6. Zane

Chapter 6

Zane

Although it took some convincing on Kipp's part, Zane agreed to tag along with him to the gym. After all, the calories from their breakfast weren't going to work themselves off.

As Zane and Kipp walked toward the gym, Zane took a moment to check the place out from the outside. It was a typical no-frills warehouse conversion, the kind of gym that had become increasingly popular. And the muffled sound of the music being pumped inside was just about audible in the parking lot.

‘Thanks for this,' Zane said. ‘I've been working out early in the mornings, but getting the chance to use some real equipment will be nice.'

‘Hey, don't mention it,' Kipp replied. ‘And something tells me you're going to get a lot out of this. How you handled Tag Rackvill back at the diner was something else. But I'm guessing you've still got plenty of adrenalin pumping around your body, right? '

Zane nodded.

The truth was that he was acting purely on instinct when it came to intervening between Tag and Marshall. Zane knew that he was still on parole and any confrontations or violent acts would see him return to prison – and that was absolutely the last thing he wanted.

But the sight of Marshall being intimidated and seemingly preyed upon by Rackvill was simply not going to stand. Zane knew he had done the right thing, and he was also thankful that he'd managed to remain in total control of his emotions while doing it.

Zane wasn't a violent man. In fact, he didn't relish conflict whatsoever. And despite what many people may have thought about him being an ex-con, Zane had lived the vast majority of his life within the law and eschewing violence wherever he could.

But Zane hated bullies.

And even worse, he hated to see bullies targeting those weaker than them.

Not even the threat of going back to prison would have been able to stop Zane from stepping up and coming to Marshall's aide. He might have been full of himself and way too much for Zane to deal with, but Marshall was worth saving – there was no doubt about that.

All that said, Zane was certainly happy to be out of the diner and away from the drama…

‘So what do you think?' Kipp enquired, stepping out into the gym's main weights area .

‘I'm impressed,' Zane replied. ‘Metal Work gym is certainly a step up from the kind of gym we had in prison, that's for sure.'

Zane wasn't lying.

The gym was kitted out with a perfect balance of plate-loaded machines, free weights, and resistance machines. And judging by the sight and sound of the men and women working out around him, the clientele agreed too.

Another big difference between Metal Work Gym and the prison's gym was the fact that there seemed to be a friendly, supportive atmosphere in the air. It was hard for Zane to quantify but the energy in the prison gym had always been tense, giving a feeling that conflict was only a split-second away.

‘Hey, enough about prison,' Kipp said, clearly noticing that Zane was getting into his thoughts for a moment. ‘We've got some heavy weight to shift. And luckily for us, we've got Axel to help us out.'

Zane had met Axel briefly a couple of times and he seemed like a good guy. Like Kipp, Axel was a Daddy and he too had a boy. But Zane wasn't overly fussed about getting into any relationship conversations. They were at the gym. And that meant one thing and one thing only. It was time to lift.

‘ Fffffffuck , yeah, got it,' Zane grunted, successfully pushing out one final rep on the bench press, much to Kipp and Axel's approval. ‘That was a slow one. But I knew I had it in me.'

‘Hell yeah,' Axel replied, fist-bumping Zane as he eased himself back up from the bench. ‘I was ready to spot you, but I could see the bar was going to come up all the way. You're a strong man, no doubt.'

‘You should see Zane chop wood,' Kipp added. ‘The man's on a mission. And I think we've got a potential new member of the Daddy Lifting Club on our hands.'

‘I'm not sure I qualify for that club…' Zane said. ‘You know, I don't have a boy. And I don't even know if I'm a Daddy either. It's all very new to me.'

‘The way you stood up to protect Marshall back at the diner though,' Kipp countered. ‘That's Daddy behavior. Axel, you should have seen him. That property developer asshole Rackvill didn't stand a chance.'

‘I can imagine,' Axel said, nodding his approval and fist-bumping Zane once more. ‘Marshall's a good boy. I know him and Max looked like they might have been a thing for a minute, but that's all done. If he's single, and if he's interested, you could do a lot worse than giving it a shot.'

Zane could see that both Axel and Kipp's encouragement was genuine.

And a part of Zane very much saw the appeal of the whole thing. It wasn't like he didn't have his own protective instincts, and he had certainly been imagining the kinds of discipline he could dish out to Marshall.

And yet…

‘The whole Little Space thing, the diapers, all that playing…' Zane said. ‘I don't know if it's me. And I don't want any drama or failed relationships on my hands. I'm still getting my life back together. You know? '

‘I hear you,' Axel replied. ‘But don't rule it out. That's all I'm saying.'

‘Agreed,' Kipp added. ‘But let's not waste any more time talking. We've got gains to make and the decline shoulder press is calling out our names. And Zane, if you decide that the Daddy vibe isn't for you, you can always be an honorary member of our lifting club!'

Zane laughed and nodded his appreciation at Kipp's offer.

With that, Zane and his new friends set about getting down to some more seriously heavy lifting. For Zane it was a great feeling to be simply hanging out with the guys and enjoying himself. So far, the process to rebuild his life after prison had been all about working and spending time alone to allow the scars to heal. But working out at Metal Work Gym along with Kipp and Axel was showing Zane that maybe, just maybe, he was ready to move on to the next phase of his new life.

They might be Daddies, but to me they're just regular guys.

They could even be friends.

But this whole Daddy and Little thing is still a lot to take on board…

After a brutal workout with Kipp and Axel, Zane and his friends indulged in a thick, creamy protein recovery shake in the gym's café area. It was a nice vibe, and much to his relief Zane wasn't required to step up and save anyone either .

Now back at his barn, Zane was happily reading by candlelight and enjoying the peace and quiet. Only the occasional owl's hoot could be described as a distraction to get between Zane and his novel.

Zane had enjoyed spending time with Kipp outside of the ranch, and it was good to hang out with Axel too. While it might have been way too soon to describe either of the men as friends, Zane was confident that they thought he was okay, and the feeling was mutual from his side too.

It might have been an idealized version of reality, but the more Zane thought about it the more he could see just how happy Kipp and Axel were with their boys. Both Dale and Arlo were by all accounts great young men who had everything going for them. But both Kipp and Axel said that it was their boys' Little sides that truly set them apart.

Zane might have been totally alien to the concept of Daddies and Littles before arriving at the ranch, but the longer he was there, the more he was seeing how it could work. In fact, Zane was pretty open minded to most kinds of relationships. As long as it was always a clear case of being between consenting adults, then Zane had never been one to pour scorn on someone else's personal preferences or kinks.

‘Marshall…' Zane said, putting his book to one side and staring up at the barn's corrugated iron ceiling. ‘Marshall, Marshall, Little Marshall…'

It wasn't long before Zane was easing his hips upward and slowly pulling down his brilliant-white briefs. As his already hard cock sprung out from inside the snug briefs, Zane reached down and held it firmly in one hand, slowly and deliberately wrapping his fingers around its hefty circumference.

Zane closed his eyes and imagined Marshall in his diner uniform, provocatively twisting and turning as he sashayed around the place. There was something about Marshall's natural sass and attitude that drove Zane wild – and while it might only have been in his fantasy, Zane was going to let the boy take things to the next level…

‘Damn,' Zane muttered to himself as he continued to imagine Marshall, now naked, laying himself across the diner's service counter and presenting his body for him and working his cock.

Zane could easily imagine Marshall's pale, smooth skin and his no doubt very hard cock on show, and as he worked his hand up and down his own rock-hard manhood, he imagined himself towering over Marshall, ready to devour him…

Spread those legs for me.

Pull on your own nipples, touch yourself…

Do it for Daddy…

Zane almost shocked himself as he uttered the D-word in his mind, but what was even more shocking was the affect that it had on his arousal. Already horny, Zane was now moving into overdrive as he imagined Marshall calling him Daddy over and over as he pleasured himself for his entertainment.

Soon, Zane's fantasy saw him flipping Marshall onto his front and putting his peachy ass on full display. And with an ass that sweet, it would be a real crime not to give it a spank too. Zane felt his cock harden with each imagined spank – but the real thrill was hearing Marshall holler and promise his Daddy that he'd behave better in future, seemingly enjoying both the pain and the pleasure of being spanked in equal measure.

And it wasn't long before Zane was building up to his own climax, his mind running wild as he fantasized about climbing up onto the service counter and putting his face between Marshall's legs and giving him the kind of oral pleasure that he wouldn't forget in a hurry. From the tip of Marshall's cock all the way down to his asshole and back up again, Zane hungrily imagined how hot he could make the boy with just his tongue.

Zane grunted as his vivid fantasy made it possible to almost taste Marshall's pre-cum, and moments later he shot his thick load up into the air and onto his stomach.

‘That was… good ,' Zane said, his breathing a little elevated from what was an especially strong orgasm. ‘Daddy Zane… Little Marshall… I don't know, but maybe…'

Zane reached for a box of tissues and cleaned himself up. As hot as his fantasy was, he knew that it would be an early start for him tomorrow just like always. And the fact that he and Kipp were now possibly becoming friends didn't change the fact that Kipp was very much his boss, and effectively his landlord too.

Just because Zane was starting to feel a little bit more at ease in Eagle Ridge and with the whole Daddy thing, that didn't mean he was going to be slacking off any time soon.

If anything, Zane was determined to work harder than ever before .

Zane was deadly serious about rebuilding his life and making up for the time he lost in prison and working a job simply for the riches it gave him.

Daddy or not, it was time to show Eagle Ridge just what kind of man he could become.