Chapter Six

“I believe we’ve just proven that experience counts more than youth.” Sebastian’s father raised his glass of beer in salute of his declaration.

Sebastian and the others followed suit. He didn’t want to spoil his father’s pleasure by pointing out that his and Will’s pairing had been saddled with his own mediocre golfing skills. He simply found the game too interminably dull to master it.

Sam Emerson slapped his son on his back. “Next time, it will be father and son against father and son. How about next Saturday? Will isn’t going to be in Boston for much longer.”

No one responded as their lunch came at that moment.

Sebastian poked at this grilled salmon before saying, “Sorry, I have plans already.”

His father looked askance. “Oh?”

“With Milo.” Sebastian didn’t need to explain himself but he knew his father would be grilled by his mother as soon as he got home. And it was also a lie. He’d had the fun idea of taking Parker up to Ogunquit for the day. The seaside town in Maine was delightful and very gay-friendly.

“Oh.” His father turned to his friend. “That’s an old college friend of Sebastian’s. Married man with a wife, a child and another one on the way, if memory serves.” As if he were allaying any concerns that Will had a rival.

Sam nodded and waved his fork. “Right. I remember. A black fella?”

Will winced. “Dad!”

“What? I’m just trying to confirm I’m thinking of the same guy.” He turned to Sebastian’s father. “This wokeness, huh? Never know if I’m going to say the wrong thing.”

“It’s not that hard, Dad. Try thinking of people in terms other than race, color, gender, religion…” Turning to Sebastian, he mouthed, “ Sorry .”

Sebastian shot him a reassuring look. Their parents’ generation would always struggle no matter what their good intentions were. Not that the Endicotts and Emersons had that many of those. It was a minor miracle that they’d managed to get over their sons being gay. Of course, both he and Will were only children, so they had had little choice if they wanted to keep their legacies in the family. And modern IVF practices made it possible for gay men to both pass along their family genes and marry the person they actually wanted.

They ate in companionable silence for a while before Sam and his mouth couldn’t resist throwing another verbal bomb onto the table.

“It must be okay for me to ask about your slave, though, Sebastian? I mean buying a human being is hardly politically correct.”

Sebastian couldn’t hold back his wince. “You have me there, Sam.”

Will held out his hand. “Dad, please.”

“No, it’s okay. Your father is right. I can’t claim any moral high ground there, even if it has nothing to do with traditionally marginalized people.”

Sam raised his hand to signal for another round of drinks. “That’s right. These people got themselves into the mess that led them to selling themselves.” He shrugged. “You have to learn to live within your means.”

Sebastian took a slug of water as he digested that condemnation. It was easy to stay out of debt if one had lots of money at their disposal, especially inherited wealth, as each of them at the table had been blessed with. Given how the average wage was stagnating even as inflation ebbed and flowed, it wasn’t hard to imagine how someone like Parker might end up being in such a predicament and having to make such a terrible choice.

Sam waited until their plates had been cleared before picking up the thread again. “That boy of yours seems awfully young. What did he do to get himself in that position? Do you think it was drugs?”

Sebastian sat back heavily in his chair. He was more irritated at himself than Emerson that he didn’t have a ready answer as to what had led Parker to be in his bed. He’d been meaning to ask but the right time hadn’t yet materialized. “No, I don’t believe so. It may be a family problem he’s addressing.”

“Ah, the sins of the father. Is there any of that bread pudding left?” he asked the server. When he received an affirmative on that, he ordered some. “And coffee all around.”

“None for me, thanks,” Sebastian said. He felt too keyed up already to add more caffeine to the mix. He wanted to get back to Parker and enjoy what was left of the afternoon. And wasn’t that a disturbing thought…that he was more eager to spend time with his slave than his family and peers.

“Of course, that’s not to say you have anything to be ashamed about.” Dear God, the man would not drop the topic. “You’re helping them out. It’s almost charity, in a way.”

Will moaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. “ Dad .”

“What? I’m just saying there’s nothing wrong with a man spending his money on sex. I’m not implying I do,” he added hastily at his son’s shocked look. “Not since marrying, anyway, and don’t you tell your mother otherwise.”

“I would literally rather cut out my tongue than relay any part of this conversation to her. Or anyone else, for that matter.”

Sebastian let out a snort of laughter. He really did like Will.

“My point is…thank you,” he said as his dessert arrived. “A man has his fun, then he settles down into marriage. Raises a family. That’s all.”

“Okay, Dad. I didn’t see where all of that was headed but message received.” Will pushed back from the table and stood. “Excuse me. I have errands to run.”

Sebastian took the opening. “I do, too. Thanks for the game, gentleman. See you tomorrow, Dad.”

He and Will made their escape without any undue eagerness and parted in the parking lot. Sebastian stuck out his hand. “Thanks.”

Will took it. “For what, exactly?”

“I’m not sure, just glad you were there.”

Will shook his head. “I know they mean well, most of the time, but shit…they don’t seem to be able to progress any. And the matchmaking isn’t even trying to be subtle. You know I was supposed to come to brunch tomorrow again?”

“I’m not surprised.” Sebestian didn’t roll his eyes because he didn’t want Will to think it was him, and not their parents, that was the problem.

“Don’t worry. I weaseled out of it. Racket ball on Monday, though?”

Sebastian scrubbed his face. “Yeah, sounds good. See you.”

As he went to his car, Sebastian didn’t look back. His mind was already focused on the near future—being with Parker.

* * * *

As pathetic as it might be, Sebastian dashed up the stairs as soon as he got home. He barely looked at Beasley as he handed over his golf bag. He found Parker where he expected, curled up in the sitting room, reading a book. The boy looked sweet, adorable, and utterly fuckable. Sebastian swooped in to pick him up and throw him over his shoulder. The gasp bursting past Parker’s lips piqued his already hard dick. He smacked the boy’s rump as he marched into the bedroom.

He tossed Parker onto the bed, had them both stripped in seconds, pulled out the plug and, covering the boy, plunged himself in. “Did you miss me?”

Parker stared up at him with eyes wide and pupils blown. He panted through parted lips that begged to be nibbled on. “Yes, Master.”

Sebastian surged in as deep as he could go, given that Parker’s knees were barely bent. He stayed seated there, savoring the feel of being encased in soft heat, and nipped the boy’s lower lip. “Bouncing around in a golf cart is not a satisfying form of exercise. I’m going to have to burn off my energy in your ass. Not yet, though.” He rocked, pumping his hips with a gentle motion. Nuzzling his slave’s neck, he inhaled the smell of his own soap and shampoo. There was something weirdly arousing about knowing this boy was bathed in his ordinary scent. It was a kind of marking that he wouldn’t have considered before. Now, he found it profoundly exciting.

“You belong to me.” He nibbled Parker’s jaw and trapped the boy’s arms with his embrace. He thrust harder and quicker. “Say it. Tell me that you’re mine.”

Parker lifted his chin and arched against the multiple assaults. “I’m yours,” he confirmed with a breathless voice.

“You’re my slave.” Sebastian sank his teeth into the boy’s lower lip this time and tugged. “Say it!”

Parker shuddered and moaned. “I’m your slave.”

“And you love it.” He didn’t know why he was pushing the point. No answer could be truly believed. The boy had no choice about agreeing.

“I love it.” Parker spread his knees even farther and levered his hips up to give better access to his ass. “I love this .”

Sebastian pleased them both by picking up speed, snapping his hips to drive his cock deep into Parker until he exploded. He reared up with a roar, the intensity overwhelming him, as if he hadn’t come in days, weeks…years. How had he thought he was having good sex all these years before acquiring this boy?

And it wasn’t only him. Parker cried out and bucked into him. His slender body shuddered within his grip. His hole clenched down on Sebastian’s dick, squeezing more cum out of him. When he finally collapsed on top of the boy, he could feel the trembling still.

“You came.” He was stupidly pleased by that outcome for some reason.

Parker blew out a breath. “Yes, Master. I’m sorry. I didn’t know I could while in chastity.”

Kissing him, Sebastian rolled them over until he was on his back with Parker plastered against him in a hug. “Oh, you can, and you did simply from my pounding your ass. You’ve taken to my cock with more enthusiasm than I expected.”

Parker trailed a finger down Sebastian’s chest. “Is that all right?”

Sebastian squeezed him. “Certainly. I’m a bit of a sadist, as you’ve already learned, but your pleasure also enhances mine. I’m not mean, dear boy.”

“I know. My mom asked me if you were kind, but I wasn’t sure I should call you that. I was wrong.”

“You spoke with your mother?”

Parker stilled. “Was I not supposed to?”

Instantly regretting causing the boy any alarm, Sebastian placed a kiss on the top of his head. “You can speak to your mother whenever you like. And you can visit her, too. You’re not a prisoner.” He frowned as he said those words. It hadn’t occurred to him that as a debt slave, the boy kind of was exactly that. “I guess I should have been clearer about that.”

Parker rewarded him by stretching up to give him a quick kiss. “Thank you, Master.”

Irked by the gratitude for some reason, Sebastian sat them both up. “Time for a shower, then I have work to do.”

“But it’s Saturday, Master. Shouldn’t you be doing something fun?”

“I like working.” He pulled Parker out of bed and led him to the bathroom. “Are you worried about becoming bored yourself?” Letting go of the boy, he started the water running.

“Of course not, Master! I wouldn’t…”

Sebastian started to say he was only joking, but seeing his slave, nicely tousled from a good fucking gave him an idea. “Don’t worry,” he said, pinching the boy’s chin between his fingers. “I have an idea of some work you can do, as well.”

* * * *

“Stop fidgeting.”

Parker stilled his body at the stern rebuke. It was nearly impossible to do as his master had commanded for what seemed like hours now. From his position kneeling at the man’s feet in front of his desk, he was unable to see the time. Everything ached, begging for release. The rug beneath his bare knees no longer felt soft. The silk cord binding his wrists behind his back had started to chafe. His shoulders kept wanting to slump instead of remaining ramrod straight. But his master had put him in the position and had ordered him to hold it. This was his job for this afternoon. If he did it well, he’d been promised a treat. If not…well, there would be punishment that he didn’t enjoy.

He wasn’t sure how worried he was about that. It was tempting to disobey just to find out. Who would have guessed that pain would arouse him? Maybe he was fooling himself as a defense mechanism, given that his life would involve punishment for the next five years. But he didn’t think so. As he thought of the possibility, his hole spasmed around the plug that was once more seated inside him. And his cock strained against his newly washed cock ring. Now that he knew he could come with the thing on, it was tempting to wiggle the plug with his muscles to stimulate his dick. It was a great distraction, too.

“Stop that!”

Parker startled and blinked up at his master. How did he even know what I was doing?

Sebastian frowned. “Do you think I can’t tell you’re playing with yourself?” The man swiveled his chair around to face him. “You seem to need something more to do, to concentrate on.”

Parker shuffled forward even before he was commanded to do so. He understood what the master wanted. Sebastian sprung his cock free and Parker sucked it in. He started to work the shaft with his tongue, but that wasn’t going to be enough to appease his master, apparently. The man clamped his hand on Parker’s head and pushed.

He barely had time to take in a breath before the cock slid down his throat farther than it had gone before. The massive thing had him gagging immediately. He tried to dislodge it, but Sebastian was too strong. Parker couldn’t raise his head or wiggle away. He was nailed to the spot, choking on the dick, unable to breath. With his hands bound, he was helpless to fight off the hold. Spots danced behind his eyelids and his head swam. Just when he thought he was going to pass out, Sebastian yanked him by his hair off the cock.

Parker knelt gasping between Sebastian’s legs as cum shot onto his face. He licked what hit his lips and swallowed it greedily. And when he was presented with the cock pressed against his mouth, he lapped it clean as well. But for his hands being bound, he would have tucked it back into Sebastian’s pants. The man did it himself while Parker tried to kneel straight as he’d been told. He was too spent to manage a proper job of it.

His master scooped him up and carried him to the bedroom. He dumped Parker face down on the bed before untying his hands. Parker sighed with relief as he stretched his arms and wiggled his fingers. His freedom was short-lived, however. Sebastian fussed around in his nightstand and pulled out more and longer cords. He remained silent as he grabbed first one of Parker’s arms, then the other, then the feet, and tied his limbs to the bedposts. He was laid out spread-eagle with no real slack. At least he could relax, more or less, in this position.

His relief turned to alarm as he watched his master pull out a long, thick dildo. It was bigger than the man’s own cock. He started slathering the thing with lube.

“M-master?”

Sebastian crawled onto the bed to straddle one of Parker’s legs. “I didn’t expect you to acclimate to your toys so quickly. And to take pleasure in them without permission?” He clucked his tongue as he pulled the plug out. “Very naughty. You need something to focus on that will make you appreciate me more than your own pleasure.”

The pressure of the much wider dildo forced Parker’s hole to spread open more than it had before. Parker clamped down his teeth and bit back a whimper.

Sebastian laid his palm on Parker’s back as his other hand pushed the dildo in slowly but implacably. “You’re tensing up. That will make this hurt more. You know what to do.”

Taking a deep breath, Parker pushed against the invasion to help it on its journey. It made it easier to accommodate the massive thing, yet not enough. The way his insides were being pushed apart, he thought everything was going to split open. He cried out and clawed at the bedding. He tried to move away as if that somehow could stop his master. The restraints made that impossible.

“Please, Master. It’s too much!”

Sebastian made slow circles around his back. “No, it’s not.” He pushed more of the dildo in. “If it is, you know what to say to stop me.”

He did know. The word was at the tip of his tongue…and stayed there. He swallowed it back and instead let out moans of pain. Tears filled his closed eyes and slid down his cheeks. Finally, his master stopped.

“Hmm, not quite in all the way, but then you are rather small.” He smacked Parker’s ass. “Having this monster shoved into you doesn’t make you want to come, does it?”

“No, Master,” he managed to say.

“Good. Now, don’t try to push this back out. If you do, I’ll be forced to keep it in twice as long and belt it to your waist.”

Because it was nearly impossible to keep his channel from trying to dislodge the toy, he said, “Please belt it now, Master.”

Sebastian patted his butt. “Good boy. Knowing your limits pleases me. It’s not my intention to set you up for failure.”

Somehow a strap was attached to the dildo and secured around his waist. Parker couldn’t for the life of him open his eyes, so it all happened in darkness. He could feel when Sebastian left the bed.

“I’m going back to work, dear boy. I’ll leave the door open so if you need me, I’ll hear you call out. There’s only one word that will bring me back, however. You understand?”

“Yes, Master.” Parker forced open his wet eyes and spoke to Sebastian’s back. “Master? I was wrong, you are mean.”

Sebastian looked over his shoulder at him. “I know. Isn’t it marvelous?”

Because perversely, it kind of was, Parker lay there trying to breathe his way past the pain of his tortured ass. He couldn’t help wondering if this was intended to be a treat or punishment.

* * * *

“Feeling better?”

Parker moaned. It was as if he floated on a cloud. “I had no idea getting a massage was so wonderful.” Despite the nagging ache deep inside his ass from being stretched to nearly the breaking point, he felt relaxed. All the strain of his muscles from the hours’ long effort to remain correctly on his knees and being tied spread-eagle had melted away under the skilled attention of Sebastian’s masseur. Naturally, the man had come to the house instead of their having to go to a spa for the massage. Life with Sebastian was filled with more and more surprises at the luxury money could buy.

Sebastian lay beside him on the bed, turned in his direction in order to run his fingers lightly up and down Parker’s chest. “It’s one of my favorite treats. I schedule one every other week, at least. It helps me relax.” Despite what his master said, one part of him was certainly not at ease. His hard dick pressed against Parker’s thigh.

Regardless of the fact that he wasn’t sure he could even move, he asked the obvious question. “Shall I roll over?”

“Hmm? Oh, you mean so I can mount you? No. I’m sure you’re terribly sore after my indecent assault on your adorable ass.” Sebastian chuckled. “I can’t regret it, though, and may do it again. It was astoundingly arousing to see you stuffed with that dildo.” His voice was low and thick with passion. “But I’m determined to be less mean for the rest of the day.”

Parker winced. “I’m sorry about my…impertinence.”

Sebastian cupped his chin and turned his face toward him to plant a soft kiss. “No worries, dear boy. I like a bit of resistance. It would be boring if you submitted without protest all of the time.” He pinched Parker’s chin just enough to get his attention without really being painful. “Don’t let it go to your head.” Sebastian settled his hand on Parker’s chest.

Parker let himself drift. The day was nearly gone. Soon, Beasley would be bringing them up some dinner, which Sebastian had already said they’d eat in bed while watching a movie. Maybe Sebastian would fuck him after that, no matter what he said now. It took too much energy to work up any worry about it, so he allowed himself to simply enjoy his relaxed muscles, empty ass and even uncaged cock. Before taking him down to the basement for the massage, Sebastian had removed it. The pain of the dildo had left his dick limp, then and still.

“Parker?”

He roused to answer when nothing more was said. “Yes, Master?”

“Why did you have to sell yourself as a debt slave?”

The question surprised him. He wouldn’t have thought his master would care one way or another how he’d landed in his bed. “It was impossible to clear the enormous amount owed to lots of different creditors by simply working. I have no college degree, so no prospects of a high-paying job.”

“Mmm. That’s not exactly what I meant. Why were you in such debt at your age? Was it a family problem?”

Parker didn’t want to talk about this. He was ashamed of it all, and it was easier to accept his life as it was if he didn’t dwell on the circumstances of putting him there. What had happened couldn’t be changed and he didn’t want his resentment of his father to grow any bigger than it already was.

Sebastian waited for an answer, though, and there was no choice except to provide him with one.

“My father was this larger-than-life kind of guy. Everyone loved Danny Jameson. He was fun and generous, the life of any party.

“He also had a gambling problem. It was easy to hide because the casinos he frequented were close by. There were no big gaps in his day to indicate he was spending more and more time gambling instead of working. And, he was old-fashioned enough to want my mother to stay home with me and my twin sisters. He ran the finances, giving her an allowance. She never even looked at the bank account, so she couldn’t see money going out in larger amounts than it was coming in.” He stopped, finding it hard to let the words out.

“Until he died,” Sebastian prompted.

Parker nodded. “Until then. My mother went to work immediately—two jobs to keep us in our home and to put food on the table. She’d thought he had a life insurance policy, but he’d borrowed against it, so there was nothing left to pay out.” His breath hitched as he added, “He even drained the college funds he’d set up for all of us.”

Opening his eyes, he turned his head to look Sebastian in the eyes. “I got a job right away, too. It wasn’t enough. It was never going to be, no matter how hard my mother and I tried. We were going to lose the house. Everything, really. My sisters’ lives…” He shook his head. “I had to do something to give them all a chance.”

Sebastian tapped his finger against Parker’s lips. “I thought it was something like this. You’re too young to have buried yourself in debt of this magnitude already. And I’m sorry, even though I am delighted to have you here.” He replaced his finger with his lips for a soft kiss. “Tell you what…never mind about brunch with my parents tomorrow. Go visit your mother and sisters. You can bring them presents. I’ll give you some cash before I leave. How does that sound?”

Words failed him for long seconds. Then he managed to squeak out a, “Thank you, Master,” before he buried himself against Sebastian’s chest. Perhaps it was the longing for someone to understand and support him. Perhaps it was because he hadn’t shed many tears at his father’s death. Too many secrets had jumped out of the shadows before they’d even had a chance to wake him with the proper custom. Love and grief had been overwhelmed with anger and resentment. Now, as he huddled in the embrace of the man who had saved his family, Parker couldn’t hold back. He let the tears come and wept until there was nothing more in him. The crying jag left him even more limp. He drifted off to sleep still safe in his master’s embrace.