How to Train Your Dom in Five Easy Steps (15 page)

Chapter Eighteen

Friday seemed to take forever to come round. While Jeff knew that objectively it had taken exactly the same time as it did every week, the four days of slogging away building a raised pond for some overpaid carp-fancier had really dragged.

Friday was now even more appealing than ever. And not just because he’d clock off for the weekend and the fact it brought him one day closer to seeing Eddie, but because it was now his regular day in Niall’s garden, doing proper gardening. He picked his tools up out of the back of the truck with enthusiasm. Today he’d work on tackling the overgrown pond that had really been bothering him. The overhanging plum tree needed branches cutting right back so they didn’t shade the water, and there was a bunch of vegetation that had all but obscured the water. But it would be nice and cool down there, and he’d be doing something useful involving plants rather than bricks and mortar.

And of course, there was always the knowledge he’d be seeing Eddie tomorrow. As he made his way down the side of Niall’s house, he contemplated all the things he wanted to do to Eddie. He’d tie him down—faceup this time—and play with him. Maybe he could ask Eddie to bring that wicked little pinwheel again. And he’d run it over Eddie’s body, all the time watching his face and drinking up those desperate, turned-on sounds he made when he was being tortured.

Fuck. If Jeff wasn’t careful, he’d end up having to work with a boner in his shorts. That really wasn’t going to help with all the bending down he’d have to be doing.

Bending down… He could untie Eddie’s legs, bend him in half and fuck him like that, Eddie’s legs up over Jeff’s shoulders. He could lean down for a kiss then too.

Bloody hell. He had to stop imagining kissing Eddie. Trouble was, he couldn’t think about much else.

Fortunately, distraction presented itself in the form of Niall, out sunning himself on his back patio. He was wearing a pair of micro shorts that didn’t leave much to the imagination, and Jeff found himself surreptitiously checking out Niall’s body. Was he really gay if it was only Eddie who turned him on? Niall certainly didn’t do much for him. A bit too paunchy, and the chest hair really wasn’t Jeff’s thing. God only knew what Eddie saw in Jeff’s monkey body.

Niall tilted his head in Jeff’s direction and yawned. “You know, it’s kind of creepy when someone just stares at you while you’re sunbathing.”

Fuck. Had Niall been able to tell he’d been checking him out? Even if he hadn’t particularly been into what he was looking at, it still counted as checking out, didn’t it?

Jesus Christ. He really was gay.

The realisation he’d been holding at bay all week slammed him between the eyes.

His fingers went limp.

His tools clattered to the ground.

“Hey, are you all right, mate? You look like you need to take the weight off your feet for a minute.”

Jeff staggered over and collapsed into the other sun lounger.

“You’re not sick or something, are you? I know you self-employed types don’t usually get sick pay, but I’d be happy to pay you something if you’re really unwell. I don’t want you working here if you’ve got something infectious.”

“Nah, it’s nothing like that. I just didn’t sleep all that well last night. And I skipped breakfast.” It was only a partial untruth. He’d only had a plain piece of toast that morning, and he’d spent the night drifting in and out of fevered erotic dreams of Eddie and him and—oh God, there’d been other men too, hadn’t there? In some kind of sauna. And the gym, and on the football field. All those hard, masculine bodies around him, under him, on top of him…

“I think I might be gay,” he blurted out, then immediately really did feel sick. Nauseous to the pit of his stomach. What if Niall was disgusted by him? Jeff stared down at his clasped hands, unable to meet Niall’s gaze.

He’d been expecting Niall to sound disapproving or, at best, carefully neutral, when he began speaking again. What he wasn’t prepared for, however, was a chuckle.

“Oh yes? Is this young Eddie who’s got you feeling that way? Well, not so young Eddie, really. He’s older than you, isn’t he?”

“He is? He doesn’t look it.”

Niall shrugged. “I think he’s Maddy’s age, and she’s thirty-three.”

“Seriously? She’s looking good for it.”

“It’s really not that old, you know. Being an old fogey like me gives you a different perspective.”

“You’re not that old,” Jeff said, despite his judgement about the greying chest hair and paunch.

“Well, I’m certainly starting to feel it. You realise that by the time this baby is born, I’ll be fifty-two? That means I’ll be seventy when he or she goes off to university. Seventy, I ask you! It hardly seems possible.”

“Baby?” Jeff floundered. What did any of this have to do with him being gay, and why on earth wasn’t Niall more shocked by his revelation? A man could feel miffed, having his soul-baring shoved aside like that.

But Niall was yammering on again, and it wasn’t anything to do with Jeff. “Yes, a baby. Maddy’s pregnant. That’s why I’m not at work today. Going to be taking her to her first scan later on. It’s so exciting!”

“I didn’t know.”

“Sorry, I just assumed you would, what with you being thick as thieves with Eddie these days. Maddy tells me he’s taken quite a shine to you. So, it’s all going well? I knew you two would get along. You’re the kind of man Eddie needs in his life. Steady and stubborn. One he can’t wind around his little finger like he has with every other boyfriend he’s ever had.”

“Other boyfriends?” Jeff didn’t want to know. But then again, he couldn’t bear not to know either. “I didn’t think Eddie had ever been serious with anyone before.”

“Well, no, he hasn’t been serious with them, but they’ve always seemed smitten with him. That’s how he manages to manipulate them. But you, I figured you’d be a tougher one for him to charm. Especially with the whole not-being-gay thing.”

“But I just told you I was.”

“Really? Because the way you look at women, I’d never have guessed.”

“How do I look at women?”

“Like you want to cover them in whipped cream and eat them up.”

“I do?” Jeff thought about it. “I’m not into sploshing. As far as I know.” Getting all sticky with foodstuffs didn’t really appeal to him, although if Eddie suggested it, he’d probably want to give it a try.

But only if it was with custard. Yum.

“Okay, then, you look at women like you want to strap them down, smack their cunts and then eat them out. Is that a better image for you?”

“Yeah. I suppose.” Jeff had wanted to do those exact things, hadn’t he? And so maybe he still did. But right now, he couldn’t imagine doing kinky stuff with anyone but Eddie.

“Jeff, you don’t just suddenly turn gay overnight. You’re probably just a bit bi, that’s all. Well, join the club. I mean, if any bloke’s going to turn an otherwise straight bloke’s head, it’s Eddie. I certainly enjoyed fucking him.”

If Jeff hadn’t already been sitting down, he’d have collapsed at that point. As it was, he just opened and closed his mouth a few times, trying to think of some way of responding to that. “You didn’t,” was what eventually came out.
Please tell me you didn’t!

“Yeah, it was how I met Maddy. Me and Eddie used to have this thing. Well, it wasn’t anything serious on my part—I was just experimenting. Seeing if I preferred a male to a female sub.”

“You met Maddy while you were shagging Eddie.” It was a horrifying thought, for reasons Jeff wasn’t about to analyse.

“Not literally while. Well, sort of. We were only weekend playmates for a few months. I took him to this club, and Maddy was there. They’ve been best mates since forever. And I ended up leaving the club with her rather than him. He was pretty pissed off with me at the time, although he phoned to apologise the next day. He’s that kind of bloke, you know? Doesn’t hold a grudge.”

Eddie might not, but Jeff was fast discovering that he did. Although who exactly he held it against he couldn’t rightly tell.

“Why didn’t you tell me any of this?”

“None of your business, really.”

“I think it is. You know, if Eddie’s some kind of tart, out to seduce straight men.”

Niall snorted. “Oh come on, it was hardly like that. I approached him on Fetlife and set up a meeting. I wanted to try things out with a man. And anyway, I identify as bi, not straight. Although I’d say I was only about twenty percent bi.”

“There are percentages?” You could write down the sum total of what Jeff knew about bisexuality on the back of an envelope. He had a lot to learn. But maybe this was a good thing. After all, if he was bi, he might only be a little bit gay after all. “How do you know what percentage you are? Is there a test?”

Now Niall really was laughing. Jeff bristled. “A test? I expect you could find a Kinsey test online somewhere, but I just came up with what felt right for me. Eight times out of ten, I’d rather be with a woman, but sometimes I’m attracted to men.”

“Men like Eddie.”

“Exactly.” Niall raised his glass like a toast, but Jeff couldn’t see anything there to be happy about. Was Eddie really that desirable to other men? Was Jeff going to have to beat them off with a stick? Or would he just have to face up to the fact Eddie would never be interested in a bloke like him? Beyond the sex, that was. It wasn’t like Jeff could offer the kind of lifestyle Niall could, with his huge house, well-equipped dungeon and fancy cars. The best Jeff could offer was a terraced miner’s cottage, a sad little suitcase of toys, and a beat-up, smelly old truck full of mud.

No, Eddie would be better off with a man like Niall, and he’d have to know that himself. Jeff had better not get too attached. And really, if he was only a certain percentage bisexual, then it would be dumb to get all invested in a man, wouldn’t it? Especially one who didn’t do serious relationships. Jeff should keep that in mind. He should keep going to the socials and keep his eye out for a woman. Once Eddie had finished his training, Jeff would have the confidence to approach them and get it right, wouldn’t he?

Yes, once Eddie had finished his training.

Just two more sessions, and Jeff could get back to a normal life. He took a deep breath and tried to force his head straight.

“Niall?” Maddy’s call cut through the air between them. “Where are y— Oh, there you are.” Maddy strolled out onto the patio in her amazingly high heels and leant down to give Niall a kiss. And not just a polite peck in front of company either. The two of them looked like they were trying to eat each other’s faces off, and Niall’s hand had worked its way up the back of her skirt by the time Jeff realized he’d have to announce his presence.

He cleared his throat loudly, and Maddy turned her head. “Hey, Jeff. How are you?”

Jesus Christ, how did she manage to make those three simple words sound dirty? Like she knew exactly what he’d been up to with Eddie at the weekend. Then again, maybe she did. Maybe Eddie was the kiss-and-tell type.

Shame he’d never thought to tell Jeff about Niall. Bloody hell, that still hurt.

And he still hadn’t answered Maddy. “Yeah. Fine.” Okay, Maddy was still looking at him like she expected more, and Niall was still fondling her legs like they were alone in the bedroom. Not that she seemed remotely fazed. Would Eddie like being handled like that in front of other people? And would Jeff enjoy doing it?

But he had to make conversation. He couldn’t just sit here, transfixed by the sight of the two of them canoodling. “Oh yeah. Congratulations. How’s the baby?”

It was the right thing to say as Maddy settled down on Niall’s lap and seemed perfectly happy to chatter on about scans and morning sickness. Jeff let it all wash over him.

I want some of that.

He wanted that closeness, that casual intimacy that poured off the two of them in their little touches and shared glances. Like they were speaking to each other through a whole secret language no one else could ever hope to share.

Yes, finding himself a woman would be the best thing to do, because he could never hope to have that with Eddie. Two men never found that level of closeness, did they? Well, not in Jeff’s experience, anyway.

Although with every day that passed, he was starting to realise just how little experience he had. And he wanted more. Lots more.

Chapter Nineteen

On Saturday morning, Eddie pulled up around the corner from Jeff’s house, not wanting to brave the parking on his road. It was the first time he’d been here during the day. In fact, it was the first time he’d been here without following Jeff back from the pub.

Bloody hell. It was only the third time he’d been here in total. Felt like they’d known each other for a lot longer than they had. Maybe it wasn’t the amount of time you spent with someone that counted, but rather the intensity of the time you spent with them.

That’d go some way towards explaining the weird feeling he had in the pit of his stomach. Nerves and excitement all rolled into one squirming ball. It was just the anticipation of getting a good seeing-to. It had to be. Not that he’d ever felt it quite like this before, but it was probably just the natural end result of having spent a week burying himself in his work so he could legitimately take the whole weekend off.

Yep, the whole bloody weekend. Eddie had stowed a micro keg of a strong local ale inside the suitcase of kink, and he fully intended to drink too much of it to be able to drive home. Jeff would have to ask him to stay the night. He couldn’t avoid it. It was devious, but Eddie didn’t mind stooping to such a low tactic. Not if it meant he got to wake up next to Jeff and have some sleepy morning sex, kink optional.

Eddie’s arsehole clenched in anticipation as he walked down to Jeff’s house. Fuck yes. He was going to be a dirty stop-out and do the walk of shame back down this road in the morning. One of Jeff’s neighbours—a white-haired man in an incongruous knitted hat—sat out on his tiny front lawn, staring at the view. He must have been baking under the midday sun with all those layers on, but he just gave Eddie a nod of acknowledgement and a toothless smile, like he hadn’t a care in the world.

Jeff’s cottage looked even more welcoming in the daytime, with the roses spilling their sweet scent down over him as he walked up to the door. And Jeff must have been waiting for him on the other side, because no sooner had Eddie raised his hand to knock than Jeff was opening the door.

Jeff gave a shy smile, and Eddie let out the grin that he’d been holding in.

Jeff stepped back. Eddie followed him in, and the door slammed shut as Jeff pushed him back against it. He dropped the suitcase. “Fuck, there was beer in there.”

“Don’t care.” Jeff’s eyes glowed with lust, and Eddie let his knees bend to bring him down to the same height. Jeff took full advantage of that, just like he’d hoped, and ransacked his mouth with a spine-tingling, dick-firming kiss.

Oh yeah, someone had been missing him. Eddie kissed Jeff back as fiercely as he’d been dreaming of, pressing his whole body against Jeff’s solid bulk. It was a wonder their clothes didn’t catch fire with the heat building between them. No, scratch that. It was a wonder Eddie’s dick hadn’t burst out of his jeans and rubbed up against its favourite playmate, which was currently trying to drill a hole into Eddie’s thigh.

Bloody hell, Jeff’s dick got harder than any bloke’s he’d ever known. Eddie scrambled for Jeff’s fly, desperate to finally get a good feel of it. He’d had it in his mouth and his arse now, but he still hadn’t had a chance to explore it properly with his hands. And it had never touched his own dick. Would that be too gay for Jeff? Only one way to find out.

Eddie attacked Jeff’s fly and then his own, freeing their cocks at almost the same time. He kissed Jeff ferociously all the while, not giving him time to object as he grabbed hold of Jeff’s cock and brought it to his own.

Oh! So hard and sweaty slick. Eddie wrapped a hand around them both, and rather than stop kissing him, Jeff made a hungry noise and reached down to grab Eddie’s buttocks, squeezing them hard.

Yeah, this was a time for fast and dirty. They could get the toys out later. Eddie tested Jeff’s grip by leaning his weight on him, then gave in to what he’d been wanting to do and wrapped both his legs around Jeff’s middle. Now he was suspended from Jeff’s body, hanging on to his sturdy frame and letting it take his weight, with only the door against his back giving any other support.

Felt so fucking amazing, being able to do that. Eddie bucked his hips and pumped his hand, determined to bring them both off before Jeff’s grip gave way.

Their cocks slid together in his hand, the ridge on Jeff’s giving just the right amount of friction as Eddie thrust his hips.

Jeff broke the kiss, panting. “Fuck! Oh shit, that’s good.” He buried his head against Eddie’s shoulders, and his whole body convulsed. His dick pulsed in Eddie’s hand as wet heat burst against his stomach.

Eddie fucked into his hand, lubricated by Jeff’s come. “So good,” he agreed, before the pleasure barrelled through him and shot out the end of his dick.

“Ungh.” It wasn’t the most articulate summing up of the situation, but it was all he could currently manage as his legs slipped down over Jeff’s bum. He clung on to Jeff’s neck and let them fall.

“Fuck me,” Jeff wheezed.

The urge to do just that nearly bubbled up—Eddie didn’t mind topping every now and again, especially if the other bloke was still in charge in some way. And who knew? Jeff might love having a cock rammed up his arse. Eddie certainly did. But instead he just chuckled. “Hi. How’s things?”

“All better now.” Jeff bared his teeth to nip at Eddie’s neck, giving him a delightful shiver. “How about you?”

“I’m grand, thanks.” Eddie peered over Jeff’s shoulder. “Hey, you’re rearranged your living room. I like it.” The absurdity of chatting with their soggy dicks pressed together up against the front door hadn’t escaped Eddie, but if Jeff wanted polite chitchat, he could have it.

“Do you like runner beans?” Jeff asked.

It took a moment for Eddie’s brain to wrap itself around that non sequitur. “To eat? Yep. So long as they’re not overdone. My stepmum had a habit of murdering them.”

“Good. You can help me pick them.” Jeff gave Eddie’s arse a quick squeeze and then stepped back. “Better get yourself looking respectable. Some of the bits of the garden are private, but the neighbours can all see the back door.”

It was pointless feeling let down about that little command. Eddie knew Jeff wasn’t ready to come out. He couldn’t even come out to Eddie and admit he was, at the very least, bisexual. But that didn’t stop the irritation rising as Eddie tucked himself back into his jeans and wiped his hand clean on his T-shirt. “Shit. I should have brought a change of clothes.”

“You look like you’ve brought a whole weekend’s worth of stuff.” Jeff glanced at the suitcase, but Eddie couldn’t for the life of him tell if he disapproved of that.

“Nah. Just beer and toys. It’s step four of my Intro to BDSM class later. I hope you’ve done your homework.”

“I didn’t know I had any.”

Fuck. Eddie never had sent that text in the end, had he? He’d been going to suggest Jeff went and looked up genital torture online—specifically cock and ball torture—but then he’d bottled out, worried it might give Jeff the fear.

And now here he was, about to spring it all on a man who was totally unprepared.

Eddie thought fast. “Figure of speech. But I think I will set some this week. I’ve got plans for next weekend.”

“Our final session.” Jeff’s face was unreadable again, his voice flat. “You said five in total, didn’t you?”

“I did.”
Ask me for more. Ask me for more.

But Jeff just pulled a face and turned away. “Come on. Let’s go pick beans.

Jeff strode out of his back door, not looking back to check if Eddie was following. That had been so fucking confusing. That whatever-it-was they’d just done at his front door. Resentment seethed inside Jeff, but he hadn’t a clue why. Maybe it was just at the way Eddie made him feel. All messed up. It had been easier yesterday. Much simpler to imagine a humdrum straight life without Eddie in it.

Strangely enough, it had been easier to imagine himself alone. His mind refused to put a girl in the picture. Perhaps the whole thing with Sarah had just rocked his confidence a bit. Yeah, that was it. He’d get back in the swing of things eventually. Get back on the horse that threw him.

The thought of riding Eddie hard—whacking him with the crop all the while—made him groan. He paused under the rose arch, resting in the shade to help cool him down. Overheated and horny, that was all he was. These gay fantasies would pass eventually, and he’d remember how to fantasise about shagging women.

Maybe he should watch some straight porn. That might help. Yeah, he’d do that later after Eddie had gone home. That one on his hard drive with the woman with the huge tits and gorgeous white skin, being fucked by all those men with huge, veiny cocks…

“Hey, this is beautiful!” Eddie’s voice made Jeff start, guiltily. Did it count as being unfaithful in the mind if you thought about other men’s cocks? Sarah certainly hadn’t been happy when she caught him watching porn.

But you couldn’t be unfaithful to someone you weren’t in a relationship with, could you? So thinking about other blokes’ cocks was fine. Right. Good thing he had that sorted.

“Earth to Jeff? You all right there, mate?”

“Yeah.” Jeff’s voice cracked as he realised what a weirdo he must seem, spacing out like that. “Um, yeah, fine. Just checking the roses for black spot.” He pulled a handy leaf out, turning it over to examine it.

Eddie reached out to touch the leaf, and his arm brushed against Jeff’s. “What are we looking for? No, let me guess. Is the name a hint?”

“Yep. They’re black spots on the leaves, and they spread like crazy once they get started. It’s a fungal disease, and they should be okay in this dry weather, but you can never be too careful.”

“You really do know your plants, don’t you? Is this all your handiwork?”

“Yep. Sarah liked sunbathing, but she didn’t really want to put any work in on the garden. You should see the rest of it.”

Jeff led the way from the upper patio section, down a couple of steps and into the vegetable patch. He walked the pathway between the raised beds, pausing every few steps to examine the squash plants trailing over the edge, and pinching out the tips of the shoots that had already set fruit.

“Wow! You really grew all this? My stepmum’s garden never looked this good. She used to plant everything in straight rows. You’ve got it all jammed in together.”

“Some things are still in rows,” Jeff said absently as he picked the greenfly off a pea shoot.

“Yeah, but not in the same way. Not with these raised-up beds. Do you mind if I take some pictures? She’s getting kind of arthritic now, and I bet she’d find something like this much easier to manage than having to stoop down to the ground all the time.”

“Yep. Knock yourself out.”

Eddie paced between the beds with his phone in his hands, kneeling down to get shots along the pathways between the low stone walls Jeff had built to edge the beds. It was good to see his garden appreciated. Sarah had always been on at him to install a sauna and hot tub down here instead, complaining that he’d spent way too much time and money on growing something they could simply buy from the supermarket. She’d never understood that gardening brought him peace and contentment. The same kind of peace and contentment she found at the gym or the spa, no doubt.

Eddie seemed to get it, though, even if he didn’t share Jeff’s green fingers. They were much better suited than Jeff and Sarah had ever been. For a moment, Jeff allowed himself to imagine a life with Eddie living here, perhaps taking the spare bedroom as his office. Of them sitting out on the patio with their coffees to catch the morning sun. Perhaps Eddie could even do some of his work out here while Jeff gardened. There were shady spots where you could still see a laptop screen.

Jeff gave his imagination a kick up the backside for being ridiculous. That wasn’t going to happen. Couldn’t happen. For a start, Eddie had no interest in settling down with anyone. Secondly, there was no way Jeff was going to move in with a man. Thirdly, what would his parents say? And fourthly… Well, he didn’t need a fourth. He’d already constructed a solid argument. Solid as the walls he’d built. He tapped one of them with his boot, and a layer of stone flaked off. Oops. He leaned down to push it back into place. That was often the way when you used recycled old stone, though. But it looked so much better than new brick.

Eddie’s hand landed on Jeff’s shoulder, startling him. “So, Jeffy-Jeffy, just how far down does your garden grow?”

Jeff stood and walked over to the next set of steps down. “You see that line of trees down there?”

Eddie shaded his eyes and squinted, his shoulder rubbing against Jeff’s in a distracting way. “Yep. I see them.”

“That’s the end of the garden.”

Eddie gave a low whistle and clapped his arm around Jeff’s shoulders in a way that could probably have passed for blokeish companionship, if it weren’t for the way Jeff’s body reacted to the touch. But Eddie didn’t seem to notice his discomfort. “Bloody hell, this really is a garden and a half. Must take you forever to look after it all.”

“Not really. The bottom part is all pretty wild. And it’s only narrow.” Jeff peered at the rooftops on his parent’s road, counting the chimneys to locate their house. From this spot, you could just see a patch of their patio, which meant, of course, that anyone there could see him up here. Should they be looking. There was no one there, but Jeff stepped down and away from Eddie just in case. “This part’s the fruit garden,” he said to explain why he’d moved. “I don’t quite manage to keep myself in fruit and veg all year round, but I have more than enough in the summer months.” The scent of ripe berries and the low humming of insects were always calming, and Jeff moved between the net-covered fruit cages, glad for a reason to keep going, down into the most private part of the garden.

But Eddie wasn’t following him. Instead, he was peering into one of the shady cages and rubbing a leaf between his fingers before smelling them. “Blackcurrants, right? My stepmum grows loads of these. Ooh, and is that raspberries? I adore raspberries.”

Jeff opened the door to the cage. “Come on, then,” he said.

Eddie had to stoop to get inside. “Mind your feet,” Jeff told him. “Stick to the straw paths. There’re strawberry plants all over the place.”