Firm Hand

by Nora Phoenix

  Cornell nodded. "I know, Daddy."

  He unpacked the cage, holding it in his hand. It was sturdy, heavy, made out of expensive-looking metal. "I've only worn one years ago," he said. He had to clear his throat before he could continue. "With Arnold. It was something he wanted to try, but I didn't like it."

  Rhys is jaw tightened. "Then we won't try it."

  Cornell put a hand on his arm, meeting his eyes again. "I want to try with you, Daddy. I'm a little apprehensive, but there's also excitement mixed in."

  "What happened with Arnold?" Rhys asked, and Cornell thought that was the first time he'd referred to him by just his name. "Why didn't you like it?"

  In hindsight, it was so much easier to see. When he'd been in the middle of it, trying to figure out why things weren't working, it had been so much harder.

  "He wanted me to wear it for long periods of time, like days and even weeks. It was very much a power issue for him, the fact that he could control me like that."

  Rhys cocked his head, looking at him intently. "I'm not in any way choosing his side, but that's not uncommon behavior or motivation for a Dom."

  "Granted, but most Doms do it for the right reason, which is to bring their sub pleasure as well. Arnold only did it so he could use me and not have to worry about my pleasure. After all, if I was locked in a cage, he didn't have to spend time making me come."

  Rhys's eyes widened, and his mouth hardened. "Cornell, that's absolutely unacceptable," he said, and it had been the first time in days, maybe even weeks, that he’d called him by his actual name. "That man doesn't deserve to call himself a Dom, not with behavior like that."

  Cornell let out a sigh. "I know, but I didn't see it at the time. To his credit, he did honor me safe wording out of that, and afterward, I made it a hard limit."

  Rhys shook his head. "Honoring a safe word is not to his credit. It's the bare minimum requirement."

  Cornell could hear the simmering anger in his voice, and it warmed his heart, because he knew it was on his behalf. "There's a lot I can see now that I didn't see back then. Just to be clear, our relationship wasn't abusive. It never went that far, but he definitely wasn't considerate, and I think it's safe to say that he used me. Jonas, your dad, he pointed it out multiple times, but it took me a long time to realize he was right."

  Rhys cupped his cheek, and his brown eyes were filled with worry. "Sweetheart, if this is such a trigger for you, are you sure we should do it? There are so many other things we can try."

  Cornell loved him for that, but then again, it was only one more item on a long list of reasons why he loved Rhys. "I want to try it with you, because I know you're not like that. But maybe we should try with a shorter period?"

  "God, yes. I wanted to propose you'd wear it for maybe two hours or so, just to get used to it. And if at any time you want to stop, just say the word. I won't ever hold it against you."

  Cornell leaned in for a kiss, because he needed his Daddy's lips on his right now. He was rewarded with a soft, sweet kiss that made his heart sing.

  "I'm so proud of you for trying," Daddy whispered, and that praise alone was enough for Cornell to know he’d done the right thing.

  Then Daddy went to his knees, kneeling in front of Cornell as he handed him the cage. Luckily, he was so nervous that his dick was completely soft, which made it easy to put on. Daddy double-checked it before he snapped it shut and turned the key to lock it.

  "You'd better not lose that," Cornell said, his voice wavering a little.

  Rhys rose to his feet and smiled, holding up the key. "Not a chance, sweetheart. I've got you. How does it feel?"

  Cornell looked down at himself. It was a strange sight to see his cock wrapped up like that. "It looks really small like this," he said, not sure he liked that part.

  "Well, you are smaller than me," Daddy said.

  Cornell's head shot up to protest, but then he saw the laugh on Daddy's lips. He was teasing him, the bastard. "You're mean," he said. "You're a mean Daddy."

  Daddy’s smile only widened as he held up the key again. "If I were you, I'd be a little nicer to the man who holds the key to your dick."

  He had a point there, Cornell had to concede. He looked down at himself again, moving a little to see how the metal would feel against his skin. It had been cold at first, but it was warming up to his body temperature now, and the cage was surprisingly comfortable. It probably would be unless he got hard.

  Uh oh. "How exactly were you planning on experimenting, Daddy?" he asked, already knowing he wasn't going to like the answer.

  The smile Daddy sent him was downright devious. "Oh, nothing specific. But to make sure it fits correctly, I'll have to keep an eye on it, so I think it's better if you don't get dressed. I've already increased the heating so you won't get cold."

  Okay, so he was to walk around naked for a bit. He could do that, even if it embarrassed him to be on display like that. He'd done it before, and Daddy had loved it, so there was that.

  "Of course, I'll need to make sure the cage doesn't prohibit you in any way, so we'll have to run some tests."

  Cornell decided there was a distinct glee to Daddy’s voice he didn't trust at all. "Tests?"

  Daddy nodded, his face serious, but his eyes still sparkling. "Nothing big. But of course, I do need to make sure that their claim one can pee while wearing it is accurate. And I need to make sure that I can fuck you with the cage on, so we'll have to run some tests there as well."

  Cornell's heart skipped a few beats, and his stomach swirled as much in anticipation as dread. He was so fucked.

  * * *

  “Let me inspect you, sweetheart,” Rhys said for the second time that hour.

  Cornell shot him a dark look, but he dutifully got up from his chair and presented himself to Rhys. Because he was still seated, Cornell’s groin was right at eye level, and wasn’t that handy? Rhys leaned forward, making a bit of a show of studying Cornell’s dick. He lifted it up, looking at the cage from every side.

  “You look so pretty like this,” he told him again, waiting for that telltale blush on Cornell’s cheeks. Ah, there it was, accompanied by the expected flash of annoyance in his eyes. “Next time, we should accessorize it with some matching nipple clamps.”

  Oh, Cornell wanted to hurt him right now, his eyes shooting daggers. But he didn’t say anything, and Rhys admired his self-control.

  “Hold position for me while I make a call,” he told him.

  Cornell’s eyes darkened even more as he obeyed, and Rhys took out his phone and called Ford. He’d already texted him to make sure it was an appropriate time.

  “Hey, kiddo, what’s up?”

  It was funny, being called kiddo now didn’t bother Rhys anymore. “Hey man, how have you been?”

  Ford chuckled. “Better than ever. I found me a sub with a fondness for flogging, and you know how much I love that shit. Did a workout on him yesterday, and the boy was flying a mile high. I got legit muscle pain, man, that’s how long it had been. And you?”

  Rhys looked at Cornell, standing in front of him with that tight jaw that communicated his inner battle. He stroked his cock through the cage, then his balls, which earned him a pair of narrowed eyes. To warn him, he twisted his right nipple, making him hiss.

  Ford laughed. “I know that sound,” he said.

  “Someone needed a little reminder of what being a good boy entails,” Rhys said.

  “Your sub?” Ford asked, and Rhys understood he meant Cornell.

  “My sweet, perfect boy,” he said. “He moved in with me permanently.”

  Ford whistled between his teeth. “Big steps, baby. I’m happy for you. I take it things are working out between you and Cornell then?”

  “I’m his Daddy,” Rhys said.

  “I’ll be damned,” Ford said. “I never saw that coming, and yet it makes perfect sense.”

  “I know the feeling,” Rhys said. “It was like everything clicked into place.”

  “I’m
so proud of you, Rhys. That’s a big step for someone your age, especially considering the age difference. That makes me happy, man, that you two have found what works for you.”

  Rhys couldn’t help but smile as he looked at Cornell. “I love him so much,” he said softly, watching as Cornell’s eyes found his, changing into that soft look he knew all too well. Gah, he was getting all mushy inside, but how could he not, when he’d found perfection? “And he loves me too.”

  “Oh man, you’re making me tear up,” Ford said. “Congrats. I couldn’t be happier for you."

  Rhys couldn’t be happier either, he thought. His heart was so full, it felt like it would explode. “I gotta go,” he said. “I have a boy who needs to know who his Daddy is.”

  Cornell didn’t say anything, but his eyes were hot and heavy on Rhys as he went back to fondling him. Of course he didn’t protest, because he loved it as much as Rhys did, just like he’d loved being forced to pee with Cornell casually leaning against the door, watching him. He’d been so turned on and so embarrassed at the same time that it had taken him a few minutes before he’d managed it, after which Rhys had praised him to high heaven for being such a good boy. The look on Cornell’s face had shown how mixed up his emotions were about all of it.

  “Turn around and bend over for me,” he told him. “I want to see how it looks from the backside.”

  Cornell let out a little gasp, his eyes widening in horror as he stood frozen to the spot. Rhys lifted an eyebrow. “Problem?”

  Those cheeks grew fiery red, and how Rhys loved that, reveling in the shuffling of the boy’s feet and the slight squirming before he finally turned around. He bent over slowly, his legs spread wide enough so Rhys had a perfect view. Cornell couldn’t hold that position for long, but that wasn’t important. It was the act itself that mattered, the way he had to spread himself open for Rhys, offer up that pink hole for him to see.

  “I’m suddenly ravenous,” Rhys said, and that was all the warning he gave Cornell before he bent in and buried his face in the man’s ass, going straight for his prize. Cornell screamed in surprise, his knees buckling as Rhys’s mouth found that sweet hole and kissed it, licked it, then tongued it.

  Cornell’s legs gave out again, and Rhys let out a grunt of frustration. He pulled back, grabbed Cornell by his waist and pushed him sideways on the couch so he tumbled facedown onto it. “Make yourself comfortable,” he told him. “I’m gonna be awhile.”

  God, he loved pleasuring his boy like this, spreading him wide open and fucking him with his tongue until he had him squirming on the couch. It only took a few minutes to discover that this was the sweetest torture for Cornell, who loved being rimmed, sensitive as he was to touch, but who couldn’t maintain an erection with his cock locked up. The sounds he made, Rhys drank them all in, spurred on by the frustrated mewls, desperate sighs, until finally, Cornell gave in and started begging for Rhys to take his cage off. And still, Rhys feasted on him, getting almost high on his sounds and suffering.

  “Please, Daddy, please take it off… It’s too good, I can’t take this,” Cornell pleaded for the tenth time or so.

  Rhys checked the clock. The cage had been on for two hours. That was long enough for a first time. Plus, he wanted Cornell to associate it with pleasure, not with frustration. Not the bad kind, anyway. It had been long enough.

  He dug up the key from his pocket. “Turn over for me.”

  The look on Cornell’s face was pure relief. “Oh god, thank you, Daddy.”

  He had it off in seconds, and Cornell winced as his cock filled instantly. “Please, can I come?”

  Rhys knelt next to the couch and took that gorgeous dick into his mouth, wanting to feel his boy come. Cornell’s hands fisted his hair none too gently, and he fucked into his mouth, hitting the back of his throat with uncoordinated moves. Rhys gagged a little, but it was fine. This wouldn’t take long, not with how on edge Cornell was. Seconds later, Cornell’s body spasmed, and he screamed as he came, his whole body shaking with the force of his release.

  Rhys stretched out on the couch next to him and held him as he came down, gently rubbing his back as he murmured over and over again how perfect he was and how much he loved him.

  Epilogue

  One Month Later

  Rhys had to suppress a deep sigh when his phone rang and he spotted who it was.

  “Your mom?” Cornell asked, apparently able to read the annoyance on his face.

  “Yeah. I gotta take it.”

  If he didn’t, things would just get worse. She’d tried to contact him plenty of times, and he’d told her he needed time, but that line didn’t work anymore, not after a whole month.

  “Mom,” he said.

  It took her a second or two to answer, maybe because she was shocked he was actually picking up this time. “Rhys! Thank you for answering,” she said, confirming his thoughts.

  “What’s up, Mom?” he asked. Granted, it wasn’t the nicest way to restart the conversation, but he still wasn’t feeling particularly warm toward her after the way she’d torn into Cornell.

  “Erm, okay,” she stammered. “I erm… I wanted to ask if I could stop by to see you.”

  That didn’t sound like his overbearing, confident mother at all, and Rhys’s heart softened a little. “Let’s try a phone conversation first and see how that goes, hmm?” he said.

  “Oh, okay,” she said, and he could hear the emotions in her voice. For a second, he debated giving in, but then decided she hadn’t earned his forgiveness yet. “How are you doing?” she asked.

  Well, there was a loaded question. He might as well get this part over with, because if she didn’t respond well to this, he’d know where he stood with her. “We’re doing very well,” he answered, stressing the plural pronoun. “Cornell is recovering well, and we’re really happy together.”

  “It’s serious then,” she said, her tone slightly cooler than before.

  “Very,” he said. “In fact, Cornell has permanently moved in with me. We just moved in the last of his stuff yesterday, and his house is already up for sale. Brendan thinks it’ll sell fast because it’s in such great condition.”

  “Rhys,” she said, and that one word held a world of emotions. “I don’t understand this.”

  “You don’t have to,” he cut her off before she could say more. “I’m not asking you to. I’m asking that you accept and respect it.” He debated telling her about the daddy stuff, then decided that could wait. There was no need to spring everything on her at once. “I love Cornell, and he’s as much in love with me, so that’s the way it is now. If you have a problem with that, things will get difficult between us.”

  Cornell came over to snuggle up against him, his wordless way of offering Rhys comfort, and he loved it.

  “He loves you?” his mom asked, her tone growing warmer.

  “He does. We’re happy, Mom. I hope you can want that for us and be happy for us.”

  He heard her swallow. “Your dad, he…”

  He waited for her to finish, but when she stayed silent, he said, “Cornell is convinced Dad would’ve approved, that his primary concern was consent. Don’t you think he would’ve loved to see Cornell taken care of, happy with a D-Dom?”

  He’d almost said Daddy, and Cornell’s eyes widened in fake shock. They wouldn’t be able to keep that part secret for long, but they could grant her some time to get used to them first before they sprang that on her.

  She let out a long sigh. “Yeah,” she said. “He’s got a point there. He would’ve struggled with it, I think, like I am, but in the end, your happiness would’ve been the most important thing.”

  “We are happy, Mom,” he said, and his thoughts went to the plans he had for their six-month anniversary. He’d wait a little longer, for Cornell’s sake, but when it came time to celebrate Cornell’s release from the rehabilitation center, he had plans that included a ring and a much more permanent arrangement. He’d waited long enough for his man.

  “
I’ll try,” she said. “That’s all I can promise. I’ll try.”

  “That’s good enough for now,” Rhys said, his heart filling with gratitude. “How have you been otherwise?”

  The result was another long sigh. “I’m struggling,” she said finally. “Your dad’s passing hit me hard, and I don’t know why. It’s changed me, and I don’t like who I’ve become.”

  “Maybe you should seek some help,” Rhys said. “Cornell and I have talked to a grief counselor a few times now, and it’s been super helpful for us. I can give you her name if you want?”

  “Yeah,” she said, and he knew how much that cost his proud mom. “I think that would be good.”

  They ended the call shortly after.

  “It’s strange to hear her like that,” Cornell said. “I’ve not ever heard her so insecure and fragile.”

  “Yeah, I know. I’m glad she’s open to seeking help.”

  Cornell rubbed his cheek against Rhys’s chest, one of those gestures he made often, as if to confirm Rhys was still there. “I’m glad you told her about us, that I’ve moved in.”

  “You’re my everything, sweetheart. I would never try to hide who and what we are.”

  Cornell lifted his head, and they shared a sweet kiss.

  “Which reminds me, I’m done washing all the sheets,” Cornell said.

  Their eyes met, mirroring each other’s mix of joy and sadness at this next step they were taking. “Are you ready to do this?” Rhys asked softly, his heart clenching painfully even as his brain embraced the idea at the same time.

  “Yes, Daddy. It’s time.”

  They got up from the couch and walked to the master bedroom hand in hand. They had cleaned it together the last few days, removing most of his dad’s things and putting their own stuff in. His clothes had been sorted, both of them opting to keep some shirts they were attached to, and they’d donated the rest to charity. Cornell had gone through his dad’s personal effects, including his toys, and even though Rhys had already seen them, he understood this was something Cornell needed to do. It had been hard on him, saying goodbye all over again, but they’d made it through.