Hero Worship Pt. 07

I added a touch of cologne, cheap stuff I could afford, but it smelled good, I thought. My clothes were laid out on the bed. First on was the shirt, with the long sleeves ending in frills, then the pants, which fit like a glove, making me thank my foresight for owning at least one pair of panties that wouldn't show a line. The thin cummerbund eased the waistline. The only major item left was the jacket, and when it was on I stared at myself in my mirror.

"Meu Deus, Taylor, you are so handsome." Vicky handed me the tie, which I put on as she tucked a blue handkerchief into the jacket's breast pocket.

With that the effect was complete, and I couldn't believe my eyes. Aly was going to flip out when she saw me. She'd be so happy, and, damn it, I'd do anything to make that girl happy. And I wasn't ashamed about it. Besides, I looked good.

Vicky's phone chirped and she glanced down at it. "Your ride is here."

"My ride?" I'd expected to borrow Vicky's car, but we walked down the steps to a black sedan, complete with uniformed driver, who was holding the door open.

"Our gift to you. Have a wonderful evening, Taylor." I hugged her, and she insisted on a picture to show Jennifer, and I was on my way to the sorority house.

The place was huge, like something out of a movie. I mean, I knew it would be big, Aly said it housed up to forty women in any given semester, but good grief. It was three stories of red brick with massive, stately Doric style columns.

The sweeping drive was a bit of a zoo, as cars of all shapes and sizes filled every available inch. I was about ten minutes late, so I was anxious to get out. The driver told us she'd wait for us there, and I made my exit and headed toward the front doors, where I was greeted by a sea of men in formal wear.

I suddenly felt small and a little scared. A group of them standing on the exterior of the crowd noticed me, and they started to stare. It appeared to just be shock, as opposed to any overt animosity, but it still made me feel uncomfortable. I made my way through the crowd, trying to get a look at the front door, when I heard a familiar voice.

"Taylor! Over here!" I looked and saw Noah, Sadie's boyfriend, waving and I made my way to him. He was standing with a group of guys, who he introduced. "Guys, this is Aly's girlfriend." They were all friendly enough, and I asked what was going on.

"They're in getting group pictures. We'll be able to go in and get them in a minute."

I nodded, hearing murmuring behind me. "Dude, that's a chick. Check it out."

"Fuck, man, I didn't know there were dykes in this sorority."

I looked back over my shoulder, face twisting.

"Hey, Taylor, ignore them. You look great, by the way."

"Thanks. You don't clean up so bad yourself."

"I just hope Sadie likes seeing me in a tux. Maybe she'll say yes when I ask her to let me wear another one sometime."

"You thinking about proposing?"

"I've been imagining proposing to Sadie since I met her when she was a freshman. How about you?"

I blushed and shook my head, looking down. The image of Aly in a white dress, promising to love me and only me for the rest of her life, well, it made my knees weak

Noah laughed. "Hey, no pressure."

One of Noah's buddies spoke up. "So what are you studying, Taylor?"

A shot of shame-spurred ice ran through my veins. "Um, art. I plan on being very poor." That made the guys laugh, but I suddenly felt on the outside again. I could almost guarantee none of the young men I was standing with would have any trouble finding work that dwarfed the money I made. I knew from Aly's birthday dinner that Noah was going to be an electrical engineer. Listening to them talk confirmed my suspicion. One was pre-med, another was majoring in business and was headed to Stanford for his MBA next fall. They good-naturedly teased one who was graduating with a nursing degree, but I knew it was just that, teasing. The lowest paid nurse in the country makes a crap ton more than I do.

Luckily my souring mood was interrupted by the doors to the house opening. The men at the front began filing inside, and I followed along with Noah. By the time I got into the entryway people were starting to partner up. I'm reasonably tall for a woman, but in this sea of tuxedos I couldn't see much of anything. Eventually I made it inside, where dozens of beautiful young women were finding their dates. I just didn't find the one I was looking for. There was a wide staircase to the left of the entryway, so I made for the base of it. When I got there I saw her, slowly descending the stairs with a hand on the rail.

My heart leapt into my throat. She was a vision, golden brown hair cascading over her left shoulder, sparkling with what I hoped weren't real diamonds woven into it. Her eyes danced as her face split into a dazzling smile as she saw me. Her dress was strapless, the silver bodice giving way slowly into a shimmering, deep blue fabric that belled out down to the floor, white, elbow length gloves completing the outfit.

I held out my hand and she took it. I opened my mouth to say something, but she shushed me. "I just want to drink you in." Her eyes ran up and down my body. "You look amazing, Taylor, so beautiful."

"Aly, you're stunning."

She beamed at me, hooked her arm in mine, and let me lead her out into the night.

The dance, or the ball, or whatever you want to call it, was something else, far and away the most high-class thing I'd ever been to. There were hors d'oeuvre trays and waiters serving non-alcoholic champagne. The lighting was soft and almost twinkling, and there was silver and white everywhere, making it look like a winter wonderland at night.

There was a real string quartet and a huge dance floor. We danced several times, before moving over to a table where Aly began introducing me around. There was such pride in her voice, and I began to shrink up inside. I went through several more rounds of 'So what are you studying?' or "What do you do?' I tried to answer honestly and with pride, but it got harder and harder as the night went along. Aly was always expounding on my artistic talents, but every time she did I couldn't help but hear my father's voice, telling me art was nothing, that without a man I'd starve on the streets, which is what I deserved, being a godless abomination.

But still, dancing with Aly was the most wonderful feeling in the world, one perfect island of happiness. And as much as I tried, though, I couldn't hide how I was feeling from my baby. "Hey, what's going on?"

"I'm sorry, baby. Just..." I looked around, a tear forming in my eye.

"They're intimidating you." It wasn't a question.

I gave a nervous chuckle. "All they can talk about is job offers and graduate schools, and I..." I shook my head. "God, I thought I was past this."

"You'd be surprised. Do you think all of them want to be going into the fields they are?"

"They look pretty pleased with themselves."

"Some of them. But a lot of them are doing exactly what their parents have always told them to do. Like Evelyn." Aly nodded towards a beautiful young woman of East Asian descent in a green gown. "She's an amazing actress, and has a beautiful voice. She'd give almost anything to go to New York and be on the stage, but her parents would cut her off. So she's going to law school like they want. Most wouldn't admit it, but a lot of them envy you, I promise."

"I think the only reason they'd envy me is because I have you on my arm."

Aly smiled, and I melted a little inside. "You're sweet. Do you want to go?"

I leaned down and kissed her. "Not yet. I want to dance with the prettiest girl at the ball some more."

And so we danced, and the world slowly sank into the background as I held my baby in my arms, her head on my shoulder. I kept telling myself that Aly said I was good enough, that I made her happy. I could make something of myself; I would make her proud. I remembered something that Tilda Swinton's character had said in 'Dr. Strange.' We never slay our demons, we only learn to live above them, or something like that. It's probably not the best idea to take life advice from superhero movies, but it sounded wise.

My father had told me there was something defective and unworthy about me. He'd been telling me that since before I'd known he was talking about me. I hated him for it, but a part of me still believed he was right. He was my father, after all.

I felt like there was a war inside me. There was the perfect rightness of being with Aly, fighting with the condemnation of family for feeling these things. How did Aly do it? I've know I was gay for more than decade, she's known for four months, yet I'm still fighting myself over it, and she had embraced it completely.

I wondered what Aly was thinking, if she was thinking anything. Didn't she say her mind went blank when she went to that place? She wasn't immersed, but she was dipping her toes in it now as we moved together. Only one way to find out I guess.

"What are you thinking, baby?"

"Mmm, not thinking, just feeling. Warm, happy."

"Ready to be warm and happy at home in bed?"

Her hand snaked up and around my neck, pulling me down for a kiss. Our tongues caressed each other as fire raced through my body.

I took Aly home and made love to her, every square inch, as tenderly and worshipfully as I was able. She was the most incredible woman I had ever known, the most real, the most giving, the most genuine and honest, and the idea that she would share her bed with me was humbling beyond words. And when she fell asleep in my arms that night I held her close, and tried to rise above my demons.

***

I didn't see Aly again for the rest of that week. It was finals week, her last real one, she'd said, and she'd spent the whole weekend holed up in the library and her room at the house. We texted some, and she was planning a party with Sadie and Evelyn and a few other girls on Thursday night before the others headed home for Christmas break. I spent the evenings trying to find a perfect gift, something that showed her, and me, that she was mine. Eventually, I saw it.

When I got home on the Friday before Christmas Aly's car was in the driveway, and I opened the door to the smell of baking chicken. She'd gone with boneless skinless chicken breasts and Shake and Bake, and it was great. Baby steps.

Each night that week was the same. I'd go to work, either at the beach or at the warehouse, and come home to Aly, to her smiling face, her soft kiss, and every night I'd fall asleep holding her in my arms.

On the twenty-third, she told me not to be late, so I made sure I was home from the warehouse by six. Dinner was laid out on the table, take-out from a local vegan curry establishment, but put on nice plates. That wasn't strange, of course, Aly was still just learning to cook, after all. She'd done her make-up, understated, but she looked beautiful, and she was wearing that simple yellow dress of hers that I loved. Her hair fell in long waves, pulled back in a plait.

Her gift had arrived in the mail just two days ago. I'd had it left on Jen and Vicky's doorstep so she wouldn't see.

"When you get home tomorrow, we're going to my parents, right?"

"Yeah."

"Okay I'm going to give you your present now, then. Okay?"

She stood up and led me to the couch and turned around. "Go ahead, unwrap it."

I unzipped her dress, which fell away revealing a transparent, sunshine yellow corset with thigh high stockings and the barest wisp of a thong. The bust was just a shelf style, lifting but exposing her breasts. Aly's body was the perfect picture of womanhood, and I ran my hands over it.

She turned around slowly, and I admired her from every possible angle. When she faced me again she was holding a gift-wrapped box.

"Another present?"

"This one's for us."

I tore off the paper and opened it. Inside was a cat of nine tails with a long hard leather handle. I touched the tresses, and they were impossibly soft. Still, though.

"Aly, are you sure?"

"I need to be deep under when you use it, and you can't use it to, um, punish me, but yeah, but I want to try."

"I just don't want to hurt you."

"Oh, sweetie." She kissed me. "You won't, just be very gentle to start. And if I don't like it, we won't do it again."

I nodded, standing and taking Aly's hand and leading her back to the bed.

"Baby, do you remember what you asked for?"

"Yes, My Lady. Something that I could wear, that would remind me who I belong to."

"That's right. Merry Christmas, baby." I took two small packages from the bed stand. I handed her the larger one first. She pulled off the ribbon and opened the small white box, revealing a set of tattoo style chokers in a variety of colors.

"Oh! I love these, I used to have some."

"But that's not the whole gift. Here."

The smaller package revealed a tiny silver padlock, the body a little bigger than a dime, shaped like a heart. .

"See, the way it works is the chokers can be fastened with the padlock, like a collar, but it doesn't look like one, and your hair will hide the lock if you want it to. What do you think?"

I looked up at Aly's eyes, which were shining with awe, her mouth open slightly. "Put one on me?"

"I intend to." I pulled the yellow one from the box, taking out the padlock as well. I sat on the edge of the bed, crooking a finger at Aly. "Come here, baby. Turn around. Kneel."

She obeyed, and I heard her let go a shaky breath as she went down to her knees. I put my hands on her shoulder, which made her jump a little. God, she was excited. My lips pressed against the sensitive skin of her neck, earning a little gasp before I pulled the choker around.

"To whom do you belong, baby?"

"You." Her voice was thick with emotion. "I belong to you, My Lady. My mind, my body, my heart are yours."

"That's right. The choker reminds you that you are mine, and no one else's. And the heart shaped lock, it reminds you that Your Lady loves you and only you, and treasures you above all things." The lock clicked into place, and Aly gave a little moan. I'd practiced that speech in the mirror for a week, but with her here, trembling excitedly in front of me, I almost couldn't get the words out. I had to project confidence, though. For her.

I gave her permission to turn around, and I noticed her hand twitched toward her neck, but she kept it down. "Would you like to touch it?"

Aly nodded, her eyes never leaving mine.

"Go ahead."

She reached up, gingerly pressing her fingertips to the wiry material. She worked her way around to the back and felt the lock in place, a soft smile forming on her lips. "Thank you, My Lady."

"So you like it?"

"Very much."

"That's good," I stood up, towering over her, "but I think you should say thank you properly, don't you?"

Aly bit her lower lip and nodded, reaching up and starting to undo my jeans. Once she had them off she stripped me of my underwear, and I sat back down on the bed. She gently pushed my legs apart, taking me into her mouth as I leaned back on my elbows, wondering what I had ever done to deserve this perfect woman.

I let Aly service me for a good length of time. I knew it relaxed her, and I was still very nervous about using our new toy.

Confidence, Taylor. As lovely as Aly's outfit was, it did have to go, and I took immense pleasure in slowly stripping it off of her.

I slipped her arms into the leather sleeve and fastened it over her head as she lay on her back, and I lifted her leather-cuffed ankles up towards the headboard, similar to the position I'd had her in before, but more pulled back. I wanted access to the fleshy part of her backside as well.

I used my mouth to bring right up to the edge and beyond, knowing she wouldn't come until I told her it was okay. I held the flogger in my hand, letting the tassels glide along her skin. Aly was trembling from head to toe.

I continued to trace the tips of the flogger over her skin, alternating between the soft leather and my mouth over and over, holding her on the brink. I could tell she was finally fully relaxed into her bonds and deep into subspace when I finally pulled away.

I rested the tresses of the flogger against her skin, listening to her moan as she shook at the contact. I took a deep breath, rolled my wrist, and brought the leather firmly against Aly's skin.

*****

I know you all hate me for stopping here, but it was the only place that made any sense. Going to the end of the scene made the last section too short. and I promise I'll have the final part up ASAP. Only one to go! Please rate and comment. They keep me going.