Author's note: Thank you for continuing to read Otis's story! MarcLuciFer - I believe that feelings of apprehension are very much warranted with this story. Things will continue to progress and more and more questions will be answered. Exluke1 - thank you for the vote of trust, at least in fiction we can make the bad guys pay, and offer a warning, when possible, to those that might be targeted. Jackie's relationship with Watkins will be explained at some point. cannd - Hudson, while having a lot of past experience with getting in bed with men, is not as well educated in how to deal with attraction that goes beyond the physical. He is, however, the more mature partner in this budding relationship, and a lot of responsibility falls on him.
Now, please enjoy the new chapter in which the character are trying to practice a bit of restraint :)
Chapter Twelve -- Restraint
Hudson watched as Otis unhooked the leash from the wall with delicate moves. Heaven help him, he wished he'd never be forced to let his beautiful neighbor out of his sight for long, and that was a new feeling for him. He'd known he liked men ever since his teenage years and had his fair share of notches on his belt, so how come everything about this new guy felt so different? Life's ambitions must have gotten in the way of a genuine relationship more often than not, so why wasn't that working now? To a certain degree, it felt like a joke, one at his expense, orchestrated by invisible forces. It was a frightening realization, too; someone in his position, as an investigator working undercover, as a man who didn't do relationships -- such a clichΓ©, and yet, still true, right? -- would ask Otis to leave so that things could return to his control and stay that way.
He did nothing of the kind. In fact, despite his better judgement, he did the opposite. Even putting that leash up on display among the other paraphernalia had been a calculated move on his part -- if he could even call it that -- a move in the game of seduction they played.
Was it only him or could it be that Otis was also playing? His pretty neighbor was a guy incapable of guile and deceit. For Otis, it was the real deal, and, no matter how much he wished he could tell himself otherwise, Hudson knew that it was the same for him. There was more than base desire between them, not that there was anything wrong with feeling the need for another person's touch or enjoying sex.
Otis returned with the leash in his hand, his eyes shining with excitement. His rosy lips parted slightly, and he bit on the bottom one from time to time, leaving it glistening in the wake of his shy gesture. Hudson swallowed thickly. There was only one thing left to do, right? To reach out and grab that illusory figment of fate, presented to him in such a pretty package.
"What do we do now?" Otis asked in a strained whisper, still holding the leash in his hand, but this time at an awkward angle, as if he didn't know how he was supposed to act.
It was true. He was that innocent, and Hudson felt a thrumming in his blood, a flurry of beautiful sensations playing across his skin, raising goosebumps everywhere. "Give it to me."
With the same deference that appeared to have been ingrained in him from an early age, Otis placed the leather strap on his open palm and then waited, his hands behind his back, his whole body tense in anticipation.
That made two of them. Hudson cleared his throat. Men loved it when he was dominant in bed, when he took them in hand, so to speak, and yet, that pure look of abandonment in the lovely blue eye staring at him from one side made him feel more empowered than ever. It was so overpowering it made him feel dizzy. What kind of explanation did scientists have for something like this? Would they say it was all just fluids and hormones and body chemistry? It couldn't be; Hudson liked to think that there was more to human beings, to what they shared, than that.
If he needed any other proof that he was losing his head a bit over this sweet man standing before him, that was it. "Take off your clothes," he ordered while swinging the leash in his hand slowly.
Otis nodded and quickly began. His fingers were unsure and, more than once, he struggled with a button of his dress shirt, but Hudson didn't offer to help this time around. He was the one overwhelmed now, just sitting there and eyeing each inch of milky skin revealed to him. He felt the new promise of endless, mind-blowing satisfaction take over at knowing he could touch everything, feel everything, if he only decided to move.
Only the rustling of clothes disturbed the silence between them. Hudson resisted the need to fidget, to adjust himself. For Otis, he had to show that he knew what he was doing.
"I'm ready." Otis was completely naked and held his hands in front of himself, one wrapped around the other's wrist, covering his nether parts.
"Show me," Hudson ordered softly. "Your cock."
That elicited a small gasp from Otis, but he obeyed. Hudson focused all his attention on the bare skin presented to him, a smile finding its way to the corners of his lips as he observed the endearingly fast reaction. "Good," he said. "Now kneel."
Otis scrambled to his knees and looked down. He was red in the face, his cheeks as delicious as apples, and Hudson couldn't help anticipating how scrumptious they would be if he pretended to take a bite.
He patted his knee. "Come closer and put your head here."
A more eager puppy had never been seen. Otis reached him and pushed his head against Hudson's knee, his lips drawing apart to let small huffs of pleasure escape. He reached for the choker and found a place where he could push the carabiner clasp through. "Is it too cold?" he asked as he sensed the shiver go through the prone body at his feet.
"No."
"All right. Now, move back a bit. Keep kneeling."
He was holding the end of the leash, and now it was acting as a link between them. Otis was sitting back on his heels and placed his hands on his knees, his eyes, unblinking, set on Hudson. That game could be unnerving for both of them. "Very good," Hudson praised him again. "Tell me how you feel." When had he ever needed to make sure that his partner was enjoying it? The usual soft grunts and moans of pleasure were a dead giveaway, and most men he had been with were quite vocal. However, Otis was different, and he appeared to need gentle coaxing to say what he truly felt.
"Safe," Otis replied, without one hint of hesitation.
That was the same thing he had said about the choker. Otis was a young man with a deeply ingrained need for safety, and Hudson was more than happy to provide it. "What would you like to happen next?"
Otis blushed more and looked away, worrying his bottom lip, as he usually did when thinking. "I want you to ask me to do things," he whispered and set his eyes on the floor in front of him.
"Are you giving me free rein?" Hudson asked.