Making His Stand

by Thianna Durston

  A quirk of Detective Layton’s lips showed he saw the humor in that statement.

  “James,” Ken said. “Do you wish to leave Elan Isle?”

  “No,” James said quickly. “Why would I want to leave the only place that’s been like home to me?”

  “And for the record,” Ken said, sounding very lawyerly, “when did your father find out you were gay?”

  “About a month ago. He was not happy that I had no intention of joining Islam, recanting my homosexuality, and moving to Saudi Arabia. I thought that was it. Apparently not.”

  Ken cleared his throat. “Detective, James has just refuted everything Kaliq Zaman stated. Do you have any more questions for him?”

  The detective looked long and hard at James. “It’s not that I don’t believe what you’re saying, James. But I’m here on the allegation of severe mental and physical abuse. I don’t feel I can leave until my mind is set at ease. I would feel better if I could speak with James alone.”

  That was the last thing James wanted. He yanked his phone out of his pocket and his fingers trembled as he pulled up his contacts. “P-perhaps if you heard it f-from the horse’s mouth.” He hated it when he stuttered. It didn’t happen as often as it used to when he was a kid. James hit the button to turn it on speaker just in time.

  “James,” Kaliq said sharply when he answered the line. “Have they got you away from that place?”

  “What are you doing?” James said, aware of the pain rushing through his body. “Why are you doing it? You said I would no longer be your son if I refused to walk away.”

  “James, those people have convinced you that you are homosexual. It is a simple enough fix to remove that idea from you. A friend of mine runs a camp for Muslims who mistakenly believe they are gay.”

  “I’m not Muslim,” James shouted. “And I’m gay. I’m gay. I’m gay!”

  Alec wrapped both of his arms around James and pulled him back against his chest. His warmth helped to calm down the nervous energy rushing through his body. Each calm beat of Alec’s heart against his back helped him to breathe slower. As he stood within Alec’s arms, he glanced over at Kendrick. He hadn’t noticed before but Kendrick stood between him and Layton, a physical barrier against an enemy. With Alec behind him and Kendrick in front of him, James had never felt so protected in his life.

  “My son is not gay.”

  “Kaliq,” he said firmly, “from the moment you met me, you’ve let me know I failed in your estimation of the perfect son. Since I was the product of a one-night stand, I’m sure that was disappointing for you.” The sarcasm in his tone was thick.

  “My son will not speak to me this way,” Kaliq said loudly.

  “Well, guess what,” James went on as if Kaliq hadn’t spoken. “You’re not exactly my version of a great father either. You put me down, degraded me, and tried to force me to do stuff I didn’t want to do. Maybe that’s why you think the people here would do it. But guess what? That’s the antithesis of who they are.”

  “James,” Kaliq said and the tone of his voice made James’s decision for him. What was he doing trying to fight it out with a man who never cared for him? All Kaliq had done was make him feel as if he was never good enough.

  James glanced over his shoulder into Alec’s face. There was such love and pride in those eyes and he knew exactly what he needed to do.

  He took a deep breath, turned back to the phone, and said, “Last time we talked, you said you would disown me if I refused to get fixed. Well, guess what? I disown you. You’re a lousy father and not someone I ever would choose to be like. I have your DNA, but that’s it. I’ve never been James Zaman and I never will be. As of today, I no longer want to know you. Get out of my life.”

  Silence filled the room but Alec tightened his arms and James could feel his pride. Kendrick stood a little straighter, pride practically falling off him as well.

  “You’re not worth the bother.” The line was cut and James sagged against Alec.

  “Well,” Ken said, the first one of them to speak after the call, “Detective, I think there’s enough proof in this conversation to disprove Zaman’s allegations. For James and the cooperative’s safety, I’m going to suggest getting a restraining order against him.”

  Layton nodded. “I would have to agree. At this time, I don’t see any evidence of coercion or abuse. Except perhaps on the side of Kaliq Zaman. As such, I’ll head back to Port Angeles.”

  Kendrick escorted the detective out and Ken hung up to do some paperwork. James turned around and looked into Alec’s eyes. He thought he should feel awful or upset. “I feel good,” he said in surprise.

  Alec’s eyes crinkled and he smiled. “You finally got to tell your father off.”

  That felt really good. So good that he needed to do one more thing. James hit a speed dial he hadn’t touched since before he moved.

  “James,” his mother said sharply as she answered. “I’m on my way to a meeting so I’ve only got five minutes.”

  “I know, Mom,” he said with a weary shake of his head. “You never have more than five minutes for me. But don’t worry. What I’ve got to say will take less than five seconds. I’m gay and in a relationship with a wonderful man named Alec.”

  Silence met his statement and he almost giggled. He felt giddy as if he’d removed all the ropes that held him down and he was floating in the air.

  “James, that’s not funny.” She sounded put out, but not necessarily shocked.

  “I’m not trying to be funny. I’m gay. I’ve always been gay. And I’m in a great relationship. Just wanted you to know.”

  She gave a long sigh. “I don’t have time for this. I’m almost at my meeting. We’ll discuss this later.”

  James shook his head, knowing there would never be a later. That last phrase was Diedre-code for “I don’t want to discuss that so you won’t mention it again.” Since she never called him and he had no intention of calling her, this was probably the last time he would talk to her. He should probably feel worse about that than he did.

  “Good-bye, Mom.”

  “James,” she said in a stiff voice and the call ended.

  “Shit, babe,” Alec said and pulled him close. “People talk about nature vs. nurture, but I can tell them unequivocally that with you, neither wins. You’re like neither of your parents.”

  “I know.” James leaned against Alec and soaked in his warmth. “Isn’t that a good thing,” he said wryly.

  Alec chuckled. “I think so.” He pressed a kiss to the top of James’s head. “What do you want to do? Go back to bed?”

  He felt too good for that. “I… I want to celebrate.” When Alec pulled back enough to look at him, he shrugged. “I’m free. I want to celebrate that.” All that fear that had been holding him down was gone and while it felt odd, it was empowering.

  A slow smile tugged at the edges of Alec’s lips and it tipped over into a wicked grin. “Well, now. I can think of all sorts of things we can—” His eyes sparkled. “Oh, hell, yeah.”

  “What?” James asked in both excitement and trepidation. He was learning that grin would most assuredly mean something scary and pleasurable.

  “Why don’t you take Zippo back to your place, babe? I’ve got a few things to put in order. I’ll text you when it’s ready. Go on.” Alec smacked his ass and James cast him another glance before he left the office.

  “You okay?” Becca asked. She was crouched by his office with Zippo curled up in her arms. As soon as he spotted James, he fought to get out and she put him down so he could run right to James.

  “I’m more than okay,” James assured her as he picked up Zippo, feeling so light he wanted to laugh and dance and perhaps float. “I’m out. To everyone. I’ve got people who care about me for the first time in my life. I’m definitely more than okay.”

  She beamed and hugged him.

  “Well, I’ve got to take Zippo home and get him some breakfast. Then Alec’s making plans.”

  “Plan
s?”

  “You know the kind. Where they get that look in their eyes.”

  She snickered. “You mean the one that sends butterflies loose in your stomach and a desire to both go along with it and run away?”

  He nodded. “Yes. That’s the one.”

  “Good luck,” she called as he left the office.

  He wasn’t sure he needed luck. James felt like he could handle anything.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  “You want us to what?” James asked, an aghast expression on his face as he stared at the Doms standing opposite him and the other subs.

  “Strip, pup,” Alec said firmly. “I do mean now.”

  There was no doubt this was not what James expected when he sent him the text requesting he meet him at The Playroom. He probably figured they’d work on one of his kinks. Well, he was right in that Alec was going to work his kinky side. He was also going to show his pup that it was best to follow his Dom. And that sometimes the unexpected was far more fun than the expected.

  The other subs—Becca, Keb, and Slate—quickly disrobed, all of them more experienced in the lifestyle and used to hearing that command. James seemed frozen.

  “Trust me, pup,” Alec said, keeping his voice firm. “Strip.” He looked directly into James’s worried gaze and slowly the worry was replaced with resolve.

  James’s fingers shook, but he managed to remove his clothes and stood there, with his hands near his dick but not covering it. Alec was proud that he didn’t.

  “All right, subs,” Kendrick said with a smirk. “We thought a little sub Olympics was in order.”

  “Uh-oh,” Keb murmured.

  Craig stepped forward, turned Keb to the side and landed a blow on his ass that made every other sub wince and Keb cry out. “No speaking, boy.”

  Alec managed not to chuckle at the smirk on Craig’s face as he stepped back to them. Craig was enjoying himself with Keb. No doubt about it. Since his wife Jilly died, he hadn’t taken on any subs. Keb was bringing him back to himself. Which fit because he was also bringing Keb back to the man he was.

  “As I was saying, a little sport is good for all,” Kendrick continued. “It will start here. As the outer doors were open, you won’t have noticed a little track we’ve placed there. But you will soon. For now, we’re going to let you choose your mounts.”

  The expression on all four subs’ faces was comical. He could read James’s expression easily. That was a what-the-fuck expression if he ever saw one.

  “Head into that room,” Kendrick said. “And choose your mount. You have five minutes. Meet us by the front door.”

  Slate was the first one to head toward the room, Becca on his heels. She grabbed James’s arm on her way and Keb followed them.

  Alec walked with the rest of the Doms toward the door. Ryan strode beside them, an excited gleam in his eyes. He would pick up so many tricks from living there. His first sub would probably have his or her mind blown. Alice had volunteered to top Slate, which was probably why he was being so good. Nobody wanted to piss off a Domme. Her sub Joseph was grounded and at home pouting, from what she’d said.

  It didn’t take long before they heard the laughter from the subs. They’d found their mounts. By the time they reached the outer doors, the subs were following, each one holding a huge bouncy ball in front of them. There was excitement in their eyes, and a tiny amount of trepidation. Perfect.

  “Stand out here,” Kendrick said and James glanced left and right as he stepped outside the door, the bouncy ball more than hiding his goods from the front. From behind, though, Alec had a very nice view of his ass. “As I mentioned, we have a track. You never saw it because both sets of double doors were opened. Subs, welcome to the races.” He hit the bar that closed the interior doors and between the two sets of doors was a race track with four lanes.

  Kendrick was wonderfully devious and hadn’t even told Alec about that particular addition until he’d called him with the idea of some sort of play day.

  “It goes all the way round the building,” he said. “That’s a half mile, subs. Here’s the rules. Your Doms will prepare your mount with a condom and lube. They will also put a condom on the male subs. Each one of you will take a lane and mount your mounts. Once the buzzer goes, you have to stay in your lane, and yes, we have cameras to make sure you don’t veer off. You have to bounce your way around the entire track. No picking up your mount and carrying it. And you have to reach the end without having an orgasm. The first sub to make it to the end will get a head start on the next part.” Every sub turned to him with slight trepidation. “I’ll explain that once we get there. Doms, prepare the mounts.”

  Alec strode up to James, grinning at the excited and embarrassed expression he saw. Perfect. He pulled out a condom and rolled it down the bouncy ball’s shaft and coated it liberally with lube. He wanted each bounce to be a joyous one. Then he removed another condom from his pocket. As James was flaccid, he licked his palm and wrapped it around him. Bingo. Immediately, his dick began to grow and as soon as he was half hard, Alec rolled the condom down his shaft, leaving plenty of room for spillage. Last thing he did was pull out a needleless syringe filled with lube. “Bend over, pup.”

  James did as asked, though his body posture stated quite clearly that he would rather be home with Zippo. That would soon change. Alec pushed the syringe into his hole past the sphincter and pressed down on the plunger, filling James with lubricant.

  “Everyone ready?” Kendrick called out. “All right, subs, mount up.”

  Each Dom grabbed their sub’s ball and put it at the starting line. Alec tipped his forward so that James could back up to it. Then the fun was to get it in. With the lube dribbling out his hole, it was easier than it would have been without, but the shafts on the balls were large. When with a groan, James sunk all the way down, Alec patted his ass.

  Becca grunted while trying to mount hers, no doubt trying to get that huge phallus into her pussy.

  Finally all four subs were ready, their hands on the handles with the shafts inserted.

  “On your marks,” Kendrick said, laughter in his tone and face. “Get set. Go!” He pushed a buzzer and all four subs bounced forward.

  There was a small television screen against one wall and Kendrick turned it on so they could watch. It was hilarious. And hot. Each of the cameras gave them wonderful close-ups of their subs’ faces. James’s eyes were wide each time he bounced down and the shaft pressed all the way in. His dick got harder with each bounce. He wasn’t going to last. Which worked in Alec’s favor. More fun for him later.

  Slate suddenly stopped bouncing as he arched his back and gasped, his body jerking as he came.

  “One down,” Alice said with a smirk.

  “How are we going to tell if Becca comes?” Ryan asked with interest.

  “Watch her face,” Kendrick explained. “Her eyes will go glassy and practically cross. And her lips will turn a deeper red and thicken. She will pause as well once it overtakes her. She chose one of the ribbed ones which means it’s rubbing over her clit with each bounce. I don’t expect her to last much longer.”

  She didn’t. She gave a long, moaning cry and came, her back arched and her mouth open as she rode out her orgasm.

  That left Keb and James and it was obvious both of them were fighting their orgasms. They were bouncing from lane to lane and Keb got turned around right before he came.

  Alec raised an eyebrow as James kept going forward. The strain on his face was enormous and his body was so tight—he looked like he was holding it back by sheer will.

  “Think he’ll make it?” Alice asked with interest. “That’s kind of impressive. Joseph would have been the first one to come if I’d allowed him here.”

  “He’s just at the half point,” Kendrick said in amusement. “Think he can last another quarter mile?”

  Alec shrugged. “I didn’t think he’d last the first half. No matter what, he’s getting one hell of a fucking for it. Go, pup, go.”
<
br />   It was obvious by the three-quarter point that James was not going to make it. His ball was all over the lanes, his eyes were glassy and he looked like he was in pain. He’d just rounded the bend where they could see him when he let out a huge cry and came. His entire body spasmed and he held onto the handle of his ball with all his might as he emptied into the condom.

  He looked exhausted when he was through, but he looked up and saw Alec. Alec smiled at him and crooked his finger. “Come on, pup. I know you can finish.”

  A small smile crossed James’s face and he forced himself to start bouncing again. The discomfort on his face from having that shaft pierce his ass again and again even though he’d just came had to be uncomfortable. Oh yeah. Alec was rewarding him big.

  When he bounced across the finish line, Alec swept him off the ball and into a kiss. He took those lips hungrily as he let his sub know how much he appreciated all his efforts. When he put him on his feet, James laughed softly, holding onto his arms as he gained his equilibrium. “That was… wow.”

  With a laugh, Alec removed both condoms and tossed them in a receptacle. He handed James the cleaning equipment and James cleaned up his ball. By the time the other three bounced into view, all of them with exhausted and slightly uncomfortable smiles on their faces, James had already taken his mount back to the room and returned.

  “Shocking,” Kendrick said after all the mounts were cleaned and put away. “Not one of you could hold out.” Becca pouted and Keb cast a warry glance at Craig who was wearing his fuck-you look well. But Alec knew Craig pretty well. Just like all of them, he would reward Keb for his efforts. Probably with a whipping. “All of you came, but James made it to the finish line way before the rest of you. As such, he gets an early start on the next play.” Kendrick waved toward Craig. “Want to take over the instructions?”

  “Gladly.”

  Craig stood in the middle, settling his patented glare on each sub before speaking. “The next part of our games is an obstacle course of sorts. You have to make it in and around the obstacles without getting distracted. There is a Dom or Domme at each obstacle. If you dally, each of them has a paddle to use on you.” A wicked grin lit up his face. “James will get a one-minute head start. Your Dom or Domme will be at your side every step of the way, so don’t let us down.” He glanced at his watch and then looked at James. “Go.”