The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

The Coffee Shop V: Happiness Is A Handsome Hypnotized Hunk

Chapter 10. Complications and Communication

Today was the day I was getting out of the hospital. It had been two weeks since the visit of two charming Constables. Andy had dropped by a couple of times for a visit. We talked for a while each time, but I still missed him terribly. The Constables had asked Andy to tell me, for them, that they would get together with me, after I was home for a few weeks. They didn’t want to impose, they said. I told Andy to thank them for me, and tell them that I appreciated their concern for my well being. I decided to leave it at that. I knew a brush off when I heard it. I suspected that upon reflection one or both of them were concerned about how easy it had been for me to hypnotize them. (Sometimes that happens, and there isn’t much, if anything, you can do about it.) I chose instead, to focus on the fact that I was finally going home. I don’t like hospitals, and doubt that I ever will. Finally, I was going home, and I looked forward to it. I was going to be off work on medical leave for about a week, which was a good thing, because I still tired easily. Best of all Andy was going to take me home. I couldn’t help but smile at that thought.

I passed the time, waiting for Andy, by reading one of the books that Andy had given me during my stay in the hospital. I wasn’t having much success though, as I couldn’t seem to focus on the book. Finally Andy appeared in the open doorway of my hospital room, a small smile on his face. Andy was dressed casually in a pair of close fitting, but not snug, dark blue, jeans, one of his red RCMP t-shirts, a black braded belt, nondescript off white sneakers that had seen better days, and a light tan jacket.

“Hi, Texas. Ready to go?” He asked me in that warm honey smooth tenor voice of his. (God, I had missed hearing his voice all these weeks!)

“More than ready, dear heart,” I answered him. “I’d give you a hug, but I might fall flat on my face. I’m still a bit unsteady when I walk.”

“Lean on me, then,” Andy said as he rushed to my right side, placing his left arm securely about my waist. Andy’s big muscular arms could have supported the Empire State Building, so I no longer needed to fear falling. “I’ll always be beside you, whenever you need me.” He looked down at me, his eyes taking on a deep soulful expression that I found almost painful to gaze into. Clearly Andy was still hurting from my recent brush with death.

“I know, and I love you for it. Maybe more than you will ever know,” I said quietly to him, trying to calm his fears. “The one good thing that has come out of this experience is that I will never ever take for granted, you, or the time we spend together. I loved you before, and I love you now. I cherish every moment with you, and every day that we have together.”

“Dear Lord, I almost lost you!” Andy cried out in sudden pain, as he dropped down to his knees in front of me and clamped his beefy arms about me in a vice like grip. “I can’t believe I almost lost you!” His big powerful frame shuddered for a few moments as he struggled to control his emotions. Men are not supposed to let their emotions show. They are supposed to be quiet and strong and ‘suck up’ whatever comes their way. I have one word to say about all that. Bullshit! It was clear to me now, that these past few weeks Andy had been holding his worry and fears in check, for my benefit. The dam had burst suddenly and unexpectedly, for some reason. I was caught off guard by this outburst from Andy. I wasn’t sure what to do. Then I did what was nature for me. I followed my heart.

“It’s okay, Andy, love. I’m here,” I said soothingly as I placed my right hand on top of his head, which was pressed into the front of my light blue jeans. Any other time I would have found such a position highly erotic, but not now. I stroked his hair, which wasn’t easy since he had a buzz cut, as I spoke to him in soothing tones. “It’s okay. Cry if you want to. Let it out. Cowboys cry, and so do policemen. Face your fears so that you can banish them from your life. I’m back, and I will do everything I can to stay with you. I love you from the depths of my soul. We will get through this, because we have each other.”

Andy nodded his head as he pressed it against my groin. (I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t suffer some small reaction to having Andy rub his face against my groin, but that’s a whole other story, dear reader.) After a few moments he loosened his arms from about me and climbed back up onto his feet. Slowly he raised his head enough to look me in the eyes. There were tear stains on his cheeks, but he had stopped crying. The worry had not left his face, though. He wiped the tears from his cheeks with the back of his hands, and for just a moment he looked like a small frightened ten year old boy trying his best not to cry. My heart went out to Andy. I wanted to tell him that seeing him break down in front me, didn’t mean that I thought less of him as a man. Some small grain of wisdom somewhere in the back of my mind cautioned me not to say anything about it.

“The doctors say I’m fit to go home,” I reminded him. “I’m not on my deathbed by any means. A couple of weeks of rest at home and I’ll be my old self. I’ll even be able to go back to work.”

“I know,” Andy said with one last sniffle. “Once I see you safe at home, I will really believe that you’re going to be okay. Let me see your ipod for a second.”

“Sure,” I said as I handed it over.

Andy fiddled with it for a minute or so, then he handed it back to me. “I’ve been thinking about things the past few days, Paul. You need to listen, and I mean really listen to this song, and right now,” Andy implored me. The seriousness of the look on his face told me that I’d better make the time to do this right now.

I put the earbuds in my ears, and pressed play. A second later the sweet southern voice of Reba McEntire began to sing the song “If I Had Only Known”, which was from the soundtrack of a movie called 8 Seconds. (I am sorry dear reader, but I cannot include the lyrics to the song due to copy write laws.) By the second line my eyes were staring to tear up. By the end of the first verse the tears were starting to flow. This song had always made my eyes tear up, but now knowing that Andy was saying these words to me, made the song’s words so profound that it actually hurt. My throat squeezed shut and I could not have said anything, even if I’d had the words. All I could do was sit there like some big stupid dope and blink the tears from my eyes as I tried to keep Andy in focus. The song ended. I pressed the stop button and pulled the earbuds from my ears. I didn’t say anything. I just stared at this marvellous man who stood in front of me, and had used that song to say the words that he did not know how to say. Slowly my tears stopped.

“I promise I’ll never take you for granted again, Texas,” Andy said. He walked over to me and held me in his arms. “I love you, Texas and I swear every day, I’m going to tell you that, until you get tired of hearing it.”

“I never will, dear heart,” I croaked as I found my voice. “Every day, I’m going to tell you the same thing, dear heart.”

We stood there holding each other, embracing and giving each other support. No further words were spoken as we savoured the contact of our bodies supporting each other. It had been some time since we had just held one another. It wasn’t erotic, it was warm soothing supportive love. After about five minutes, Andy moved his head and kissed me softly and gently, full on the lips. As I have said many times before, Andy’s kisses were to be enjoyed whenever possible, which is why it was at least ten minutes before we broke the embrace and took a step back from each other.

“Well, let’s get going then, shall we?” I said with a small smile.

“Uhm...yeah, about that., ah,” Andy hesitated.

“What is it Andy?” I asked. Inside I sighed with annoyance. Complications of any type were the last thing I wanted to deal with right now.

“Well, my Mom and Dad are here with me. They are waiting out in the hall. They insisted on coming with me. They want to meet you. I told them I thought it was a bad idea, and that it was unfair to you. You’ll hardly be at your best, or be able to make a good impression on them,” Andy answered.

He wasn’t kidding. Meeting the parents for the first time was always an uncomfortable process. This was the absolute last thing that I wanted to do right now. I could have said ‘no’ and Andy would have understood and supported me. I realized though, that for some reason he was bowing to the subtle but firm pressure his parents had put on him, in their instance to meet me now. I didn’t know much about Andy’s parents, since he and I had never really talked about either of our families. For a brief moment I wondered if Andy had a problem standing up to his parents. I certainly hoped that was not the case.

The other possibility was that his parents were genuinely concerned about Andy’s partner, me, and wanted to show support for me to him. That was a more positive spin on the situation, and I decided to view things in this light until events proved otherwise.

“Let’s go meet your parents then,” I said with a sigh. “Whatever impression I make on them, let it be an honest one. Just promise me that you won’t let me fall flat on my face, in front of them.” I said with a half grin.

“That much I can guarantee,” Andy replied. “I still think doing this is a bad idea, though.”

“As do I. But if that is what you think, why did you let your parents come with you? I asked innocently.

“My Dad can be somewhat stubborn, sometimes,” Andy said with a sigh. “He and I don’t always agree, on a lot of things. I couldn’t stop him from coming, and I couldn’t convince him meet you at some other time. So, all I could do is warn you that he’s there. As for my Mom, she tends to go along with my Dad when he digs in his heels about something.”

“Yeah, parents can be like that sometimes,” I said with a half grin to show Andy that I understood. I was relieved that it was a case of simple stubbornness on the part of Andy’s Dad, and not a lack of backbone on Andy’s part. At least that was Andy’s view on the situation. I accepted it as fact. If it wasn’t I’d find out soon enough.

“Here we go,” Andy said taking an exaggerated breath as he stood beside me again and wrapped his left arm about my waist to support me. We walked slowly out the door and down the hall to the waiting area. There were a few vending machines and some assorted chairs and tables scattered about. Seated beside each other was a handsome couple.

The Caucasian woman was about fifty, physically fit with shoulder length black hair, showing only a few occasional strands of gray. She was a good looking woman, wearing a simple tan two piece outfit, a jacket and a skirt. The off white blouse and tan purse matched her outfit. A quick glance downward confirmed that she was wearing tan shoes as well. She had a small pert mouth, warm brown eyes and a motherly aura about her that suggested she’d been a mother for many years. She knew how to wait without becoming impatient or upset. She glanced up at me, her expression remaining warm and friendly.

The Caucasian man who glanced up at me after seeing the woman move her head, looked to be about fifty as well. His full head of black hair was trimmed short and there was a touch of silver on the sides. He was clean shaven and like the woman did not wear glasses. He wore a white dress shirt unbuttoned at the neck, with plain black dress pants and a black belt. A gray nondescript jacket was draped over his fit frame. Another quick glance down confirmed that black dress shows encased his feet. The man’s face was mature with a few lines etched across his brow and around the corners of his mouth. Overall his face gave an impression of a calm, controlled person who knew exactly what he was doing, while remaining in complete control of himself. He wasn’t unfriendly, nor was he friendly. Reserved would have been a better word. He was waiting to see what was going to happen. Presuming that these people were Andy’s parents, I could see where Andy got his good looks and physical build from.

Andy approached the couple and waved them to their feet. “Mom, Dad, I’d like you to meet Paul Walton, my boyfriend,” Andy said calmly, directing their attention towards me. I could hear the touch of pride in his voice and it touched my heart. (Okay. Maybe I was imagining things, but if so, it was something good to imagine.)

“I am pleased to meet you, Misses Anderson,” I said warmly, holding out my right hand for a handshake. I felt like a bug under a microscope, but did my best to fight off my nervousness.

“The pleasure is all mine, Mister Walton. Andy has been talking about you for the past few weeks, and we were curious to meet the man who has captured our son’s heart,” Misses Anderson said warmly as she shook my hand, and smiled at me. Her grip was firm yet gentle. She let go of my hand as soon as she was finished speaking.

I turned and faced Mister Anderson extending my right hand towards him. “It is a pleasure to meet you as well, Mister Anderson,” I said with the same warmth I had shown Misses Anderson.

“It is good to finally meet you, Mister Walton,” said Mister Anderson as he took a solid grip on my hand and shook it firmly. “I have to admit that you are not at all what I expected.”

“Might I ask what you were expecting?” I asked warmly, keeping my voice pleasant, while continuing the handshake. Mister Anderson’s comment intrigued me. I was tempted to take a peek into his mind and do some snooping, but that would have been impolite to say the least.

“Only that I thought you’d be taller and more muscular,” Mister Anderson replied politely.

“Ah. Might I ask how Andy did describe me...” I started to ask. The words were cut off as I felt waves of emotions burst into my mind. Anger. Disgust. Revulsion. Controlled hatred. Loathing. A mixture of all of them and more. I felt as if I was drowning in this flood of emotions. I struggled to remain standing and to breathe. I felt thoughts popping into my mind, running over each other so fast that I could catch only fragments of each thought before it was replaced by the next. ‘pussy... whimp... could do better.... hasn’t learned... went too far... another lesson.... bad career move.... wouldn’t listen to me... do what is necessary... two months tops.’ It was too much. Blackness overcame me as my legs turned to rubber. I felt myself crashing to the floor.

“Got ya,” a familiar voice called out to me as I felt a pair of strong arms encircle my torso. A few moments later I found myself sitting, with my torso bend forward and my head between my knees. Not exactly the best position in which to impress your future in-laws. If I had had the strength, I would have blushed from embarrassment. The darkness receded from my mind, and I forced my eyes open. It took only a minute or so for my mind to clear. I sat up slowly and looked about. I was seated in one of the chairs in the waiting area. Andy stood next to me on my right side. Opposite the two of us, sitting in two of the other chairs, were Andy’s parents. They wore matching expression of concern, although I didn’t know if it was for me or for Andy. I blinked my eyes a few times and tried to figure out what had happened.

“Are you okay now, Paul?” Andy asked me worriedly. The expression of concern on his face was both touching and disturbing to me. I didn’t like to see him upset. I needed a few minutes in private to think about what had just happened, while it was fresh in my mind. A cup of coffee would help and provide an ideal distraction.

“I think so. Just give me a few minutes to catch my breath. Why don’t you and your parents get us all some coffee while I sit here and rest? I’ll be perfectly fine. The nurses’ station is right down the hall,” I said to him with a weak smile.

“Okay, but we won’t be long,” Andy said doubtfully. He didn’t like the idea of leaving me alone, but he wasn’t ready to debate it in front of his parents. Andy got up and walked over to the nurses’ station. He spoke quickly to the nurse on duty. I was too far away to hear what he said, but from the way he pointed to me and gestured, it was clear that he was imploring the nurse to keep more than just an eye on me while he was gone. Satisfied that I would not be left on my own, Andy walked back to where I was sitting.

“Let’s pop down to the cafeteria, so I can get Paul a coffee and a sandwich,” Andy said to his parents as he stood in front of them. Andy knew I wanted a few minutes by myself, though he didn’t know why. It was a sign of his trust in me that he went along with my request. His parents got to their feet and followed Andy down the corridor towards the elevators. Whatever they thought of my strange request, they were not about to mention to him in front of me.

I was relieved to see Andy and his parents leave. Something strange had just happened, and I did not know what it was. I needed some time to think and try to determine what I had just happened. I took some deep calming breaths and cleared my mind. I pictured a warm summer’s day with a few clouds and a soft breeze blowing. After a few minutes like that I was able to get hold of myself and coolly and logically think about what had just happened to me. I played the events back in my mind. I analysed the feelings I had felt. I recalled the many times I had used my mental powers in the past to read someone else’s mind. The conclusion was as solid as it was unpalatable. I had read Andy’s Dad’s mind, unintentionally or not. What I had received had overwhelmed me. The information I had picked up from Mister Anderson’s mind was a jumble of mixed thoughts and feelings. I couldn’t seem to sort it out. I knew there was a lot more information there, but every time I tried to look at it, it slipped out of my grasp like a greased pig. The only thing that I was able to determine for sure, is that every time I examine that cache of mental information, I experienced a wave of disgust bordering on hatred, wash over me. I was positive that this was not my reaction to this bundle of thoughts, rather it was coming from the bundle of thoughts. I had never encountered anything like this in all the years I had used my powers.

I needed help with this. Unfortunately I knew exactly where to get that help. Mary and the Council of Coins. They were the only people I knew of who might be able to help me. It seemed that I didn’t know everything there was to know about my mental powers, so it was time to go to the experts. For all I knew this could be a sign that my powers were starting to grow beyond my ability to control them, after all I had never intended to read Mister Anderson’s mind, nor had I actively tried to. Somehow my powers had jumped the fence and operated on their own without my permission or will. A scary premise indeed. I needed to talk with Mary and the Council as soon as possible.

Now that I had decided on a course of action, I sat back in the chair and opened my eyes, waiting for Andy and his parents to return. I rehearsed what I would say to them to explain my sudden weakness, if they asked me. I decided to keep it simple. I was just more tired than I realized. There was no need to go into further details, especially since I didn’t know what had happened to me. I looked at my watch, and discovered to my surprise that fifteen minutes had gone by. That was odd. They should have been back by now, unless there was a line up in the cafeteria. I waited. I pulled out a pocket book from my overnight bag, which Andy had brought me a few days ago, and read a few pages while I continued to wait. After twenty minutes I began to wonder where Andy was. I decided to wait another five minutes and then I would head down to the cafeteria and go look for him.

Andy showed up a minute or so later. Alone, and without any coffee, either I noted. From the expression on his face he was upset about something. He walked over to where I was sitting and plopped down in the chair next to me. His gaze was far away on something or someone else. He didn’t pay any attention to me, even though I was sitting right beside him. “Stubborn pigheaded jackass,” he muttered out loud.

“I hope that’s not me you’re talking about, dear heart,” I said to him, hoping to get him to talk about whatever it was that was upsetting him.

“What? No, of course not,” Andy grumbled. “It’s my Dad. Sometimes he and I just don’t see eye to eye.”

“Care to talk about it?” I prompted him.

Andy looked at me for a second before he responded. “Actually, I don’t, thank you,” he answered abruptly. His voice was polite and warm, with an undercurrent that strongly suggested I drop the subject here and now.

Well, that cut off that approach, I thought to myself. I can take a hint, sometimes.

“Let’s just get you home,” Andy said as he stood up and got ready to leave. “It’s been a long day.”

“It’s only two o’clock in the afternoon, Andy,” I protested. “Besides, I need to stop by the Coffee Shop.”

“What in the world for?” Andy asked, perplexed at my sudden decision.

“Well some coffee comes to mind. Might I point out that you did not bring any coffee back with you?” I said with a smile.

“You really wanted some coffee? You weren’t just sending me on an errand?” Andy asked.

“Yes to both questions. I did need a few minutes to collect my wits, and I did want a cup of coffee,” I admitted.

“Okay, we’ll stop by The Coffee Shop, on the way back to your place,” Andy said with a grin.

I was pleased. Andy’s good nature had reasserted itself, and chased off the foul mood he had been in. When Andy was grumpy, he wasn’t much fun to be around. (Who is when they are grumpy? I should know. I could give grumpy lessons to the seven dwarfs, dear reader.) I would much prefer to spend my afternoon pleasantly with Andy and a hot cup of coffee and light conversation, than asking him about his family squabbles. Curiosity notwithstanding, delving into Andy’s family dynamics was not something I had the strength to deal with right now. I was out of the hospital finally, and all I wanted was to enjoy myself and spend some time with Andy.

The drive to The Coffee Shop was a bit longer than normal, because we decided to go to my apartment first to drop off all my stuff from the hospital, rather than lug that stuff around in Andy’s car. I think leaving the stuff at my place, helped both of us to put my hospital stay behind us. We arrived at The Coffee Shop about an hour after leaving the hospital. Andy took his time driving since we were not in any rush to get anywhere. We arrived at The Coffee Shop and headed inside. We sat down in one of the booths and waited to place our order. Andy seemed to have calmed down a bit during the drive, for which I was thankful.

“What would you like gentlemen?” asked the young waitress who stopped by our booth.

“A large coffee with cream and sugar,” I replied.

“And for you, sir,” the waitress said with an especially warm smile at Andy. She was flirting with him. Andy, as I have mentioned before, is a very handsome man. It was understandable that such a young woman might find Andy attractive and become interested in him. The waitress was of average attractiveness, if I had to made a judgement. I would have guessed her age at somewhere in her mid twenties. She was about five feet eight inches tall, with shoulder length auburn hair, tied back in a pony tail. Her hair framed her pretty face in a most becoming manner. Her hazel eyes, small perky nose, and matching mouth created a overall pretty picture of a young woman. Her body, appear to be fit, without any obvious signs of being overweight or excessively muscled. All in all an attractive young woman. Not my type, and unfortunately for her, not Andy’s type either.

“I’ll have the same, thank you miss,” Andy replied warmly with a smile of his own.

“Oh, before you go, miss, would you happen to know if Mary is working today?” I asked her as she turned to go.

“Mary’s not on duty. She’s in the back doing inventory,” the waitress replied, while looking at Andy, instead of me.

“Would you mind telling Mary that Paul Walton would like to chat with her for a bit?” I asked, smiling at the waitress.

“I’ll ask, but I can’t promise that she’ll have any free time. She’s pretty busy back there,” the waitress said as she turned to address me. The waitress smiled briefly at me, turned about and headed off to fill our orders, with one long backward glance at Andy.

“Is that the real reason you wanted to come here, so you could talk to Mary?” Andy asked fixing me with slight frown.

“Well, yes. Something strange happened to me when I shook your Dad’s hand. I think the beating I suffered might have affected my abilities. I need to talk to Mary about that,” I admitted.

“And you didn’t want to worry me, right?” Andy said with a sigh.

“Yes. That was why I didn’t tell you,” I admitted.

“I’m a big boy, Paul. Next time, just tell the truth, and let me handle it in my own way, okay?” Andy said calmly.

“Okay. I apologise, sorry,” I said.

“There’s no need to apologise. Just trust me enough to tell me the truth next time. Do you think this might be something serious?” Andy asked.

“I don’t know. Mary is the only person I know who might be able help me determine that,” I answered. “I’m glad to be heading home. Hospital food leaves something to be desired,” I commented, as I attempted to change the subject. I hoped that Mary would have some time available for me, and talking with Andy helped to pass the time until the waitress returned with our order.

“I’m sure it does. I’m glad you’re going home too,” Andy said as he directed a warm sexy smile at me. “How long until you’re back at work?”

“I have two weeks of medical leave. I think I’m going to need every minute to recover my strength. At least I have you to help me, dear heart,” I answered flashing my own smile back at Andy.

“Always. You know that,” Andy said warmly.

“Yes, I do,” I agreed. “You’re a very special man, and I am thankful to have you in my life.”

“You say the sweetest things,” Andy said with a chuckle.

“I’m not trying to flatter you, so that I can jump into bed with you,” I said arching one eyebrow.

“You have only to ask, to get me into bed with you,” Andy said with a grin.

“You’re an oversexed, underpaid, cop. Do you know that?” I asked him with a laugh.

“And we both know, I’m also your kind of guy,” Andy answered.

“Amen to that,” I agreed with a smirk on my face. I noticed some movement out of the corner of my eye.

“Here you go, guys,” said the waitress with a smile. “Mary said that she could talk to you now if you like, Mister Walton.”

“Thank you, miss. Now would be fine. Would you mind leading the way?” I asked as I stood up.

“Certainly, sir. Please follow me,” she said as she turned away from me and started walking down the aisle. I quickly followed her. That is, I tried to, but I stumbled after only a few feet. Before I could do more than start to fall, two strong hands grabbed each of my arms, just above the elbows and steadied me. I turned my head and saw Andy standing behind me, holding me up. For a brief moment I saw a look of worry flash across his face, to be quickly replaced with a look of mild concern.

“You should walk a bit slower, Texas,” he said in a low voice. “You don’t have all your strength back yet.” With that he let go of me and then gestured at me to follow the waitress. I turned my head back and started walking, at a somewhat reduced pace. As I followed the waitress into the back room, I glanced back once or twice to see Andy following a few paces behind me. It touched me deeply knowing that Andy was there to catch me if I fell.

It took only a few minutes for us to walk to the back of The Coffee Shop. We were directed to a store room. The waitress knocked on the door, opened it, and directed us to go inside. As soon as we were across the threshold, she closed the door behind us. I looked about the well lit room. It was a plain ordinary store room. You’ve seen one store room, you’ve seen them all. This one appeared to have many boxes of assorted coffee beans, sugar, flavourings and other assorted paraphernalia related to the operation of a coffee shop. Mary was sitting on a chair at a small desk with some sheets piled in the left corner of the desk. She looked up at the sound of the door closing. She smiled at me as she stood up. “Hello Paul. What did you want to talk to me about?”

“To be blunt, I need your help,” I answered. I didn’t like to admit it, but I did need her help.

“Does this have to do with your abilities?” She asked looking over at Andy.

“Yes,” I answered.

“Then I must insist that Mister Anderson wait outside,” she said fixing her eyes on Andy.

“Why?” I asked.

“Privacy. There are some things that are not for the ears of those without the gift. Nothing personal, Mister Anderson. As a member of the Council of Coins, I am constrained to follow certain guidelines,” she answered.

“And if I insist that Andy stay?” I asked.

“Then I cannot help you at this time,” Mary replied. She wasn’t hostile or belligerent. She was merely laying out the conditions associated with her help.

“It’s okay, Paul. I’ll wait for you outside. I know this is important to you. Just as I can’t tell you everything about my job and what happens with me, you can’t tell me everything about the Council of Coins and what goes on with them. I don’t like it, but I’ll do it,” Andy said as he turned and headed for the door.

“Thank you, dear heart,” I called out to him as he stepped through the door. Andy was a very understanding man. I could tell from the concerned look on his face that he would have preferred to stay in the room with me.

“Now how can I help you, Paul?” Mary asked after Andy had closed the door behind him.

“I had an unusual encounter a short while ago. I need your help to understand what happened. I am concerned that my powers are slipping out of my control,” I told her.

“Describe to me exactly what happened and what you were thinking at that time,” she said as she sat back down and gestured at me to take the vacant chair next to her.

“I was assaulted a few weeks ago, and badly injured,” I began.

“Yes, the Council is aware of that. We know all about your condition and that you were released today,” Mary interrupted me.

“You do?” I asked, surprised at her statement.

“Did you forget that we told you we would be monitoring you? We know as much about your medical condition as your doctors,” Mary said. “I am aware of all the medical facts. Please return to describing the encounter you alluded to.”

“So you have agents in the hospital staff?” I asked.

“We have agents everywhere, but we are drifting from the reason for your visit. Please continue with your story,” Mary said directing me back on track.

I looked at Mary for a few seconds, as I considered what she had just told me. Agents everywhere. It wasn’t a comforting though. I sighed and then continued speaking. “I was leaving the hospital today, and Andy’s parents came to meet us. Actually they wanted to meet me. When I shook hands with Andy’s father, my mind became flooded with images, sounds, feelings and emotions. I nearly blacked out. I wasn’t trying to read his mind, but I think that is what happened. I have tried to make sense of what was thrust into my mind, but every time I try, the thoughts and images slip away. I can’t seem to get a grip on them. I thought you could explain to me what happened, and help me sort out the images.” I looked a t Mary waiting for her response.

“Yes, I can help you on both counts,” Mary replied after a minute or so. “There will be a price however.”

“Why am I not surprised?” I asked in a jaded tone of voice. “How much do you want?”

“I am not talking about money,” Mary said coolly. “The price is that you agree to cooperate with the next round of tests put forth by the Council of Coins.” Mary stopped speaking. She appeared to be waiting for my response.

“Why does the Council of Coins need my agreement to test me?”I asked. “They seemed to do that just fine without my cooperation the last few times.” I was still a little irked about the Council of Coins test where they had faked killing Andy, in an attempt to have me explain how my powers worked. Since I still did not know exactly how I was able to drain super hypnosis powers from other gifted people, I wasn’t able to explain the process to them. The last test with Martin and Hoyt could have turned out a lot worse than it did. I was lucky I was able to rekindle Martin and Hoyt’s relationship. I was becoming very tired of the tests the Council of Coins was putting me through. But, I needed Mary’s help, so I knew I had to agree to her terms, as much as I disliked the idea.

“The next round of tests requires that you put forth your best effort. Before wasting anyone’s time, the Council of Coins needs you to give your word, that you will participate fully in the tests,” Mary said.

“Fine. You have my word that I will do my best when the Council of Coins tests me,” I agreed reluctantly. I didn’t at all like the idea of being tested yet again by the Council of Coins, but I did need Mary’s help.

“Good. Now pay attention while I explain what it was that you experienced,” Mary said in that calm motherly voice she used when she had first trained me. “The problem that you encountered is the result of contacting someone with very low or nonexistent mental barriers in their mind. This can be a natural condition. It can also be brought about by the emotional state of that person and how they relate to you. I suspect that Andy’s father had some strong negative feelings about you, which he was hiding. Your super hypnotic powers tapped into that emotional energy and broke through whatever natural barriers were in that man’s mind. It was an instinctive reaction on the part of your super hypnotic powers. It is similar to the creepy feeling you feel when you are in a situation that poses some type of threat to you. There was nothing you could have done to avoid it. With experience and practice though, you can learn to lessen in impact it has upon you.”

“You mean I can learn to block this action?” I asked.

“No, you can’t prevent it from happening, because it is instinctive. You can learn to control how it affects you, and to shunt the acquired information off into another part of your mind, where you can examine it later, at your leisure,” Mary answered.

“So now I’m snooping in on other people’s thoughts even though I don’t want to?” I asked hoping I was wrong.

“Yes, but only because they present some type of threat to you,” Mary emphasized. “This is but another part of the price you pay for having your powers. I never told you there would not be consequences to learning how to use your powers.” Mary looked at me, as if she was daring me to contradict her. She was right, damn it, and I knew it.

I looked at her and thought about what she said. Slowly it dawned on me. If what she said was correct, it meant that Andy’s Dad was a threat to me. I found that hard to believe, because I’d never even met the man before today. Then another idea occurred to me. Maybe there was an answer in the information I’d gleamed from Andy’s Dad’s mind.

“Yes, Mister Anderson Senior has been identified as some type of threat to you, Paul. It is time we examine the information you copied from his mind. I must caution you that this will not be pleasant for either of us. You should also be aware that the Council of Coins guidelines I spoke of earlier, require me to keep the information you are about to share with me, completely confidential,” Mary said in her motherly compassionate voice. She looked at me for a moment or two, and smiled in an attempt to reassure me.

She took a few deep breaths and looked over at me. “I am ready now. Let me know when you wish to begin.”

“Do it. Now. Before I change my mind,” I said gritting my teeth. I decided not to ask her to qualify if ‘completely confidential’ meant that she would withhold the information from the Council of Coins. I wasn’t naive enough to think that her position on the Council of Coins didn’t mean that there might be a conflict of interest here. I needed her help as well as her cooperation, so I kept my peace.

“Don’t tense up. Relax, Paul,” she said as she positioned herself in front of me She reached up and placed her hands so that they cupped my face. “I’m here to help you. Just like I did when I trained you. Just close your eyes and let me in, as far as you want.”

Her voice was soothing. I discovered to my surprise that I could let her into my mind. Her mental touch was as warm, soft and gentle as I remembered from all those years ago. It didn’t hurt. It wasn’t scary. I started to enjoy Mary’s mental presence in my mind. She followed me as we walked through my mind, ignoring all the side paths and corridors that we passed. She did not ask questions about where we were going. She respected my privacy to the umpteenth degree, and that allowed me to relax completely. Now we were able to get to work.

Soon, with her mental guidance I was able to locate the memories from Andy’s Dad’s mind. Mary showed me how to sort the jumble bits and pieces into a composite that made sense. With her help I was able to slowly replay the memories like a video tape, in my mind. Learning new mental skills like these was very exciting. I felt a surge of satisfaction and accomplishment. It was a good thing too, because what I learned from playing the tape back, nearly broke my heart.

In my mind’s eye I saw three large well built men standing in front of me. Their features were clear, but I did not recognize them. They were handsome men, and appeared to be physically fit. That’s all I had time to notice before I started to hear Andy’s Dad’s voice talking with three other men. It was so strange. I could hear Andy’s Dad’s voice speaking the words in my mind, as if he was right there, and yet at the same time I was Andy’s Dad saying those words, and feeling those emotions as I spoke to the three men.

“He’s lost perspective. He doesn’t understand the consequences of his actions. He could easily ruin his career. And for what? Some whimpy guy who he has a crush on. I won’t stand by and watch him destroy all that he’s worked for. I love him too much to let that happen.”

“It’s his life, Simon. He’s a big boy,” one of the men said.

“Are you going to help me or not?” The anger in those words took the men by surprise. They actually stepped back a pace or two at the intensity.

“Of course we’ll help, but I don’t see what we can do,” the second man said.

“Since I can’t talk Andy out of this foolishness, then I have to take the fool out of the picture. I think five minutes with the three of you in a dark alley, plus a few well chosen words, would make the point very clear. Just be sure not to hurt him too badly. I want to drive him away from Andy, not cripple him.” Revulsion as well as hatred washed over me as I heard these words .

“And how are we supposed to arrange that?” the third man asked.

“Leave that to me. I’ll tell you when and where. Just be sure that he understands he’s to leave Andy alone from now on.” Now feelings of anticipation and satisfaction crept into my mind.

“You hate gays that much, Simon? Do you hate your son too?” the second man asked.

“Andy’s made his choice in his lifestyle. I might not agree with it, but there’s nothing I can do to change it. What I can do though, is keep him from making a fool of himself by getting serious with this Paul Walton. Have you seen the man, and I use the term man loosely? He couldn’t defend himself from a couple of Girl Scouts selling cookies. To have Andy get serous with Paul Walton would bring disgrace to him and his entire family. I won’t stand for that.” The anger had returned, and with it a feeling of determination that felt like it was cast in iron.

“How badly do you want him hurt?” the first man asked, with a gleam in his eye.

“He should be in the hospital for a week or two, no more. Don’t break his legs or his arms. I don’t want him beaten up so badly that he generates some kind of sympathy for gays with the general public. I just want him to stay away from my son. Be sure that part of the message is loud and clear.”

“Will do,” the third man said nodding. “So when do we do this?”

“I think a Friday night would be best. Maybe on the....”

The last word of the conversation faded away and I felt Mary’s presence in my mind again. I also felt very tired. Tired and sad. Mary withdrew from my mind as gently as she had entered it. Slowly I opened my eyes, blinking them several times as I looked about the room. Mary was sitting in the chair in front of me. She looked as tired as I felt. There was silence for several minutes. Neither of us spoke.

“Well, there you have it,” she said in a neutral voice. “You now know all that you accidentally downloaded from Mister Anderson Senior’s mind.”

I looked at her, unsure how to respond. I thought about what I had just heard and seen in my head. It had to be a lie of some type, a fabrication. “How do I know this is the truth, and not something that you made up when you helped me?” I asked her.

“Paul, you of all people should know by now that the mind does not lie. You can lie with your lips and your tongue, but not your mind. The mind can conceal the truth behind a shield, but that is all. Have you forgotten your first lessons with me?” Mary looked at me, waiting for an answer.

“No, I haven’t forgotten,” I acknowledged. “I just don’t want this to be the truth.” I was numb. I didn’t feel anything right now. I suppose it was the shock of learning the truth.

“What are you going to do with this knowledge? What action do you intend to take?” Mary asked, the neutral expression pasted on her motherly face.

“I don’t know,” I answered slowly. “I can’t tell Andy. It would kill him. I can’t keep it a secret from Andy, because that would drive me crazy before too long. Jesus, what do I do?”

“You have to decide before you leave this room,” Mary said firmly.

“Or what?” I asked hotly as I felt anger starting to build within me.

“The consequences of not making a decision will cause irreparable harm to yourself, to Andy, and to your relationship with Andy,” Mary said like a schoolteacher instructing a slow student. “You cannot walk out that door, and into Andy’s loving arms, with what you now know, and expect it to be the same as it has been. What you know about Andy’s father has the potential to affect you in many ways, if you let it.”

“You seem to have all the answers. What should I do then?” I asked her, feeling angrier by the second.

“First admit how you feel about Andy’s father,” Mary answered calmly. “Tell me how you feel about him. Tell me what you want to do to him. Tell me what you have the power to do to him.”

“I hate him,” I answered slowly. The words seemed to fan the flames of my anger. “I want to slam his sanctimonious self-righteous face into the nearest brick wall! I want to pound on him like those thugs pounded on me! I want him to feel every ounce of the pain I felt!!”

“The pain of the beating you took, or the pain you feel now, after finding this out?” Mary asked in that same frustratingly calm voice of hers.

“Both! Neither! Does it matter?” I snapped at her.

“And then what would you do like to do with Mister Anderson Senior?” Mary prompted me, while she ignored my question.

“I want to see him make a total asshole of himself in public! I’d like to see him strip on national television and then make him hump his brains out with some butt ugly troll of a man!” I said with a malicious smile. “I want to make him suffer. I want to see him suffer. I want to savour every second of his humiliation.”

“So you want revenge,” Mary commented.

“Hell yes!” I answered. “What did you expect me to do, hug and kiss him and forgive him for having the crap beat out of me?!” I yelled as the anger blossomed forth.

“You want revenge. It is an understandable reaction. Pushing that aside for a moment, what else do you feel?” Mary asked me.

I looked at her for a few moments, as I assimilated what she’d just said to me. It was difficult but I pushed the anger aside and calmed myself as best as I was able. For a minute or so I felt blank, empty, as if without the anger I was but a shell. Slowly sadness seeped into the void. Suddenly I felt hot bitter tears flowing down my cheeks. The first sob worked its way out of my throat. Seconds later more followed. Before I knew it, I was sobbing and crying freely. It wasn’t loud, but it was deep and painful. I felt as if I’d just had the crap beaten out of me for a second time. .

A beating would have been far kinder than what I now knew. Andy’s Dad had arranged for the assault that had been perpetrated on me. The man hated me to a degree that was unthinkable. He saw me as a threat to his son, Andy. I’ve heard of people having mother-in-law problems, but this was in a whole different league! All of this because I loved his son! Truly, there was no justice in the world.

I don’t remember when Mary reached out and held me close. I do remember that she did her best to comfort me. She let me cry my heart out, without saying another word. She knew that the best thing was to let me get it out of my system now, before I had to face anyone else. When I broke away from her embrace and pounded the table with my fists, she silently held on to me, to let me know that someone was there. Someone cared. I swung between sobbing and pounding my fits on the table for a good ten or fifteen minutes. Finally I was too tired to cry and my fists were too bruised to take any more pounding. I sat back in the chair and nursed my hands. I knew I’d be paying for this later tonight. At least I didn’t have to worry about work, as I was off on medical leave for a couple of weeks.

“Are you up to talking now?” Mary asked me.

“I guess,” I said reluctantly.

“I empathise with your situation, Paul,” Mary began calmly. “As tempting as it may be, you cannot take any action against Simon.”

“Why the hell not? Who the hell is going to stop me?” I blurted out, cutting Mary off.

She gave me a stern, disapproving look. I looked back at her for a few seconds. “Continue, please,” I said.

“The Council of Coins would intervene, to prevent you for enacting your revenge or any type of retribution on Simon Anderson,” Mary said. “Not because he warrants protection, but because you cannot be trusted not to go too far and create a situation that would result in too many questions being asked by the wrong people. Surely by now you have come to realize that ‘The Gifted’ must use their abilities carefully, and not draw undue attention to themselves.”

“So what’s the good of having all these ‘gifts’ as you call them, if I can’t use them to get even with a son of a bitch that richly deserves it?” I demanded.

“Life is not fair, Paul. It never has been and it never will be. Just because you are gifted, does not grant you rights and privileges beyond those of regular people. If anything, you have more responsibilities because of your gifts.”

“So you say,” I commented like a sulky little boy who has been told he can’t have a cookie because it would spoil his dinner.

“You know I’m right,” Mary said with a motherly smile at me. “Once you’ve calmed down and really thought things through, you’ll see that I’m right about this. There is one other much more important reason why you can’t give in and act upon your desire for revenge.”

“Which is?” I asked, jutting my jaw out at her. I was daring her to come up with a reason that I might buy.

“Andy would never forgive you for doing something like that to his father,” Mary said.

Bang on target! Mary had dropped the big one on me, and it was an A-bomb. She was 100% right. If I took my revenge on Simon Anderson (and even now the desire to do that was simmering in the back of my mind) and Andy found out, he would never forgive me. I wasn’t so far gone in my thirst for justice (or what I perceived justice to be), that I didn’t realize that sooner or later Andy would find out. The guilt would eventually eat away at me and I’d have to tell him. I knew all that, but I didn’t like it one little bit.

“So I’m just supposed to smile at the bastard the next time I see him and pretend like I don’t know?” I asked.

“Exactly. It is part of the price you pay for having your gifts,” Mary said sadly. “To know the truth, and to never reveal it or act upon it, that is what you are bound to do.”

“That’s impossible,” I declared, outraged that she would even suggest such a course of action.

“Not impossible, just very difficult. Consider the advantage you now have,” Mary said.

“What advantage?” I asked, perplexed by the shift in her train of thought.

“You now know what type of person Simon Anderson really is. You know you can never trust him, or turn your back on him. Since you have no proof, I would advise not telling Andy what you know. By sticking with Andy, you will frustrate Simon, which will cause him to take action. Eventually he will slip up and the truth will be revealed, to Andy and everyone else,” Mary said.

“That could take years!”I said with exasperation.

“During which time, you will have Andy, and he will have you, and Simon will remain a frustrated bitter man getting older each year. What better form of revenge could you ask for?” Mary said with a knowing smile.

“I never thought of it that way,” I said as I mulled over Mary’s words. They made sense. Certainly they presented an attractive offer to tangling with the Council of Coins. “I guess, I really don’t have much choice do I? That is, unless I want to challenge the Council of Coins.”

“You always have a choice, Paul. I am trying to help you to make the wisest one for all concerned. I don’t want to see you get hurt. I don’t want to see the Council have to intervene. I want you to be as happy as you can, and learn from this encounter. You have much to offer Andy. You have a potential that interests the Council of Coins. I do not want to see that potential go to waste. Childish use of your gifts now, to enact revenge on Simon, would be extremely short-sighted of you. It might make you feel good in the short term, but the ultimate price you would pay would be the loss of Andy’s respect and love for you,” Mary said with quiet dignity.

“You’re right,” I sighed. “But it doesn’t stop the pain and the hurt I feel.”

“It never does. Only time, and the love of a good man, a man like Andy, will dull the pain and the hurt. He has a wonderful opportunity here to help you, as you have helped him in the past. Don’t deny him the chance to be there for you. Go to him now. Let him take you in his arms and comfort you for a change.” With the last few words Mary stood up and walked over to where I was sitting. She signalled that I should stand up. I climbed to my feet. She reached out and gave a warm motherly hug. After a minute or so, she walked me to the door.

“You know, you could invite one of those ‘boys’ of yours over tonight to help you out while Andy’s at work. I’m sure any one of them would be agreeable. You could have some innocent fun with them. It might take your mind off things,” Mary said as we stood in front of the door.

“That’s not a bad idea,” I said to her. “I’ll give it some thought. How did you know Andy works tonight?”

“Paul, the Council is watching, remember?” Mary said with a grin.

“Oh yeah,” I said with a shake of my head at my forgetfulness.

Mary opened the door. Andy was standing there, a slightly worried look on his face. I walked over and stood next to him.

“Good luck, Paul,” Mary said as she closed the door.

“So what happened? You were in there for a good half an hour,” Andy asked.

“She helped me sort things out. She answered my questions. I don’t have to worry about my powers getting out of control, or anything like that. Listen, I’m ready to go home now. I just want to put my feet up and relax for a while,” I answered.

“What happened to your hands?” Andy asked when he saw my right hand. I had lifted it up to touch his face, and forgotten about the bruising.

“I used the table as a punching bag, while I was venting my anger and frustration,” I answered.

“What were you angry and frustrated about? “Andy asked.

“I wanted revenge on the men who did this to me. I was frustrated because I don’t know who they are. I still want revenge, but I know now, that it’s not worth it. When I shook hands with your Dad, I felt his anger and frustration about my assault, and it built up within me. That’s what I was talking to Mary about. She explained to me that my gifts sometimes allow me to tune in on how others feel. Now that I know what to look for, I can be sure that I don’t pick up any such feelings from others in the future.” I answered. I had told Andy the truth, just not all of it. His Dad was frustrated about my assault, but not for the reason my statement suggested. Simon Anderson was frustrated because my assault seemed to have enhanced Andy’s feelings for me.

“Okay, let’s take you home then,” Andy said with a smile. He seemed to accept my explanation, and why shouldn’t he? It was the truth after all. Just not all of it.

Andy had to work the next day, but we would be able to spend the evening together. I still tired easily, so I was quiet the entire ride from The Coffee Shop back to my apartment. Andy didn’t say a word, either. We arrived at my apartment without anything out of the ordinary happening. Andy said that he wanted to spend the evening with me, just to be sure that I was okay. If it put his mind at ease, I was all for it. Then it happened. I stumbled and fell to the floor as I was walking from the living room to the kitchen. Andy was beside me in a flash.

“What happened?” he asked, concerned as he watched me slowly pick myself up off of the carpeted floor.

“I suddenly got dizzy and the room started to spin and then I was falling forward,” I admitted. I knew that if I told him it was nothing, he would not believe me. Andy was no fool.

“The doctor did tell you to take it easy the first few days back,” Andy said thoughtfully. “I’m staying here overnight, just in case you need my help.”

“That’s not necessary, Andy,” I said firmly. The last thing I wanted was to appear weak and helpless in front of Andy. It was my male pride getting in the way again.

“Maybe not, but if only for my peace of mind, I’m staying overnight to make sure you are okay,” Andy said firmly, in a tone that implied that I had a snowball’s chance in hell of making Andy change his mind.

“Okay,” I agreed with a smile. Who was I to say ‘no’ to a hunky handsome RCMP constable who wanted to spend the evening, the night and part of tomorrow with me? “But you work tomorrow, right?” I asked.

“Yes, but I’ve already thought of that,” Andy said with a grin. “I have the ideal solution.”

“Out with it then,” I said when Andy did not offer any further details. “What have you cooked up in that RCMP brain of yours?”

“Simple. Just call one of your four house boys to come over and stay with you. The doctor said that you would need a couple of weeks to get your strength back. If you rotate and have each house boy stay with you for two days or so, then they will all be happy. I won’t be worrying about you, because I know that help will be close at hand,” Andy said grinning at me.

I stared at Andy for a few moments as I considered his words. Then I smiled back at him. “That’s brilliant! The guys get to feel useful. I get to recover. You get your peace of mind back. It’s perfect.” I walked up to Andy and hugged him as hard as I could, which wasn’t much considering my weaken condition. I lumbered off to the bathroom, as I needed to use the facilities. (I will spare you the gross details, dear reader.) I finished my business, opened the door and glanced in the mirror on my way out.

“Holy Cow!” I cried out in surprise as I caught a good look at myself in the bathroom mirror. My hair was so oily it looked like I lived under a grease rack at an automobile service centre. My skin was dirty. My face looked like it hadn’t seen a washcloth in a week. I suddenly realized how unclean my entire body felt. Sponge baths at the hospital simply hadn’t been enough. I need a good long soak in a hot bath. It would make me feel clean and probably help relax me.

“What’s wrong?” Andy asked after he appeared in front of me a few seconds later.

“I look like hell. I’d have to be dead three days to look any better,” I answered him. “I can’t believe I met your parents looking like this. How could you let me do that? They must have thought I was a hobo or something.” I glared at Andy a bit miffed at the flashback of embarrassment I was feeling.

“My parents understood that you were just coming out of the hospital,” Andy said as he draped his right arm about my shoulder, trying to calm me down. “Now you go and shuck off those clothes of yours and meet me back here pronto. I’m going to give you a good cleaning and then you are going to relax in a hot bath for the next little while.”

“A shower together?” I asked, smiling shyly.

“As tempting as that idea may be, you’re not up to that, yet. You’re going to sit in that bathtub and let me give you a thorough washing. You’re not going to do a thing for yourself. You need to pace yourself,” Andy said. “Now git!” He commanded me, with a playful swat on my denim clad behind. (Did I mention dear reader that even Andy’s swats on my behind are kind of sexy?)

“Yes, sir,” I agreed as I headed off to my bedroom. As soon as I was in the room, I started to remove my clothes. I had my jeans undone and pushed down to my ankles in only a moment. Stepping out of them wasn’t a problem, but I did have to do it slowly, as my sense of balance was still prone to act up without notice. I got my cowboy shirt and t-shirt off without any mishap. My socks and underwear required a bit more time. I had to sit down on the bed to get my socks off and slip my underwear off. Finally shed of those dirty clothes, I headed off to the bathroom. I thought about putting my clothes in the dirty clothes hamper, but figured it could wait until tomorrow. Andy was waiting for me in the bathroom. I was looking forward to having Andy clean me up. I had missed his touch terribly the past few weeks.

“Climb in,” Andy said as he stood by the bathtub wearing only a pair of tight white cotton briefs, and a smile.

“You’re happy to see me, aren’t you? “ I smiled back.

“Yes, indeed. You have no idea how happy I am to see you,” he said with a chuckle.

“Very happy to judge by the bulge in your briefs,” I said with a grin.

Andy blushed and looked down at the floor for a moment, a bit embarrassed at my comment. He looked up and then looked me dead in the eye, his face colour quickly returning to normal. “Happy in mind, spirit and body. I love looking at your nude body, Paul. I’m no longer embarrassed to admit that to you or anyone else,” Andy said with a small yet sexy smile.

“Not that I’m objecting but why are you wearing just your cotton briefs?” I asked him changing the subject.

“It going to get very warm in here, very soon, and there might be a lot of splashing. No point in my getting my clothes wet,” Andy said cheerfully. “Besides, I thought you’d enjoy my new uniform.”

“Oh I do,” I assured him.”It just caught me off guard.”

“Enough stalling. Get in,” Andy ordered playfully.

“Yes, sir,” I said as I climbed into the tub. There was a brief moment of dizziness as I sat down. Instantly, I felt Andy’s hand clamped on my right arm, steadying me as I sat down. I nodded my thanks at him. I moved about and made myself comfortable in the empty bathtub. I pushed myself so that my back was nearly touching the back of the bathtub. This would give Andy lots of room to turn the taps A few moments later I felt the first sting of cold water on my legs. Andy hummed to himself as he turned the hot water tap. A few moments later the stream of water warmed up as it started to fill the bathtub.

“Let me know when the water temperature is right for you,” Andy said as he fiddled with the taps.

“That’s good,” I informed him a few moments later.

“Good. Sit back and once the tub is filled enough we‘ll get started,” Andy said.

It was easy enough to go along with Andy’s instructions. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the sensation of the warm water creeping up the sides of my legs and my butt. It felt good not to have to do anything for a change. Andy hummed quietly to himself as he waited for the bathtub to fill. What seemed like only seconds later I heard the water stop running. Andy had turned off the taps. The water just covered my tummy.

“Keep your eyes and mouth closed while I wash your hair, Paul,” Andy instructed me.

“Okay,” I answered. A few second later I felt very warm water fall on the top of my head, and cascade down the sides of my head and the back of my neck. Andy must have brought a pitcher or bowl from the kitchen in to the bathroom with him. I sat there quietly as Andy poured the warm water over my head to thoroughly wet my hair. A few seconds later I felt the coolness of shampoo on the top of my head and then the pressure and warmth of Andy’s big hands on my head. It felt good to feel his hands moving about my head, and his fingertips rubbing around my head. Andy was giving my head a good scrubbing. He was gentle yet firm. He did it slowly, taking his time. I wasn’t sure who was enjoying it more. After about five minutes, he rinsed the shampoo out of my hair. He ran his hands over my head a few times to rid my hair of any excess water.

“Lift your right leg out of the water so I can soap it,” Andy said. I complied. Seconds later I felt Andy’s strong hands moving all the down my right leg from just below the hip to my toes. I cracked open my eyes for just a second to see Andy’s’ soap covered hands moving all about my right leg. His right hand had the bar of soap in it while his left hand was helping to spread the soap suds over my leg. It looked as good as it felt. I closed my eyes, content to enjoy the feeling of Andy’s hands on my right leg.

“You can lower your right leg and lift your left leg now,” Andy directed me. It amazed me that having another man give you a bath could be such a turn on. “I didn’t ask you to raise your cock,” Andy chuckled, as he commented on my reaction to his bathing me. Andy’s hands moving over my left leg, repeating the motions I had felt on my right leg.

“I’m just trying to make easier for you when you have to clean my cock and balls,” I said to him with a soft chuckle.

“I’m sure it has nothing to do with how much you’re enjoying yourself,” Andy replied with a chuckle, as he continued to lather up my left leg. I didn’t say anything more. I just sat there and enjoyed Andy’s touch on my body.

“Roll over on your tummy so I can do your back and your butt,” Andy directed me. It took me a minute or so to turn over in the bathtub, and adjust myself so that I was comfortable. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you what it was that I had to adjust, in order to get comfortable. Moments later I felt Andy’s hands on my back. It was heaven to feel Andy’s hands roaming over my back and down to, and all around, my butt. Andy took his own sweet time lathering up my back and butt. He used long slow movements of his hands over my body. Andy stopped just short of giving me a massage. He knew exactly what he was doing. I moaned out loud with pleasure as I savoured Andy’s touch on my body. Andy let out a few soft sighs. It was clear that he was enjoying himself.

“Time to turn back over and let me do your front,” Andy said to me.

“Okay,” I said as I rolled over and sat back down on my butt.

Andy ran the bar of soap across my chest and stomach areas working up a good lather. I closed my eyes and gave in to the sensations of Andy’s hands moving across my body. When he reached down and spread the soap suds all over my cock and balls I moaned with delight. I could not believe how good it felt to have his big warm firm hand and fingers running all over my nearly fully erect cock, and cupping my balls, time after time. I know he spent more time than was necessary cleaning that area of my body. I didn’t object, after all he was only doing a thorough job. A few moments later Andy took hold of my right arm and lathered it up. Minutes later he did the same to my left arm. Andy told me to keep my mouth shut. I felt a warm wet washcloth moving over my face a few seconds later. I didn’t have to see the soap suds to know that Andy was lathering up my face. I could smell the scent of the soap. All too soon, it seemed, I felt warm water being poured over my head, chest and arms as Andy gave my upper body a thorough rinsing. I sat there few a few seconds longer letting the water drip off my body, before I opened my eyes to see Andy reaching over and pulling the plug out of the bathtub.

“Come sit on the edge of the bathtub while the water drains, “ Andy told me. “Don’t worry I’ll make sure you don’t’ slip.”

“Shouldn’t you be towelling me dry?” I asked a bit confused at his request.

“Not just yet. You need a long soak in a hot bath to relax those bruised muscles of yours,” Andy said to me with a smile. “We’ve plenty of time for that. Hours in fact.”

I looked at Andy and decided he had a good idea. We had not spent a lot of time together and now might be a good time to talk with him about something that had been rolling around in the back of my mind. “Okay. Once I’m in the tub and soaking, do you think you could stick around so we could talk for a bit?” I asked him.

“We can always talk, Paul. You shouldn’t feel you need to ask me first,” Andy replied with a lightly puzzled tone in his sexy voice. “In fact we can talk right now. The water’s not that loud.”

“Well, okay,” I replied hesitantly. I wasn’t sure how to approach the topic I had in mind. “Once I’m in the tub and soaking I’ll start. In the meantime, just let me enjoy the feeling of your hand on my back, holding me up.”

“All right with me,” Andy replied as he wrapped both arms about my torso.

I was in heaven, if heaven is being soaking wet pressed up against a hunky semi-nude muscular RCMP constable who loves you, and has both of his tree truck arms firmly wrapped about your torso. I closed my eyes and relaxed into Andy’s grasp. It felt so good to be able to let go and not worry about anything for the next little while.

“I love you with all my heart, Texas,” Andy whispered in my ear, using his pet name for me. “I want nothing more than to be your man, and for you to be mine.”

“Me too, dear heart. Me too,” I answered back, my eyes closed. I savoured the moment. It seemed so long since we had been close like this.

“Slip down into the tub, now, “Andy directed me. I realized that the sound of water draining out of the tub had stopped. I opened my eyes and did as Andy asked. In a few moments Andy had the plug back in the bathtub and very warm water was surging from the spigot. Andy turned the tap a bit further and the water got much warmer.

“That’s good there, dear heart,” I told him. I didn’t want the water too hot, just enough to enjoy. I leaned back in the tub so my back was supported by the back of the tub and stretched out my legs to their full length. It felt good to feel the warm water creep up the sides of my legs, my thighs, my butt, my forearms and my hands. A smile came to my lips as I saw Andy pouring bath beads into the water.

“The finishing touch, love?” I ask him.

“Of course,” Andy said with a smile. “Now what did you want to talk about? Clearly you’ve got something on your mind.”

I closed my eyes and let out a soft sigh. I was reluctant to start, but I knew I had to discuss this with Andy. Something had changed between us, since our vacation in Las Vegas. It had taken me a while to realize that Andy and I were not treating each other as we had before the Las Vegas trip. There was a slight shift between us now. It was hard for me to notice it, most times, but it was there. “I’ve been thinking how lucky I am to have you in my life,” I said looking over at Andy. He looked back at me, that warm loving expression that I had come to know so well, spread across his face, and yet there was something different. It wasn’t the same.

“You are indeed. Then again, so am I,” Andy said in that sexy voice of his.

I looked back at Andy, smiled at him and closed my eyes. “To hell with it!” I thought to myself., as I gave in to the soothing steaming hot water. ‘I’m imagining things. This whole mind peek with Andy’s dad has me seeing ghosts in the shadows. Fuck it.!’ I let out a long sigh, cracked my eyes open just long enough to get a clear look at Andy and then closed my eyes again. Andy was right. I did need a good long soak in a tub.

After a while, I noticed that the water had cooled. My fingers had that waterlogged feeling that means you’ve got a bad case of water wrinkles on them. I didn’t want to reach up and turn on the tap to add more hot water to the bath water. I also did not want to get any cooler. I smiled with delight when I heard the sound of water cascading into the bathtub. I could feel the hot water, and damn it felt good.

“Am I your bitch now?” Andy’s voiced asked above the noise of the running water. The cool almost detached tone of his voice roused me from my lethargy as much as did the content of the question.

I wrenched open my eyes and looked about the room searching for Andy. He was near the front of the bathtub, turning off the hot water tap. He turned about and looked at me. He moved down closer to me and sat on the bath mat. He made himself comfortable and stared back at me. “Well?” he asked.

“Well, what?” I answered stupidly. I couldn’t seem to think clearly. I understood what Andy had said. I didn’t have an answer. It wasn’t Andy’s fantastic body that was interfering with my train of thought, although that had often been the case in the past. I couldn’t seem to make my mind comprehend the meaning of the question Andy had just asked me.

“Am I your bitch now?” Andy asked again. He looked at me, as calm as ever. Except, that deep in the back of those sexy doe brown eyes of his, I could see a shadow of concern peeping out. Something was worrying him. I’d been too caught up in my own aches and pains to notice that something was troubling Andy.

“Why are you asking me such a question, Andy?” I asked him, not bothering to even try to hide the puzzlement in my voice.

“Did you forget all about our time in Las Vegas? You humped my ass, or don’t you remember?” Andy said with one eyebrow raised.

“I do recall that event, now that you mention it,” I said with a smile “You didn’t seem to mind at the time. Why does that concern you?”

“Well you figuratively humped my ass. Doesn’t that make me your bitch as it were? Doesn’t that mean I take on the submissive bottom, the female role in this relationship? “ Andy asked, the confusion clear on his face. “I’m a man, and I’m proud of being a man. I like being powerful and in control. Knowing that you can turn me around and make me weak and helpless with just a few words, worries me. I thought it was fun at first, but now I’m not so sure. I am sure that I don’t want your cock up my ass now, or any time in the foreseeable future. Paul, I think we have a serious problem here.” Andy’s voice was filled with worry.

“Before you go off half cocked,” I said with a warm grin. Andy shot me a ‘bad pun’ look, but didn’t say anything. “Let’s talk this out. I know that you’re kind of new at gay relationships, and frankly so am I. I don’t claim to have all the answers, but I do have a few opinions that I want to share with you.” Andy had picked a hell of a time to bring this subject up for discussion. There wasn’t much chance that I could just walk away from him if I did not want to talk about it. He was one smart man. He knew we needed to talk about it, and he had arranged matters so that we would have to deal with it.

“Okay, but no hypnosis,” Andy said, the warning tone in his voice very clear.

“My powers don’t work on you, Andy. You know that. You also know I would never hypnotize you against your will, or to try to get you to do something that you didn’t want to do. I made you that promise when we ‘got married’. I’ve kept it,” I said to him, keeping my voice calm. I was a bit miffed that Andy thought I might try to use hypnosis to trick him. I realized a few seconds later that Andy was really worried about my humping his ass back in Las Vegas. That submissive act, on his part, had shaken his self image.

“Yes you have. I don’t want you trying anything funny, because this is serious to me,” Andy said.

“Okay, dear heart. Let’s talk. I won’t try making any more jokes. You’re worried that my dry humping your ass, has somehow changed our relationship, and you’re not sure if you like the change. Does that about sum it up?” I asked him.

“Yes. I don’t know where this relationship is going. I think we have to figure that out, for ourselves,” Andy said. The worry in his voice had faded somewhat, but it was still there.

“To begin with, I would never use the term ‘bitch’ to describe you. The term is derogatory. Men use that term to describe women in a less than flattering manner. Gay men use that term to describe bottoms whom are very submissive and dominated by the top, often to the point where the top inflicts abuse on the bottom. We don’t have that type of relationship, dear heart. I like to be in control and be the top. I also like to hypnotize you because that is an erotic turn on for me. I like the idea of being able to control a big strong powerful man like you, and the fact that you are an RCMP constable is the six foot icing on the cake.”

“And that is exactly the problem, Paul,” Andy interrupted me. “Being turned into your boy toy, as it were, isn’t right. It doesn’t feel right. It doesn’t sound right. It’s not how I was raised.”

“You were raised as though you were straight, Andy. How could anyone expect you to understand the roles of tops and bottoms in a gay relationship? I know the theory of those roles, but practical experience is another matter. I’m learning as we go along, just like you,” I replied.

“So how do you know that what you know is right?” Andy asked.

“I don’t. I only know what seems right to me and what seems right to you. We try different things, different roles. We see how they fit and work it out together. I do know that you care about me, just as I care about you. I think you’re committed to this relationship and to me. Or am I wrong?” I asked.

“I was up until our trip to Las Vegas. Now, I’m not so sure,” Andy answered.

That wasn’t the answer I had hoped for. I decided to continue describing our relationship to Andy, at least from my perspective.

“I see you as the ‘man’ in this relationship. You are strong powerful, and you like to take charge and fix problems when you find them. You are also manly enough to show me how much you need me and want me. You let me see that for all the strength you possess, you are gentle kind and you have needs of your own. You enjoy it when I take care of your needs, be that cuddling you, kissing you or just giving you a neck rub after a difficult day. It seems natural for you to let me lead when it comes to our sexual relationship. You are the classic bottom.”

“No don’t say anything just yet, dear heart,” I said to Andy as I saw his mouth open while he took in a breath. “The fact that you let me dry hump your ass, does not mean that you are a ‘bottom boy’ and less of a man. It means that you trust me and want to please me. I did not push you to take off your uniform pants. I took only what you offered. Yes, at first you were not sure about it, but then you enjoyed it. If that frightens you, then my beloved Andy, you will have to decide if you ever wish to do that with me again. I will never push you into anything that you are not ready to do. Love comes from the giving, not the taking. You taught me that, dear heart.”

“I’ve never let a man give me a blow job. Maybe someday, I’ll let you do that, if you want to try it. But as in all things, the choice is yours and mine. We do things together, or not at all.”

I took a breath and then continued. “I see myself as the woman in this relationship. I’m much more emotional than you are.” Andy smiled gently at me, and nodded his head in agreement. “You’re the classic stoic man, and I’m the emotional woman. I’m physically weaker than you are, and I think you enjoy the idea of doing things for me, and helping me. I think it is your way to show how much you care for me, just as you did tonight in giving me a bath. In a heterosexual relationship, the woman has the power because women are more complex emotionally. A man doesn’t want much from his woman, other than her respect love, trust, and the knowledge that he is her man, as much as she is his woman. When a woman gives that to a man, when she shows him that, he will do nearly anything for her, if it makes her happy.”

“Think about it, dear heart. Have I shown you that you’re my man?” I asked Andy.

“Yes, I guess you have. But this ass humping, I don’t know....” Andy said doubt still in his voice.

“Then we won’t’ do it again, unless or until you want to, “I told him. “I thought doing something new and different would be exciting for you, and keep our relationship interesting. You were not ready for that, and you did it only because you wanted to please me. That was kind of you. I apologize for pushing you.”

“Apology accepted but unnecessary,” Andy said after a few moments of silence. “You’re right. I did enjoy it. I thought my enjoyment of the experience made me appear weak and less of a man. Deep down I did enjoy the weight of your body on top of me pressing my body down, and making me feel controlled by you. But that’s not how I was raised. Men aren’t supposed to be weak. They are supposed to take charge in the bedroom. “

“Well, as you are discovering Andy, the standard rules don’t apply in gay relationships,” I said with a grin.

“Non standard? Yeah that’s us,” Andy agreed. “Maybe when I’ve had some time to think about this a bit more, and you’ve healed up, we can try another round of hump the cop’s ass.”

“Oh, now there’s something to look forward to,” I said with a coy grin.

“Down boy. You’re not well enough for that, and I’m not ready. At least not just yet,” Andy smiled back.

“What are you ready for tonight, dear heart?” I asked coyly.

“This,” Andy as he stood up and slipped his white cotton briefs off of his body. He stepped into the tub and carefully pulled the shower curtain around the inside of the tub. “Oh...that’s hot” he muttered as he bent over and pulled the plug out of the bathtub. I did see a wonderful profile of that handsome body of his, and his beautiful butt during the all too brief time he bent over. He stood back up, turned and faced me. He bent down grabbed each of my hands with his, and clamped on with a firm grip. One powerful tug later I was standing on my feet in front of Andy. I decided to keep my mouth shut and see what my wonderful RCMP constable had in mind.

I was not disappointed. Andy had the water running and the shower going in less than a minute. He moved next to me and wrapped his many muscular arms about my torso as the hot water cascaded down upon us.

“You like it when your ‘man’ takes charge?” Andy asked me as we embraced. His hot slippery body was pressed up against me.

“Heaven, round two, here we come!” I said softly as I kissed the nape of his neck.

“I’m a man, not a boy,” Andy said as he pushed against me. “Don’t ever think of me as a boy.” I could feel his penis start to stir.

“Yes, you’re a man, Andy. You’re my man. No doubt about that,” I agreed. I pushed my body back at Andy. Now my cock was starting to get hard. “So what or who am I to you then, Andy?” I asked him, curious to find out how Andy viewed me.

“You’re someone I can and do respect. You’re the man that I love. I often see a strength and power in you that leaves me breathless. It sometimes feels like you’re a lot more than you are, as if you are a man’s man, and yet there is gentleness, a caring about you that seems to make you even stronger.”

“What word would best describe or define what you mean, Andy?” I asked him as I ran my hands up and over his back, slowly, so slowly.

“Not sir.” Andy said with a kiss. I kissed him back but said nothing.

“Not master. I don’t think I could ever really see you being a master over me. A master has to be big and imposing and you’re not.” Andy said with a soft moan as he pushed his body against mine yet again. I licked his nipples and then sucked on the right one for a minute or so. Andy moaned. I slurped. (Not much for conversation but we were making progress, I think.) I lifted my face away from his chest and looked up at him. He looked so handsome, sexy, studly, and hunky it seemed too good to be true.

“Do you know how I feel and what I think about you, dear heart?” I asked moving my hands over his body. The stirring in our penises had tapered off. We were both aroused but not inflamed, which was just as well. I didn’t have the strength to make wild passionate love to Andy. All I wanted to do was to hold and caress him while the hot water played over our slippery bodies.

“Do you know how proud I am of you, for who you are and what you do? Do you know how happy I feel knowing that you’re my man? You are a man who knows his own mind, who knows what he wants. For all of that, you have the courage to show me that there are times when you need to feel protected by me. You allow me to take care of you, dear heart, and that is a truly wondrous gift.” I hugged Andy and kissed his chest a few times. I looked back up at him and his head had dropped down, as if he was looking at the bottom of the bathtub.

“Daddy,” Andy whispered so softly that I wasn’t sure I heard him.

“What was that dear heart?” I asked.

“Daddy,” Andy muttered just a bit stronger.

“Is that what you want to call me, Andy?” I asked softly. Andy already had a father who was alive and well. For him to want to call me ‘Daddy’ was unusual.

“Yes, sir. Please, let me call you Daddy. Please let me be your Daddy’s boy,” Andy asked in a near whimper.

I gulped once or twice as the implication of Andy’s request hit me smack between the eyes. He was telling me that he wanted to be submissive with me. More specifically, he wanted us to start a Daddy/Son relationship where I was the ‘Daddy’ and he was the ‘Son’. It wasn’t a Master/Slave relationship, but something infinitely more loving.

“Go ahead, Andy. Be my boy. Become my good Daddy’s boy and let go,” I told him as I wrapped my arms about his torso. “Just melt away into my arms and become my good boy, Andy. Become my Daddy’s boy.”

Andy lifted his head and looked at me, a warm delightful smile breaking out on his face, “Yes, Daddy,” he said, as he wrapped his arms about my torso and held me close to him. “I’m your good boy, Daddy.”

“Yes. Yes, you are, Andy. You’re my good boy. Daddy loves you,” I told him. It seemed to be what he needed to hear.

Andy just smiled, nodded his head a couple of times and closed his eyes. He seemed content to hold me under that stream of hot water, until the end of time. I was just as content to do the same. We stayed there until the hot water ran out. Only then did we turn off the water and step out of the bathtub.

Andy wrapped a towel about his waist and grabbed a second towel. “Let me dry you off, Daddy,” he said to me.

“Okay, boy,” I told him.

Andy smiled at me as he knelt down in front of me and started to towel off my legs. I stood there quietly. There wasn’t anything to say. Andy was very good at towelling me dry. When he had finished my legs and lower body he go up off his knees and looked at me as he whipped the towel about my torso. I studied his face and noticed the glazed distant look in his eyes.

“Stop, boy,” I barked at him.

“Daddy?” he asked confused.

“You’re back in trance aren’t you, boy?” I asked him.

“I don’t know, Daddy. I feel good and mellow, though,” Andy answered looking at me, still confused.

“When I told you to melt into my arm, and be my good boy, what happened to you?” I asked him.

“I felt myself letting go. I remembered what it was like back in Las Vegas, and I found myself feeling that way again, Daddy,” Andy answered in a dreamy voice.

“You’re back in hypnosis for sure,” I said with a chuckle. “You put yourself under when I agreed to be your Daddy. Feels really good, doesn’t it boy?”

“Yes, Daddy,” Andy agreed looking down at me.

‘Wake up now and finish drying me off, boy,” I told him. As much as I would have enjoyed leaving Andy in his self induced trance, we had things to talk about.

Andy jerked his body and blinked his eyes as he snapped out of his trance. “What? Where?” he asked as he came back from his dreamy state and into harsh reality. “You put me under again, didn’t you? I thought we agreed no hypnosis.” Andy looked at me sternly.

“I didn’t put you into a trance. You did that yourself, dear heart,” I told him. “Think back a bit.”

“Gee. I did that? To myself?” Andy asked as he replayed the memories in his mind. “But why would I do that?” He asked me, puzzled.

“A very good question. Once we’re both dried off and dressed, we should sit down and talk about it,” I told him.

“Yeah, okay,” Andy agreed. He smiled at me with a half smile, still unsure of what had just happened to him. He picked up the towel that he’d dropped when he snapped out of his trance and continued to dry me off. After about ten minutes, I was completely dry as was Andy. I headed off to my bedroom to get dressed, leaving Andy to clean up the bathroom. He seemed okay with that.

I slipped on some socks, some underwear, Wrangler t-shirt, a green plaid cowboy shirt and a pair of comfortable green Wrangler jeans. I headed off to the living room. When I arrived I sat down on the sofa and waited for Andy. I didn’t have long to wait. He arrived a few seconds after I had made myself comfortable. He did not sit down next to me, as I had expected. Rather, he sat down in the swivel rocker next to the sofa. Andy had changed back into his red RCMP t-shirt and dark blue jeans.

“So what’s the story with you wanting to call me ‘Daddy’ and be my ‘Daddy’s boy’?” I asked him bluntly. “Think carefully before you answer, Andy.”

Andy looked at me as he thought quietly for a minute or so. “My dad and I don’t agree on a lot of things. He thinks I could be doing better in my RCMP career, and I could move up the ladder if I really put my mind to it. I happy where I am now, doing what I do,” Andy answered..

“I don’t know you father very well,” I said.. (Okay, so that was a very big somewhat less than white lie. I certainly wasn’t about to tell Andy what I did know about his father.) “I don’t know your relationship with your father. Do you think your relationship with your father has some bearing on our relationship?” I knew I was lighting the fuse on a powder keg, but we had to get this out in the open.

“Yeah. Dad thinks my coming out was a bad idea. He says my gay lifestyle will only hinder my RCMP career and he wants better for me,” Andy answered quietly. I could see the hurt in his eyes as he said this to me. It was unkind, to say the least, of his father to have such an opinion. What I was about to say to Andy was going to be even more unkind.

“Well, there’s the door. Don’t let it hit you in the ass, on the way out,” I told him, calmly. The coldness in my voice was unmistakeable.

“What? You want me to leave?” Andy asked, puzzled and looking hurt.

“What I want is immaterial. What you have to do is to make a choice. Which is more important to you, your RCMP career or your relationship with me? You can’t have both, apparently.”

“What do you mean by that?” Andy asked catching on that there was something I wasn’t telling him.

“I know why I was beat up. I remember the message those thugs gave me, before I passed out. Someone wants me to leave you alone. Someone wants to break us up. If you decide you want to continue our relationship, we could both be at risk,” I said to him.

“You mean my dad..” Andy started to say but I cut him off.

“I don’t mean anything of the kind. I have no idea who those thugs were, or who might have sent them. I find it hard to believe that your father would even consider something along those lines. I’m even more surprised that you would jump to such a conclusion. There is no proof, not even a hint of any proof, that could lead to such conjecture. For all we know this could have been another machination from the Council of Coins. The question is still, are you prepared to accept the risk of keeping this relationship going?” I asked him. From the expression on his face, I was sure I had successfully diverted Andy’s suspicions from his father to the Council of Coins. (Okay, so I told something a lot bigger and darker than a ‘little white lie’. Do you blame me, dear reader? Wouldn’t you have done the same thing if you were in such a situation? Can you think of one good reason for telling Andy the truth? Can you tell me what possible benefit there would be for Andy to find out that his father was responsible for putting Andy’s partner in the hospital? I didn’t have an answer to those questions. Do you, dear reader? In any case, I had made my choice not to tell Andy what I knew. I had no hard evidence to back up my acquired knowledge. I had no way to prove to Andy, that what I knew to be the truth was factual. It boiled down to my word against Andy’s father’s word. I did not want to put Andy in the situation where he might have to choose which of us to believe. This was one of those situations, where it was best to let sleeping dogs lie.)

“I don’t care who is behind it. I do care about you. I won’t give you up because some anonymous person doesn’t want you to see me anymore. If my family doesn’t approve, then they will have to deal with it. I’m just as entitled as anyone else to happiness when I’ve found it,” Andy said with a determined set to his mouth.

“That’s the man I fell in love with, and the man I love,” I said with a smile. “I won’t roll over for any cowardly thugs who have to hide behind masks when they know they are breaking the law. I am profoundly happy that you decided to stay. I know it won’t be easy, but Andy, as a gay couple we knew that this might happen. I’m with you all the way,” I smiled at Andy and he smiled back. The tension in his face had faded.

“Now that we’ve dealt with that issue, how about answering my original question?” I prompted him.

“Yeah, about that, well, it’s kind of strange,” Andy answered hesitantly. “I think that because my relationship with my dad isn’t as good as it could be, I’ve been looking for a surrogate. I’ve been looking for approval and acceptance from other men in my life, my sergeant and my watch commander, amongst others. I’ve been pushing myself to be the best cop I can be, so that I’d get approval from them. But now there’s you....” Andy let his thoughts trail off as if he wasn’t sure it was a good idea to continue.

“Continue, please, dear heart. How do I fit into all of this?” I asked him. An idea was forming in my mind, but I wanted to hear it from Andy. It had to be his thoughts and ideas, not my suggestions.

“You accepted me first as a big strong RCMP constable that you could hypnotize and control. Part of me enjoyed that. As time went on, you showed me how much you trust and love me. Each time you trance me, it became easier for me to go down for you. I enjoyed it more and more. In the past few months I’ve seen you do such wonderful caring things that I thought my heart would burst at how much I found myself loving you and caring about you. You seemed to grow stronger and more powerful in my eyes, the more I saw you reach out and care about your friends. When you helped Jack and Steve with their relationship problem, that’s when I knew I wanted to be yours as much as I could. The time in Las Vegas when you hypnotized those three policemen and helped them, my respect and love for you grew greatly that day. Damn...this isn’t coming out the way I wanted it to.” Andy looked away as he tried to get his thoughts and emotions under control again.

“You’re doing fine, dear heart,” I encouraged him. “Take it slow. Go at your own pace.” Andy was doing his best to try to put into words something that was difficult for him.

“I guess, now, I know, that what I am trying to say is that I want you to take care of me the same way as you have all these other guys,” Andy said.

‘You mean I haven’t been doing that? I haven’t been showing you how I feel about you?” I asked perplexed.

“You have, but I want more. I want you to be proud of me, of who I am and what I do. I want to make you proud of me.” Andy answered, looking directly into my eyes. He gulped once as he kept eye contact with me. Clearly he was nervous, maybe even scared after having been so blunt with me.

“Andy, I already am. You make me proud every time you head off to work. A cop’s job is filled with danger and thanklessness. You face that every day with a smile on your face, courage in your soul and compassion in your heart. How could I not be proud of you?” I looked at Andy, a half smile on my lips.

“I understand that, but it’s not enough,” Andy blurted out.

“Your father has never told you that he is proud of you, nor has your mother.” I said. “They don’t agree with what you are doing with your life, and have been holding back their praise. They only give you their approval when you do what they want.”

“How did you know?” Andy asked me, with a surprised look etched on his face.

“It’s more common than you might think. Why they do that isn’t important,” I told him. “If I can be your Daddy and give you the fatherly praise and love that you are so hungry for, then it would be my honour to do so.”

“You mean it?” Andy asked, daring to hope.

“Just between you and me yes. Alone like this, yes you can be a Daddy’s boy”, I told him. “It will change our relationship a bit as we both get used to this. But for right now, come sit by me Boy. Put your head on my lap and let me stroke your cheek.”

‘Yes, Daddy,” Andy said as he stood up and walked over to stand next to me. He sat down on the sofa and positioned that big muscular frame of his so that he was curled up on the sofa with his head in my lap, looking for all the world like a little boy next to his daddy.

“You’re a good boy. You’re my good boy. I’m very proud of you, Andy. You’re a good Daddy’s boy.” I said to him in soft soothing tones as I stroked the right side of his face with my left hand. Andy was lying on his left side curled up next to me, looking up at me. I was in heaven, yet again. Picture it, dear reader. A big strong powerful RCMP constable who could probably bench press a horse, is curled up on the sofa next to me, resting his head on my lap, like a good little boy. It doesn’t get much better than this.

“Thank you, Daddy,” Andy said with a soft sigh. A smile blossomed on his face as he lay there with his eyes closed.

I stroked Andy’s face and muttered the occasional ‘good boy’ at him for the next half hour or so. I let my eyes caress his magnificent frame. I let my left hand move down Andy’s torso and caressed his right buttocks. The resulting moan from Andy indicated a positive reaction to my efforts. I let both of my hands move about Andy’s body, stroking it whenever and where ever the mood took me. Andy let out a few more moans, as he savoured my touch. I reached over and grabbed Andy’s big fleshy firm right buttock and gave it good long hard squeeze.

“Oh yes, Daddy! I want to please you Daddy!” Andy cried out, uncurling his legs and stretching them out along the sofa.

“And you do, dear heart, just by being you. You make me proud, dear heart,” I told him.

“Oh thank you, Daddy,” Andy said in a near normal tone of voice.

“I’m getting hungry, Andy, how about you?” I asked him, as he lay there

Andy lifted his head and upper chest off of my lap, pushing himself up and away from me while spinning about on that sexy butt of his and bringing his legs down off of the sofa. In a second or two he was sitting next to me looking at me, a small shy smile on his lips. “Me too. What do you feel like?”

I grinned at Andy but didn’t say anything. Andy blushed.

“You’re not recovered enough for that. What do you want to eat?” Andy said when the blush had faded from his face.

“Son’s choice,” I said.

“Well then, Daddy, I’m going to make sloppy joes. It’s simple fast and easy to reheat. I’ll use the microwave to defrost the hamburger. It will take about 30 to 45 minutes to cook. Can you wait that long?” Andy asked me.

“Sure, if you let me help,” I said standing up.

“I suppose you do have to start getting your strength back by doing things. Okay then, but pace yourself,” Andy said with a stern look.

We headed out the kitchen. An hour and a half later we had finished dinner, and put the dishes to soak. We had taken our time eating. We talked for a while, mostly about how soon I would be heading back to work. The one topic we both seemed to be carefully avoiding was a discussion of who had arranged for my beating. I knew. Andy didn’t. I intended to keep it that way.

“Come over here, Paul,” Andy said as he stood by the wall in the living room.

After that good heavy supper, I didn’t much feel like moving anywhere, but the tone of Andy’s voice told me the effort would be worth it. I heaved myself up out of the dining room chair and wandered my way over to where Andy stood next to one of the living room walls.

“What’s up, love?” I asked him.

“I need your help,” Andy said. There was a glint in Andy’s eye that told me he was up to something.

“Okay. What do you need?” I asked, knowing that I was walking into something, and not at all concerned. In the back of my mind was the thought that I had finally found a man that I could trust. I knew that I was safe with Andy. If he had a surprise in mind for me, it was something that I would enjoy. Andy would never put me in danger of any kind. I don’t know if I can convey to you, dear reader, the profound peace such knowledge can bring. I only hope that someday, you too, can find such peace, and a man with whom you can share such peace.

“Face the wall, and put your hands up over your head!” Andy barked at me as he grabbed me roughly, spun me to face the wall and pushed me forward. I instinctively raised my hand and arms up in a protective gesture. The force of Andy’s shove caused my hands to slide up the wall and off to either side.

“That’s right, assume the position, perp, while I check you for concealed weapons,” Andy barked at me. “You’d better have something concealed in those jeans of yours, boy,” Andy said with a leer in his voice.

“Yes, sir!” I gasped in surprise as I started to realize what Andy had in mind, and it wasn’t doing the dishes. Andy put his hands on my right ankle and started to move his hands up and down my right leg from my ankle to my knee and then back down again. My cock began to stiffen in anticipation of the delights that I knew were headed my way. I closed my eyes so that I could devote my full attention to Andy’s wandering hands.

Up and down Andy’s hands moved, exploring only that small portion of my right leg. After about a minute (which seemed more like ten minutes), Andy’s hands moved up past my knee and all the way up my right leg to my right buttock. I shivered in delight when I felt Andy’s big strong hands on my right buttock, moving around and around, reaching in between my legs and stroking the inside of my right thigh. (In case you were not aware of it, dear reader, that is one of the most sensitive erogenous zones on a man’s body.)

“Do you like this, perp?” Andy snarled. I could hear the warm undertones in his voice, though, so I wasn’t the least bit concerned. I trusted Andy. He was doing a bit of roll playing, and I was more than happy to play along.

“Yes, sir,” I said submissively. “You took me by surprise. I would never have tagged you as an undercover cop.”

“How about this?” Andy asked., as he planted one hand on each of my buttocks and gave them each a big long hard squeeze.

“Uh.....” I grunted, caught by surprise. The pleasure rolling into my mind overwhelmed me, momentarily. I couldn’t have put together two words, much less answered a question.

Andy let go of my buttock about ten seconds later. His hands then started to explore my entire backside. Both buttocks and both legs. He ran his hands up and down my legs from the right ankle up to my crotch, and then over and down my left leg, to my left ankle. Then he reversed direction and traced the course back to my right ankle. Andy repeated his search pattern many times, so many that I quickly lost count. Frankly I didn’t care much at that point. I was too happy to have his hands on my body and most especially my butt, to complain about anything.

The next thing I remembered was Andy whispering in my ear. He must have been standing behind me at the time. He asked me something along the lines of was I hard. When I grunted an affirmative, I felt his hands reach up in between my legs and start to grope the front of my jeans. It didn’t take him long to confirm that I was indeed, carrying a concealed weapon in the front of my jeans. When he ran his fingers down the length of my cock, I thought I was going to cum, then and there, but I didn’t. I just wiggled in sensual pleasure and let him take me higher.

“I was right, perp. You are carrying a concealed weapon. I will have to do something about that, won’t I?” Andy taunted me.

“Yes, sir,” I agreed. At that point, I would probably have agreed to darn near anything. I was so turned on that I couldn’t think, much less think straight. (It seems that what they say is true. A man has enough blood in his body for his brain or his cock, but not both at the same time.)

“Turn around, perp, and lean up against the wall,” Andy ordered.

“Yes, sir,” I muttered. I had just enough blood in my brain to understand his order and carry it out. I slowly turned around and let my hand fall to my sides, as I leaned up against the living room wall.

“Keep your arms up and your hands where I can see them, perp!” Andy barked at me.

“Yes, sir. Sorry, sir,” I answered as I raised arms up and away from my sides.

“And look at me when I’m talking to you, perp!” Andy yelled at me.

My eyes popped open at the harsh tone of Andy’s words. I blinked a couple of times to get him into focus. He was standing only a half a metre away from me, with a look of controlled lust on his face. I had never seen him look at me like that before. It wasn’t at all frightening, though. Andy clearly wanted me. A quick glance down at the front of his jeans confirmed that fact. He was rock hard and his right hand was absently rubbing his engorged cock. The dark blue jeans made it difficult to determine just how fully erect he was, but the way his hand moved about was a pretty good indication.

“You want me, sir, don’t you?” I asked.

“That’s crazy, perp!” Andy objected strenuously.

“Your rock hard cock says otherwise, sir,” I pointed out. “I think you want to see my splendid cock, my hypno cock.” I taunted him.

“Hypno cock? That crap might work with other guys, but I’m a fully trained RCMP constable, That shit won’t work on me!” Andy declared stubbornly.

(Me thinks he doth protest too much, don’t you, dear reader?)

“Only one way to know for sure, Constable,” I said as I moved my hands down towards the fly of my jeans. “Once you’ve seen my hypno cock, Constable, you’ll understand, and you’ll know what to do. “ I reached down, unzipped my fly and had my fully erect member out of my jeans a few moments later. It was a relief to free my throbbing cock from its confinement. I groaned with pleasure.

“What...what are you doing, perp? I didn’t tell you to move!” Andy barked at me. He was attempting to retain control of the situation, but he’d already lost it. I noticed that his right hand was rubbing his cock more vigorously as he spoke. Andy was really turned on with this role playing, and he was thoroughly enjoying the direction the scenario was heading.

Carefully I waved my fully erect and throbbing cock left and right as I spoke. “Military men, and cops make the best subjects, Constable. They are experienced at following orders, at submitting to authority, and being commanded by others. If you could look away, Constable, you would have by now. You want this hard cock. You want to feel it. You want to stroke it. You want your cock to be just as hard and happy as this cock appears to be. If not, you would have walked away by now. In fact, the more you try to turn and walk away, the harder your cock becomes.”

“Put...put that thing away....now. I didn’t tell you to take it out,” Andy said but his voice lacked the authority it had a few moments ago. Andy gulped a few times. The look on his face was priceless. I could see the joy starting to blossom on it, as his right hand continued to fondle and stroke his fully erect penis that was still confined in his jeans. “Hypno cock?” he asked. He seemed confused by the concept.

“Yes, Constable, a hypno cock,” I said as I gently moved my cock from left to right. “See how it moves? Isn’t it delightful to look at, Constable? And that’s all you want to do right now, is to look at my hypno cock, and continue to stroke your cock. Isn’t that right, Constable?”

“Be....beautiful hypno cock....mmmmm......stoke it.....feels so good....to look and stroke,” Andy said with several sighs between his words. He was surrendering wonderfully to the scenario. It made me feel harder as I saw that dreamy expression overtake his face. I didn’t care if he was role playing right now or not. If he was really going into hypnosis, fine, but if not, that was fine too. His hand was moving up and down along the shaft of his cock, in smooth steady strokes. He took one step towards me and stood there swaying slightly. His gaze was locked on my slowly moving cock.

“Addressing you as Constable is respectful, and I do respect the RCMP, Constable, but it seems so stiff and hard and formal, don’t you think?” I taunted Andy. I looked down at the front of his dark blue jeans. His cock looked to be fully erect, and pushing against his jeans in a most determined manner. I loved how it made his jeans look even tighter and more confining.

“Stiff and formal, yes sir,” Andy replied absently.

He had not realized yet, that he’d just changed how he was addressing me. I was no longer a perp, I was ‘sir’. “What’s your first name, Constable?” I asked. Yeah, as if I didn’t know, but I felt it necessary to play along with the scenario that Andy had started.

“Andy, sir,” he answered, his eyes still tracking the left and right movements of my cock.

“Well, Andy, didn’t it feel good to tell me your first name?” I asked him. I was fairly certain I knew what the answer was going to be.

“Yes sir, it did,” Andy agreed.

“The hypno cock says to kneel in front of me, Andy. Kneel in front of me, and then you may touch it, carefully,” I instructed him.

“Yes sir,” Andy said as he walked a few paces towards me until he was standing directly in front of me, less than a foot away. (If I told you exactly how far away from me he was, dear reader, then you’d have a good idea of how big my fully erect cock can become. I must keep a few secrets, otherwise all mystery about me is gone.) “Kneel,” Andy said softly as his knees began to buckle. He lowered himself down to his knees in a smooth graceful motion. His eyes seemed to glaze over has they locked on my fully erect penis. “So big and beautiful,” Andy said dreamily. He liked what he saw.

I liked what I saw. Andy was kneeling in front of me, his right hand was reaching out towards my fully erect throbbing cock. Upon his face was an expression of desire and yearning. I realized that Andy was upon the brink of taking the next step in our gay relationship. Until now, he and I had never fondled and played with each other in a sexual manner. I felt my face grow hot and the blood surged through me. Desire filled me. I wanted to cry out ‘Grab it, Andy! Go for it, Andy!’, but I kept my mouth shut. Andy had to take this step on his own.

My body shuddered with pleasure as Andy stroked the tip of my throbbing cock, with the tip of his right index finger. “So hard. So beautiful, sir,” Andy said in that soft sexy honey baritone voice of his.

“Ohhh....”I moaned softly as another shudder ran through my body. Andy stroked the head of my cock a few more times, moving slowly all around it. It was virgin territory, in more ways than one, and he was taking his time exploring. All I could do was stand there and take it like a man, as the shudders of pleasure continued to course through me, and moans of pleasure escaped my lips. It was a good thing I was leaning up against the living room wall. I needed the support.

Andy looked up at me after a few seconds. He smiled at me and nodded at me, in silent acknowledgement of the pleasure he was forcing upon me. (Okay, to be honest, Andy was not forcing this pleasure upon me. He was giving me this pleasure, and I was in no way fighting him.) Andy continue to stroke my hard cock as he inched his way closer to me on his knees. If I hadn’t been so enthralled by his clever fingers, I would have found his approaching me on his knees to be a big turn on.

“May I kiss your cock, sir?” Andy asked in a soft hesitant voice.

“Yes you may,” I struggled to say.

Andy gulped once and bent forward, his pursed lips edging closer and closer to my eager cock. He placed a gentle soft yet firm kiss on the head of my cock. It was exquisite. A bolt of pure sweet pleasure crashed into my brain. It was all I could do to stand on my feet and let my body shudder with pleasure. I had never dreamed that a pair of soft lips touching my cock would feel like this. I wanted more. “God, I wish you’d give me a blow job,” I blurted out, overcome by the feelings that continued to flood into my brain.

“Yes, Texas,” Andy said quietly. Before the words could fully register in my mind, Andy had already engulfed my cock into his willing mouth. I experienced pleasure beyond words. Andy’s tongue was playing with my cock in ways I had never dreamed were possible. Of course, I didn’t have a lot of experience with oral sex, so all of this was very new and very surprising to me. I really didn’t care about those details at the time, though. All I could do for the next few minutes was to moan with delight and try not to move around too much.

“Don’t stop, Andy. Please don’t stop,” I begged. I didn’t care anymore about role playing or who was in charge of whom, or if anyone was hypnotised or not. All I cared about was the great blow job Andy was giving me. It might have been my first blow job ever, and I was getting blown out of my mind.

Andy’s only response was to nod his head up and now a few times, keeping my cock firmly in his mouth, while his tongue continued to dance all over every inch of my cock that was in that warm soft slippery when wet cavern that was Andy’s mouth. In the back of my mind, popped in the crazy thought ‘I wonder if he learned to do this at the RCMP training academy, as a part of public relations?’ The continuous waves of pleasure pouring into my mind, soon washed that thought away.

Andy continued to pour his earnest attentions on to and all over my cock. I had long since shut my eyes, all the better to focus my attention on what Andy’s marvellous mouth was doing to my cock. The occasional grunt from Andy suggested he was have as good a time as I was, even if he was doing most of the work. This continued on minute after delightful minute. I didn’t want it to stop. Who would have wanted that? I could feel myself building towards a release. Dimly, in the back of my mind, I knew I had to tell Andy that I was going to cum soon. I didn’t know if Andy wanted me to do that. My breathing was becoming ragged, shallow and quick. I was building to a climax, and I knew there was no way to stop it.

“I’m going to cum soon, boy,” I said in between breaths. “Do you want me to shoot in your mouth, boy? Do you want to drink deep of my man juice?” Andy nodded his head several times. It might have been three or it might have been five. Frankly, I was somewhat too preoccupied to bother to count. The important fact was that he agreed to let me cum in his mouth. I was thankful he’d agreed as I wasn’t sure at that point that I could have pulled myself out. Of course, the way I phrased the question wasn’t exactly objective. I had used the words boy and man juice to play on Andy’s desire to be my Daddy’s boy, and make the idea more palatable to him. So it was a tiny little manipulation on my part. So sue me. I was deep in powerful erotic emotions, and my judgement was a bit off. There might be consequences later. I would deal with them then. Right now, there were more important things to deal with, such as moaning out loud and starting to thrust my cock deeper into Andy’s mouth.

I cracked my eyes open. I looked down at Andy kneeling before me, he head bowed down slightly at my waist. I reached out with my hands and placed them firmly on the back of Andy’s head. I pulled his head towards me while simultaneously thrusting forward with my hips. “Take it, boy. Take all of me into your willing mouth,” I said to him. Andy bobbed his head in silent acknowledgement of my order. Silent except for a few grunts and moans that found their way out past my throbbing cock.

“Good boy. You’re my good boy, Andy,” I encourage him.

The next thing I knew, Andy had reached out and wrapped those big beefy, muscular arms of his about my legs, just behind my knees. He clamped them firmly about me, and pulled me closer to him. We were now firmly embraced. It would have taken a rescue squad from the fire department, armed with the “Jaws of Life” to get us apart now, and even then they would have had to tranquillize us first. In a few more moments I was rocking back and forth as I drove my cock deeper and deeper into Andy’s willing mouth. Andy’s tongue never let up for second. It continued its coaxing of my cock, leading me on to pleasures unknown.

The next few minutes were nothing but thrusting, grabbing, moaning, grunting and sweet waves of pleasure never ending. If this wasn’t paradise, it was a damn close second. I felt myself building towards climatic release, and I did not fight the feeling. I didn’t push it forward. I let it come at its own pace. Some things are better left not rushed.

Then it happened. I felt myself shoot into Andy’s mouth. I screwed my eyes tight as orgasmic pleasure eclipsed everything else except the feeling of my cock finding its way deep in Andy’s mouth and down his throat. I think I heard Andy gulp and swallow, but to be honest, I can’t be sure. (Like I would be taking notes for comparison later? Get real!) I do know that I had never felt such a sweet release in my entire life before. Whatever Andy had done to my cock and made this experience beyond anything I had ever imagined in my wildest dreams.

The shooting was finished much too soon. My cock must have gotten a very good work out, though. It was deflating slowly but surely, as I started to withdraw it. Andy’s embrace had not slackened for a second. If anything he was clinging to me even more tightly as my cock started to return to normal. Not even Andy’s most earnest efforts could change that, though I have to give the man credit. His efforts were very earnest.

I opened my eyes and looked down at Andy as I pushed his head away from me gently but firmly. My tired penis emerged from Andy’s mouth with Andy’s tongue following close behind. Andy unwrapped his arms from about my legs. He sat back on his heels and looked up at me. The tender loving look on his face was like nothing I had ever seen from him before. I knew he loved me and cared for me, but this was something different. I looked at his face and studied it for a few seconds as I tried to figure out how it was different. Then I realized what it was. Andy was happy, blissfully happy. He looked extremely content to kneel there in front of me. He had the same look on his face as Martin, my devoted slave boy. I felt the icy touch of panic on my heart, as I wondered if somehow during our passionate climax my powers had reached out and done the same thing to Andy as I’d done to Martin. If that had happened, however unintentional, I would never be able to forgive myself. I said nothing, too afraid to speak.

Andy looked at me and slowly his expression change to one of concern as he read the fear on my face. “What’s wrong, Texas? Did I hurt you?” He asked softly.

“No, you didn’t hurt me. Are you okay?” I asked, getting my fear under control.

“Well, my mouth is a bit sore, and my legs are starting to fall asleep, but otherwise I’m fine,” Andy said as he got up off of his knees. Andy shook his legs and walked about the room a few steps as he tried to get the blood flow in his legs back to normal. “What are you worried about, Texas?” He asked.

“For a minute there you had the same expression on your face like one of those guys I turned into my devoted slave boys. I was worried that somehow my powers had done that to you, too,” I admitted to him. Andy knew all about what I had done to those men, and how it had upset me. He knew very well how much that episode had upset me.

“I’m still me. Still as stubborn as ever,” Andy said with a smile. “I love you just as much as I ever have, even more perhaps. If those slave boys of yours always feel, like how I felt the past little while, I envy them.”

“I am glad that you are still you, dear heart. I don’t want you to be a mindless obedient slave boy. I want you, as you are,” I said.

“You got me,” And said as he walked back towards me. “This was a first for me, you know.”

“Yes, I know. You told me long ago that you were a virgin. I am too, if you recall. Now though, neither of us are. “

“No, I didn’t mean that,” Andy said with a grin.

“What then?” I asked, puzzled.

“Tonight, I milked a cowboy,” Andy said coyly, with just a hint of shyness.

“Indeed you did,” I heartily agreed, grinning at him. “Moo.”

Andy chuckled as he wrapped those big beefy arms of his about me. I never feel safer, than when I am in Andy’s arms. He gave me a big squeeze and hung on for about a minute or so. When he let me go he was looking at me with that “I love you” look of his that always made me feel week in the knees. God, did I love that man! It wasn’t necessary for either of us to say thank you. We had just consummated our relationship. It was only oral sex, but it was a start. I couldn’t help but wonder though, if we were both ready for this, or if we simply let our emotions carry us away. Well, in my case, I knew that is exactly what had happened.

“No guilt feelings, Texas. I wanted this. I wanted you. For the first time, I wanted to take you into me,” Andy said.

“Since when did you learn how to read minds?” I asked surprised. Andy had correctly guessed at the thoughts that were running through my head.

“I’m starting to get to know you, Texas,” Andy said looking at me with such tenderness that I gulped. He was opening up even more to me tonight. It seemed the assault on me was having an unexpected benefit; we were drawing closer to each other. The silver lining in the cloud, I suppose. Andy’s dad would not be pleased when he learned about this little development in our relationship. ‘Well, screw him!’ I thought to myself, and then shoved all thoughts of Andy’s dad out of my mind.

“Did you think this was going to happen tonight, dear heart? You weren’t really hypnotized, were you?” I asked as I looked into Andy’s kind face.

“I didn’t plan it, if that’s what you’re asking, “Andy answered. “You couldn’t tell if I was hypnotized?” Andy asked me, looking pleased at the confusion on my face.

“I wasn’t sure if you were just role playing, or if you actually went under, dear heart. Not that it really matters one way or the other. After all you can’t be forced to do anything in hypnosis that you don’t really want to do,” I answered.

“No I wasn’t under. I was just role playing. I enjoyed the way you turned the tables on me with that hypno cock of yours,” Andy said with a chuckle.

“I liked it too. That was awesome. Can we do that again?”I asked hopefully. A sudden big yawn escaped from between my jaws, despite my best efforts to suppress it.

“Some other night. You’re not up to it tonight. You just got out of the hospital. You need your rest,” Andy said gently.

“Not even if Daddy says he wants you to do this, Boy?” I said in a stern voice.

“Not even for you, Daddy,” Andy said firmly. “Your Boy loves you. You’re not up to this, Daddy. You need to go to bed. Now.” With that Andy bent forward and grabbed me in a fireman’s carry. Before I knew it, Andy had me draped over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and was carrying me off to my bedroom. I opened my mouth to protest, but another big yawn overtook me. I surrendered to Andy. (Believe me, dear reader, there can be nothing sweeter in the world than surrendering to Andy.) I kept my mouth shut during the trip and looked down at Andy’s beautiful bubble butt to pass the time.

“There you go,” Andy said as he bent forward and dropped me carefully into my bed. “Now change into your bedclothes and I’ll tuck you in.”

“How can do you do that, if you’re in the bed with me?” I asked him as I started unbuckling my belt.

“I was going to sleep in the spare room, so you could sleep in. I have to be up at 5 A.M. tomorrow,” Andy said.

“You would deprive me of the chance to say good morning and see you off to work? That doesn’t sound very loving,” I said with a mock frown.

“Have it your way, you sexy thing, you,” Andy grinned as he undid his belt buckle. “Just don’t keep me up too late. I need my rest too.”

“No worry of that,” I said as I reached over and reset the alarm clock for 5 A.M. “I just want to fall asleep in your arms tonight, and dream about the fantastic blow job you gave me.” I looked over at Andy at smiled at him.

“Not bad for a first time, eh?” Andy commented as he slipped his jeans off his hips and let the jeans fall to the floor in a heap. Andy reached up and pulled his red RCMP T-shirt off his manly torso. My eyes drank in the site of my dear heart standing in front of me like that, and I again realized how very lucky I was.

‘Incredible would be a better word,” I commented as I continued to look at Andy. “I’m so proud of you, boy. You opened yourself up to me. We are one step closer to each other.”

“Thank you, Daddy,” Andy said and then blushed.

I finished undressing until all that remained were my briefs. Andy was similarly attired. With a smile at each other we slipped under the bedcovers and snuggled up next to each other. I turned my head to the left and looked at Andy, whose head was turned to his right so he could look at me.

“Good night, Texas. Sweet dreams,” Andy said and then kissed me tenderly on the lips.

“Good night, dear heart. Sweet dreams,” I replied. I closed my eyes as a sudden wave of tiredness washed over me. Andy was right. I needed my rest. It had been a big day, in many ways.

Just as I felt myself slipping away into sleep, I felt Andy’s hand clasp mine and give it a firm yet gentle squeeze. ‘What a wonderful way to say I love you’, I thought to myself. I cuddled up next to Andy, with me on the left side of the bed and him on the right.

The screams came about two and a half hours later.

At least that is what Andy told me. He was woken up by my screams. My recollection was somewhat different. I remember jerking upright in bed, sweat pouring off my shaking body, terror filling my mind, as I screamed out Andy’s name at the top of my lungs. My chest was heaving as I tried to catch my breath. All I could think about, for the first few moments was the bone chilling terror that flooded my mind. A light came on the room, chasing away the darkness, but not the terror. Andy must have turned it on, because both of my arms were wrapped tightly about my body.

I turned to the left and plopped my feet on the bedroom carpet. Dimly I was aware of Andy touching my right shoulder with his left hand. I jerked away from him as if his touch was painful. It was an instinctive reaction. I was too confused to think straight. All I knew was that I was scared out of my mind, and the terror wasn’t leaving. I stared at a spot on the wall as I tried to get myself under control. I fell back on my tried and true method of controlling my breathing. In. Out. In. Out. In. Out. While I did this I felt Andy climb out of the bed from the other side. It was impossible not to be aware of the 230 odd pounds of Andy’s body leaving the bed. Moments later he was kneeling down in front of me, looking up at me. He didn’t say a word.

I was still looking at the spot on the wall, trying to master the terror that refused to leave my mind. Memories of my assault in the alley came flooding back, old memories and new ones. I shuddered and shivered some more, as I remembered more of what had happened to me that night. My breath became ragged and my body began shaking even more violently.

Andy jumped up and ran from the room. I was barely aware that he had left. What I was remembering was overwhelming me. I felt as if I was going to drown in the waves of gut wrenching fear that continued to poor into my mind. I blinked a few times and felt something heavy being draped about my shoulders. I pushed at it.

“Don’t be silly. You’re freezing,” Andy said in a soothing voice. He forced the blanket about my shoulders and legs, tucking it securely about me. Andy sat down next to me on the bed. Carefully he placed his arms about me, pulled me close so I was pressed up firmly against his body and started to rock me back and forth, very slowly. His gripe was firm, secure and comforting. Slowly I felt my body relax. The warmth seemed to flow back into me, as the terror drained from my mind. But the memories remained. I turned and looked at Andy.

He reached up and brushed away the tears from my cheeks. Until then I had not been aware that I had been crying. I looked at him. I felt lost. If it had not been for his rocky presence, I would have run screaming from the room, lost in the terror of whatever it was that had overtaken me.

“Night terrors,” Andy said in answer to my unasked question, as he continued to rock me. “The doctor told me that this might happen, Paul. You’re remembering details about the beating you took. Your subconscious mind created nightmares from those memories, and that’s what woke you up.”

I nodded my head slightly. I was still trying to sort out the nightmares from the memories.

“What do you remember?” Andy asked softly.

I looked him in the eyes. “You don’t want to know.” I replied in a meek voice. What I remembered, I most definitely did not want to tell Andy.

“You need to tell someone. You should get it out of your system. Why not me?” Andy asked.

I said nothing. If I told him, I’d hurt him. And I didn’t want to hurt him. I could feel something deep within me wanting to come to the surface. It wasn’t that dark monster I keep chained up in the deep pit of my mind, but it was something that was most definitely not nice.

“I’m ready to hear anything you might have to tell me,” Andy said trying to encourage me to talk.

“There’s something about your beating, which you have to face. No one can do this for you. Just go back there now, one step at a time and tell me what you remember. I’m here for you Paul. I’ll always be here for you.” Andy looked at me, as he tried to encourage me to talk.

I mutely shook my head’ no’. I couldn’t tell him this. I wasn’t sure exactly what it was myself, but I knew that it was very bad, and not something that he should hear.

“Paul, I made you that promise, and on my honour as an RCMP constable I intend to keep it,” Andy said in that commanding tone of voice he used when he was on duty and dealing with something serious.

That did it. I knew that when Andy invoked his honour as an RCMP constable, he was making me a promise that only death could break. Andy’s integrity was beyond question. He would never willingly leave me, now, no matter what I said. I took a deep shuddering breath and began to speak slowly.

“I remember lying on the floor of the alleyway. I remember the pain coursing through my body. I remember that gruff voice dripping with hatred as it spoke those words to me, telling me to keep away from you,” I said in a slow hesitant voice. It seemed that each word had to be dragged, kicking and screaming from my throat and mouth. Just speaking the words was painful.

“Go on....” Andy said when I stopped speaking for about a minute.

“I remember lying there hurting, feeling helpless, exposed and powerless. My entire world was nothing but pain,” I said slowly as I started talking again. “And I felt anger. I felt anger at the men who did that to me, and anger at you. I remember calling out your name, Andy. I remember calling for you, begging for your help. And you weren’t there. You didn’t come to help me. I remember being angry at you, and then the anger turned to hate. I hated you Andy for leaving me there to suffer in pain. I felt betrayed by you. I hated you so much. Even now, I think some small part of me hates you. It doesn’t make any sense, but there it is.” A sob cut off my words. I broke down and cried as the deeply buried emotions flowed out of me like lava from an erupting volcano. I cried out as another round of shuddering shook my body. I dropped my head in shame. Andy now knew what I had been hiding about the beating. Until this moment, I had not clearly remembered uttering those bitter words, but I knew deep in my soul that it was true. I had said them, and I had meant them. Andy was blameless, but still I blamed him for not being there. I blamed him for not protecting me. I knew how much those words would hurt him, but my need to speak them, to get them out was stronger than my compassion for Andy. I had failed him a second time. Me and my big mouth were about to cost me the love of my life, and there was nothing I could do about it.

I expected to feel Andy’s arms drop away from me, as he heard my secret shame, my betrayal of my love for him. What happened next was a miracle. There is no other word for it. Andy turned my body towards him, and pulled me close. He reached out and with that tender touch I so much admired, he lifted my head up until I was looking at him. His face was calm, with worry and concern etched on it slightly. He smiled that tender sexy ‘it’s okay’ smile of his at me. Oh, how I wanted it to be okay, but I knew it wasn’t. I dropped my head again. He reached out again and lifted my head up a second time so that I was looking him in the eyes.

“Do you feel better now that you’ve told me?” He asked in that warm sexy honey tenor voice of his.

“Y.....yes,” I answered meekly. Actually I felt rotten, but somewhere inside a small part of me did feel better. It was strange. I didn’t understand what I was feeling or why I was feeling it.

“Good,” He said and then he kissed me gently on the lips, with a smile on his face. He held the kiss for a second or two before he broke it off and sat there smiling at me.

I was dumbfounded. “How can you say that after what I just told you?” I asked “Why aren’t you angry with me?”

“What you felt was normal and to be expected, Paul. Logic doesn’t come into it when someone is in agony. They look for a scapegoat, someone to blame, and then they lash out. I know that deep down in your heart where it counts, you don’t hate me. I don’t think that you ever could truly hate me. The logical part of your mind knows that I was not to blame for your being hurt. Yes, I want to blame myself for not being there, but I’ll get over that in time. You will get over your feeling of hate for me, in time too. Keeping it bottled up, and trying to protect me from knowing how you felt at that time, is probably what caused your nightmare.” Andy’s words were like a soothing balm to my ears. It was just what I need to hear. It helped me to face my shame, accept it and deal with it.

“How do you know so much about it?” I asked him, wondering where his words of wisdom had come from.

“Let’s just say that in my line of work, some of the people I work with have gone though something similar,” Andy replied.

“You. You went through something like this too, didn’t you?” I snapped at him, as comprehension dawned on me.

“Yes, and that’s all you need to know about it,” Andy said firmly. It was clear from the no nonsense tone of his voice that that particular topic was closed for further discussion.

I looked at him, as if seeing him for the first time. There was much more to Andy than I’d realized. I wanted to ask him about it, but came to understand that I didn’t need to know about that part of his life. Andy had just as much right to privacy as I did. I hadn’t told him the details about my breakup with Burt, and he wasn’t going to tell me anything more about this event in his life. Fair enough.

“You’re not just some big dumb muscle bound cop,” I blurted out. (Sometimes I can be tactless, dear reader, and this was one of those occasions. It was understandable though, given the circumstances.) “There’s a lot more to you Constable Andrew Anderson, than meets the eye.” I looked at Andy with a newfound respect mixed with a touch of awe.

“I’m glad you’re coming to realize that. Now we need to get back to sleep,” Andy said as he moved about and began tucking me into bed again. “There are a couple more hours before I have to get up.”

It took Andy only a few minutes to get me settled in the bed. He climbed in next to me and kissed me on the cheek. “Sleep well, Texas. I’m right next to you. You’re safe tonight.”

I turned and looked at Andy. “And what about the nights when you’re not here?” I asked, not bothering to hide the tremor in my voice. “The night terrors will come back won’t they?”

“You can sleep with one of my unwashed RCMP t-shirts clutched tightly to your chest. You can breathe in my scent, and know that I am still right next to you. That should keep the night terrors at bay, until you banish them yourself,” Andy said with assurance. When he spoke like that, with a note of strength in his voice I could not help but believe him.

“Do I have to give you back your RCMP t-shirt then, dear heart?” I said half jokingly.

Andy looked at me for a second or two before he spoke. “No, you can keep it as long as you like, if you give me one of your unwashed cowboy t-shirts to sleep with. I want you in bed with me every night too, Texas.”

“Deal,” I said. “Shall we shake on it?”

“Naw. I have something better,” Andy said with a grin. He moved next to me and planted a big firm sensuous kiss on my eager lips. Andy rolled over turned out the light, and then rolled back to face me. “Good night, Texas. I love you,” he said in the darkness.

“Good night, dear heart. I love you too,” I replied.

We drifted back to sleep. The rest of the night was uneventful.

Andy was right. The night terrors did fade with time, but it took more than a month.

Now you know, dear reader, why I sleep with one of Andy’s unwashed RCMP t-shirts every night. Sometimes, when I’m really missing him, I sleep IN his unwashed RCMP t-shirt. I leave it to you to guess how often that is.