Saving Sebastian: A Catharsis Novel (Custos Securities Series Book 3)

by Luna, David

  BOONE ADHERED TO GIDEON’S RULES for the day. He wrote the essay before he started working. He’d had to go in for meetings, but had come home immediately afterwards to begin unpacking his personal things in the basement and bringing them upstairs, one at a time. Gideon received a call from Connell earlier in the day. Unbeknownst to Boone, Connell had been able to get out of a late meeting and had planned to arrive early and they’d changed their plans accordingly. Their previous contract stipulated that adding another person into a scene was at his discretion so that’s what they planned.

  When 5:30 p.m. rolled around, Boone, thinking he had plenty of time, was still bringing things upstairs and finding places for his favorite artwork and trinkets. He looked tired, but if the smile was anything to go by, happy about making his house a home.

  Gideon entered the kitchen where Boone was hanging a clock. “You’ve got five more minutes, so clean up what you can of your mess in the basement.”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  “I want you to present in the living room when you’re done.”

  “Yes, Sir,” Boone said as he walked towards the basement to clean up.

  Gideon left him to it and went to quietly unlock the front door. He then got what he’d need and brought it to the living room. He turned on some background music, something soothing and not distracting, loud enough to muffle some noise but not detract from their scene, nor drown out a safeword. He sat in a large armless side chair, waiting the last several minutes for the sub to finish up. When Boone walked into the room, rubbing his sweat dampened hands on his pants, Gideon sat still. He watched every movement as Boone took off his clothes and presented himself properly in the middle of the room.

  Gideon stood and walked toward Boone. He crouched down, using his finger to raise Boone’s chin up, though the sub’s eyes never moved above his chin. He reached around to his back pocket and pulled out a blindfold and saw Boone let out a satisfied sigh when he saw it.

  “Look me in the eyes before I blindfold you.” When their eyes met, Gideon clasped Boone’s chin firmly in his hand. “This scene is going to be intense. I’ll stay within the boundaries of our previously agreed upon limits. Do you trust me with your mind and your body?”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  “What are your safewords?”

  “Green for go. Yellow for slow down. Red for stop, Sir.”

  “Use them if you need to, pet.”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  He tied the blindfold over Boone’s eyes, and grabbed one of his coils of jute, his favorite rope for bondage. He much preferred natural fibers because they held more securely than synthetics, allowing fewer knots and very little stretch which made it perfect for suspension rigging.

  “Hands clasped behind your head, elbows by your ears.”

  Gideon folded the rope in half, hooking the loop between the folded together middle fingers of Boone’s clasped hands, utilizing them as a sort of hook. He worked each side of the rope down opposite sides, creating beautiful hitching down each wrist to the elbows.

  Halfway down he drew each rope from one elbow over to the other, worked the remainder of the rope down the opposite upper arms, bringing the ropes together at the shoulder blades, connecting two Olias knots in the center with a small button knot. He continued, wrapping them around Boone’s upper chest, hitching and knotting them together between Boone’s pecs in a large, flat button knot, then letting the ends of each rope fall straight down to his crotch.

  Gideon continued on, drawing the ropes through his legs and around his ass cheeks, and after a couple more hitches, brought the ends together at his back. The intricacy of the hitches and knots on the arms, juxtaposed by the simplicity of the rigging around his body, made a striking contrast and left his body open and available for what was to come.

  It was 6 p.m. as he tied off the rope. He felt a presence behind him and slowly turned, seeing Connell standing there and knowing he’d probably been there for several minutes, watching him finish up but not wanting to disturb him. Gideon approached him and they shook hands silently, pulling each other into a tight embrace.

  They turned to face Boone’s back and slowly made their way around the sub until they were both crouching in front of him. Knowing the silence—only cut by the music in the room—was contributing to Boone’s tension, Gideon looked at Connell and nudged his head towards Boone. Gideon watched as Connell took his cue and reached towards the sub and tweaked both of his hard nipples in turn.

  Boone’s cock, semi-hard prior to that, perked up even more. Gideon, glancing over at Connell, smiled at the intense look on the man’s face as he eyed the sub who would soon—if things went as planned—become his. If the fire in his eyes was any indication, there’d hopefully be more than a contract between them in the future. Boone’s breath began to saw in and out of his chest, the situation exciting him, obviously sensing Gideon’s closeness but not knowing what was to come.

  Both Doms smiled and Gideon leaned forward. “Check in, pet.”

  Boone let out an expulsion of air, his face serene. “Green, Sir.”

  “And so it begins.”

  A blissful smile settled over Boone’s face. “Thank you, Sir.”

  Both Doms stood. Gideon led Connell over to the small pile of things he’d prepared for the scene, but had tucked away out of the pet’s sight. He picked up the paracord flogger he’d made years ago for Boone, the falls each ending in a monkey fist knot, the center of each holding a marble. He handed the flogger to Connell and placed his hand on his old friend’s shoulder, letting him know to stay where he was.

  He picked up the leather ottoman that sat in front of one of the room’s side chairs and approached Boone. He put the ottoman down in front of him. “The ottoman is in front of you, pet. Lean over it and rest your chest on it. Expose your back and ass to me, legs spread as wide as you can handle them comfortably. That’s it.”

  As Gideon stepped back, Connell moved forward. He ran a soft hand over Boone’s head, over his trussed-up hands, and down is back to his ass, one long, soft caress. Gideon smiled as he saw Boone shiver. Connell stepped back, hitched the handle of the flogger at the small of his back in the back pocket of his pants, untucked his shirt and unbuttoned his sleeves at each wrist, rolling them up. The act delaying the scene shortly to build tension, and also putting the Dom in the right headspace for the flogging ahead.

  He’d forgotten how much he enjoyed watching Connell work a sub over and fell into the rhythm of the dance with the other Dom, staying back several steps but following the man around Boone’s body, nearly feeling the work himself, the sense of the flogger in his hands. When Connell was done, he made eye contact with Gideon and nodded. Gideon moved in, taking over his part of the dance. “Check in, pet.”

  Boone let out a very shaky breath. “Oh god, Sir. I…”

  Vaguely concerned, Gideon leaned in and slid his fingers softly down Boone’s back. “Deep breath, in and out. Talk to me.”

  Boone took in a deep breath as ordered. “I’m sorry, Sir. It feels…” Another deep breath, in and out. “It feels different, Sir. I don’t know how to explain it. Maybe it’s just because it’s been so long. I don’t know…”

  Gideon turned to Connell, eyebrow raised, small smile on his face. Understanding from the sub’s tenor that he was feeling good, but needing him to verbalize it, he turned back to the sub. “Good different or bad different?”

  “Shit, Sir. Sorry. Green. Very green, Sir.”

  Gideon chuckled and looked at Connell, grinning even wider when the man straightened, a bit of pride stiffening his spine. He pointed out the three-foot nylon snake whip he’d found in Boone’s play stash earlier that day, another piece of equipment he’d made years ago. He nodded when Connell picked it up. Gideon trailed his fingers down Boone’s back again. “You’re doing good, pet. Going to continue.”

  The shivers that ran through Boone made Gideon smile and nod at Connell again. The sub let out a small moan. “Thank you, Sir.”

>   “Sit up, pet.”

  Boone raised himself off the ottoman, spine straight. Gideon moved the ottoman away. “Beautiful presentation. You’re not permitted to come, understood?”

  Boone dragged in an unsteady breath. “Understood, Sir.”

  Again, he silently switched places with Connell and the man began a warm-up with the snake whip, the sound of it, lashing through the air made Boone moan, before it had even touched his skin. When Connell finally let loose with his first lash, a gentle precursor to what was to come, the sub cried out in surprise, followed by a long moan. As the whip got a workout, so did Boone. Connell kept the strikes from being too harsh. Not knowing enough about Boone’s limits, Gideon could tell he didn’t want to take the chance of rolling right past them and forcing the sub to safeword before they’d even met.

  Connell worked his way around Boone’s body, never lashing in the same spot twice, leaving beautiful crisscrossing red lines covering him from torso to knees. Gideon, needing to stay back from the whip, watched Boone carefully, watching his every facial expression. When he saw the sub’s face relax and the cadence of his breathing even out, he knew Boone was flying. As he was about to make a move toward Connell, he realized his old friend had seen it too and was slowing the lashes down. When he finally stopped and moved back, Gideon moved in.

  “You took that so well, pet. Proud of you.”

  His response more whisper than anything. “Thank you, Sir.”

  Gideon stood and turned toward Connell who had the lube bottle in his hands. Gideon moved back as Connell moved in, getting on his knees behind the sub. As Gideon watched, Connell reached around to tweak Boone’s nipple with his left hand and clasped Boone’s rigid cock in his right. Gideon sat in the same armless chair he’d been in earlier and watched as Connell masterfully edged the sub many times over before glancing at him and nodding.

  Gideon stood, crouched beside Connell who had resumed his stroking, and whispered in Boone’s ear. “Come, pet.”

  Both Doms watched in satisfaction as Boone’s cock let loose a torrent of cum which arched up, then fell. He moaned as the cum continued to shoot volley after volley until the last remnants of it dribbled over Connell’s fist. He watched and waited to see if Connell would require his assistance to loosen and remove Boone’s bindings. Knotwork wasn’t Connell’s thing so he wanted to assist, if needed.

  He needn’t have bothered though, as he watched Connell make quick work of it, leaving the blindfold for last. Both Doms watched as Boone shrugged his shoulders, rolling them and shaking out his arms to relax the muscles. When he’d settled, Gideon, backed up, but kept an eye on Boone’s reactions from a distance.

  When Connell kneeled in front of Boone on one knee and removed the blindfold, Gideon watched as a myriad of emotions passed over the sub’s features. Shock and confusion came first, as he looked into Connell’s eyes for the first time and then over to Gideon and back again.

  Gideon heard his breath start to hitch as he stared at Connell, unmoving. Gideon stepped forward but Connell held up his hand to stop him from approaching. The sub continued devouring every feature of Connell’s, as if he might disappear if he blinked or looked away for even a second.

  Gideon heard Connell whisper, “Be at ease, boy.”

  Gideon watched in amazement as tears coursed their way down Boone’s cheeks. He could see the indecision pass across Boone’s face, his body tense, and then surprise wended through Gideon as Boone’s body relaxed fully and he nearly launched himself into Connell’s arms, kissing the man for all he was worth. Gideon let out a relieved sigh and a quiet chuckle, and he watched Connell’s arms wrap tightly around his new boy as he savored their passionate kiss.

  As they pulled apart, Connell reached and wiped Boone’s tears away. They spent several long drawn-out moments staring into each other’s eyes, both smiling. “Good boy. I’m going to go get you some water. And then we’ll give you the aftercare you need.”

  Gideon murmured, “There’s a couple cold bottles in the fridge.”

  Connell nodded at Gideon as he walked out of the room. Gideon picked up the blanket from the back of the chair and approached Boone. He kneeled, wrapping the blanket around him, holding it clasped in front of Boone, as he used his other hand to raise Boone’s lowered face. Their eyes met and the hope Gideon saw there went a long way in assuaging his guilt.

  Gideon kissed his temple. “He’s a good Dom, pet. And an even better man. He’ll be what you need and I think you’ll be exactly what he needs. Can you trust me enough to trust him and give him a chance?”

  Boone’s eyes widened and he nodded quickly, his body tense once again. Gideon smiled gently. “Relax, pet. I need to hear the words.”

  Boone took a deep breath and once more, launched himself forward, this time into Gideon’s arms. As Gideon held him, Boone’s body trembling. Gideon’s body relaxed at Boone’s words. “Yes, Sir. I trust you enough to trust him.”

  Gideon pulled back and looked at Boone. “Good. Then I’m not gonna stick around. I think you both need the time and the privacy to figure out how to move forward together. Oh, and you might wanna order that dinner.”

  Boone’s laugh warmed Gideon’s heart. Boone nodded. “Thank you, Sir. Truly. Thank you so much.”

  Gideon cupped Boone’s cheek and smiled. “You’re welcome, pet. You’ll be in contact with me, I trust?”

  Boone nodded his head, chuckling at Gideon’s not so subtle reminder of their agreement. “Yeah… I mean, yes, Sir. I will.”

  Gideon nodded and stood. He headed towards the front door, meeting Connell on his way. He saw the surprised look in the man’s eyes as he opened the door to the coat closet and removed his duffel. As he hitched it over his shoulder, he approached the other Dom. He kept his voice low, just between them. “He’ll push you at every turn. He’s stubborn as a mule and needs a strict hand to keep him in line. He’s got a copy of our contract for you and a handwritten letter for you as well. Call me in a week or so. I’d like to know how things are going.”

  Connell reached out to shake his hand. “I will. Thank you, Gideon. We’ll make it work. He’s in good hands.”

  Gideon nodded. “I know he is. Take care of him. He needed more than I could give him back then, and even more now.”

  As Connell reassured him that he would, Gideon opened the front door and walked out, suddenly ready to be home again. If things went his way, he’d soon have his own sub to Dominate and he’d be kidding himself if he didn’t admit to the warmth spreading through his system at the thought of his boy.

  His. Boy.

  And just like that, his heart rate kicked into a fast cadence in anticipation and excitement as he realized that for the first time in his life, he was thinking of a sub as his boy, rather than a pet, and had been from the very beginning.

  THE CALL HAD COME ON a Thursday night, right after he’d gotten home from a long day at the station. He’d been putting the finishing touches on his salad when his phone had vibrated in his pocket. He’d added Gideon’s number to his phone, wondering if the trend of adding people to his contacts list was going to continue and uncomfortable with the fact that he’d wanted it to, even as it’d scared him.

  He’d been half thinking he’d never hear from the man again, half knowing and fearing he would. Pulling the phone out of his pocket, he’d glanced at the caller ID and his heart had lodged in his throat when he’d seen Gideon’s name pop up on the screen.

  He’d cleared his throat before answering. “Hello?”

  “Boy.” Even through the phone, Gideon’s voice had him inhaling and closing his eyes. That one word. Fuck. It had zinged straight to his cock, like a physical touch.

  His breath had grown shaky when he’d answered, “Yes, Sir?”

  “How are you doing?”

  “Uh, I’m good, Sir.”

  “Good.”

  “Um, how are you, Sir?” Jesus, could he have been any more inane?

  Gideon had chuckled, sending shivers dow
n his spine. Good lord, had he ever reacted like this to anyone from a simple telephone conversation? No. No, he hadn’t. Fuck.

  “…this weekend?”

  Shit, shit, triple shit. “I’m sorry, Sir. Could you repeat that?”

  There’d been a pause that had kicked up Sebastian’s heart rate. “Do I have your full attention, Sebastian?”

  His name, instead of boy, fuckity fuck. “Yes, Sir. I apologize for getting distracted.”

  “Forgiven. I asked if you were available this weekend.”

  “The whole weekend, Sir?” Had his voice broken, just a few days before turning twenty-seven? Kill him now.

  He’d obviously pushed Gideon’s patience to its limit. “Yes, the whole weekend.”

  “I… I… I’m sorry, Sir. I have appointments on Saturday that I can’t reschedule.” Stuttering. Really? It had just kept getting better. “I’m free Friday evening after work and all of Sunday, Sir. And I had a floating holiday I needed to make use of, so I’m off Monday as well.” Which had been true, for the most part.

  “Hmm. Okay, let’s do this, I’m going to come over to your place after work on Friday. We’re going to hash out the contract over dinner. Then, when your appointments are over on Saturday, I want you to come by the club. Understood?”

  “Um, okay, but I might not be done with work on Saturday until later at night.”

  The long pause after that bit of information had had Sebastian feeling nervous. “You have to work late at night on Saturdays?”

  “Yes? Um, yes, Sir. Sometimes.” He hadn’t thought it prudent to explain about the tattooing at that point.

  “All right. What time should I be at your place tomorrow? I’ll arrange dinner.”

  “Is six p.m. okay?”

  “Yes, that’s fine. See you tomorrow.”

  He’d gotten goose bumps up and down his arms at the low gravelly voice and his breath had hitched. “Yes, Sir.”

  There’d been a pause and then what Sebastian would have only called a low growl. “And, boy?”

  Sebastian had whispered, “Yes, Sir?”