Page 25 of The Freshman

“If I met you at a pub andasked to buy you a drink, I wondered what you’d pick, that’sall.”

Alfie opened his mouth to reply, butNate got there first.

“Please say it’s not oneof those alcopops, or flavored cider.”

A flash of humiliation struck Alfie’scheeks. They were his preferred drinks, and only consumed in thesafety of his home.

“I would decline youroffer and move along the bar,” Alfie muttered.

Nate laughed. “No, you wouldn’t. Youwould blush and say something stupid like, ‘whatever you’rehaving’, and I’d get a whiskey, and watch as you knocked yours backwith a gasp and splutter.”

The blush on Alfie’s face intensified.The first time he had whiskey he had done just as Nate described.Whiskey was as pleasant as swallowing a lit match.

“I’d rub your back untilyou stopped spluttering, and you’d try to flee in embarrassment,but I wouldn’t let you. I’d wipe the sticky whiskey off your lipswith my thumb and bring it to my mouth to taste. It would tastesweet. I’d need more and would forget about my thumb and taste thewhiskey on your lips with mine.”

The clank of the gate woke Alfie fromthe fantasy, and his eyelashes fluttered when he reopened them. Hehadn’t even realized he had closed his eyes, wasn’t aware that hehad leaned against the cell door, ear as close to Nate’s voice ashe could get.

Alfie straightened and blanked hismind of any lust. “I would push you away and callsecurity.”

He turned to walk away, but Nate spokeagain, voice no longer his low drawl, but normal.

“I’ve got something foryou,” Nate said by the top hinge.

Alfie leaned closer with his eyebrowraised. “I’m not opening the hatch.”

“You don’t haveto.”

Alfie bent down when he heardcrinkling paper. Nate slipped it through the gap in the hatch, andAlfie caught it before it fell to the grated walkway. He unfoldedthe paper and swallowed hard at the pencil sketch of himself. Nolonger lipless, and not just of his face. He was laying down in thepicture, his shirt was open, his tie loosened and askew, and hiswrists were tied with something thin above his head. Shoelaces, hisbrain supplied. Again, there was no color to the picture, but theshading on his cheeks hinted at a blush, and the shine to his lipssuggested they were wet. It was a sexualized picture of himself,and he didn’t know what to say, or how to feel. Equal levels ofunease and curiosity ran through his mind, and he didn’t knowwhether his crotch throbbed with interest or fear.

Alfie wetted his lips, thankful Natecouldn’t see his turmoil. “What’s this?”

“As you can see, Freshman,I didn’t know how your torso looks, whether you have muscles,whether you have body hair, dark or light nipples.”

All he had noticed was his bound handsand compliant face. He looked again and noticed unlike the rest ofthe picture, there was no detail to his chest. It wasblank.

“Why give it to me?” heasked.

“I needed your help. Tofill in the blanks.”

Alfie breathed heavily through hisnose and shook his head.

“Does it unnerve you,seeing yourself tied up and helpless, and knowing that’s how I seeyou, how I want to see you? If our little pub fantasy played out,this is how I’d want it to end.”

Alfie pressed the picture to theclipboard and added his own detail. He drew three saggy boobs,hanging down to his belly button, then he folded it in two andshoved it back through the door.

“There you go. I’ve filledin the blanks.”

Alfie heard Nate unfold the paper andlaugh lightly. He turned to leave, but Nate’s voice tugged himback.

“So how does it work withyour boyfriends?”

Alfie frowned at Nate’s door. “What doyou mean?”

“Do they share you, onehas you first and then the other?”

A fierce blush grew in Alfie’s cheeks,and he swallowed. “Something like that…”

“What do they looklike?”

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