After the End Ch. 07

Author's note:

This is the final part of an original erotic novel set in a dystopian future about one hundred years from now. It is a fantasy about the progression of a romantic relationship, with a focus on fully-developed characters, emotional connection, and sizzling sex. Some elements explored are newly-discovered bisexuality, the complexities of trust, experiments in sexual power play, and healing from loss. Feel free to drop in on specific sections based on your mood or interest, but the dramatic tension is strongest if you start at the beginning.

I do apologize for the long delay in getting chapter seven to you. Unfortunately, my personal circumstances have not been favorable to writing. I am not likely to be posting any further stories at this point in time, but perhaps in the future.

Thank you to each person who has sent feedback on my posted work! I am new to writing fiction, so I appreciate hearing your reactions and perspectives. It truly does help me create the best stories that I can for readers to enjoy.

Tags for this chapter include: #bisexual male, #romance, #gay romance, #teasing, #denial, #edging, #submission, #future, #dystopian, #novel

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Julian:

The debate around the large oblong conference table had already occupied half the afternoon. The questions under consideration certainly impacted Fort Laurel's survival, but a decision could have been made within twenty minutes, if the governing council and their various advisors had approached the problem logically, instead of meandering into protracted side discussions about basic facts.

The offer of alliance from a farming cooperative in the river valley had been delivered last night by a couple of weather-toughened elders. Would extending our protection to their farms, a day's march northwest, strain our military resources? Yes. Would it be worth the surplus food provided under the agreement? Absolutely.

Luckily, I had a convenient distraction on the other side of the table -- Avery, slightly flushed, shifting on his wooden stool, glancing not-so-covertly in my direction every other minute. I reserved enough attention to follow the tedious arguments offered by each community leader, occasionally speaking up to counter a particularly misinformed opinion. But most of my thoughts centered around the striking man who shared my bed each night: The rugged beauty of his dark, tousled curls and chiseled jawline. The strength coiled in his sleek young muscles. The kaleidoscope of emotions playing behind his mahogany irises. The deliciously cruel things he had let me do to his exquisite body that morning, and the things I planned to do to it that evening.

It was always something of a risk, starting a sex game that could be interrupted by attacks on the settlement, devastating storms, or supply emergencies. Still, so far this was proving an ideal way to spice up a long-winded council meeting: watching Avery try to pretend he wasn't hiding an erection under the table.

His arousal was understandable, given that I hadn't let him orgasm when I played with him this morning. Or last night. Or yesterday morning. I smothered a smile as I remembered emptying my balls into his ass while he moaned and panted and kept his hands off his dripping cock. By his slightly feverish appearance and unfocused stare, I suspected he was remembering as well.

"Is that what you saw on the last patrol, Avery?" the council chairperson asked, startling him back to the matter at hand.

Abruptly the center of attention, Avery's handsome face flushed a shade darker.

"Uh, yeah," he stammered, scooting on his wooden stool even closer against the table's edge. "We came across a couple of old campsites, but nothing that looked like an active base for those raiders they're reporting."

Avery and I had been together nearly a year now, aside from that one hellish week, three months ago, when we'd broken up after Avery slept with his best friend. Rowan had ended up catalyzing our reconciliation as well, so I bore her no ill will. Much as I wished the whole experience could have been avoided, it had served to purge many of the lingering worries and doubts from our relationship. What we shared now was steadier, more securely rooted. And hotter. Since our reunion, Avery had more often given me permission to try fresh ways of inflaming his lust, and his desire for me only seemed to intensify over time. Not that mine for him was any better contained.

Under the terms of our current game, I was allowed unlimited access to enjoy his addictively responsive body, while he was not permitted to stimulate himself or orgasm, until I chose to grant him release. Which was why he was sitting across from me now, hard and aching, on his second consecutive day of denial, with no way of knowing how long he'd have to wait.

The third time our food supply overseer began listing the relative merits of corn to rice, I broke in. "We've heard from everyone here. Let's take five, clear our heads, and unless anyone has new information, put the proposal to a vote."

Chairperson Shaw glanced around the table. "If there are no objections?"

None were voiced. Stools scraped along the wood plank floor as we all stood. Except for Avery, who waited until the room started to empty before surreptitiously adjusting himself and edging out the door. I nodded toward one of the outbuildings near the command center, and he followed me behind the rough wooden structure.

It was August, and here in the south that meant unrelenting heat and humidity, with barely a breeze. Sweat dewed Avery's smooth sienna-toned skin and pasted his damp t-shirt to his chest and sides.

"Trouble focusing?" I asked playfully when we were out of sight.

Avery stepped forward, chin raised in invitation, and matched my tone. "Can't imagine why."

I kissed him, greedy and deep, until he melted beneath my lips. My tongue took control of his mouth, savoring his deprivation-enhanced taste. He leaned into my body as if to steady himself against the sensual barrage, and I wrapped an arm around his shoulders. His long-suffering cock ground urgently against my thigh.

He was breathless by the time I released him. He stayed close, eyes lit with love and longing, awe and assurance, excitement and ecstasy. All my favorite sex-game sentiments.

"Honestly never thought it was possible to be this damn horny," Avery said. More an endorsement than a complaint, by his tone.

"Mmm," I murmured in approval. I rested one hand at the small of his back. "So horny that you sit there with a hard-on all through a council meeting, where anyone can see you watching me?"

Heat that had nothing to do with the summer sun rose to his face. "Was it that obvious?"

I smiled. Embarrassment -- my other favorite. "Probably not to anyone else. But I'm enjoying the hell out of it."

He tossed his head self-consciously, but his dark eyes glittered with pleasure. "Are you...going to let me come tonight?"

"Do you think I should?" It was my wicked, provocative tone. I already knew the answer, and so did Avery.

"Yes?" he replied, then groaned at his unconvincing performance.

I pressed my lips to his again, purely affectionate this time. "Maybe tomorrow," I teased.

That night, after the alliance contract was finalized and we'd celebrated with our visitors, Avery and I retired to the quarters we shared. As soon as the door was locked behind us, I wasted no time pulling him in for another long kiss. Need radiated from him, fueling my own desire. I could have fucked him again or gotten off in the sweet suction of his mouth, but the council meeting had inspired another idea.

Instead of moving to the bed, I dragged the narrow wooden bench away from the wall. Leaving both of us in our clothes, I straddled the bench and beckoned Avery to sit between my legs with his back to me. I guided him to relax his knees open and place his hands on his thighs. I was already hard in anticipation, and I knew he could feel me against his ass.

First, I brushed his thick curls back from his neck and tasted his skin: salty, musky, distinctively male. He made a quiet, lustful sound at the wet touch. I lingered there, kissing and licking, occasionally nipping his skin with my teeth, especially the joint between his neck and shoulder, which made him gasp. When he started shifting his hips, I paused with my lips at the corner of his jaw.

"How's that cock?" I asked in the seductive voice that I knew affected him almost as much as any physical sensation.

"So hard," Avery moaned.

"Like it was in the meeting this afternoon?"

"Yeah..."

"Close your eyes," I instructed, watching over his shoulder as his lashes fluttered together above the freckles adorning his cheekbones. "I want you to imagine that we're back in the command center with the council. Imagine that while you were sitting there aroused and flushed, I pulled your seat back so you couldn't hide under the table, and I sat behind you like this."

I gave him a moment to picture the scene. His cock was straining against the twill material of his pants, and his breathing was getting shallower.

"Everyone can see how hard you are," I went on, then sucked lightly on the sensitive skin beneath his ear, earning another thrust of his groin against empty air. "And everyone can see how you gasp and squirm when I kiss your neck. They can tell that your cock is desperate for touch. They've guessed that I'm controlling your orgasms, and that you haven't been getting any."

Blood rose to Avery's cheeks, and I knew the imagined scene was becoming more real to him. Instinctively, he started to close his legs for some measure of modesty.

"Uh uh," I corrected. My hands prompted his thighs until he opened his knees again. "Let them see."

"Julian..." he protested, but he remained spread, displaying his bulge to the council members in his mind.

I licked and nipped some more, just below his jawline, and he moaned. His heart thudded through his ribcage into my chest. Mine thudded back.

"What were you thinking about, that got you erect in the middle of this meeting?" I asked after a minute.

"Just...you..." He kept his voice low, as if there really were other people around who might hear him. "How hot you are... How you fucked me last night..." He swallowed. "How you licked me this morning, and it felt so good, and I thought you were going to let me come, but then you stopped..."

He rocked his hips again, then controlled himself, apparently because of his imaginary observers.

"You embarrassed about being so aroused in front of the council?"

Eyes still closed obediently, he was motionless for several heartbeats before nodding.

"Well, I want them to see exactly how hard you've gotten just from thinking about me."

I reached for his belt and unbuckled it slowly. His body went taut against me at the touch near his crotch. I undid the button on his fly and slid down the zipper. Then I pulled his rigid shaft out of his trunks, so it stood pornographically naked against his otherwise fully clothed body. My own erection pulsed at the sight.

"Now everyone is staring at your cock," I murmured, returning my hands to my own thighs. Avery groaned and seemed to struggle not to close his legs again. I would never do this to him in reality -- at least, not without his permission -- but it was incredibly erotic to imagine it, and to watch that alluring blush spread over his cheeks.

"God, you're sexy like this," I told him. "With your cock tall and swollen, exposed for everyone to admire." A drop of fluid welled out of his slit as I spoke. "So beautiful, and starting to leak."

His face turned back toward me, seeking reassurance. I met his lips with a smoldering kiss. When I stopped, he nuzzled his head against mine, as if that would bring relief to his straining rod.

"You're making it ache so bad," he confessed, low and needy.

"Do you want me to touch it?"

"Yes..."

"In front of everyone?"

He hesitated, clearly seeing the council around the table behind his closed eyes. "Yes," he answered finally, while the organ in question twitched.

"I'm not going to."

He huffed out a breath, audibly frustrated.

"But you are," I continued, tones sultry. "The council and I want to watch you play with that beautiful cock. Show us how much you need it, that you'll jerk yourself even in public."

Avery's lips parted, and he flushed darker. He'd masturbated with me before, of course, but never in such a performative manner.

"You really...want me to?"

"Mmm hmm. And so does everyone else in the command center."

It took a minute, but finally his right hand moved. Slowly his fingers wrapped around his engorged shaft. He pulled a couple of times and exhaled in apparent relief.

Soon he was fondling himself in earnest with rhythmic, slightly twisting strokes, adding his own pre-come as lubricant. His shaft thickened further from the attention. Watching him made me ache for stimulation myself, but I waited, letting the yearning build.

"That feel good, babe?" I murmured beside his head.

"Yeah." His voice was strained. "I'm getting close, though."

"Keep going."

I moved back a little so I could undo my pants and start running my fist along my own cock. Avery's display had gotten me almost painfully hard, but I made myself go slowly, imagining what he must be feeling, needing this so badly and not being able to finish.

Only a minute later, he wrenched his hand away and gripped his knee instead. He sat with eyes shut tight, the waves of his breath crashing in rapid succession.

"Did I say you could stop?"

"I -- I'll come if I don't."

"Restraining your orgasm is your responsibility. You can slow down, or use less pressure, but keep stroking."

"Oh, god," he groaned. His cock jerked, helpless with need. The rest of him stayed locked in place.

"Come on, Avery," I prompted. "Everyone's waiting."

Gingerly this time, his hand closed around his trigger. To tolerate further contact without a climax, he had to keep his grip gentle and his strokes light. We both knew how that got to him. I subjected him to this kind of treatment myself often enough, but watching his fingers softly torment his own shaft was almost better.

"Julian, please," he was begging before long. "This makes me need to come so fucking much." He writhed in frustration at his own too-slow strokes. "How much longer?"

"I'm going to come while I watch you. You can stop when I'm finished."

Another desperate moan. Another torturously tempting pull on his shaft. He took a shaky breath, trying to control himself.

My chin rested on Avery's shoulder while I jacked my own rod. "You're teasing yourself so good for me, babe," I murmured. I was close too, but I loosened my grip a little, enjoying the sweet spot between need and fulfillment. "You make me so hot -- I wanted to fuck you behind the command center, after I saw how hard you were for me this afternoon. But I'm glad I waited."

He shuddered, then suddenly he was squeezing the base of his shaft with urgent strength. All his muscles tensed with the effort of holding back his orgasm.

Breathing hard, I held myself on the brink with him and imagined what he was feeling: forced to stop short right here, just when the need raged most unbearably, just when sweet release beckoned most irresistibly. I gripped myself harder and commanded, "Give yourself a few more strokes, and I'll come."

At the sight of Avery's fingertips brushing along his throbbing cock, I climaxed with a deep groan, spraying his shirt. As soon as he heard me, he pulled his hand away with another longing shiver.

"You can open your eyes and do up your pants," I told him. I cleaned myself off on his ruined shirt, then peeled it over his head and tossed it to the floor. I wove an arm around his waist, leaned against his back, and listened to the shallow cadence of his breath while I drifted down from my high.

His arm came to rest over mine and his fingers closed around my hand. Gradually he relaxed his weight against me.

"Fuck, how do you come up with this stuff?" Avery said after a minute. "I can't believe you made me edge myself."

I smiled against his head. "You're endlessly inspiring."

"Well you're endlessly frustrating," he informed me, but there was no anger in his voice; only affection laced with lust. He pulled my arm tighter around him.

"I do my best."

"God, I'm going to be hard all night, after that." He exhaled unsteadily against my chest. "You are going to let me come before I physically vaporize, right? You're too fucking hot, Julian...I need it so badly, all the time."

"Of course I will." I laid a kiss at his temple. "This is only fun for me if it's fun for you. And on that note, I'm very interested in this new exhibitionist streak of yours."

Avery froze on the bench between my legs. "I don't -- have --" he sputtered. "That was you!"

"It wasn't just me," I replied, letting my tone work on him.

When he couldn't come up with an argument, I laughed and untangled myself. "Let's go wash up and get in bed."

The fort had settled down to sleep by the time we headed back to our quarters, cleansed of semen and sweat. The night air clung close, damp as our skin and unshakeable as a shadow. Watchmen stood at intervals along the rough outer wall, and cicadas droned in chorus from summer-scorched trees.

Once in our room, I stretched out on my back, half-covered by the fraying cotton sheet draping our wood-frame bed. Even at this elevation in the hills of northern Louisiana, it wouldn't be cool enough to need a blanket for at least another month, despite that we slept in nothing but our trunks. Avery switched off the lamp and settled in his usual position against my left side. His head was cradled against my shoulder, and his top leg was bent over both of mine.

I rested my palm on the tapestry of muscle woven around his slender torso. He bore fewer scars than I did, though of course I'd been targeted by man and nature for nearly five extra years. Still, his body had been forged to steel in the storm-swept ruins and unforgiving wilderness that were all he'd ever known of civilization. Outside the few remaining cities protected by soldiers such as I used to command, conditions were downright Darwinian.

From far too young an age, Avery had battled more than his share of hardships: abandonment, neglect, loss of family, loss of home, and the ever-present threats of hunger and violence. Yet he had never surrendered, never lost his identity or his humanity. He still didn't understand how special his indomitable spirit and generous heart were. It was far easier for him to see his limitations. It was far easier for me to see his strength.

Avery's hand idly stroked the hair between my pecs. He had almost no body hair himself, but he found the texture of mine soothing. Or arousing, as the case may be. I felt movement where his groin nestled against my hip, and my own desire stirred.

"I'm never going to be able to sleep with you here," he sighed. His hand detoured across one areola, a single low note of pleasure sounding in my brain.

"You could move over," I offered, even though it was the last thing I wanted.

His head shook against my shoulder. His fingers returned to my nipple, tracing over it more deliberately, adding several notes of harmony to my nervous system. "I'll just think about you anyway."

I let him play. "Do you know how hot it is that I get to keep you this horny?"

"Yes." There was a lull for a moment. "I think my balls are actually turning blue." One by one, fingertips strummed my hardening nipple again.

I was starting to think he was asking for more teasing, but I kept my voice neutral. "Could be."

In reply, he plucked another rousing melody on my areola, almost daring me to respond.