Zach, Sun Jan 13th 2013

I grin stupidly at the clock for the longest time when I wake up. 10am! It's the first time since my escape when I manage to sleep without my usual awakening at 6am. I take it as a sign that things are slowly changing, even if it's with baby steps. Though this might have been the morning when I wanted to wake up earlier... I have so much to do!

I'd have totally tried to find a way around Daddy's grounding yesterday night if it weren't for his birthday today! After everything he did for me, I absolutely have to do something nice for him. I opted for a cake. I know I said the new Zach doesn't cook, but this is an exception. I spent the better part of yesterday afternoon and a bit of the evening baking the perfect birthday cake. I know it's going to be amazing, contrary to what my brain is trying to make me believe, because the new Zach rocks in a kitchen. I still messed up a few times, but I kept my cool and just patiently redid the parts that went wrong.

When I finished the kick-ass dessert, I concentrated on the present I'm going to give him today: the drawing I have been working on since last week. I decided to redo it again from the beginning on Wednesday, and since then I have been focusing on all the tiny details to make it perfect. It's very annoying to work while hearing Thomas' voice telling me I have no talent whatsoever, so I always put some music on at the loudest volume possible to distract me.

This morning I use my headphones while I work on it since don't want Daddy to wake up too early. Last night was one of the nights he had to close the club, so he hadn't come home at 2am when I finally went to bed, and I bet that he will sleep in until noon at the very least. I think I have managed to capture his mischievous expression properly, as well as the way he naturally radiates authority but I haven't been able to properly convey the aura of nostalgia he sometimes gives, and that's what I try to do for the rest of the morning.

When I'm eventually satisfied with the result, I hide my work in one of the drawers in my room and head into the living room, stopping the music. Aiden has already woken up and is cooking our usual breakfast, wearing just sweatpants. Seeing the muscles in his shoulders flex as he is making pancakes, I have to admit that Daddy is hot! I'm sure he must get plenty of special attention in his kinky club.

"Morning, Baby!" he says when he finally sees me.

"Good morning, Daddy!" I shout back.

"There is a cake in the fridge," he states.

"Yeah, it's kind of for your birthday," I blurt, a bit shyly.

Come on, get a grip! New Zach is never embarrassed!

"Where did you buy it?" he asks curiously.

Wait, does he think I went to a bakery for this?

"No, I made it all by myself!" I reply proudly.

It's true it does look good, and it will probably taste fabulous! At least that's what I have been repeating to myself over and over since I've finished it.

"You've cooked?" he asks with a dumbfounded expression.

"Yes, but only because it's a special occasion, Daddy! You better enjoy it because I won't do it again anytime soon."

"So this is my birthday present?" he asks smugly.

"Kind of... I also prepared another one... Do you want it now?"

"I'd love to see it, Baby!"

I'm a bit nervous when I go fetch my gift in my room, even if I keep telling myself it's awesome and he is going to love it.

"I haven't had time to properly frame it yet," I warn him as I drop the sheet on the table, "but you get the idea."

His eyes seem to pop out of their sockets when they land on the drawing. I guess it's a good sign, no? He stares at it, apparently at a loss for words, and I see his face fills with emotion.

"It's beautiful, Baby!" he whispers at some point. "This captures so many things!"

He keeps on looking intently before ruffling my hair. That always has my heart skip a beat.

"I love it, thanks a lot!" he adds.

"You're welcome, Daddy! It's the least I could do after everything you've done for me!"

"Hey, come here!" he says, pulling me into a hug. "The only thing you owe me is getting better and building yourself a future, okay, Baby?"

"Yes, Daddy! Still... I wanted to show you I appreciate what you did..." I reply shyly.

"And thank you very much for this! You should consider doing something art-related, Baby, you really are talented!"

Ah, take that stupid voices!

"I'll think about it, Daddy!"

It's true that I'm supposed to consider what I want to do with my life, but I don't have any ideas. For now, I'm enjoying a well-deserved holiday and I trust him to kick my butt when he feels I should be thinking of my future. After a few more emotional minutes, he reverently takes the sheet of paper and moves a picture of himself and his mom to put it on display on the highest shelf of the bookcase.

"We will have to find a frame for it!" he tells me as he comes back to set the table.

Soon after we are eating breakfast – which I should start to call lunch since it's already so late.

"So! A cake, a gift, it seems you are willing to do anything to please me today!" he says with a smirk.

"Well, it's your birthday!" I shrug.

"So can I have anything I want?" he asks.

There is a sudden bit of lust that crosses his features, and I'm wondering if he is not going to ask me to crawl under the table to blow him. Sorry, but no way that's happening, Daddy!

"You can always ask, but I'll decide if I agree," I reply, carefully.

The horniness is gone now, and he is only showing his serious self. Fuck! I see where he is going and I don't like it.

"Fair enough! What I would really like for my birthday, Baby... is for you to talk to me... I think you know about what."

Trying to guilt me into opening up... I should have seen it coming! Though I don't really know what I'm waiting for before broaching that particular subject. It's not going to become magically easier to talk about it later...

"Alright, Daddy..." I answer with a sigh. "What do you want to know?"

"This is not to satisfy some morbid curiosity of mine, Baby," he corrects me. "If I thought it would be better for you to bury all of this and never talk about it anymore, I would tell you to do that instead. But you need to let it out... All that you have on your chest!"

"Is this what mommy shrink thinks?" I ask a bit bitterly.

"It is, Baby. But it's also what I think!"

We settle on the couch, next to each other and I begin to talk about Thomas. How we met, how much we loved each other. When I reach the first time he hit me, I realize it does feel good to talk about it with my Daddy. It allows me to get some distance, and I can see how much I have already changed from the person I was in so little time.

Daddy grabs my hand to give me some comfort but I eventually lay down and settle with my head on his thigh. He gently caresses my hair while I can't stop relating everything that happened. All his sick punishments, the morning I almost called him but hung up, all until the night I eventually escaped.

"I'm so very proud of you, Baby!" he whispers in my ear, hugging me tightly when I have finished my sad tale. "You are so tough, to have endured and survived all of this!"

"I could have chosen not to if I weren't that dumb," I grumble.

I haven't been able to cry during any part of my story. I kept telling myself how pathetic I was not to have reacted before. How could I think there was no way out? Living out on the streets would have probably been better!

"I have already healed from the physical part, it's my stupid mind that's the problem..." I continue.

"And that will heal too, with time," he reassures me. "You're doing an amazing job, for now, Baby! I have a question that you may not like," he adds after a small pause.

"Shoot!" I reply. "Fair warning, I'll hit you if you upset me, birthday boy or not!"

"Understood," he chuckles. "Have you given a thought about pressing charges?"

"No," I reply automatically. "What would be the point?"

"To put him in jail!" he exclaims.

"And what would that achieve? I won't suddenly get better because he is imprisoned somewhere..."

In truth, it's almost as much his fault as mine in my mind. I let him continue to do all those things to me.

"No, he can have his freedom," I conclude. "I just don't want to see him ever again."

"That's very... generous of you," he hisses.

That's when I realize how tense he is... Of course, he must be feeling very angry at Thomas after all I have told him!

"Hey! Don't you dare go out for some revenge on my behalf, Daddy!" I exclaim. "Like you said, this was all about me getting better, not you getting pissed at him. Promise me you won't go near him to beat the crap out of him!"

I have absolutely no doubt that he could do such a thing. Plus, I've seen the security guys he employs at his club. Any of them would make Thomas their breakfast.

"And that you won't send anyone to do the same!" I add as an afterthought.

"Fine, Baby!" he lets out after a while.

Boy, he really is upset!

"Don't you have guests to feed tonight?" I ask to change the subject.

We spent the better part of the afternoon on the couch, me talking, so it's already quite late.

"Shit!" he exclaims, rushing in the kitchen.

I just play absentmindedly on my phone while I watch him cook from the corner of my eye. Telling my story has been kind of draining, and now I want to think about anything but that. The stupid game is perfect for this.

"I'm going to take a shower, can you let my friends in if they're early?" he asks when he puts his lasagna in the oven.

"Yes, Daddy!" I reply from the couch.

I was thinking I would be left on my own, but no, one of his friends had to arrive early! I stand up sighing as I head toward the door when I hear the bell ring. I open the door to reveal a muscular blonde man with green eyes. He looks like a fashion model escaped from a magazine. His jaw drops and he stares at me, stupefied. Do I have something on my face?

"Well hello, Aiden's friend, please come in!" I tell him after a few embarrassing seconds.

"I'm sorry, you must be Zach!" the guy tells me. "I'm Ethan, and this is Keith!"

Now that he has moved a bit, I see there is a brown-haired cutie with gorgeous blue eyes behind him. If Daddy's friends are all as hot as this, I'll be very horny tonight! I hope some of them are single! Oh crap! They must all be into this BDSM shit thing!

"Aiden is taking a shower," I explain, "please come in!"

"Good evening, Zach!" the cutie says a bit annoyed.

He doesn't seem very happy to be here. Or with life in general. Perhaps this Ethan isn't very good in bed.

"Would you like something to drink?" I offer.

"We'll wait for Aiden," Ethan replies with a no-nonsense voice.

He is dressed like a fashion model, even if it's in a casual style, but he has an authoritative aura that makes me think he's used to making decisions. He's a businessman I decide, perhaps in the fashion industry. As for his boyfriend, he's a bit younger than me so he must still be a student.

"In fact, I think I'll join him in his room!" Ethan adds, walking in long strides toward Daddy's room.

Rude much!

"Is he always so uncivil?" I ask Keith.

"Not usually," he replies.

"I don't know about you but I want to hear what he has to say to Aiden!" I tell him as I head toward the door and put my ear against it.

The cutie joins me, smiling mischievously. At least one of the two doesn't have a stick up in his ass! Sadly the door muffles the conversation inside the room efficiently and I can't manage to decipher what they're saying. That is until they begin to scream at each other.

"He won't replace Oliver!" Ethan yells.

"Do. Not. Say. His. Name!" Aiden shouts back, hammering each word.

Fuck, I have never heard him so angry! That voice makes the walls tremble, and I hate how my blood curdles when I hear it.

"I'm sorry but..." Ethan replies after a very long silence, his voice dropping back to a more normal level. It seems it's the only part of the conversation we will overhear.

"Who's Oliver?" I mouth to my companion.

"I don't know!" he shrugs.

We scurry back in the center of the living room shortly after, not wanting to get caught. They don't come out of Daddy's room just yet though, but we don't hear them screaming either.

"I wish they'd hurry up, I'm starving," Keith mumbles.

"Oh, I can feed you!" I chuckle, going to the kitchen to pick up a bag of chips.

When I come back to the couch we are sitting on, I can see that he is not alright though. He is trembling slightly and seems to be in pain.

"Are you alright?" I ask when I hand him the food.

"Does it look like I'm alright?" he snaps.

Okay, I admit it was kind of a stupid question but there's no need to be rude. Except that he's really not fine and begins to hyperventilate, I run toward Daddy's room and bang on the door.

"Keith doesn't feel very well," I blurt as soon as Daddy opens the door.

Ethan rushes in the living room at these words and immediately pulls his boyfriend into a tight embrace, whispering words of encouragement to him. He really seems to care for the cutie!

"Heh, withdrawal," I comment absentmindedly.

"It's exactly that," Daddy replies in a low voice, sounding impressed. "Keith almost overdosed last Wednesday and Ethan is helping him to break his addiction."

Oh, it looks like I guessed something right for once!

"They are in a BDSM relationship," he explains to me after a small pause. "Keith is Ethan's Submissive. It's possible they do some things that disturb you but remember it's a consensual agreement between them and that Keith agreed to surrender his powers to Ethan. He thinks it'll help him get better."

I admit I can see how it would work to his advantage if he used to be into drugs, but how can you trust someone so much that you can willingly give him all the power like this? How can you be sure he's not going to abuse it and hurt you? This is something I could never do, not again. Fool me once but no more than that!

I almost blush when I remember that I was on the very same couch two days ago when Daddy spanked me over his knees. But that was nothing like this!

Keith soon calms down in his boyfriend's – is that even the right word? – embrace after which Ethan drops a cushion on the floor before him, and Keith willingly kneels on it, resting his head on one of the blonde's thighs.

"Ethan has him kneel like this because it makes Keith feels safe and taken care of," Aiden whispers to me.

It's true that the cutie seems content in this position that I hate so much. Ethan gently caresses his boyfriend's hair, who seems to literally melt under his touch. The muscular blonde isn't indifferent to this as I can see a bulge form in his pants. I'm pretty sure that if they were on their own, he would already have made Keith blow him.

I must say I'm a bit embarrassed for the cutie as Aiden and Ethan resume their conversation above his head, as if he wasn't there, sometimes including me. But Keith really doesn't seem to mind, for reasons I don't fully grasp.

We're quickly joined by two other friends of Daddy: Tanner, the policeman I already saw, and William. Being bulky seems to be mandatory to be included in this group, and William isn't an exception to that rule. He seems funnier than the others though, cracking a few jokes after he greeted me with a slap on the shoulders.

"Can I get a beer too, Aiden?" I ask as I go to the kitchen to help him with the beverages for everyone.

I don't know what he told his friends so I don't want to embarrass him too much by calling him Daddy in front of them.

"Nope!" he replies, popping the p in a lame imitation of my voice. "Remember you are grounded, Baby," he says in a low voice.

That gives me my answer: he didn't tell them anything. And since he decided to be a pain in my ass, I'll have my revenge right now.

"That's so unfair!" I exclaim going back to the couches empty-handed.

If he wants to be mean, this is what he'll get!

"What's so unfair?" William asks when I sit back down.

"Daddy doesn't want to let me drink," I reply, insisting on the first word and pouting.

William bursts out laughing, while Ethan opens his eyes wide. Even Keith looks at me with a dumbfounded expression! Tanner is the only one who doesn't move an eyebrow, but he mostly looks bored to be here. The most interesting reaction is Aiden's since he begins to blush slightly – the first time I see him embarrassed. Sweet revenge!

"You've gotten older," William roars between his laughs, "but I didn't know you became a Daddy!"

Said Daddy just flips him the bird in answer.

"The boy is old enough to drink, you should let him enjoy himself," he adds with a wink toward me.

"The boy is grounded!" Aiden growls, coming back with the drinks. "So he can have water or orange juice, but that is all."

"What did you do to get grounded," William asks in a mock whisper.

"I just let some guy fuck me," I reply in the same manner, shrugging my shoulders.

"And lied to me about it!" Daddy intervenes.

"Daddy doesn't like to be lied to!" William adds, still in a mock whisper.

"No, he doesn't!"

We keep on discussing things together, teasing Daddy as much as we can, or doing lame lewd jokes. I was right to think he was the funniest of the group – except Daddy when he is in a better mood.

"Who did this?" Tanner suddenly asks out of the blue, pointing at my drawing.

"Zach just gave it to me!" Aiden replies.

"You're really talented!" he replies, locking eyes with me.

Gosh, his cold blue gaze is scary! There is an intensity in it that unsettles me, in some way.

"Thanks... I guess..." I answer.

"Would you be willing to do one of me and a... companion?" he asks. "I would pay you, of course."

Oh, paid work? That means I would be able to repay Daddy for all he did for me, at least a bit!

"Tanner!" Aiden growls.

Don't tell me Daddy is going to be a party pooper once again!

"What! He knows about the lifestyle!" Tanner responds beckoning his head toward Keith kneeling at Ethan's feet.

Oh! This is going to be a kinky drawing... But at the same time it would just be a job, I can bare it for money.

"I can handle it, Daddy," I say softly, half-convinced.

"I'm not sure you can, Baby," he replies gently. "What do you have in mind, Tanner?"

"Just a small thing with Elijah kneeling by my side," he tells us dismissively.

If it's like Keith and Ethan right now, it should be okay. This is something I don't completely understand, but it's not unsettling either.

"Tanner is a bit more... intense than the rest of us," William explains, in a real whisper this time. "Before agreeing to this, you better be sure you are not bothered by a naked Sub, probably his hands tied behind his back, a ball-gag in his mouth and a chastity device on his privates."

Okay, this is clearly more disturbing than I thought. At the same time, I am not a shy virgin either.

"I can do it, but it's not going to be cheap!" I reply, more confidently this time after mouthing a thank you to William.

"Price won't be a problem if it's as good as this one!" Tanner shrugs.

Daddy doesn't dare to contradict me again but gives me a look that tells me he isn't done talking about this. Soon after, we move to the table to enjoy dinner. Keith finally stops kneeling and sits properly at the table, between me and Ethan. Daddy's lasagnas are really good and I must say that all in all, this is a good evening. William and Daddy are both joyfully teasing the rest of us, and I join them as much as I can. Ethan is a bit too uptight but seems to finally let go a bit. Tanner is the only one that makes me a bit uncomfortable. Oh, he jokes as much as the rest of them, but his laugh is colder and there is something about him that scares the shit out of me.

Still, he praised me for my talent, and since I can tell this one doesn't often do compliments, it must mean something. The fact that everyone speaks very highly of my cake also sends a warm feeling in my chest, making me boast to the part of my brain that always tries to diminish me. This is so different than the dinners I used to have with Thomas' friends. Nobody talked to me then, and there was certainly no praise!

This shouldn't be surprising since it's Daddy's friends we are talking about, but I was a bit afraid since they're all into BDSM. I didn't expect them to be so nice for that reason, and apart from Tanner, they all look like decent human beings.

Keith eventually gets a bit better, and I can see that the way Ethan interacts with him helped a lot. Perhaps I have been too harsh in judging the lifestyle, and perhaps Daddy was right when he told me that it was very different from what happened to me. That doesn't mean I want to join them in their kinkiness because it's absolutely not for me. But maybe I'll be more curious next time Daddy starts to talk about it.

Besides I will certainly know more with the order I got from Tanner. He offered me one thousand fricking bucks for the drawing in the end, so there is no way that I'm going to pass on that! For that price, he can be doing what he wants to the poor boy with him – as long as it's consensual. And who knows, I may get more offers if I do this one right!

When they finally leave and I get to bed, I can't help but smile like a goof at the ceiling.

I realize that I didn't hear the self-loathing voices in my head during dinner. It really seems like life is getting better!

Published on November 20th 2017

That was a fun dinner, wasn't it? Picture in the header is Keith. Next chapter is in Zach's PoV again, and we will see him discover the lifestyle (the real one this time, not the distorted version he had with Thomas).

Since it's a two-update week, you'll have to wait until Thursday though.