Avery
Almost two weeks had passed since I’d seen Graham. I’d cried most of the drive back to Asheville and then slept for fourteen hours. In the days since, I’d talked to Felicity, Sean, a few other stylists at my salon, and even, strangely enough, Carter and his sister Mandy. All of them essentially told me to get my head out of my ass and accept Graham’s money as well as his offer to move.
“It doesn’t make you a kept man; you’re still working. Would the bank be your sugar daddy if you got a loan for your business? I think not,” Felicity had said.
Carter’s statement on the situation: “Look, I might not like to talk about you and Dad, but you’re good together, really good, and I don’t want either of you to lose that. Just let him take care of you; he’s good at it.”
And Mandy had said, “My dad can be a pushy bastard sometimes, but he totally means well, and I think he’s crazy about you. You’ve wanted your own company for like ever. So put him out of his misery, let him help you, and go look at houses with him.”
I hadn’t slept well since I’d left Charlotte. And now here I was on Thursday night, lying in bed, staring at the ceiling with no idea how late it had gotten or how I’d get enough sleep to get through work the next day. Then my phone rang. It was Wren. Was he calling to tell me off too?
I answered with “Yes, I know I’m an idiot.”
“Is my dad there?” He sounded shaken up.
“No, we’re not… We’re taking some time apart. I thought you knew that.”
“Yeah, Mandy told me, but I figured you were back together by now. You seem to fit so well.”
Wow, even Wren saw that, and he’d only had dinner with us once.
“Are you okay?”
“I… not exactly. I called Carter and Mandy, and they didn’t answer so then I tried Dad, but he didn’t answer either, so I thought maybe he was there. I…”
“What’s wrong?”
“Um… I need some help.”
He really didn’t sound good. “Are you hurt?”
“No.” His answer was quick and sharp, making me doubt him.
“Where are you?”
“I’m at Thirsty’s Billiards. Can you come get me?”
“Of course, where is it?”
He gave an address, but I only vaguely recognized the street name. I thought it was somewhere north of downtown.
“And please hurry. There’s this guy, and he… I don’t know when he’s going to come back.”
“Do I need to call the police?”
“No, just come get me.”
“Wren, I—”
He ended the call.
Fuck. I dressed as quickly as I could, leaving the house without even looking in the mirror. Once I was in my car, I typed the address into my GPS app and took off. The directions had me turn onto Merrimon from Chestnut Street and head north for a few blocks. When I turned onto a side street, I saw small rundown houses, interspersed with a convenience store and a tattoo shop that didn’t look like it would meet any health codes. When I found Thirsty’s, I could tell it would make my favorite dive bar look like the poshest restaurant in town. Fortunately, Wren was standing outside, so all I had to do was pull up at the curb and wave to him. He jumped in, and I made a U-turn and headed home.
He didn’t say anything for the first few minutes of the drive. I figured the most important thing to do was to get him home. He was shivering, and he’d pulled his legs up and had his arms wrapped around them.
“Do you want me to turn the A/C down?”
“N-no. I’m fine.”
He was definitely not fine.
“Wren, what happened?”
He sighed and pressed his forehead against his knees. “I was meeting a guy, but he wanted something I didn’t. I’m okay. I just needed to get away.”
“Wren, should I call the police? Or take you to the hospital?”
He shook his head. “No. Really. It didn’t get that far.”
“You have a black eye.”
He laughed, but it wasn’t funny at all. “So does he.”
“Good. But that doesn’t mean—”
“I got away before anything really happened.”
He didn’t elaborate, and I didn’t push.
When we turned onto my street, he glanced around. “Where are we going?”
“My apartment.”
“Can’t you just take me home?”
“Sean’s visiting his mom in Blowing Rock for the weekend, so there won’t be anyone else there. I don’t think you should be alone right now.”
“I guess you’re right.”
“I can take you home once you’re feeling more steady,” I said as I pulled up at the curb in front of my building. “Unless there’s a chance this guy knows where you live?”
Wren shook his head. “He doesn’t even know my name.”
That didn’t guarantee anything, but I wanted to get Wren in the house before I asked more questions.
A little while later, Wren had taken a hot shower and was sitting on my couch, covered with a thick blanket, drinking a cup of peppermint tea. He’d said he couldn’t eat anything, but he was happy to have something hot to wrap his hands around.
“I feel so stupid. I can’t stop shaking.”
“Wren, it’s okay to be scared. You don’t have to apologize for anything you’re feeling.”
He gave me a weak smile. “Thanks.”
“Do you feel like telling me more now? You said you were meeting this guy?”
Wren sighed. “I guess I owe you an explanation.”
“No, you don’t, but I’d like to know so I can help you. Or would you like me to call your dad?”
He frowned. “You’d do that even though things are… not right between you?”
“Of course I would.”
“Thanks. But no, I don’t want him to know, and I… I can’t tell him all this.”
I laid my hand over his. “Then tell me.”
“I met this guy through an app. He said he was… look, I know this is probably going to sound wrong, but I wasn’t just looking for a regular hookup. I like… um…”
“Wren, I’m probably crossing so many lines right now, but helping you matters more. I’m into BDSM, mostly spanking, nothing too hardcore but I like to surrender to men.”
“Y-you do?”
I nodded.
His eyes widened and then he grimaced. “Oh, God, that means…”
“Don’t think too much about it. Just understand that I’m not going to judge you, no matter what you like.”
“I like pain, okay?” His face was bright red, and he looked away as soon as he said it.
It didn’t take much effort to figure out what was going on.
“This guy. He didn’t care if everything was consensual?”
Wren nodded. “I tried to tell him what I liked, or what I thought I would like. I haven’t really… I don’t have much experience yet. But he didn’t listen. I tried to fight him, but if it hadn’t been for a couple of other guys who heard, he might have… I don’t know how far he would’ve gone.”
“Wren, did he rape you?” I hated even saying that word, but I had to ask.
Wren shook his head. “He slapped me and said he was going to use his knife on me. I told him no. I just wanted to start slow, just like… I don’t know… not that. I got up to leave, and he hit me. I hit him back and then some guys came, and he eventually got thrown out.”
I scooted closer to Wren and wrapped my arm around him. “This guy. He was a predator, not a Dom. No reasonable person would start with knife play.”
Wren nodded. “I know. I’ve read about how to… I thought…” He dropped his head into his hands. “I’m such an idiot.”
“No, you’re not, but you probably shouldn’t try to find what you need through an app, at least not without going to meet them for coffee or something first.”
“I didn’t want to tell anyone. My dad doesn’t even know I’m bi.”
“But you still called him.”
“I was scared, and I knew he’d come for me no matter what I’d done.”
“Yeah, he would.” I wished I could tell Graham what Wren had said. He’d be so happy to know his son thought of him that way.
Wren studied me for a few moments. “When I called you, the first thing you said… What did you mean?”
“Well, Carter, Mandy, and Felicity have already told me off, because I don’t want to let your dad support me. I assumed it was your turn.”
“They yelled at you, because you don’t want Dad to pay for everything?”
“Not exactly, but they think I’m wrong.”
“I get why you feel like you do. I didn’t want to let him pay for me to go to college.”
“But you let him, didn’t you?”
He shrugged. “Yeah, because I needed to go, and I didn’t have another way to do it without taking out a bunch of loans. And Mandy and Carter kind of made me.”
“It’s different for a parent to pay for college for their kids than for your… um…”
“Boyfriend?” Wren grinned at me. It was good to see him smile.
“Yeah, boyfriend,”—that term was safer than other options—“to pay for you to start a business.”
“Maybe, but he just wants to make you happy.”
Before I could respond to that, Wren said, “You won’t tell him about tonight, will you?”
I considered that. “I don’t like keeping secrets from him.”
“I’m going to tell him I’m bi, but I can’t tell him about what I’m into, not even if he…” Wren grimaced. “No, I can’t think about that.”
I laughed. “That’s probably best. I do know someone else you could talk to, though. Someone who could help you to find what you want safely. His name is Leo, and he’s a friend of your dad.”
“Oh yeah. Dad’s mentioned him before.”
“Did you know he ran a kink club?”
“What? I thought he owned a bar.”
“Well, there’s a bar there, but that’s not all. He’s thinking about buying a club here called Thrust.”
Wren nodded. “I went there once, but I was too afraid to talk to anyone.”
I was lucky I hadn’t run into him there. Or that he hadn’t seen his dad spanking me. We’d have to be way more careful going there in the future. “Leo’s a Dom, and he does a lot of teaching. I’m sure he could help you find someone to introduce you to the things you want to try, someone who would go slow and be very certain he had your full consent.”
“But will he tell Dad?”
“No, confidentiality is really important to him, to everyone who does this right. I think Leo’s actually in Asheville tonight. I could text him. He’s going to be better at helping you with this than I am. Plus you don’t have to think about me and—”
“Stop!” Wren covered his ears.
“Right.”
He looked up at me. “I’ll let you text him under one condition.”
“What is that?”
He looked mischievous now, more like himself. “Actually two.”
“Tell me.”
“You can’t tell him my real name or who my father is.”
“And?”
“You have to go see Dad. He misses you, and he just wants to take care of you.”
“So you do think I’m an idiot?”
He shrugged. “Pretty much.”
I narrowed my eyes at him.
“Not as big of one as me, though.” He was smiling, but I could see the brittleness in his expression, so I squeezed his hand.
“Look at me. You made some unwise choices, but it’s not your fault this man tried to hurt you. He did that, not you. You’re a wonderful person, and there is nothing wrong with what you want. You’ll find someone who can be what you need.”
“Like you did with Dad?”
Oh shit, I totally had. What was I doing?
“Dad’ll probably get to his condo around six tomorrow night to drop off his stuff. He’s supposed to meet me, Mandy, and Carter for dinner at seven, but we won’t mind if he’s late.”
“He’s coming here?” I’d thought I’d have to go to Charlotte to see him, so I could put it off until Sunday.
Wren nodded.
Fuck. I had to do this, because Wren was absolutely right. I had found exactly what I needed with Graham. He just wanted to take care of me. I could let him do that. “I still have a key to the condo. I’ll be there before six. And I won’t tell Leo who you are.”
“Then go ahead and contact him.”
I sent him a text. If you’re where you can, call me. I need a favor.
My phone rang a few minutes later. When I answered, the first thing Leo said was, “I hope this is a favor to get you and Graham back together. He’s going crazy without you, and I’m tired of hearing him whine.”
I smiled at the phone. So Leo was going to push me too. “It’s not, but as it happens I’m going to see Graham tomorrow.”
“I hope you’re going to show him some houses you’ve picked out, so he can move up here and stop making me miserable.”
Wow. “I haven’t gotten that far yet.”
“Well, hurry up. And tell me how I can help you.”
“I have a friend who wants to explore submission and pain play. He had a bad encounter tonight with someone who wanted to take advantage of his needs.”
“Who’s the asshole, and was it at Thrust?”
“No connection to Thrust. He met this guy through an app, and we only know his user name.”
“Give it to me, and I’ll track the bastard down.”
“I’ll let my friend do that. I was hoping you’d talk to him and help him find the right person to explore with. I didn’t know who else to call.”
“Is your friend with you?”
“Yes.”
“Are you at your apartment? I can be there in half an hour.”
“I didn’t mean you had to come tonight.”
“He’s going to need to talk, and he’s lucky to have you, but I’ve done training in counseling. If he’s comfortable with me, then I’ll talk to him, and we’ll set up another time to meet.”
“That’s awesome. Thank you.”
“I’ve worked very hard to keep the kink community safe for people. No one should have to deal with an asshole who wants to use them instead of accepting their surrender as a gift.”
“You’re the best, Leo. Graham is lucky to have you as a friend.” Wren’s eyes went wide, and I shook my head, trying to communicate that I wasn’t going to reveal who he was.
“Just promise me you really will talk to Graham tomorrow. I’m lucky to have him as a friend, and I love that you make him happy. So get over the fact that he wants to give you the world and just let him.”
“Yes, sir.” I gave him my address, and he told me he’d be there soon.