Where It All Began - Part 3

Written by: Brad


Raven lay stretched out on the bed, flat on his back with arms up and hands behind his head. He stared up at the ceiling, contemplating the recent events in his life while he waited for Conrad’s arrival.

He had moved into the loft, surprising the older man with the small amount of belongings he’d brought with him.

“Is that all you own?” Conrad questioned, having expected a young man like Raven to show up with numerous bags and boxes.

“Yeah, with the exception of my CD player and a handful of CD’s which I keep at the shop. I also own a motorcycle but I didn’t think you’d appreciate me bringing it up here.” Raven shrugged his shoulders and smirked at the long-suffering expression on Conrad’s face. “I have all I need in those duffel bags; clothes, personal items and my art supplies. I’ve had to move so often that I’ve learned to pack fast and travel light. Plus, I don’t hoard stuff.”

Conrad was inclined to believe the young man had just adjusted to going without many of the toys and gadgets others considered necessities, but didn’t comment further. “May as well get you settled then,” he suggested as he picked up one of the bags and led the way down the hall to the room soon to be occupied by his new loft-mate.

Raven grabbed up the second piece of luggage and followed the wheelchair. Entering the bedroom he had slept in the night before, he haphazardly tossed his bag on the bed. “I just want you to know that I do appreciate you letting me stay here for awhile,” he said as he accepted the other bag from Conrad.

“It’s my pleasure, Raven. I mean it, so just relax and make yourself at home.”

Things had easily fallen into a routine over the next month, even though the men rarely spent time together other than briefly at the breakfast table and again for their evening meal. Meals Conrad planned and prepared. Meals Raven got in the habit of cleaning up after.

During the day, Raven worked while Conrad stuck to his custom of going to the gym and working out. Conrad had numerous friends who visited frequently whereas Raven was a loner and much to the younger man’s chagrin, his benefactor entertained regularly. Raven hated these seemingly endless soirees and made it a point to avoid them like the plague. As much as Conrad would have liked Raven’s presence, he never pressured him into attending.

The one and only time Raven hung around for one of Conrad’s dinner parties, the evening ended in disaster. Raven was uncommunicative to the point of being downright rude. Conrad’s friends, Adrian and Chad, just brushed it off for the sake of their host. However, their younger partners, Troy and Devon, were completely unhesitant in airing their opinions.

Conrad discussed Raven’s unacceptable behaviour with him and all but forced him into tendering his apologies the next morning. The apologies had been graciously accepted by Conrad’s two older guests and begrudgingly by the other two.

Besides adjusting to his new living arrangements, Raven was also trying to deal with the anticipated sale of his work place. He was resentfully putting in long hours to complete the present owner’s obligations to his last few customers. The effort involved in keeping his temper at bay was taking its’ toll.

Then the word came. The business had been sold. To make matters worse, Conrad’s friend, Brandon, was due back in less than two weeks. Raven, even knowing they were coming, found himself unable to acclimatise with these changes he feared. That evening, his loss of control ended in a major blow-up.

“Would it help to talk about it, Raven?” Conrad had thoughtfully offered a listening ear in hopes of heading off the impending storm.

“No! Talking won’t change nothing!” Raven muttered. He was lacing his sneakers, intent on going for a walk to cool off, when the lace broke. “Fuck it!” he hollered and threw the offensive shoe at the wall.

“Pick that up immediately!” Conrad commanded, eyes narrowing and glinting dangerously.

“Like hell I will! I don’t take orders from you!” The second shoe followed the first one and landed against the wall next to it. “You can just fuck-off too, Conrad!” Raven shouted. He stormed into his bedroom and slammed the door.

He had just stepped out of his jeans and was in the midst of pulling his sweatshirt over his head, when the bedroom door opened and the humming sound of the wheelchair became more distinct.

“There will be no more door-slamming around here, young man. Nor will I tolerate you swearing at me.” Conrad made his displeasure known.

“Oh, yeah! And just what are you going to do about it?” Raven challenged, unaware of the territory he was entering. He realised he was out of control but wasn’t able to do anything about it. It frightened him to the point of wishing someone would take over. “Just what can you do about it?” His challenge bordered on a plea.

Conrad slowly advanced. “Give me your permission and I’ll take care of it, Raven,” he softly promised, raising the armrests on the wheelchair.

Raven gazed into calm hazel eyes and acknowledged to himself the trust he had in this man; the trust to rein him in and save him from himself. A slight nod and in less than a heartbeat, Raven found himself face first over the ex-cop’s thighs. He momentarily reconsidered his decision when he felt a cool breeze play over his bared bottom, as his boxers were pulled down. He gasped when Conrad’s powerful right hand landed with a resounding smack on his right cheek, directly superseded by one on his left. He lost track of the number of times the hard hand rose and fell as the heat built. He was sobbing out his remorse long before it was over.

Conrad gently replaced the underwear, lifted the well-chastened man and held him close while still being mindful of the heated flesh. When the crying had tapered to a sniffle or two, he used his own handkerchief to wipe the dampness from Raven’s flushed face.

“Better?” he asked and smiled at the wide-eyed glare thrown his way.

Raven reached back and ruefully rubbed his rear-end. He fought back the urge to give way to more tears, and was surprised to realise he actually did feel better. This time his nod resulted in a chase kiss being placed on his forehead as he laid his head on the muscular shoulder.

Securely held, Raven eventually fell asleep in the silent aftermath. He was vaguely aware of Conrad tucking him into bed and murmuring. “Thank you for the new purpose you’ve presented me with.”

The sense of peace following that event had been shattered four days ago. Raven received a letter informing him the representative of the new owners wanted a personal interview with him. That very evening, Raven went out to find solace at the nearest bar. A dozen beer and three-quarters of a large pizza later, he staggered home.

Two hours later, an insistent tugging on his arm awakened Conrad. Raven had been vomiting and was in serious enough pain to warrant a trip to the ER. There he was diagnosed with Pancreatitis. The attack was a direct result of over-indulging and falling asleep so soon after. The treatment involved an extended stay at the hospital; being hooked up to an intravenous line to prevent dehydration and a tube down his throat to clean out his stomach; antibiotics and pain medication. It also meant having no food pass through his system in order to allow the pancreas to rest. Neither man was overly pleased with the entire procedure, least of all Raven.

“Aah!” Raven groaned as the memory of the upcoming discussion surfaced. ‘Conrad is insisting we discuss rules and consequences when we get home today. I know he’s right. I gotta pull my life together, but I don’t know about this consequences shit. I’ll talk to him but I’m not gonna start living like some little kid. I’m a grown man.’ His mind wandered back to the day Conrad had taken control. ‘That spanking hurt like hell but if I’m honest with myself, it did help me. Okay, I’ll listen to what he has to say but he’s gonna have to listen to me too.’

“Nuts! Like there haven’t been some form of rules all along. It’s the consequence shit that I have concerns about,” he grumbled. ‘On the bright side,’ he smiled as he reminded himself, ‘I’ve been granted a reprieve, because Brandon is not coming home for another six weeks.’

Raven turned his head at the humming sound of Conrad wheeling into his hospital room. Both men’s eyes shone with a new determination to put things right.

The End

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