Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Sixteen

Ambushed

The soft brush strokes felt good on my sweaty skin, soothing itches that I hadn't even been aware of until the cushiony bristles relieved them. Aiden brushed me all over, taking great care to soothe and tease me everywhere. When he brought the silky brush over the reddened skin of my buttocks, the pain came to the surface again and made me aware of every sore spot.

When he'd finished attending to my entire body, he tickled my balls and cock with the bristles, running them up and over the head of my penis, causing me to gasp and jerk. He must have liked that because he repeated the motion until I whimpered and stomped my foot.

"Oh, you saucy thing. You need to stay still."

I huffed and whined but submitted to being teased and tortured until, thankfully, Aiden put the brush aside.

"All right, now. You've been such a good pony, I suppose I should give you a reward."

Yes, yes, yes.

"Does my sweet Treasure want a reward?"

"Yes, Sir. Please, please, Sir." I sounded ridiculous with the lisp from the gag ruining all my ‘S's, but I was getting used to it.

"Fine. But I don't want to hear words from you. You're a pony, so you can neigh or nicker to get my attention."

Oh my fucking God. Is this actually my life?

I hesitated.

"Do you want a reward, Treasure?" Aiden murmured, his fingers stroking the skin along my buttock.

He wasn't going to make me do horse noises, was he?

"Hmm. I guess my pony just wants to be put back in the stable with a leaking cock and blue balls."

I closed my eyes and made an approximation of a horse's whinny, my cheeks flaming with the humiliation of it. But there was no way I was opting out of a reward. '

"You can do better. Try again."

I tried again and sounded more like a horse and less like a confused human. It was so embarrassing. But I really needed to come. There were a lot of humiliating things I'd do to get an orgasm at this point. I only hoped that sounding like a horse was all that Aiden would ask of me.

"Oh, much better, Treasure. Much better." He wiggled the plug and thrust it forward a couple of times, making me cry out.

"Mmm. You like that."

He continued to tease me with the plug, and I whinnied in desperation, dying to come and so strung out on this surprisingly intense pet play that I was beginning to feel a bit lightheaded.

Finally, finally, I heard the squirt of the lube bottle, and slick fingers wrapped around my aching cock.

I gasped—then remembered, and whinnied. I would be his goddamned pony if it would get me off with a desperately needed hand job.

Aiden chuckled and kissed my ear as he jerked me, while rocking the butt plug horse tail in my rear. I went off like a popped champagne bottle, spurting, making a mess and uttering the most ridiculous sounds. The darkness behind my closed eyes filled with fireworks, stars and colored lights as I came hard, my body jerking, my ass clamping down in spasms on the solid rubber plug. The fall of horse hair swished against my trembling legs.

The only sounds in the room were the loud beating of my frantic heart and my staggered breaths as I came down from the intensity. I tried to calm my breathing as my muscles relaxed and became almost liquid.

Aiden supported me as I staggered.

"Hold on. I'm going to untie you."

His fingers worked quickly on the hitch, and soon I was free.

"Now, on your knees, my Treasure."

I fell to my knees, grateful to be on the ground and at the feet of my noble master. I rested my forehead against Aiden's thigh as he opened his pants and took out his dick.

With deft fingers, Aiden removed the bit, wet with my saliva, from the bridle and tossed it onto the floor.

"Open your mouth. I'm going to fuck it. It's my favorite thing."

I groaned in answer and opened my mouth wide, as Aiden guided his cock into it.

"Oh fuck yes. My pretty pony. Such a pretty pony," he murmured as he thrust roughly into my mouth, one hand gripping the bridle and the other on my chin, his thumb pulling down on my lower lip.

I opened my eyes and watched his face as he tipped over the edge and came, shooting down my throat in hot bursts.

* * * *

I was in a daze as we returned the key to Sebastian. He looked at me strangely then glanced at Aiden with his eyes raised.

"Pony bridle," Aiden whispered, as I almost died of embarrassment. He gazed at me with apology. "You've got some marks from the leather straps."

"Oh my God. Why didn't you tell me?" I said, trying to hide my face while Sebastian smiled.

"I only just noticed," Aiden said. "Sorry."

"Don't worry," Sebastian said. "It's nothing to be ashamed of."

"Easy for you to say."

"Why? Do you think I've never been tied to the hitching post before? Jacob does it every morning."

Aiden and I looked at him in shock.

"Okay, not really. But it has happened a few times. When in Rome and all that."

I felt a bit better knowing that Sebastian, this fine gentleman and co-owner of Maverick Molly's, liked to be a pony, too. But I was tired and sweaty and needed a shower.

While sitting in the passenger seat of Aiden's car, I checked my phone.

"Fuck," I said, scrolling through a bunch of texts and missed calls from Robin. "Fuck, fuck, fuck. Oh my God."

Aiden glanced over. "Are you okay?"

"No. Robin's been trying to get in touch with me for an hour!"

I hit the call button, not even reading his texts except to see him mention Annie and Brian. If the grandparents were there, it must be fucking serious.

"Robin!" I said, when he answered.

"Oh hi, Fletcher. I wondered when you'd get back to me. Sorry to bother you." Robin's words held a note of irony.

I heard Annie's muttering in the background.

"Lucy! Is she okay?" I stammered, convinced something terrible had happened.

"What? Oh, she's fine. She beat my ass at Scrabble and went to bed."

"Oh…" My brain swirled. "So…okay. Thank God. But why all the texts?"

"Did you not read them?"

"We just got in the car to come home. I panicked. I thought something was wrong. Why did you try to call me?"

"Oh, well, it's only that Lucy's grandparents decided to drop by. Did you know they were coming?"

Oh fuck.

"No. They didn't tell me they were planning to stop by, or I wouldn't have gone out."

"Mm-hmm. Well, they're here with me. So you might want to come home and explain that I'm a responsible, mature person who is quite capable of looking after their granddaughter for a few hours." Robin sounded sweet and amenable, but I heard the sharp crack of ice beneath the surface. "They told me I could leave, but I refused. You're the one who hired me to watch Lucy."

"Oh fuck."

More muttering.

"They can hear you," Robin said.

"You have me on speaker?"

"No. But my volume is up. I'm half deaf in one ear."

"I didn't know that," I said.

"It's fine. Anyway…"

I glanced at Aiden. "We'll be there in ten minutes."

"Oh good. It's been a fun evening," Robin said, still maintaining a sweet outer demeanor.

"I'm so sorry, Robin."

"Did you have fun?"

"I did. Thank you for watching Lucy."

"Actually, she was great," he said, his voice losing a bit of the edge. "If you can convince Annie and Brian that I'm not a sex worker—"

Gasps from off the phone.

"Then I'll be happy to hang out with her again. Ta-ta."

We disconnected, and I let my head fall back against the seat.

"Everything…okay?" Aiden asked. I wasn't sure how much of that he'd heard.

"Annie and Brian are there."

"Shit. Lucy's okay?"

"She's fine. She's in bed," I said, my voice dull as I processed everything. "They don't approve of Robin."

"Robin is amazing."

"I know."

"Are you…going to be all right?" Aiden asked, glancing at me with concern as he drove. "You're dropping, aren't you?"

"Like a fucking stone."

"Shit," he said. "Should I pull over? You can have a moment to get it together…"

"No," I said, shaking my head and putting a hand to my forehead. "I'm fine. I'm okay."

"Fletcher, you need something to drink and a snack. We should have stayed at Molly's for a bit. I'm so sorry."

"I'm fine," I said. "Jesus, Aiden, you don't need to baby me." My voice sounded sharp.

"I'm not trying to baby you. I'm trying to be a good Dom," Aiden explained.

I took a deep breath, closing my eyes, and listened to the engine and the tires and the ambient sounds of the car.

"You are a good Dom. You're a great Dom. I loved everything about tonight."

"You don't know how wonderful it is to hear that."

"Except for the past ten minutes."

"Understandable."

We drove in silence until we got to my place. As he turned into the driveway, Aiden asked, "Would you prefer if I just dropped you off?"

"No. You might as well come in." I hadn't meant that to sound as dismissive as it did. "I'm sorry. I mean, would you come in? I may need your support."

"Fletcher, of course. You will always have that."

I grinned wryly. "Even if we break up?"

"Yes. As a friend in that case."

"Huh."

Aiden raised his eyebrows. "Are you planning to break up with me? Just so I know?"

"Not a chance."

"Oh, good."

We chuckled then sobered as we exited Aiden's car. I took a few deep breaths and decided that the goal was to get Annie and Brian out of my house as quickly as possible, so that I could finish coming down from that incredible scene with a cup of herbal tea and a bath. In the meantime, I'd somehow retain control of my emotions.

"You're angry," Daniel said. "I know."

"Because you always do this!" I said, throwing the dish towel onto the counter.

"What do you mean?"

"You can't tell me before we do a scene? Why do you have to wait until I'm dropping to pull something like this out of your hat?"

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize you were dropping."

"Daniel. We just had the most intense scene. I'm exhausted and feeling very vulnerable right now. And now you tell me that you're not sure about this parenting thing? Jesus! It's too fucking late!"

"I know. I know it is. I'm just…I'm struggling, and I wanted you to know that."

"I already know."

"Is it that obvious?"

"Kind of. But I'm struggling, too. I think all parents struggle. I think it's a part of the landscape. There's no getting away from it."

"Yeah."

"You just have to deal with it."

"Right."

"And we'll deal with it together. Because we're Lucy's parents and we love her."

I opened the door, and we stepped into an uncomfortable silence.

Robin was sitting on the very end of the sofa in the living room with his hands in his lap and a bored expression on his face. He looked up with relief when we came in.

Annie and Brian looked grim, sitting at the dining table, and regarding me and Aiden with disapproval.

Ten, nine, eight, seven, six…I counted down from ten in order not to lose my temper.

How dare they? How dare they come into my home and make Robin feel uncomfortable when he'd done me a solid and taken care of Lucy for the evening? I had no doubt that Lucy would be singing Robin's praises all the next day. Aiden was right. Robin was amazing. And I hated that Annie and Brian had given him reason to believe that his presence was inappropriate.

"Hi, Robin," I said, ignoring them for the time being. We had things to discuss, but the first round of business was to let my sitter go home. "Thank you so much for looking after Lucy."

Annie let out a humpf from the table but I ignored her.

Robin stood, keeping his gaze on me.

"You're welcome, Fletcher. She was an absolute angel." I doubted that was true but appreciated the spirit of it. I had no doubt that Lucy had tried to get away with staying up late or watching an R-rated movie but that Robin had been equal to her wiles. I couldn't see Robin letting anyone take advantage of him, even a twelve-year-old expert negotiator like Lucy.

He glanced at Annie and Brian and swallowed his pride. "Nice to meet you both."

They didn't respond, and I felt like shit for him.

"Anyway, I'd better call an Uber," he said.

"I'll pay for it," I said. "Let me know how much. And text me your email address so I can send an e-transfer for tonight."

Robin would be getting a bonus for putting up with all this in such a graceful way, when I knew that he could have easily flattened Lucy's grandparents with a few sharp words and his acerbic wit. It would have been wasted on them, though, and would have only made them angrier.

"Sure. I'll wait outside. By the way, Lucy is pretty fucking smart. I can't believe she beat me at Scrabble. I know a lot of words that she doesn't."

I heard a gasp from Annie as Brian cleared his throat.

"Yes, she is. And I'm sure you do."

Aiden laughed lightly, and I was reminded that there were still reasonable people in the world.

"I'll, uh, wait for my Uber outside," Robin said again.

"Good idea. Thanks again, eh? You're a lifesaver."

"Yeah, thanks. Good luck," he whispered. "And, sorry."

"You didn't do anything wrong. I'll sort it out."

"Okay. Thanks."

Aiden nodded at Robin as he went by.

Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five…

"Where on Earth were you, Fletcher?" Brian asked. "It's almost midnight."

…four, three, two, one…

"Hello, Brian. Annie. I wasn't expecting you."

"Well, that's obvious," Annie muttered.

I toed off my boots and hung my jacket on a hook, while Aiden did the same.

"You must be Lucy's grandparents," Aiden said, with a charming smile, stepping forward. "I'm Aiden Thompson."

Brian and Annie didn't say anything. They shot me with accusatory glances instead.

"Aiden is my boyfriend. We were out on a date."

"Well, I'm glad that your personal relationships are taking precedence over fatherhood," Annie said.

Ten, nine, eight, seven, six…breathe in, breathe out, smile.

"Robin says Lucy's in bed, which is exactly where she'd be if I'd been home. I'm not sure what you're implying."

Annie stood from her chair and glared at me. "I don't think it's very responsible to have a young man in a blouse and makeup looking after our granddaughter."

I blinked. "I'm sorry. What?"

Brian cleared his throat. "We were very surprised to find that young man here. If it had been Patrick, well, that's one thing."

"But it's not Patrick, is it?" Annie stated. "Where did you meet this Robin character?"

"That's actually none of your business, Annie."

"He works with Patrick," Aiden said. "Robin is very responsible and—"

"I beg your pardon, but I'm speaking to my son-in-law," Annie interrupted.

And that was it. I slammed my hand on the dining room table, making everyone jump. Brian's eyes went wide, and he put a hand on his wife's arm.

"Don't you dare speak to him that way. Don't you dare come into my home, intimidate my babysitter and speak rudely to Aiden."

"We're Lucy's grandparents. We have a right to know if she's being looked after."

"She was being looked after."

"Not by her father, though," Annie said, waving her hand at the sofa. "By some namby-pamby boy in frilly clothes and makeup!"

"You keep saying that," I said. "Do you have a problem with those particular pieces of clothing? And I believe you're wearing makeup, Annie."

Annie glanced at Brian for support, but he stayed quiet.

"Oh, come on. It's not normal for a boy to dress like that."

Aiden cleared his throat. "Actually, un-gendered dressing is becoming very popular. Lots of men and women dress opposite to their assumed gender."

I closed my eyes. I appreciated Aiden trying to help, but honestly, his words were flying against deaf ears.

"It's ridiculous," Annie said. "I don't know why people can't just wear the clothes they're supposed to."

I couldn't even argue with her anymore. It was too ridiculous, and I didn't have the brain cells.

"Now that you know Lucy is safe, is there anything else I can help you with?" I asked.

"Fletcher, we don't think you should be going out with other men until all hours of the evening."

"For fuck's sake, it's Friday night. Wait! What do you mean by ‘other' men?" I asked.

Brian tugged on his wife's arm. "Annie, we should go."

But it was too late.

"Other than Daniel?" I asked, realization dawning. "Is that what you mean?"

Annie shook her head, as if waking from a dream.

"I don't—" she started to say.

"That can't be what you meant, Annie, because Daniel is dead. My husband, Daniel, is dead."

"Fletcher," Aiden said in low tones.

"What? Daniel is dead, Aiden. And apparently Brian and Annie think that means I can't have another relationship."

"I'm sure they don't think that," Aiden said, putting a hand on my back, trying to contain the imminent explosion.

"I won't stand here and have my son's name—" Annie stuttered.

"What? I can't speak about Daniel, either?" I put my hand on the table and leaned toward her. "What gives you the right to tell me what to do?"

"Lucy is… Lucy is our granddaughter."

"Yes, and she's my daughter. She's my daughter!"

"Daniel would have wanted us to—"

"Daniel would have wanted Lucy to stay with me," I said, trying to keep my voice low. I didn't want to wake Lucy.

"You don't know that. If he could see you now with—"

"Oh, my fucking God," I said, then steadied myself. I took two deep breaths and glared at Annie. "Daniel would give me his blessing. Daniel would have wanted me to find"—I almost said ‘love' but backed off of that ledge—"someone. And I've found Aiden."

"Well, that's wonderful for you, then. Brian, I think we'd better go."

"Annie," I said, staring in a blood-red rage at the top of the dining room table. "I won't give her up."

She didn't respond. She and Brian left, and Aiden locked the door behind them. I collapsed into a chair, feeling the remnant sting of the crop. I relished it. It gave me a distraction from my anger.

"How dare they?" I said to Aiden when he came and sat down beside me. "How fucking dare they?"

"Yeah. Wow. I didn't really know what you were dealing with."

"The frustrating thing is that we all think we know what's best for Lucy."

"Okay, true, but who has more of a right to decide that?"

"I do."

"Exactly. Do they actually think they'd win a custody battle?"

"Maybe. But I don't want Lucy to go through that. So, basically, I have to decide if her mental health is worth me giving in and letting them have her. Maybe we can come to some kind of arrangement."

"Fletcher," Aiden said, "what are you talking about?"

I didn't answer right away, and in the silence we heard the soft pat-pat of bare feet on the hardwood.

We turned around at the same time and watched Lucy, in her panda pajamas, walk to the couch and sit down.

"Oh, hey," Aiden said, glancing at me. "How's it going? Great pajamas!"

"Thanks. What are you guys talking about? Did Granny and Grandpa go home?"

I couldn't deal with this. I was still dropping from our session, and everything had just been too much. I put my face in my hands with a groan.

"Is Daddy okay?"

No. No, Daddy is not okay.

I felt Aiden's hand on my back, rubbing gently.

"He's just got a very bad headache, that's all," Aiden said. "I'm going to make him some tea. Do you want anything?"

"No, I'm gonna go back to bed. I just wanted to make sure everything was okay. I thought I heard angry voices."

Aiden chuckled. "I'm sorry if we were loud. How did you and Robin get along?"

"Oh my God. He's great. I love him! Can he babysit me again?"

I made some unintelligible noises.

"I'm sure he can," Aiden said. "Good night, Lucy."

"Good night. I'm glad you're here to look after my dad."

There was a pause while I'm sure Aiden swallowed his feelings. "I'm glad I am, too."

Lucy's soft footsteps disappeared as she returned to her room.

"That kid—" Aiden started.

"I know. Thank you."

"I'm getting you some toast and tea—then running you a bath."

"Thank you."

"Fletcher. Everything's going to be all right."