Healing Him

by Laura N Andrews

  He nudges my arm. “Any word yet from Dakota?”

  “No.”

  Dakota Edwards is our scout. Or in proper terms, our real estate agent. Travis and I recently made the big decision to buy our own gym. We’re both fully qualified as fitness trainers, and for a few years now, we’ve wanted something to call our own. Over the last couple of months, we’ve taken business classes and seminars to make sure we know what we’re getting ourselves into. It’ll be sad to leave Andy’s, as we’ve both been there for over eight years, but this is something we’re really passionate about. The only thing now is finding a place and working with the budget we have. We were put on to Dakota a little while ago from a friend of a friend, and until this point, our correspondence has been purely emails. From the get-go, I was clear about what we wanted and she seemed to get it. She knows exactly what we’re looking for.

  Travis shrugs and smiles, ever the optimist. “Something’ll come up.”

  I roll my eyes. “You’ve been saying that for a couple months now.”

  “Yeah, well, it’s still true.”

  “Hey, I was thinking—”

  “Uh-oh.”

  “Cut it out.”

  He chuckles. “Fine. What?”

  I nod back inside my room, and he follows me in. Turning to him, I say, “You know how, the other day, Trey made the suggestion we buy him out of the place?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Well… I was thinking that maybe we could. If we have one or two people move in.”

  He frowns. “What are you talking about?”

  I gesture for him to sit and he does. “Just listen, okay? Because Trey’s moved out and he’s doing his thing, there’s only the two of us who’re going to be paying off the mortgage, right? Now, I know we’ve both saved a good sum of money, but don’t you think it’d be great if we could get a couple of renters to move in? Or even just one?” I spread my arms out. “We have a four-bedroom house, and there’s only the two of us. We could even make the gym room another bedroom. Aside from that, those two bedrooms are just being wasted, and we could use some help moneywise.”

  He shakes his head. “But together we’ve got almost sixty thousand dollars for the gym. That’s a decent deposit and enough left over to spiff the place up and help out house payments.”

  I nod. “I know. But think about it. We’ll be paying off this house and the gym. I think our gym has the potential to be great. But we won’t be bringing in big bucks any time soon, you know? It could really help us out to have a couple of people move in and pay rent here. Just think about it. If we had two people paying near what we pay towards our mortgage, then we’ll pay off the gym and house so much quicker.”

  Travis seems to think about it for a moment. I stand still and watch as he strokes his chin, deep in thought. “It’s a good point. Not sure how I’ll cope, living with other people, but maybe we should.”

  I grin. “Okay. Well, what I can do is put up a couple of ads online. I’ll take a few photos of the place, the bedrooms, and we can see what reactions we get.”

  “What’ll we ask for the rooms?” he asks.

  I’d given this some thought. “Well, we each pay three hundred a week. So maybe two hundred? That’s fair. We’re in a prime location. We’ll be providing them with a kick-ass house, a bedroom, a pool, an in-house gym, and internet. And we’ll divide the bills between the three or four of us.”

  Travis grins. “If we have two people move in, they’d be almost paying off our mortgage. That, and the bills, could really help.”

  “Sounds good, right?”

  “Sounds really good.” He nods. “You might just be on to something, bro.”

  I shrug with a smirk. “I know.”

  Travis stands. “All right, well, put up those ads and we’ll see how it goes.”

  “Okay.”

  Just as he’s about to leave, he turns. “Oh, hey, I was thinking about having someone over tonight.”

  “Say no more,” I reply with a hand in the air. “I have plans anyway. And if I have my way, I’ll be out all night.”

  Travis’s eyes light up. “So you are seeing someone.”

  A sigh escapes me. “Yeah. But please don’t mention anything to Trey yet. At this point, it’s probably obvious I’m seeing someone, but it’s real new. I’ll let you both know when I’m ready.”

  “Hey, it’s cool.” He pats me on the back. “I’m gonna drop the lovebirds home now.”

  I spend the day organising the ad and taking photos of the house. The bedrooms, kitchen, living and dining rooms, the backyard with our pool, and the front yard. If we get two tenants, we have enough room for them to park their cars off the street. I’m probably biased, but I think what we’re offering for two hundred a week is pretty fucking good.

  By the time I’ve had a workout, uploaded the ad online, and cleaned my car, I only have half an hour to get ready. I’d offered to pick Ryan up, but he declined and said we should meet there.

  My hair is parted to the side. With short back and sides, the top is getting so long it’s almost coming down to my eyes. For a couple of months now, I’ve grown my hair out, and I find I don’t mind it. With a quick trim, I tidy up my beard before throwing on my white tee and black jeans. My black leather jacket and white sneakers finish the look. Giving myself another once-over, I yell out to Travis and head off.

  At the restaurant, Ryan rocks up just as I do. “Hey.” His welcoming smile is beautiful, and it makes me want to kiss him then and there. So I do. I lean forward for a kiss.

  “Hey, handsome,” I reply. “Shall we?”

  I twine our hands together and lead the way. Opening the door, I let Ryan walk in before me, and he squeezes my hand before letting go. I ask for a table for two, and we follow a lady as we’re led to a small table in the corner. What surprises me is when Ryan pulls a chair out and looks to me. As a sub, his chivalry doesn’t surprise me. His reaction, however, intrigues me. When he realises what he’s done, it’s clear he’s shocked himself. And he’s… annoyed? Confused, I save it for later and sit down in the chair. “Thank you, Ryan.”

  Once he’s seated as well, we look over the menu. I’m unable to concentrate on the words in front of me. The intrigue Ryan brings out in me is distracting. His action was chivalrous and natural to him. But he was surprised he did it? Even perhaps annoyed, or embarrassed? It confuses me. One thought, however, keeps circulating in my mind. He’s a beautiful sub. Again, it leads me to believe that as much as he is submissive, and as much as he wants to do certain things, like pull out a chair and obey orders, he also hates it. His past has caused him to not only suppress but hate who he is. I can’t have that.

  Ryan clears his throat. “I think I’m gonna get the vegetable curry.”

  I nod. “I’m ordering the butter chicken.”

  “I was thinking of that.”

  “We’ll share both,” I say.

  “Sounds great.”

  “Would you like some garlic naan?”

  “Yes, please.”

  “I’m going to get a beer.”

  “Yeah, me too.”

  For a moment, we smile and share a look of understanding. It’s as if there’s a voice inside our heads trying to prove how compatible we are. As if some cosmic voice is saying, “See? See how great things could be?”

  Aside from our relationship dynamic, we’d clearly be great together. As friends. As lovers. The unique chemistry between us is already there, but as much as I’d love to pounce and take him right here and now, I also want to sit here with him and have a nice dinner together. After we order and our drinks are served, I ask Ryan how his store manager job’s going.

  He shrugs those big shoulders. “It’s work. Mostly, I like my colleagues. The pay is decent, and there haven’t been any issues so far. Even though I’ve been there for a couple months, I’m still settling in. But generally, yeah, it’s going well.”

  “That’s great.”

  “How about you? You and Trav worki
ng at Andy’s—is that going well?”

  “It is,” I say tentatively.

  He picks up on my hesitation and seems genuinely concerned. “What is it?”

  I’m not sure how much to tell him. Trav and I haven’t given any notice to our boss yet, because there aren’t any certainties. I don’t believe Ryan would go running around telling everyone we’re planning to leave. He’d keep something a secret if I told him to be discreet. I lean forward with my forearms on the table and meet his eyes. “It’s early days, and at this point a secret, so don’t say anything to anyone at the gym—”

  “I won’t, Henry. I promise.”

  The seriousness in his eyes and his voice makes me smile. “Thanks. Travis and I are hoping to buy our own gym real soon.”

  “Wow. That’s awesome!” He grins widely, eyes filled with awe.

  “Yeah. Of course, nothing’s set in stone at this stage, and we won’t give Andy notice until we’ve found a gym and bought it. Odds are we’ll keep working there as long as we can. We’ve got a real estate agent looking into possible venues. Obviously, we’d like something close to home and a decent size.”

  “That’s so exciting!” Ryan’s genuine happiness for me and my brother is sweet. He smirks. “Something tells me Trey will be throwing a party for you guys.”

  I cock my eyebrow. “I’m impressed. You certainly know my brother.”

  Ryan shrugs. “I hear things. Of course, he does tell everyone at the earliest opportunity he loves planning events. The guy is lucky, doing something he really loves.”

  I laugh. “You’re right. We’re all lucky really. We found what we wanted to do and did it. He’s already told us he’ll be planning something. But first to come is Trav’s thirtieth.”

  “Oh, when’s that?”

  “Just under five weeks. On May 4th.”

  Ryan thinks about it for a moment with his head tilted. He grins. “Oh my God, that’s awesome!”

  I smile even as my brows furrow in confusion. “Why?” I wonder if it’s because—

  Ryan raises his hands on either side of him. They move as he speaks to help emphasise the awesomeness. “Are you kidding? ‘ May the fourth be with you’? That’s epic!”

  Laughing, I nod. “It is. You’re a fellow Star Wars fan then.”

  “Oh yeah.” Ryan nods with his whole body again. How can the man be hot and cute at the same time? “So that’s a Thursday night,” he tells me. “Would you celebrate that Friday?”

  “Yep.” After a couple of beats, I add, “Of course, you’ll be invited. But, I mean all going well… I’d like it if you came with me as my date.”

  Ryan brushes his hair back. “All going well… I’d like that too.”

  I nod with a smile. “Great.”

  When our food is delivered, we work together in sync, each of us forking out some rice and tearing off some bread, placing the two curries in the middle of the table. It’s a good thing we ordered two pieces of naan bread. I’m starved, and it seems Ryan is too. As we eat and drink, we chat about everything we can think of. I admit that even though I’m a huge movie lover, I sometimes find it hard to sit still for long.

  “No, really?” Ryan jokes, and it makes me chuckle.

  “Yeah. How about you?”

  “It’s funny. Looking at me, people assume I live at the gym, but I actually love just doing nothing sometimes. You need to relax every now and then with a book or a movie. Every once in a while, I spend my whole Sunday in bed, and it’s amazing.”

  “Hmm. I suppose I’d be tempted to spend a whole day in bed if I wasn’t alone.”

  He chuckles and lowers his voice. “That’s not the same. Because you wouldn’t be doing nothing. Odds are, you’d be fucking every other hour.”

  “Well, yeah.”

  Ryan shakes his head.

  I laugh. “Nah. I think if it had you in it, I could stay in a bed all day with minimal fucking.”

  He narrows his eyes. “I feel like we should make this a bet.”

  “You don’t think I could do it?”

  “Nope.” He shakes his head and swallows his food. “You’re too energetic.”

  I smile at the idea of this man getting to know me. “I mean, if we were allowed bathroom breaks and had sex one or two times, would that still count?”

  Ryan thinks about it seriously. “Once in the whole day. Yes. I don’t think you could.”

  I nod. The idea of being in bed with him all day is appealing. “Yeah, I could do it.”

  “You’re on.”

  “Are we putting a wager on it?” I smirk.

  He thinks only for a second before lowering his voice. “Winner gets a blowjob?”

  “Done.”

  We shake on it and I take a gulp of beer. Excitement makes my heart race and my cock twitch at the idea of having him at my disposal for a whole day. “All right. Next Sunday. It’s happening.”

  Curiosity piqued, he raises his chin. “You have plans tomorrow?”

  Why? Do you want to see me tomorrow? I’m thrilled at the notion. Shaking my head, I say, “Not really. I just want to be available.” When Ryan gives me a confused and hurt expression, I explain, “I’ve put an ad up online, and since tomorrow is Sunday, I figure people might respond and want to get in touch with me.”

  It’s clear he’s relieved by my words. Did he think I meant available for another guy? We’d agreed on exclusivity. “What’s the ad for?”

  “Actually, to move in with Trav and me. See, because Trey’s moved out, we’re thinking we’ll see if we can get tenants to move in and help out with our payments.”

  “Good idea.”

  I place my hand on his, gaze into his eyes, and drop my voice. “You didn’t honestly think I meant available for company, of the bedroom variety, did you?”

  Ryan sighs, disappointed at himself. “Yeah. I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be. This is why I said I wanted to be exclusively dating. While we’re seeing each other, there’s not going to be anyone else for me.”

  He smiles warmly. “Me neither.”

  “Good.” Our empty plates have all been taken, and our drinks are finished. “Since I asked you out, this is my buy tonight.” When Ryan starts to protest, I wave my hand. “You get the next one.”

  He cocks his brow. “So sure there’s going to be a next one?”

  “Yes.”

  After I’ve paid, we make our way outside. Ryan releases my hand and slides his finger through my belt buckle to pull me closer. “Did you want to come back to mine… Sir?”

  My heart races and, yet again, I find myself captivated by the effect his words, and the underlying demand, have on me. “Yes.”

  Chapter Six

  Assuming we’d be heading for the bedroom once we arrive at his place, I’m surprised when it’s not the case. Instead, Ryan asks if I’d like a drink.

  I run my fingers through my hair. “Yes, please.”

  “I’ve got Coke and Jack Daniels?”

  “Sounds great.”

  As he pours the drinks, I watch him from the other side of the kitchen bench. “So, at dinner you mentioned an older sister.”

  Ryan’s wide smile is beautiful. He makes it really hard to resist kissing him. “Yeah, Maddie. Or, Matilda. She’s a couple years older than me.” He cocks his brow and smirks. “Also turning thirty this year.”

  I scoff. “Ha, well if she needs a planner for the big day, you know who to call.” Ryan chuckles. “Does she have a partner, kids?”

  “She does. She and her husband Jarrod have been together for eight years. Their daughter, Ava, is five. She’s my goddaughter.”

  “Cute. Do you have photos?”

  Drinks prepared, he carries them to the coffee table. I’m paying too much attention to the way his ass looks as he walks. “Henry?”

  “Huh?” I’m pulled out of my thoughts to see him sitting down. I’m standing there like an idiot who’s spaced out. “Sorry.” I take my drink and join him on the couch, lifting the g
lass to my lips.

  Ryan holds his phone out for me. On the screen is a photo of him and who could easily be mistaken as his daughter. With dark-brown curly hair and chocolate eyes, she’s gorgeous. I gaze at the photo, up at him, and back down to his phone. “Wow,” I say.

  “I know, right? I feel sorta bad that she looks so much like me and neither of her parents.” He laughs before sliding his phone onto the table.

  I take a few sips. “You and your sister don’t look alike?”

  He shakes his head. “Not really. Jarrod has blond hair and hers is mousy brown. She has brown eyes, and he has green.”

  At the subject of conversation, I find myself growing a little solemn. “Is it nice though, having someone resemble you, I mean?”

  Ryan grins. “Yeah, real nice.” He seems to pick up on my discomfort and questions it. We both have one arm resting on the back of the couch and he places his hand over mine. “I don’t mean to push things really fast by talking about kids but, you don’t think about it? Passing on your genes?”

  I shake my head and chuckle. “I’ll wear my jeans to the bitter end.”

  His hand slaps mine lightly. “Be serious.”

  With a frown, I release a harsh breath. “No. I don’t.”

  He shifts closer to me and his eyes are gentle. “Why?”

  “Mostly, I’ve accepted my appearance. But every now and again, I resent it. The red hair, the fair skin, and the freckles.”

  Ryan tilts his head. “Why?” he asks again, with interest. I think he knows it’s a touchy subject, because he smirks and lets his hand fall to my thigh. “Gingers are hot. Especially you.”

  I smile before explaining. “I got my genes from Patrick, my father. Trey knows how I feel about it; he hates the man as much as I do, but he doesn’t truly understand. He couldn’t unless he resembled him as well.”

  “Why do you hate your father?” Ryan puts his glass aside before placing one hand on mine and the other on my knee. The contact is comforting, and it allows me to open up a bit.

  “He was mentally abusive, and towards the end, physically. I hate him and what he did to our mum. The fact that sometimes I look in the mirror and I see him ? It’s hard. Especially…” I pause before deciding to let it all out. “Especially because sometimes I wonder if he’s the reason I’m a Dom. I don’t enjoy inflicting pain on my submissives for the sake of it. But does the idea of you being tied up, blindfolded, begging, and at my sexual mercy turn me the fuck on? Hell yes.” I finish my drink and face him. “Anyway. I don’t like seeing his resemblance in me. How will I feel if I have a child who looks like him too?”