9
Ryan
I could do this.I could stay the weekend. I mean, it’s not like we haven’t stayed over at one another’s house before. And I’ve done just about everything with him. So yeah, I could handle staying a few nights. I was trying to think about if we needed to stop off at my place for anything, but I had clothes and even a toothbrush at his place.
“Well, what’s the verdict, my boy?” Russell asked as he stabbed a piece of his steak with his fork. “Do we need to stop at your place on the way to mine?”
I shook my head while chewing on my steak. Russell suggested that we stop for dinner before going back to his place. He knew that I loved steak and often took me out for it. I decided to tease him.
“Are you sure you aren’t just taking me out for a steak dinner so I’ll go home with you?” I joked.
Russell’s smile was broad, and I could see a gleam in his eye. He set his fork and knife down and dabbed his mouth with his napkin before he reached for his iced tea.
“I don’t have to buy you a steak dinner to get you to come home with me,” he said with confidence.
“No?”
“No, Ryan. You’ll come home with me not because of the mouth-watering steak you craved. You’ll come home with me because I give you everything else you crave,” Russell said with ease as he watched me.
He was right. I wanted to be with him. But, how serious had he been about living with him? I couldn’t even begin to think about that, at least not right now. I had to lighten the conversation before he said something about living with him.
“I think you want to beat on me,” I declared.
Russell leaned his head back and laughed. When his laughter had subsided, he reached for his glass as he nodded.
“You’re right, Ryan.” Russell paused and took a sip of his iced tea. “I do want to beat you. I have your favorite flogger at the ready. But,” Russell started, then paused and raised his eyebrow at me. “I think you want it too.”
Russell was right about that too. I loved it when he flogged me, or paddled me. I loved it when he took over. It was like he told me a long time ago; I submit to him to regain control. In the time that I’ve known him, I’ve learned so much about myself. So many of the “whys” have answers now, and Russell showed me the answers.
“Will you flog me tonight?” I asked in all seriousness. Because really, I did crave it. I craved that pain only to have it soothed.
“I think that could be arranged, Ryan.”
For the rest of our dinner, I felt myself get warm and my heartbeat began to race some. It wasn’t nervousness, but excitement. On the drive home, most of the conversation was about the sports expo and all the cool stuff we saw and the awesome stuff we got. Russell bought some USC stuff, which I thought was probably on account of me. When we got to his place we carried in our bags of stuff and as he was emptying the contents, I glanced around his gigantic living room and kitchen.
Could I live here?
His house was huge and furnished with nice things. I still had the same couch that I got in college, and the same table and chair set that I got from a friend when he and his wife got a new one.
But moving?
Moving in with Russell?
The idea, I liked. But the thought of it started a chain reaction in my head and I started to feel ill. The one thought that cut through everything was wondering if I was good enough for him and this place.
“Ryan.”
I looked up when Russell said my name.Fuck! How long had I looked like an idiot standing there?
“What? Sorry…I…sorry.”
Russell was leaning on his counter with his arms stretched out to the side, staring at me. He smiled before he pushed himself away from the counter.
“Forgive me, my boy,” he began.
What was he talking about?
“I neglected to tend to a priority of ours,” he added and then motioned for me to follow him.
