by S A Clements
“You’re right. Those floors are so hard.” Cooper pulled away. He looked down at the table and his eyes widened. “What are you reading?”
“Oh, that,” Jason flushed. “I thought it was another one of your heavy lit books,” Cooper flipped the cover over to reveal The World of Sexual Dominance and Submission. “I didn’t know they had stuff like this in the library.”
“Yeah, well, you didn’t ask.”
Cooper barked out a laugh. “Don’t tell me you asked the librarian with the moustache….”
“No, I asked the short one. They keep it behind the desk with the books on nude photography. They get stolen a lot, apparently.”
“That is so like you,” Cooper said, still grinning. “Doing research.”
“Apparently I’m pretty good at it.” “Getting ideas?” “A few,” Jason absently rubbed the leather band on his wrist. He tended to play with it a lot, comforted by its weight on his body.
Cooper noticed and grabbed Jason’s hand, holding his arm out. “You’re still wearing that?” “You put it on me,” Jason said softly. He hoped that said it all. He didn’t get it at first, but he figured it out quickly. He wanted to belong to Cooper, like Cooper belonged to Lexi. Jason was choosing Cooper.
Cooper ran his fingers along the edges of it, on skin that was hypersensitive from being constantly rubbed against the leather. “This one is the CatsEye logo. I’ll get you a better one, matching ones for both wrists.”
“With your name on them?” Jason raised an eyebrow.
“Jason,” Cooper dropped his arm. “You ran. You left us. Now you’re suddenly fine with this?”
“I went to see Lexi,” Jason admitted, though Cooper probably knew. “I never felt like that, like I belonged somewhere, to you both. I guess I got scared.”
Cooper laughed and dropped onto the table, kicking his feet out like a little kid. “You’re like a cat, you know?”
“Excuse me? Are you calling me a pussy?” Jason shot back.
He got his leg kicked for his trouble.
“No, asshole. You’re like a stray that comes around to drink the milk that’s left out, but won’t let himself get too comfortable. Not until the tuna’s on the plate anyway.” “That makes absolutely no sense,” Jason protested. But even as he spoke, he knew it for truth. He never liked getting close to anyone. He might complain and bitch about there not being any good men around, but when presented with one, he ran. “You’re the one with cat eyes, anyway.”
Cooper hooked one long leg around Jason’s waist and drew him close. “Don’t want you running on me again, kitty.” Jason rolled his eyes at the nickname. He slid his arms around Cooper and leaned in; he needed to put some marks of his own around Cooper’s pretty neck. Guy needed to take it if he could dish it out. “Not going anywhere, promise.”
“Good kitty,” Cooper said, just as Jason opened his mouth for a nibble.
Cooper's yelp was heard several floors away.
*** “Kiss him.” Jason wanted to obey Lexi’s soft command, he really did, but Cooper lurked just out of reach, just watching Jason, back arched and head extended, straining toward him. He wanted Cooper to reach back.
Cooper had kept his promise, replacing Jason’s leather cuff with two new leather bands, decorated on one side with links of metal rods stacked against each other in a unique pattern. The back clasps made it possible to bind Jason’s wrists together with nothing more than a simple lock.
So they had bound him, nude, on the plush carpeted floor of the apartment Cooper and Lexi shared. They had taken Jason into their lives and into their bedroom. Unlike the hotel-like room at CatsEye, this room was lived in and loved. There might be hooks in the headboard and a boxful of toys at the foot of the bed, but there was also a basket of laundry in the corner and a pile of books on the end table.
Cooper’s gentle hands had locked Jason’s arms around his back and pushed him to his knees. Lexi had wrapped the ring around his cock. Together they had spread his legs and locked them to a long pole, keeping them spread and keeping Jason’s cock free from illicit friction.
“Be good and watch, kitten,” Cooper had winked. Jason hated the nickname, only marginally better than kitty. But Cooper had given him the name. “Yes, Cooper,” he said. He trusted them; even bound like this, the two would stop everything if he just called “red.”
But then he had to watch Cooper fuck Lexi over the side of their king-sized bed. He strained at his bonds, leather scraping at his skin, cock hard and weeping against his belly. It was almost too much to bear, watching Cooper spread Lexi out on the bed and slipping between her thighs. They both knew it, too, putting on a show, grunting and grinding against each other. Jason wanted Cooper between his thighs, thrusting that long cock inside him, filling him.
He watched Cooper move, watched him roll his hips at the perfect angle. He listened to Lexi cry out, those perfect whimpering cries that made him leak pre-come all over himself. He could smell them over the vanilla-scented candles Lexi had lit earlier, slowly being consumed by the heat of their bodies generating pure musk.
And then Cooper pressed gentle kisses all around her face, pulling away from his satisfied mistress. He pulled the condom off his still hard prick and turned toward Jason, that predatory smirk still on his face. Lexi sat up and decreed, “Kiss him.”
Finally, finally Cooper made it across the room. He dropped to all fours just in front of Jason and crawled the final few feet and captured his lips. Jason stopped straining and unclenched his fists. Finally, Cooper’s tongue slipped against his own, the taste of Lexi and sweetness overwhelming his mouth.
“Touch him,” Lexi said. She sat up against the headboard, finger of one hand slowly trailing between her legs. “Mark him; show him he’s yours, pup.” “Please,” Jason begged, fighting against the cuffs. He wanted to touch Cooper, too, wanted to slide his fingers over that sweat-slick skin, lick down that powerful chest and latch onto one pink nipple.
First Cooper cupped Jason’s face between his hands, stroking his cheeks. Then he tilted Jason’s head to the side and clamped on to his favorite spot under Jason’s ear, teeth sharp against the sensitive skin.
“Please,” Jason said again. He needed more, wanted to feel Cooper all over. Fingernails scraped down his back, causing him to arch up into that bite. Cooper kept him caught between his hands and his mouth, licking down Jason’s chest and sucking first one nipple and then the other, until they were both red and tight. Cooper grasped Jason’s butt cheeks, separating them and kneading the soft flesh.
“I can’t,” Jason moaned. He ached everywhere, his skin hypersensitive. “Shh,” Cooper leaned down and licked just the tip of his cock, savoring the drop of fluid pooled in the slit. Jason’s cock twitched in response. Then Cooper slipped a finger at the entrance of Jason’s hole, circling it carefully.
Jason threw his head back. The stimulation was almost too much. He met Lexi’s eyes across the room, watching as her fingers disappeared inside her slit. She smiled and nodded. “Open him up, Cooper. Let’s fuck him.”
“God,” Jason moaned.
“Be good, kit,” Cooper drew away for a moment. He came back with a large bottle of lube and settled behind Jason. “Lean forward a bit.” Next time, Jason thought, he would prep himself in advance, so they wouldn’t need to bother with this. He wanted Cooper now, and he didn’t want to wait to be lubed and stretched. Maybe he’d pick out one of the plugs Cooper had showed him earlier and work it in slowly, wear it all day long in anticipation of being Cooper’s boy later.
Cooper unstrapped the bindings around Jason’s legs, rubbing his ankles to ease the feeling of blood rushing back. He pushed down on Jason’s lower back, pushing him forward. He balanced carefully, body strung tight as Cooper squirted the lube directly inside Jason’s hole. Cooper followed with one thick finger.
“I can take it,” Jason closed his eyes and just concentrated on feeling. Everything seemed so vivid. Cooper’s finger felt so large. His arms strained
against the bindings, the muscles burning. His nipples ached and yearned to be touched again.
A finger at his chin forced him to look up despite the awkward angle. Lexi stroked his chin with her thumb. She looked amazing, skin flushed and glistening with sweat. Her nipples tightened against her plush breasts and he wanted to bury his face between them. Instead, he was level with her clit, so he pushed forward and licked experimentally.
“Oh, you naughty boy,” she laughed. She caught her hands in his hair and drew him forward, and Cooper continued to spear him, slipping more fingers inside and twisting them just right.
She always tasted so sweet, like she was made for him to lick and pleasure. As much as he wanted Cooper inside him, he wanted this, too.
“C’mon, I want to ride him,” Cooper said. Lexi pulled away, leaving Jason bereft, a trail of her honey covering his lips. He licked them slowly, watching her shiver at the sight. “Get on the bed, cowboy,” Lexi said. “I’ll bring the kitten.”
Cooper moved and Jason felt open and empty. He watched the other man drop onto the bed. Cooper slid on a condom and lay back, hands propped behind his head. “Stay still one second.” Lexi undid the cock ring, clamping down on the base of his cock, dampening his arousal just slightly, long enough for her to slide another condom on him. Where she had hid it, he had no idea. “Now go to him, kitten.”
He didn’t mind the nickname so much from her. It felt like it belonged, like he belonged to Lexi too, despite the bite marks and bruises all along his torso that staked Cooper’s claim. Her ownership might not be physical, but it ran just as deep.
Jason stumbled to his feet, Lexi’s hand on his arm kept him from falling. Cooper watched, his eyes soft. Once he got to the bed it was easier, easy to get back on his knees and straddle Cooper. “Other way, kit,” Cooper said, turning Jason so he faced away from him.
“Ease down,” Cooper held Jason’s ass open. Jason swallowed and eased down on that cock. It felt like he slid forever, Cooper filling him deeper than he’d ever been filled before.
Cooper growled beneath him.
“Easy,” Lexi stroked Jason’s hair as he adjusted to the girth inside him. He concentrated on her touch. “All right?”
“Yeah,” he gasped. She pulled at one of his legs, straightening it out. It changed the angle and sent Cooper impossibly deeper inside him.
Then Lexi climbed over him, spread her lips and sank down on his dick. Finally, oh God, yeah. Jason bucked up into her, surrounded by perfect tight heat. He slid down onto Cooper and groaned. Cooper gripped his waist, just above Lexi’s legs, keeping them both balanced as Jason rocked between them.
Caught between the two, after much too much stimulation, Jason couldn’t last. He thrust up hard one last time, then back down until Cooper had him speared to the hilt. Jason gave in, throwing his head back and keening as his orgasm rushed through him.
“Yeah, let it out, kit,” Cooper moaned. “Yeah, yeah, yeah….” His fingers scratched at Jason’s skin, holding on with an almost bruising grip as he came. Lexi slid off them both, falling to their right, breathing heavily. Cooper rolled so Jason was on his side and unclipped the cuffs, running his hands up and down his arms as the feeling came rushing back. He peppered Jason’s back with kisses and nibbles.
Jason relaxed into the touches, fighting sleep. He closed his eyes as Lexi caressed his face. “Mmm.”
“Sleep, Jason, we’ll take care of you.”
“Gonna keep me?” he mumbled, all open and raw after coming. Cooper’s hands tightened around his arm.
“Yeah, kitty,” Cooper said. “Gonna keep you.” Jason curled against them both, folding his arms around his body, comforted by the leather bands around his wrists. This might not be his white picket fence, or, hell, his committed relationship and a ranch, but Jason had found his own way. He belonged here, nestled securely between Cooper and Lexi.
Birds of a Feather By Dianne Fox
“Going to fly away?” Anil trilled, grinning. Ross knew the look of that grin. He’d seen it far too many times already, almost daily since he’d come to the city six years ago. It was sharp and cruel, and he hated it. As with most times he saw that smile, Anil was backed up by a crowd of friends. All of them smelled alike, dusty and familiar. Birds of a feather.
They crowded around him, an impenetrable wall of hatred. People walked by, strangers, but it didn’t matter. He didn’t matter. No one would meet his eyes; no one would flinch at his cries. They didn’t care about one freak bird. They just played blind and deaf, like always. In some ways, it was a blessing. At least he didn’t have to worry about anyone else joining in.
He didn’t have to worry about getting away, either. There was no way out. Even if there had been a gap between Anil’s friends, Ross knew better than to run. Trying to get away would only make it worse. He’d learned that lesson a long time ago. He had to stand his ground and take it. It would be over faster that way, hurt less. Knowing the truth of it didn’t make it easier. Every instinct said to run. To fly.
“Oh, I forgot. You can’t fly, isn’t that right, little freak?” Ross cringed. Being unable to shift, unable to become human or bird, marked him as lesser, even worse than if he were just a human. Hiding his deformity would have saved him the public humiliation, but it was difficult to disguise his massive brown wings or the downy feathers trailing down the back of his neck. He’d been able to find work, but the price was that he had to deal with Anil.
Some days, he wasn’t sure it was worth it. Ross nodded, closing his eyes so he wouldn’t have to see the looks on the faces of Anil and his friends. Practice didn’t make this any easier, either. He couldn’t shift, so he couldn’t fly. His wings weren’t strong enough to carry a human body. It wouldn’t have been so bad, maybe, if he was halfway between man and wolf, but birds were meant to fly. He could feel it in his bones every day, that need to push off and feel nothing but air around him. Instead, he was deformed, trapped in the middle and trapped on the land.
“Say it.” Anil shoved Ross backward until his wings smacked hard against the wall behind him. He whimpered. “Say it.”
“I can’t fly,” Ross whispered, slumping to the ground. His wings scraped against the wall and feathers drifted down, fluttering to the dirty pavement around him. The ground was wet from the midday rain; he could feel it seeping through his clothes and into his skin. It chilled him, but not as much as the birds’ laughter. The jumble of their high-pitched twitters was loud even over the sounds of cars passing on the street. It twisted up in his stomach until he was choking, gagging on his own shame.
A quiet growl silenced the laughter. Anil’s flock wasn’t afraid of anything, but when Ross looked up, the birds were all gone, shifted and taken to flight. In their place stood a single man, tall, and with a feline scent about him. His skin was the sort of tan that came not from the sun but from good breeding, his hair was a tumbled mane of golden curls, and his eyes were a warm, honey brown. Leonine, all of it.
It was bad enough being hunted and tormented by his own species. He hadn’t ever had to worry about being attacked by anyone but Anil’s flock, not until tonight. Ross shrank back against the wall. He was nothing more than easy prey for a cat.
“Tau.” The man’s voice was low and warm, like a growl, but the word didn’t mean anything to Ross.
“I’m sorry, I….” “My name,” the man purred, squatting down in front of Ross, so they were at eye level. “My name is Tau.” Ross wasn’t sure why the man would offer his name. Perhaps he was the type who liked his victims to know who had bested them.
“I…I’m….” “Ross,” Tau said smoothly. “I know. I’ve been looking for you.” He lifted one of Ross’ feathers from the ground and smoothed it with his fingers. Watching the delicate touches made Ross shiver.
“What do you want?” He wasn’t important, wasn’t somebody anyone would want to look for.
His question made Tau smile widely enough that his sharp teeth gleamed in the dim light from the street
lights. “You.” Ross looked up at the sky, but Anil and his buddies were long gone. It wasn’t as though they would’ve saved him anyway. Species loyalty would’ve only worked in his favor if he’d actually been a shifter. As it was, he supposed he was probably lucky this was the first time anyone other than the birds had cornered him.
“What do you want from me?” he asked, pushing limp strands of muddy brown hair out of his face. “I don’t have anything.” He was just barely getting by.
“I don’t want anything from you, Ross,” Tau said, sounding almost gentle. He stood, offering Ross a hand up. Ross slipped his hand into Tau’s on instinct; he only realized what he’d done when he was being drawn up to his feet. He jerked his hand away, stumbling back against the wall before he caught his balance. The impact sent more damaged feathers fluttering to the ground around him. “You…don’t?”
Tau shook his head. “I don’t want anything from you. I want you.”
“Me.” Ross blinked and looked down at his feet. “You want…me? Why? I’m not…I’m not anything special.” “No?” Tau smiled, his teeth showing again. “Are you sure about that?” Ross didn’t know what to say to that. Tau didn’t seem to need him to say anything, though. “Think about it,” he purred, slipping something into the front pocket of Ross’ pants. “Give me a call when you’ve made up your mind.”
Ross just gaped at him, still shaken from his encounter with Anil and the others, and now confused by Tau’s…. Was it an offer? A demand? Whatever it was, it was nothing but confusing to Ross.
Tau looked to the sky and asked, “Will you be safe to get home tonight?” Ross followed Tau’s gaze; he could just make out the shapes of the birds against the starlit sky. Would Anil come back to torment him more? He didn’t know. Anil had never been interrupted before, never stopped until he was finished.
“I’ll be fine,” he said. It didn’t matter if Anil found him again. It wasn’t Tau’s responsibility to keep him safe.
***
“Oh, Ross. Again?” That, too, had become a familiar refrain. Where Anil’s voice was sharp like a knife’s edge, though, Lindy’s was smooth like silk. Ross nodded again, but this time, instead of being pushed further, he was pulled into a warm hug. Lindy always gave the best hugs. Ross sank into it, tucking his wings down and kicking the door closed behind him.