Chapter 21

The journey to the Velvet Iron was meant to be fun, but on the way there Tommy found himself constantly being spooked by looks from strangers, sudden noises, or any vehicle that remotely resembled a blacked out SUV.

This wasn't how it was supposed to go.

Tommy was taking back control of his life, having fun again, doing what he wanted to do and not bothering with Luca's rules. This should have been a fun walk across toward one of Tommy's favorite places.

Xane could be anywhere.

He could be watching me right now.

No, don't be silly. Just get to the Velvet Iron and have fun…

Tommy pushed down any bad thoughts and continued along with his journey, even if he did avoid any of the shortcuts that took him down less well-populated areas.

Tommy thought back to how much fun him and his friends had before the whole Xane disaster had struck. Life felt like one big, never-ending party. Tommy would work hard at the Velvet Iron, but it didn't even really feel like work because he enjoyed it so much.

In fact, Tommy realized that his perfect job at the Velvet Iron was similar to the situation his father had been in at his own work. Tommy's father worked at a timber yard for over twenty-five years, right up until he passed away. Tommy would often ask his father what he liked most about working at the timber yard, and his father would reply that each and every day was a new challenge, an opportunity to work hard, and a great time with his friends and co-workers.

A club for kink lovers and a timberyard might not have had much in common as workplaces, but Tommy felt exactly the same about his job as his father had about his.

I miss him.

Poppa would have known what to do in this situation.

There's no way he would have made me hide away…

With thoughts of his father filling his mind, Tommy felt extra-determined to vanquish Xane from his mind and head to the Velvet Iron and have the best time he possibly could.

As Tommy stood at the crossing and waited for the lights to change, he smiled a big smile. His father would be proud of him for refusing to give up on a life of fun and being open hearted.

It was a shame the way things seemed to have worked out between Tommy and Luca, but Tommy felt happy at least that he was taking his first steps back to being his old self.

All that was left was walk a couple more blocks and enter through the doors of his favorite kink club in the whole wide world.

The Velvet Iron was as busy as ever, and Tommy took a moment to take the atmosphere in as he stepped inside for the first time in what felt like an eternity.

‘It's good to be back,' Tommy said, sighing. ‘I've missed this place.'

With the sound of deep base beats playing over the speaker system and a big bunch of rubber and animal mask wearing boys dancing in the main play area, Tommy felt himself relax into the vibe.

Tommy hadn't told either Lyle or Jake that he was coming out of fear that their Masters would find out and then tell Luca. The last thing that Tommy wanted was for an angry Luca to show up and either shout at him or make him go back to the penthouse.

So as much as it would have been nice to hang out with Lyle or Jake, Tommy knew that it wasn't to be on this occasion. Instead, Tommy was determined to do what he always did in the past. Tommy decided to have fun, speak to new people, and simply see where the moment took him.

Being spontaneous and fun was all about branching out into the world with a smile and a having fun. Tommy felt sure that this is exactly what his father would have told him to do, and with that in mind he made his way toward the locker room.

‘The sooner I'm in my kinky headspace, the better,' Tommy said, a delighted squeal in his voice as he skipped toward the locker room.

‘Hey, come and join us!' the sub with the blonde hair and tiger-striped body paint said. ‘This is all of our first times here. It's great. Have you been here before?'

‘You could say that!' Tommy giggled. ‘I actually work here. Well, I normally do. Anyway, my name's Tommy.'

The three other subs introduced themselves and soon enough they were all dancing and having fun together.

‘Phew, I think I need a drink,' the blonde haired young man said. ‘My name's Alex by the way. I've just moved here from LA.'

‘I'm Tommy,' Tommy replied, a big smile on his face. ‘Do you want to share my juice box?'

Alex and Tommy giggled as they took turns to take sips from Tommy's mango and strawberry juice box. It felt so good to make not just one, but three new friends so quickly. This was truly what the spirit of the Velvet Iron was all about, and it was exactly what Tommy had missed in recent times.

‘Shall we go and play in the ball pit?' Alex said, his blue eyes twinkling with excitement. ‘Last one in is a cock slave!'

The subs laughed with delight and ran toward the large, deep ball pit with looks of pure joy on their faces. Tommy managed to get himself to the front of the line and practically threw himself into the plastic balls as if he was diving into a swimming pool.

‘I won!' Tommy cried out triumphantly as he popped up from beneath the plastic balls. ‘Ball pit fight!'

Tommy began to throw all the different colored balls along with his new friends. The boys were laughing and having the time of their lives until suddenly Tommy dropped his ball and stared into the distance.

‘Hey, Tommy, what's up?' Alex said, a look of surprise on his face. ‘I didn't throw my ball too hard, did I?'

‘N-n-n-n-no,' Tommy said, his voice trembling and a look of sheer panic coming over him. ‘It's… him. He's… here.'

Suddenly, the voices of Tommy's new friends just seemed to fade into the background. All Tommy could focus on was the sight of Xane standing in the lobby.

Xane was being loud and showing off, just like he did on the first time that Tommy met him. With his all-black outfit and flashy gold jewelry, Xane looked like he was trying to make an impression.

Tommy shuddered at the very thought that Xane would try and take someone else from the Velvet Iron out to party like he did with Tommy.

But Tommy knew too that it was only a matter of time, seconds maybe, before Xane turned and looked over toward him in the ball pit.

Why did he have to come here?

I was having such a fun time.

I feel scared. I shouldn't have come. I need my Master…