Holding Tight Five in a Bed 03 Read online

  Holding Tight is the third book in the series Five in a Bed.

  It protected by copyright law 2015. M.A. Blisher is the author and sole owner of this book and its series.

  I would like to acknowledge my editors Chelsea and Amber – You’re the best! I would also like to say thank you to Joel, for patiently listening to me rant about my muddled middle.

  Book cover design and layout by, Ellie Bockert Augsburger of Creative Digital Studios.

  www.CreativeDigitalStudios.com

  Cover design features:

  Sunrise over sea: © ValentinValkov / Dollar Photo Club

  Nudist: © Nito / Dollar Photo Club

  Chapter 1

  Heating uP

  Antonio opened a sleepy eye and watched as his lover slipped out the bedroom door at the crack of dawn. He then turned his attention to the back of young Danny, who was curled up in tension pretending to be asleep. With a sympathetic hand on the boy’s shoulder, he said, “Don’t take it personally, sweetheart. Mitch has been preoccupied lately. You know how he can be. He wants everything planned and prepared for our trip.”

  Danny nodded into the sheets, not wanting to face Antonio with tears in his eyes.

  “Aw, come here, baby,” Antonio cooed, as he scooped him up.

  Danny wasn’t ready to talk, but his body couldn’t resist the warmth and comfort of Antonio’s embrace. He buried his face into the crook of his lover’s arm, and sighed at the kiss planted on the top of his head. Eventually exhaustion took over. Antonio sank back into the bed, wrapping an extra blanket around them.

  The pressing weight on his chest made it impossible for Antonio to fall asleep. The heaviness had nothing to do with the small bundle of nerves resting on top of him, or at least, not directly. It was seeing his oldest partner wrestle with self-doubt.

  Mitch was logical and methodical. The distinction between right and wrong was always clear in his mind. Once a decision was made, he was unwavering. With his integrity solid, he could be relied on to be straightforward. He would do what was right no matter how hard. Antonio had confidence in Mitch; he provided strength and stability to the family.

  Recent events with Danny had shaken Mitch. He had forgotten how to trust his instincts. Instead of addressing things head on, he had been detouring into uncertainty. Antonio was giving him time to get his head on straight. Time was running out. His ambivalence was hurting the most fragile member of the family. No doubt, it would soon be impacting them all.

  Almost two hours later, Antonio gently rolled Danny off of him and tucked him into TJ’s side. The poor kid had been staying up late fretting over things he had no control over. Things he couldn’t understand. Before getting out of bed, Antonio caressed his large hand through Danny’s hair in a soothing gesture. With several things on his mind, he crept silently to the other side of the bed and bent down to his sweet Ricky. Placing a small kiss to the side of the young man’s face, he whispered, “Rise and shine.”

  Ricky’s eyes sprung open. After a split second of registering Antonio’s warm friendly eyes, a bright smile stretched across his face.

  “Well, good morning, sunshine.”

  “G’morning.”

  Antonio patted Ricky’s bottom. “Time to get up.”

  “What time is it?”

  “It’s only eight-thirty, but we need an early start. You and I are going to spend the day together.”

  Ricky pulled back the covers and quietly got out of bed so as not to disturb the remaining two sleepers. Ricky was always that easy; the only boy who never made a fuss doing what was asked of him. As a way of showing his appreciation, Antonio pulled him into a deep hug and carried him into the bathroom to give him a shower.

  Ricky relished the attention Antonio poured on him. Actually, he treasured any attention he got from his most affectionate partner. The man’s creamy smooth voice and gentle hands were a striking contrast to the big muscular frame that housed his loving soul. His caramel skin glistened under the spray of the water that splattered off of Ricky’s body from the showerhead. Ricky’s body tingled with goose bumps as he looked up into the warmhearted face of his lover. He quivered as Antonio, in turn, took in the sight of him with his deep magnetic eyes. Antonio lathered soap between his hands savoring the moment while deciding where to start. Ricky had elegant beauty. He was lean and limber, sensual and supple. Every part of his body was a delight to touch. So responsive, so giving, so much like Ricky.

  Antonio turned him carefully. He ghosted a hand over the tender backside he had spanked the night before last. It wasn’t easy to punish his sensitive boy, but he knew the pain he had been holding in was far greater than anything he could dole out with a paddle.

  “My God, you have a lovely bottom, and it turns a very pretty shade of pink.”

  Ricky blushed at the teasing words Antonio whispered in his ear.

  Spreading Ricky’s legs with precision to angle the water down between his crack, Antonio prepared him to accept his large blood-pulsed organ. As his silken head gently eased into Ricky’s tight opening, Antonio began the slow rhythmic process of making sweet love to the world’s sweetest partner.

  Ricky’s body yielded to Antonio’s touch, welcoming his advances and offering entrance as if it was the most natural thing on earth.

  Steam enveloped the shower. Passionate hands reached up behind Antonio and clasped onto the back of his head. Antonio bent down to kiss Ricky’s open mouth, catching a wispy breath. Soapy hands ran teasingly around the younger man’s chest and nipples, and then gradually towards his groin.

  Ricky moaned, spreading his legs further. Antonio pressed him in closer with a palm to his navel while fingers from his other hand roamed around the boy’s balls, then out to his erect shaft. The tip of Antonio’s large middle finger circled the meatus of the smooth bulbous glands. Ricky convulsed, leaking pre-cum.

  Whimpering with alacrity, both men humped harmoniously until spewing out in completion. As if in a trance, yet utterly alive, the words I am here echoed between Ricky’s ears.

  After lingering in the shower as long as they could, Antonio continued to pamper Ricky by toweling him off and dressing him. Deciding comfort and sexy was in order, he slipped silk boxers and a cotton tee shirt over his lover’s naked body. Next, Antonio helped him into a pair of soft, smoky-grey corduroy pants and a black cashmere sweater. It was a sweater TJ bought him, and Antonio thought it was real sharp on him. TJ had a knack for those things. It hugged Ricky’s frame perfectly and accentuated his big brown eyes.

  “You look nice. Not as nice as when you’re naked, but nice enough for the rest of the world to eat their heart out when they see you.”

  Ricky’s eyelids became heavy, enjoying the luxury of being doted on. He listened contentedly as Antonio explained to him that for the time being, until Brendan was securely behind bars for good, he was to be accompanied whenever he left the house for an extended period of time.

  When the full implication of what he was saying dawned on him, Ricky opened his eyes to follow Antonio to the walk-in closet he was changing in.

  “How’s that practical? I have to go to rehearsals, and school, and everyone has their own life to live.”

  “It’s more important that you’re safe. I’m not taking any chances. It’s a priority, so convenient or not, we will make it happen. Understood?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Good boy.” Antonio raised his neck for Ricky to flatten his collar. “Now that we’re dressed, let’s go make breakfast and we’ll head out for the day.”

  *****

  Ricky’s fingers gripped tightly around Antonio’s big palm. Soon they were walking hand in hand through the busy city blocks. Behind the crisp
air and frigid wind, the sun was forcing its way through the clouds. As they walked briskly past shops, honking horns, and gawking pedestrians, all Ricky noticed was his hand snug inside Antonio’s, and how warm it felt. He could be walking into the inferno of hell, but with Antonio by his side, his head was high and he carried no fears.

  Antonio stopped by a street vendor and bought them a bag of sugar-roasted nuts to share. Popping one in Ricky’s mouth he said, “I need to go into the gym to talk to Mitch for a few minutes. Then we can sit and have coffee at the antique bookstore if you like. Afterwards, I’ll take you to your cello lesson.”

  Mitch was working out his aggression by pumping weights in a busy section of the gym when Antonio and Ricky found their way to him. Their thriving fitness center was always active no matter the time of day.

  “What are you two up to?” Mitch asked, as he put down his barbell. He wiped off his sweat on the gym towel Antonio handed to him and thanked him with a kiss.

  “Oh, we decided to stop in to say hello. We’re enjoying a day together in the city.”

  “Well, aren’t you a lucky man, stealing Ricky all to yourself,” Mitch said smiling at his younger partner.

  “Luck had nothing to do with it. I snuck out early with him before the other boys woke up to demand his attention.”

  “Smart man.” Mitch threw an arm around Ricky to give him a kiss, as well.

  The young man beamed up at him to return the kiss. It made Ricky proud how his partners were so open with their affection toward each other. Who would object even if they didn’t own the hottest fitness club in the city? These were not the type of men people would hassle. Ricky had to pinch himself when he thought back to the first time he came into this place. A scared shell of the man he was today, living unobtrusively to not cause trouble for himself by being noticed or having needs of his own.

  All of that was in his past; well, almost all of it. With the slow criminal justice process, things with Brendan remained unresolved. Recovering from debilitating insecurity, Ricky was being put back together with love and respect. He was learning to accept help and advocate for himself. He sometimes stumbled, but he was making steady progress and getting stronger day-by-day.

  “Ricky, why don’t you make us a smoothie at the health bar while I talk with Mitch for a few minutes.”

  Without questioning, Ricky smiled, nodded to Antonio, and left to give them privacy.

  “So, what are you really up to?” Mitch asked suspiciously.

  “I thought it would be a good day to spend with Ricky. Give us a chance to talk about his spanking from the other night. Now that he’s had a full day to think about it, I want to process it with him. I also want to reinforce our expectation that he is not to keep his feelings to himself. I don’t like the way he’s been hesitant to tell us how afraid he’s been. Sometimes he is too thoughtful for his own good.”

  “He’s an exceptional young man.”

  “They all are.”

  “Yes,” Mitch agreed.

  “Which brings us to why I’m here. There’s an exceptional young man at home who is requiring your attention.”

  Mitch gave him a curious look.

  “I’m talking about Danny.”

  “I’ll give him a call,” Mitch said in a placating tone.

  “Not good enough. I know you love him. And, it’s understandable that you want to take your time until you’re sure of the best approach...”

  “I feel a but coming on.”

  “However, it’s not fair to keep him stewing all day. He’s wound up tight. Go home and talk to him in person. Reassure him that you’re not going anywhere before it’s too late.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You need to square things between you two. You’ve been avoiding him. He’s picking up on it.”

  “I haven’t been avoiding him. I’ve been busy.”

  “Deny it all you want. If you don’t address it soon, it will blow up in your face.”

  “That’s a little melodramatic, don’t you think?”

  “Danny is a very sensitive young man. If you continue to let things bottle up, he’s going to blow.”

  “Danny’s temper issues began long before me. That’s why he has a therapy appointment scheduled for tomorrow.”

  “I think you should take him.”

  “Couldn’t you take him? I have a meeting planned...”

  “I could, but I won’t. You and Danny have things to sort out. Cancel your meeting, or I’ll run it in your place. This is far more pressing than anything going on with the gym.”

  *****

  Antonio and Ricky left the fitness center sharing a strawberry-banana smoothie. The empty cup was dumped in a recycle bin by their bus stop. The short ride took them to a quaint bookstore nestled between a music store and a thrift shop in the hub of Greenwich Village.

  After strolling through narrow aisles with Ricky for forty minutes, Antonio ordered scones and coffee and took a seat at a cozy table for two. He read a local arts paper while waiting for Ricky to finish making his selections. The coffee had cooled to room temperature by the time Ricky placed an eclectic stack of a half dozen used books with frayed binding beside them on the table. He was ecstatic over his finds. “Thank you for being so patient while I rummaged through the shelves.”

  “I would hardly call it rummaging. You were handling them so delicately. It’s entertaining to watch the way you cherish each book, as if you are an archaeologist discovering ancient artifacts.”

  “I treasure these old books. Each one comes with its own history, as well as the love and sweat that were poured into every page by its authors. And, if you can imagine, there is an invisible blueprint of all the readers whose fingerprints are forever etched in the fabric. People long gone have held these books and I will share a connection to them as I digest the words they have read.”

  “As much as I enjoy watching you take so much pleasure in your books, I must confess that I brought you here with an alternative motive.”

  “Oh?”

  “I wanted a quiet place, in neutral territory, where you felt at home so we could talk over the discipline from the other night.”

  Ricky smiled in relief. He leaned across the table to give his man a peck on the lips. “You can stop worrying, Antoe. I have felt so much more at ease since you…” Ricky leaned in again and whispered conspiratorially, “since you spanked me.”

  It wasn’t the direction Antonio thought the conversation was going to, but he couldn’t have been more pleased. “I wasn’t too hard on you?”

  “I needed it. It released a lot of pent up stress and hurt I was holding on to. Whatever mistakes I’ve made, I feel, I don’t know, pardoned. I paid my penance.”

  “Glad to hear it.”

  “It also reminded me that I’m in safe hands.”

  “I guess I’m the one who needed the reassurance.”

  “What for? You did everything right. You always do. It cleared my mind and my conscience.”

  “Well, good. I still want to caution you that it’s not always healthy, your tendency to put others ahead of yourself.”

  “I can’t change who I am, but I promise to be more diligent about taking my own feelings into consideration. I appreciate how important it is. Thank you for that.”

  “Sunshine, you amaze me. What am I to do with the lecture I had all planned out?”

  “You can share it with me if you want. I love to hear your voice when you’re being all paternal. It makes me feel all snuggly inside.”

  Antonio chuckled. “No, we’ll forgo the lecture. I’ll save it for another time.”

  “If you insist. But, I’m going to work at not needing it–at least anytime soon.”

  “If you do, you’ll be getting it twice as hard. That’s a promise.”

  “I get it,” Ricky said with a lingering grin. “Consider me sufficiently warned. And warm,” he added with a wink.

  Antonio shook his head in amusement at his imitation of TJ. “
You’re something else, you know that?”

  The radiant light emanating from Ricky’s sparkling eyes lit up the dusky walls of the shop. “I’m starting to.”

  *****

  Danny awoke with a big stretch and yawn. Finding himself alone in bed with TJ, he gave him a nudge.

  He didn’t stir.

  Danny nudged him again.

  TJ peeked up at him briefly and then shut his eyes.

  “Are you awake?” Danny asked hopefully.

  “No.”

  “Then wake up!”

  “What time is it?” TJ questioned groggily.

  “I dunno.” Danny turned to the clock. “It’s after ten.”

  “In the morning?”

  “Uh, yeeaah.”

  “On a Sunday?”

  “Yes, it’s Sunday,” Danny answered with a push. “Get up!”

  “Quit buggin’ me,” TJ responded with a push back. “Go find someone else to play with. Lemme sleep.”

  Danny glared at him. His pout had no effect as TJ’s head went under his pillow. Giving up, he got out of bed hoping to find someone else to spend his morning with.

  Upon hearing Danny’s footsteps, Nicky began barking in excitement to be let out of his crate. He had an unusually early rise that began with the no nonsense Master of the House taking him out for a quick walk in the cold dark morning. The puppy had whimpered, not liking the experience, and was swiftly brought back in to be placed on newspapers. The rustling of the papers made Nicky skittish and he began growling and biting at the loose ends that scrunched up under his paws. A large hand placed a bowl of food and water by his nose. After a few suspicious sniffs he couldn’t resist the tantalizing smell and he dove his snout into his puppy chow. He knocked the bowl around until he was satisfied it was empty before making a mess with the water. Shortly thereafter, he was lifted into muscular Alpha arms, petted once, and placed back into confinement.

  He was ready to fall back to sleep when aroused by the noise of two other den mates entering the room. He was set free again and placed on papers. Tearing them up, he pranced around the kitchen table with the New York Times hanging from his snout. Soon the aroma of dark roasted coffee beans and sizzling bacon filled the room. He dropped the paper to contentedly lick the fingers of a kind and gentle hand that fed him bits of bacon and eggs. All too quickly he was put back into his crate as he watched the men clean up his shredded papers and leave the house.