Definition and Etymology - 2

Water and Steel By Sean Michael - 3

Leave Your Worries Behind by Winnie Jerome - 14

Fireflies in the Bathtub by Lee Benoit - 30

Contributors' Bios - 43

A Torquere Press Toy Box - 1

Definition: shave

/DeDv/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [sheyv] Show IPA verb, shaved, shaved or (especially in

combination) shavDen, shavDing, noun
–verb (used without object)
1.

to remove a growth of beard with a razor.

–verb (used with object)
2.

to remove hair from (the face, legs, etc.) by cutting it off close to the skin with a razor.

3.

to cut off (hair, esp. the beard) close to the skin with a razor (often fol. by off or away).

4.

to cut or scrape away the surface of with a sharp-edged tool: to shave hides in preparing

leather.
5.

to reduce to shavings or thin slices: to shave wood.

6.

to cut or trim closely: to shave a lawn.

7.

to scrape, graze, or come very near to: The car just shaved the garage door.

8.

Commerce. to purchase (a note) at a rate of discount greater than is legal or customary.

9.

to reduce or deduct from: The store shaved the price of winter suits in the spring.

–noun
10.

the act, process, or an instance of shaving or being shaved.

11.

a thin slice; shaving.

12.

any of various tools for shaving, scraping, removing thin slices, etc.

Source: Dictionary.com

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/shaving

Etymology: shave (n.) Look up shave at Dictionary.com

1604, "something shaved off;" from shave (v.); O.E. sceafa meant "tool for shaving." Meaning

"a grazing touch" is recorded from 1834. Shaver "one who shaves" is recorded from c.1425;
sense of "fellow, chap" is slang from 1592; phrase a close shave is from 1856, on notion of "a
slight, grazing touch."
Source: Online Etomology Dictionary
http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=shaving&searchmode=none

A Torquere Press Toy Box - 2

Water and Steel

By Sean Michael

The water felt like heaven.

Jim leaned back in the shower, let the hot water bash down on him, beating out the lingering
muscle aches from a hard week at the gym. Grabbing the soap, he started washing, cleaning
himself, using the bar to massage his muscles.

Two big hands joined his, Marcus joining him. "Mmm... I do love you all soapy and slick."

"Master." His body responded immediately, eagerly, and he spread, not hiding anything.

Marcus' lips found his, those hands continuing to move over him. The kiss left him shaken and
gasping, and all he could do was hope for another. Marcus didn't let him down, another kiss
opening his mouth as Marcus' tongue invaded.

Hungry. His lover was hungry, which shouldn't surprise him, he supposed, but it did.

Pushing him against the tile, Marcus rubbed against him.

"What... what's gotten into you?"

"You." Marcus chuckled. "Or at least I'll be getting into you."

"Mmm." He nodded, smiled. "Sounds perfect."

"Yeah." Marcus reached around and grabbed his ass. "It is perfect."

"That's yours." It needed to be touched. Spanked. Reddened.

"It is." Marcus squeezed tight.

"I... Yes. Yes, Master." He reached up, stroked Marcus' head. "You need a shave."

Marcus laughed, nuzzling into his touch. "I was thinking the same thing." His Master's hand slid
around and rubbed the skin around his cock. "The exact same thing."

"I thought..." They hadn't done that in months... maybe longer. He didn't have stubble; he had a
heavy mass of curls.

"What did you think, baby?"

"I thought you didn't want that anymore."

A Torquere Press Toy Box - 3

"Oh, baby. I like 'em short and curly, and I like them non-existent." Marcus' fingers slid through
the curls around his prick.

He moaned, his prick swelling even more as the little hairs tugged a little, stung.

Marcus looked into him, eyes knowing. "Reach the cockring for me, baby."

"Yes, Master." He almost said no, just to see what Marcus would do, but instead, he reached,
smiled at Marcus. "I think I need your hand, Master. Later."

"I know you do, but I love it when you know it, too."

Jim nodded. "It's easier to tell you than to break the rules." He handed the ring to Marcus.

Marcus laughed softly and nodded, looking pleased. "It is, though you don't always see it that
way." Marcus began to work the ring down his hard cock, fingers teasing as they manipulated his
prick.

"No. No, I don't always." Jim arched and moaned. "Sometimes I like punishment; today I just
need your hands."

"And they are yours, today and always." Marcus set the ring in position, said hands lingering,
teasing his flesh, his balls.

He loved the deep ache in the pit of his belly, the heat of his Master's hands. It made him focus,
made him fly.

"You can shave my head first. Then I'll do you."

Jim nodded, smiled. They'd had a little chair installed in the shower, somewhere Marcus could
sit and let him shave. "Sit down and I'll get fresh razors."

"Mmm. Sounds good, baby." Marcus' fingers lingered on him a moment and then his Master sat.
Once upon a time Marcus used to go to a barber, but now it was his job. As if it was work.

He gathered a couple of towels and the shaving cream, then the razors, whistling softly as he did,
happy, bone-deep.

When he got back to the shower, Marcus' gaze was like a touch.

"Are you ready, Master?" He adjusted the hot water, making it warmer for them.

"I am." There was so much heat in the two words.

"Me too." He stepped forward, fingers sliding over Marcus' scalp in a gentle massage.

A Torquere Press Toy Box - 4

"Mmm." The sound of Marcus' pleasure rumbled from his chest.

Jim touched Marcus easily, exploring for a second before he sprayed the shaving cream into the
cupped palm of his hand, warming it.

"I can't imagine ever letting anyone else do this again."

"I won't let anyone else. This is mine." Marcus was his.

"Pushy, baby." He could tell it was a tease, though.

"No. Just... you're mine."

Marcus nodded, fingers sliding across his cheek and rubbing over his lower lip. "All of me,
baby."

He nodded, then carefully lathered Marcus up before he started to shave. He pulled the razor
across in careful, sure strokes, removing the tiny stubble. Holding still for him, Marcus hummed
as he worked.

"Did you have a good day, Master?"

"I did. And it's getting better all the time."

"Mmm. I did, too, really. I'm a little sore from the workout this morning."

"You've been pushing hard at the gym this week." Of course Marcus had noticed, his master
noticed everything.

"I have." He wasn't sure why, but he had.

One of Marcus' hands slid across his abdomen, making his stomach ripple. "Sexy baby."

He smiled, tsked at Marcus. "Don't distract me." The hair was coming off easily and he worked
around one ear, being so cautious.

Marcus grinned. "I can't help myself. You were made for me to touch."

"Was I?" Was that even possible?

"Mmmhmm." Marcus' hands settled on his hips, resting there lightly.

He worked the razor over Marcus' other ear, smoothing the lather away. It was so very intimate,
doing this for Marcus in the enclosed space of their shower, the heat and steam rising around
them.

A Torquere Press Toy Box - 5

His cock rubbed against Marcus, the pierced tip dragging over Marcus' flesh. Groaning softly,
Marcus wrapped a hand around him, thumb flipping the Prince Albert ring back and forth.

"Careful." He was talking more to himself than Marcus, as he looked for missed spots.

"You won't cut me, baby." Marcus sounded so sure, like he just knew.

"No, I won't, but you're risking fate."

"It's good practice for your focus." Marcus' hand wasn't moving on him anymore, but it was still
wrapped around his flesh.

"Almost done, Master. Chin down." He needed to get the nape of Marcus' neck.

Marcus followed his directions, a happy, humming sound coming from him. The big hand let his
prick go with a little pat to it first.

"I love this." Jim carefully got those last little hairs, pleased beyond all reason that there wasn't
even a nick.

"Me, too." As soon as he was finished, Marcus took hold of his cock again, fingers sliding on it,
exploring from tip to base -- ring to ring.

"The hot water will run out soon." Oh. Oh, so good.

"Then we'd better turn this into a bath so I can shave you, hmm?" Marcus' fingers left his cock to
card through the curls around it.

"The hairs will get all over you..." His toes curled as Marcus tugged his pubes.

"No excuses to not do this, baby. Get the tub ready."

"Yes, Sir." His body moved immediately to follow Marcus' orders.

Marcus' fingers slid over his ass. He arched, pushed toward the touch, even as he turned off the
shower, put the plug in. Plug. He shivered.

"My eager baby." Marcus slapped his right ass cheek.

Jim couldn't argue, so he didn't.

Marcus kept touching him as he worked on filling the tub, the big, warm fingers dragging on
him.

"D...do you want the scissors or the clippers, Master?"

A Torquere Press Toy Box - 6

"The clippers, baby. And make sure you've got new blades in the razor."

"Yes, Sir." He slipped out of the tub, grabbed more blades, the clippers, more towels for the seat,
for under it, so the bathwater wasn't fouled.

"So careful. Good job."

He blushed, flushed with pride at the words. Stupid, to need Marcus' approval, but he did.
Marcus continued to touch him whenever he came near as he finished up the preparations. By the
time the tub was full, he was ready.

"Sit," murmured Marcus when the water was turned off. The seat sat above the water, the heat
just barely rocking against his ass. Marcus knelt in the tub and touched his knee. "Spread 'em,
baby."

His thighs spread wide, his balls and cock offered over obscenely with the ring.

"Mmm. So pretty." Marcus fondled him.

He knew that Marcus would shave him bare -- balls and hole as well as the heavy mass of curls.
He also knew it would make him mad with need.

"Ready, baby?" Marcus had the clippers at the ready.

"I am." His abs went tight.

"Good." Marcus brought their lips together in a soft kiss, and then he bent to his task, the
clippers making a low buzz as they were turned on.

He reached for Marcus' shoulders, moaning as the vibrations started. "I don't understand why this
feels so vulnerable."

"Because I bare the most hidden parts of you."

His own whimper surprised him.

Marcus stroked his cheek and then took a kiss. "Shh. I have you."

"I know. I'm not scared." He wasn't.

"Good."

Then Marcus began with the clippers, carefully taking the bulk of the hair from around his cock.
The copper-colored curls fell like rain.

A Torquere Press Toy Box - 7

Marcus tilted his head to the side and looked up at him for a moment. "I love doing this. Baring
you completely for me."

"It always makes my stomach tight."

"And it makes you so sensitive." Marcus gave him a pleased smile.

"Yes." Sensitive to the touch of Marcus' fingers, tongue, whip.

Marcus put away the clippers and grabbed the shaving cream, spraying it out onto his hands.
Jim's legs spread wider, hips sliding on the seat.

Marcus nodded approvingly. Then the cream was applied and short, careful strokes began to
remove the stubble. It tugged a little, burned some, and those sensations made it more exciting,
made his heart race.

Marcus trailed his fingers along the bared skin. "So smooth and sexy."

He chuckled, shook his head. "Until tomorrow when I'm all bumpy." Why his skin did that and
Marcus' didn't, he didn't know.

"I've got a new cream to try."

"Do you?" He spread farther as Marcus rubbed lather over his sac.

"I do. Hopefully it'll keep your skin smooth and not be irritating."

Marcus very carefully began to shave his balls. That always left him holding his breath, eyes on
Marcus' touch.

"I won't hurt you." Marcus petted his thigh.

"I know." He chuckled and the sound was shaky.

"Still scary, baby?" Marcus smiled up at him.

"More... unnerving."

"Well, your balls are done now." Marcus patted his hip. "Slide down a bit more and spread wider
so I can get the rest of it."

"I can't believe I let you shave there."

Marcus gave him an arch look. "Why not?"

A Torquere Press Toy Box - 8

"Because it's my hole, Master. That's private. For most people."

Snorting, Marcus began to rub cream into the area he was going to shave. "I'm not most people.
This is for you and me, no one else."

"I know. I do. But sometimes, don't you wonder at how there's no privacy between us?" He did.
It amazed him, really, that they shared so much.

"We were made for each other, not for privacy."

Jim nodded, his hole clenching as Marcus' finger rubbed over it.

"All of you is mine. To shave, to beat, to love." Bending, Marcus kissed his thigh and that finger
slipped into him, for a moment.

"Yes." His eyes closed.

Marcus' finger slid away again and then the strange sensation of the razor over his most private
parts began.

"Master." His thighs felt like rocks.

"I have you, baby."

Jim groaned, squeezed his eyes shut. It wasn't worry about being cut; it was the intimacy. Marcus
blew across his hole after the last stroke had slid across his skin.

"Master!" Oh, fuck. He needed. He needed to feel.

Marcus chuckled, and then stroked roughly across the same skin. His feet splashed down into the
water. Not missing a beat, Marcus moved to fondle his balls, and then the newly bared skin
around his cock. The touches were electric, magical.

When Marcus' nails scraped along his shaved skin, he grunted, hips bucking toward the touch.

"Mmm, lovely." Marcus kissed the tip of his cock, fingers drumming over his skin now.

His ass slid over the shower seat, the whole thing threatening to tilt. Chuckling, Marcus grabbed
the extra towel and wiped the excess hairs away. Then, after tossing the towels out onto the
bathroom floor, Marcus sat back in the big tub and opened his arms. "Come sit with me, baby."

That was an order he could follow happily, willingly. He slipped into Marcus' arms, their bodies
moving together. Marcus shifted him so his back was leaning against Marcus' chest, his Master's
cock slipping along his crack. That made him smile, and his hips started moving, up and down,
nice and steady.

A Torquere Press Toy Box - 9

Groaning for him, Marcus began to touch him. His master started with his chest, finding his
nipple rings and twisting them.

Jim gasped, then Marcus' legs came up under his and bent, spreading him so wide. "Fuck."

"Patience, baby. We'll get to that." He could hear the humor and warmth in his master's voice,
the love and arousal.

The water was lapping at him and his muscles were stretching, "So wide. Master."

"All the better to fuck you, hmm?" Marcus nuzzled along his neck, sensitizing the skin there as
Marcus' fingers played, almost idly, with his nipples and the sensitive skin around them.

He tried to anticipate the touches, which made Marcus change them. Maddening man. His
master's soft chuckles blew air of the sensitized skin of his neck as Marcus' fingers dipped below
the water to trace the skin around his cock.

"Laughing at me..." He smiled, knowing that the laughter came from fondness and pleasure,
from their happiness.

"With you, baby. Always with you." Rolling his balls, Marcus pushed with his cock, making it
slide along Jim's hole.

He groaned and closed his eyes, focusing on the sensation. Slow and easy, the smooth glide on
his shaved skin made his toes curl.

"Oh, it's been too long since we last did this." Marcus made a happy noise, hips moving a little
faster. He hummed. It had been the perfect amount of time because this felt perfect.

Marcus' touch left his balls to explore the insides of his thighs, and then his belly. His cock was
not even so much as brushed; it had to be deliberate. Once upon a time, that would have driven
him crazy. Now it was a pleasant tease, a whispered promise of pleasure.

Marcus finally touched his cock, tracing it top to bottom and playing with the cockring. That
touch made every nerve seem to come to life, bright and hot. Moaning softly, Marcus kept
touching, rubbing and stroking.

"Treat... Treat showed me a picture, Marcus. Of a sound with a place to attach the ring."

"Mmm... and what did you think of that, baby?" Marcus' fingers lingered at the tip of his cock,
pushing into his slit, one after the other.

He moaned, then gave the question the attention it deserved. "It worried me, excited me, too. It...
Tanny says it gives another level of control away."

A Torquere Press Toy Box - 10

"Oh, that sounds excellent."

After he'd seen the picture and wondered about it, Tanny had showed him, the rod thick and
stretching him, the ring keeping it in, the ball at the tip controlling the lean sub. Tanny was his
closest friend, his confidant, and the man helped him in ways Marcus couldn't, helped him know
he wasn't alone.

"We can go shopping on the net when we're finished here."

His entire body shuddered. "Yes, Master." Oh, fuck.

Marcus' hand wrapped around his cock and stroked. His hole clenched every time Marcus' cock
passed by it. His Master moaned and stroked. Kisses were dropped along his shoulder. He knew
Marcus was tracing one of the designs, maybe that very first sun that had been inked into his
skin.

"I could do this all day."

"Do you miss it? Watching the ink go on?" His back piece had been done for almost a year.

"I miss the afterward."

Jim felt his cheeks flare. "Me too."

"Mmm, we'll find something to replace it. Maybe this, eh baby?"

He suspected that the design would start covering his legs, his belly.

Like Marcus had heard his thoughts, he continued. "Or maybe we'll just have to expand the
tattoo. It's not like there aren't still milestones to mark."

"I'm yours, Master." Whatever Marcus decided, he would fly.

"I know." Marcus' tongue was hotter than the water.

"Every inch of me." He whimpered when Marcus' nails scraped across his skin.

"That's right, baby. Hand me the bottle of lube." They kept waterproof lube in the shower, for
just such situations.

"Yes..." He reached, knowing his ass would lift out of the water at the action.

As it did, Marcus bit his right ass cheek. Jim spread, the pain sharp, necessary. Then his master's
tongue pierced his hole. He pushed back, needing more.

A Torquere Press Toy Box - 11

Marcus backed off and slapped his ass. "Come back now, baby."

"Uh. Uh-huh." He slipped backward, pushing into Marcus' arms.

Marcus pulled on his chin, turning his face so his master could kiss him, plunder his mouth. He
opened wide, his neck straining as their kiss went deep, almost harsh. Marcus' tongue fucked his
mouth, and he nearly missed the finger wriggling into his ass. He didn't miss the second finger,
though, or the third.

"So tight, baby. So good."

"Yours. Master." He loved.

"That's right. Mine." Marcus' fingers spread him wide.

The burn had him bucking up, his body fighting to pull away. Growling in his ear, Marcus
wrapped his free hand around Jim's hip, tugging him back into the invasion. He whimpered.
Burned. It burned so good.

"Gonna take you. You're going to feel so tight around me."

"Please." He gripped around Marcus' fingers, squeezing hard.

"Patience, baby."

Jim groaned, nodded. "It's so hard, Master. I need so badly."

"I know. It'll be that much better for wanting it so badly."

He closed his eyes, made himself relax, breathe.

"There you go, baby." Marcus' fingers slid away, and the blunt, hard head of his master's cock
pushed at him. The heated rod slid into him, sank into his body and filled him. "Baby... oh,
baby." Marcus' hands wrapped around his hips, tugged him back harder.

"Yes." The water splashed up around them; the bathroom was going to be a mess.

"Lean into it, baby."

Jim leaned back, taking Marcus in deeper. Marcus' mouth slid along his jaw, hips punching up
into him, sending the thick cock into him over and over. His belly went rock-hard, his muscles
fighting to add to the thrusts. Strong fingers wrapped around his prick, holding him tight. Jim
fucked himself between hand and cock, over and over.

"That's it, baby. So good. So good." Free hand sliding, Marcus stroked over his now bare skin.

A Torquere Press Toy Box - 12

It was. So good. Perfect. He would have laughed if he could breathe.

Biting kisses spread over his back shoulders, Marcus' sounds ringing in his ears. He knew those
sounds, knew how much Marcus wanted him. The water sloshed violently, rolling back and forth
in the tub as they fucked.

"Harder, Master. Please. Please..." He pushed himself down, felt Marcus' balls push against his.

Marcus groaned and shifted them, putting him on his knees and surging into him. The thick cock
went deeper like this and hit his gland.

"Yes!" His cry echoed, bouncing off the tiles as he tightened around the flesh inside him.

Marcus' hands wrapped around his hips, pulling him back into each hard thrust. He could feel the
connection between them, could hear it in the slap of their flesh together. His orgasm built, the
coil of need getting tighter and tighter inside him. Marcus knew somehow, one big hand moving
to his cock, playing with it, teasing him by tapping the ring holding his cock and balls tight.

He chuckled, the sound desperate and wild.

"Patience, baby. It won't be long now." The words were whispered against his spine, the hard
thrusts coming faster, harder.

He nodded. He knew. He did. He believed. He could feel every inch of Marcus' prick filling him.
He could feel every touch as Marcus stroked his cock, his balls, and the skin around them. Then,
his Master's hand worked the ring off.

He started panting, fighting the need to come, waiting for that command.

"I love you, Jim."

"Love you." Jim smiled, his body shuddering.

Marcus held his cock tight and pounded into him. "Come for me, baby. Together. Now."

His muscles screamed as he gripped the side of the tub, and so did the rest of him, his spunk
arching up over the water. He could feel Marcus' heat filling him, shooting deep inside him.

It seemed to take forever before his muscles let go, let him relax back. Marcus sat back in the
tub, drawing him carefully back so they were pressed together again. Stroking the skin around
his cock, Marcus rubbed against him, surrounding him in sensation and love.

He kissed the edge of his Master's jaw and floated.

A Torquere Press Toy Box - 13

Leave Your Worries Behind

by Winnie Jerome

The maintenance light on Nathan's car flashed and the sight of it caused him to grumble in
frustration. He could barely afford to feed himself on his paycheck, but if his car ever failed, he
would lose his job as a pizza delivery driver.

"Just what I fucking need," Nathan muttered to himself. His week was so much the suck -- he
hadn't heard back on yet another set of employment applications, there was a cockroach
infestation at his place, a loose Rottweiler had almost cost him a chunk of skin, and his bastard
ex had dropped by.

This kind of reflected his life in general. Here he was, out of college for only a couple of years
and going nowhere fast. He wasn't sure if he'd have the chance to do more than shit jobs for the
rest of his life. The day to day struggle to just keep himself going was starting to frustrate him,
and his search for work was pretty fruitless.

At least his best friend Cory was doing better. He had a clerical gig and he'd struck gold by
hooking up with Zachary Barlowe. Zach had it all -- he was great looking, intelligent, and a
successful businessman.

All of that combined should have made Zach a king-sized asshole, but just to add to his "too
good to be true" resume, he was also one of the nicest guys on Earth. Nathan still remembered
the time he was laid up after his emergency appendectomy -- Zach had floated him some money
last year so that he could cover the bill, and was there with Cory to help out while he recovered.

To this day, Nathan was grateful as hell that Zach had offered the no interest loan. On his wages,
and with no insurance, the only way he could have come up with the dough was to dress in his
tightest clothes and start lurking on street corners.

Although if Zach had been single and had tried to cut a deal like the one in Indecent Proposal,
Nathan would have dived into bed so fast that he'd have created a sonic boom in his wake.

True, Zach was forty-one, a full seventeen years older than Cory and Nathan, but that didn't
matter since he was a walking wet dream. He had a full head of honey blond hair, an ass that
wouldn't quit, and toned muscles that rivaled Cory's. His square-jawed good looks defied the
passage of time, and although he was a mellow guy, there was just something... predatory lurking
behind those calm blue eyes.

Nathan tried not to think too much about Zach, since that would open up a can of worms that he
wanted to keep buried. The first time Cory had brought Zachary over, Nathan's dick almost
poked a hole in his jeans. He was horrified at his reaction, so he tried his summon up as many
boner killing images as possible.

He had it under control now, and it helped that he usually hung out with just Cory instead of both
of them. It wasn't a loss -- he wasn't sure what he and Zach had in common, anyway.

A Torquere Press Toy Box - 14

His car made a strange clunk when he pulled up to the driveway of Zach and Cory's house, but
he ignored it. It was coffee hour -- he always picked up Cory after his shift was done on
Saturday, so that they could grab something to drink at Starbucks and bitch.

Cory had texted him to go through the back, so Nathan unlatched the gate and walked through.
The pool looked inviting as always, but Nathan made a beeline for the black-haired man sunning
himself on the back deck. Sweat beaded on the carefully sculpted muscles of the guy's tanned
chest and arms, earned from many long hours at the gym. Any hair on his arms, legs, and torso
had been waxed off to maximize the display of his ripped physique.

This was Nathan’s other problem -- he'd had a crush on Cory as long as he could remember, but
his friend didn’t seem interested. After a failed half-hearted pass in high school, Nathan also had
to file lusting after Cory in his mental Don’t Go There box.

That was a long time ago, and Nathan didn’t want to push it, especially when needling Cory was
almost as satisfying as slobbering over him.

Cory hadn’t budged an inch during Nathan's internal debate, so Nathan cleared his throat and
said, "Delivery for Mr. Cory Wilson. We have another hot sugar daddy for you."

"Don't need one and you know it."

"You have got to be shitting me," Nathan replied. "There's no way you can afford the rent on this
place. Zach has to be paying for it all."

Cory lowered his sunglasses and peered at Nathan over the rim. "Way. He just scales it down to
something I can afford and I make up the rest by running errands for him."

"Errands," Nathan said while he made quotation marks in the air. "You mean you wiggle your
ass when you bend over to get the laundry."

"You know, that's a pretty pathetic fantasy, even for you. Guess it makes up for the lousy lays
you keep grabbing."

Nathan responded by flipping Cory off. "I didn't hook up with Cameron when I was a freshman.
Did that loser have anything going for him?"

Cory crossed his arms over his chest and smirked. "Oh yeah. A nice, big, juicy c--"

"TMI! I so do not want to hear about your ex's junk!"

"You're such a wimp," Cory said. He rose to his feet so that he could flick his finger at Nathan's
ear. "At least Cam wasn't obsessive like Tyler. I can't believe you went out with him."

Nathan batted Cory’s hand away and growled. "Don't remind me, he came by yesterday to try to

A Torquere Press Toy Box - 15

get into my pants."

"He what?"

"You heard me. I told him to take a hike. God, someone needs to buy him a clue."

Cory made a sympathetic noise and slung his arm around Nathan’s shoulders. "It’s a great idea,
but you know what’s really going to happen; he’ll keep stalking you..."

"Unless I can completely avoid him for two weeks. Gah." Nathan threw his hands up in the air.
"What the fuck do I do?"

"Stay here."

"What? Are you high?"

"You said it yourself -- you need to get the Hell out for two weeks. And we have the space."

"I don't have any clothes packed, you stupid fucker." Nathan was tempted by the offer, but he
really couldn't. He needed to change the subject, fast. "Where is your boyfriend, anyway?"

"It's crunch time, so he had to pull some extra hours today. And you can grab your things after
dinner."

"You're totally nutfucked."

"Come on, you'll like it. Don't make me sling your butt inside and tie you to the bed."

A tiny voice in his head said that might not be a bad thing after all, but Nathan stomped it flat
and chucked it into the Don't Go There box where it belonged. Why in hell was that epic fail of
an idea coming back? "Ew. No thanks. I don’t feel like having Zach kick my ass up and down
the street."

To Nathan’s surprise, Cory laughed so hard at his statement that he was doubled over. "What the
shit is so funny?"

Cory wheezed and then managed to get his composure back. "You wouldn’t get it. Look, things
suck for you right now and it'd be good to get away. I can offer you free booze, if that'll help.
Zach's clients always send him complimentary bottles of rosé."

"Cory! I still owe him money! I can't keep sponging off of him."

"You're not sponging. If Zach wasn’t fine with the loan, he wouldn’t have offered. He won’t hold
it against you and he likes having guests."

This really, really was a bad idea, but Nathan was tired of all of the shit that had been dumped on

A Torquere Press Toy Box - 16

his head. It wasn't as if he didn’t have practice ignoring Cory and Zach’s hotness -- a few cold
showers and copious time with his hand was a minor inconvenience compared to everything else.
"Okay, fine."

"Knew you'd come around," Cory said. "Make yourself at home while I call my man. Oh, and I
already opened a bottle today, help yourself."

He waved toward the open sliding glass door to drive his point home. Nathan stuck his tongue
out at Cory for being a smug bastard and then strolled inside. As Cory had indicated, there was a
corked bottle sitting on the kitchen counter, so Nathan poured himself a glass of wine and then
wandered into the living room.

He flopped down on the carpet in front of one of the leather couches and glanced around. A high
definition flat screen TV was mounted on one wall. To the right was a large shelf for books and a
cabinet with a very modern, angular design. Both pieces of furniture were mounted about a two
feet off the ground, allowing room below for various DVDs.

Nathan took a swig of his alcohol and tried to find a good program, but nothing appealed. He
finally settled on a movie he had seen before.

It was about three-quarters over, but that gave Nathan the opportunity to finish his glass and
refill it. After the movie's credits rolled, he was scanning the DVD collection for something else
to watch when he heard Cory saying, "Jesus, stop looking for porn."

That sentence caused Nathan to gasp while he was drinking and the liquid went down the wrong
pipe. He coughed and sputtered until Cory thumped his back a few times.

"You have to learn to chill out. Where'd your sense of humor go?"

Nathan set his glass down and glared at Cory. "It left when I saw your ugly-ass face."

"Ugly, huh?" The next moment, Cory grabbed Nathan and put him in a headlock.

"Ow, you douche bag! Leggo of me! Your pits stink!"

"Then take a good whiff," Cory replied while he jammed the aforementioned area toward
Nathan’s nose.

Nathan made a gagging noise and tried to struggle free. Cory responded by manhandling Nathan
again and sticking a very wet finger into his ear.

"God damn it, I hate that!" Nathan howled. He elbowed Cory in the ribs and that distracted Cory
long enough that he could wriggle free and pounce.

They tumbled around on the carpet, cursing and laughing. Nathan wasn't as built as Cory was,
but he knew a few dirty tricks. He dug his thumb into a nerve bundle, which caused Cory to

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wrench backward; right into Nathan's abandoned glass.

Nathan tried to reach for it, but he felt like he was moving through molasses. He watched
helplessly as his drink spilled out, leaving a wet spot.

"Oh fuck!" Nathan said. The carpet had been laid down only a month ago, and Cory had told him
that it was pretty damn expensive. "Fucking fuck!"

"Looks like I missed the excitement," a deep voice replied from the foyer.

Nathan cringed. As if things couldn’t get worse, Zach had just walked in at the exact wrong
moment. If he was lucky, he would be shown the door. If he was unlucky, he'd have to sell all of
his possessions and a few major organs to make up for the cost of the damage.

Cory shocked him out of his daze by slapping the back of his head. "Stop looking like your Mom
caught you sneaking in after midnight. Zach’s got it covered."

"What?" Nathan finally glanced over to where Zach was standing and saw that he was dressed in
his usual expensive suit. His tie had been loosened, but he was holding a huge sawed-down
cardboard box which enclosed a number of containers of various shapes and sizes.

Zach's blue eyes sparkled with a soft amusement. "I specifically picked out that reddish-brown
color because I didn’t want to worry about party faults. Wine stains don’t show up against it."

Cory untangled himself from Nathan and disappeared into the kitchen for a brief moment. He
returned with a towel and tossed it in Nathan’s direction. "Soak it up while I help Zach with the
food. So babe, what’s for dinner?"

Zach replied, "I stopped off at our favorite Greek restaurant. Could you get some retsina from the
wine rack, Cory?"

"I’m on it," Cory replied. "Hey, hurry up and clean your mess, Nathan. The sooner it’s gone, the
sooner we eat."

Nathan went to work and sponged away as much of the wetness as he could. He was glad that
Zach was right -- he really couldn't see the stain in the carpet.

When he finished, he washed up and then went into the dining room. Cory had placed three
goblets of white wine on the table, and had spooned what was in the containers into the
appropriate serving dishes. Spiced lamb kebabs rested on a bed of rice, surrounded by what
looked like rolled up leaves and wedges of feta cheese. Plates of some sort of thick, soft flat
bread cut into triangles were scattered about the table, along with a dip that Nathan didn't
recognize.

"Help yourself," Zach said. He gestured toward the bowl filled what looked like a pinkish
whipped cream cheese. "I think you'll enjoy the taramosalata."

A Torquere Press Toy Box - 18

Nathan dove in without hesitation. Even though he'd never had Greek food before, he always
trusted Zach's judgment. He dipped a triangle of the bread into the bowl, scooped up a generous
dollop, and popped the food into his mouth. It was heaven -- the perfect balance of caviar, tart
lemon, and salt, all in a creamy base.

He couldn't help himself and he let out a moan of appreciation. "Holy shit, that's good."

"Wash it down with your drink," Cory said.

That seemed like a good suggestion, so Nathan took a sip of the retsina. The strong pine taste
took a while to get used to, but it complimented the sharp flavors of the taramosalata.

Nathan raised his glass. "Thanks for bringing dinner. This is way beyond awesome."

"You deserve it," Zach said. "Cory told me that you needed to blow off some steam."

"Hell yeah. My house is a fucking war zone and fucking Tyler won’t leave me alone."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Zach replied. He got up out of his chair and circled over to Nathan's side.
"A warm, giving person like you deserves someone better."

There was something about the intense way that Zach was gazing at Nathan that made his heart
skip. His DGT thought box was breaking apart and he needed a distraction fast.

The first thing that jumped into his mind was to pretend to be busy eating more taramosalata.
Unfortunately, he had overestimated how much his bread could hold, and a splatter of dip fell
onto his chin. Nathan sucked in a sharp breath when Zach reached forward and wiped off the
smear with his thumb.

"You wouldn't want to waste that." Zach's voice had dropped down to a throaty rasp and the
sound of it made Nathan's cock stir in his jeans.

"Guh... I..." He glanced over in Cory's direction, expecting a jealous reaction, but all he saw was
an expression of approval.

Zach's thumb nudging at his mouth seized Nathan's attention, and he turned his head back. The
intense, hungry glint in those blue eyes drew him in, and he forgot about anything else. His lips
parted slowly and his heart thudded faster when Zach slid the digit inside. Time seemed to slow
while his tongue flickered around, cleaning off Zach's skin with brief swipes.

"Good boy," Zach said, before replacing the thumb with his mouth.

The ground felt like it had been yanked out from under Nathan's feet. Zach kissed like a force of
nature, taking what he wanted until Nathan was breathless.

A Torquere Press Toy Box - 19

A hot tongue licked at Nathan's jaw and was followed by small nips on the sensitive flesh of his
throat. His head began to spin from those tiny bites, and he was pliant while Zach pulled him to
his feet, yanked off his T-shirt, and dragged their bodies together.

He gasped when he felt the hard ridge of Zach's cock. All of his restraint from the past few years
shattered, and the room felt as if someone had turned the heat up past the maximum setting. He
needed relief fast -- he stripped off the rest of his clothes in record time and tried to do the same
to Zach.

Nathan's horniness caused him to suffer a massive co-ordination fail, and he sputtered when he
couldn't get his fingers to work on the tiny buttons on Zach's shirt.

Zach just chuckled and said, "Let me."

He popped each button one at a time, and Nathan was enraptured by Zach's slow revealing of his
tanned, firm chest. Once he shrugged the garment off, Nathan couldn't wait any longer. He
lunged forward and wrenched open the fly of Zach's pants.

"Someone's eager."

"Hell yeah," Nathan said. He coaxed out Zach's firm cock and licked his lips when he saw how
sizable it was. "Holy fuck."

Zach smirked and kicked off the rest of his clothes. He wrapped his hand around his erection and
tugged on it until a bead of liquid formed at the tip. "Like what you see?"

Nathan made a strangled noise that didn't resemble any form of rational speech. Watching Zach
offer himself up like that sent his brain into complete overload and blew out everything except
for a couple of cells. Zach killed the last two by pulling Nathan close and capturing his lips again
for another one of those bone-melting kisses.

When they parted, Zach spun Nathan around and bent him over dinner table. He felt Zach's hot
dick slotting in the cleft of his ass cheeks and liquid fire raced through his blood when Zach
began to rub against him. Nathan's fingers dug into the table cloth and he squirmed, trying to
maximize the touch of skin against skin.

Zach leaned forward, and his chest hair tickled Nathan's back while he nibbled and sucked every
patch of flesh he could reach. Nathan whimpered and he felt like he was going to die soon if
Zach didn't get inside of him. "Please..."

"Cory? Can you get the supplies out of my pants pocket?" Zach said.

"You planned this?" Nathan couldn't believe it.

"What do you think I was doing on the phone?" Cory replied while he pulled a small packet of
lube and a condom out of Zach's discarded clothing. He passed the items over to Zach and then

A Torquere Press Toy Box - 20

he headed out of the room.

"Have fun," he called out while he was leaving.

Nathan was about to ask another question, but that went out the window because Zach had eased
two slick fingers into him. He started pushing back, eager for more.

Zach leaned over and nipped at his ear. "Look at you, fucking yourself on my hand. You're so
eager for my cock."

"Yes," Nathan choked out.

Nathan heard the condom packet being ripped open and the vague rustling sound of the latex
sheath being rolled on. There was a brief pause, and then he felt the blunt head of Zach's slippery
hard-on nudging his hole.

Nathan gave a nod of encouragement, and then Zach pushed in, sliding forward until he was
buried in up to the hilt. Being stretched and filled so perfectly made Nathan groan -- this was
better than any of his fantasies, and it got even better when Zach began to move.

The first thrust was long and slow, but Nathan almost launched off the table because it glided
over his prostate. Zach held him down and repeated the motion, and Nathan cried out as jolts
crackled through his body. He rotated his pelvis, desperate for more friction.

"You're acting like a complete slut. You'd do anything to get more of my cock," Zach grunted.

He sped up and Nathan tried push back and meet him with equal force. "Oh God, yes."

"I bet you'd even let me bend you over in public, where anyone could see my dick splitting that
tight little ass of yours open."

A bolt of lust shot through Nathan and he crushed the tablecloth between his fingers. The
imagery that Zach's words conjured up and the constant rubbing against his sweet spot was
reducing him to a quivering wreck.

Through heavy-lidded eyes, he saw Zach reaching over him for the dish of taramosalata. Zach
swirled his fingers in the creamy dip and then brought them to Nathan's mouth. Without any
prompting, Nathan wrapped his lips around them and hollowed his cheeks while he sucked.

Zach's next stroke wavered, but then he rammed in hard, making stars dance in front of Nathan's
eyes before his grip tightened and he started pounding away. Nathan's pleas grew in volume and
became louder and more broken as Zach kept him teetering on the edge.

Zach finally reached down and grabbed Nathan's cock. That one touch was enough, and Nathan
screamed as he shot all over the tablecloth. His internal muscles clamped down and Zach cursed
before jabbing rapidly into him, gaining speed until Nathan was shoved into the middle of the

A Torquere Press Toy Box - 21

table by one last thrust. Zach's hips continued to move in a jerky fashion, and his entire body
stiffened while he rode out his orgasm.

Moments later, he slumped down, and Nathan reached back to pet Zach's hair. A while passed
before Zach finally stirred. "I have to get rid of the condom."

"I'll just lie here; I'm dead."

Zach chuckled and gave Nathan a brief kiss between the shoulder blades. He pulled out and
Nathan already missed the feel of the man against his back.

He closed his eyes and floated in bliss until he heard footsteps padding back into the room. "So,
what's next?"

Cory said, "I don't know, are you up for sloppy seconds?"

Nathan eagerly flipped over but he frowned when he saw that Cory was still dressed. "Why are
you wearing clothes?"

"You've been drooling over Zach for as long as I can remember, but I wasn't sure if you still
wanted me."

Nathan wrapped his legs around Cory's thighs and dragged him closer. "Shut the fuck up. If you
two don't wear me out tonight, I'm going to kick your ass up and down the street."

"Then let's stop talking and start doing..."

Nathan spent what must have been the best evening ever making sure that Zach and Cory met his
goal. They moved everything back to the bedroom, and after giving Nathan another two mind-
blowing orgasms, Zach and Cory fell asleep.

Nathan was still awake, as he wasn't used to this new arrangement. He was on his back, with
Cory sprawled half-on and half-off of him. Zach was curled up behind Cory, and his hand was
draped across Cory's hip, just resting above his bare crotch.

It had surprised Nathan to find out that Cory had gotten rid of his pubes. He knew that Cory
waxed, but it seemed a bit extreme to get rid of all of the hair down there. He'd tried to ask about
it earlier, but Cory stopped him cold by sucking on his nipples. After that, he'd been kept so
occupied that he didn't have a chance to think about it until now.

Nathan wanted to reflect more on Cory's hairlessness, but something more urgent demanded his
attention. He poked Cory in the arm. "Wake up. I need to pee."

Cory mumbled something and just tightened his grip. However, Zach rolled over, and Nathan
decided to switch tactics. He shoved himself to the opposite side of the bed, hoping to wriggle
out from underneath the bulky form pinning him down.

A Torquere Press Toy Box - 22

Unfortunately, he wound up launching both of them off the mattress, and they tumbled in a
messy heap onto the carpet. When Nathan landed, he slammed his funny bone on the nightstand.
"Fuck! Ow!"

"Wha?" Cory replied.

"Oh, now you’re awake." Nathan rubbed his elbow and guessed that he hadn't yelled that loud,
because Zach hadn’t budged an inch. Strangely enough, now that he was an eye level with the
floor, he spotted something that looked like a tool chest underneath the bed. "Hey, what's that?"

Cory pulled out the box and lifted the lid. "Well, you had to find out sooner or later."

"Let me guess, you have a set of handcuffs... holy shit!"

Joking about Cory being kinky was one thing, but seeing the amount of gear in the box was
another. There was practically an entire store full of harnesses, toys, rope, gags, and other
equipment.

Nathan was dumbfounded. He'd had no idea that Cory was into that stuff, but now he put two
and two together. "So, that's why..." he gestured towards Cory's hairless crotch and nuts.

"Yeah, and don't worry. Neither Zach nor I expect you to do anything."

"Uh, that's good," Nathan replied. "Right... bathroom."

After he relieved himself, Nathan paused at the sink. When he had first heard about BDSM, he
didn't understand the thrill behind it. He wasn't sure how anyone could get off on pain.

Oh well, this wouldn't be a problem, as it wasn't like they were going to be doing something
permanent. He'd just have a fun time and ride it out for all he was worth.

***

At the end of the two weeks, Nathan had to eat his words. He'd gotten used to coming home at
the end of another lousy day, only to forget his troubles when Cory tackled him.

Even though the sex was great, what he really was going to miss was staying up late with Zach
afterward and venting. It wasn't that Cory wasn’t sympathetic, but he really didn’t like talking
about "emo shit". When Nathan had Zach’s ear, he knew he’d be listened to.

On the other hand, Nathan felt like he'd put a crimp in Cory and Zach's sex life. They'd been
holding off from doing anything BDSM-related around him, and from what little Zach had let
slip, it was a pretty big part of their bedroom activities.

So he could continue on his way, and they'd keep going on in some sort of casual arrangement. It

A Torquere Press Toy Box - 23

should have sounded perfect, but that's not what Nathan wanted. He was falling for Zach, much
as he tried to avoid it, and there was no way he could get closer if he just showed up once in a
while. Nathan also started questioning his previous attitude -- there had to be something good
about kinky play if Cory and Zach were so into it.

After a lot of thinking, he stomped down the hallway into the living room, where Cory and Zach
were lounging about on the couch.

"I'm tired of being the vanilla one," he said.

Cory blinked and looked at Nathan. "Say what?"

"I'm tired of holding you two back. I didn't understand this stuff when I heard it, but I want to,
uh..." Words failed him, especially with Zach looking so intently at him. "Do... things with you."

Zach gestured for Nathan to sit down next to him, and he tottered over on unsteady legs, feeling
like a little kid who had been sent to the principal. "I don't think you know what you're getting
into."

"But..." Nathan tried to use various gestures to somehow communicate what was going through
his head.

Zach put a finger under his chin. "Calm down. Now, what do you want?"

"Um... I just... I like being with both of you, and I don't want it to stop. I want to learn more." He
mumbled the last few words quickly.

"Are you sure?" Zach said.

Nathan nodded and looked down at the carpet. "I... just... yeah. I'm not totally clueless, I let a
couple of boyfriends tie me up, but we were just goofing around. I want the real thing."

Cory said, "What if you freak out?"

"I won't freak out, you loser." He was about to jump Cory and treat him to a round of noogies for
that crack, but Zach restrained him.

"How about if I just have you help me? Then you can see if you like it?" Zach said.

"Sounds good."

Zach looked at Cory. "Will you be willing to educate Nathan?"

Cory paused for a moment and then nodded.

"It's settled, then." Zach turned to Nathan. "Get Cory undressed and prep his ass, but don't let

A Torquere Press Toy Box - 24

him come. When he’s lubed up, join me in the bathroom."

The softness disappeared from Zach's eyes. His gaze was hard and commanding, but there was
something about it that Nathan found arousing.

He returned his focus on Cory. "You'll obey Nathan, you understand, boy?"

Cory bowed his head and looked at the ground. "Yes."

Zach said to Nathan, "If you hear him saying 'panther', stop whatever it is you're doing, no
questions asked. Is that clear?"

"Crystal," Nathan said.

Zach nodded and then left the room. Now that he was gone, Nathan wasn't sure what to do.
Cory's head was still tilted downward, and he didn't move a muscle.

"Uh, stand up," Nathan said.

He was sure that his verbal flailing was going to earn him a snarky comment, but Cory did as
Nathan ordered without any fuss. Feeling a bit bolder, Nathan stood front of Cory and guided his
broad arms over his head.

Cory went along with it, and his unquestioning submission sent a thrill through Nathan's body.
His breath sped up while he pulled Cory's T-shirt off, and he couldn't help running his hands
over that powerful torso, admiring the firmness of each ripped muscle.

He heard a hiss when he stroked Cory's nipples with his thumbs, but there was no other noise.
Nathan moved lower, pausing for a brief moment before popping open the button on Cory's
jeans. He took his time pulling the zipper down, since Cory always went commando, and he
could see the outline of Cory's erection straining against the material.

One swift jerk had the denim pooling around Cory's legs, and Nathan guided him to step out of
the garment. Once Cory was naked, Nathan circled around, admiring the perfect curves of his
bare ass.

"Bend over," Nathan said.

Heat coiled in Nathan's stomach when Cory slid down to his knees and put his head on the
couch. Cory reached back and pulled himself open so that his hole was exposed to Nathan's gaze.

Nathan positioned himself behind Cory, and then leaned forward so that he could lick around the
puckered flesh. His prick twitched when he heard a soft gasp, but it wasn't enough for him. He
stabbed his tongue in, but Cory just sucked in a harsher breath.

That's when it occurred to Nathan why Cory was being so silent.

A Torquere Press Toy Box - 25

"Say something," he said, before he resumed pushing his tongue into the musky opening.

"Fuck," Cory breathed out and Nathan's cock filled in response. This is what he wanted -- to hear
Cory coming apart under his hands. He continued lapping, and he reached down to rub his palm
over his stiff hard-on while Cory squirmed from his ministrations.

After a while, Nathan pulled back with reluctance and fished out the emergency lube that was
hidden inside one of the cabinets. He coated his fingers and paused to drink in the sight of Cory's
gorgeous body laid out in front of him, with his ass pointed in the air and his cheeks spread wide.
Nathan resisted the temptation to slide his dick in, and settled for using his finger instead.

Cory was tight as hell, but Nathan wasn't surprised. He'd been on the receiving end of everything
for the last two weeks, so it made sense that Cory would need some stretching. He took his time,
and once Cory was ready, he pulled out his fingers and gave his next order.

"Get your butt over to where Zach is." While his command was being obeyed, Nathan tossed off
his clothes and then trotted over to the bathroom right on Cory's heels.

Zach was waiting, and he was already naked. He was kneeling on a large towel and there was a
bowl and a washcloth laid out beside him. A bar of shaving soap was nearby, as was a small
leather case and a condom.

When he saw them, he said in a harsh voice, "Lie down, boy. Nathan, just stand over there and
stay quiet. Don't do anything until I say so."

Taking a cue from Cory, Nathan just nodded and moved over to the spot in the corner that Zach
had indicated.

Cory scrambled onto the towel and positioned himself so that he was on his back with his ass
near Zach's knees. His legs were splayed open, and he was so eager that the moisture from his
prick was leaking onto his stomach.

Zach touched the back of his hand to Cory's face for a brief second, and they looked at each
other with so much intensity that Nathan could feel the anticipation and suspense thrumming
between them. The mood had suddenly changed, and Nathan was afraid to make any
inappropriate sounds that would shatter the spell.

Zach pressed a brief kiss to Cory's lips and then settled onto his knees. He dragged Cory's hips
onto his powerful thighs and paused for a moment to trace his fingers over the dusting of stubble
forming on the otherwise smooth skin laid out in front of him.

Cory bit his lip, but he didn't say anything. His chest was rising and falling more rapidly now,
and his breath hitched when Zach dampened the washcloth and used it to follow the path that had
been mapped out earlier.

A Torquere Press Toy Box - 26

Nathan felt himself hardening while he watched Zach stroke the cloth over Cory's crotch and
balls with careful, almost reverent motions, each touch making Cory squirm and whimper. The
shaving soap followed, and Cory's wiggling increased.

"Hold still," Zach barked. Cory froze in place immediately.

Zach washed his hands in the basin and dried them before he picked up the case and pulled out a
straight razor. Nathan barely prevented himself from gasping out loud when he saw the
instrument. There was no way that Cory was going to let something that sharp near his nuts, was
he? If Zach slipped...

He glanced over at Cory, and his friend's reaction stunned him. Despite the obvious tremble in
Cory's hands, his dark gaze had an expression of complete trust. That serenity eased the knot in
Nathan's stomach and he let out the breath that he'd been holding.

Zach paid no attention to that unspoken exchange. His brows were furrowed in concentration
while he touched the blade to a patch of skin near the juncture of Cory's right thigh. He moved
upward, swiping the razor over Cory's skin in an unhurried motion.

Cory sucked in a small breath, and he balled his hands into fists. His breathing was more rapid
now, and his pupils were starting to dilate from arousal.

Nathan realized that Cory must be experiencing an adrenaline rush. Cory looked painfully hard,
and he was starting to pant on a constant basis as the shaving implement moved across his
crotch. His expression was so open and vulnerable -- Nathan could see that he was giving
everything to Zach, baring himself in a way that he never would to anyone else. It was the most
sensual thing Nathan had ever seen, and he wanted desperately to touch himself.

Nathan's breath caught again when Zach gently lifted Cory's throbbing dick and began guiding
the razor over the crinkled sac below. The tension in the air grew so thick that Nathan could
almost taste it in his mouth, and it was hard for him to keep watching.

He shouldn't have worried -- Zach continued to shave Cory with assured, unwavering strokes,
and each swipe bared more newly smooth flesh. Zach's prick was only semi-hard, but Cory was
aroused to an almost painful degree. The skin over the head of his straining cock was turning
purple and looked stretched tight, and he was dripping so much that a small puddle had formed
on his stomach.

Zach flicked the razor one last time and reached for the washcloth again. When the wet towel
touched Cory, he relaxed with a shudder and let out a moan that was so obscene that it made a
bolt of desire shoot through Nathan's groin.

"Good boy." Zach's voice was raspy with need.

He finished cleaning off the last of the soap and then he wrapped his hands around Cory's waist.
He pulled Cory upright and smashed their lips together. Zach's erection roared to full hardness

A Torquere Press Toy Box - 27

while their kissing grew in ferocity, a total contrast to the iron control they both had exerted
earlier. Cory writhed against Zach and ground their erections together until the two of them were
moaning loudly.

Zach tore his lips from Cory's and growled, "You want to be filled, don't you?"

"Please..." Cory replied. He rolled his hips again, smearing pre-come all over Zach's stomach.

Zach grabbed the condom and gave it to Cory. "Put it on."

Nathan noticed that Cory's fingers were shaking while he rolled the latex onto Zach's cock. His
teeth worried his lower lip and every inch of him was quivering, making his motions clumsy.

Once he was done, Zach positioned himself underneath Cory's hole and let his erection brush
against it. When Cory let out a small whimper, Zach grabbed his ass and pulled him down,
slamming in with one stroke.

"Yes!" Cory dug his fingers into Zach's shoulders. "More..."

Zach snapped his hips, which made Cory shout out a loud curse and clutch Zach hard enough to
leave bruises. Nathan felt like he was going to explode while he watched Zach's thick cock
plunging in; his lust flared even hotter when he saw how Cory writhed and thrashed like a wild
animal with each deep jab.

Zach nipped Cory's shoulder and said in a low purr, "Feels good to have my mark on you again.
Who owns you, boy?"

"You do!" Cory replied.

"Come over here so that you can fuck his mouth," Zach said to Nathan.

Nathan scrambled to obey. Zach continued to hammer into Cory at a brutal pace, and the sound
of his balls slapping against Cory's butt made Nathan groan in frustration.

Once Nathan was next to them, Zach stilled so that Nathan could stand beside them and guide his
aching hard-on into Cory's mouth. When Nathan was about halfway in, he rocked forward a little
and pulled back, trying to gauge how deep he could go.

Cory whimpered around his shaft, and then sucked hard enough to make Nathan's eyes roll back
into his head. He plunged forward on reflex, craving more of that volcanic heat and wetness.

He was amazed when Cory took his entire length without gagging and then let out a soft moan of
encouragement. Taking the hint, Nathan threaded his fingers through Cory's hair and began to
thrust in earnest, sawing his dick between those kiss-swollen lips while he tried to drive himself
toward his release. Zach started up again and matched Nathan's rhythm, pounding in from below
while Cory's muffled cries vibrated around Nathan's throbbing flesh.

A Torquere Press Toy Box - 28

"Pull out," Zach said to Nathan. "I want to hear him."

Nathan scrambled to pop his hard-on out, and once he was free, Zach shifted and jabbed upward.
Cory let out a full-throated wail that brought Nathan close to the bursting point.

"You like that, you cock whore," Zach hissed in Cory's ear. "You love feeling both of us sunk
balls deep inside of you, using you as our fuck toy."

"Yes," Cory moaned.

"You can't get enough spunk, can you? You're always hungry for it – you want to feel it on you,
dripping down your skin..."

"Yes... yesyesyes!" Cory sobbed out. His head fell back and thrashed from side to side while his
body twisted in Zach's arms.

Zach barked out to Nathan, "Finish yourself off. I want to see you come all over this slut's face."

Nathan didn't need to be told twice. He licked his palm and wrapped his hand around his
straining erection, pausing to squeeze the hard shaft before he started tugging on it. He felt his
balls drawing up way too soon and he tried to slow down, but then Cory's tongue flickered out
and swiped across the bulbous tip of his oversensitive flesh.

That sent him over the edge and he felt like the top of his head was blowing off while he spurted
over Cory's cheeks and throat, coating the skin with rivulets of pearly liquid. He noticed that
Zach's thrusts were getting ragged, so he made a show of rubbing his still jerking cock over
Cory's lips.

Zach snarled and began to slam into Cory at a frantic pace. Cory was screaming now, each cry
gaining in strength until he let out one last wail and his entire body convulsed. His prick jumped
and painted Zach's chest with fat, white drops. Zach shuddered and followed shortly after, still
pounding upward while he howled out Cory's name.

Cory's thrashing began to lose strength and he eventually went as limp as a rag doll in Zach's
arms. Nathan felt about the same -- he was dizzy as hell and his legs felt wobbly. He wasn't sure
if he could stand much longer.

A few seconds later, Zach leaned forward and licked Cory's face clean. Nathan felt a small stir in
his groin, but his mind had been blown by this session, and he was tired out.

"Move Cory to the bedroom while I finish putting everything away," Zach said.

He pulled out and Nathan eased a semi-conscious Cory to something resembling an upright
position. They stumbled into the bedroom, and Nathan dumped Cory onto the mattress before he
slid in beside his now passed out friend.

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While he was lying there, something clicked in Nathan's brain. He hadn't realized that BDSM
involved more than just pain, and he could see why this aspect of it appealed to Cory. While
Cory was doing a scene, his frustrations with the world could be left behind; all he had to do was
what Zach ordered, but he could still put the brakes on it whenever he wanted. It was the best of
both worlds, and Nathan looked forward to exploring more of it with his two lovers.

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Fireflies in the Bathtub

by Lee Benoit

"Paulo!"

A swirl of blood, bright against the pitted white porcelain of the sink, greeted Paulo when he
skidded into the little bathroom wearing nothing but a startled expression.

"I've cut myself shaving." Preston hated to admit it. Loss of fine motor control was bad enough,
but failing to manage an everyday task, one he'd completed for himself every day for thirty
years, was humiliating. "Damned arthritis," he muttered as Paulo rummaged in the medicine
cabinet for a styptic pencil.

The constant ache in Preston's hands was one of the reasons he'd stopped performing and giving
workshops as a Dom in his friend Tasim's club, though if he were honest he didn't miss the
spectacle all that much. How could he, with an adorable and morning-hard submissive earnestly
wetting and applying styptic to the cut on his jaw?

Still, Preston couldn't help but mourn the reduction in his ability to take care of himself.
"Nothing's helped," he said.

Paulo's bottomless brown eyes flew to his. "Somebody woke up on the wrong side of the bed,
sir." Preston thought he heard Paulo add "The self-pity side," but he couldn't be sure.

Paulo wasn't wrong. "I know Vovo's salve helps with the pain, and the OT gave you those
mobility exercises."

They shared a wince at the memory of the session with a relentlessly chipper young occupational
therapist. "Oh, you're gay," she'd enthused. "That's so sweet!"

"But I can't even shave my own beard." Okay, this was ridiculous. Preston sounded whiny even
to himself. What must Paulo think? "And there's so much I can't do for you," he added, trying to
save the moment by focusing on his lover.

Paulo set the pencil to one side and perched his high, tight butt on the edge of the sink. "If my
master will permit me to say so, this boy appreciates how imaginatively his master
compensates." Paulo reached for the can of shaving gel and gently reapplied foam where
Preston's first application had gone thin and bubbly.

Paulo only used formal master-boy language when he was uncertain of their dynamic or unsure
of what to do next. Preston pulled back a few inches and regarded his young love. Man up, he
thought to himself.

He let his voice relax into the tone he used in scenes, not quite subvocal, but deep and slow,
intimate. "This razor is the one my father bought me in a chemist's in Beirut when I was sixteen
and he was stationed there." He handed the old steel safety razor to Paulo, the unremarkable tool

A Torquere Press Toy Box - 31

elevated by his words. "I want you to serve me with it."

"Yes, master." Paulo's eyelids were at half-mast and his prick, already hard, gave a little leap. "If
master would turn toward the window?"

There wasn't a lot of light in the bathroom, just one square window set opposite the old tub
surround. Not the sexiest setting, Preston thought.

In that uncanny way of his, Paulo seemed to read his mind. "The humblest place is special with
you." Paulo ran the razor under the tap and started, very deliberately, to shave Preston. He
focused so closely on Preston's cheeks and jaw and neck that Preston could almost believe those
eyes were downcast in submission. Maybe they were. "Of course, if master wanted, this boy
could update the bathroom, especially if master will want shaving daily."

Preston waited until Paulo moved the razor far to the left, by Preston's ear, to answer. "It is
murky in here." The bathroom had been added when the house was first plumbed sometime after
the second world war, and unlike the rest of the house, there was no charm in its age.

"Mmm." Paulo hummed as he worked slowly over Preston's face, stopping often to rinse the
razor but never taking his free hand off Preston.

The tender gesture sent blood to his cock with a message: wake up! Preston waited, enjoying the
slow pulse of his own arousal. Any minute, he knew, Paulo's meandering hum would turn into a
song.

"Boy keeps shaving, boy keeps shaving..."

Preston grabbed Paulo's wrist and held the razor away from his face while he laughed. "Don't tell
me that's..."

"David Bowie, sir. You always say I need to broaden my horizons."

It wasn't true, of course. Paulo had the most far-ranging repertoire of anyone Preston knew. "I
told you we had a musical generation gap," he argued. "Seems I was wrong."

"Or perhaps this boy can be taught after all." Paulo finished up by running his warm fingers all
over Preston's face, feeling for missed spots. He toweled Preston off, rinsed the razor, and
emptied the sink before standing, wrist clasped behind him in his opposite hand, in what Preston
called his 'waiting pose.'

"Shower, I think, boy," Preston said. He palmed Paulo's erection roughly and the boy's nipples
perked. Preston's own erection nudged through the opening of his bathrobe and some spirit of
mischief made him bump it playfully against Paulo's. "Seems there are still a few bristles to take
care of."

"Yes, sir." Paulo grinned as he turned the knobs in the old tub. Preston sensed there was a touch

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of relief in his sub's expression -- this morning had had its share of potholes.

Under the spray, Preston fucked Paulo's mouth with a will, wondering idly how Paulo would
look with a spider gag. He came in hard pulses and dragged Paulo up beside him before Paulo
could do much more than lick his pierced cockhead. Paulo's blowjobs left him so sensitive. "Beat
off for me," he said, voice still rough with orgasm. He nudged Paulo under the spray so the water
struck Paulo's lovely chest and tantalizing nipples.

"I love it when you go all back alley on me, sir," Paulo gasped. "Love your voice." The babble
went on only a few more seconds as Paulo's hips rocketed back and forth, driving his prick
through his fist. His balls were so tight they weren't even swinging. His orgasm sent him back to
his knees, where his lips sought out Preston's now-slack dick and nursed at it lazily.

Preston enjoyed the spray for a few moments more before reaching to turn off the taps. His hand
twinged unpleasantly as he gripped them, but not enough to ruin the moment. Preston clung tight
to the reminder that trusting his body to Paulo wasn't weakness or failure. It didn't represent loss
of his Dominant status. Quite the opposite, as it had turned out.

Paulo rubbed and patted them both with a towel. "This bathroom is a disgrace, sir."

Preston couldn't argue with that, so he settled for a non-committal grunt.

As Preston had feared, Paulo wasn't so easily deterred. "Sir? Say you'll think about me fixing up
the bathroom? I'll bet I could have it done in time for your birthday."

Afterglow did wonderful things for Preston's agreeability, even with the mention of his looming
birthday. "Are you sure you have the time?"

"Who needs time, sir? I have cousins!"

***

Preston wasn't home yet when Uncle Rui and the boys left for the day, and the screech of the tile
saw rang in Paulo's ears as he sat in the space the new tub would occupy, sketching roughly on
the concrete backerboard. Preston would be home soon from his meeting with a new client. The
freelancing he did for his university's alumni magazine had caught the eye of whatever mid-level
administrator had charge of the school's annual report, a lucrative if unexciting job for Preston.
But needs must, as Preston sometimes said in those unguarded moments when he channeled
Tasim's precise, clipped tone.

Paulo's attention had meandered from his sketching. He had taken up the flat contractor's pencil
without any firm plan in mind, but what he saw when he refocused his attention surprised him.
Beside his scribbles -- rough ideas for a design for the tiles Rui and his cousins had been cutting
all day -- was a tiny, blinking miracle. A firefly had wandered in and perched on the steel-
colored wallboard. Paulo sat back to watch.

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Fireflies populated the garden, of course, and Paulo always thrilled to see them at dusk in
midsummer. But this little guy appeared to be a late-bloomer -- the tomatoes were already
ripening and summer was on the wane.

Blink-blink. Blink-blink.

Unconsciously, Paulo hummed along with the beetle's green flashes.

"Open my window and what flies on by
A crackle of fire with a flashing message for me."

Paulo grinned. "Oh You Pretty Things" was a damn fine tune; this Bowie jag was fun.

Before long a second firefly looped through the open window and took up the bass line. Paulo's
delighted laugh sent them both dark and still before they zoomed back outside, winking back and
forth in perfect time.

Unaccountably disappointed, Paulo climbed out of the depression that would hold their new spa
tub and left the bathroom, closing the window on the way. He washed up in the lavette off the
kitchen -- it sure would be nice to get back to bathing in the tub rather than taking bird-baths and
hose-downs -- and futzed around with supper. He didn't have the culinary touch his vovo did, but
his grandmother was generous with her techniques if not her gift. Some nice hard-cured linguiça,
the first fat tomatoes from the garden, a little basil, a little cilantro, and Paulo had a nice stew
bubbling.

Into the toaster oven he slipped a few slices of artisan bread from the new bakery he'd
discovered, and then tidied up. As he wiped the counter and polished the knives, he thought
about Preston's birthday. Was it adding a digit to his age that had his master so brittle these days?
Was it the new clients at the university? Those factors mattered, surely, but Paulo knew it was
Preston's hands that grieved him. Helplessness didn't sit well with Preston. Well, Paulo thought,
it didn't sit well with him either -- for his own part or Preston's.

As usual, singing helped.

"Birthday creeping up on me
Your giftless lover
Needs ideas
Under pressure…"

The kitchen darkened as Paulo fretted. He wished the fireflies from the bathroom would return
and as the thought formed, so, at last, did an idea. He hurried to make a call or two and hit pay
dirt with a call to his cousin Dex at his lab downtown.

When he heard Preston's tires crunch on the driveway, Paulo cracked four eggs to poach atop the
stewed tomatoes and managed to get his hands washed and dried before the door opened.

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Paulo wasn't the type of sub -- and Preston wasn't the type of Dom -- who stood on ceremony, so
Paulo didn't kneel to greet his master. It wasn't until after supper, after an update on Preston's
new client and Paulo's progress on the bathroom, when Preston mentioned, with a tentative air,
that he hadn't had time to shave before his meeting, that Paulo went to his knees.

"Let me serve, sir?" Paulo raised his eyes and waited for Preston's signal to stand. Instead of
leading him to the bathroom, Paulo grabbed a Thermos from the microwave and walked toward
the bedroom, where Preston burst out laughing. A wooden lawn chair was tilted all the way back,
and bowl of water sat on the nightstand where the old steel razor and a can of shaving gel waited.

Paulo grinned sheepishly. "I guess it's a little lowbrow, huh?"

"No, it's perfect. Very us," Preston assured him through rolling chuckles. He lowered himself
into the folding chair with a sigh. "Laughing with you makes me hard," he said.

"That is not what I expected you to say," Paulo said. And if his master had asked, Paulo would
have admitted that hearing Preston was hard brought an answering swell to his own dick.

He stripped and knelt between Preston spread legs, making a show of unscrewing the Thermos
jug and extracting a steaming towel.

He wrapped Preston's lower face and neck in the warm cloth the way he'd seen it done in old
movies when the hero visits the barber shop.

Preston's smile never faded. "Oh, yes, very us. Very you, Paulo. You're a revelation."

Paulo relaxed as he prepared the gel and rinsed the razor. It seemed Preston's ambivalence about
being shaved had passed, thanks be.

"Does this count as topping from below?" Paulo asked. It was something he'd worried about,
since he'd been the one to push on the shaving thing since the first day Preston had cut himself.
The memory of a time when Paulo had tried to manipulate his Dom, tried to make things better
without waiting for Preston's lead, tried to intrude. He didn't mean to undermine the authority
Preston exuded and he, Paulo, welcomed.

Preston's eyes had drifted closed under the steamy towel, but at Paulo's question they popped
open and sought Paulo's gaze. "No, boy, no. Your imagination is... more flexible than mine, I
think. Sharing that with me isn't topping from below unless you make a change without
involving me."

"I didn't do that this time," Paulo said, and it came out with an interrogative lilt at the end. He
wasn't sure. "It isn't like the special dildo I ordered, is it?"

"No, Paulo. It isn't. You looked to me, you didn't make assumptions. You did good, boy."

Paulo smiled at his Dom. If Preston's grammar was slipping, it meant he was really mellow.

A Torquere Press Toy Box - 35

Mellow was definitely good.

"Now get on with this shave, boy," Preston said. "I have things to do after."

Paulo wanted to know what things Preston had to do, but he figured the twinkle in Preston's eyes
was enough assurance that whatever came after the shave would include him, so he contented
himself with unwinding the towel and spreading the cool gel over Preston's cheeks.

Humming into the quiet spaces was second nature to Paulo; he didn't notice he was doing it until
Preston asked what he was humming.

"Ziggy Stardust."

"What made you think of that?"

Paulo smiled, remembering the fireflies, all dazzle and jazz. "It's a secret. Would you rather I
hummed something different?" He followed the razor with his fingers, to be sure he was doing a
thorough job.

"What, like The Barber of Seville?" Preston teased.

Preston was a joy when he was content. Paulo laughed along with his Dom and hummed the first
bars of Rossini's overture, then switched into a ditty from Sweeny Todd.

Giving a shave while kneeling in the bedroom and laughing his ass off was awkward and a little
messy, but Paulo got the job done and barely had time to drop the razor in the bowl of water
before Preston hauled him into his lap. Paulo was glad he'd chosen one of the armless lawn
chairs to drag inside, because now he could tuck his legs tight around Preston's hips and accept a
deep, deep kiss from his master's mouth.

"Hands behind your back, boy. Lean in and rub off, but don't come."

Oh, yeah! Paulo had a serious kink for getting to the brink while Preston was still fully clothed. It
felt deliciously dirty and imbalanced. Clever Preston, to take away Paulo's literal balance, too.
"God, I love you." Paulo couldn't help but let the words out.

"Quiet, boy. I like to hear your pubes rasp on my trousers."

Preston wasn't wearing his usual duck pants. He'd been meeting that new client at the college,
and the soft wool of his dress pants was a new delight against Paulo's balls, the underside of his
dick, and his increasingly hungry ass. Oh, he seriously hoped there would be fucking soon.

Something of that hope must have shown in his eyes because Preston moved one hand from its
place on Paulo's bare hip and hooked a finger under the beaded collar around Paulo's neck.

"You're getting close, boy. Let's ch-ch-ch-ch-change this up, eh?"

A Torquere Press Toy Box - 36

Paulo shuddered, and even he couldn't have said whether the reaction came from lust or laughter.
"I can't believe you made a Bowie reference, sir!"

Preston's lips twitched, but he didn't give in to his mirth. All he said was, "On the bed, boy. On
your back."

Paulo nearly overset the lawn chair in his haste to obey.

"Lie back, sweet boy, and show me what you have for me."

Paulo rolled so his shoulders took his weight and reached around to pull his legs back as far as he
could. Before Preston, this position had felt silly, pointless. No one he'd been about to fuck in the
past had bothered to take the time to appreciate an offer like this. Paulo hadn't noticed that at the
time, but he sure as hell noticed it now. The look on Preston's face as he stripped off his fine
trousers was more than worth learning a lesson the long, hard way.

Preston lowered himself over Paulo without touching him, and they shared a long, breathless
look before breaking through the air between them for a kiss. After they pulled apart, Paulo
breathed deeply into Preston's newly smooth, fragrant neck and rubbed his own cheek against his
sir. Knowing his sir was well cared for felt good, and this new sense that Preston was at ease
with their barbering scenes gave him a thrill. He may have come to this relationship pretty
ignorant of what it meant to live Dominance and submission as a lifestyle, but he figured he got
by okay.

More than okay, by the single-minded way Preston was spreading him and shoving inside. That
feeling of intense vulnerability, of curtains parting, or borders transgressed, brought Paulo right
back to the edge.

"Sir…" Paulo tried to inject a note of warning into the one word he could get out.

"Wait, Paulo. Take me for as long as you can."

Well, when Preston put it that way, Paulo decided he ought to give it the old college try. He held
his breath and when that stopped working he panted shallowly. When that failed in its turn to
stave off his orgasm, Paulo drew breath to beg, only to have it stolen by another of Preston's
searching, endless kisses.

"Now, boy. Together. Come with me."

As his sir commanded, so Paulo did.

***

Preston returned from his fifth meeting in as many days at the university having showered -- but
not shaved -- at the athletic center. His freelance work for the alumni magazine was trending into

A Torquere Press Toy Box - 37

more technical work for various departments, which he couldn't complain about. Paulo and his
multitudinous cousins had been as considerate as they could about the screeches of tile saws and
all the banging as they worked on the new bathroom. The timing was, miraculously, perfect --
the noise and disruption happened just when Preston's work took him away from home more
than usual.

Preston washed up in the little half-bath upstairs and headed out to the deck, where everyone had
gathered for barbecue in honor of finishing work on the bathroom.

On his way through the kitchen, the phone rang.

"Rose-Soares residence." The greeting required no thought yet still brought a contented smile to
Preston's face.

That contented smile faded when the voice on the line said, "I'm calling from the lab, Mr. Soares.
The lab manager says your package will be delivered by courier this evening."

"What package?" Preston asked without bothering to correct the mistaken name. Usually when
medical professionals called, it was for him, not Paulo, and they were each other's medical
proxies anyway, so it wasn't like there were any secrets between them.

“Are you Mr. Paulo Soares?” the caller demanded. “This information is confidential.”

With perverse satisfaction, Preston growled, “Not anymore,” and hung up.

His tiny moment of bureaucratic triumph passed, Preston began to wonder about the mysterious
package. Why had Paulo had lab work? Why did he need a special delivery? Worry and
confusion dogged his steps all the way across the kitchen. Their few misunderstandings had been
frankly spectacular, so Preston resisted jumping to sinister conclusions, but damnit, Paulo was
his sub, his love, and his responsibility. If there was something wrong, especially with Paulo's
health, Preston should know.

"Sir! You're home early! Join us." Paulo sailed over, a huge grin on his face, and offered Preston
a very un-sub-like welcome home kiss. As he pulled away he said, "Happy birthday, sir. I didn't
tell anyone."

Preston tamped down a scowl at this evidence of Paulo's secret-keeping abilities. He should be
grateful that Paulo's uncle and several cousins remained unaware of his birthday. If they had
known, so would all the Soares clan, including the inimitable Vovo, and when Paulo's
grandmother knew of a special occasion, she was unstoppable. It was ungracious of him to
ignore Paulo's protection of their special day, but nevertheless Preston spoke what was on his
mind. Not to do so carried the greater risk. "You had a call. The lab?"

"Dex called? I told him not to say anything to you."

"What's going on, Paulo?" Preston tried, but couldn't keep the worry from his voice.

A Torquere Press Toy Box - 38

Paulo's hand flew to his steel and tiger-eye collar, his tell for angst. "Oh, sir, no, don't worry. It's
nothing bad. Dex is my cousin and was doing me a favor."

Preston covered Paulo's fingers so they were clasping his collar together. "And you'll tell me all
about it later." He didn't allow it to be a question.

Paulo's fingers relaxed under Preston's. "I'll show you, sir." He cast an eye over his assembled
relatives, who seemed to be winding down their thank-you supper. "When the guys are gone."

An eagerness Preston couldn't credit at his age kindled inside him, and it was an effort, though a
pleasant one, to linger over a glass of Madeira with Paulo's voluble Uncle Rui while Paulo and
the younger cousins loaded the last of the gear onto the two trucks. He noticed when a little
hatchback pulled up to the end of the driveway and Paulo leaned in to retrieve a small package
before waving the driver off.

"Birthday present, huh?" Rui said.

Preston squinted at him over the rim of his tiny glass of rich wine.

Rui's chuckle sounded as well worn and comfortable as his laugh-lined face and beaten-in work
clothes. "Don't worry, Rose. I wouldn't say a word." He jerked his thumb towards his sons and
nephews, who were high-fiving their way into the trucks. "One of these kids mentions things to
my mom, though, and we're all sunk."

"Your mother's a saint, Rui," Preston said with all the good-natured disapproval he could muster.

Rui nodded sagely. "But she's a devil if you give her a party to plan."

The trucks roared to life, their engines kept in perfect order by Paulo in exchange for the kinds of
favors he'd called in to get the bathroom done so quickly. Preston waved as Rui heaved his stout
body into the passenger seat of one and they rumbled off. He turned to head into the house.

"Sir, wait!" Paulo was tearing down the driveway and up the deck steps, the package from the
courier in one hand. "Please, sir. Don't go in yet."

Big eyes met his and Preston couldn't resist teasing. "Oh, come on, Paulo. I want to go see our
new bathroom. You've been awfully secretive, and I've been patient."

"You have, sir," Paulo said, dropping his eyes. His knees flexed minutely.

Preston thought for a moment that Paulo might even drop to his knees, but Paulo held firm.

"If you wait just another minute or two, sir, you can come see. I want to give you your present."

"In the bathroom?" Preston said, with an exaggerated frown, still teasing.

A Torquere Press Toy Box - 39

Paulo's burnt-sugar eyes went languid. "Oh, yes, sir. Most definitely in the bathroom."

"Does it have anything to do with this mystery call from the lab and the special delivery
package?"

"Yes, sir."

Preston pretended to ponder for a long moment. "Five minutes, boy."

Paulo grinned, stole a kiss, and dashed into the kitchen and out of sight. Preston busied himself
wrapping up the little bit of trash the boys had left, shutting the grill, and making sure the deck
slider was locked before he headed down the hallway.

Paulo was kneeling, nude, outside the bathroom. The door behind him was closed.

"A birthday scene, boy?" Preston asked.

"Every time you call me boy, it's a scene, sir."

Preston's prick throbbed in his pants as he thought of the many times in any given day he called
Paulo ‘boy.' "Indeed," he said. "Now, what's behind the door, Paulo?"

Paulo reached up without turning and opened the door, scooting back on his knees to give
Preston room to enter. When Preston did, it took a few long beats before he understood what he
was seeing. The bathroom was renovated, of course, with a deep, square tub full and steaming in
the corner under the window. The tub and sink had lever-type faucet handles that would be easy
for Preston to operate, even on his hands' worst mornings. There was a new chair, too, set next to
the sink, and the walls looked like they were made of stone. Faux finishing, that's what it was
called. Preston couldn't make out the pattern of the tile work surrounding the tub, except to
discern that it was some sort of mosaic. All of these things, while intriguing, were more or less
what he'd expected. The thing that snared Preston's eyes in the dim light was the source of the
light itself.

Fireflies. Probably hundreds of them, flashing on and off in a riot of greenish light. Preston
stared around the transformed room for what felt like ages while he took them all in. Some even
dotted the ceiling.

"This is magical, Paulo. Simply... magical." It wasn't often Preston was at a loss for words.

"I didn't have a present for you, sir, and one day a pair of them flew in while I was working and I
thought they were just like us."

"Biophosphorescent beetles?"

"Sir, jeeze! No, they just flew in, one at a time, like they were right at home, and blinked back

A Torquere Press Toy Box - 40

and forth in perfect time with each other. Then they flew out the window, together. That's just
like us, see?"

Preston did see. All of a sudden he had to see Paulo. He drew Paulo up to face him. This close,
Preston could smell the honest sweat and accumulated grubbiness of Paulo's straitened bathing
circumstances. Delicious. His sub's eyes were aglitter with points of green light and something
else besides.

"You love me." Preston still couldn't believe it some days, but that's what he saw in Paulo's eyes,
and he felt compelled to name it.

"Of course I do, sir. You're the light I answer."

What response could there be but to kiss the lips that delivered that message? For long moments,
he held Paulo's bare, beloved body close and consumed what Paulo offered. His spectacular
body, his sublime spirit.

Paulo pulled away first and popped the button on Preston's pants. "Hop in the tub, why don't you,
sir? I could shave you while you watch the show."

As he settled neck-deep into the water, Preston took a better look at the tiles that surrounded the
new tub. "Did you do all this?"

Paulo shook his head. "Uncle Rui and the guys cut the tiles and helped me set and grout them.
But yeah, I drew the picture. What do you think?"

Preston took his time. The design was just abstract enough to require some puzzling out. "It
looks like an ocean," he said. There were variegated blues arranged in a wavelike pattern. "But it
also looks like..."

"A rose!" Paulo's voice came from very close to Preston's ear as he reached around to point out
the petals.

The play on Preston's family name was delightful, and Preston laughed, disturbing the fireflies
nearest by. He pointed a dripping finger near the center of the sea-rose, where a cluster of sandy-
colored tiles mimicked the styles of a rose blossom. "But what's this?"

Paulo hesitated, and Preston felt cool air pass his ear as Paulo drew breath to answer. "That's
Cape Verde. See, there's Brava, where my people come from, and there's Maio and Fogo and all
the other islands. I may have been born here, but I come from there, you know? Whatever I am
comes from there, and now it's surrounded by you." Paulo paused again. "It's corny, I know. Is it
okay?"

By way of answer, Preston tugged his sub into the deep spa tub. "You see us in dancing fireflies.
You picture us as an archipelago in an ocean shaped like a rose. You're the most amazing gift a
man ever received, and you ask if it's okay? Silly boy. I hardly know how to answer, except to

A Torquere Press Toy Box - 41

say I love you, too, though I doubt I'll ever find a way to say it as well as you."

Paulo beamed but didn't reply. He simply reached for a brand-new mug of old-fashioned shaving
soap. "Bay rum," he said as he swirled a stiff new brush over the top to make a lather. "Sexiest
smell. I almost got you a new razor, something fancy, but while I was doing the tiles I thought
about how your dad bought you this one, and I just couldn't replace it. So I don't have a real
present for you, just the fireflies, and they're already leaving."

Dropping his head back onto the edge of the tub where a folded towel cushioned him, Preston
succumbed to the feel of the shaving brush and the spice of the lather. He watched the fireflies as
they danced, one by one and two by two, out the open window and into the summer twilight.
"We'll remember them," he assured Paulo.

Paulo's mmmhmm of agreement naturally became a hum that gradually became a song.

"Each day you laugh out loud with me
Or drive me with a look
Tie me down and set me free
You make me all I am
By giving all you are
Hearts and bodies open wide
Forever yours am I."

"More Bowie?"

"What can I say," Paulo said. "I'm on a jag."

"Didn't Bowie sing that song about being someone's slave?" Preston asked as Paulo rinsed the
soap off with a warm towel.

"But I'm not your slave, sir, so I had to change it." Paulo squirmed and sloshed his way onto
Preston's lap, taking exquisite aim on Preston's dick and wriggling until he was fully seated with
Preston inside him.

The last duo of fireflies flickered through the window as Paulo picked up his pace. Preston
thought, but didn't say, that for a master, he was the one well and truly enslaved.

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Contributors Bios

Lee Benoit
Before dawn and after dark, Lee Benoit is a writer of gay fiction, some contemporary, some
speculative, some historical. During the daylight hours, Lee is a professor of sociology and,
round the clock, a two-spirit, single-by-choice parent of two.

Winnie Jerome
Winnie Jerome lives in Northern California. She grew up as a perpetual dreamer, aided by her
voracious reading of comics and fantasy books while she was growing up. She spends her spare
time writing, and has published "Yuppie Blues" (Torquere Press) and "A Special Dessert" for the
Iridescence: Sensuous Shades of Lesbian Erotica anthology.

Sean Michael
Often referred to as "Space Cowboy" and "Gangsta of Love" while still striving for the moniker
of "Maurice," Sean Michael spends his days surfing, smutting, organizing his immense gourd
collection and fantasizing about one day retiring on a small secluded island peopled entirely by
horseshoe crabs. While collecting vast amounts of vintage gay pulp novels and mood rings, Sean
whiles away the hours between dropping the f-bomb and pursuing the kama sutra by channeling
the long lost spirit of John Wayne and singing along with the soundtrack to "Chicago." Check
out Sean’s webpage at http://www.seanmichaelwrites.com/

A Torquere Press Toy Box - 43

Toy Box: Shaving

Firelies in the Bathtub © 2009 by Lee Benoit
Leave Your Worries Behind © 2009 by Winnie Jerome
Water and Soul © 2010 by Sean Michael

All rights reserved. No part of this eBook may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever
without written permission except in case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or
reviews. For information address Torquere Press, Inc., PO Box 2545, Round Rock, TX 78680.
Printed in the United States of America.

ISBN-13: 978-1-60370-915-6

Torquere Press, Inc.: electronic edition / January 2010

Torquere Press eBooks are published by Torquere Press, Inc., PO Box 2545, Round Rock, TX
78680

A Torquere Press Toy Box - 44