Chapter Twenty-Two
“Let’s make this fuckin’ snappy, we’re not allowed to have dogs in here,” Gordy grunts as we head into the adult toy store a few city blocks over from the tattoo parlor.
I brush him off, tucking Twink under my arm.
"It's fiiiine. We're just grabbing some real lube anyway—in and out.
Besides, I bring him places with me all the time, and no one has kicked me out yet.
I'd like to see them toss me out once they get a good look at my stunning wiener," I say, giving Twink some behind the ear scratches. "No one can resist him."
Gordy snorts.
“Don’t even try to deny it,” I quip, side-eyeing him.
“I’m not,” he notes as we make our way past a rack of dildos.
“Look, Twink!” I gasp, eyeing the overwhelming variety on display. “Your brethren! A whole bunch of wieners!" Twinkie yips excitedly, his tail whipping me in the ribs.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Gordy grumbles, picking up a bottle of lube. “Flavored, non-flavored, both?”
I squint at the bottle. “That one’s flavored like a cupcake.
Sounds like it’d be right up your alley.
Get that one, but, uh, maybe also get one without flavor.
Not sure how I’d feel about my butthole smelling like a strawberry patch.
Speaking of which, we should probably nab like a butt-doucher while we’re here… ”
He shakes his head, clearly unimpressed with my shit. He picks up another bottle. “It could taste like peaches.”
I chuckle. “Sold. Add that one too, I guess. You know, we haven’t really brought up whose peach is being poked.”
Gordy’s gaze rakes over me, a look I’m not too certain how to interpret. “I, um—” He clears his throat, and I watch his Adam’s apple bob hard as he searches for a response. “I don’t really know.”
“I’m down for trying it, if you’re not comfortable with it.”
“I might be, I’m not sure. I don’t really like to fuckin’ plot out how sex will go in advance. Makes me too friggin’ worked up about it, stewing on it too much ahead of time.”
Wow, his therapy sessions must be going well if he’s actually vocalizing his thought processes out loud to me.
Don’t think I’m not taking note of this little nugget of self-awareness.
I’m insanely proud of the work he has put in since being back.
Reminds me of the constant struggle I have with staying off the bottle.
It’ll always be a work in progress, never an end result. There will be setbacks and hurdles to jump, just as there have been right along, but as long as we keep putting up the good fight, that’ll only make us strong enough to weather those storms together.
I nod. “Fair enough. There is something that I’m kind of interested in, though,” I hum, searching the displays for what I have in mind.
As we walk past rack after rack of lingerie, I spy a pair of man-panties that look similar to the ones I found on my houseboat after Evan and Brooks spent a weekend on it, and gew—I don’t even want to think about my brother in those.
Finally, we land in the bondage section.
I find what I’m looking for and pull it off the peg.
“Twink and I could match,” I note with a nervous chuckle, holding up the full wrap-around collar with an attached matching leash, “Good Boy” embossed in the leather. In the kit, there’s also a headband with fluffy ears on it and a gag in the shape of a bone—those, I could do without.
Gordy’s eyes flick between me and the dog. “I’m not really into the whole fuckin’ pet play thing, or whatever you wanna call it. Some might be into it, but, I tell you what right now, if you ever try to wear a furry butt-plug around me, I will send you to a literal dog house.”
I chuckle, because, not to yuck anyone else’s yum, but same. Then, he reaches for something right next to it—a leather strap flanked with two O-rings at either end, with a loop of chain connecting the rings. A BDSM choke collar.
“Those are an excellent choice if you’re looking to achieve clear roles of dominance and submission.
That’s why I wear mine. It doesn’t have to be about pet play,” someone with a soft, sultry voice startles us from behind.
Gordy and I both spin to find a lady clad mostly in skin-hugging black leather, all except for her blood red heels.
Only in an adults-only store could she get away with the employee outfit she’s wearing.
“Oooh! Look at the puppy!” The woman—Madame Noir, according to her nametag—coos. “May I?” she asks, holding out her delicate hand, seeking permission to pat Twinkie.
I gulp, trying hard not to stare at what’s so generously being shown off by the deep-cut of the neckline of her bodysuit. Instead, I nod. “It’s, uh,” I stammer, “okay with you if my wiener is out in public like this?”
She laughs, the smokey sound of it tickles my insides, and I wonder briefly if the same is happening to Gordy, since I feel his arm curling around my waist, drawing me closer to him.
More specifically, in front of him. “I’m the manager-on-duty tonight,” she tells me.
“Meaning I’m the one in charge here, so this little cutie patootie can stay.
” She gives Twink a little scratch under his chin.
“Careful,” I note, chuckling. “Too much of that and you’ll earn yourself a wet hand.”
Behind me, I feel a rumbling growl emanate from Gordy’s chest. Fuck, and if it doesn’t get me harder—his possessiveness over her blatant attractiveness.
But, for his sake, I need to shoot this down immediately.
Trista-Lynn let her eyes—and her cooter—wander from him enough, and I’m not like that.
I’ve got no desire to fuck around on him.
“I just meant, uhm, Twinkie’s a licker. He loves his chin scratches,” I blurt out, sounding like a bumbling idiot.
Madame Noir just laughs again. “I love dogs. I have a Doberman at home who loves his chin scratched too,” she hums. “Are you folks shopping for yourselves?”
I peer up at Gordy, wondering how open he’d like to be right now. We haven’t really been doing a stellar job at being discreet thus far, but I don’t want to blatantly overstep his level of comfortability here.
“We are,” Gordy answers confidently.
“Fantastic!” Madame Noir replies. “Would you like to try the choker on and see if it fits? Who would be wearing it?”
I’m quick—almost too eager, really—to raise my hand.
She nods at Gordy, winking at him. “Well, why don’t you slip it on him then? Tell me what you think.”
I spin to face him, and he raises his arms up, slipping the collar down over my head until the leather rests on the nape of my neck.
The amber in his eyes flares with intensity as he takes in the sight.
Instantly, all the blood in my body must pool straight into my dick, because my hard-on is straining hard against my fly.
“Now what’s good about this particular choker is that it’s versatile,” Madame Noir cuts in, reminding me that Gordy and I can’t just pounce on one another right here and now.
“If you’re face-to-face like this, all you need to do is give one side of that chain a little tug, and pull him right to you.
But if you are behind him”—she spins the collar around so the leather sits right below my Adam’s apple—“you can still have control from here.” She gives the chain a gentle little tug.
“Obviously, you want to be cognizant not to asphyxiate your sub, however,” she adds, thankfully.
“Thank you,” Gordy croaks.
“Oh, yes, certainly,” Madame Noir chirps. “You know, forgive me if I’m overstepping, but I’m getting the feeling this is all very new for you. Would that be correct?” she asks Gordy, and his expression goes stricken.
“It is for me,” I admit quickly, attempting to take the heat off him.
I know it bothers him that for many years, all he did was masturbate.
He shouldn’t feel embarrassed about it, though.
I never want him to feel ashamed for keeping his sexual needs met in the only way he felt safe at the time.
In fact, it’s an honor that he now seems to fully trusts me with that vulnerability.
“I, uh, never put too much emphasis on distancing myself from Downtown Vanillaville for many years. Now that I’m, umm, trying new things out with someone new, I’m finding I’m a little more open to experimentation.
Beyond that, do you have any rectum rinsers? ”
“Ah, yes. We have several varieties of anal douches here.” Madame Noir nods, huffing out a little laugh.
“You know, I can appreciate you being so candid about a topic many view as too taboo to talk about. Not to be too generalized, but we see very few male shoppers here, much less those who are honest about their willingness to explore. If you’re ever seeking more insight into the other types of toys and gear we sell here, we do have an online channel where we have instructional, informative videos regarding just about every type of kink imaginable, and how to enhance your sex life. ”
I take that into consideration and thank her for her assistance as we head over to the counter to pay.
So fuckin’ glad we chose to pop in here for some lube, and not some local pharmacy.
This was a hell of a lot more enlightening, I will say that, but not in the “I got schooled in collars” kind of way.
No, it made me realize that this was the sort of effort Sarah had expected of me, and I never gave her…
I’m not about to make that same mistake twice, because I intend to keep Gordy around for as long as he’ll have me.
“Yes! Run for first, Terra!” Steve shouts, nearly knocking Sarah on her ass as he launches off his chair, pointing in the direction of the base.
My ex-wife scowls at her beau, and instantly, I can’t help but feel a little sorry for the guy. I’m all too familiar with that look. “Why don’t you let her coach tell her where to go?” she huffs.