He felt a hand on his back, bringing him from his worries. He looked down to see Grant with a smile. "Don't you have your key?" the smaller blond asked.
Kyle reached into his pocket and pulled out his keyring, which had precisely two keys… one for his shitty apartment and one for Grant's row house. He unlocked the front door and pushed it open for Grant to enter first. After they were inside, Kyle locked the door and hung his jacket in the closet, taking Grant's from him to do the same.
"What's wrong, Kyle?" Grant asked. Obviously, he sensed the shift in Kyle's mood.
Kyle exhaled and slipped off his shoes, placing them on the stairs as he walked into the great room, flopping on the couch to rest his head on the back. He put his forearm over his eyes and tried to figure out how to explain it to Grant without further embarrassing himself.
"My parents own a box factory in Pittsburgh. We weren't really wealthy when I was growing up, but we had a nice life. I worked there during the summers while I was in high school, and it taught me the value of a dollar. Since I started working at Kinko's while I lived at the halfway house after I got out of prison, I've been cautious with my money.
"I should have nine hundred dollars in my checking account. The fact I couldn't cover a thirty-five-dollar cab ride has me very worried," Kyle explained.
Grant went to the house phone and picked up the receiver. "Call the automated line and check the balance. Maybe it's like you said, your card is demagnetized. If it's not, then we know the direction we need to take. 'Don't borrow trouble,' as crazy Aunt Deirdre used to say," Grant suggested.
Kyle looked at him, seeing that beautiful, crooked grin. He took the phone before he placed his right hand on Grant's cheek, stroking the soft stubble. He was surprised when Grant fisted the front of his plaid shirt and pulled him closer, kissing Kyle gently on the lips. Kyle tossed the phone on the floor and wrapped his left hand around Grant's shoulders, pulling him closer to deepen the kiss.
When their tongues met in Grant's mouth, the blond wrapped his arms around Kyle's neck and held on. They shifted a bit on the couch, so they were both more comfortable and continued to gently share the beginnings of passion, or so Kyle hoped. Grant pulled away from him slowly, keeping his eyes closed for a few seconds as a big smile bloomed on his handsome face.
"That's the first kiss I've had after a first date. It's not my first kiss, but it's the first one after a date. I'm so glad it was with you. Now, call the bank and let's figure out what to do next," Grant ordered, not flinching at all.
That was an auspicious turn of events for Grant to take the lead on something outside of work. It would be good to have something positive to report to Felicity on Sunday evening.
Kyle woke when the sun hit him in the eyes. It was Halloween, and as he lay there listening for any sounds in the house, he remembered being a kid, hoping and praying the day would go by fast so he could put on the plastic and polyester costume his mom had taken him to Target to purchase.
The neighborhood kids all got together to trick-or-treat as a group, and Kyle always had a good time with his grade school friends. Fast forward to college when he'd drink until he puked, then to prison where every day ran into the next, his feelings over the years had changed regarding the day.
Last year at Halloween, he actually worked overtime because one of the partners had a presentation the next day, so he stayed to ensure they had copies and boards prepared. It was funny how quickly a year could pass.
There was a soft knock on the door to the guest room where he slept. "Come in," he invited.
Grant stuck in his head with a smile on his face. "I made coffee, but if you'd like to go for a run with me, I'll make breakfast when we get back," he offered.
Kyle started to get out of bed when he saw his boxers on the floor. He quickly pulled the sheet up to his waist and smiled, feeling the heat in his cheeks. "Sure. I'll be down in a minute," he responded. Grant closed the door, but Kyle could still hear him laughing as he went downstairs.
He quickly dressed and went to the bathroom across from his room to do his morning business. He looked in the mirror to see a bit of scruff, but he decided to let it go since it was a Saturday. Maybe Grant would like it?
After they returned from their run, they both went to shower before making their way to the kitchen to make breakfast. "So, what'll it be? French toast?" Grant tempted with a cute, sly grin.
Kyle chuckled. "How about western omelets? I'll chop if you'll cook."
Grant went to the fridge and began pulling out peppers, onions, and mushrooms, placing them on the counter. Kyle decided to test him a bit. "What do you like in yours, and how do I clean mushrooms?"
Grant looked over and smiled. "I can do it, Kyle," he responded.
He turned to Grant and placed his hands on his hips. "When you were, uh, how does Felicity say it? In service? Were you responsible for cooking for the Master?"
He saw Grant glance at the floor immediately, so he walked over to him and gently placed his knuckle under Grant's chin, drawing him up to meet his eyes. "I don't like it when you don't look at me. I love looking into your beautiful eyes. I realize it's something that’s been ingrained in you for most of your life, but I'd like it if you'd make an effort not to block your eyes from me. I want to be a part of your life, Grant, even if it's just as your friend," Kyle explained as he leaned forward and kissed the man's cheek, not taking liberties to kiss his lips.
Kyle released Grant and went back to the end of the counter, where the vegetables were waiting.
"I'll be right back, but while I'm gone, dampen a paper towel and gently wipe the caps of the mushrooms to clean away any dirt. Break off the stems as well," Grant instructed.
Kyle watched him hurry away in a pair of jeans that hugged his gorgeous ass like a glove. Kyle certainly wished his hands could sink into those back pockets, but the hard-on, which was making itself known, would be embarrassing when the shorter man returned, so he continued to complete the task assigned.
After brushing off the dirt and removing the stems, Kyle sliced them into thin slices before he peeled the onion to chop it, along with the red bell pepper. He piled everything in a bowl and proceeded to clean up the mess on the counter.
When Grant returned, Kyle noticed his eyes were a little puffy, but they weren't red. "So, I've done as you requested. What else can I do? Do we have bacon?" Kyle asked. He needed to contribute to the food, but until his bank account was straightened out, he was utterly fucked. The call went through his mind again.
"Please enter your account number ending with the pound sign," the electronic voice told him the night before after the incredible kiss.
Kyle had found his checkbook and entered the number from the bottom, followed by the pound sign. He heard some odd sound, and then the voice stated, "I'm sorry, but the account number you have entered is invalid. The number may have been entered incorrectly, so please enter the account number followed by the pound sign again."
Grant took the phone and tried it twice before Kyle disconnected the call and flopped back on the couch once again. "What the fuck does that mean?" he asked Grant.
The handsome man put his hand on Kyle's thigh, squeezing gently until Kyle looked at him. "I fear someone has stolen your identity. We can't do anything about it until Monday, but we'll get to the bottom of it, Kyle."
Kyle prayed they could, but he didn't see how. He'd seen so many things on television, which led him to believe he was in deep shit. He just wanted to climb into a dryer and turn it on to tumble.
Grant grabbed a sheet pan with a rack from the drawer under the stove and placed it on the counter. "If you wouldn't mind spreading out bacon, I'll mix up some biscuits for us. So, what do you want to do for the rest of the day?"
Just then, there was a loud rumble of thunder before the skies opened. Kyle looked outside over the back patio and saw the downpour. "Nothing outside, for sure. How about a scary-movie marathon? We could start with the 'Halloween' franchise, then the 'Nightm
are on Elm Street' movies. Or we could go old-school, Bram Stoker's 'Dracula.' There's also 'Frankenstein,' or anything you'd like," Kyle suggested as he spread the bacon.
"Turn the oven to four hundred," Grant ordered, which brought a smile from Kyle.
"Will do, Mr. Cummings," he teased. He saw Grant bristle a bit, but he finally smiled and stuck out his tongue as he put together ingredients to make a dough.
Kyle so wanted to challenge him to put his tongue to good use, but it wasn't exactly appropriate for any number of reasons. Besides, Kyle had his rule… Grant has to make the first move. It was important to remember it because he wanted Grant to want him for himself, not because of a sense of obligation or to fulfill Grant’s twisted upbringing.
After breakfast, they cleaned up the dishes and went to the couch in the living room, finding movie marathons on several channels. It was still raining, so they relaxed on the sofa with a chenille throw over their feet and watched the first movie of the 'Halloween' franchise. After they had their fill of Michael Myers, not watching all eight of the films, they moved on to 'Scream.' After a few of those, they settled into watching an old fic, 'Young Frankenstein,' as the wind howled before the lights went out.
"Stay put. I have candles," Grant told him as he moved off the couch. When the lightning cracked, he used the light to find a closet where he began pulling out things, including a flashlight and a basket.
"Can you help me?" Grant asked, which Kyle found was an excellent sign. Asking for help was something he was sure Grant had a hard time doing.
"Sure. Tell me what to do," Kyle offered.
"Take this light and go to the kitchen. There's a lighter in the first drawer under the phone," Grant explained.
Kyle found it easily and hurried back to the great room with the stick. He handed it to Grant, who proceeded to light several candles in clusters. Before Kyle knew it, the room was illuminated in a soft glow, which cast a beautiful light on Grant Cummings.
"Okay, so now what?" Kyle asked, racking his brain for something to do that didn't involve electricity.
Grant settled on the couch across from him, legs twisted under him. "How about an old-fashioned game of 'Truth or Dare'?"
Kyle nodded. "Who goes first?"
"I think I should since I'm older. So, truth or dare," Granted offered.
Kyle gave it a little thought and finally decided, What the hell? "Truth."
He saw Grant push his blond hair out of his eyes as he thought for a moment before a big smile overtook his gorgeous face. "Why haven't you tried to contact your family since you were released from prison?"
That was definitely one Kyle didn't expect, but it wasn't anything he hadn't considered. The mitigating cause was the answer he'd received from Elaine, his old Parole Officer, "…they said their son died five years ago. I'm guessing it means they wrote you off?"
"Maybe we need a little alcohol for this part?" Kyle suggested.
"I'll open a bottle of red. Think about your answer, Mr. Rance," Grant called as he took the flashlight and went to the kitchen.
Of course, sharing one's darkest insecurities was a difficult thing to consider, but wasn't that what Kyle was expecting Grant to share with him, wasn’t it? He knew, or he thought he knew, why Grant allowed himself to be treated as a slave and beaten to a pulp if some of the time it was by his own hand. If Kyle didn't show him the same level of trust, how could he ever ask the man to consider another lifestyle?
Grant returned with a bottle of something red and two stemless wine glasses. He poured them each a glass, handing one to Kyle before he sat down across from him, crossing his legs as well.
Kyle sipped the wine and smiled. It tasted amazing. "This is great. So, um, I guess the short answer is they didn't want anything to do with me when I got out of prison. They don't know I'm gay, and if they couldn't accept their son, the reformed forger, I'm pretty sure their son, the gay reformed forger, wouldn't go over any better. So, I don't see any need to bother. My turn. Truth or dare," he asked.
He saw Grant sip his wine before he laughed a little. "What the hell? Truth."
Kyle hoped it would be a dare, but it was a truth, so he took a sip of his wine and considered all of the possibilities, finally arriving at a question he wanted to be answered. "Okay, um, do you see yourself ever having a relationship outside of the BDSM community? You told me you're a masochist by nature, but do you think you could ever acclimate yourself to having a relationship… a vanilla relationship?" he asked before he took a gulp of his wine.
Kyle dare not look up as he studied his nails, noting a hangnail in dire need of extrication. As it was about to make its way to his mouth, a soft hand pulled it down. He looked up to see Grant staring at him. "Don't bite your nails. I'll fix it in a minute. Now, as to whether I can have a vanilla relationship, I'm not sure, but maybe if it was structured in such a way where… actually, I don't know what a vanilla relationship entails. What I had with Cooper wasn't really a relationship. It was me servicing him, which wasn't new to me. The only thing missing was the corporal punishment, really. Anyway, it wasn't fulfilling to me, and obviously, it wasn't satisfying to him. So, give me your impression of a vanilla relationship, and I'll see if I can wrap my head around it," Grant challenged.
Kyle downed the rest of his glass of wine and hopped up. "I'll be right back," he stated as he took the flashlight and went to the garage, rifling through his boxes until Kyle found what he sought. He returned inside, having stuffed the thing in his back pocket.
"I'm taking another turn," Kyle insisted.
Grant chuckled as he filled their glasses again. "Okay, truth or dare?"
Kyle stood and took off his shirt before he held out the cat-o'-nine-tails to Grant, seeing the surprise on Grant's face. "Dare. Show me the appeal of this thing."
Grant reached for it, but Kyle pulled it back. "No! One condition. It's only used on me. You take out your sins on me, Grant. If you feel the need to punish yourself, then you do it to me. Now, show me how it feels," Kyle demanded.
He saw the twisted look on Grant's face, and he felt awful, but he believed it was necessary. He'd take the beating if he could make Grant see Kyle didn't want him hurting himself. He hoped it made the man see things clearer.
Chapter 14
Kyle saw the nervous look on Grant's face, but he wasn't going to let it go. "I'm serious, Grant. I'm trying to understand the draw it has for you, and the only way I'll ever understand is if you use it on me. Tell me where you want me," he offered as he stripped off his sweatpants, leaving himself in his boxers.
"Kyle, no. I can't…" Grant told him as he dropped the cat on the floor.
Kyle picked it up as he knelt next to the couch, and he studied the device for a minute before he took it in his right hand, whipping it around his body to feel the sting on his lower back. He gasped at the pain, but before it fully registered, he took the tool in his left hand and swung it around the right side of his body, a little higher up, feeling the sting to his upper back.
"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?" Grant screamed as he reached for the cat. Kyle shifted it away from him and whipped it around his body a few more times, feeling the painful sting once again. He had tears in his eyes, but he didn't stop until Grant wrestled it away from him, tossing it across the room.
Tears were running down Grant's face. "What in the name of heaven are you trying to do?"
Kyle allowed the tears to continue as the sting settled in. "I'm trying like hell to see your side of things, Grant. I think you're one of the most amazing men I've ever met in my entire life, but you don't see it yourself, and I thought maybe if I felt the lash, I'd see you differently, but I don't. I still believe you are breathtaking.
"When I watch you interact with the team, I know how you achieved the success you have, and I can see how easily you'll make partner next week. I don't know why you don't see what I see," Kyle whispered as he bent forward, placing his forehead on the rug under the coffee table. His back was burning as if it
had been set on fire.
Grant tried to pull him up from the floor, but Kyle wasn't moving. "Get up. This isn't you," the blond implored.
"I want you to train me to be your submissive. You know how to do it, and I'll give you anything I can, including my life, Grant. I'll give you my will if you want it," Kyle offered for reasons he couldn't begin to comprehend.
Grant stood and stomped his foot. "Stop it! That's not… you're not meant to be a submissive, and you're not meant to be in that lifestyle. You're too wonderful for it. I wish you'd have come along years ago," Grant told him as he continued to try to pull him up from the floor.
Kyle sat on his heels and looked at Grant. "I feel the same about you, Grant. You're so beautiful. If I could have you in my life, I’d leave the firm so you wouldn’t get into trouble. Felicity already said she'd hire me, and I'm sure I could do well in the real estate business.
"I know working together might be difficult, so I'll take back the support spot until you can find someone else and then…" Kyle began.
Grant slumped down on his knees in front of Kyle and smiled. "No. You're not leaving me. We're a great team, Kyle Rance, and you make me feel things I've never felt before in my life. I think… no, I want a chance at something different. Something better."
That night found Grant with a tub of body butter with a numbing agent in it, slathering it on Kyle's back as he stretched out on the couch. "Don't you ever do this again," Grant chastised.
Kyle turned his head to look at the handsome blond. "You first. I feel the same when I see you with lashes on your beautiful skin, Grant. It breaks my heart to see the welts and the red marks. I lo… care about you too much to sit back and say nothing," Kyle offered.
After Grant finished slathering his skin with the cream, he took Kyle's hand. "Go on up to bed. I'll take care of things down here. We can talk in the morning."
Unbreak Him Page 14
