Where Do We Go From Here?

Written By: LJ

(With Dennis, Dusty, & Skyy)

Part One (This first part is Dominic’s POV.)

This past month has been very traumatic due to an unpleasant turn in my life, and the memories are still very distressing.

I’d had no other choice! I had to leave. I’d been fortunate enough to find a temporary replacement for myself at the medical centre so I could find some peaceful solitude in which to determine what was necessary to rectify the situation I found myself in. I urgently needed time alone to think about my future. Did that mean it was over? Almost five years of living with those two young men, five years of hard work liberally interspersed with pleasant memories! I can’t for the life of me explain what had been the proverbial last straw. Obviously there had to have been one but apparently of such little significance, it failed to stand out as ‘the’ one

I pulled into the first rest area on the edge of town and parked at the far end. I was badly in need of the privacy to get myself under control before driving on or I’d never make my destination. I vividly remembered the last sight in my rear-view mirror as I had driven away twenty minutes earlier. I visualized the dazed expressions on my partners’ handsome faces and gave up all effort to keep the hot, painful tears from falling.

It took me ten minutes to calm down, wipe my face, dry my eyes, blow my nose and gulp down half a bottle of water. Not that I was feeling much better but at least I was composed enough to drive. I had several days travel ahead of me and wanted to cover as much mileage as possible before stopping for the night. I was on my way to a remote area where an old army reserve buddy had offered me the use of a cabin. I tried not to think of when I would be returning or of what would happen when I did. To do so would make the pain even more unbearable.

Several hours later, I shut the door of my hotel suite and threw my overnight bag on the bed. Despite the exhaustion from the long drive and the toll my heartache was taking on me, I knew sleep would be a long time coming, if at all. I got a couple of small bottles out of the compact fridge and poured myself a stiff drink before settling down in one of the lounge chairs on the small balcony. I knew I should call for room service but couldn’t be bothered, preferring a liquid meal instead.

‘To hell with it; I’ll eat a proper breakfast in the morning,’ I promised myself. Lulled by the effects of the alcohol, I lay my head back and tried to pin down where it had all gone wrong. ‘Painful as this is going to be, in order to get a handle on it I’ll have to start with that fateful day when we first met. This was going to take some time.’

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Five years ago, I had been working my weekly volunteer shift at the walk-in clinic. That particular spring afternoon was unusually slow and I’d been joking with one of the nurses when a young man stumbled in, supporting his injured friend.

“Can somebody help me here?” the boy asked belligerently. “My buddy’s been hurt!”

“I’ll take care of him while you fill out the necessary papers,” I offered and relieved him of his burden.

“My name is Dominic Durante, what’s yours?” I asked my patient while helping him onto the stretcher. “Secret, is it?” I lightly baited in hopes of relieving some of the fear I saw in his young face. Still not getting an answer, I started cutting away the blood soaked overalls.

“J-Jayden. My n-name’s Jayden Rhodes,” the young man stammered in a voice barely above a whisper. Large hazel eyes stared out from behind sweaty, light brown hair. “W-where’s Slade? I don’t want you touching me without Slay being here.”

“You’re losing a lot of blood, Jayden. I need to check out your leg.” I waited patiently and was rewarded with a slight nod. “How did this happen, Jayden?”

“It didn’t fall right,” Jayden muttered while suspiciously watching every move I made.

“What didn’t?”

“The tree; it wasn’t supposed to land on the other one and when it bounced, I couldn’t jump out of the way fast enough.”

“Hey, it wasn’t your fault, Jay-Jay. You cut it true!” the other young man assured him as he walked into the examining room. “It was just a freak accident!” Slade glared at me as if expecting me to contradict him.

“I take it that you’re Slade somebody or other,” I teased when I looked into his light blue eyes and recognized the combatant façade being used to cover up the anxiety.

“Yeah, Slade Richman. Whatcha gonna do to Jayden?” he asked, moving to stand guard over his companion.

“First, I’m going to get rid of this pant leg. You can help if you want by removing his boot and sock.” Once the patient was lying down, I conversed with the nurse while watching as Slade held Jayden’s hand and murmured words of comfort.

“Okay now, let’s see what we’ve got here.” I worked as smoothly and efficiently as possible, keeping the two young men informed and trying to avoid any sudden moves. Slade and Jayden’s apprehension gradually faded as they became absorbed in what I was doing and I smiled my approval at my patient’s co-operative acceptance of the care being given.

It took an hour to get the wound cleaned, stitched and bandaged. After administering a shot for Tetanus and one containing an antibiotic, I wrote out a prescription and signed the release forms. I watched the two young men walked out, one being heavily supported by the other, and wondered if I’d ever see them again. Despite the filth and grim, it hadn’t escaped my notice just how well-built and good-looking they were. I was surprised by the amount of physical attraction I felt for both of them.

***************

A month past before our paths crossed for the second time. I was washing my hands when I heard a muffled ‘Pssst!’ Glancing over my shoulder, I saw Slade furtively trying to get my attention. Looking around and seeing everyone else occupied; I motioned for him to follow me. It was then, I noticed Jayden clutching onto Slade’s arm.

“What’s up, guys?” I asked, smiling at the opportunity of seeing them. My smile quickly faded when I realized what they had been up to.

“Ssssh!” Slade whispered a little too loudly. It wasn’t hard to tell both boys had been smoking up.

“What the hell are you on and how much of it?” I sternly demanded. I thread my fingers threw my hair in disbelief when, instead of getting an answer, I had a hand thrust into my face.

“Can you get it off, please!” came the soft plea. “It hurts like hell, man!” Jayden whimpered. Hanging off his right pinkie was a haemostat.

“We were using it to smoke pot,” Slade bluntly explained. “I only had one joint and didn’t want to waste none.”

“I’m well aware of what you were using it for, young man!” I didn’t bother to hide my disapproval. “But how did this happen?”

“We were kinda fooling around,” Slade muttered, suddenly interested in his shoelaces.

“It got caught on me and every time Slay tried to get it off, he tightened it by mistake.” Jayden eyes were rapidly tearing up.

“And now Jay-Jay won’t let me near him. He wants you to take care of it,” Slade slurred and rocked on his feet.

“You can open your eyes, Jayden,” I softly encouraged, trying to keep a straight face.

“No! I don’t wanna watch.” A couple of seconds ticked by in silence before Jayden squinted through one eye to discover, much to his delight, the offensive instrument had been removed.

I rolled my eyes in exasperation as I once again watched the two young men walk out of the clinic. This time they were supporting each other as they were laughing too hard to walk straight, having apparently found the entire incident very amusing.

An hour later and with my shift over, I leisurely strolled out to the parking lot. My footsteps slowed as I picked up the sounds of uncontrolled giggling. Changing directions, I walked around the corner of the building. There, seated on the ground and huddled against the wall, were Slade and Jayden. From the look of things, they had found another joint and were having a great time.

“Guess what Jayden had stashed in his pocket?” Slade merrily asked when he saw me standing over them.

“I thought you boys were going home!”

“Huh?” Jayden dazedly looked passed my legs towards several parked vehicles. Glancing up with a crooked grin on his face and totally unperturbed by the glare on mine, he calmly informed me, “We can’t remember where we left the truck.”

“Well, I hope you at least remember where you live?” I had quickly decided that since these guys were unfit to be behind the wheel, I’d better drive them to wherever they had to be. Reaching down, I held out a hand to each of them and hoisted them to their feet.

Fifteen minutes later, I pulled up to the address Slade had given me and dropped off my passengers. I waited impatiently while they giggled and stumbled their way up the stairs. It seemed to take them forever to unlock the entrance and go inside. I cringed when the door was slammed shut and then slowly drove away. I fully intended to forget about these two young men who were badly in need of structure and guidance.

************

The following week, Jayden showed up at the clinic on his own. Unable to find me, he made his way over to the reception desk and waited for the receptionist to hang up the telephone.

“Umm, is Dr. Durante on duty?” he shyly asked when the woman looked up at him expectantly.

“Fill out this form, please!” she instructed as she handed over a clipboard and pen.

“I-I just want to talk to him for a minute,” Jayden stammered.

“Hello, Jayden. What brings you here? And where is Slade?” He practically went limp with relief when I walked up behind him. He had been unaware of me watching him since his arrival.

“He’s out in the truck. He’s sick but doesn’t want to come in here. Maybe you can come out and see him.”

“I don’t usually examine my patients in their vehicles, Jayden,” I answered. Seeing the disappointment and worry on his young face, I hastily added. “Of course, there are exceptions. Come on. I’ll see what I can do.” I couldn’t help smiling at his look of gratitude.

Slade was quite obviously ill. He looked feverish, his eyes were glassy and his voice hoarse. When several minutes of friendly persuasion failed to achieve the hoped-for response, I lost my patience and issued a direct order. “Get in the clinic, Slade; right now or else!” I stood aside and smugly watched the young man get out of the truck and scurry into the building with Jayden running after him. I slowly followed, firmly pushing out of my mind the niggling question of ‘or else what?’ My right hand was itching to swat the seat of his pants.

“All right, talk to me,” I requested, once Slade was sitting on the examining table.

“My throat hurts, my nose is running and I have an earache. One minute I’m hot and sweaty, the next I’m cold and shaky. It’s hard to swallow and if I cough too much, I feel like I’m gonna throw up.” Slade painstakingly explained while submitting to a thorough exam.

“This isn’t the first time it’s happened, but it’s the first time he can’t breath properly or has gotten a rash,” Jayden volunteered this information.

“You’ve got tonsillitis, kid, and the scar tissue proves you’ve had it in the past. Have you been seen by another doctor?”

“Nay! I just buy some kinda cold medicine and chew a lot of lozenges. It usually goes away after a week or so, but this time it came back almost right away.”

“That’s because the over-the-counter stuff you’ve been using just isn’t going to cut it, I’m afraid. You’re going to need something much stronger.”

“Okay, Doc! I’ll take anything you can give me. I only wanna get better and not make Jayden sick.”

“I’m sure Jayden appreciates your thoughtfulness, Slade. Let’s finish up here so you can go home, where I bet you’ll feel a lot more comfortable, right?”

************

Several days later, I decided to make a house call. Not because I was in the habit of doing so, but because I felt a need to check up on the young men and see how they were getting along. If Slade and Jayden were uncomfortable with my visit, they didn’t show it.

“It was good of you to drop by, Doctor Durante, but I’m fine now,” Slade said in response to my opening query. “I did every thing you told me to do, honest!”

I nodded and glanced around, taking in the slovenly appearance of the room. Spying a small vial on the counter, I picked it up and examined the label. “You suffer from depression, Jayden!” It was a statement, not a question.

“Yeah; my shrink calls it anxiety depression.” Jayden nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders.

“You haven’t been taking your meds regularly, have you?” I accused, noticing the number of pills remaining.

“How can you tell?” Jayden countered, not denying the accusation.

“This little container tells me everything. According to the date, it should be almost empty.” I waited for an explanation that apparently was not forthcoming.

“I’ll see that he takes the pills like he’s supposed to,” Slade offered. “We’ve been kinda taking care of each other ever since we were kids.”

I was rather curious about their relationship and had a strong desire to learn more about these handsome young men. It wasn’t difficult to see they came as a pair and were inseparable. “I’ve got to leave now, guys, but I’d really like us to get together again; especially since you are both well and uninjured.” I chuckled at their shy blushes. “How would you like to take in a show or a ball game some night? Or we could have dinner, if you preferred.”

Slade and Jayden exchanged communicative glances before replying in the affirmative. We dated consistently over the next two months, forming the foundation of what would become a life-long relationship. Or so we hoped. During this time, I used my observation and listening abilities to accumulate a wealth of information as well as an ever-growing list of bad habits. Most of it should have had me running in the opposite direction, but I’ve always loved a challenge. Both these young men had lived through their fair share of trauma and as a result were dealing with some major psychological problems.

At ten years of age, Jayden had survived the boating accident, which had claimed the lives of his parents. The event had left the boy both physically and emotionally scarred. He suffered from depression and his left arm still bore the signs of the fire. He was very self-conscious of the discolouration, slight though it was. Having no extended family, he had been placed in foster care. Fortunately, he ended up in a good home with a childless couple who provided loving support and security. Two years later, another orphaned youngster joined the family.

Slade was thirteen when his mother accompanied his father on a business trip, never to return due to the crash landing and explosion of the chartered plane they were on. As a result of the incident, the young man found flying extremely stressful, at times to the point of being debilitating. Like Jayden, he was fortunate enough to end up in the same caring foster home. For years they thought of themselves as brothers, before eventually becoming lovers.

After high school, they had gone into business together and were presently struggling to keep their small landscaping company afloat. Although they kept in close contact with their foster parents, they preferred to live on their own and were residing in the living quarters above an old garage they operated out of. Seven days a week, they worked long hard hours and chose to relax in the evenings by smoking up, while somehow managing not to mix the two.

I noticed how Jayden deferred to Slade, relying on the other man to make decisions even when it concerned only him. I was duly impressed by Slade’s habit of rarely taking advantage of the authority given him. The young man seemed to unconsciously consider Jayden’s unspoken wishes. Having long ago alienated myself from my family due to their inability to accept my sexual orientation, I was pleasantly surprised at the closeness these two young men shared. It never once crossed my mind just how much of a problem this would one day become.

Being twenty-eight, I realized I had six years over Slade’s twenty-two and seven over Jayden’s twenty-one. I soon discovered much to my dismay that my lifestyle differed greatly from theirs. While I had a large circle of friends, Slade and Jayden had very few as they were sadly lacking in social skills and were uncomfortable in the company of people they didn’t know well. They only managed to increase their customer base through word of mouth. I’d be the first to acknowledge that they certainly knew their craft and were very reliable in fulfilling contacts.

On the plus side, we had a few interests in common and were more than compatible in bed. Slade and Jayden were very inventive and I was more than willing to go along with anything they came up with. However, I was at a lost to explain the emotional attraction and yet it was obviously there. I instinctively sensed a need in them; a need I felt more than capable of fulfilling. But, did I want to? Was I prepared to make that kind of a commitment? Did I love them enough? The answer had been a resounding, ‘Yes!’

Six months after our first meeting, we became a threesome and moved into a two-bedroom house with a small barn at the back of a large lot. We had mutually agreed to rent for the time being, with an option to purchase.

“Man, this place is so much nicer than that run-down, hole-in-the-wall we were living in!” Jayden exclaimed, putting two large plastic bags containing their dirty clothing, in the laundry room. “And not more trips to the Laundromat.”

“Was that the last of it, Jay-Jay?”

“Yes siree! Everything’s here, so there’s only the unpacking left to do”

“And that’s gonna take forever,” Slade groused. “Let’s shower first.”

“No way, guys! We really need to get a start rearranging things and straightening up. We can hardly move from one room to another,” I called out as I wove my way around the boxes. When my suggestion was quickly voted down, I decided now was as good a time as any, to remind them of the ground rules we had discussed at some length and finally agreed upon.

“Have we or have we not predetermined who is responsible for maintaining some semblance of order around here?” Getting two begrudging nods, I insisted, “Then let’s get the general tidying-up done before relaxing for the evening.”

A couple of hours later, Slade and Jayden breathed sighs of relief when I announced, “Hit the shower, boys, while I order pizza.”

A routine of sorts fell into place over the next few months but as often happens, the honeymoon phase ended. Slade and Jayden were perfectly happy living from day to day with the only structure in their lives being whatever their work schedule provided. In the meantime, things on the home front were starting to unravel.

“We’ve got to get our act together, guys!” I stated one evening. “I don’t mind making all the meals, but I want to be able to count on you boys to take care of the washing up, and preferably on a daily bases. This is only one of many areas we have to work on, so I think it’s time to sit down and make a list of expectations.”

“You mean kinda like rules?” Jayden asked.

“Not really rules, Jay-Jay. Who’d enforce them and what would be the consequences for breaking them?” Both young men turned towards me, obviously looking for answers.

I took a deep breath and decided it was now or never. “Do either of you know anything about Discipline Partnerships?”

“I’ve read about it online,” Slade said suspiciously.

“Me, too!” Jayden glanced uncertainly at Slade, having picked up on our other partner’s dubious response.

“I think it is something that would work well for us, but only if both of you are in agreement.”

Several weeks of lengthy discussion followed, during which emotions often ran high, tempers periodically flared, and a few times tears were shed. Finally a consensus was reached with rules and consequences drawn up. I’ll admit I was slightly overwhelmed by the faith put in me, but determined to do my best for these two young men I loved with all my heart. Slade was a little embarrassed at admitting he needed and, on some level even wanted, the boundaries about to be imposed on him. Jayden was more at ease and looked forward to the security this new change would bring into his life.

Our home life got better until Slade felt the need to test my resolve. Would I stand by my word and keep my promise? Slade found himself writing lines, getting grounded, losing privileges and doing extra chores. He didn’t find it so hard because Jayden was always taking his side and getting punished along with him. They eventually teamed up just one time to often and earned their first spankings.

Slade’s initial trip over my knees was the result of having acquired three speeding tickets in one week. Jayden showed his objection by throwing a temper tantrum of such magnitude; I had no choice but to spank him as well. Both boys went to bed that night nursing very sore bottoms while I dealt with an equally sore hand.

Things improved for a month or two before the cycle was repeated, forming a pattern that became increasingly more difficult to deal with. We seemed to be forever re-evaluating our relationship, re-committing ourselves to the same ideals only to fall short of adhering to them.

Developing a friendship with a new patient, and fellow Top, provided me with an avenue to vent my frustrations. Dennis and Dusty became close, valued friends to the three of us. I once jokingly told Dennis I didn’t feel quite as outnumbered when there were two Tops and three Brats together as opposed to two Brats and one Top.

I accepted that having two Brats was automatically a great deal more work than having one and that the additional ups and downs I dealt with were to be expected. My perception changed when Dennis acquired a second Brat. But rather than acknowledge the truth, I stubbornly rationalized that because of my partners’ past experiences, they were needier. However, this rationalization gradually waned until I had no choice but to accede to the overpowering urge to get away and think things through.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I finally dozed off, only to be rudely awakened at some ungodly hour before dawn, by the rain soaking through my clothing. I pushed myself up, staggered into my room, and barely managed to strip before falling face first onto the bed. I would have appreciated getting more sleep, but it was not meant to be. So I got up, shower and shaved, and put on dry clothes. Gathering up the wet ones, I stuff them into a plastic bag, intending to launder them while I was having that breakfast I’d promised myself. I made up my mind to put off dealing with any major decision-making until I had reached my destination and was at least physically rested.

Three days later I turned onto a narrow dirt road completely enclosed by woods. It wasn’t hard to tell how little traffic it had seen recently and I hoped my SUV would survive the rough terrain. After twenty minutes of bumping over potholes, I drove into a clearing next to a lake that I had been assured contained an abundance of fish. I stopped the car, got out and looked around. The cabin certainly was secluded; I’d give it that. Two rickety steps led to a small porch and the front entrance opened onto a sparsely furnished room with a fireplace. I went back out to begin emptying my vehicle. On my last trip in, I kicked the door shut with my heel, took my duffel bags into one of two bedrooms and dropped them on the floor. I bounced on the bed to test it and found it just firm enough to meet my needs.

I didn’t take me long to settle into a routine. By the end of that first week, I felt rejuvenated and ready to face my dilemma head on. I spent my days replenishing the supply of firewood, repairing the old-fashion water pump, stabilizing the veranda and straightening up the small building out back. I was fairly sure it had never been intended as a lean-to. Bill had warned me the place might need some minor work done to it and I was more than happy to have something physically fatiguing to keep me busy. I interspersed my labours with fishing every other afternoon and reading in front of a roaring fire each evening. I also made regular trips to the nearest village where I could access the Internet and communicate with Dennis, who kept me abreast of my Brats’ activities.

Two more weeks drifted by, during which I did a lot of thinking and came to a few conclusions. I realized that even though I had made mistakes along the way, I had done all I could to care for my partners. I had loved them with all my heart and I still did. I had treated them patiently and fairly, fulfilled my part of our agreement to the best of my ability, and would have continued to do so for the rest of my life. But apparently it just wasn’t meant to be. No matter how many times we went over it, Slade and Jayden had never quite been able to grasp the entire premise our relationship was built on. They wanted the guidance and needed the boundaries we had agreed upon but were unable to fully comply with the authority they themselves had given me.

Looking back I can see just how often they teamed up and argued over the consequences of their inappropriate behaviour, making me feel like the adversary or at the very least, third-man-in. I had never asked for nor had I expected blind obedience. However, I think it is perfectly reasonable for me to want respect and their compliance to the basic rules we set up as partners. I truly believe Slade and Jayden love me and want us to be together, but I also believe there is something in their past which prevents them from letting go of each other and putting their trust in me.

My month’s leave of absence is coming to an end, so it is time for me to return to my practice. I have yet to determine where I would be residing when I get back to town. Stopping off in the village to check my e-mail, I’ve discovered a message from each of my partners. I no longer have to decide if our relationship is over; they’ve made the final decision for me.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Part Two

Slade and Jayden stood side by side at the end of the driveway, watching Dominic’s SUV disappear from view. Their tears made it harder to see, not to mention breathe, as they waited several more minutes in stunned silence before slowly making their way into the house.

“Can you believe it? He left us! Drove off without a care in the world! Well, fuck him!” Slade shouted as he slammed the back door. He rubbed at his swollen eyes and turned towards his younger partner, presently his only partner as of fifteen minutes ago.

“It will be okay, Slade, won’t it?” Jayden’s uncertainty made it impossible for him to put on a brave front.

“Damn right! We’ll show him! Who needs him anyway?” Slade stopped ranting long enough to take in the look of despair on the other man’s tear-streaked face. Wrapping his arms around Jayden’s shoulders, he tried to reassure him. “Hey, we were a team long before we met Dominic, remember? We took care of each other just fine back then, and we’ll do it again. You’ll see.”

“I didn’t think he’d do it. I mean, he often warned if things didn’t improve he’d leave, but I still didn’t believe he really do it,” Jayden murmured as sad hazel eyes over-flowed. He gave up all pretence at trying to cope with his pain.

“But he did! He packed his stuff and hit the road, so to hell with him!” Slade used his anger to hide the fear and hurt caused by what he considered Dominic’s betrayal. “At least, we have a place to live and to run the business from.” He hoped it would compensate for losing a lover.

“Yeah, but we bought the house together; all of us are supposed to be living here.”

“Come on, Jay-Jay. Let’s go over next week’s schedule, okay?” Slade hoped the activity would give his partner something else to concentrate on. “We’re gonna have to rearrange things to compensate for losing Aaron. He starts his fall semester on Tuesday. I also have to find an extra hour somewhere over the next week or so to see that potential client who was referred to us.”

“Why are we taking on more customers if we’re short help, Slay?”

“It’s only one, Jay-Jay. This guy is a friend of Mrs. Saunders and we don’t want to lose her, do we?”

“Guess not,” Jayden unenthusiastically responded, but managed a crooked grin when Slade handed him a cold beer.

The young men worked companionably for couple of hours and eventually had the next several days planned out.

“See? That didn’t take long!” Slade announced and drained the bottle in his hand.

“Are we gonna hire a replacement employee?” Jayden got unsteadily to his feet and out of habit began gathering up the empties.

“Yeh, we better. We can log on to Manpower and post a notice on the job-line. Then we gotta shower and get some sleep, ‘cause we have one hell of a busy week ahead of us.” Slade pushed himself back from the table, stood up and staggered down the hall with his fellow Brat close on his heels.

************

Time passed slowly as one day melted into another. Slade and Jayden avoided any mention of their missing Top, but the pain was never far from the surface. By the end of the second week, they willingly admitted not wanting to continue on their own any longer. On Sunday evening, they approached a friend and asked for help.

“Why you do want to move in here with Dusty, Skyy and me?” Dennis asked. Pleased as he was to see Dominic’s Brats, he definitely had not been prepared for their request. He had been keeping an eye on them and knew they had started drinking more than usual, but didn’t feel it was his place to say anything. “What’s up, guys?”

“Nothing; we just don’t like it at our house,” Slade muttered uncomfortably. “Work’s going good, though!” he hastened to add.

“It’s not the same with Dom gone.” Jayden hoped this would be all the explanation needed.

Fortunately, Dennis understood what they were really trying to say. “You are more than welcome to stay with us provided you adhere to our household rules. Are you willing to do that?”

“Aah, what rules, exactly?” Slade suspiciously eyed the man sitting in front of him.

“I’m sure you’re familiar with most of them, Slade, as they are pretty much the same as the ones you had in your own home. No illegal drugs, no smoking, no excess drinking! You pull your own weight and do your fair share of the chores.”

“Will there be consequences?” Jayden shyly inquired.

Dennis sat back and looked into the ‘little boy lost’ expressions on their young faces. “Do you want there to be?” he softly asked and wasn’t at all surprised to get two barely discernible nods. After giving it a few minutes thought, he leaned forward and succinctly stated, “If it becomes necessary for me to punish one of you, I will bend you over my desk and use a paddle on the seat of your pants. I will not tolerate you teaming up against me. The first time you try that two-on-one crap with me, I’ll move you into separate rooms. It is an option I have that Dominic didn’t and I intend to take full advantage of it. Do you understand and agree to these terms?”

“I guess, but I don’t get the purpose behind separating us.” Slade was obvious confused and the look on Jayden’s face clearly showed his confusion as well.

“Before I explain myself, would you mind answering a couple of questions?”

“I don’t mind, do you, Slay?” “No.” Both young men easily responded to the Dennis’ gentle demeanour.

“How badly do you want Dominic back in your lives and for how long?” The inquiry was kind and sincere, without a hint of condemnation. Dennis saw tears forming in Jayden’s eyes and suspected the reason for Slade’s refusal to look directly at him was also caused by a sense of loss.

Slade squirmed uncomfortably and glanced at his fellow Brat. A silent exchange took place before he choked out, “We-we want him back…permanently.”

“Are you willing to make the necessary changes in your behaviour and attitude to ensure that happening?”

Picking up on the love and concern in Dennis’ voice, Slade again answered for both himself and Jayden. “We’re not sure we know what you’re talking about.”

“You two Brats have spent the last five years promising Dominic your compliance and not following through with it. You need and want to depend on Dominic to take charge in certain areas in your lives; you have entrusted him with the authority to do so, and yet you repeatedly revert to your old habits of putting each other first, thereby being disrespectful and even hurtful to your Top. In all honesty, you have to admit things have gone from bad to worse over the past two months since the six of us returned from our trip to Devon and Amber’s campground. You have worked hard on maintaining your original status as a couple and in doing so, failed to do your part in developing a three-way partnership with a man who loves you more than life itself,” Dennis patiently explained. His chest tightened at the sight of two handsome young faces contorting with pain.

Getting up from his chair, Dennis moved over to take a seat on the couch between Slade and Jayden. He put an arm around each man and pulled them closer. He continued talking soothingly in an attempt to simplify a concept he knew Dominic had gone over time and again. “You have to learn that when you’re having a problem, you look to Dominic for help, not each other. You both have to make him your anchor. But that does not mean that you should expect him, as your Top, to fix everything on his own and definitely not to the point where he is at his wit's ends.” Dennis pictured his friend’s face just before Dominic left. It was the closest he’d ever seen him come to utter exhaustion and despair.

“It’s probably too late!” Slade whispered pessimistically.

“Maybe we’re too dumb to change,” Jayden murmured as he wiped his face on his shirtsleeve.

“Neither of those statements is true. Things can be fixed if you’re willing to work at it,” Dennis encouraged and kissed each of the heads lying on his shoulders.

“Do you know where Dom is?” Jayden hopefully asked, lifting his head and looking into Dennis’ eyes for signs that he did.

“I’m not exactly sure of his location, but I touch base with him regularly. He requested I keep him informed of how you are getting along because he’s concerned.”

“Oh yeah! Well if he cares so much, how come he dumped us?” Slade used his anger to cover the pain.

“Did he?” Dennis softly inquired. “Or did your actions drive him away?” He wasn’t laying blame; he merely wanted the younger men to think of someone else’s side other than their own.

“Maybe staying here for a while will help us understand the differences,” Jayden quietly voiced his innermost thoughts out loud.

“Then let’s get you guys settled in one of the guestrooms before Dusty and Skyy get home from the movies.”

“Bet they’re gonna be surprised to hear we’ve moved in, eh?” Jayden commented as he followed Slade out to the truck to get their belongings. They had come prepared; it never crossing their minds that Dennis would turn down their request.

‘They aren’t going to be the only ones,’ Dennis thought and suddenly panicked. Had he taken on more than he was capable of? After all, he was a man who at one time had firmly denied his ability to care for two Brats and now he had just upped the number to four.

************

Three days later, Dennis was beginning to believe everything was falling into place and running smoothly. His Brats had been ecstatic with the addition of two others in the house. Slade and Jayden had buckle down, sticking to the house rules and trying their best where chores were concerned.

“Note to self: henceforth forbid both those boys access to the stove!” Dennis muttered under his breath as he opened all the doors and windows on the lower floor of their home to help the smoke dissipate faster. ‘I guess some allowances have to be made. After all, they really aren’t causing any major problems. Okay! So it’s only been seventy-two hours but I’m going for optimism here,’ he worked at convincing himself.

It was Friday night, or rather early Saturday morning, when trouble with a capital ‘T’ reared its’ ugly head. Dennis had eased himself out from under a sleeping Skyy in order to meet the demands of a full bladder. He was just about to exit their en suite a few minutes later but stopped to determine if he was or wasn’t imagining the sound of muted voices. He stepped over to the partially opened bathroom window overlooking their back deck and listened. Identifying what he had heard, he quickly headed downstairs.

“Aaw, come on, Jay-Jay, just a couple of drags for old times’ sake. This is the last one I’ve got and it’s almost finished.” Slade’s voice was slurred and he was softly giggling.

“I said I didn’t want any, Slade. My meds make me feel shitty enough as it is, I don’t need to add pot to the mix,” Jayden quietly explained.

“Hah! You forget to take your pills more often than not, so don’t lay that bullshit on me.” Slade’s voice rose slightly.

“Sssh! Keep it down, Slay, before someone hears us,” Jayden warned in a loud whisper. “If Dennis catches us, we’ll be in deep shit!”

“For God’s sake, Jay-Jay; it’s two o’clock in the morning,” Slade pointed out and drew in the last puff of the joint between his fingers and flicked the small remains into the garden. “Chill out, man!”

“Just what do you boys think you’re doing?” Dennis demanded. He was standing over them with his hands on his hips and looking like an avenging angel; one of huge proportions; extremely pissed, and wearing only a pair of flannel, sleep pants.

“Oh, fuck!” Slade squawked as he was forcibly hauled to his feet. “Owww!” he hollered when a large hand smacked against his backside.

“You are in enough hot water without adding swearing to your list of crimes, young man!” Dennis reminded his charge as he herded his two houseguests towards the study. Once there, he shut the door and turned to face them. “Is it or is it not a rule in this home that the use of illegal drug is forbidden?”

“Yeah, but we were just winding down after a busy week, Dennis. We weren’t doing any harm,” Slade muttered belligerently. He was fast losing any glow the smoking-up had given him.

“Only to yourself, Slade, only to yourself,” Dennis sadly commented. He walked over to the desk and took a smooth wooden object out of its’ hiding place in the bottom drawer.

“You’re not going to paddle me, Dennis, ‘cause I’m not gonna let you!”

“You said you wanted the boundaries and I told you the repercussions for pushing against them.”

“Well, I’ve changed my mind so there’s nothin’ you can do about it!” Slade challenged.

“We-we don’t hafta answer to you, Dennis!” Jayden decided to enter the fray.

“Yeah! Jay-Jay’s right!”

“Jayden, aside from not being in your bed like you were supposed to be; you are not in any real trouble yet. I want you to go up to your room, as this is between Slade and me.” Although a big man, Dennis realized he would not be able to bodily manhandle both these Brats at the same time. But he fully intended to maintain control of the situation one way or another.

“I’m not leaving Slay here by himself! You can’t make me!” Jayden yelled seconds before his arm was grabbed and he was spun around as a large hand landed with a painful swat on the seat of his jeans.

“Corner! Now!” Dennis ordered, escorting the younger man to the designated spot. He stood behind Jayden and rubbed a comforting hand over his trembling back. “Calm down, Jayden. There is no need to dig yourself in any further. It’s going to be okay. Trust me, please.”

Jayden responded to the familiar petting and the litany of soothing sounds. He leaned his head against the wall; his breathing slowed and his shoulders drooped as he resigned himself to what was about to take place.

Dennis tuned to deal with the more serious of the morning’s transgressions. “Across the desk, Slade!” he ordered in a low voice that was firm but reassuring.

Slade obeyed the directive, bent over and put his head on his folded arms. He felt Dennis’ hand on his back and held his breath as he waited for the chastisement to begin.

“Why are you being punished, Slade?”

“I broke a rule and smoked pot,” he whimpered.

“If you don’t care enough about yourself, young man, I hope this convinces you that I do.” Dennis raised his arm and brought the paddle down hard. He got into a rhythm, the rise and fall of the paddle continuing until Slade was sobbing out his remorse and promising never to repeat the infraction again. A dozen swats had been delivered when Dennis ended the paddling and pulled Slade up into a forgiving hug.

“I-I’m sorry, Dennis,” Slade hitched as he clung to the older man’s shirt and waited for the pain in his backside to become more tolerable.

“It’s okay, sweetie. It’s been taken care of and it’s over now!” Dennis steered the sniffling man over to the couch and gently lowered him unto his stomach. He sat down with Slade’s head on his lap and softly called out, “Please come here, Jayden.” Once the other Brat was seated beside him, Dennis reminded them of the additional breach of the rules. “Do either of you boys remember what I said I’d do if you went two-on-one with me?”

Looking into two tired, tear-streaked faces, Dennis sadly but resolutely shook his head and, not getting a verbal response, answered his own question. “I said I’d separate you and I have every intention of carrying out that promise. It’s late, so let’s get up to bed. Jayden, as of now you’ll be sleeping in the other guestroom.” Neither Brat had the energy to argue as all three men slowly made their way upstairs.

“Get whatever you need, Jayden, and go into the other room. Slade, you’ll be staying in here.” Dennis stood back and patiently waited for his orders to be carried out. He knew their compliance was due to being physically worn-out and emotionally exhausted. He also suspected it would be short-lived.

Several minutes later, Jayden crawled into his bed and after pulling the blankets over his head, turned to face the wall. He tried to stop crying. He felt the bed dip and a hand massaging his back. He rolled over, pushed aside the bedding and threw himself into Dennis’ waiting arms. “I don’t like being by myself. I want Dom back,” he whimpered.

“Jayden, look at me, honey!” Dennis gazed into wet, hazel eyes and was dismayed at the sadness he saw in them. Although this man was several years older than his youngest Brat was, at the moment Jayden appeared every bit as young and vulnerable as Skyy sometimes did. “You are going to be all right, little one. Go to sleep; things will be better in the morning.”

“Okay. Will you stay with me for a little while?” Jayden’s eyes closed as his head dropped onto Dennis’ shoulder.

“Of course!” Dennis’ promise fell on deaf ears. He gently laid Jayden down and kissed the young man’s forehead prior to quietly walking out of the room and closing the door.

Dennis entered the Slade’s room to discover him as distraught as Jayden had been. He sat down on the side of the bed and gently tugged the sobbing man into his arms. “Sssh! It’s all right!” Dennis murmured over and over again as he rocked back and forth while rhythmically rubbing the other man’s back.

“I-I need Dom!” Slade softly cried and for the first time admitted a dependency he had been unable to fully accept. “I hope Jay-Jay can forgive me for betraying him and breaking my promise, but I can’t help it!” he whispered plaintively before relaxing into the strong arms rocking him, eventually crying himself out and falling asleep.

His bedroom door opening just as he was reaching for the doorknob; startled Dennis. “What are you doing up, Skyy?”

“My pillow went missing! Why are you out here?”

“Our houseguests needed some assistance in getting settled for the night and apparently required some assurances that I keep my promises.”

“Man, you look beat, Den!” Taking the older man’s hand, Skyy started tugging him towards their bed. “You could do with some settling-in yourself, big guy.”

Dennis thankfully slid into bed and let Skyy cover him. He smiled contentedly when Skyy’s head landed on his chest and small fingers lightly patted his cheek. “Comfy, Den?” came the softly whispered question. “Huh-huh!” barely escaped his lips before sleep reclaimed them both.

************

“Well look who finally decided to put in an appearance!” Dusty teased when Slade and Jayden stumbled into the kitchen later that morning. Both his friends were bleary-eyed and in need of a shave. He snickered as one of the two latecomers went to sit down and narrowly avoided missing his chair.

“What’s this?” Slade groused and curled his lip up at the plate Dennis put in front of him.

“Wow, waffles!” Jayden crowed, suddenly wide-awake. “Dom used to put blueberries in them. We’d have them with blueberry syrup and whipped cream.”

“Just shut-up and eat, Jayden!” Slade snapped at his fellow Brat, resenting the mention of their missing Top.

“Hey, did you guys get that new customer you quoted for yesterday?” Skyy thought a new topic of conversation was needed to dispel the tension cause by Slade’s short-tempered comment.

“No, we didn’t. Slade was kinda rude to the old gentleman,” Jayden explained. “He says we don’t need Mr. Drury’s business. Just because he had a few lawn ornaments in his yard doesn’t make it much more work intensive, but Slade said it would take too much time to keep it mowed.”

“A few! What the hell are you taking about? The old coot must have had at least fifty pieces of junk around his place. God, talk about a cluster-fuck!” Slade griped.

“Slade, your language is totally unacceptable,” Dennis informed him.

“Swearing is okay at our house,” Slade pouted.

“Well, I’m afraid it is not tolerated here. Please keep your mouth clean or I’ll do it for you.” To take the sting out of his words, Dennis put his arm around the younger man’s shoulders and softly suggested, “I know you’re overtired, Slade, but try not to take it out on everyone else. Okay?”

“I’m sorry!” Slade blushed with embarrassment at the mild rebuke. “I didn’t mean to snap at you, Jay-Jay.”

“It’s okay, Slay.”

“Think you guys can entertain each other for about fifteen minutes without arguing? I have to check my e-mails?” Dennis half-seriously joked.

“Sure! You just go find something to keep you busy, Den. We’ll put the time to good use plotting your overthrow.” Skyy cheekily grinned up at him.

“Brat!” Dennis lightly clipped his youngest partner’s ear.

“Dusty, what did he mean by cleaning my mouth out for me?” Slade asked once he was sure Dennis wouldn’t overhear.

“He’d use soap!” Dusty smirked at the look of disbelief on his friend’s face.

“You used to swear like a trooper, Dusty,” Jayden reminded him. “But now you hardly ever do.”

“Which just goes to prove how well it works!” Dusty shuddered at the memories the subject aroused. “It’s not like Den would put a whole bar in my mouth. He only put a drop of liquid hand soap on his finger and wiped it on my tongue. But that was bad enough!”

“Hmmm, can I….aaah…ask you guys something?” Slade hesitantly inquired. Getting affirmative nods, he plunged ahead. “When you’re hurt or sick or frightened, who do you want most?”

Dusty and Skyy gave each other a baffled look. “Den!” they replied as one.

“Like isn’t that a given?” Skyy muttered under his breath, as he got up and began clearing the table. “Wanna give me a hand, Jayden?” he requested and was pleased to see the man getting to his feet.

“Qkay! How about when you’re in trouble?” Slade wanted to know.

“Den!” was once again the resounding answer.

“Don’t you ever go to each other first?” their inquisitor continued.

“Sometimes,” Dusty responded. “We are perfectly capable of taking care of ourselves; or each other for that matter. It’s just that we are more vulnerable at those times you’ve asked about, so we’d rather have Den’s help,” he added.

“Dusty, do you ever feel you’re being disloyal to Skyy when you put Dennis first? After all, you found him, brought him home, and wanted him before Dennis did. Hell, Skyy’s your fellow-Brat!” Slade was hoping the answer would help dispel his feelings of guilt.

“That’s right, Slade! Skyy is my fellow-Brat; he is not my Top and I’m not his. We have one Top and that’s Den. Together with Den we form a threesome of equal partners, lovers, and best friends.”

“How can you be equal if he’s the Boss and has the final say in everything?”

“But Den’s only the ‘Boss’ as you put it, because Skyy and I want him to be,” Dusty pointed out before adding. “And although we all take part in the discussion process, someone has to have the last say. In our home, that someone is Den.”

“And in our house, it should have been Dominic.” Slade murmured dejectedly.

“What are you having a problem with, Slade?” Dusty gently questioned, seeing his friend’s head slowly moving back and forth as if trying to deny whatever was going through his mind.

“You make it sound so easy, only it isn’t!”

“So what is?” Dusty chuckled. He sighed at the sad expression on the other man’s face and tried to be patient. “What part is the most difficult for you, Slade?”

“I don’t know!” Slade mumbled and shrugged his shoulders. “I guess it’s hard to admit you want or need help sometimes, especially when you’ve already promised someone else you’d always be strong enough to look after him.” This last was softly spoken for Dusty’s ears only.

“What else?” Dusty quietly prodded. “Is it about the discipline?’

“Kinda!”

“It’s okay to be submissive, Slade, if that’s a concern. Just cause you relinquish control to one person doesn’t mean you’d submit to just anyone.” Dusty’s voice rang with assurance. “Ya know, when I asked Den to set up boundaries that would enable me to meet my goals at school, he said it really showed my strength of character to acknowledge a need for assistance in certain areas of my life. Hey, even Den needs help now and again.”

“I bet I know what else gets to Slade!” Jayden announced, sitting down again and taking part in the discussion for the first time. “He doesn’t actually object to the rules, it’s just so hard when it comes to obeying them or facing the consequences. It can often rub him the wrong way.”

“Den says the rules are stepping stones, not stumbling blocks.” Having the dishes out of the way freed up Skyy to take the seat across from Jayden. “They are there to help us get where we want to be as easily as possible.”

“So how do you guys set them up? How do you know which ones you even need?” Slade inquired, still looking for answers.

Realising his friend’s inability to let it go, Dusty took it upon himself to enlighten him. “We kinda divide our rules into three categories. Some are just a given: like no drugs, no fighting or lying, no speeding or drunk driving, that kind of stuff. Then there are the ones that required a lot of discussion: no swearing, no smoking, no skipping school, etc. And finally there are the rare ones that come into being when Dennis pulls rank: like no jobs while going to school unless he says so and having a limit on overtime.”

“You discussed swearing?” Slade asked in disbelief.

“We had to. Den hated me using foul language and pointed out that it would be not be an asset if I were to decide to go into the more public side of my profession such as teaching, designing, or sales. We also decided it was a nasty habit to subject any future nieces or nephews to. Thus, the rule was born!” Dusty laughed.

“Does Dennis ever interfere with your job?”

“He will if putting in too much overtime becomes a health issue, but he never goes to my workplace.”

“Hmm, let me guess; the no skipping school is a rule just for Skyy. Right?”

“You got it! Not all the rules apply to both of us.”

“Doesn’t it piss you off when Dennis comes off like a dictator and makes a rule without consulting you?”

“Not really. He’s only done it a couple of times and we trust him to make decisions that are in our best interest. Den would never do anything harmful to us as individuals or damaging to our relationship.”

“Do either you or Skyy jump in when the other is getting punished?”

“Are you kidding? You think we have a death wish or something?”

Jayden and Skyy were sitting between the other two Brats, their heads going from side to side as they followed the conversation.

“Are you starting to get the picture yet, Slade?” Skyy boldly asked. He grinned at the expression on Slade’s face and could almost hear the wheels grinding in the other man’s head as he thought over all that had been said.

Before Slade could respond, Dennis entered the room. “Okay, that’s all taken care of!” he announced. “We better divide up the chore list while there is still some of the morning left. Dusty, how about you and Slade mowing the lawn? Skyy and Jayden can come shopping with me.”

“Aaah, Dennis, would it be all right if Jayden and I did the yard work? We’ll do a bang-up professional job for ya!” Slade offered optimistically. “I mean, Jayden and I don’t have to be separated during the day, do we?” He wanted time along with his fellow-Brat.

“It’s certainly fine for you and Jayden to stay here, Slade. A free professional job sounds good to me! It will also be the perfect opportunity for Jayden’s belongings to be moved into his room. Dusty and Skyy can accompany me.”

“Wait a minute! I don’t want to go shopping!” Skyy voiced his objection to Dennis’ plan.

“You don’t have a choice, Sport. You need a new pair of sneakers, remember?”

“Oh, yeah!” Skyy capitulated. He hoped the older man wouldn’t mention the activity that lead to this necessary purchase, nor repeat the lecture that had followed it.

Fifteen minutes later, Slade and Jayden had the house to themselves. They decided to shave and finish dressing before starting on the chore they had volunteered to do.

“We should go home after we get this done, Jayden,” Slade suggested as he pulled a clean T-shirt over his head. “We can clean up the mess we left and get the grass cut. How’s that for a plan?”

“I guess. Can we come back here when we’re done?” Jayden asked; zippering and buttoning his shorts.

“Wouldn’t you rather sleep together tonight, in our own bed?”

“I-I just want to stay here for a while longer. Please say we can, Slade,” Jayden pleaded, uncertain of how his partner would take his request.

“Come here, Jay-Jay, and talk to me,” Slade invited. He sat down on the foot of the bed and patted the space beside him. “How did it go for you, being by yourself?” he softly asked, putting an arm around the other man’s shoulders and giving Jayden an encouraging squeeze.

“I was upset at first, but I ended up sleeping right through and feeling okay this morning. How about you?”

“It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, considering we’ve been sharing a bed since a week after I arrived at Mom and Dad’s place.” Slade paused to get up his nerve to make his confession. “I-I promised to always be there for you and to put you first, no matter what. But last night I just wanted Dom so bad. I really, really needed him, Jay-Jay.”

“It’s okay, Slay. I know exactly where you’re coming from, man. I felt the exact same way,” Jayden quietly admitted. “But I don’t think it means our feelings for one other are changing or that we’re not being true to each other.”

“Perhaps it’s a sign we’re finally getting our act together and beginning to understand what Dom’s been trying to explain since day one. God, we’re thick!” Slade groaned and threw himself back on the bed.

“We’re gonna hafta talk to Dennis, Slay. He might be able to help us get in touch with Dom. Maybe get a message to him or something.”

‘Yeah, if it is not too late,’ Slade thought. He was afraid to get his hopes up but didn’t want to discourage his younger partner. “Guess we can approach Dennis this evening and see what he has to say.”

************

“Dennis, Jayden and I were wondering it you would be able to help us with something. We were gonna talk to you last night but it was just too late when we got home.”

“But we had a great time at the stock car races!” Jayden assured his host. “It’s been a long time since we last went to them.”

“I’m glad you enjoyed yourselves,” Dennis smiled at the younger men sitting across the table from him. “Do you want to discuss it now or after we’ve finished dinner?”

‘Aah, now’s okay, I-I guess,” Slade stammered and shrugged his shoulders. He was worried their request might be refused. “Hmm, you said you’ve been in touch with Dominic, right?”

“Yes, I’ve been corresponding with him via e-mail. Is there something you boys would like to say to him?”

“Huh-huh.” Slade expelled a breath he hadn’t been aware of holding.

“We thought we could write and tell him we’re sorry and that we miss him and want him to come home,” Jayden explained when his fellow-Brat seemed at a lost for words.

“Bet he’d like to hear from you separately,” Dusty suggested.

“Yeah, ya think we should each set up our own e-mail accounts, Jay-Jay? We’ve always used our business addy but new ones would make it more personal.”

“Yeah, I’d like that!” Jayden exclaimed. “Can we do it tonight?” He looked at Dennis for the older man’s input.

“It’s okay by me, but you must realize it may be a day or two before he actually gets to read it.”

“Well, I-I stopped by Dom’s office a few days ago and found out he’s supposed to be back at work a week from tomorrow,” Slade shyly confessed, not sure if it was something he should have done.

“Are you going to be staying with us until he gets home?” Skyy asked.

“If it’s okay with you guys, we’d kinda like to,” Slade answered.

“We’re even getting use to having separate rooms,” Jayden announced, causing the others to laugh along with him.

“You are more than welcome to stay as long as you wish. You’ve been a pleasure to have here,” Dennis said sincerely. “Dominic would be proud.”

Slade and Jayden beamed with the compliment. They impatiently waited for the meal to end, hurried through their share of the clean-up chores, and anxiously settled in Dennis’ study to bare their souls via the Internet to the man who had become to most important person in the world to them.

Slade sat down at the computer first. He was unsure of how to express himself. He had always found it difficult to verbalize his emotions. Jayden getting antsy and pacing around the room was an added distraction.

“Jay-Jay, would you mind leaving so I can get this done? Maybe you can go watch TV or something.”

“I don’t want to! What’s taking you so long anyway?”

“I can’t think with you in here, huffing and puffing your displeasure in having to wait for me.” Slade was trying hard not to lose his cool and lash out at his partner.

Jayden didn’t even try. He just blew up and started yelling. Dennis’ timely arrival on the scene put an end to the pending fiasco. Having one Brat confined to the corner, enable the other to concentrate on the task at hand.

Dear Dominic,

I hope you get a chance to read this soon. Dennis tells us you go to an Internet café pretty regularly. I just want to tell you how much I miss you and want you to come home. I feel like I’m unraveling here and coming apart at the seams. I’m getting cranky and more sarcastic every day; not just at home but on the job too.

I understand now, Dom. I really do. It’s a wonder you put up with us as long as you did. I hope you still love us, ‘cause Jay-Jay and me figured out what we were doing wrong. We know for things to be right, him and me hafta stop being a couple first before we can be a threesome with you. We aren’t a couple any more, Dom. We’re two separate people who want you to help us put our three-way partnership back together the way it’s supposed to be.

Please give us one more chance, Dom. I love ya, man.
Slade

“Finished! It’s your turn now, Jay-Jay,” Slade spoke quietly, his satisfaction at doing his best evident in his voice.

Jayden turned and walked over to stand in front of his fellow-Brat. “I’m sorry for getting so pissed off, Slay.”

“It’s okay. Guess you’re a little nervous, I know I was.” The young men wrapped their arms around each other and exchanged kisses of love and forgiveness. Then Slade left Jayden to get on with his self-imposed assignment.

Dear Dominic,

Did ya notice that me and Slade have our own e-mail addresses now? Dennis makes us do things on our own, like e-mailing you and stuff. He even makes us sleep in separate rooms. He’s helping us change things. But it’s really hard here without you. I miss you so much and sometimes I just feel like I’m gonna break into little pieces.

I am so sorry, Dom, for making ya need to get away from us. Me and Slay’s got it now. Honest! We know you didn’t leave us; we pushed you away.

This is so hard! It has taken us hours to figure out what we want to say to you. I don’t know what Slade wrote in his e-mail. He was taking such a long time, it made me angry and I started hollerin’ at him. Dennis swatted me and put me in a corner. He’s a lot meaner than you are. Anyway, even though it gave me more time to think about what I wanted to say, I really don’t know the words to tell you how I feel. Dennis says not to worry about it ‘cause you’re good at reading between the lines…..whatever that means.

Please come back to us, Dom. Love from….
Jayden

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Part Three

Early Saturday morning, Dominic retraced the last few miles of the trip he’d started a month ago. Only he didn’t stop at the house he shared with his partners. He drove straight by and twenty minutes later, pulled into Dennis’ driveway.

“Hey everybody, Dominic’s here!” Skyy called out excitedly as he ran into the kitchen.

Slade and Jayden looked at each other uncertainly. They were worried about their Top’s frame of mind and had somewhat mixed feelings at seeing him again. Dennis gently pushed his two Brats out of the room so the upcoming tryst could take place in private.

Dominic strolled in through the back porch and came face to face with his young partners. He read the trepidation in their expressions and made note of their stiffly held bodies. His face-splitting grin was all it took for Slade and Jayden to fly into the opened arms of the man they loved, and to fiercely return his loving embrace. Dominic knew by the shaking shoulders, that his Brats were crying and his own eyes filled as he repeatedly kissed first each one.

“The SUV is outside, my loves,” he murmured. “We’re going home!”

“What about our stuff?” Jayden asked.

“We’ll get it tomorrow!”

The three of them barely made it through their front door, when Dominic’s order of ‘Upstairs!’ had the two younger men racing towards the master bedroom while their older partner turned on the answering machine. He wanted to ensure a long stretch of uninterrupted time.

Once stripped and in bed, Dominic expressed his love for his partners through foreplay; tenderly talking, touching, tasting and lovingly accommodating himself to their well-known preferences. Slade and Jayden were lying side by side and flat on their backs. Dominic started caressing their feet before slowly moving up their legs, nibbling and licking first one man and then the other. He continued on past their erections to their gasping mouths, stopping along the way to play with their navels, nipples, and earlobes, eventually nuzzling along their jaw-lines before deeply kissing them in turn. Nudging his whimpering lovers onto their stomachs, Dominic gently pinched, stroked and kissed a path down to their taut, rounded bottoms. After kneading Slade’s cheeks, he prepared and entered him in one firm motion while reaching under to wrap his hand around the man’s engorged penis. Jayden’s excitement grew as he lay on his side, pleasuring himself while watching his two lovers and eagerly anticipating his turn with Dominic.

His lovers responded in kind and easily fell into a rhythm that exploration and practice had developed over the past five years. Their lovemaking became frantic and passions grew as their need to sexually reconnect sought fulfilment. A brief rest period followed their first climaxes and then a rejuvenated Dominic repeated the process, this time preparing and entering Jayden’s body.

Suffused with the warm after-glow, the partners talked openly about the past month and shared their feelings of pain, sadness, disillusionment and abandonment. They spoke about their desires for the future; a future they wanted to build together.

************

“Well, guys, I’ve said before and I’ll say it again. This is the best purchase I ever let you talk me into!” Dominic sighed, closed his eyes and sank deeper into the hot tub. Their reunion had been all they could have hoped for and more. After their lengthy lovemaking, they opted for spending a leisurely afternoon doing whatever struck their fancy.

“Hmmm, Dom; when can we talk about….you know?” Jayden hesitantly asked. He was finding it difficult to deal with his feelings of apprehension over what would be happening next.

Dominic opened one eye and glanced over at a very uncertain young man. Jayden was sitting on the ledge in the corner with his arms wrapped around his bent legs and his chin resting on his knees. Opening the other eye, Dominic turned an expectant gaze towards his other partner.

“We know you planned to wait until tomorrow to discuss this further, Dom, but me and Jay-Jay kinda prefer to deal with it now. We’d just like to find out where we go from here.” Slade scrutinized the older man’s face as he sincerely pleaded his case and that of his fellow-Brat’s.

“Okay then, we’ll do it now! We’ve already determined we want to stay together, right?” Getting two energetic nods, Dominic straightened up and continued. “I guess what we really need to decide, is the kind of relationship we want. I definitely need to know if you boys want to remain in a discipline partnership.” He filled his wineglass and passed the bottle over to Jayden.

“Even though we sorta sucked at it before, it’s what I want,” Jayden softly expressed his choice as he accepted the chilled, white Alpenweiss.

“What about you, Slade?” Dominic gently prodded; knowing his other Brat had a harder time to admit a need for something he saw as a weakness in himself.

Slade slowly nodded his head, swallowed a mouthful of wine and murmured, “Yeah, I wanna give it one more chance. What do you think, Dom?”

“Before I answer that, I’d like you both to think back to when we first got together. Do you remember why I encouraged you to give this lifestyle a try?”

“Kinda,” Slade answered uncertainly and look over at Jayden who seemed equally unsure.

“I was very concerned about some bad habits you had developed; mainly the ones involving the over-consumption of alcohol and smoking up. Although you worked hard and satisfied your clients, you also endangered yourself. The number of completely avoidable accidents was on the rise and apparently I cared more for you than you cared for yourselves. Five years ago, I promised to keep you both safe, and you promised to do as you were told in matters where my judgement proved clearer. That was the basic principle behind our discipline partnership, wasn’t it?”

“Yes, it was!” Slade humbly acknowledged while Jayden vigorously nodded his agreement. “Do you think it’s possible for us to try it one more time? Jay-Jay and me really want to, Dom. We know we need it…..both of us do!”

“I’ve always been up front with you. I believed and still do that both of you benefit from loving discipline. You do fine within the parameters of your business, but you let your personal lives go to hell in a hand basket. Besides your work ethics, one thing I have always admired about you guys; is the way you’ve tried to deal head-on with the hard knocks life has handed you. Slade, one of your greatest strengths was your willingness to take care of Jayden and, Jayden, one of yours was in allowing him to. But it has become too much for you, hasn’t it, Slade?” Dominic’s voice was low but his love for them came through loud and clear.

“It seems I’ve been fighting to stay in control of everything for so long, but now I know it’s time to give some of it up. A lot of it actually,” Slade said with an embarrassed shrug and a crooked grin. Taking a deep breath, he plunged ahead, “I need and w-want your help, Dom. I need the boundaries. I like knowing someone is there to enforce them. I just couldn’t admit it to you or Jay-Jay. Hell, I couldn’t even admit it to myself.”

“Even though we didn’t live with Dennis all that long, Dom, it was long enough to finally figure out what we were doing wrong and to understand what you had been trying to tell us since day one. I’m sure things will work this time!” Jayden’s usual optimism took over, causing him to bounce and splash water at the other two men.

“Maybe you should have left us sooner,” Slade commented with a dejected sigh as he wiped his face.

“There is a time for everything, my loves. The results may not have been the same had we forced this learning experience on ourselves at any other time,” Dominic assured them. “Do either of you have any idea as to why it took so long for you to accept the idea of just letting go?”

The two younger men looked at each other and silently agreed to confess all, before turning apprehensive gazes at their Top.

“We were scared to, Dom,” Jayden murmured.

“Of what, exactly?” Dominic softly inquired in a voice of confusion.

“Of you changing your mind and finding someone else,” Slade started to explain. “You are so handsome and popular. We’ve seen how other men, really great-looking men, practically drool over you and we’ve been afraid that someday you’ll get fed up with being shackled to a couple of disfigured, psyched-out guys like us.”

For a several moments, Dominic just stared in opened-mouth disbelief. He knew they were self-conscious about the reminders of past injuries, but it tore at his heart to realize they were still insecure enough to have harboured doubts of his commitment to them. ‘My God, it’s been five years! Five long years, I’ve been telling them how attractive they are; how much their devastating beauty turns me on; how perfect they are in my eyes,’ he thought sadly.

He cleared his throat and emotionally stated, “From the very first moment I laid eyes on the two of you, I thought you were the most gorgeous men I’d ever seen. At the time, I wasn’t ready to settle down, but I was drawn to you like a magnet. I couldn’t resist the pull no matter how hard I tried. And I really did try! Slade darling,’ Dominic reached over and gently caressed the right side of his Brat’s cheek. “This thin scar that runs along your jaw-line in no way detracts from the splendour of this adorable face of yours. In fact, it may even enhance it.” He smiled and leaned in to tenderly kiss the cheek he had been stroking.

“And Jayden sweetheart,” Dominic took his other Brat’s left hand in his and lightly rubbed his thumb over the faded smattering of discolouration on the young man’s forearm. “You are the only one who actually sees this, Pet, for no other reason than you know it’s there.” He waited a few minutes while they mulled over his words. “And neither of you is psyched-out!” he firmly added.

“Then you’ll never leave us for someone better, will you?” Jayden timidly asked.

“Never; because there is no one better for me! Now, am I correct in believing we are unanimously in agreement to continue our discipline partnership?” Dominic requested confirmation and got it in the form of shy smiles and slightly bobbing heads. ”Then now would be the ideal time to review the rules,” he strongly suggested.

“Huh, maybe we could categorize them the way Dennis, Dusty and Skyy do.” Jayden offered and sipped from his glass.

“Sure seems to work for them,” Slade informed his older partner. “The categories are ‘givens’, ‘agreed-upons after discussion’, and a few ‘rank-pullers’,” he added, not at all surprised by Dominic’s nod of comprehension.

“I’m pretty sure we have a number of ‘givens’ of our own that are similar to theirs; driving habits and drug-use being a couple of them. I don’t think we really need to go over them all right now with the exception of your use of pot last weekend, Slade.”

“But Dennis already paddled me for that! Are you going to punish me too, Dom?” Slade asked nervously.

“No! But rest assured, young man, you are not getting into that habit again and this is the only ‘get out of jail free’ card that you’re going to get from me. I’m not going to add to your punishment for two reasons. One being that Dennis took care of it adequately. The other, and more important one, is that as of today we’re starting with a clean slate, moving on and putting as much of the past as possible behind us. I take it you boys are okay with that?”

“Oh, yeah!” both younger men answered together, a note of relief in their voices.

“Then I think we should be concentrating on the ‘agreed-upons’,” Dominic chuckled.

“Okay, but you have the last say, doesn’t he, Slay?” Jayden asked.

“Got it, Jay-Jay!”

“First, the rules regarding job safety, keeping your shop orderly and your tools in good condition. You guys are well aware of my expectations in these areas. You also know the rules that apply to showing respect for and caring about each other. We don’t usually have a problem with keeping one another inform of our whereabouts due to you boys always having your cell phones on for business.”

“Dusty has a rule about swearing. Think we need one?” Slade inquired with a smirk.

“No, foul language has never been an issue for us,” Dominic replied. “We aren’t bothered by a few off-coloured words now and again. It’s not as if any of us curse a blue streak on regular bases.”

“Another biggy is the rule about not going two-on-one with you, right?” Jayden reminded them.

“Yes, that is a big one and the one we’ve had the most problems with,” Dominic stated as he ruefully shook his head. He sat back and drained his glass before speaking again. “There should never be a need for both of you to be punished when only one of you is in trouble. We’ve gone over this so many times but nothing changes. Neither of you ever has to protect the other from me.”

Both Brats hung their heads and shifted uneasily when they pick up the sadness in their Top’s voice.

Placing his hand on Dominic’s arm, Slade softly vowed, “It will be different this time, Dom. We promise!”

“Slay’s right! Like we told you in our e-mails, we don’t wanna be the way we were before we met you. We really, really want to be a threesome!” Jayden insisted.

“I have an idea that may help with this reoccurring issue. Starting tomorrow and every evening for as long as it takes, I want you each to work on a project, writing about your thoughts and feelings over the last four weeks. Then from now on, every time you attempt to out-number me and over-rule a decision I’ve made, you’ll be made to read what you’ve written as a reminder of just how much worse things can be.” Dominic looked into the depths of their eyes to ensure understanding and compliance.

“I hate writing, especially that kinda stuff. But I’ll do it, Dom,” Slade grumbled, reluctantly agreeing to comply.

“Can Slade and me do it together?” Jayden asked hopefully.

“No, Pet. You’ll each be making your own records of everything that happened.”

“Will you help if we have trouble expressing ourselves, Dom?” Slade requested.

“Of course, babe, I’ll give you any assistance needed,” Dominic replied as he laughed and held up his arms, palms outward. “Look at this, guys. What do you say about getting out of here before this becomes worse? It’s probably going to take our hands and feet several hours to de-prune as it is. We can continue this conversation after supper. Those steaks have marinade even longer than we have.” He watched as his Brats scrambled to get out of the hot tub, enjoying the sight of their wet naked bodies glistening in the afternoon sun.

***********

“Okay, Dom, kitchen’s clean! So, what’s left to discuss?” Slade asked as he took a final swipe at the counter tops.

“Hey, I thought we had covered everything!” Jayden griped, tossing the damp dishtowels into the laundry room. “I wanna watch a movie on TV.”

“Sorry, Pet. We still have a few issues to deal with. Come sit down, please.” Dominic placed a jug of ice tea and three glasses on the table. “You know, fellas, as much as we want to make changes, we have to be prepared for slip-ups. We have two main areas to work on. We have already discussed the first one, so we’ll move right along to the second. Jayden, the time has come for you to stand on your own two feet and become more independent. You are more than capable of doing so; you just can’t be bothered because you’ve relied on Slade for so long. From now on, you are to take a more active role in the decision-making here at home and in your business. You are an equal partner in both these relationships. And Slade, you have to help out with this by stepping back and letting him do it on his own.”

“But what if Jay-Jay needs help, Dom?”

“Then he is to come to me! I mean it, Slade! If I find out you’ve been trying to influence him in making a decision or coerce him into doing something your way, you will be punished. Got it?”

“Yeah, I got it!” Slade crossed his arms, slunk back on his chair and pouted.

“Come on, guys. We’re all in this together, a team, remember?” Dominic smiled and tried to lighten the mood. Knowing his Brats were starting to get overwhelmed, he brought up the final topic. “One last item of business and it’s for you only, Jayden.”

“Why just me? What’s this turning into? Pick on Jayden night?” Jayden protested, raising his voice. A stern look from Dominic ended his outburst.

“It concerns your reprehensible penchant of forgetting to take your medication.”

“But, Dom, it doesn’t even work the way it’s supposed to and it makes me sick.”

“Jayden, your doctor has been unable to determine what dosage you need, because you have never taken it regularly for a long enough period of time. So listen up! This is what we’re going to do. You are responsible for following the prescription’s instructions to the letter. I will not be handing you a pill every morning. However, I will be asking if you’ve taken it and if the answer is no, you will get a reminder consisting of a good hard swat or two on the seat of your pants. Three reminders and you get lines to write. The next time you forget after writing lines on three different occasions, you’ll be over my knee getting your bare butt soundly spanked. It may take time, but sooner or later you are going to remember to take your meds as directed. No excuses will be accepted!” Dominic waited for his words to sink in and was pleasantly surprised when the objection he was expecting, never materialized.

“Okay, but it’s not my fault if I throw up ‘cause it upsets my stomach!” Although Jayden had given in, he couldn’t resist trying to get in the last word.

“You won’t throw up, love.”

************

“I think you have enough icing sugar on that, Pet. It only calls for a slight dusting, not burial.”

“I like lots, Dom! Beside,” Jayden smirked, “I deserve an extra treat ‘cause I remembered my meds this morning!”

“Yeah, but just a spoonful of sugar makes it go down, Jay-Jay, not a cup!” Slade teased as he spooned a forkful of dessert into his mouth.
.
“I’ll take care of the dishes, while you guys get back to work on your assignments.” Dom just managed to prevent a shudder at their wails of indignation. He had made up his mind that no matter how difficult it became, he would stick to his decision. He thought back to yesterday and his Brats’ reluctant acceptance of what would be happening upon their return from Dennis’ house.

“We’ll be staying close,” he had informed them.

“How close you talking about, Dom?” Jayden had asked suspiciously.

“Yeah, and for how long?” Slade added, glaring through narrowing eyes. Like his fellow-Brat, he was pretty sure this was leading somewhere they wouldn’t be thrilled about.

“Together, boys, as in each other’s back pockets. With the exception of work-related activities, it’s the three of us reconnecting; indefinitely!” Dominic chuckled at their exaggerated groans and rolling eyes. “We’ll head over to Dennis’ later this morning to collect your truck and belongings. While we are there we will thank him for all his help over the past month. This afternoon, we can take in a ball game if you like and this evening, you’ll be starting your projects.”

The writing exercise had proved to be emotionally draining. Tears had been shed, papers torn up, and pencils snapped in half as the painful events were dredged up and written down. But they were making headway; if having only the first day accounted for could be considered such.

Dominic walked into the study to check on his partners’ progress just as the telephone rang. Slade and Jayden looked up expectantly during the course of the one-sided conversation. “We’ll be right over!” Dominic assured the caller. The younger men happily hi-fived each other at the temporary reprieve from their present activity, but their happiness was short-lived when Dominic informed them of the reason for the unexpected visit to their friends’ home.

“Skyy’s Uncle Earl passed away this afternoon.”

“Shit! How’s the little guy taking it, Dom?” Slade quietly asked, sliding his arms into his jacket.

“Rather well, but is in need of a distraction according to Dennis.”

“Hmmm, maybe we should pick up a couple of dozen jelly doughnuts,” Jayden thoughtfully suggested.

“Humph! I’d consider it if I thought there was any chance of you eating them,” Dominic sardonically commented.

*************

It was the following weekend before Dominic realized how much ground had been lost as he and his partners rallied around their friends. Saturday evening became a battleground of wills as Dominic struggled to get his Brats back on track. In addition to working on his essay, Jayden had lines to write for having forgotten his medication three times during the past week. Slade was stubbornly insisting he and Jayden do the project together rather then each of them doing their own. As a result, he was presently standing in a corner trying to convince himself to do as he had been told.

“Slade, you’ve had more than enough time to think things over. Come sit down, babe. Please,” Dominic softly summoned. “Do you know why you’re in trouble?” he patiently asked when Slade was seated next to him at the kitchen table.

“Because I don’t feel like writing all that stuff by myself; besides, Jay-Jay said he wanted to work with me, too!” Slade’s voice was steadily increasing in volume.

“Calm dawn! That’s not quite true, young man, and you know it!” When the only response was a tight-lipped glare, Dominic sought to clarify the situation by asking, “What did I tell you about persuading Jayden to go along with your ideas?”

“Not to! But, Dominic…..”

“Did he or did he not want to do this assignment on his own?”

“At first he wanted to do it on his own, but he changed his mind.”

“Only after you badgered him into it, right?”

“I guess,” Slade mumbled, with his head down and his eyes on the floor. All three men were well aware of what this was leading to.

“Ah, Dom? I’m okay with doing it as a team. Honest, I am!” Jayden piped up from the other end of the table where he was writing out his limes.

“But I’m not!” Dominic firmly stated. “Slade, go to the study and wait for me, please.”

“Don’t do it, Dom!” Jayden shouted, pushing his chair back and getting to his feet as his fellow-Brat left the room.

“Jayden,” Dominic said warningly and held up his hand, signalling for silence. “You have enough on your plate without looking for more, Pet. This is between me and Slade.” He walked around the table and placed his hands on Jayden’s shoulders, gently forcing him to sit back down. He was pleased to feel the younger man relax under his rhythmic massage. With one Brat taken care of, Dominic went down the hall to take care of the other one.

***************

Another week passed and a routine had been established. By the following Sunday evening, the projects had been completed and were safety ensconced in a desk drawer.

“That was a great Thanksgiving dinner your parents put on, boys!” Dominic commented as he stretched out on the living room sofa. “Man, I’m stuffed!”

“Guess we got a lot to be thankful for, huh Dom?” Jayden asked absentmindedly. He was sorting through their DVD collection in hopes of finding one they’d all enjoy watching.

“Well, the thing I’m most thankful for is that darn project being finished,” Slade gripped though his heart wasn’t in it. He would have liked to go out for the evening but had been voted down. Actually, Dominic had pulled rank as they were still spending all their non-work hours together.

Truth be told, all three men were enjoying the reconnection process. Their home life was steadily improving with Dominic finally feeling in control and his partners relishing in the care and attention he gave them.

“We’re going to the Octoberfest Parade tomorrow with Dennis, Dusty and Skyy, right?” Slade wondered out-loud as he tried to balance himself on the side of the couch. There wasn’t much space between his Top and the edge of the sofa.

“Just like we do every year, Sugar,” Dominic assured him, pulling the younger man down to lay half on and half beside him.

“Yeah,” Slade sighed, snuggling closer. “Same old, same old!”

“Not quite, babe.”

“So like what’s the difference this year, Dom?” Jayden looked up from where he was sitting on the floor, his choice of movie in his hand.

“You guys haven’t felt it? Less stress, fewer disagreements and strained silences, more trust, contentment, cuddling…..”

“More sex!” Jayden and Slade chimed in together.

“Yep, so much more of that, all right,” Dominic chuckled along with his Brats’ laughter. Gently pushing Slade upright, Dominic sat up and made room for Jayden to join them. “We’re doing grand, my loves. There are not so many bumps in the road. I’m not saying the future won’t have its’ ups and downs or that we won’t slide and make mistakes, but at least the three of us know where we’re going and we’re going there together. I believe we’ve always been on the right road, only now we’re finally going in the right direction.”

The End