smile showing teeth and all. It was the first smile of that caliber I had seen since we arrived at the apartment. She was that happy talking about superheroes. She smiled as she continued to go through a few plastic boxes and Anthony, of course, was able to keep the smiles coming.
“I wonder if there’s a Super Dom,” Anthony said in a serious tone.
“There are!” Sydney exclaimed. “There are actually a few of them. They work in a secret underground society and aren’t widely publicized. Their powers are only good on submissives and bottoms though. Non-kinky people are immune to their powers and they just end up looking silly to vanilla folks. But to submissives, they’re like gods.” Sydney continued putting things in the “trash” or “donate” box as she made up the story of the Super Doms. “Super Doms have everything going for them. They look good, smell good…have Super Dom cars and Super Dom watches. They have everything and know how to use everything…they rescued a submissive that was being held by an Evil Dom and gave her a second chance…and they have been teaching her good things about their secret society…”
Anthony and I sat still and watched her as she excitedly told the story of us. This girl melted my heart. She pulled her cheek in to bite on it as if considering the next part of her story when Matt chimed in.
“But the Super Doms were lonely. They had good hearts but no one to use them on. Super Doms are really picky though. I mean, really fucking picky. But, I read that Super Doms mate for life. They know exactly what they want and once they find it, that’s it.” Matt leaned on the back of the couch looking over at us.
I pulled Sydney to sit on my lap. She was both physically and emotionally tired and sunk down into a leaning position on me with her legs stretched outward on her bed, feet towards Anthony. I rubbed on her tummy and smiled down at her.
“Tell me about this
little submissive though,” I playfully prodded and lightly tickled her tummy.
Her eyes lit up and she smiled widely.
“Well, she’s pretty cool. Nothing special, though.” Sydney said shyly while working through her story.
Matt came over and knelt on the floor at the foot of the bed and leaned over.
“No, that’s not what I hear at all. See, this little submissive had been roughed up. Quite a bit, unfortunately. Others would have fallen or broke under similar circumstances, but not this little submissive. She has some battle wounds but an extremely tough core. So tough in fact, that it’s going to require two Super Doms to love her and take care of her.” I wiped a few stray happy tears from Sydney’s cheeks and Matt continued. “Turns out that this little, shy, banged up submissive does have some mysterious super powers of her own. See, somehow, this little submissive was able to penetrate the thick skins of two Super Doms. She crept right into their hearts when they weren’t looking. She brought them to their knees with a smile and the touch of her hand.”
“I heard it was her huge heart that leveled the Super Doms. I heard there were lots of other things too, but mostly her heart.” I added.
“I heard that the Super Doms had mega super cocks and that the little submissive went crazy for them. And that the little submissive had a hot little ass and mouth on her.” Anthony threw that into the story while wearing a lopsided smile. He climbed up on the bed and pushed Sydney’s legs apart so he could get closer to us. When the laughter died down, Anthony continued. “Actually, the Super Doms know exactly how to take care of the little submissive exactly how she needs. And the little submissive fills a huge hole that the Super Doms never thought would be filled; the need to be needed and the need to care for a little submissive.” Anthony hovered over Sydney’s stretched out body, lowered himself and kissed her lips.
Sydney reached up and rubbed her hand on Anthony’s cheek and then mine. Anthony moved back down to kneel between her parted, stretched legs and reached down to rub gently on her sides while I rubbed slowly on her shoulders. After a few moments, Anthony pulled her upright and onto his lap.
“Come here, sunshine. Let me hold you for a few minutes. Then we’ll finish and go home.”
While Anthony held her, I kissed the top of her head and climbed off the bed. I picked up her Iron Man tank top and examined it. I knew she’d want to take it, but it was in pretty bad shape. I winced and sighed upon seeing possible blood stains on the inside of it. Matt came over and I silently pointed them out to him. He shook his head in disgust and pulled it from my hands.
“Hey, Syd, why don’t you let the Super Doms find you a new superhero tank top?”
“Okay,” she said quietly against Anthony’s neck.
Sydney knew it wasn’t in good condition. She probably would have tossed it out a long time ago, but probably held onto because it was so soft.
“Super Doms don’t let the little submissive sleep in clothes, Matt. God, dude, that’s like superhero 101.” Anthony kissed Sydney’s cheek and said that the Super Doms would find her a new tank top though.
Matt and I carried out some trash and now the place was looking pretty empty minus some furniture. Sydney looked around and she was starting to get emotional. She looked at the boxes labeled “donation” or “keep.” The “keep” box hardly had anything in it.
“Come on, baby. We’ll be done soon and then get the hell out of here and go home,” I said to her.
There wasn't much left to do but Sydney put a few more items in the trash and donate boxes. Her “keep” box had a sweater in it, her birth certificate, a Wonder Woman and Batman magnet, her notebook and her social security card. She put her hands on her hips and looked around. All that was left was the tattered furniture. I was going to give the rental office the keys when we leave and would let them know that a donation company was coming by Monday for the furniture.
As much as I wanted to get Sydney out of there, Matt was right. I couldn’t push much more than I have today. This place was emotionally heavy on all of us. I waited until she was ready and picked up her box.
“I guess that’s it. That’s all I have.”
“Baby, you have us.”
She smiled and nodded. “I do. I’m very fortunate, thank you for coming with me today.”
As I crossed the threshold, leaving her confined hell behind us, I stared at the markings on the door jamb again. One thousand fifty-nine “somethings.”
Anthony took her by the hand and walked out ahead of us to the car while Matt and I stopped off at the rental office. I didn’t leave a forwarding address because I didn’t want to risk that ass fuck possibly getting hold of it, if he got out of jail anytime soon. I still can’t believe the asshole mailed Sydney those pictures. I should have looked at the postmark on the envelope. It obviously was before he was arrested from his stint at our office building.
Matt invited us to dinner tonight with his family but I declined on our behalf. Today was rough on all of us and I thought we’d be better off relaxing at home in each other’s company. Once we pulled into the driveway, I invited Matt’s dad and brothers to come over tomorrow afternoon with him and Gina for the football game.
“Are you sure?” Matt asked me as Anthony and Sydney headed inside.
“Yeah, absolutely. Tonight we’ll regroup and talk about some things. If something happens, I’ll text you and let you know but otherwise, plan on coming over.”
When I stepped inside I found Sydney in Anthony’s arms on the couch. Both of them looked absolutely beat down and exhausted. I tapped my hand on my leg trying to think of the best thing to do right now. Glancing at my watch I saw that it was nearly 5:00. None of us had eaten since breakfast and the chips and cookies I picked up at the convenience store.
“Sydney, go start the bath water to the temperature Anthony and you like. We’ll be in shortly.”
“Yes, Sir.”
I waited until she was down the hall and then looked over at Anthony. Our plan was for the three of us to take a bath and get the filthy feeling of that torture chamber apartment off our body. After that we’d order pizza for delivery and then sit and talk.
Our bath was relaxing and exactly where we needed to be. Sydney seemed to be doing okay, all things considering. My chest and shoulders felt heavy as I thought about all the shit that must have happened in that apartment. I was certain Anthony felt that weight too.
One thousand fifty-nine something was occupying my mind. Not far behind that was the image of the fucked up coffee table, her footprints on the wall of her closet and a box filled with electro sex stuff.
We sat in the tub until the bubbles started to disappear and then Anthony and I wrapped her up in a warm towel. I knew after so much had been scraped open with her that she was feeling vulnerable. I helped her into her pajamas instead of demanding she be naked while we had dinner. Not tonight. We’ll get back to that again but not tonight.
“Col, I’ll go order dinner if you want to stay and help her dry her hair.”
I knew what Anthony had picked up on. He didn’t want Sydney to be alone any more than necessary right now. She needs us to be on top of her and the best way we can accomplish that is for one of us to hold her.
“What kind of pizza do you guys want?” He asked but then smiled and looked at Sydney. She started to open her mouth but then closed it and smiled when she realized that Anthony was just teasing with her. Sydney was the most predictable person I knew when it came to pizza. There were so many options and varieties, but Sydney always wanted cheese pizza. Anthony winked at her and I played along and told him cheese pizza was good for me tonight as well.
By 8:45 p.m., the three of us were in the sitting room of the downstairs bedroom by the fireplace. We had a lot to talk about and while I wanted to push, I knew that I couldn’t anymore tonight. I’d be doing more damage than good and I recognized this.
“How do you feel baby, knowing that you never have to go back there?”
&nbs
p; “Um, good, I think.” She nodded while she sat in my arms. “No, I am good. I’m happy. That place wasn’t very warm. Heat never worked right and it took forever to get warm water.”
I glanced over at Anthony. Sydney has put so much into proper perspective for Anthony and I. Matt, Anthony and I have lived so comfortably for so long, that sometimes I take for granted things like instant hot water or heat or having a fully stocked pantry. I knew Anthony had to be thinking about his cabin. He has an incredible 3,800 square foot cabin in Brian Head overlooking the ski slopes. Just like Anthony, the place was decked to the nines in technology. Instant hot water, heat, A/C, home automation, hot tub, everything. The most impressive treat in the place are the heated hardwood floors. Sydney would go nuts there. Every Christmas, Anthony, Matt, Gina and I spend about a week up there. Sydney will now join us. I was really excited about this.
“I’m glad that part of your life is over, sunshine.”
“Now that we have had some time to breathe a little, I wanted to talk to you both about making the master bedroom upstairs, our room. It’s bigger. The shower is bigger and the separate tub is bigger and deeper. But I want us to do it right. When I say our room, I mean ours from top to bottom. I want the three of us to go shopping for new bed linens, bath linens and anything we want for it.”
“Yeah, that sounds great,” Anthony said and then turned to face Sydney. “The master bedroom has a balcony. So at night, you can sit outside under the stars.” Sydney’s face lit up and a beautiful smile appeared.
“I’d like that a lot, Sir.”
“Let’s go shopping some night this week after work. While we’re shopping, we need to get you some new clothes and things. Don’t say you have enough, Sydney. Anthony and I decide that now.”
She didn’t argue with us. I decided to bypass heavy topics since it was so close to bedtime. We were all so tired and I thought more discussion might lead to intense nightmares. I already was expecting them, but was going to hope for the best.