“Would that be okay with you, boy?” he asked after I’d been silent a beat too long.
“I already told you I'm okay with you doing scenes with other people. You’re a mentor at the club. It's not like I can just tell you that you need to stop.” As much as I hated the idea of him touching anyone else, it was our reality. I didn’t want to endanger other subs if they were interested in kinks their Dom’s weren’t familiar with.
“I completely disagree, but that's something we can talk about when you get home,” Blake said. “Now, are you dressed or are you dawdling?”
“I'm just about dressed,” I told him. After fastening my belt, I stepped in front of the mirror and turned to the side.
Fuck. I looked good, but nowhere near acceptable for a family function. “Blake, I can't wear these pants today.”
“And why is that?” He sucked at hiding his amusement. He knew damned well why these pants were obscene. I hadn’t thought about it when I’d first tried them on, but I also hadn’t been wearing a fucking cage at the time.
“I think you know exactly why,” I ground out. My dick twitched as I smoothed my hands over the front of my slacks. “Everyone there is going to think I'm walking around with a stiffie. Do you know how awkward that's going to be at a fiftieth anniversary party?”
“Do people in your town make a habit of staring at one another's genitals at these types of parties?”
“Ewww, that's gross.” I was going to need an entire bottle of brain bleach to get that image out of my head. “But it's not a little bulge. Someone's going to know.”
“Show me,” Blake insisted.
I quickly snapped one picture facing the mirror and another in profile, then sent them to Blake. He muttered something under his breath when the pictures came through. “See, everyone's going to know.”
“Only if they know what they're looking for. But remember, Danny, if it's too much for you, you can tell me and you won’t be in any trouble.”
A little bit of the tension I’d been carrying in every muscle of my body seeped out at his reminder. No matter what Blake and I did, he always had my best interests at heart.
“It’s not too much,” I promised him. I stared into the mirror as I spoke. The changes in my appearance were subtle yet undeniable. I looked polished, which was exactly the point of Blake taking me shopping.
“How do you feel? I don’t want you uncomfortable, considering the fact I’m the one that put you in that cage. Is that the case, or is this simply something new for you?”
“I like it, Sir,” I whispered.
“Good. I want you to walk into that party and remember that, even though I'm not there with you in person, you still belong to me. When you get home, I promise I'll take you out to celebrate surviving your first trip to see your family after moving.” That did help. Blake was from the city; he’d never dealt with everyone knowing everybody in town or the judgmental gazes from every generation. He wasn’t used to the old ladies talking to him like he was still a child or the former classmates wondering if he’d been checking them out when they were in gym class. Anonymous wasn’t something that existed in Harmony Grove.
“Thank you, Sir. That'll make it easier to get through today,” I admitted.
“Focus on the reason you're there,” he suggested. “Don't worry about all the things that could go wrong or whether people are judging you for living your own life. I’m still there with you, and if you need me, I'm only a phone call away.”
“I know, Sir. Thank you.” My brother pounded on my bedroom door, hollering that it was time to leave. “I have to go. I miss you.”
“Call me when you get home tonight?” He’d phrased it as a question, but not calling him wasn’t an option.
“Aren’t you going to be busy?”
“Baby, I’m never too busy for you. I love you.”
“I love you too, Blake.” We quickly said our goodbyes so I could run a comb through my hair. With a splash of cologne, I felt complete. As much as I wanted to credit Blake for my transformation, I knew it was actually my own doing. I was the one who’d taken control of my life for a change, and today felt like my coming out.
I took one more long look at myself in the mirror. I couldn’t remember the last time I actually liked the man staring back at me in my reflection. As I walked out the door, I held my head higher and stood taller, exuding confidence I hadn't often felt in my life.
I still worried about how today was going to go, but knowing Blake was waiting for me on the other end of the phone if I needed him, I knew could get through just about anything.
19
Danny
The car rideto the Community Center was awkwardly silent. I'd never considered myself a paranoid man, but I still couldn't shake the feeling that something major was about to happen and everyone but me knew about it. As soon as Dad put the car in park, Mom hopped out of the passenger seat and started giving us orders. “Billy, take the pies into the kitchen. Danny, they need the ice over at the beverage table. Wayne, can you stand out here and help your parents when they arrive?”
“You've got it,” Dad responded with a playful salute. Mom rolled her eyes before standing on her tiptoes to give him a quick peck. Before, their easy affection would have annoyed the shit out of me, but now, I could see how they’d become the gold standard of a couple that was still madly in love thirty years after they met. I wanted what they had.
