Page 2 of In the Heat of the Dungeon

“Fair enough,” his friend replied, but Ford barely heard because he was already out of the room.

He let the door close behind him, not even caring if it did or not. He raced past the nursing station, bolted for the stairs to save time and once he was out of the hospital, ran to his SUV. Now he was sweating buckets, although the heat was only partly to blame. All he could think of was that Gage’s boy had been confined for hours without being monitored. No matter how careful Gage had been in whatever restraints he’d used, there was always the possibility for something to go wrong. Not leaving a sub alone was a cardinal rule. His friend’s breaking of it had come as a complete surprise—except no, maybe not. Hadn’t Gage always pushed the envelope in all things, whether it was riding without proper gear or playing without a contract or rule-setting of any kind? Hadn’t they had plenty of arguments over the years about what and what not to do? This had been a problem hiding in plain sight. If Ford had only taken it more seriously… No, he wasn’t responsible for his friend’s actions, but he was the only one in a position to handle this shit-show now.

The real issue was whether to call the police or take of it himself. There was no way of knowing whether the boy—Cody was his name—was actually in danger or merely bored, waiting for his Master to return and release him. The vanilla world struggled as it was to accept the BDSM lifestyle as legitimate and not criminal. If the police barged into the home to release the sub, there would be hell to pay, even if Cody was fine. And it wasn’t Gage’s reputation or sensibilities that Ford worried about. No, it was the boy’s. At a minimum, he would be humiliated in front of strangers finding him undoubtedly naked or nearly so and trussed in a manner that brought joy to the kid but was frowned upon by almost everyone else. What he remembered of the sub was that he was shy, skittish and a complete novice. Gage had said something about Cody being a street kid, someone kicked out of his home. Ford was willing to bet the sight of cops would disturb the poor boy. And yet, if he was in trouble, minutes mattered.

In the end, he arrived at Gage’s duplex as he weighed his options. Thank God, it was the height of summer. The students were gone and many people were on vacation. Traffic was light because it was a Sunday, as well. And bonus point… Gage had a driveway, so there was no need to hunt for a parking space. Ford hopped out of his vehicle and, as he hurried to the front door, his heart pounded and sweat rolled down his back. There was more than worry causing the physiological reaction. He’d suppressed his reaction to Cody the first time he’d met him because he was Gage’s boy, and Ford didn’t poach. That undeniable draw to the fetching new submissive would have led to problems that were not in anyone’s best interest. There were plenty of subs to choose from if one knew the scene well—and Ford did. He never lacked for someone to play with for long. But at the moment, he was unpaired and his stupid dick had ideas of its own. The thought of seeing Cody, being with him, helping him maybe while Gage remained in the hospital, became less about being a good friend and more about an opportunity.

He did his best to shut down that whole train of thought. “Not going there,” he admonished himself.

As soon as he opened the front door, he easily shut off his prurient ideas because it was like a sauna inside. Gage’s old home didn’t have central air conditioning and the working-class guy was as frugal as they came. The window unit in the living room was obviously off. Kicking himself for not calling in emergency help, he raced for the kitchen and the entrance to the basement where Gage kept his dungeon. Having played together with their respective subs, Ford was familiar with the layout. He found the door locked and cursed a blue streak as he hunted for the key in a kitchen drawer. Damn… Gage always worried about the wrong thing, like someone would break in and steal his boy, instead of worrying that he’d trapped the sub.

After finding what he needed, Ford wasted no time opening the door. He took a deep breath as he turned the knob and hoped like hell that what he found down there would be a pissed-off sub and not a hurt one. At least there was an immediate drop in temperature, the basement being below ground level. That was something, he supposed, although it was still very warm and humid. He made himself slow down so that he wouldn’t startle the boy by charging into the dungeon. First, though, he had to turn on the overhead light. He hoped that Gage had blindfolded the kid, otherwise the sudden brightness would be just one more thing to hurt him.

“Cody?” he called out as he descended. “It’s all right. It’s Master Ford. I’m here to help. Master Gage sent me,” he added.

Cody forced his eyes open. He immediately blinked hard against the salty sweat that dripped from his forehead, as well as against the light shining into his eyes, before shutting them again. The Master had demanded he be good and keep them closed, and he didn’t want to disappoint the man. This confinement had been a test of his trust and fortitude. Even a small failure, which he would be compelled to admit, would mean that he hadn’t learned his lesson. Will I ever be good enough for the Master? Right at the moment, it didn’t seem like it. He wanted to shout out his safeword, except the Master had said that was only for the extreme situation in which he felt he couldn’t go on as his submissive. It would mean the end to everything, and nothing frightened Cody more than the idea of being kicked out once again from a home he cherished.

A whimper tried to escape him. He was hot and achy and…scared. For the first time since giving himself to his Master, he was truly afraid. Something was wrong. His time strapped to the Saint Andrew’s Cross had been too long. He’d been bad and was being punished as he’d never been before. That was the only explanation his foggy brain could come up with. His hearing must be playing tricks on him, too. That voice coming down the stairs, the name it spoke, that couldn’t possibly be true. Master never shared him with anyone, and yet some other Dom was thudding his way into the dungeon.

From where he hung, Cody couldn’t see anything other than a wall covered with the things Master used to discipline him with. That was even if he tried again to open his eyes, which he didn’t. Must be strong. Master knows best. He reminded himself of these things as the sound of the heavy footsteps got closer. His body began to tremble, although from fear or fatigue, he couldn’t say. It didn’t matter. To his way of thinking, it was a show of weakness.

“I’m sorry,” he breathed out, while stifling another sob.

“Easy.” The low, soothing voice had an instant effect on him. A large hand gently cupped the side of his face. “Do you understand who I am? Nod if you do. No talking is necessary.”

Cody licked his lower lip before complying. It was Master Ford. He knew that voice. Why the man was here confused him, but it wasn’t his job to worry about such things. He simply had to obey. The touch and tone reassured him. They also sent dangerous signals to his dick. It tried to harden, despite the cage in which it was trapped. He was embarrassed by his lack of control, but too many other things plagued him to worry about it overly much.

“I’m going to get you off that, but first you need some water. Keep your eyes closed. This sudden light must be painful after being in the dark for so many hours.”

Cody nodded again, although his assent hadn’t been asked for and wouldn’t change the Dom’s course of action. He’d learned that lesson quickly. Doms did as they pleased, and it wasn’t his right to question them. A few seconds later, the rim of a bottle touched his lips.

“Here you go. Take small sips.”

Cody strove to obey, although Master Ford controlled how much water he took in anyway. The liquid washed down his dry throat, causing him to moan with relief. The bottle bobbled a bit, and the Dom made a gruff sound before helping Cody to drink more. It ended too soon. He strained to follow the container as it was moved away from him.

“That’s enough for now. I’ll give you more soon, but I don’t want to shock your system, given how long you’ve been left without water.”

“Yes, Master.” The words tumbled out his mouth before he could stop them. It had become an ingrained response in the few months that he’d lived with his Dom. Maybe it was the right one, he realized, just as suddenly. Perhaps Master Gage had tired of him and had passed him along to another. Is that even a thing? He didn’t know. This lifestyle was still too new to him.

Master Ford chuckled. “I’m not your Master, boy, but I appreciate your obedience anyway.”

The response sent a brief disappointment through him, which was stupid. He was happy being Master Gage’s sub. He wasn’t looking for a change. It wasn’t his call regardless. Was it?

“I’m going to unbuckle your ankles first, then your wrists. Keep your legs and arms in place as best you can. Your muscles are going to be very sore, and any abrupt movement will be painful—and not in a good way,” he added with what sounded like a huff.

Cody tried his best to obey, but once his arms were free, they fell automatically to his side. He cried out at the stabs of pain and pitched forward. Master Ford was there to catch him. Cody pressed against the man’s solid chest and worked to control his breathing. This was far worse than anything he’d experienced. It was no fun at all!

Master Ford rubbed his large hands along Cody’s shoulders and upper arms. “Easy there, baby. I’ve got you. Just relax.” He kneaded the sore muscles as he spoke.

Cody sighed at the blessed relief and did as he’d been told. It was easy to put his trust in this man. He leaned on Master Ford’s physical and mental strength, letting his fear go and concentrating on relaxing his body. After a little while, his world tipped as the Dom scooped him into his strong arms then deposited him on the narrow bed reserved for aftercare. The mattress dipped as the Dom sat beside him, continuing the massage.

Forgetting the admonition to keep his eyes closed, he cracked them open to gaze at the man tending to him. Master Ford was as he remembered him—dark hair cut short, a beautifully chiseled face that was clean-shaven, unlike Master Gage, and with wide, muscular shoulders and arms. He was Cody’s fantasy man and even thinking of it felt like a betrayal of his Master, so he shut his eyes quickly again.

“It’s okay for them to stay open. I was worried about the light hurting you, but I’m not ordering you to keep them closed.” Master Ford spoke in a matter-of-fact tone, none of the sharp commands a Dom usually used in a scene.

Even with the permission, Cody didn’t open his eyes for long seconds. He lay there reveling in the pleasure of the attention. Slowly, the aches in his body diminished as Master Ford worked each part with slow, sure pressure. Cody was drenched in sweat that wasn’t drying much in the humid dungeon. It was the heat of Master Ford’s hands sliding over Cody’s skin that was wicking the moisture away. While, at the same time, the touch raised goosebumps and caused beads of moisture to pop up elsewhere. The pleasure of the massage made him moan again and his cock tried to rally against its confines. He’d become used to not be allowed to get hard, but this time, his dick’s restraints were particularly maddening. His patience was slipping, for some reason. He really was a bad sub if he stopped to think about it—which he didn’t dare. This was his dream, and if he was not good as someone’s boy, then what use was he at all?

It hurt to dwell on his shortcomings or worry about his future, so he forced those thoughts down and concentrated on the pleasures he was permitted. The plug up his ass stretched him to the limit and when he squeezed it, a spark shot through him. It didn’t matter if his cock got any action. A good boy could learn to find his satisfaction in his boy-pussy. That’s what Master Gage had taught him.

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