Chapter Six
As soon as they returned home late that night—or extremely early the next morning, depending on the viewpoint—Joseph excused himself and went to the lavatory. He was a jumble of confusion after their evening on the town, and he needed a few moments alone to sort himself out.
He readied himself for bed, feeling fuzzy after the few drinks he’d allowed himself. Never a big imbiber, Joseph had paced himself carefully, but the effects of three glasses of kloq made him a little off-balance. He took his time, letting the evening drift away, relaxing in the knowledge he was once more in the privacy of Almon’s apartment and out of the sight of others.
It hadn’t gotten any easier to be on display as the Nobek’s lover after their talk. Joseph had done his damnedest to play along, but fear had remained in the pit of his stomach. All the logic and wisdom of how perfectly acceptable the relationship was on Kalquor could not convince his anxieties.
Joseph imagined Almon before him and said, “You could have done so much better than me. You sure as hell deserve someone who has his shit straight.”
He resolved to do his best by his benefactor. He cared for Almon, and he would not restrain himself from showing it. He had to make amends. With resolve, Joseph finished readying himself and left the bathroom.
He found the Nobek in the art half of his studio, examining the painting he’d started that morning. Joseph joined him, wrapping his arms around the bigger man. “It’s already as gorgeous as the rest. It will end up being your best so far.”
“Thank you. So, you survived your night out on the town.” He rubbed Joseph’s back.
“I could have done better. I will, next time.”
Almon pressed a kiss to his brow. “Realizing it’s okay to be yourself in public and actually putting it into practice are different concerns.”
“I have to get over my fears. We should have stayed longer, not left early. I wish I had insisted.”
“You did all right for your first outing in public as a gay man. Stop beating yourself up. Unless you might be into discipline and punishment? Then you should leave it to me.” The Nobek’s joke fell flat.
“Ah, so you’re thinking of beating me for making your visit with your friends miserable?”
“I wasn’t miserable. I felt bad that you were.”
“You were frustrated. If we’re hoping to take this anywhere, we need to be truthful about all that happens. Don’t play this off. Don’t excuse me if I upset you.”
Almon hesitated before nodding. “I’m not an Imdiko, Joseph. I lack unlimited patience for every setback. Yes, I had moments of frustration when I felt you pulling away. Which was most of the night.”
“I understand. I hope you’re aware that I am trying.”
“I know. I am too.” He attempted humor again and shook his finger at Joseph, the picture of an irritated parent. “I’m not giving up just because I have moments where I want to yank your pants down and spank you into having sense.”
A visual of his warning erupted in Joseph’s head. It sent warmth pouring into his groin, which was up against Almon’s thigh. The Nobek’s eyebrow rose, and Joseph averted his gaze. He shifted his hips so the erection lost contact with Almon’s leg, but it was already too late.
“It’s like that, is it? Were you a naughty boy, Joseph? Did you upset your Nobek?” Almon’s gruff purr set Joseph’s hair on end.
His mind engulfed in a maelstrom of confusion and want, the Earther stepped back. Almon’s hungry gaze scrambled his thoughts more. “No. I—I mean, yes, I guess I did—but—but—”
Almon grinned, and Joseph had the notion he’d fall to the floor under the power of that leer. “Such a bad boy. Such a very bad boy. You’ll have to be punished.”
He moved quickly, as if he believed Joseph possessed the strength to dodge. Joseph didn’t. He offered no resistance when Almon slung him over a broad shoulder and carried him to the workout machine’s bench on the other side of the room. He offered no defense when the Nobek draped him over his thighs either. It wasn’t until Almon yanked his pants down to his knees and the cool air struck his bared flesh that he jerked out of stunned inaction.
Joseph gasped and tried to heave himself up, but Almon held him down, the big hand splayed just beneath Joseph’s shoulder blades. “Let’s have none of that, now. Take your spanking. Mind me, boy.”
The first strike came almost before he finished speaking. Painful heat spread over both cheeks, and Joseph yelped. He yelped again when Almon rubbed the fiery heat, making it sink into his flesh.
“Your ass looks good with my handprint on it. Almost as perfect as when I put my dicks in you.” He smacked Joseph again, eliciting another yell. Then rubbed again, shoving the scorching in deep, all the way to Joseph’s cock, which grew harder against the Nobek’s thigh.
“I feel you there,” Almon murmured. “It could be that we have a new game to play, don’t we, boy? I enjoy this as much as you do.”
He set about spanking Joseph for real. Blistering heat raged, inside and out. Joseph writhed and wailed, and his manhood throbbed with growing demand as Almon disciplined him. He screamed outright when Almon paused the punishment to stroke him, his hand a tight vise around his shaft.
Spanking. Rubbing. Stroking. Spanking, Rubbing. Stroking. Joseph couldn’t figure out where the hurt ended and the excitement began. Through it all, Almon’s voice grew harsher, words fighting to escape between pants.
“That’s my boy. That’s it.”
Joseph’s groin clenched in a warning spasm. He was so close. His moans and cries must have somehow warned Almon.
The Nobek stood, strength and speed working flawlessly so that Joseph went straight from his lap to bent over the bench, still warm from where Almon had sat. The Earther glanced over his shoulder to see Almon opening the crotch of his pants. His cocks sprang out, wet and ready.
There was no prep. No waiting. The Nobek pushed his smaller length in, inciting another round of aching pleasure, more profound than the spanking had been. Joseph hissed between clenched teeth, gripping the edge of the bench with all his strength to cope with the hurt. However, he couldn’t stop himself from shoving back, eager to enclose his lover. A flash of excitement announced Almon had found his prostate, and he pushed himself onto the other man, taking the entirety of his shaft. Both cried out.
Almon grabbed the nape of Joseph’s neck and manhood. He squeezed a warning. “My pace, boy. Calm down.”
Joseph gasped and groaned, fighting a need that shocked him. He wanted nothing more but to ram himself back and forth, taking Almon’s length over and over until they both came. His shaft jolted in the Nobek’s grip.
“I said no. Mind me, damn you.” A desperate note in the midst of the growl.
Joseph fought for control. He pounded the bench with his fists as he dueled with a hunger he’d never suspected existed in himself. After nearly a minute, his tense body eased, relaxing as the worst of its insistence quieted. For the moment.
“Are you all right?” Almon asked. He too sounded slightly less breathless.
“Yeah. Sorry. Caught me by surprise.”
A low chuckle. “I’m not complaining about the enthusiasm. But you do need to work on some mastery over yourself.”
When it felt so amazing? Joseph didn’t know that he wanted to deny himself a single second of bliss. He’d been forbidding it for over thirty years already.
Almon moved slowly, his dick rubbing over Joseph’s hotspot in a way that made him tighten his grip on the bench again. The Nobek pumped his length at the same deliberate pace. “Fuck,” Joseph groaned as his shaft twitched in the iron grip.
“Don’t come, boy. If you do, I’ll have to punish you for real. You might not appreciate my strap as much as you do my hand.”
Maybe he had no actual desire for such a reality, but the fantasy of Almon’s leather slapping his buttocks was exhilarating. Another surge of eagerness shot through the Earther. “Please.”
“Not yet. Not
yet. Show me you’re my respectful boy. Hold off for your Nobek.”
Only Almon’s desire for obedience could convince Joseph to reject instant gratification. As it was, the longing to please his lover was nearly not enough to maintain control. The slow thrusts came quicker, and Almon’s strokes increased in tempo as well. Fucking him. Possessing him. Making him feel every delicious shift with utmost clarity.
Joseph was sobbing with need when Almon switched to his primary. The Nobek thrust deep within, making him squall with the intense sensations. He held onto restraint by a thread as Almon grunted over him, holding him down and whipping his hand over Joseph’s sensitized shaft, feeding his ass the thick length that provided such breathtaking friction.
“Ancestors, I love watching your reddened ass take me. You’re so fucking gorgeous.”
“Please. Almon, I can’t hold on!”
“Call me your Nobek.”
“You are. My. Nobek. Please. Let me. Come. My Nobek.” Joseph heaved the words out, fighting for air between the paroxysms of rapture.
“Yes. Come for me, my boy. My sweet boy.” Almon groaned, pulling so hard on his cock that the first surge of orgasm raged from Joseph’s balls. He was climaxing whether he was given permission or not.
Tremors rushed through him, too close to tell apart, shattering him to pieces. Almon shouted, his shaft seizing in Joseph’s ass, filling him with heat. They strained against each other, chorusing their simultaneous exaltation.
Several minutes later, Almon sat on the floor, pulling at Joseph so that he cradled him in his lap. Joseph curled into the warmth, snuggling against the astounding body.
Almon nuzzled against his curls. His voice muffled, he said, “Heat of the moment aside, I really do want you to think of me as your Nobek. Would that would be possible? Some day?”
Joseph blinked, surprised his lover believed he had to ask such a question. “Of course it is. I want to be yours too.”
Almon’s finger on his chin tilted Joseph’s head up so he could view the Kalquorian’s happy expression. The kiss felt like a contract, one Joseph eagerly agreed to.
* * * *
The next day was another for Joseph to be out in public. He found shopping for food and household supplies to be less stressful than the night before. Perhaps it was because he had hopes of not being recognized. The typical crowd wasn’t as likely to be affiliated with the Imperial Fleet. Certainly, he wasn’t given a third glance—and those second looks were more on par with the kind of interest that made Almon glare and snarl, “He’s taken.”
Maybe Joseph found their shopping jaunt easier because even those at the club who knew who he was had not responded to him threateningly. Or it could have been that he trusted Almon, ever vigilant at his side.
Or maybe he was finally adjusting to being a man openly in love with another man. Stranger things could happen, right?
That they needed to take care of errands was not in question. Almon was due to return to work the next day, and he was eager that Joseph had all he wanted and needed at the apartment, at least until they could shop again or Joseph figured out where he should go to purchase items on his own.
The morning was almost gone in a whirlwind of buying. Joseph had bags filled with five new outfits to add to his sparse closet. Almon had taken him to a furniture outlet, where they’d ordered items for his writing office, to be delivered at the end of the day. The Nobek carried two new pairs of shoes and various toiletries for Joseph, as well as some fresh fruit and vegetables to round out the frozen meals.
Joseph cast a sideways glance at his companion as they navigated the lowest market level of the mountain’s interior. A reddish hue cast by one of the brightly lit storefronts they passed illuminated the other’s brown skin, giving Almon a ruddy appearance. Despite the many re-usable shopping bags he carried, he showed no strain or weariness. Joseph glanced at the numerous bags and frowned.
Almon caught the expression and scowled for the millionth time. Raising his voice so Joseph could hear him over the background babble and music playing from the buskers they passed, he said, “Will you ease up? My funds are fine. I’ve set aside plenty to get you established and to carry us through for a while.”
Guilt refused to stop nibbling at Joseph’s conscience. He nodded at a nearby shop, hectic with bright signs designed to draw in shoppers. “I should work too. That place is hiring salespeople.”
“You have to sort yourself out first. When Dr. Adna gives you the go-ahead, I’ll help you find a career worthy of your abilities. You’ve got technical know-how and command experience. Plus, you could search for work that takes advantage of your love of writing.”
A freestanding station filled with hanging canvases and sculptures caught Joseph’s attention. He veered in that direction. “What’s that? Let’s look.”
He hurried over to the art display, ignoring the sound of Almon grumbling. It had become clear in a hurry that despite all the Nobek’s patience, he despised shopping—especially when Joseph took too long to browse through items that aroused his curiosity. Especially when he did so with no intention of buying.
The art was the perfect example of what Joseph wouldn’t purchase. He gave a wall of paintings his attention before muttering to Almon, “Your work is better than quite a few of these. And get a load of the prices they’re asking! If I had half your talent, I’d show and sell as these artists do.”
Almon gazed at the works with a little more interest than usual. “Do you think so? Ah, I paint for myself. Not to make money.”
“That’s probably why your work is so incredible.”
“Come on. Let’s finish the stuff we need to get done.” Almon turned away, but not before Joseph noted his pleased countenance. Chuckling, he followed the Nobek down the concourse.
Moments later, Almon paused in front of a business bearing the name Fun and Games. The shop’s windows were blacked out, with no products on display.
“Why don’t you wait out here while I go in?” A sly grin stretched over the Nobek’s mug.
Though Joseph wanted to keep playing Druusqi’s Challenge until he’d conquered at least one more level, he agreed some less stressful pastime could be an enjoyable diversion. “Why should I stay out here? I love games. I can help you pick some out.”
“I’m not so certain you would. This is a sex toy shop.” He chuckled when Joseph froze and stared at the mysterious storefront. “That’s what I thought. A little too much of the deep end to dive into?”
Joseph forced himself to not glance around, to see if others noted he stood before such a place with a man. So much for being comfortable with the openness. “I’m supposed to be pushing myself to be okay with this.”
“I agree, but I’m not insisting on you doing so today. Some of the items in there might be upsetting for someone so repressed.”
“Upsetting? Such as—” he lowered his voice and fought not to squirm as he voiced a fantasy. “You mean like straps to spank me with?”
“Quite a bit of the devices inside are far more extreme than that. Don’t worry, I’m not planning on buying anything too outrageous. Just stuff we can try out. Besides, if I go in alone, I can find some fun surprises for you.”
Joseph wasn’t persuaded he wanted to be surprised where sex was concerned. Though the spanking the night before had been an unexpected pleasure, leading to many ideas—
Either you trust Almon, or you don’t. Do you?
“Okay.” He remained uncertain, but he offered a smile to his lover to show he was willing to try.
The Nobek appeared pleased, as he had when Joseph had suggested his art was good enough to offer for sale. He nodded to an entertainment square several feet distant. “Look, some musicians are setting up. Go listen to them while I have a peek inside, okay?”
“Promise you won’t get carried away in there. Don’t dip into the grocery budget.”
His attempt at humor worked, earning a chuckle from Almon. The Nobek disappeared into the shop.
The second song had just ended when a familiar voice spoke his name. “Hello, Joseph.”
“Nesof! Hi!” He grinned, delighted to see the Nobek orderly’s approach. He followed the exuberant greeting with a bow, Kalquorian-style.
Nesof, who’d seemed as if he were moving in for an embrace, jerked with a surprised expression. After an awkward moment, he returned the bow. “You look great. Is life on the outside agreeing with you so far?”
“I’m doing terrific. It’s better than I’d anticipated. Almon is going above and beyond to help me get settled.”
Nesof’s gaze flitted to the storefront through which Almon had disappeared. A sickly twisting announced itself in Joseph’s gut. Holy shit, had Nesof noticed Almon go in there? Because if he had, he would know why.
He shifted uncomfortably as Nesof’s gaze returned to him. Fortunately, the orderly’s interest riveted on the shopping bags Joseph held. “It doesn’t appear your sponsor is indulging you with the best that money can buy. I’ve never cared for the quality of goods from that shop.”
“Plenty of people were shopping there. I’m happy with what I picked out.” Joseph’s temper didn’t make many showings, but it sparked at the intimation that Almon was cheap when it came to the items he bought for Joseph.
“Oh, I’m sure Nobek Almon is doing as best as his pay grade allows. Has he taken you out anywhere nice for dinner or drinks?”
Joseph Page 6
