The lad was nervous, I could tell.
But then I had kept him nervous for a very long time.
He sat with one hand in his lap, fingers clenched tightly into a fist, and the other gripping the handle of the truck door. Eyes wide, taking in the scenery as I maneuvered through town.
Part if his tension I assumed was the fact he thought I was driving on the wrong side of the road. The boy had spent the first twenty years of his life living in England and I could see the twitches in his hands and shoulders each time another car came towards us as he fought to keep from grabbing the wheel.
That was quite amusing.
The other thing which was keeping his heart rate up was the fact I was taking him for a visit for the very first time as my owned puppy. Not just out as two guys doing whatever.
The boy was going to be exposed to people he had never met before and there would be no doubt in their mind that he belonged to me. Underneath the sweatshirt and loose sweatpants were things which very few people would consider to be "normal" clothes. In a very few minutes he was going to show off those things which had, up to that point, only been seen by me.
He was quite nervous.
And I was quite amused.
"All right, Nathan?" He nodded, his lips a little tight.
"Yes, Sir. All right." I chuckled softly and patted his thigh while I drove with one hand.
"Deep breaths, puppy. Relax. You'll be fine. I'll be right there beside you and they are nice people. Remember, you have been wanting this for a long time." Eyes closed for a moment, he took a long shuddering breath and tried to calm his hammering heart.
"Yes, Master." He whispered, then shook his head and opened his eyes. "I do want this. I just... I want you proud of your pup, Sir." My hand squeezed his thigh and I made sure he saw the proud smile on my lips.
"You haven't let me down yet, boy. And I do not believe you will now. I will be very proud to show you off as my puppy. You are beautiful and sweet and very very obedient. No Master could ask for a better pet. Remember that." A hint of a blush crept across his cheeks at my praise. He picked up my hand and held it up. His soft lips kissed my knuckles.
"Thank you, Master. Your puppy is proud to be yours, Sir."
"Such a good boy."
I turned right off of the main drag down the narrow alley then left on the gravel road behind what used to be the old Masonic lodge decades ago. Tall dark green trees and thick undergrowth blocked most of what could be seen out the passenger side. Small gaps allowed glimpses of the houses down below while the old brick walls of the backs of the buildings went by on the other. Ghostly faded signs in barely visible paint gave hints of what used to be in the buildings ages long past.
I knew if we were on the other side, the store fronts would all be insurance agents and resale shops, salons trying desperately to be trendy and hip and the occasional mom and pop deli or cafe. The fronts were all clean and well tended with bright eye-catching signs, interspersed with the flash of neon. Siren calls to lure in customers laden with cash.
But customers rarely ventured back here. The road was merely gravel and dirt with deep valleys and ruts where the rains had washed away the surface, making driving at any good speed difficult and bumpy. Back here the buildings were partially covered with wild vines and trees let go out of control. Piles of debris and trash and old discarded appliances peeped from mounds hidden in the weeds. The bricks were dark and blackened with age and soot from the days when wood and coal were the choice for heat and much of the mortar had cracked and crumbled, leaving many of the bricks loose and, in some cases, missing completely.
If I had a mind to, I could pick up enough bricks from the ground on this block alone to lay a walkway from my house down to my workshop, more than wide enough to run a hand truck or wheelbarrow from one to the other.
But I digress.
Halfway down the block I swung the truck up into a rutted driveway between two of the buildings, back tires spinning briefly in the loose gravel. We came to a stop parked halfway in the sparse grass next to another pickup truck. In front of the other truck was a flatbed trailer held upright with wooden scraps of lumber. On top of the trailer sat a lone broken soda machine which appeared to have been there for several years.
In the passenger seat, Nathan looked a little dubious. And just a shade more nervous. The expression on his face conveyed a fear I was going to sell him to a biker gang or lead him into some serial killer's basement abattoir. After I put the truck in park, my hand patted his thigh again in a reassuring way.
"Relax, puppy. It's nicer on the inside. This is just camouflage. Breathe." He took a few slow deep breaths, as I had taught him.
"Ready, boy?" He shook his head both back and forth and up and down.
"Yes and no and maybe, Master. Let's do this."
Laughing, I led him down the steps to the basement door.
"Uncle Rex!!" As always, Marigold was a warm flurry of curly brown hair, soft lips and firm little body pressed against mine while her arms went around my neck. Those sweet lips opened to mine as I kissed her and my hands went from her back to her waist then further down as I patted and squeezed that delightful bottom while we kissed.
I had known the girl all of her life and watched her grown from a sweet and delightful inquisitive child into a strong and self assured amazing young lady with a taste for the kinkier side of life which both pleased and amazed me. It wasn't all that long ago she had finally managed to achieve her secret dream of seducing dear old "Uncle Rex" and crawling into my bed. A highly erotic journey we had both greatly enjoyed.
She pulled back after an endless wonderful moment, eyes looking into mine as she whispered "I've missed you, Sir." I smiled and patted her bottom again. Marigold's eyes darted sideways towards the boy and back to mine. My eyebrows waggled and I nodded silently. She unwound herself from my neck and stepped over to where my puppy waited.
"Ohmygodyouaresofreakinghot." It all came out in long long rush, melding into a single word. Before the startled boy could even stammer out a reply, she threw her arms around his neck and stopped up his lips with hers. He let out a confused but pleasantly surprised squeak and, after a moment of hesitation, hugged her back.
While the sweet girl was thoroughly introducing herself to an equally sweet though somewhat taken aback boy, I was trading a handshake and a hug with Marigold's husband, Wyatt.
"Rex." He said. "Good to see you."
"Bash. You look good yourself. Always glad to be here." I tipped my head over to the two who were still engaged in getting to know each other and gave him a smile. "Been waiting for this." He nodded and smiled as well.
"So has she. She's been on pins and needles all day." He gave me a wink. "You always know how to get her all wound up."
Just like his amazing young wife, Wyatt Bastian "Bash" Granger was one of the nicest people I had ever met in my life. Every time we met he was happy and at peace with the world. Of course, he was also one of the last people in the world you ever wanted to piss off. He was small, as was his wife and my puppy, but his size had nothing to do with his strength. Bash had always kept himself in excellent physical shape. He had also spent a good portion of his life doing difficult and dangerous things, just because he was able to. Combat veteran. Firefighter. A guard at a maximum security prison.
All things he did because he could and because somebody had to do them.
Not only did I love him for who he was, I admired him for what he could do. Most of the things he did scared the crap out of me. The man was aptly named.
Besides, he kept my favorite girl deliriously happy and I loved him even more for that.
"Mari. Let him breathe." Somewhat guiltily, she stepped back, keeping one hand on his chest. Nathan's face was flushed and his expression was a mix of happy, horny and extremely uncomfortable.
The happy and horny needed no explanation. Mari had the same effect on everybody she met. The reason for his discomfort would become apparent in a few moments.
In the mean time, Bash stepped up and pumped Nathan's hand in his strong grip and pulled him in for a hug. "Nathan. Good to meet you. Welcome to the family."
"Ummm... thank you, Sir." The boy's eyes were kind of wide for several reasons. One, he was meeting the husband of a woman he had lusted after for quite some time. I'd shared a few pics of my golden girl over the years. And two, said husband was a rather dangerous looking man. Bash was wearing blue jeans and motorcycle boots and a t-shirt with a black leather vest and his long curly beard reached halfway down his chest. What topped off the whole "outlaw biker" look was the 9mm pistol strapped to one side of his hip. A fashion accessory he never ever saw living in the United Kingdom.
But the warm hug and the easy smile on Bash's face completely offset his initial appearance and his earnest and welcoming greeting just threw the boy for a loop. I had to suppress a chuckle watching the emotions crossing his face.
This sketchy looking character with a gun knew Nathan wanted desperately to sleep with his wife and yet he was good with it? Even welcomed it?
Americans are all crazy.
"Nathan." My voice broke him out of his reverie.
"Yes, Master?"
"Present, puppy." One finger pointed to the floor by my feet. His face flushed again.
"Y-yes, M-master." His hands shook a little as he gripped the hem of the sweatshirt and pulled it up over his head. While he carefully folded the bulky shirt I admired his strong smooth chest and well muscled arms. Riding low around Nathan's neck was a deep burgundy leather collar with brass fittings. Lower down a matching harness wrapped around his chest and shoulders. It helped to accent his strong chest perfectly.
Even further down a smooth taut belly with an enticing hint of rippled abs led to a line of hair which led from his navel and disappeared down into the waistband of his sweatpants. He laid the shirt down on a nearby counter and my view was momentarily obscured as he kicked off his shoes and slipped his thumbs into the waistband of his pants.
The boy paused and his eyes went to me. I nodded and he sighed softly then tugged down the sweats and pulled them off of his legs.
I was torn between looking at my puppy and his fine body and the looks he was getting from Marigold and Bash. Her eyes were wide and I saw the tip of her tongue slip out and lick her lower lip. Bash wore an appreciative smile curling up one corner of his lips and he nodded.
