Chapter 5

Alaric’s POV

Despite the distance between us over the years, Caius and I kept our friendship strong. He was like family to me, and I was the same to him. We have had a series of vacations with his wife Sarah and their son Mason. Now that I had moved back to New York, being close to them again felt right. I would always be grateful that our differences never pushed us apart. Caius had his straight life, his wife and kid, while I chased my own path as a gay man who craved control in the bedroom but none of that mattered and our bond was still very strong.

We had just finished a hard run through the neighborhood paths, sweat dripping down my back as my muscles burned from the effort, even though I watched what I ate and hit the gym every day. Caius wiped his face with his towel, breathing heavily, and I did the same, feeling the damp cloth soak up the sweat on my skin.

“Damn, we’re getting old,” Caius said with a grin, his chest heaving as he caught his breath.

“Yeah, we are,” I replied, taking a long swig from my water bottle. The cool liquid slid down my throat, easing my dry throat. But as I stood there, my mind wandered to darker places.

Running always stirred something in me, the burn in my thighs making me think of a sub bound tight,his legs spread wide, begging for my cock after a whipping. I pictured the man from last night on the site, his words spilling out honest and needy. My cock twitched in my shorts at the memory, already half-hard. I wanted to pin him down, make him feel every inch of my dominance, fuck him until he broke and reformed under my hands.

Caius slapped my shoulder, pulling me out of my thoughts. “Have I told you how good it is to have my best friend home?” His smile was wide and I could tell that he was happy.

“It’s really good to be back,” I said, matching his smile. Being around him grounded me, but it also highlighted the ache inside me. I needed more than friendship. I needed a boy to kneel for me, to take my commands and my cum like it was his only purpose.

“You should come over for dinner tonight,” Caius said, his eyes lighting up. “Sarah mentioned that one of her friends is coming, and Mason will be there too.”

The moment he mentioned Sarah’s friend, I knew exactly what he was up to. He was trying to set me up again. This wasn’t the first time and ever since I came out to him years ago, he had been pushing people my way, thinking I needed someone to fill my life. He didn’t get that I was happy alone. I didn’t want a wife or a kid.

Even a committed relationship, fuck no. What I wanted was a long-term sub, someone to own in scenes, to collar and train, to fuck raw and deep while he whimpered my rules.

To love someone forever wasn’t my thing. I thrived on power, on the snap of a flogger against skin, on the taste of submission on my tongue.

I almost argued and almost told him I didn’t need anyone pushing me toward something I didn’t want but I held myself back.

“Sure, I’d love to eat with you guys,” I said instead.

“That’s perfect,” Caius replied, standing up straight. He stretched his arms, his shirt clinging to his sweat-soaked body. “I need to head back and get ready for the day.”

“What time should I show up?” I asked, rising to my feet too. My legs felt better now, but my mind was already drifting again, imagining texting the sub during dinner, ordering him to edge himself under the table if we met soon, his cock leaking while he struggled to stay quiet.

“Come by four,” Caius said as we walked to where we had parked our cars. “I know I said dinner, but the food will be ready by then.” His steps were quick, full of that family-man energy I admired but didn’t want.

We reached our cars and Caius turned to look at me. “I know I say this a lot, but I’m really glad to have my best friend back,” He said, pulling me into a quick hug.

I smiled and hugged him back, patting his back firmly. “Me too, man.” But as we pulled away, my thoughts shifted again. I wanted arms like that around a sub, holding him after a brutal scene, his body marked with welts, his ass sore and plugged, completely mine.

After a quick goodbye, I slid into my car and drove away. The drive home was short and the streets were quiet until I reached my place. I had chosen it carefully, to be secluded, and surrounded by tall trees that blocked out the neighbors. It was perfect for privacy and no one would hear anything that was happening inside. No one to hear a bound boy cry out, or the sharp crack of impact against skin, or the deep, wet rhythm of control taking over.

I pulled into the driveway and stepped inside, locking the door behind me. The house was modern, with clean lines and dark wood, but my eyes went straight to the laptop sitting on the kitchen table. My cock stirred again as I thought about the man I had been chatting with the night before.

He called himself a sub looking for a real Dom, and his profile had hooked me instantly. He had no face picture just like me, so I had to imagine how he looked in my head, till we met. His messages had been raw and honest in a way most people weren’t. He admitted how my words affected him, how they made his body react and how they made him feel seen.

That honesty got to me.

I hadn’t played with anyone since moving back, and the restlessness had been building steadily. My body needed an outlet and my mind needed control. I wanted the tight heat of someone beneath me, reacting to my every command and touch. Maybe he would be my first partner here.

I liked the way he answered my questions, thoughtful and open, like he was already stepping into the role without being told. He didn’t seem very experienced, but that only made it better. He was going to be a fresh sub to guide, to shape and to teach.

I wasn’t worried about training because I had trained before. I knew how to take someone apart slowly, to push their limits, to make them feel everything, then rebuild them under my rules.

I stripped off my running clothes as I made my way upstairs, my cock half-hard as it moved freely. The shower called to me, hot water ready to wash away the sweat, but my mind stayed on him.

I stepped under the stream, letting the water run down my body. My hand moved slowly, wrapping around my shaft as I pictured our first meeting in detail.

I would have him stand in front of me, silent and still, then I would order him to strip completely, with his eyes down and hands clasped behind his back.