by J P Sayle
Ellie frantically pulled out his phone with trembling hands. Oh, fuck, oh, crap.
He wasn’t sure why he rang Nick instead of Brody, but when he answered, he quickly explained what he knew. After last night, he wasn’t sure if he was jumping the gun or if what Nick had said was somehow connected to this whole mess.
When he finished his call, he gave an abbreviated version to Seb about what had happened when they found the dead animal, before saying goodbye with a promise he wasn’t sure he’d keep of staying in touch. As he walked back to work, he worried about how he was going to explain this to Connor when he got home later.
Connor
There was an oddity to the cryptic text message Ellie sent to him before he’d left work that he couldn’t figure out. A subtext he was sure he was missing. The message read:
Daddy, I’ve resolved some issues. We’ll talk about them tonight. Exx
On the whole, he couldn’t say what it was that made his stomach drop, but that and Nick waiting on his doorstep as he drove into the cul-de-sac set his heart racing. It couldn’t be a coincidence, could it?
He parked on the drive, opened the door, and grabbed his bulging briefcase out of the car. No sooner had he taken a step away from the car than Nick was on him like white on rice.
“Have you heard from Ellie?” he all but shouted.
With a nod, he kept the anxiety that started the moment he’d read Ellie’s text to himself. “Yes. He sent me a text to say he was coming here tonight.” Not elaborating about the talking aspect, Connor shifted the bag to his other hand to root for his house key in his pocket, having come up empty in the first pocket he tried.
Once the door was open, Nick followed him in, shut the door, and walked past. He dropped his briefcase at the bottom of the stairs and took off his suit jacket, placing it on the end of the railing. A sense of resignation weighted his shoulders down as he wearily glanced back at Nick. “Can I get a drink first before you drop whatever bombshell you’re holding on to.”
“What, me drop bombshells, I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Nick quipped back, though the smile he wore didn’t quite reach his eyes.
“Come on, troublemaker. Do you want a beer?” Nick nodded, and Connor strode into the kitchen and pulled out two cans from the fridge. After Nick declined a glass, Connor sat at the table and pointed to the seat next to him. “Sit and tell me what’s been happening while I’ve been at work.” Distracted for a moment with thoughts of the coming Easter Ball, Connor remembered he had yet to ask Ellie if he wanted to be his date for the night.
“I’ve lost you. You’ve gone all reflective, and I haven’t said a word yet.”
Making a mental note to ask Ellie when he came later, Connor shrugged. “No, I just remembered I hadn’t asked Ellie if he’ll be my date at the Easter Ball the school are holding. You recall the run-in I had with Miss Reardon? Well, she still hasn’t let it go. There is nothing in my contract that says anything about same-sex relationships being a problem. I’m concerned she is working behind the scenes to get me out. So I’ve decided to make a huge public stand and take my boyfriend to the ball.”
The laughter he’d expected poured out of Nick as he clutched at the table. “Oh, I wish I could go just to see their faces. You go, man. Stick it to them. They need to get it into their thick skulls there is fuck all wrong with being gay. I bet there are loads of gay students that will be more than happy to see an out and proud teacher, never mind their headmaster.”
“Let’s hope so. But I’ve still got to ask Ellie yet, so don’t go counting your chickens.”
“If he says no, which I can’t see how when he only wants to please his Daddy, then I’ll come with you,” Nick offered with humour dancing in his eyes.
Though the offer was genuine, Connor glared at the not-so-subtle hint about his sexual preferences. “I fucking knew you wouldn’t be able to resist getting a dig in. Anyway, stop distracting me and get to the point of why you were hanging around outside.”
A forlorn expression crossed Nick’s face to be replaced with resignation. “I got a phone call from Ellie earlier this afternoon. You know, about the dead animal?”
Connor nodded. How could he forget?
“Well, it seems that Brody’s ex, Luke, hired a private investigator to find out who he was dating.” Nick licked at his lips. “And he gave Ellie’s ex his address,” he said, looking sheepishly at Connor.
Beer spilt on the table as Connor fired out of the chair. “What! You mean Seb’s here? Now?” Oh, Christ, now Ellie’s text made complete sense. He’s leaving me.
His legs shook as he stumbled back to the chair, his face drained of all colour.
“What’s wrong? Why do you look like I’ve just shot you?”
Emotions he couldn’t control rolled over him like a steamroller, leaving his chest squashed and him struggling to pull air into his lungs. “He’s leaving me.” Once the words left his lips, tears rolled down his cheeks. The devastation came out in big racking sobs as he buried his head in his hands.
“How the fuck do you figure that out?” Nick demanded as he wrapped his arms around Connor’s shaking shoulders. “For a clever man, you can be stupid at times. Did Ellie not more than twenty-four hours ago declare his love for you?”
Sniffing, Connor wiped at his face, lifting his head to look at Nick, hope flickering to life. “You think I’m overreacting?”
“Duh, man, yeah, I do. I’m so not sure how you went from Ellie seeing Seb to him leaving you. But whatever. Get over yourself. He loves you. You are soul mates. Nothing changes or trumps that.”
As soon as Nick spoke, Connor recognised the truth and how stupid he was being. He hugged Nick before standing and going to the kitchen sink to splash some cold water on his face. He took a couple of breaths, allowing himself the time to get himself under control. His new fragile feelings of love for Ellie bloomed and gave him the strength to turn and face Nick and his stupidity.
He gave him a sheepish smile once he’d wiped his face on the tea towel lying next to the sink. “I did overreact a little, hmm?”
“Understatement much? You wait till I tell Ellie,” Nick said, his hand scratching at his chin, eyes alight with mischief.
Connor was across the room in a second flat. “Don’t you dare.”
“What’s it worth?”
He glowered at Nick’s cheeky reply, but he was resigned to having to cough up something. “What do you want?” Not waiting for Nick’s answer Connor sat back down and swiped at the spilt beer with the cloth he still held.
“I’ll think about it and let you know. My lips are sealed,” Nick said as he winked and picked up his beer to take a sip.
After Nick left, having offloaded his own worry about what Luke might be capable of, Connor went to have a shower and wait for Ellie to arrive. Back downstairs half an hour later, he pottered about in the kitchen, making a simple pasta sauce, not sure what time Ellie would come. He never seemed to finish work at the same time, Connor had noted. Were Brody and Aaden expecting Ellie to finish up his work before leaving? Connor’s brow pinched. Maybe I should have a word with them? It wasn’t right to make his boy work long hours.
While he continued to stand at the stove, stirring the sauce, Connor chewed his lip between his teeth. Something else had been playing on his mind. Was it too soon to ask Ellie to move in with him? They’d been dating several weeks, even though it felt like forever. He wasn’t sure if asking would make him look a little desperate.
How many times had Andy said he was just a desperate older man? Don’t go there.
Ellie is different. When that thought registered, the burning at the back of his throat disappeared. My boy loves me. Oh.
His hand stopped stirring. The spoon hovered midair as he stared blankly at the stove. The true meaning of the declaration from the day before hit harder than a wrecking ball. His body juddered, and sauce splattered his top as the spoon landed in the pot. He loves me.
That little p
hrase swam around his head on repeat, understanding dawning that this was real. Even though he’d sort of acknowledged it before, it was only now really sinking in. His heart took flight and soared in the rapture of knowing he was truly loved.
“Well, it’s about time, don’t you think?” Morgana asked as she strolled into the kitchen and pulled him from his internal love fest.
Only then did he notice the state of his shirt covered in red splatters. “Fuck,” he muttered. Resigned, he switched off the stove, ignoring Morgana.
Her laughter followed him out of the kitchen as he went to go upstairs. When he was midway up the stairs, the doorbell rang. Cursing again, he swung back around and headed back down. He opened the door, a smile lighting his face as Ellie stepped towards him.
When Ellie’s eyes lowered and landed on his chest, his face fell. “What happened? Are you all right?” he squealed, his hands moving towards the red splatters.
Confused, Connor glanced down, realising the stains looked like blood. “It’s sauce, sweetheart. I had a little incident with a spoon,” he explained as he stepped to Ellie and gave him a quick kiss, holding his chest back to avoid getting any of it on him.
By the time he’d finished kissing Ellie and changed into fresh clothing, Connor felt a little more in control of himself. As he walked back into the kitchen, he spotted Ellie at the cooker, keeping an eye on the pots. He gave him a grateful smile.
They worked together to set the table and plate up the food. When they sat down, Connor tucked into the food and waited to see how long it would take for Ellie to mention Seb.
The minutes ticked by as they both ate in silence. Connor was about to break the silence when Ellie spoke.
“Daddy, I met… I was… ah, shit.” His fork clattered on the empty plate as his hands raked through his blond hair, making it stand on end.
“It’s all right, sweetheart. Take a breath. Do you want to sit on Daddy’s knee to talk about what’s bothering you?”
At the small nod, Connor shifted his chair away from the table and beckoned Ellie over. Once he was tucked into Connor’s side, his head resting on his chest, Ellie talked.
“I went to meet Gemma today, and while I was out, I bumped into Seb.” He let out a shuddering breath before carrying on, “We sat and talked out our past issues. He has met someone else, and he came here to find me so he could apologise for being a dick to me.”
The worry that hadn’t quite let go from earlier slipped off his shoulders, and Connor sagged, his arms tightening around Ellie.
“It would seem I’d been overreacting and he hasn’t been stalking me for months.” He said it with such sadness, though Connor wasn’t sure why that would be.
“Are you upset because he gave up?” The question was out before he could think better of it.
Ellie’s brow pinched when his head tilted back to look at him. “What are you asking, Daddy?”
“You sounded so sad when you said he hadn’t been searching for you.” He shrugged, not sure how to explain.
Ellie’s nose wrinkled as his chin lifted. “Oh, Daddy, I’m sad because I didn’t face this sooner, and I lost all that time being scared to live. Not for any other reason. I love you, Daddy, you know that, right?”
There was uncertainty in the question that made Connor lower his mouth and capture Ellie’s in a blistering kiss. It seared him, and heat flooded his body when Ellie yielded to him. Small moans infused his mouth as he deepened the kiss, their tongues sliding sensuously against each other. The pleasure flowed through Connor, and with it came an aching need to lay claim to what belonged to him. To reaffirm the love that was surging through his body.
Emotions so powerful, he trembled as he stood, gripping Ellie under his legs. His mouth never left Ellie’s as he blindly headed for the door, needing to reaffirm their love.
His chest heaved when Ellie grunted and cried out.
“Shit, did I hit your head on the door frame?”
Ellie’s eyes rolled while he rubbed at his head. “What do you think, Daddy? You need to look where you’re going if you don’t want to give me a concussion.”
With an urge to laugh, Connor folded his lips together to keep it at bay, not sure his boy would appreciate him laughing at his outraged expression.
“I’ll be more careful in future,” he said as a wayward bubble of laughter came out.
“That is so not nice, Daddy. You shouldn’t be laughing at me. You could have hurt me. I think I’m gonna have to spank you for that,” Ellie said, his brows raised as if he was warming to the idea.
“Erm, I don’t think so.”
Ellie
Ellie hid his face in Connor’s chest to hide the gleam in his eyes. There was more than a little worry when Daddy spoke, but Ellie had also seen something else: resignation. It was making him consider if he had the courage to suggest he get to be the one to give a spanking. For some reason, once the idea took root, it wouldn’t let go. He loved being Connor’s boy. Nothing was better than allowing Connor to look after him, but he’d never experimented, and now the idea of Connor letting him set his pulse pounding.
When Connor walked into the bedroom and lowered him to the floor, Ellie asked, “Daddy, are you going to let me give you the spanking you deserve?” His childlike tone worked wonders. Connor flushed, his big body shuddering as he stepped back from Ellie as though he had turned into a stick of dynamite.
Not letting him go, Ellie followed, keeping close. His eyes begged for what he wanted. “Please, Daddy, I want to spank you.” His lashes lowered and hid the gleam of satisfaction when Connor gave him a stilted nod. The air got trapped in his lungs a second later, and his gaze was back on Connor.
“Once you’ve spanked Daddy, I’m going to get my ruler, and I’m going to teach you it’s naughty to use that voice on me like that.” At the very real threat, Ellie shivered, and his cock, already half-hard at thoughts of spanking Daddy, turned to steel and left him dizzy as the blood gathered in his groin.
Struggling to keep from demanding they forgo Connor’s spanking, Ellie ground his teeth together. Daddy first. Daddy first. He kept up the litany as Connor demanded he strip. They stood opposite each other, and Ellie did as he was told. With each piece of clothing he removed, Connor followed suit until they were both naked and aroused. Liking this new game, Ellie waited to see what Connor would do next.
“How do you want me for the spanking?” Connor asked, his eyes darting to the bed.
Ellie’s mind filled with visions of Connor bent over, feet on the ground and his chest on the mattress. Without a second thought, he eagerly demanded just that. With Connor splayed out for his pleasure, he wasn’t sure he would be able to stop himself from coming the minute he spanked the firm, round arse.
As if reading his thoughts, Connor twisted his head to look at him. “You aren’t allowed to come until Daddy tells you to, understood, boy?”
With a reluctant nod, Ellie stood at the side of the bed. His gaze moved back to the delicious sight of Connor’s arse. His hands trembled with excitement as they gently caressed the firm flesh. The moan it elicited caused Ellie to clench his thighs. His cock throbbed and got him leaning forward. His hand lifted and landed hard. The slap stung his palm and left a red handprint on Connor’s buttock. It had to have hurt, but Daddy didn’t move, lying there, chest heaving.
Ellie chewed on his lip, not sure if his hand was going to enjoy giving a proper spanking. He gave another slap, only this time with half the effort of the first.
Connor grunted, “Harder, boy, because when it’s my turn, I’m not going to hold back.”
Oh god, what have I done?
His hand rose and came down on the other cheek. The heat and sting in his palm increased as he gave several more firm spanks. With each one, Connor’s grunts grew louder, and his body twitched against the mattress.
“That’s it, Daddy. Feel how it burns,” he said, using the childish tone Connor loved, his arousal now connected to Connor’s. His cock bounce
d with each slap he delivered, ramping up his expectation of what was to come once Connor got his turn.
“You’re such a good Daddy for me,” he moaned after landing the next blow.
His hand stilled in midair when Connor mewled, his whole body rigid before his hips ground against the bed. His full body heaved as he panted through what appeared to be an orgasm.
Ellie’s mouth opened and shut before he could find his tongue. “Daddy, did you just come?” The disbelief in his own voice would have been funny if not for the flushed, sweaty face that was looking directly at him. “You did! Oh my god, I spanked the cum right out of you.” He all but danced on the spot, unable to contain the bubbling excitement at having been able to do that.
“All right, there’s no need to go on about it,” Connor said, mortification clouding his face.
Eyes sparkling, Ellie clamped his mouth shut, saying nothing more. His jubilance had masked his own need until Connor’s gaze lowered to his cock. He gulped suddenly, recalling what he was going to do to him.
“Your turn, but you don’t get to come until I say.” The evil smirk lighting Connor’s face as he rolled off the bed and headed for the door left Ellie struggling to swallow.
He shouted after him, “Where are you going, Daddy?”
“To get my ruler,” Connor replied, making Ellie gasp and clutch at the base of his cock to stop himself from coming.
When Connor strolled back into the room not a minute later, Ellie wasn’t entirely convinced he was going to be able to control himself. He’d never been good at holding back his orgasm, and he didn’t think he was going to get any better at it with the gleam he saw as Connor walked towards him.
“Shall we get you situated on the bed?”