4
ANTHONY
“I think there’s something wrong with Jay,” Ethan said after hanging up the call.
“What did he say?”
“He didn’t say anything specific, just something I picked up in his voice.”
“Do you want to call him again? We can invite him over.” They were sitting on Ethan’s couch, the living room warm and cozy, with soft rock music playing in the background. The flowers Anthony had brought lay on the table.
“Nah, I’ll speak with him tomorrow,” Ethan said. “I think that my brain is unintentionally searching for drama.”
It made sense to Anthony. They’d experienced enough drama lately to last for a lifetime.
“Tonight, this is a drama-free zone,” Ethan declared. “Besides, I have something important on my mind.”
“I bet. Are you nervous about tomorrow?”
“Yes, but I’m talking about something else.” He winked.
Anthony pushed back a smile and rubbed his palm over Ethan’s thigh. It felt both natural and strange to touch him freely, but the strangeness had been subsiding lately. He reached higher, rubbing his thumb against Ethan’s growing bulge, using just enough pressure to tease.
“Are you being naughty with me, Anthony?”
“Me? No, sir.”
Ethan cleared his throat. “You probably shouldn’t call me sir.”
“Why?”
“I might accidentally get some wicked ideas.”
Anthony noticed Ethan’s discomfort, which reminded him of Ethan demonstrating hidden dominating tendencies at the cabin.
“Are you worried about being wicked with me?” Anthony asked.
Ethan looked away, wetting his lips. “I’m perfectly happy with how things are between us, so I’d rather not risk it.”
Anthony could relate. He had also been worried when Ethan offered to bottom for him. It could have gone terribly wrong, but it ended up going wonderfully well.
“It’s okay if you don’t want to risk things. Just know that if you do want to be wicked with me, I’m game.”
Ethan became very still. “You are?”
It was adorable seeing him so nervous, but Anthony decided to make things easier. I have enough confidence to lend him some.
He rose to his feet, the floor a bit cold underneath his bare feet. Ethan watched him with a mixture of wariness and curiosity. “I’m not afraid of giving you control.” Anthony pulled off his shirt, then opened his jeans and let them slide to the floor. He pulled each leg out as Ethan’s eyes traveled up and down his body. With just his underwear remaining, Anthony sank to his knees.
“Ant...”
“Yes, sir?”
Ethan looked close to fainting, but a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips. “You look so calm.”
“I am calm.” He moved his hands behind his back. “I know that I’m in good hands.”
Ethan rubbed his face. “I’m so nervous.”
“This isn’t a test. Take your time. I’m not going anywhere.”
A spark of arousal flashed in Ethan’s eyes. “I won’t let you go anywhere.” He touched Anthony’s cheek, a slight tremble in his fingers. Outside the window, a soft spring rain started to fall.
Ethan’s hand traveled down to Anthony’s chest. “Have you ever felt like doing so many things that you ended up doing nothing?”
“Pick one thing. It doesn’t have to be perfect.”
Ethan rose to his feet. “Wait here.” He hurried to the bathroom and returned a few seconds later to sit on the couch. “Hands behind your head.”
Anthony obeyed, and Ethan held his open palm for him to see the clothespins he’d brought. They were made of wood, stronger than regular plastic.
Ethan took one of the clothespins and brought it close to Anthony’s chest. “Tell me if it hurts too much.”
“I can take it.”
“But do you want to take it?”
“Yes.”
“For me?”
“I enjoy a degree of pain, sir.” The words turned his skin transparent, yet he didn’t feel vulnerable.
“Thank you for being honest about that,” Ethan said. “I think that I… I may—perhaps—enjoy causing a degree of pain.” He looked troubled. “I’m worried about what it might say about me.”
“There isn’t an inch of you that's evil. You shouldn't overthink what your fantasies say about you.”
Ethan gave a quick nod, less tension in his features. “As long as you’re here to keep me balanced, I’ll be okay.”
He placed the clothespin on Anthony’s right nipple. The pain barely registered, but his cock still hardened in his tight underwear. Another clothespin found its way to the center of his left nipple and grabbed tightly to the skin. Goosebumps rose across his chest and arms.
“I love seeing them squashed like that.”
Anthony didn’t answer because he hadn’t been asked a question. He had flashbacks of being on his knees in front of Tobias and other members of The Gentlemen’s Club, allowing them to use him while ignoring the toll on his soul.
This isn’t the same. It feels like the exact opposite.
Ethan lowered his hand and attached a clothespin to Anthony’s belly button. The pain there was different, more erotic. A soft moan escaped his mouth.
“Problem?”
“No, sir.”
Ethan’s eyes roamed over Anthony’s body. “A fine work of art you are. I sometimes think about you during the day and get hard in seconds. You’re making me feel like a teenager again.” He reached for the clothespins on Anthony’s nipples and slowly twisted them. The pain intensified, hot and deep. He grimaced but remained still, his cock once more testing the strength of his underwear.
“Lick your lips, Ant. Now stick your tongue out.” Ethan leaned down and slowly sucked on Anthony’s stretched tongue. Oh God. The pleasure swam from his mouth to the rest of his face, leaving him dizzy.
Ethan leaned back. “I think that someone has earned the right to come to my bedroom.” His seductive tone sounded like a new language. “You’re going to keep walking with your hands behind your head, right?”
“Yes, sir.” He felt overwhelmed and so deeply aroused by the way things were going and the possibilities they presented.
Ethan helped him to his feet and steered him through the hallway, the clothespins making him more aware of each step. Inside the familiar bedroom, Ethan dimmed the lights and said, “Lie down.”
Anthony did, spreading his legs on the mattress and keeping his hands behind his head.
“I’m going to bring more clothespins,” Ethan said. “They were on sale, so I bought fifty. You can take some home if you need.”
Anthony held back a smile. “You were always a sucker for sales.”
“Like my momma taught me.”
Ethan came back and placed dozens of clothespins on the bed. “How’s your cock been holding up?”
Anthony glanced down at his underwear tent. “It could use a bit of air, sir.”
“Well, I’d hate for Anthony Junior to suffocate.”
“Are we really calling it that?”
“I regretted it the second I said it.”
Thank God.
Ethan pulled down Anthony’s underwear, allowing his cock to reach its full length. He sighed in relief.
“Now I can do this...” Ethan attached one clothespin to Anthony’s scrotum, between his balls.
He sucked in a breath, familiarizing himself with the pain instead of trying to fight it—a method he’d mastered during his time at the club, and before that with Chris.
In the next ten minutes, Ethan methodologically decorated Anthony’s body with clothespins, adding three to his scrotum, one beneath his crown, and two more to each nipple, stretching the sensitive skin to the max. During that time, Anthony’s erection hadn’t wavered an inch.
Once done, Ethan spread on the bed, propped up on his elbow. “Does it hurt?”
“Yes, but a different kind of hurt. I feel...”
“Yes?”
He wet his lips. “I feel sexy. Probably because of how you’re looking at me.” The desire in Ethan’s eyes shone brightly.
“How long can you stay like this?” Ethan asked.
“As long as you want me to.”
“I think you’re not kidding.”
“I’m not, and don’t worry about going too far.”
“How did you know I was worried about that?”
Anthony smiled. “Lucky guess. I’ll let you know if it’s too much.”
“Okay. Did you and Chris do stuff like this?”
“Hmm...”
“Forget it. Such a dumb question.”
“It’s not dumb.” His relationship with Chris remained a mystery to anyone but them, and he couldn’t blame Ethan for having questions. “We did similar things for months, but there was always a barrier with him. I constantly needed to remind myself not to fall in too deep because it was never going to end well.” He locked eyes with Ethan. “I have no barrier now.”
“Good.” He kissed the corner of Anthony’s mouth, then kissed alongside his face until he reached his sensitive earlobe and sucked on it.
Anthony gasped but tried to remain still, his eyes rolling backward as Ethan sucked and nibbled on his skin. He moved to lick Anthony’s bicep, traveling from his armpit to his elbow, leaving his skin wet. Ethan then pressed his finger against Anthony’s slit, using his precum to slowly circle around the crown. Blood gushed into Anthony’s erection, tightening his skin and pulling at the clothespins. Pain and pleasure clashed, making him whimper. He feared he might faint, that these intense sensations would shut down his brain.
“I’d like for you to suck my cock now,” Ethan whispered in his ear, “but I'm not sure how best to do it.”
Anthony caught his breath. “Hmm, you can sit on my chest.”
“Will you be comfortable?”
“One way to find out, sir.”
“I’m going to record you saying ‘sir’ and use it as my ringtone.” Ethan rose and took off his clothes, his body lean and strong, smoother and paler than Anthony’s. He carefully positioned himself on Anthony’s upper chest. A few inches lower, and his ass would have met the clothespins on Anthony’s nipples, undoubtedly hurting like a bitch.
Ethan’s beautiful cock stood above Anthony’s face, smelling of the soap he used.
“May I lick it?”
“Damn right you may.”
Anthony stuck out his tongue and ran it up and down the shaft, feeling Ethan shudder in response. Shortly after, Ethan pointed his cock down, and Anthony eagerly opened his mouth to accept every inch that slid past his lips. He could deepthroat like nobody’s business, so it only took Ethan a few seconds to shiver and pant, his balls smacking against Anthony’s chin.
“Is it safe for me to reach all the way down there?” Ethan half-asked, half-squealed.
Anthony gave a thumbs up and swirled his tongue around Ethan’s crown, tickling his salty slit.
“Jesus, Ant. I might pass out.” But he still rested his hands on the headboard and rocked his hips back and forth, fucking Anthony’s mouth until saliva formed at the base of his throat, causing him to gag.
Ethan pulled back, and Anthony hurried to swallow. Instead of returning his cock, Ethan got up from the bed, his face covered in shadows.
“Is everything okay?”
Ethan didn’t answer, but he did move closer to Anthony’s crotch. Slowly and quietly, he removed each clothespin from his cock and scrotum. The pain was both fierce and liberating.
With his cock and balls free, he watched Ethan as he opened a drawer and pulled out a bottle of lube. He expected Ethan to rub the lube on his own cock, but he ended up rubbing it on Anthony's.
“You’re going to fuck me now,” Ethan said assertively, “but you’re going to keep lying still. If you move, I’ll get up. Understand?”
I love seeing him owning his fantasies. “Yes, sir.”
Ethan must have prepared in advance since he managed to lower himself on Anthony’s cock with relative ease. He had only topped Ethan twice so far, and the experience still felt fresh and enticing.
Ethan began to slowly move up and down, snuggling tightly around Anthony’s throbbing erection. Staying still had sounded simple in theory, but Anthony quickly struggled. Not touching Ethan at those erotic moments felt cruel, but he had given his word. The only part he failed to control was his toes, which curled and stretched with every fresh thrust.
“I want to hear you,” Ethan said and gave a flick to one of the nipple’s clothespins.
Anthony let out a long moan of pleasure, and Ethan responded by lowering himself further until there was nothing more to fill.
“I love doing this,” Anthony said quietly, his thoughts floating peacefully with the soft rain tapping against the window. They were in a private little bubble, and Anthony never felt safer.
“You love doing what? Be specific.”
He cleared his throat. “I love fucking you when you control the rhythm.”
“And?”
“I love the pain in my nipples. It feels so good.”
Ethan moved faster, his precum dripping on Anthony’s stomach. “Keep talking. Don’t hold back.”
Anthony didn’t think he could even if he wanted to, a twister running from his brain to his mouth. “I want... I want you to tie me down next time. I want... huh, I want you to fuck me like that.”
Ethan swayed his hips in a circle. “Yeah? You love being tied down?”
It was almost impossible to concentrate with stars exploding behind his eyelids. “Yes, but with ropes, not handcuffs. And I’d love… I’d love to lick your whole body, and for you to lick mine. And I’d love for you to talk dirty to me, and... fuck, I love... I love you.”
Ethan stopped moving.
With his heart racing, Anthony realized what had just slipped out of his reckless mouth. They both became completely still.
Should I apologize?
Ethan leaned forward and placed his hands on both sides of Anthony’s head, watching him from above. Those damn shadows made reading the look on his face impossible.
“I think I may have heard you say that you love me.”
There were no words left in his inner dictionary, so he remained silent.
“I loved you as a friend for many years,” Ethan said quietly. “I think I fell in love with you on Fire Island. When I didn’t know if you were safe, it was… horrible.” He let out a breath. “What about you?”
Anthony gathered his thoughts, his brain catching up with the significance of this moment. “I don’t know exactly when it happened. Maybe one morning when I woke up and watched you sleep.”
Ethan smiled through the shadows. “Let’s go to my parents this weekend. I want to tell them about me—about us. Are you up for it?”
“I am if you are, sir.”
“No more sir tonight.”
“Okay, Ethan.”
“Let me get these out of the way.” Once all the remaining clothespins were removed, Ethan leaned down to find Anthony’s willing mouth. They kissed slowly and intensively until Anthony could no longer fight the growing pressure at the base of his cock. He ejaculated inside Ethan with a choked cry, holding him firmly above him. Ethan got his release moments later, shooting all over Anthony’s stomach and chest.
Panting, they lay facing each other.
“I thought you’d want to be on top,” Anthony said, his heartbeat slowing down. He could still feel echoes of the clothespins across his skin.
“It’s weird, but I sort of felt like I was on top. Does that make me… how’s it called, a powerful bottom?”
Anthony chuckled .“I think it’s power bottom.”
“My version’s better.” Ethan wiped sweat from his brow. “Shower?”
“Lead the way, powerful bottom.”