WARNING

This story details explicit gay sex between men, teens and boys. If you find this kind of thing distasteful, or if you are underage wherever you live, then stop reading this now, and delete this file. The story is completely fictional; the author does not condone or encourage any of the acts contained herein.

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Craigslist

Chapter 52

By: Tim Keppler

Our friends Teddy and Ty are separating. Actually, they're more my friends than Jason and Kenny's. Our friendship predates Jason, and, in truth, Jason and Kenny don't know them all that well. Teddy and Ty have been together for probably a dozen years, maybe more. I thought they were the perfect couple, but I guess there's been some strife. I've always been closer to Ty than to Teddy. Ty was the one I met first. He's very open and happy-go-lucky. He's a nurse, and very nurturing. Teddy giggles a lot. He makes a lot of jokes, something I've always considered to be a defense mechanism, something he does to push you away. He was a software engineer for years, but about six years ago, he quit his job in high-tech, deciding to become an elementary school teacher instead. He got his credential, and almost immediately landed a job teaching the sixth grade -- middle school -- in Cupertino, of all places. He was responsible for teaching five subjects -- social studies, math, English, art, and speech. And he found that he couldn't keep up. So, he quit after the first quarter. The district was not happy, but didn't pursue him for breach of contract. Then he substituted for a couple of years, earning basically nothing. Just recently he was hired to teach the fourth grade in Fremont. And his stress level soared. He's been moody, and weepy. He can't sleep through the night. He doesn't deal with confrontation well, and the parents terrify him. He's not very...confident.

All this I get from Ty, who called to see if I wanted to go to lunch. "Great!" I said, but was surprised to find him alone when I got to the restaurant. That's when he told me that he was about to leave Teddy. How sad! As I say, I thought they were perfect for each other, both young, both very loving, at least from what I could tell. They're "sticky". (It's amazing the terms we use to define our relationships.) Caucasian guys who only date Asian guys are called "rice queens". Asian guys who only date Caucasian guys are called "potato queens". And then you have Asian guys who only date other Asian guys. They're "sticky rice", as in the dessert "mango and sticky rice". Ty and Teddy are definitely sticky, but still friendly with everyone. Ty and I met at Kaiser when I went for a flu shot, and struck up a conversation. Then we had lunch, and then he invited me to dinner. I'm not sure Teddy was real happy about that. He's very closeted. He's never been out at work, and isn't out to his family. Ty is just the opposite. He's out to everyone, and it's not because he has to be. It's not because he's effeminate. He just is. Coming out to his family was apparently easy because his older brother is also gay, and came out years before. His parents and sister had already dealt with the issues, and concluded that they just didn't matter. Teddy has stayed resolutely under the radar, and how he explains Ty to his parents is anyone's guess. They live together, own a house together, and go on vacations together. They do everything together, or have. But parents have an infinite capacity for denial, and that, I suspect, is where Teddy is with his parents. They just don't talk about it. They just don't acknowledge it, despite the fact that Teddy actually is a bit flamboyant. They just don't talk about it.

As we chat over lunch, I realize that there's been trouble in paradise for years. Teddy has never had an orgasm in Ty's presence, Ty tells me. He jerks off to porn, and he does that in a rather strange position, a position that precludes "user participation". He can get aroused with Ty sometimes, but usually deflates quickly. And, of course, this means that Ty doesn't really play any role in Teddy's sex life, and therefore Teddy doesn't think of Ty in sexual terms. He thinks of him as a companion, as a brother, but not as a sexual partner. "There's little physical intimacy," Ty complains. "He doesn't need me, and resents me if I need him, and I do need him, and that's the problem. I really have trouble getting off by myself. It's just not very...arousing, not very satisfying. Porn doesn't do it for me. I need a warm body. But, even that has been a problem lately...because Teddy is so passive. Even on the few occasions when we're intimate -- and they really are few and far between -- he doesn't...really...participate. Sometimes he'll jerk me off, but other times he either falls asleep, or just waits for me to use his body to...umm...rub. Frottage. He just makes it really obvious that he doesn't want to be there because...umm...I have no physical...value to him. I'm not going to get him off, so why should he want to be with me? I haven't fucked him in eight years. And he hasn't done anything about that, either. I try to stretch him with my fingers, but by the time I get to three, he complains of soreness. A doctor told me that what he needs to do is stretch himself with dildos, but he hasn't...won't. He's simply not interested in me, and I've sort of run out of options. Or, at least, I no longer know what to do. I've been "self-medicating" for a while -- drinking a lot. And, lately, I've been sleeping a lot, sleeping almost any time I'm home. I've been very depressed."

I reach across and squeeze his arm. "How does Teddy feel about this?"

"I honestly don't think he cares much, at least I haven't noticed any real interest. He's very...umm...self-involved and frankly, I don't think he cares about me much at all anymore. Maybe he did, once. But I think that's over."

"Have you talked to him?"

"I've tried. He doesn't pay much attention. He's either too tired to be bothered, or is watching something on TV, or looking for someplace to go to get away from home, to get away from me. I don't sense a lot of interest. And, of course, he's so squeamish about sex that it's really hard to talk to him about it. He reminds me of my cat, actually. When you pick her up and pet her, she spends the next twenty minutes trying to wash your scent off her coat. That's how I feel with Teddy. I just really don't think he likes me."

"I'm so sorry, Ty! What about counseling?"

"We tried that, and I think it might have gone somewhere. The first counselor we saw gave him exercises, things he could do to...cum with me. But Teddy largely ignored him. The second counselor was a psychoanalyst. He wanted to talk about our childhoods, and we had to come in every week with topics. He didn't focus on the issues. It wasn't...umm...productive, and was really expensive. And, because he didn't much like us, didn't think we were sufficiently focused on the psychoanalytic process, he kept raising his rates. Finally, he told us he couldn't see us on our lunch hour anymore, that he'd have to make a different appointment for us, and never did. He just dropped us. To be honest, I was sort of glad, because we weren't getting anywhere with him."

"So, here's a personal question," I say. "Have you guys established any kind of...roles in your relationship?"

He looks confused. "I don't know what you mean. Roles?"

"Like Jason and Kenny and me. Maybe he's not sufficiently...challenged. Or maybe it's the other way around. Maybe he doesn't feel that he can be sufficiently...challenging. For whatever reason, it doesn't sound like he can become sufficiently aroused to cum. It doesn't sound like a `discussion' of this is going to be very productive, because he can't talk about his sexual preferences and desires very effectively. But, you can try on roles much like you try on clothes. How would he react if you...raped him," I ask, "or at least played out a rape scenario? How would he feel being dominated? Or, how would he feel dominating you? He just sounds so passive, though. It sounds like you'd more likely be the dominant one."

Ty thinks about this. "I dunno. We've never done anything like that. The porn he watches to get off is usually the Bel Ami stuff, but I have found some pretty hard-core stuff in the DVD player once in a while. There is a level of dominance in some of his vids -- spanking and bondage. I agree. I don't think he's ever going to be the dominant player in a sexual encounter, but maybe I'm wrong. Maybe that's what he longs for and is just...embarrassed by his own desires."

"I had a manager once who was very `political'. We were having a problem with one group of engineers within the organization, and he called a meeting, and just as we were about to go into that meeting, he looked at me and said `It's time for an emotional outburst'. He was that calculating, and very even tempered. So, when he went into that meeting and he started to curse and shout, he got their attention. Maybe that's what Teddy needs. Maybe if you're more aggressive, maybe if you start to make demands, demands that aren't always...'rational', maybe that'll excite him sexually."

Ty looks confused.

"Sometimes Jason just likes to know that there's someone in charge, someone looking after him. He doesn't like to make decisions for himself. He's very passive. So, I make decisions for him, just to do it, not because they're the right decisions. He wants to see me do it, and when I do, he's reassured. Someone is in control of his life. That's what he wants to know. Someone is in control of his life, and it's not him, and once he knows that, he's reassured and content. I mean, I'm not suggesting that you walk in with a belt and spank Teddy, but I spank Jason -- regularly. I do it to exert dominance, to prove to him that someone's in control. He wants that assurance. He demands it. But, spanking isn't the only way to do that. I mean, you haven't told Teddy that you're planning to leave him, have you?"

"No. Not yet."

"What would happen if you said `I'm either going to fuck you, or I'm going to leave you', or if you ordered him one evening to suck your dick? Turn off the TV and give him an order. What would happen?"

"I don't know," he says, thoughtfully.

"Well, if the alternative is leaving him, you have room to experiment, don't you. What's the worst that could happen? He could leave you. The result is the same."

Ty is thoughtful.

"I dunno. Would you feel comfortable in that kind of a dominant role?"

"I guess," he says, thoughtfully.

"It's probably not a good idea to guess, Ty, because once you start you're going to have to be consistent. It's like training third-graders. You have to keep at it. You have to exert your `dominance'. You have to make demands, and you have to carry through with consequences if those demands aren't met. You're going to have to work this out in your mind. You're going to have to work out what your expectations of Teddy are, and consistently demand them, and then react in some way if they're not met. It's complex."

He nods.

"Tell you what," I say, starting to form an idea. "Why don't you both come to dinner next week. Jason is off next weekend, so he's free, and Kenny will be around, far as I know. Let's set up a scene of dominance and submission, and see how Teddy reacts. Your job will be not to act surprised at anything you see, and you'll see plenty, so be prepared. Game?"

He giggles. "Are you going to reenact Folsom Street in the comfort of your own living room?"

"Something like that," I say, laughing. "I'm not really sure yet. Have you guys ever been there, to Folsom Street, I mean?"

"Actually, we have, and it was Teddy who wanted to go. This actually could be interesting."

"Good. We'll see you next Saturday at, say, 6:30?"

"Yup."

We continue to talk about other things as we wait for our waiter to return with the bill. We pay, hug, and go our separate ways.

On Saturday afternoon, I furlough the boys to Mrs. Leong's for the night, a sleepover that they're very excited about. Mrs. Leong, Jason's mother, has become something of a doting grandmother to the boys, much to the annoyance of her sister, Kenny's mother, who is their real grandmother. Kenny has steadfastly refused to allow his mother to be alone with Kevin and Kai. He's concerned, he says, that his mother will try to poison their minds against us, and from what I've heard, she's certainly capable of that. So, Mrs. Leong has become our default babysitter, and revels in the role and in her "grandchildren". Tonight she's exactly what we need because I don't want either of the boys under foot for what I have planned.

Years ago, when Jason and Kenny's official roles were as houseboys, I'd insisted that they shave their genitals. It was a mark of my dominance. But they've evolved away from being houseboys, as Kenny made clear to me recently in no uncertain terms. "Don't ever call me a houseboy," he'd said, as he beat me with a tawse. "I'm not a houseboy anymore." Fair enough, but they nevertheless both keep themselves shaved, both because they like the way it feels, I imagine, and because they know I like it. What I ask them for today has the real potential of further aggravating Kenny's irritation at being called a houseboy. What I ask them for today is to become houseboys for one evening. I give them the background on Teddy and Ty's situation, and outline my plan to explore Teddy's desire for a different kind of relationship than he currently has with Ty. I'm hoping that in the interest of helping Kenny and Jason, they'll be willing to...do a little acting. "I know you guys aren't houseboys anymore, but could you pretend to be for one evening?"

Kenny gives me a skeptical look. "Umm...do we ever get to tell Teddy that we're not houseboys anymore?"

"That's fair. If we try this, and they split up anyway, you can tell him right away. If this works and reinvigorates their relationship, we should give them a while to explore where they want to take it. Then we can invite them to dinner again, and you can both be yourselves. Say six to nine months?"

Kenny nods. "Okay. I'm game. I don't know them well, but they seem very nice, and after...what did you say?...twelve years together, they seem worth saving as a couple. Since you've gotten rid of Kevin and Kai for the evening, I'm assuming you'd like us attired in our original houseboy uniforms?" he says with a laugh.

"Exactly the same uniforms, yes," I say. "By the way, Gary , Nathan and Dinh will be joining us. You may find both Gary and me to be a little more `authoritarian' than we ever were in real life. I may even be tempted to whack your ass a couple times with my rubber paddle. Just play along, okay?"

Jason has a really severe case of the giggles. "I hope I can do this, Tim. I hope I can do this without bursting into laughter."

"Well, if you burst into laughter, then I'll be justified in paddling you. I can deal with laughter. It'll just be an even better opportunity for role playing," I say, joining in the giggling.

"Does Ty know what you're planning?" Kenny asks. "I mean, does he know specifically?"

"Yeah, I called him. He's got to play along with this."

Kenny nods.

At 6:15, Jason emerges from the kitchen and Kenny from the office, and they make their way to the bedroom, from which they emerge five minutes later...naked. They've transformed themselves into houseboys. As I gaze at them, giggling, I can't help yearning for those bygone days when I got to ogle them to my heart's content. They're still so beautiful. But, with a five year old and a seven year old, nakedness isn't exactly appropriate. Sigh...

At 6:35 the doorbell rings, and Jason runs to answer it. And, when he flings open the door, there is a long moment of silence as both Ty and Teddy take it in. "Hi," Jason finally says, sounding chirpy.

"Hi," Ty replies, showing no surprise. He's been expecting this. They hug, and then Teddy and Jason hug, albeit tentatively.

"How are you, Teddy?" Jason asks.

"I'm fine," he says, trying not to stare.

Hearing their arrival, I move into the entryway and greet them both. "How're you guys?"

"Great," Ty says. We proceed to make small talk for another five minutes, when the doorbell rings again. This time it's Kenny who answers, Jason having returned to the kitchen and the dinner that Kenny was tending while he answered the door. It's Nathan, Dinh, and Gary. Nathan, as effusive as ever, hugs everyone before taking off his clothes, folding them and setting them neatly on the chair by the door before he scampers off to the kitchen. Dinh, who is less flamboyant and doesn't know Ty and Jason almost at all, greets them and shakes their hands before adding his clothes to Nathan's pile. The look on Teddy's face as Nathan and Dinh strip is priceless. He looks at Ty with what appears to be a mixture of confusion and fear tinged with just the tiniest pinch of...desire. And then he cocks his head -- just slightly. Ty shrugs. Translation: "Are we supposed to get naked too?" "Dunno." It's just priceless. I think Teddy is wondering if this is an Asian thing, if Asians are expected to be naked when they're in my house. Then he does something wholly unexpected. He asks.

"Umm...should we...undress?" He says this nervously, but I also sense excitement, quite a lot of excitement. Then I notice that his package has filled out a little. Oh, my god, I think to myself. We've got a live one.

"You can if you want," I reply. "My son, Ian, whom I think you've met, right?"

They both nod.

"My son, Ian, likes to when he comes over. There really aren't any rules for guests. I expect Kenny and Jason to be naked when they're in the house, and Gary expects the same of Dinh and Nathan. There was a time when I expected the same of Ian, but he's married now, and so it's not something I require of him these days, although he does it voluntarily as a mark of respect. Why don't we move into the kitchen?" I suggest.

In the kitchen, Kenny, Jason, Dinh and Nathan are all hard at work, Jason manning the wok while Dihn stirs a pot of noodles. Kenny and Nathan are chopping veggies. They're all chatting in Cantonese and laughing. When Nathan sees us, he squeals. "Do you guys cook?" he asks.

Ty laughs. "Teddy does. He's a really good cook. I'm...not."

"Come cook with us," Nathan invites, throwing Teddy an apron and handing him a slicing knife and a bundle of Choi Sum. And off they go. This is exactly what I was hoping would happen, and I even primed Nathan with the cooking question in order to separate the two camps. Teddy is the primary cook in their household, so I could pretty well predict the outcome. Gary, Ty and I make our escape to the living room.

In the kitchen, I'm told later by Jason, Teddy was very quiet for several minutes. And then he screwed up his courage. "Are you guys always naked in the house?" he'd asked.

"Pretty much," Jason had replied.

"Why?"

"It's one of the ways we show respect for Tim."

Teddy thought about this, and then asked, "Why? Why do you need to show respect for Tim?"

"Because that's our role -- to show respect. In return, he cares for us."

"But...don't you find it a little...demeaning?"

"No," Kenny responds. "Actually, we find it pretty hot. I mean, initially I was a little embarrassed, but think about it. Think about having someone you love, someone you know is seriously attracted to you, caressing you with his eyes. I find that really erotic. And, Tim is very expressive. Sometimes he'll just reach over and stroke me. No, I think it's hot."

"Umm...you said it was `one of the ways' you show him respect. How else?"

"Well...umm...there's this," Jason says, running his hand over his shaved midsection. "We shave because he likes us this way. And then, of course, he spanks us regularly to reinforce our roles."

Teddy looked amazed, Jason later told me. "He spanks you?"

"Yeah," Jason said, surprised at his surprise. "That's pretty erotic, too. I mean, you're naked and vulnerable, at the mercy of someone else, but someone who loves you. And after the spanking you sit with him and talk, I mean really talk. The time I spend with him after spankings is the most intimate I have with him because all my defenses are down. I'm more vulnerable at that time than when I was lying naked on the bed being spanked. And...umm...of course...spankings are usually a prelude to sex, and the sex is the best because of that vulnerability. Actually, I find submission in most forms pretty erotic. Have you ever been to N'Touch in San Francisco?" Jason asked.

"Yeah. Sure."

And with that Jason was off and running, telling him about dancing naked in front of a full dance floor and any number of other examples of public nakedness.

"Oh, my god. I could never do that! I'm way too...shy, I guess."

"Oh, you have no idea. When I first met Tim I was painfully shy. I still am. I'm just very introverted. Tim taught me how to enjoy stuff like that. No, like Kenny says, I find it hot. So, what about you, Teddy? What kind of relationship do you have with Ty? Anything like us?" he asks, giggling.

What he expected is a laugh. He expected Teddy to giggle and say, "No, nothing like you guys." But, that's not what happened. Teddy apparently stopped chopping, wiped his hands on a towel, moved to one of the chairs at the kitchen table and sat down. He was pensive, Jason said, thoughtful. "No," he said. "Not like you."

"He was glassy-eyed," Jason later said. "He looked lost."

"Actually, I think we're falling apart. I think Ty wants to dump me. I think he's pretty frustrated with me."

Jason gave Nathan and Kenny a nod toward Teddy, and they both nodded. Then, drying his hands, he moved to a chair next to Teddy and sat down. "Why?"

"I'm...umm...pretty passive."

"Yeah, you said you were shy."

"No, it's not just that, it's... I really can't talk about this here," he says, pretty close to tears.

"You want to go to somewhere else...to another room?"

He nodded, and Jason took him to my office, and locked the door. And then the dam burst. Teddy told him basically the same story as Ty had told me, but from his perspective. His inability to cum with Ty makes him feel sexually inadequate, so much so that he really doesn't want to have sex with Ty at all because it makes him feel so bad about himself. And he doesn't know why he can't cum. He just doesn't feel much arousal.

"So, I'm sorry. This is going to get a little personal. So, if you don't have sex with Ty, how do you get off?"

"I jerk off."

"And...umm...what do you think about when you jerk off?"

Teddy looked really embarrassed, really uncomfortable. "It's okay, Teddy. It's just me and you here."

"Umm...I usually jerk off to...porn."

Jason was just relentless, apparently, and I'm honestly not sure how he gets people he barely knows to open up to him. I think it's his sincerity. I've seen him do this before. If he hadn't decided to become a musician, he should have become a shrink. "What kind of porn," he'd asked Teddy.

"Umm...well, we have a lot of soft stuff, like Bel Ami, but that usually doesn't...get me off. Usually...umm...it's either bondage, S/M, or...umm...spanking stuff," he said, shamefaced, staring at the floor.

"And, you're ashamed about that?"

"Yeah," he sort of whines.

"Why?"

"It just doesn't seem natural. It doesn't seem...right."

"Does it hurt anyone but the consenting adults who're participating? And does anyone else need to know about your personal fantasies?"

"No."

"Does Ty know?"

Now he was near tears. "No."

"Why not?"

"Because he might hate me. Because I don't know how to tell him..."

"Well, if you think he's going to dump you because he perceives that you have no interest in him, what have you got to lose by telling him? Have you turned those videos into fantasies?"

He nods. "But how do I tell him?" he asks, a tear rolling down his cheek.

"Well, I can think of a lot of ways, but you don't seem to express yourself very confidently in words, so maybe that's not a great way. I can think of one way to break the ice, though." Teddy looked up at Jason with a quizzical look. "Take off your clothes...now."

They paused, and Jason said he watched a series of emotions cross Teddy's face -- fear, anger, confusion, and then back to fear again.

"Look, Teddy. You say you're worried that Ty is going to leave you if you can't find a way to have good sex with him, and you say you fantasize about what amounts to submission. You're in a house with three other naked submissive men, and with two dominant men who are used to seeing their partners naked. It's a safe audience, isn't it? If you want to tell Ty what you want, what you think you need from him to improve your relationship, can you think of a better way?"

Teddy still looked fearful, Jason said, and very self-conscious, but after maybe fifteen seconds, he reached down and took off his socks, and then his sweater, and then his shirt. Then he stood, and unbuckled his belt, and unbuttoned and unzipped his pants. By now, apparently, Teddy was flushed, and paused to fold the clothes he'd already removed, laying them in a pile on the chair next to him. Finally, he looked back at Jason, lowered his briefs, and laid them on the pile. As he stood up, his hands went immediately to cover his genitals.

"I wouldn't do that, Teddy. If Tim sees you trying to conceal yourself, he'll mention it. You need to look comfortable with this decision. You need to be comfortable with this decision."

He nods, and drops his hands to his sides.

"Ready to brave the lions?" Jason asked, giggling.

He smiled, and nodded, Jason told me later. "I opened the door to the office and we moved out into the hall, through the entryway, and into the kitchen to join Kenny and Nathan and help with the final preparations for dinner."

Of course, the dining room connects to the entry hall, and as Jason and Teddy emerged from the office and walked past us, Teddy was in full view, at least the back of him was because he moved very quickly into the kitchen. Ty was dumbfounded. "Teddy is naked!" he says. "How? Why? What's that mean? Should I be naked?"

"What it means is that Jason worked some kind of magic, as he always does. That's what we're going to find out later. And, no, I don't think you should be naked. We're looking to establish a different kind of relationship here. Just wait until we know more."

While Jason and Teddy were in the office, I'd been telling Ty about my early days with Jason and Kenny, how we'd established our relationships to each other, and how we'd all worked to mold them so they'd work for us, and to reinforce them. "Jason and Kenny aren't usually naked in the house anymore. We have two small children. I don't know how I'd explain it to them, and the last thing I need is for them to tell their friends that two of their three daddies are always naked at home. But, nakedness is a good reinforcement for submission, as is spanking. Both Kenny and Jason like to be spanked because it lowers their barriers and they get a lot of quiet time with me afterwards. And, frankly, I think they find it erotic. Jason has been known to cum while he's being spanked. He just explodes spontaneously. What intrigued me when we were talking over lunch are the videos you mentioned. Bel Ami juxtaposed against the hardcore dominance stuff. The question in my mind at the time was which one is him. But he's not really attracted to Caucasians, is he?"

"No," he replied with a laugh. "No. We're both sort of...sticky."

"That's why I wondered if the Bel Ami stuff, full of all those Czech boys, might be a cover for the bondage videos you said you'd found once or twice. It sounded like maybe he'd just forgotten to take them out of the video player and replace them with Bel Ami. Dunno. Doesn't it seem like there's something about himself that he doesn't feel comfortable admitting to you?"

Ty pondered this for a moment or two, and then we moved onto other topics, including nursing and how lucrative a career that's become. Then we saw Jason and Teddy walk past us into the kitchen.

Ten minutes after they'd made their way into the kitchen, the group starts loading the table. Teddy is flushed, but stands tall, carrying steaming dishes right behind Jason and Kenny. Maybe three minutes later, Dinh comes to collect us. "Soup's on," he says with a giggle. We arrange ourselves at the table with Gary and me at either end, Jason, Nathan and Kenny sitting along one side, and Dinh, Teddy and Ty along the other side. And we dig in. It's a Asian menu tonight -- Chinese and Vietnamese -- and is very good, but I'm not sure that anyone tastes much, or could tell you later what we had. I certain couldn't remember.

"So," I say to Teddy, breaking the ice, "you decided to get naked after all. Did Jason or Kenny give you any history about why they're naked?"

"Yeah," he says, swallowing. He is trying so hard to sound casual, but he's three shades of red. "Jason said it's a mark of respect and submission. He said that the dominant men are...umm...dressed, and the submissive men are naked." Can he go any redder? I don't think so. And as he finishes saying this, Dinh accidentally drops a bit of food into his lap. Glancing down to find it, his attention is drawn to Teddy's lap. He looks back up abruptly and giggles before he catches himself, flushing as he tries to suppress his laughter. Teddy, in turn, pulls his chair in so he's closer to the table.

"Yup. Houseboys are naked, and their dominant partners are dressed. We've sort of complicated that because Gary is married to Nathan, and I'm married to Jason, and consider myself married to Kenny as well. Marriage sort of complicates submission, I guess, so we've tried to reinforce our roles in the relationship by maintaining this old tradition. Umm...do you want to be a houseboy, or is this a lark for you?" This is pretty direct, but he did well on the last question, although I think he would have glowed in the dark.

"I'm not sure I..."

"Well, a houseboy is submissive to his dominant partner. He's responsible for household chores like cooking and some cleaning. He obeys his partner, within reason. And, in Gary's family and mine, they're punished for misbehavior -- spankings mostly in our case. That doesn't mean we want to hurt them. In Jason and Kenny's case, they actually enjoy their spankings at some level. Kenny gets positively grumpy if he's not spanked every week or so. Of course, the fact that most spankings are followed by serious cuddle time and sex probably also has something to do with why they like them."

As I've been explaining the role of houseboy, Dinh has continued to glance surreptitiously into Teddy's lap and is smiling broadly at Jason across the table from him, who is now giggling. "Anything wrong, guys?"

Both Jason and Dinh shake their heads, but are about dying to repress their laughter. Finally they get themselves under control, but not before Teddy realizes the subject of their mirth, and moves his chair still closer to the table, so close that his belly is actually pressed against its edge.

Ty has been silent all this time, and I'm hoping he'll jump in at some point. And here he comes, head first. "So why are you naked Teddy?"

I didn't know an Asian guy could flush like this. They're both Thai, and Teddy is the darker of the two, dark bronze. But right now, his entire body is beet red.

"Umm...because I...err...would really...like to...umm...be your...houseboy."

I look across the table at Jason, shaking my head slightly, smiling. He's done it again. Jason has fucking done it again!

Ty leans over and kisses Teddy on the cheek, and Teddy turns his head abruptly and they lock lips as Teddy reaches across and hugs Ty, a move that has him turning in his seat. When they break the kiss, Teddy looks at his plate with a big smile, feeling relieved, I imagine. His secret is out, and Ty clearly still loves him. Ty, too, is smiling, happy with the direction this discussion has taken, but also having realized, as Teddy turned to hug him, why Dinh has been all giggles. I figured it out several minutes ago.

"Could I suggest, Ty, that the first instruction you give your new houseboy is...to stand up." Ty giggles and nods. Teddy suddenly loses his smile and looks horrified.

"No, please..." Teddy whines.

"Houseboys are obedient," I say, "not just when they want to be, not just when it's convenient. They're obedient unless what's being asked of them will cause them permanent bodily harm. Sometimes it may seem humiliating, but it's rarely intended to be, because their dominant partners love them, and want to do what's best for them. In this case, I think you'll be a lot more comfortable, ultimately, if you stand up. I think it'll...calm you once you get this over with."

Gary has a broad smile, and I'm trying desperately not to giggle.

Ty suddenly comes through again. "Do it, Teddy. You need to obey me if you're going to be my houseboy." He's established exactly the right tone, and I'm dumbstruck. This relationship has apparently been latent in them both. I mean, it took me a while to learn to exert my will. Ty has done it in a few minutes. And Teddy's response shows the same...aptitude.

Teddy pushes his chair away from the table, albeit reluctantly, and stands. His erection is pointing toward the ceiling at a 45º angle from his body. "Good for you, Teddy," I say. "It took Jason a long time do what you just did. Let's get some tea brewed and head out to the living room." Suddenly there's a flurry of activity as dishes are cleared, tea is brewed...and Teddy and Ty disappear from sight. And then, just as Jason is pouring tea in the living room, Teddy and Ty reappear. Teddy's erection is gone, and his eyes are red and tearful. Ty has the biggest smile I've ever seen, jubilant. It looks like this dinner party has been a success, from the soup to the...creamy dessert.

-------------------------------------------

Three days after the party Ty calls to arrange for lunch at a little Cuban restaurant on Race Street and Park Avenue. I've never been there, and am a little reluctant because typically Cuban food is a little...bland for my taste, and I remember wondering at the time why a Thai guy would choose it. But that's where he wants to go, and that's where we meet the next day. I have some kind of baked plantain dish that comes with beans and rice. As I suspected, there's no spiciness to it at all. After lunch, Ty asks if I'd like to take a short walk. I agree, and we find ourselves walking down Park Avenue towards downtown. I'm not sure why we're walking here. Park is nothing special in this direction, certainly not picturesque. But, as we get to the middle of the third block of our journey, I realize that I've been hijacked. There, in the middle of the block, is LeatherMaster's, the local sex shop.

"I need your help, Tim," he says. "I need some equipment."

The day after our dinner together marked the day of Teddy's first spanking, Ty tells me. Ty had apparently tried to talk to him about what he liked, and Teddy, predictably, couldn't get it out. So Ty started to spank him, and as his ass got redder, Teddy got more talkative, answering questions along the way.

"What did you spank him with?" I ask.

"My belt. It was all I could think of."

"Not the best implement, but not the worst either." We buy him a wide leather paddle and something they call a "slapper," which is essentially a razor strop by another name.

"And while I was spanking him, I told him I intended to fuck him, and asked him how much he wanted it to hurt. He volunteered to do the stretching himself, as you and our doctor suggested, so I need some butt plugs."

"What else did he say turned him on?"

"My god, so many things. He wants his tits clamped. He wants his balls tortured. He even wants to try an enema."

$230 later, we have a starter kit of toys, and Ty is smiling.

"And, after the spanking? What did you do?"

"I did what you suggested. I carried him to a big chair in our living room, set him on my lap, and hugged him while he cried. And he hugged me back. I think he told me he loved me twenty times. And he thanked me for not hating him for what he likes to do, and begged me..." He's choking now. "He begged me to take care of him, and...umm...not to leave him. We must have been in that chair for an hour. He was so warm and loving. He was an entirely different Teddy from the one I've seen for years. And, all the time he was on my lap...he had a hardon. So, after we were done hugging, I took him back to the bedroom and sucked him off. That was the second orgasm he's ever had with me...in more than 12 years of togetherness. And then," Ty screams, "he sucked me off. He reciprocated. It's been so long..."

"And where was the first orgasm he ever had with you?" I ask with a grin.

He looks suddenly embarrassed. "Actually, it was in one of your spare bedrooms the night of your party."

"I know," I say, laughing.

"This is a transformation, Tim. It's a breakthrough. It's something about Teddy that I never would have guessed, I'm ashamed to say. I'm so grateful!"

"No problem. I'm glad I could..."

"And...and...I didn't tell you. This morning he brought me breakfast in bed. He's just so sweet he..."

On and on he goes, clearly so excited to have his partner back, the love of his life. It's going to be fun to watch them grow back together. I think I'm going to try to renegotiate my deal with Kenny about telling Teddy that he and Jason aren't houseboys anymore. And, honestly, I don't think Kenny will care. The couple we saw at the end of the dinner party was so clearly different from the one we saw at its beginning - head-over-heels. I think that'll be enough for Kenny. And, if it's not, he can always wail on my ass again for calling him a houseboy in the first goddamned place.

Published first at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Nemo-stories/