The Waiting Game

"I love you, Hal. You are mine—my one and only. My heart. Let me see your pleasure, hear it from your lips. Give it all to me." And with that he hooked Hal's legs over his arms and slammed inside.

"Oh! Oh..." Hal threw his head back and yelled. "Yes, yes, fuck me, Sir!" Hal tightened his legs around Mac's hips, pulling Mac closer, urging him in farther. "Oh, fuck. Yes, right here. Harder, please!"

Mac rode Hal hard, hips snapping as he pounded his lover, their eyes locked on one another. Moans, and startled screams, filled the air as Mac made love to the other half of his soul.

"Can I... Aw God, c-c-c-can I come?" Hal gasped, his voice shaking as Mac repeatedly thrust inside. "Please, Sir."

"Say... my... name," Mac growled above Hal. His body gleamed with sweat, his hair falling in his eyes. "Say it."

"Mac," Hal whispered, obeying the need he heard in Mac's voice.

"Oh, fuck." Mac threw his head back, lights dancing behind his closed eyes. "Come!"

Bodies moving, writhing and sliding against each other as pleasure rushed forth, claiming them—both men came together in a wild kaleidoscope of sounds. Mac was the first to recover. Easing his body down next to Hal, he petted and stroked the trembling muscles, mumbling soft, meaningless words of comfort. Tired, but happy, whimpers reached his ears as Hal lay quietly next to him.

"Sir, release me, please? I want to touch you."

Mac untied the ropes. He immediately rubbed Hal's arms, easing the aches. Mac ran his hands over Hal, smoothing over abs, through Hal's sweat-soaked hair, over his face. Rising, he stepped into the master bath to wet a washcloth. Returning to bed, he gently cleaned his boy. Then he washed himself and threw the cloth in the dirty clothes. He stopped in the door, staring at Hal sprawled out on the bed. How lovely. He slipped under the covers.

"Missed you." Hal snuggled up to Mac. His head rested on Mac's chest, his other hand petting any skin he could reach.

"Missed you too. And thank you. That was worth the price of being gone." Mac held his boy close, his eyes traveling over Hal. The red marks left by the fly swatter were already fading. "I love you so much."

Hal snuggled in closer. "Love you too. Always."

"Always," Mac agreed as he turned out the lights.

* * * *

The next morning, Mac woke alone in the bed. He ran his hand over the cool, empty pillow. Now where had his sub gotten off to? That's what he got for not securing Hal to the bed last night. Amused by his thoughts, Mac sat up and stretched. After using the restroom and brushing his teeth, Mac slipped on a pair of night pants. The smell of maple drifted into the bedroom. Ahhh. Someone was up and busy this morning.

Mac wandered into the kitchen, then paused. Hal stood at the stove. His long, black hair lay loosely against his broad shoulders. The morning sun brightened the kitchen, a shaft of light angling toward Hal. A small smile crossed Mac's lips. Hal was dressed in an apron—which was fine since Hal was cooking—and nothing else. Well, outside of the black leather cuffs.

"Well now, isn't this a lovely sight to wake up to in the morning."

Hal turned, holding a spatula and wearing a grin. "Hey! Good morning, Sir. Ready for some breakfast? I'm cooking all our favorite things."

Mac stalked to Hal, a smirk playing around his lips. He pulled Hal in his arms, palming a nice, firm ass. "My favorite thing is right here."

Hal snorted, but a pleased look flitted across his face. "Still, you need to eat. And I like to cook."

Mac released his hold, then wrapped one of his hands around Hal's throat, tugging his submissive closer so he could stare into Hal's beautiful bright blue eyes. "Good thing since you're the top chief at La Mystique."

"I'll say. But I've heard..." Hal closed the gap between them and nipped Mac's lips. He feathered his fingers across Mac's groin. "I've heard the owner is a real hard ass. Into bondage and discipline—all kinds of kinky stuff."

Mac raised an eyebrow. "Heard that, have you?"

"Ohhh yeah. Real intimidating guy, they say. Has all these rules and doesn't take any crap, especially from his employees. Everyone knows he's a real ball buster. It's funny, though. There are people hip deep wanting to work for him. He's hard, but very fair. They say he's real picky about who he hires. Not just anyone can get on there." Hal stepped back and checked the butterscotch sticky buns in the stove. "Guess it's a good thing I'm married to the owner, huh?"

"I'll say it's the other way around. I'm lucky to have such a great chef." Mac patted Hal's ass. "You're in a mood, aren't you? Might want to remember I owe you two already from yesterday. Forget how much you dislike that leather strap?"

"No, I haven't forgotten." Hal sighed, checking on the ricotta pancakes. "I swear, I hate that thing. You must've been in a real evil frame of mind when you made it. And no, I'm not in a mood, Sir, just happy you're home. I really did miss you."

"I missed you too, but attending these conferences are good for my business. I sold every leather article of clothing I brought and even got a few special requests for bondage gear. I'm hoping the exposure will increase my on-line sales. But, overall, I'd say the trip was a success. Maybe next time you can go with me. You can be my model."

Hal snorted as he finished the scrambled eggs that had caramelized onions, pickled jalapeños, and cheese in them. There was also fresh fruit to nibble on and maple bacon. He plated the food while he waited for Mac to sit. "I'd love to go next time. Not so sure about the whole modeling idea, though. You're the one that looks like a Greek god."

Mac just shook his head and sat, enjoying the delicious smells that greeted him. As always, the food Hal prepared looked awesome. He knew it would taste just as good. He sipped his frosty berry banana Smoothie and glanced at Hal. His sub had removed the apron and stood patiently by his side completely nude, hands clasped behind his back, head slightly bowed, waiting.

"Your pillow is in the den. Go get it, fix another plate for yourself, then kneel."

"Yes, Sir."

Mac enjoyed watching Hal's ass flex as he walked away. And that reminded him, there was the two hits with the leather belt he owed Hal for cussing last night. He really should've taken care of that but they'd both fallen asleep.

"Here you go." Hal set his plate next to Mac and settled on his knees, ass resting on his heels, back straight, hands palms down on the top of his thighs. "We're about out of straws too, Sir. At some point today, I need to go grocery shopping."

Mac glanced at the berry banana Smoothie with a straw next to him. Picking up the glass, he held it down to Hal. "How about we go together?"

Hal sipped the drink then looked up at Mac. "Are you sure? You know how long it takes me."

Mac held out a sliced strawberry. "Tell you what, if I start to complain, you can reprimand me. How's that?"

Hal chewed the berry, one eyebrow hiked nearly up to his hairline. "Ohhh, really? Can I tie you over the spanking bench, Sir?"

Mac snorted as he fed Hal some of the eggs he cooked. "I was thinking more along the lines of telling me to hush."

Hal laughed as he finished the eggs. "Of course, what was I thinking?" Then he frowned. "Damn, that needed a bit more salt. How did I miss that?"

Mac brushed his hand over Hal's long hair. "Always the chef, aren't you? I thought the eggs were fine, but you're the boss in this area. And that's three."

"Aw, sh... crap. I swear, I'm never going to break this habit." Hal looked at Mac. "Can I hop up for a minute? I'd really like to make some notes on the eggs before I forget. Please, Sir?"

"Go ahead." Mac knew how important Hal's cooking was to him. It was why he was such a superb chef.

"Thanks." With a quick grin, Hal was up and hunting for paper.

Mac ate while Hal muttered, jotting down notes. "Hurry up, boy. Your food is getting cold."

"Yes, Sir."

Mac knew Hal well enough to know when the creative juices got going, everything around ceased to exist for Hal. He'd lose whole chunks of time, wouldn't eat, live on coffee, and go without sleep... sometimes for days. Then he'd crash. The first time he saw Hal go though one of his—Hal called them 'episodes'—he'd been horrified.

The boy needed a keeper in the worst way, and he'd been more than happy to sign up for the job. It had been a problem for them in the beginning, trying to fit a D/s lifestyle in with Hal's need to create. But they worked it out—even if sometimes they worked it out at the end of one of Mac's floggers.

Hal finished and settled back on his cushion. Mac fed him some of the pancakes then offered him a drink. "Another strawberry?"

"Yes, please. You know those are my favorite."

"I do." Mac placed another berry in Hal's mouth, his boy sucking gently on his fingers, his tongue searching for any lingering bit of juice. Mac shifted in his seat, his cock hardening. Hal loved strawberries, but Mac didn't care for them. Really didn't even like the way they smelled.

"And I know you don't really like them."

Mac laughed. "No, I really don't, but you do, so I suffer through it."

Hal just rolled his eyes.

Breakfast continued until Mac had cleaned both plates. Hal stood, retuned the cushion to the den, and cleaned the kitchen.

"I'm going to answer some emails in my office while you finish this. Why don't you go take a shower after you're done? When I finish, I'll shower, then come find you. We'll take care of those three demerits I owe you. After that, we'll run by the store and let you grocery shop. Sound good?"

"Sounds good, Sir."

Mac watched Hal for a few more minutes, a soft smile playing around his lips. He'd learned the hard way not to mess with anything in the kitchen. Hal might be submissive, but when it came to the kitchen—and everything in it—it was his domain. No one was welcome there, even when it was time to clean. The onetime he'd tried to help by wrapping up leftovers, Hal had thrown a full-fledged fit. Apparently, just wrapping food in Reynolds wrap was a heinous act of pure evilness.

But what really sent him over the edge was how Mac had tried to clean up some of the appliances Hal used while cooking. That action had reduced Hal to a stark raving lunatic that could out cuss a sailor. While Mac had been impressed with Hal's command of the English language—he was reasonably certain Hal created a few new cuss words—he'd still tanned Hal's ass for it then fucked him through a screaming orgasm.

Smirking, Mac left the kitchen and walked to his office. He was all for screaming orgasms.

He heard the shower upstairs come on while he finished his emails. He made a few phone calls, then placed a few supply orders for the business. The shower cut off. Twenty minutes later, he heard Hal return downstairs.

"I'm going to start a load of laundry. It's just stuff that needs cold water, so you can still shower if you're ready, Sir."

Mac stood. "Okay. I'm heading up now. Meet me in the playroom in say... about thirty minutes."

"Yes, Sir."

Mac showered, then decided to shave. Wiping the stream off the glass, he stared at his reflection. Hal had said he was the one that looked like a Greek god, which he found funny, considering how sexy Hal looked. All that black hair, pouty lips, toned body, hairless pale skin, and bright blue eyes... Yeah, Hal was the sexy one. He was the quintessential Mr. Tall, Not So Dark, and Handsome. Sexiness just oozed from his pores.

While he, on the other hand, had the average 'boy next door' look. Yes, he had natural blonde hair and dark brown eyes. Hal said his eyes were the color of the finest dark chocolate. And maybe he did have a strong, square jaw with that cute little dent in the chin.

Okay, he did have a sexy little mole by his bottom lip. He was just as tall as Hal and just as built. His hair was cut short, more of the professional businessman look. All right, yes, he didn't scare babies when he went out in public. But he also didn't have that allure Hal had—that sensual, enticing temptation that surrounded Hal. No, he came across as slightly forbidding. A real... what had Hal said? A hard ass.

Hal would be right.

But that was just the way he was. It didn't mean he wasn't fair. He treated his employees extremely well and paid higher wages that most restaurants. He was known as a hard ass, but his employees also knew they could bring their problems to him and he was willing to help. He was loyal to his workers and they were loyal to him.

He dressed in jeans, but left his shirt off. He found it sexy to be dressed while Hal was nude, but he also wanted Hal to be able to connect with him while being punished. Slipping on his shoes, he checked the time. Five minutes to go. He combed his fingers through his hair and walked out of the bedroom.

The door to the playroom was open. He remembered the first time he showed this space to Hal—the dark gray walls hung with crops and paddles, whips, and cuffs. Metal shelves held ropes, chains, gages, and row after row of numerous toys. There were two man-sized cages. One dangled by a chain from the ceiling like an empty sarcophagus. A St. Andrew's cross stood in one corner and a spanking bench was placed in the middle of the room. A padded restraint table took up another corner. In the center of the back wall was a king size bed with black satin sheets.

Hal had been frightened, but he'd also walked straight into that room, head held high. Mac had never been more proud.

Mac saw Hal was already on his knees in the middle of the room, head bent, hands behind his back, waiting. As usual, his posture was perfect. Shoulders back, spine straight, knees spread apart... Hal was beautiful and all his.

Mac stepped in the room and shut the door. "Eyes up."

Hal met his eyes.

"What are your safewords?"

Hal spoke clearly. "Yellow for slow and red for stop."

"And what do they mean?"

"Yellow means I get a break—a chance to slow things down. You will pause to see what I need or what's wrong."

Mac nodded. "Correct. And red?"

"Full stop. Scene ends immediately and you set me free. We then will talk about what happened, what caused me to call red."

"You will safeword if you need to?"

Hal stared into Mac's eyes. "I will."

"Good. Over the spanking bench, please."

"Yes, Sir."

Black leather covered the equipment. Hal could kneel on one small padded bench and lean over a slightly higher bench. This put Hal's ass in the perfect position for spanking... and fucking. Once in place, Mac tied off his cuffs to hooks leaving Hal's legs spread open nicely.

Mac walked over to the wall and lifted the heavy leather belt off the hook. "What were the three demerits for?"

"All three were for cussing."

Mac returned to stand behind Hal. "Are you supposed to cuss?"

"No, Sir."

"Why?"

Hal sighed. "I work at a fancy restaurant and a customer complained when she heard me. It annoyed me, but I saw her reasoning. And I felt bad too. I don't want to upset my customers. Because of that, I asked you to help me stop using foul language."

"I told you I'd give you a demerit every time."

"You did, yes."

Mac ran his hand down a quivering flank. Hal was shaking. Mac knew he was still hard; he could see Hal's cock since he was standing behind Hal. Three strikes with the heavy belt wouldn't be enough to kill Hal's erection, but it would leave three nice welts that would probably bruise.

"And I told you it would hurt."

Hal gulped. "Yes, Sir."

"I want to be clear as to why you're being punished."

"I understand, Sir. And I'm perfectly clear as to the why."

"Good. Then let's begin."

* * * *

He hated that freaking hateful, ugly, blankety blank belt with a passion. The leather was stiff, no give at all, and the texture was... rough. That was the best way to describe it. His cuffs and collar were silky smooth against his skin, but this belt... It was a frigging nightmare. Hal had no idea what Mac had done to it, but the leather felt awful on bare skin—which was the point, he did understand that.

Really, it was just a belt. Stupid thing would fit through belt loops, so it wasn't especially huge or anything. Still hurt, though. And Mac wouldn't hold back, either. This was for punishment, and Mac would make sure it hurt.

Which was kinda the point.

Hal steadied his breathing, trying to keep his body relaxed. The more he tensed up, the more it hurt, especially later. It was amazing how sore muscles could get from tension.

Smack

The first strike landed on his left cheek. Aw, sh... Yeah, he didn't need to finish that thought. He knew he had to stop cussing in his head too. That was the only way to break the habit. And he really, really wanted to beak this habit.

He moaned as a little wave of pain started right there in the center of where the belt landed, then quickly spread out across his ass. He went rigid, cuffed hands clenching on the edge of the bench. He knew better than to squirm, but the urge... He fought it back. The last thing he needed was for more demerits added to his count.

"One. Thank you, Sir."

Smack

Christ. The next one fell on the other check, and whoa boy, it stung even more. Why did Mac have to be so fuc... so strong? "T-two. Thank you, Sir."

Heat built and pain spread. He knew there was only one more to go. He could get through it, he knew he could. Hal gritted his teeth and kept his eyes on the back wall. Point of focus, that's what he needed. But God, his ass was on fire.

"Last one, boy."

Smack

The last blow knocked him forward and forced a gasp from his lungs. Oh, oh God. There was no mercy, no respite. His world was nothing more than Mac's leather belt landing once last time, barely leaving a moment in between to process the pain. His entire ass was one huge mass of agony and heat. Tears stung his eyes, but he blinked them back.

"Three! Oh God, Sir... T-t-t-t-hank... you."

Mac suddenly was in Hal's line of sight. He squatted down and touched Hal's face. "Easy, easy there. It's all over now. Let it out, you'll feel better."

One sniffle led to two, which lead to tears pouring down his face. This was the hardest part to him. Not the pain, not the heat, not even messing up. For him, letting go, showing what many in society considered weakness—tears—was the hardest part. That releasing the pain, letting it flow out of him made him feel better.

Even if his ass didn't.

Mac sat on the floor, hands rubbing Hal's back and arms. "There you go, that's it. Very good, Hal. Very proud of you. I know it hurts, but you came through it very well. You can do this, Hal. That's my good boy."

Finally the tears ran out and Hal went limp.

"I'm going to put some salve on your ass."

"Okay, Sir."

Hal felt the cooling kiss of the salve on his ass and sighed. That felt so good.

"You're going to have three bruises, but I don't think they're going to be too bad. Going to untie you now. Think you're ready to get up?" Mac unhooked the ties to Hal's cuffs. "I'll help you over to the bed. We can cuddle until you're ready to get up."

"Thank you," Hal whispered, slowing turning over, resting his weight on his hip.

Mac slipped his arm around Hal. "Come on, bed's right over there."

Hal let Mac moved him to the bed, then lay down. Mac faced him, smoothing his long hair out off his face. "Getting better?"

"A little." Hal yawned. "Tired, though."

Mac reached down and pulled the satin sheet over Hal. "Not surprising. Rest, Hal. I'll be right here."

"Okay." Hal snuggled closer, eyes closing. "Still hate that belt thought, Sir."

Mac snorted. "Wouldn't be punishment if you didn't. Besides, you can pay me back when we go grocery shopping."