Loosening the Bun

Authors Note: This story contains very mild power exchange elements and the use of Daddy. If this is not your cuppa, please move on. This is the beginning of The Tool Boxxx universe where this adult store will be featured in several stories. Bruce from Chasing EleMistriss also appears as a supporting character and will surely be telling me his story soon.

All sexual contact in this work of fiction takes place between characters over the age of 18.

Chapter 1

"Percussion, let me hear you at rehearsal eight," Dr. B, the band director requested.

Gavin Conover dutifully looked at his music and tapped out the rhythm on the snare drum, then hopped over to the cymbals briefly before darting back to the snare. There were rarely enough percussion players in a community band, so everyone had to run around to cover all the parts. Gavin had joined the Sparrow Community Concert Band, or SCCB, just two weeks prior. It had been about ten years since he'd played, but it was all coming back to him pretty easily. At 47, he'd been playing for a good portion of his life, and he hated that he'd waited so long to find another group to join. There was just something about creating music with an ensemble that was incredibly satisfying.

When the director moved on to work with the brass section, Gavin's eyes moved over the band to land on a little clarinet player sitting at the end of a row. While she was tiny in stature, he thought of her as little because she seemed to try to take up as small a space as possible. She would probably be considered homely by most standards. Her hair was pulled back into a severe bun, and her button-down, collared shirt was old-fashioned with a faded flower pattern. He couldn't see the waist down yet, but he could imagine that she was wearing a long, pleated skirt, circa 1980. While other band members were playing on their phones while the director worked with other sections, she was frowning at her music and working through fingerings on her instrument.

"Clarinets, you have the same rhythm at measure 74. Be sure you're playing staccato. Each note needs to be separated or it gets muddy. And one and two and three and..." Dr. B. Counted them down.

As she started to play, she seemed to come alive, flowing with the music. During rests, she appeared to count with her body. When she'd presumably make a mistake, her face showed her frustration, but she'd push on until Dr. B stopped them.

"Good! That's coming along nicely. Apparently, I've been working through that song in my sleep because my wife keeps waking me up to tell me to stop breathing!" Dr. B told them comically.

Gavin looked over at the little woman, and his breath caught as he saw her smile for the first time. Her expression was open and unguarded, and her smile changed her whole appearance. Homely and unremarkable became absolutely gorgeous. He hoped she didn't look his way before he could introduce himself.

Gavin used to be a part of a Motorcycle Gang and he still looked the part. He was bald with a long, silver beard and a stocky build. Plenty of tattoos were hidden under his clothes. He was told often that he looked like a sexy leather daddy. He was approached by women frequently, but he was bored with the type that propositioned him. There was nothing wrong with them and he was sure they were wonderful people; they just weren't what he wanted anymore. Almost all were conventionally gorgeous, outgoing, shapely, brazen, and...well...easy.

His appearance also meant some people were automatically intimidated by him. Usually, his smile would disarm them, but some took a bit more convincing. He had a feeling the little woman would be one of the latter. As Dr. B dismissed them for a 10-minute break, he grabbed the next piece of music on the agenda and walked over to her chair where she was running a bright blue swab through her instrument.

I knew it, he thought to himself, grinning. Her long, pleated skirt just brushed the tops of her pristine, white, Keds sneakers. All she needed was a pair of large, plastic glasses to complete the look. Adorable.

"Hi," he said loudly enough to be heard over the chatter.

She didn't even look up.

He crouched down and tried again. "Hi, I'm Gavin."

Her eyes glanced over briefly and then came back, widening, almost as if she couldn't believe he was trying to talk to her.

"H...Hi," she said so softly he could barely hear her. Her eyes were still wide, and her look was wary.

He gave her a wide smile, hoping it would work its magic. "I'm hoping you can help me." He held up his music. "It's been a long time since I've played, and I can't remember how the Coda works."

"Oh, s...sure." She took his music and pointed to the big-tilted S that looked like it had a percent sign through it. "You go back to this mark, and you play to this mark." She pointed to the big O with the cross through it. "And then you skip to the end where it's notated here." She pointed at the last page where there was another big O with a cross through it and an extra line of music. "Unless it says D.S. Al Coda, and then you go all the way back to the beginning and play to the notation before skipping to the end."

Luckily, he didn't really need the question answered because he'd been sucked in by the soft, smooth sound of her voice and hadn't absorbed one bit of what she said. "That's right! I remember now. All the music notations start to run together after a while."

She was looking at her lap and absently picking at a cuticle.

"What's your name? I'm Gavin," he repeated, in case she hadn't heard him before.

"June," she said softly, her eyes darting over for a moment.

"Thank you, June. It was a pleasure to meet you." He held his hand out to shake, for once appreciating the stupid social norm because he got a chance to touch her. Her hand trembled imperceptibly as he grasped it gently. Her skin was soft, but her palms were a bit more textured as if she worked with them a lot.

"Sure," she whispered before picking up her instrument and looking at her music in clear dismissal.

He watched her every chance he had through the remainder of rehearsal, but she didn't look his way once. Once it was over, he tried to catch her to walk her out, but she had packed too quickly. That was okay, he'd try again next week.

*

The next morning, he whistled as he opened The Tool Boxxx. He had started the adult sex store about five years ago and had no regrets. He enjoyed meeting the people that came into the store. Some were confident or even cocky, and some were shy and blushing or even terrified. By the time they left, most were more comfortable and promised to come back, and they usually did. It didn't make a huge profit, but it was now enough to live comfortably and hire another employee so that he wouldn't have to be in the store constantly.

This morning, he had an interview with a recent college grad for full-time employment. Right on time, the bell on the door jingled, and a well-dressed young man entered the store. He wasn't wearing a suit and tie; that would have been excessive for this type of interview. Instead, he was wearing a pressed, plaid, button-down shirt and clean jeans with a belt.

"Hey man, I'm Bruce Branch. Not BB for short." He smiled widely and held out a hand to shake.

Gavin shook his hand firmly. He liked the immediate confidence not BB exuded. He looked relaxed and his eyes weren't darting around at all the paraphernalia on display. "So, I should only call you BB when you piss me off?" This was a test to see if their personalities would jibe.

Bruce smirked at him. "Sure, if I can call you Daddy when you piss me off."

Gavin threw his head back and laughed. "Touché." This was getting off to a great start. "Tell me about yourself. I see that you recently left another retail job?"

Bruce looked sheepish. "Yeah. I just graduated college with a business major, but I haven't decided what I want to do with my life yet. I know I don't want to work behind a desk, but I like people, so retail seemed like the place to start for now. I worked for Sally's Furniture for a few months, but it just wasn't a good fit. They had sales goals and I'm just not a pressure person. I hate when people try to talk me into buying something. I much prefer to give customers the information they need and make them comfortable. I think they'll be more likely to buy from me in that case. Furniture is a high dollar item and people want to feel like they can think about it." He shrugged. "Sally's wanted immediate results and I was trying to build relationships. I left before they could let me go."

"Thank you for your honesty. I have a lot of respect for that. Making people comfortable when they walk in this door is a huge part of what makes this business successful. And you wouldn't be on commission. I don't like pressure sales either."

Bruce blew out a breath and smiled. "I'm glad to hear that on both counts. I was worried about being too truthful."

"Let's take a walk through the store." The first aisle had every type of dildo you could imagine. "Let's say a woman comes in. She's shy and she wants to buy her first dildo. What would you suggest?"

Bruce walked slowly down the aisle and came to a display of moderately priced, realistic dildos. "If she's looking for a basic starter, I'd recommend something like this." He picked up a six-inch model with a flared base. "I'd ask if she'd considered vibration since that can also be used to stimulate the clit. If she were interested, I'd show her these." He picked up a basic purple phallus with multiple vibrating speeds.

Gavin was impressed. "And if a man wanted a prostate stimulator for his boyfriend?" Another test. No homophobia would be allowed here.

Bruce walked further down the aisle and picked up two curved toys. "I personally prefer the one that vibrates, but the basic metal one is great, too."

They continued through the store, Bruce continually showing a lot more product knowledge than Gavin would have expected. He spoke with confidence, and nothing seemed to make him uncomfortable.

"I think you'd be a great fit. I'd love to hire you if you're interested. It would be just the two of us here and you would be here alone at times. I can't pay benefits, but I think the hourly wage is reasonable, and you can earn paid time off.

"Great! Yes, I'm interested. I have a roommate to share expenses with. I'd also love to learn about the business operation side eventually."

Gavin clapped a hand on Bruce's shoulder. "That would be great. I'm getting by, but your business degree would come in handy. I'll send you home with the basic new-hire paperwork. When can you start?"

"Does tomorrow work for you?" Bruce's grin held a hint of pleading.

"Help with the Friday evening rush? Yes, please. We're open 11-11 on Fridays. Come on in at 1." Gavin handed him the paperwork and then held out his fist for a bump.

Bruce returned the bump enthusiastically. "See you tomorrow, Gavin. And thanks!"

"Well, that was easy," Gavin said out loud to the empty store.

Chapter 2

June Branch was trying her best to keep her eyes on her music, but the Daddy, er, Coda man from last week kept stealing her attention. What did he say his name was? Gavin, that's right. She jumped as her clarinet squeaked. Squeaks happened to everyone sometimes, but this was purely her own inattention. She tried her best to make her fingers press the right keys at the right times with the faster pace Dr. B was insisting on tonight. She always had to practice, but tonight's failings were solely the fault of her wandering attention.

As Dr. B paused to run through a section with another group, she smoothed her hands down her skirt and made sure her bun was still in place. Her grandmother always taught her that being put together and proper was the most important thing. Her parents had died young, and Gran had taken in June and her brother.

June's mother had been a wild child, according to Gran. She'd dressed promiscuously, dated promiscuously, and rebelled at every turn. Gran constantly told June that she'd failed as a parent and that June was her second chance to get it right. June was grateful that Gran had taken them in and wanted to make life as easy on her as possible, so she had done her best to follow Gran's teachings to the letter. She'd gone to a private, all-girls high school and then to a religious university. She dressed conservatively and displayed proper ladylike behavior.

Her brother, Bruce, had opted for public school, though he had gone to the same university since Gran was paying. June wholeheartedly acknowledged that Bruce was the more well-adjusted of the two of them. He wasn't at all obsessed with being the perfect gentleman. Not that he was rude or mean. He was wonderful and not afraid to be himself and she loved him with her whole heart. She was afraid of letting her proper façade crack, and she envied Bruce's freedom.

Her eyes wandered back over to the percussion section. Gavin was peering right back at her, and she felt her face flame, fighting the urge to cover her red cheeks with her hands. Instead, she fisted her hands in her lap and crossed her ankles.

When it was her turn to play again, she tried her best to focus and not embarrass herself. While they were a community band and their skill levels covered a wide range, there were plenty of professionals in the room and she hated drawing attention to her learning curve.

During the break, she darted out to the restroom, praying it would keep her from having to face Gavin again. She sat on the commode for longer than necessary, trying to take up as much time as possible. After eight minutes, she visited the sink to wash her hands thoroughly and briskly walked back to the rehearsal room. She slid back into her seat just as Dr. B re-took his position. She sneaked a glance at Gavin, and he gave her a grin she couldn't interpret. Almost as if he had known she was avoiding him.

As rehearsal progressed, her eyes continued to slide in his direction. At one point, their eyes met, and he winked at her. He winked! Her face flamed again, and she felt flustered and short of breath. She went to put her mouth on her mouthpiece and missed completely, stabbing herself in the cheek with her reed. Oh, for Heaven's sake. This is preposterous! He's just a man. You were married. You have a brother. A man is sitting beside you!

"Snare Drum, that was your cue!" Dr. B called out. "Let's try that again."

Her eyes looked to the left without her permission, and Gavin was grinning at her. He must have seen her stab herself in the face and missed his own cue because of it. It looked like he was pleased instead of making fun of her.

As rehearsal ended, she packed quickly and speed-walked to the exit, only to stop as she looked outside to see the torrential rain.

"Yikes, it's really coming down out there," a warm voice said behind her.

She could feel his warmth against her back, and she could smell his light, fresh, clean scent. She half expected him to smell like motor oil from the way he looked. One shouldn't judge based on appearance, she chastised herself. She adjusted the collar of her shirt out of habit. Speak when spoken to, her grandmother's voice chimed in.

She cleared her throat. "Yes, it seems so."

"Excuse me! I'm so sorry, I just need to squeeze by you," a woman said kindly.

June gasped as a hand clutched her hip and drew her back against a hard chest. Her heart started to flutter, and she could feel that hand...in inappropriate places. You're imagining things. It's clearly just on your hip and he was clearly moving you out of the way so the woman could pass. Because you were BLOCKING THE DOOR like a ninny.

"Oops, we're sorry about that!" Gavin replied.

"No problem! Stay dry!" The woman opened the door, swiftly opening a large umbrella and walking towards her vehicle.

June tried to normalize her breathing and pull away, but Gavin held her firm as several more people bustled by them and out into the rain.

"Where are you parked?"

He's talking to you again, answer him. "Oh, um, just in the middle of the lot. I'll be fine."

"I have an umbrella. It would be my pleasure to walk you to your car."

June felt swoony. He seemed to be mimicking her manner of speaking, but again, didn't seem to be making fun of her. Her hand went to her chest to feel her rapidly beating heart.

"O...okay. That would be lovely. Thank you." She hoped her voice hadn't wavered as much as it had sounded in her head. She looked up and he gave her a bright smile.

He held open the door for her, then opened his big umbrella and pulled her tightly to his side. The umbrella was plenty big enough for them not to squeeze together, but for some reason, June didn't protest. She gripped her clarinet case tightly as they walked briskly to her car, her brand-new Keds surely turning gray with the water splashing up onto their ankles. Drat. I should have been better prepared.

"It's the silver Volvo station wagon," she told him.

He hurried her over to the driver's side door and blocked as much rain as possible. "Drive home safe, okay, June?"

Something about the way he said her name made her shiver. She nodded. "Thank you for walking me to my car. That was very kind of you. Gavin." Much better. It's polite to show that you know his name.

He smiled warmly. "Goodnight." He closed her car door and ran off to his car.

June drove home feeling...something she couldn't name. There was a floaty feeling, a confused feeling, maybe some happy...anticipation? She felt kind of fluttery in her pelvic region like she sometimes got when reading her romances. She forced herself to keep her eyes on the road as she relived the feeling of being pressed against his hard chest. And his scent...oh, his scent. Her body heated. Oh, my stars...what is happening to me?

She pulled into her garage and sat in her car, breathing deeply. Turn the car off, Junie. "Oh, bother!" She turned off the car and went inside, dropping her soaked shoes in the mudroom and unpinning her bun. She stood at the kitchen counter and drank a full glass of water, hoping it would help her regain her wits. It did not.

Frustrated, she brushed her teeth, washed her face, braided her hair, and changed into her long, flannel nightgown. She got in bed and opened her current romance with a long-haired stallion of a man dipping a woman in a gown that showed off her amble bosom. In the story, the man was just about to use his mouth on her for the first time. June had never understood the appeal. It seemed kind of messy and gross, but she liked the reactions in the books.

As she read, unbidden thoughts of Gavin filtered in. Gavin covering her with his body and brushing his lips against hers...Gavin touching her face and hair...Gavin sliding a hand into her panties and touching the little bud...

She gasped as her little bud throbbed. She rarely masturbated, but it currently seemed necessary. She reached into her side drawer for her lube. She'd never been able to get wet like the heroines in her novels. Maybe she was broken. Hiking up her nightgown, she slid a lube-covered finger into her panties and rubbed it on the bud. "Oh!" The little bud throbbed back at her finger, and she rubbed it again. Her hips jerked and she gasped. She closed her eyes and Gavin appeared again. Imaginary Gavin covered her hand with his...and she came. She cried out as the bud quickly became too sensitive and continued contracting and pulsing long after the orgasm was over.

She stared at the ceiling, wondering what in the world was happening. She straightened her sheets and pulled them up to her chin, hoping that she'd be able to sleep.