The Last One to Let You Down

by K. L. Hiers

  “I need you to do it one more time,” Junior said, ignoring the question. “One more fucking time.”

  “No fuckin’ way.” Tom’s blood began to race. “I told you I was done, and I meant it. You need to seriously get some fuckin’ help.”

  Junior snatched the collar of Tom’s scrubs and pushed him roughly against the wall as he snarled, “Come on, Tommy. Come on—”

  “Let go of me!” Tom shoved Junior away as hard as he could.

  Junior stumbled, falling to one knee and bracing himself against someone’s car. “Oh, you’re gonna fuckin’ regret that.”

  “Not as much as you will if you fuckin’ touch me again,” Tom snapped back. “I am a fuckin’ tiger, and I will fuck you up!” Okay, that sounded totally crazy, but he went with it. “I don’t care what happens to me, I will go to the fuckin’ police right now.”

  “No, no, no!” Junior pleaded, his anger gone and suddenly replaced with anguish. “No, please don’t do that, Tommy! Please! Come on, please. I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t mean to.”

  “You’re so full of shit.” Tom could hear the back door opening, hoping it was Bosco or some other large employee coming their way. He stood as tall as he could as he said firmly, “Sober up and leave me the hell alone.”

  “Yeah, well, you keep your mouth shut.” Junior was apparently determined to get the last word in, backing away with a sneer.

  Tom remained frozen where he was, his hands curling into fists. His pulse was thumping in his ears, and if Junior touched him again, he was going to punch him right in the damn face. He didn’t move a muscle, waiting for Junior to get in his car and leave.

  “Hey, you’re still here?” Aaron greeted Tom as he walked around the corner, just in time to see Junior’s car kicking up rocks as he sped out of the parking lot.

  “I’m leaving now.”

  “Was that Junior?” Aaron blinked. “What the hell was he doing here?”

  “Being a giant pain in the ass.”

  “Everything okay?” Aaron nudged Tom’s arm.

  “It’s fine,” Tom lied. “He’s just fucked up.”

  Aaron put his finger next to his nose and made a dramatic snorting sound. “Yeah?”

  “Probably.” Tom started walking quickly to his car. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “Uh, no, you won’t.”

  “Huh?”

  “Tomorrow is Tuesday.” Aaron laughed. “Dude, you’re off, right?”

  “Shit, yeah. Sorry, kinda in my head today.”

  “No worries. Enjoy your day off and don’t show up to work.” Aaron waved. “Night.”

  “Good night.”

  Tom cranked his music up on the drive home, waiting for the adrenaline rushing through his body to settle. He couldn’t believe he’d done that. He’d pushed Junior—twice—and had been ready to knock his block off.

  “I am beautiful,” he found himself mumbling. “I am fuckin’ worthy. I am a motherfuckin’ tiger.”

  Junior had never been so physical before, even at his worst. There was definitely something going on, and Tom was sure Gerald was covering for him.

  It wouldn’t be hard for a bully like Gerald to manipulate Mr. Crosby’s addled mental state. He could probably convince the poor old man that Junior didn’t even exist until he was sobered up enough to come back to work.

  That’s probably all it was, Tom thought. Junior was strung out, and in a few days, he would get clean and get right back to his normal raging asshole self. The burglaries would get sorted out, the media would forget all about the funeral home, and everything would be fine.

  The only thing Tom needed to worry about right now was what to wear to his first sex party.

  Khakis and a dark gray polo shirt were what Tom finally decided on after thoroughly gutting his closet and dresser. He was going to look like a clerk at a damn cell phone kiosk in the mall.

  He really needed to go shopping.

  After taking care of Mister Doodles, he puttered around the house doing a few quick chores while he waited for Cypress to come pick him up. He took a shower and put on the dismal outfit, making faces at himself in the mirror.

  Maybe it wasn’t so bad.

  The khakis fit his thick hips and legs well, and after taking a quick peek, wow, yeah, his ass looked really good in these.

  Tom wasn’t sure where the fresh boost of confidence was coming from. Maybe it was because he stood up to Junior earlier or perhaps it was his chat with Cypress last night. Whatever it was, he was going with it.

  “Tiger,” he told Mister Doodles proudly as he fixed her kibble. “I am a tiger, my butt looks great, and I am going to a sex party.”

  Mister Doodles did not appear impressed by the declaration or her food.

  “Hmph. Thanks for your support.” Tom, hearing a knock at the door, hurried to answer it.

  Cypress was standing on his doorstep in dark jeans, a maroon hooded sweatshirt, tan boots, and looked flawlessly handsome as usual.

  “Hey,” Tom said, hugging him close and kissing him.

  “Mm, hey yourself.” Cypress smiled. “Mm, you look great.”

  “Ha, I look like I’m gonna try to sell you a new cell phone.”

  “Nah, you look good.” Cypress gave him a once over. “Definitely like the pants.”

  Tom beamed.

  “Are you ready?” Cypress asked. “Has the little man-eater been given tribute?”

  “Yeah, she’s fine,” Tom replied. “Uh, are we… coming back here tonight?”

  “We’ll see how the night goes.” Cypress grinned. “I’ll make sure you’re back home before you turn into a pumpkin.”

  “Or the dog shits on my carpet.”

  “That, too.”

  They rode together in Cypress’s car, holding hands and chatting about their days. Tom left out his confrontation with Junior, deciding he would save that for the big talk he still wanted to have later.

  Cypress was trusting him so much, and Tom wanted to do the same.

  “Now, when we get there,” Cypress said, turning off the main road into a heavily wooded subdivision, “you’re gonna see a bunch of people waiting outside. You can wave, nod your head, but nobody is really gonna talk until we’re inside.”

  “Uh, okay?”

  “Some of them don’t feel like themselves until they’re in play mode,” Cypress explained. “You’ll see. Just smile and wave, and when everybody is ready, you’ll know.”

  Tom was a little confused, but he decided to take Cypress’s word for it.

  As they drove deeper into the neighborhood, the houses got older, and the trees got thicker. These homes had a few acres of land or more, and Tom wondered how far out of the city they had come. It was peaceful here, quiet, and he could see so many stars.

  “Here we are,” Cypress said, pulling up a gravel driveway to a large, two-story, Southern gothic home with a deep front porch. There were plants climbing up the columns and lush azalea bushes hugging the front steps.

  “Wow.” Tom whistled, leaning forward to get a better look.

  There were several cars parked in front of them, and Tom could see at least a dozen people waiting up on the porch.

  It was five minutes to nine o’clock.

  Tom unbuckled his seatbelt and took a deep breath. “Wow. So… uh… what now?”

  “Remember the rules,” Cypress said. “Phones stay in the car, and what you see here stays here. Got it?”

  “Got it.”

  “I already let the hostess know I was bringing a date and not to expect us to participate tonight.” Cypress took Tom’s hand, kissing it firmly. “We are gonna kick back, relax, and let you soak it all in, okay?”

  “Okay,” Tom said, smiling as he leaned over to kiss Cypress’s lips. “Mmm, thank you. I’m nervous and kinda scared, but also weirdly excited?”

  “Sounds about right.” Cypress smiled. “Let’s go.”

  They got out of the car and hand in hand walked up to the porch to join the rest of the guest
s. A loose sort of line had formed, and they took their place at the end.

  Tom was surprised that all the people waiting looked so normal.

  They were all different races and ages, though there were a few more women than men, and they were dressed conservatively. He didn’t see any sign of leather or lace, but he did notice almost everyone had some sort of big purse or duffel bag with them.

  Cypress gave Tom’s hand a little tug and offered him a comforting smile. “Still okay?”

  “Yeah,” Tom said. “Okay.”

  He didn’t see anyone who looked familiar, though he doubted that he’d actually know anybody here.

  Well, except for Fox, of course. He was there in a dark blue tracksuit, glancing back at them with a faintly smug expression. He waved before turning to the door as it finally opened.

  A beautiful light-skinned black woman with long blonde hair and a tight black vinyl dress stepped out onto the porch, saying in a deep, sultry tone, “Good evening, everybody. Please come on in. The ladies’ changing area has been moved to the second-floor bathroom. Sorry for the last-minute switch, sink’s busted downstairs.”

  Tom and Cypress followed the crowd inside, and Tom’s head whipped all around to check everything out. He wasn’t sure what he had been expecting, not exactly, but the house was clean, spacious, and there was no immediate sign of debauchery.

  He did notice there were a lot of mirrors, but that was the only thing that seemed a bit odd.

  There was a large burly black man wearing tiny jean shorts and a leather studded vest waiting just inside the foyer. He was stopping all the guests and going through their various bags.

  Once he cleared them, the guests advanced into the home. Women headed up the stairs while men went to a room immediately off to the right of the front door. A few opted to go straight into the back of the house without stopping.

  When it was Tom and Cypress’s turn, Cypress took the lead by saying, “No bags tonight, Jonah. Just us.”

  “First time, right?” Jonah asked, reaching out to shake Tom’s hand. “I’m Jonah, nice to meet you.”

  “Yeah, I’m Tom Hi—”

  “Uh uh,” Jonah cut him off. “No last names. You don’t even have to tell me your real name if you don’t want to. All I gotta see is some ID.”

  “Oh, r-right.” Tom nervously reached for his wallet.

  “It’s okay,” Cypress soothed, wrapping his arm around Tom’s waist.

  After Jonah deemed him legal, he ushered him and Cypress to the back of the house. “Go on. Lady Villalongo is already making drinks.”

  “Thanks, Jonah,” Cypress said. “See you in there.” He kept his arm around Tom, leading him down a long hallway past the stairs. “See? That wasn’t so bad, huh?”

  “Who’s that guy?”

  “Jonah? Think of him like a bouncer.”

  “People don’t play nice, he bounces them?”

  “Exactly.”

  Cypress led them to a set of French doors and opened them to reveal an open lounge, and Tom felt his stomach flip when they walked inside.

  The light was low with colorful strobes flickering, and there was a monstrous sprawling bar in front of a row of heavily curtained windows. There were plush semi-circle sofas and large chaises, most of them arranged close together for cozy conversation or other activities.

  The guests who had opted to come directly here were mingling together on one of the sofas, talking quietly amongst themselves and enjoying some drinks. Everything was completely normal at first glance, but what had so unsettled Tom was what he had seen when he’d looked up at the artwork hanging on the walls.

  There were giant posters featuring black and white photographs of explicit sexual images. There was a man’s penis in some sort of metal harness, a blindfolded woman who had a horse’s bit in her mouth, a riding crop caught at the precise moment it was striking a man’s bare ass, and dozens more.

  They were so vivid that Tom was startled, and he felt embarrassed for looking at what was essentially pornography right out in the open.

  “I’ve got you,” Cypress said, squeezing Tom’s hip. “Want a drink?”

  “God, yes.”

  The blonde was behind the bar, pouring the contents of a shaker into a long line of shot glasses. She smiled brightly when she saw them. “Hey there, Cypress. Good to see you. This must be Tom, mm?”

  “Yes ma’am, this is him.” Cypress sounded proud. “Tom, this is Lady Villalongo, our hostess and the Dungeon Master. Whatever she says goes.”

  “Hi,” Tom said, awkwardly reaching over the bar to shake her hand. “Nice to meet you, ma’am.”

  “Nice to meet you, too.” Lady Villalongo quirked a finely painted brow as she looked him over hungrily. “Mmm, you are a pretty one. Figured you would be.”

  “Oh, uh, thank you,” Tom stammered.

  “Has Cypress gone over the rules with you?” Lady Villalongo asked.

  “Some of them, I think?”

  “Cypress said you’re only here as watchers tonight,” Lady Villalongo said, handing them both two shots. “Rules are simple. Keep your hands to yourself unless you’re invited to touch and don’t come on my carpet.”

  Tom took the first shot, tasted alcohol and fruit, and immediately went for the other. His mind was already reeling from trying to absorb so much at once, and he hoped the drinks would help him settle down. “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Good boy,” Lady Villalongo said with a wink. “You boys have fun, and if you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask me or Jonah.”

  “Thank you, ma’am.”

  “Thanks, Villa.” Cypress nodded as she slid down the bar to attend to some of the other guests. He took Tom’s hand, asking quietly, “Still okay?”

  “Yeah, it’s just… it’s a lot.” Tom smiled nervously. “So, uh, is everyone here a ‘watcher’?”

  “At least for tonight. Some of them may be just taking a break. Maybe they’re not in the mood for a scene, but they still wanted to come out and show their support.”

  “By watching?”

  “For some of us, having an audience is crucial. It’s why we come out to parties instead of messing around at home. There are a lot of people who really enjoy it, knowing they’re turning other people on. To be honest, sometimes the sub is so deep in subspace that they have no idea anyone is even watching or not.”

  Tom felt his cock twitch in his pants at the idea of being that blissed out.

  “Some scenes will be private,” Cypress went on, taking his first shot and nudging the second one over to Tom. “Those will be the rooms with the doors shut, and no one can enter except for Jonah or Lady Villalongo.”

  “Okay. That doesn’t sound so bad.” Tom could imagine Cypress having him bent over a bed like he had that day in the flower shop, spanking him and making him sob, all the while worrying and hoping that someone might peek in—

  Damn, he was starting to get hard.

  He took the shot. “Mm, thanks.”

  “You need to relax,” Cypress urged. “As far as I’m concerned, we can stay right here and hang out, okay? We don’t have to take a walk around unless you want to.”

  “A walk? A walk around what?” Tom tried to nonchalantly adjust himself.

  “Right now, everyone is getting changed into their play clothes. When they’re done, they’ll come down here to chat, have some drinks, and start breaking off to negotiate scenes. When they’re all set, they’ll go to a room. If they leave the door open or set up in one of these open spots, they’re inviting you to come watch if you happen to walk around.”

  “Ah.”

  “Now, even in here at the bar, you are going to see some sexual acts. You might see a quick spanking or maybe someone might pinch a nipple or whatever. Try to keep an open mind, and remember, you’re my guest here.”

  “So, don’t freak out and embarrass you?”

  Cypress grinned. “Yeah, something like that.”

  “I will do my best.”

  Cyp
ress leaned in close and whispered in his ear, “Good boy.”

  God, Tom was definitely hard now.

  One by one, the other guests returned, and they were completely transformed. Tom had never seen so much latex and leather, and wow, he was totally shocked. He was probably doing a terrible job of hiding it, but it was impossible not to stare.

  Some of the outfits were full bodysuits, others were barely bigger than a handkerchief. A few were modestly styled and yet completely transparent, and there were exposed nipples and butts aplenty.

  The energy was warm and exciting, and Tom was finally starting to loosen up. This wasn’t so bad. It was like a really raunchy Halloween party.

  He nearly fell off the barstool when he saw Fox, though.

  Fox was wearing a studded body harness, leather gloves, and very tight leather shorts. His body was thick and hairy, and Tom found himself transfixed by the metal rings in his nipples.

  Perhaps sensing his staring, Fox came over to say hello. He hugged Cypress, clapping him on his back. “Hey. How are you, Shirley?”

  Cypress scoffed at the nickname, replying, “I’m good, I’m good. Just gonna be hanging back tonight.”

  “Alright,” Fox said, looking to Tom. “And this is your beau, hmm?”

  Tom didn’t know if he was supposed to pretend as if they hadn’t met yet. He had no idea what the proper protocol was. “Yeah, uh, I’m Tom.”

  “I know,” Fox said with a smirk, shaking Tom’s hand. “Thought I might see you here.”

  “Really?” Tom blinked.

  “I can’t remember the last time anyone could have used Cypress as an alibi.” Fox’s eyes were full of mischief. “Just saying.”

  Tom let himself enjoy the swell of pride from their exchange, smiling when Cypress rested his hand on the back of his neck.

  “Easy,” Cypress warned playfully. “Remember, no real-world talk in here, hmm?”

  “Hey, man,” Fox teased, “I was making one tiny little harmless observation. That’s all.”

  “Totally harmless.” Cypress snorted.

  “Well, you gentlemen enjoy your evening,” Fox said. “I’ll catch you later.”

  Other guests came up to say hello and introduce themselves, and Tom did his best not to be totally obvious that he felt horribly out of place. Everyone was polite and so very friendly, but it was difficult talking to someone in assless chaps and keeping a straight face.