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Viva Las Vegas
by Nelson
Author's notes: I wrote this about a year ago and just dusted it off for some much-needed tweaking. This is the only 3some I've attempted and it focuses mostly on the two tops and their interaction/reaction to discipline with their partner and how they deal with sharing the responsibility. I hope you like it.
Brandon shifted nervously on the stairs waiting while his partners discussed how they would punish him. Coming home to face them was one of the hardest things he had ever done. He thought back to his recent trip to Vegas and wondered for about the hundredth time if had been worth it; he now doubted it seriously. He was barely able to enjoy himself, knowing he would face certain punishment upon his return home. It wasn't often that he defiantly disobeyed, but he had done it this time, really done it.
His thoughts drifted back over the last two weeks ending on one evening in particular that started this whole mess.
Two weeks ago…
Brandon poked at his dinner trying to decide how to ask. His partners were talking easily about their day when Derrick noticed how quiet and distracted Brandon was acting.
"Something on your mind, Brandon?" he asked. Brandon's head snapped up from looking at his plate and his mind spun trying to come up with an answer.
"Not really. I'm just a little tired I guess."
Wade immediately honed in on the statement and worried about his partner's well-being. He asked, "Do you need to go to bed early tonight? Do you feel all right?"
Crap. Brandon hadn't meant to get an early bedtime with the comment. He tried to turn this boat around quickly before it sank in Titanic-like fashion. "No, no. Not THAT tired. I just have a lot on my mind from work." He offered a weak smile to reassure Wade all was well.
"Anything we can help with?" Derrick asked. His muscles bulged around the tank top he still donned from his afternoon workout as he dipped up an extra serving of roast.
Brandon decided now was as good a time as any to broach the subject he had been trying to sort in his head. "Well, now that you ask, you might be able to help. Something came up at lunch today."
"Anything interesting?" Wade asked. Noticing Brandon's apparent discomfort, Wade's eyes made a quick dart toward Derrick, who was looking equally apprehensive.
"Interesting to me," Brandon answered, giving no more information than that. He was still trying to figure out how to ask and get the response he wanted, rather than the one he expected.
"Well?" Wade asked expectantly, pausing his eating. "Are you going to make us guess?"
"No…It's just…I don't know," Brandon said, looking at the table.
Derrick's hand reached over and covered Brandon's. Brandon had barely touched his food and Derrick immediately thought the worst. Something was wrong. "What is it, love? You can tell us anything. You know that." Brandon glanced at the strong hand covering his with the blood vessels standing at attention; the sight never failed to look sexy to him.
Brandon cleared his throat and jumped in with the question that had been burning all day, tearing his attention away from Derrick's hand. "Some of my buddies at work? They're going to Vegas for a weekend trip in a couple of weeks."
Derrick visibly relaxed and looked at Wade, recognizing there wasn't a problem, but both anticipated what was coming. Brandon watched their faces looking for a sign before he finished. He couldn't pick up anything either way, positive or negative. He sighed and forged ahead. "They invited me." He waited again for a signal. None was forthcoming. "I was wondering if I could go? It's just for the weekend. We would leave Friday afternoon and come home on Sunday night. Please, say 'yes'."
Derrick and Wade exchanged looks and Brandon saw the barest evidence of Derrick's head shake slightly. Wade took the lead. He cleared his throat first, a sure sign to Brandon that bad news was forthcoming. He said, "Brandon, by 'buddies' you mean Josh and Marty, I assume."
Brandon sighed and slumped a bit in his chair, knowing how definitively unpopular his friends were with his lovers. "Ye-yes."
"I don't think that's a good idea. Marty is nearly an alcoholic, and the two of them together…" Wade said.
Derrick finished, "We have a hard enough time not worrying when you just go out with them for an evening. A weekend in Vegas with those two? It's a recipe for trouble."
"I don't have to do everything they do. Just because Marty drinks too much doesn't mean I would," Brandon argued.
Wade jumped in. "That's not the point. I would worry the whole weekend."
Brandon thought frantically and came up with a logical solution, "I'll call you every day. Nothing will happen, I swear!" Brandon barely contained the scowl threatening to emerge when he saw Wade and Derrick exchange glances again. Their powers of telepathy were in high gear and the two of them communicated without saying a word as usual, but Brandon hadn't heard the exchange.
Wade took a deep breath and plunged ahead with no change in the original decision after getting confirmation from Derrick's expression that his opinion was the same. "Calling won't offset the trouble those two are capable of in Vegas. The answer is 'no'."
Brandon's face turned pink with the rising of his temper. "That is not the least bit fair! Please, can't I go?"
Wade was shaking his head. "I don't think so."
"Come ON!" Brandon exclaimed, clearly not happy with the answer he received. "I've never done anything like this before. I want to go."
Derrick slipped into the conversation before Brandon's runaway temper clashed with Wade's. "Sweetheart, we'd rather you didn't go with those two. That city never sleeps, and neither do your work friends," Derrick said. "You've gotten into trouble with them on work trips before and they didn't involve Vegas."
"That doesn't mean I'll do it again," Brandon said bitterly; he crossed his arms sullenly and slithered down in his chair.
Wade's voice adopted the strength and coldness of an iron beam. He said, "Brandon. The answer is 'no'. I won't say it again."
Brandon blurted, "But, that's not fair! I want to GO!"
Derrick was anxious to keep the conversation civil and save Brandon any trouble, and he clearly saw trouble brewing. He seemed more capable of reading the warning signs from Wade than Brandon ever did. He replied sternly, "Brandon, please don't raise your voice. We've decided against it this time. That doesn't mean we'd say 'no' on another occasion if the circumstances are right."
"Right how?! When the two of YOU say they're right!" Brandon exclaimed. The sudden screech of Wade's chair legs scraping against the floor halted any further outbursts. Immediately, Wade stood as he pushed his chair back, and Brandon felt his upper arm being gripped at the same time Wade dragged him to his feet. Brandon danced furiously to get in front of Wade's hand that was steadily dusting the seat of his khakis all the way to toward the corner. While Derrick had the muscle-strength Wade lacked, Wade's swats were anything but love taps, and Brandon began to immediately regret arguing with his partner. Wade's hand kept finding its target, and he didn't stop swatting until Brandon was nose-deep in the corner. Brandon could feel the heat in his face as well as his backside, and he automatically rubbed at his lower cheeks.
"You stand there and calm down. There's no reason for that tone or attitude," Wade said tersely, and he left Brandon to face the corner in the kitchen. Derrick glanced up at Wade as he returned to the table and looked helplessly into his eyes. Wade shook his head to stop any protests from his partner. Derrick knew it was the right thing to do. He had hoped the conversation would take a different turn before it came to this expected end. He glanced over at Brandon in the corner, both hands clasped to his stinging ass. His back and shoulders were rigid and emanating with lingering anger.
Wade and Derrick continued with their dinner mostly in silence. "Turn back around," Wade commanded sharply when he noticed Brandon trying to look back over his shoulder. Brandon's head turned back to the corner in an instant, and his hands went to his face. The formerly defiant pose was gone and replaced with shaking shoulders as he began to cry frustrated tears.
"Wade…" Derrick whispered and pointed to the clock on the wall indicating it had been long enough. Wade just looked back at Derrick, shook his head, and held up two fingers: one for each additional minute he intended Brandon to stay where he was. Derrick held up one finger with his eyebrows arched over inquiring eyes. Wade shook his head and held the same two fingers up again. It wasn't that Brandon's tears didn't affect him, too; he just knew he couldn't crumble whenever they appeared. Brandon was being punished and tears came with the territory. He continued to eat the last bite on his plate then he pushed it away. Derrick went back to his own dinner reluctantly and finished, finding it hard to swallow while listening to the soft sobs in the corner behind him.
Wade glanced at the clock seeing the final two minutes had passed and then said to Brandon, "Can you behave, Brandon, or do you need more time over there?"
Brandon sniffed and said quietly, "I can behave."
"Come here then," Wade said more kindly.
Brandon nearly ran to Wade, who pulled him into his lap. "It's all right." The contact seemed to increase the tears as Brandon was both disappointed that he couldn't go and that he had angered his partners. He continued to cry softly against Wade's neck and Wade said, "What does it mean when we say 'no'?"
His voice hitched before he answered. "Noooo."
"Does it help to argue?"
"Nooooo." Brandon knew it never did but he couldn't help trying. He said what was on his mind, "But, it doesn't hurt to try."
Wade snorted a half-laugh and patted Brandon's hip. "Sometimes it does. Now, like Derrick said, not this time but maybe another time or under different circumstances. Okay?"
Wade could feel Brandon's breath against his neck. Brandon didn't answer him. "Brandon? Okay?" Wade shook his shoulder gently.
"But, you didn't even discuss it. You just said 'no'. How is that fair at all?"
Wade rubbed his hand down Brandon's back while hugging him with the other. "You have barely turned 25. We'd rather you not go tromping around Vegas with a couple of guys we're hesitant to trust. You could find yourself in trouble."
Brandon sat up to look at his partner. "It's not like you're exactly ancient, and you wouldn't care if I were going with you. What does 25 have to do with anything?"
"Well, HE'S close to ancient…" Derrick said with a wink to Brandon.
Wade cut his eyes over to his other younger lover. "Thirty is hardly ancient, oh, Young One."
"My point is," Brandon said, interrupting his sparring partners, "Derrick's only a year older than me and you aren't much older than that."
"He's an old 26," Wade explained and his mouth quirked up into a half-smile as he looked over at Derrick who promptly rolled his eyes. "And, like he just so nobly pointed out, I'm an ancient 30. We aren't likely to get into, or allow, the kind of trouble your friends would find acceptable, regardless of how old we are. It just isn't in our natures."
"Like you two will take me," Brandon complained.
"Who said?" Derrick interjected from across the table. "Maybe we'll take a long weekend later this summer."
"I don't want to wait until summer. I want to go this time."
"But, we said… what?" Wade paused for Brandon to fill in the blanks.
Brandon deflated into a flattened heap as the conversation came back around to the beginning with no change. "You said 'no'. I heard you," he grumbled.
"Is that the end of it?" Wade asked. He gave Brandon's shoulders a gentle squeeze.
Brandon's head nodded against him and Wade hugged him tightly in approval. "Good answer. Why don't you finish your dinner?"
"I don't want any more," Brandon said, in no mood for food. It didn't mix well with crying. Wade looked at his plate and saw just about half his meal was gone so he let it go. Brandon's hands went to the neck of Wade's shirt and worked his tie loose. "Please?" he asked, unbuttoning the top button of Wade's shirt.
Wade glanced down at his partner's fingers at his throat and answered, "Please what?"
Brandon gave him a shy grin, getting the joke. "Please don't make me eat anymore."
Wade patted Brandon's thigh. "You don't have to eat any more if you don't want to. I'm going to take your hint and change out of these work clothes. Whose night to wash up?" Wade asked. "I know it isn't mine. I cooked."
"It's mine," Derrick responded, getting up to clear the table. He paused beside Wade's chair and gave Brandon a kiss to the top of his head. "I love you."
Brandon looked up and reached a hand out to Derrick. "I love you, too."
Derrick took the offered hand and propelled Brandon out of Wade's lap to embrace him. "I'm sorry we had to say 'no'."
Brandon drew an impossible breath with his lungs getting crushed in Derrick's strong arms. "I know. I'm sorry I lost my temper."
"It's fine. I know you aren't a demon," Derrick said smiling easily as he pulled Brandon away from him at arm's length.
"Even if I act like one sometimes?"
Derrick laughed and leaned down for another kiss before heading to the sink. Wade said, "As much as I'd like to sit here and keep you two company, I'm going to change."
"I don't know how you stand staying in a tie. I have to get out of mine ASAP," Brandon said.
"Me, too," Derrick said from the sink.
"Which one did you wear today with that tank-top?" Wade asked while standing up. He pushed his chair under the edge of the table.
Derrick turned from the sink with a look of scrutiny on his face. "The blue one, of course. The green one clashed with this top. I can't look like a slob when I'm training people." Wade and Brandon laughed at Derrick's easy sense of humor.
Wade kissed Brandon before he left, and Brandon decided to help with the dishes, even though it wasn't his turn. The kisses were the nice part about having two partners; when they were ganging up on him, it wasn't so much fun.
"Well, how nice," Derrick said when he saw Brandon helping. "You don't have to do this, but I'm not going to stop you."
"I don't mind." Brandon sighed beside Derrick and slipped a plate into the sudsy water. "I'm really sorry I snapped at you."
Derrick leaned over and kissed the end of Brandon's nose. "Forget about it. Hand me the pot off the stove, please."
Later that night Brandon lay awake nestled between his lovers. He had begun to stew again as the evening wore on, still not happy being forbidden to go to Vegas. He had the money, that wasn't the problem. His partners were the problem. They said "no", and just as he was so bluntly reminded earlier that evening, "no" meant no. He wasn't going to bring it up again. The many thoughts swirling in his head prevented sleep, the most disturbing of which was the consideration of going to Vegas in spite of his partners' wishes. He tried to push the thoughts away and rolled over to snuggle against Derrick's rippling back.
Sleep continued to avoid him and he turned the other way throwing his arm across Wade, and slipping a leg over his. He couldn't seem to get comfortable or go to sleep despite the comforting sounds of soft snoring coming from Wade that he always made while sleeping on his back. Sometimes he got too loud and Brandon had to chunk him to make him roll over in order to sleep. He twisted more comfortably against Wade but blinked into the darkness. Another heavy sigh later, his restlessness was met by Derrick's voice.
"Brandon, what's wrong?" he said, a notch above a whisper.
"Huh?" Brandon rolled over toward Derrick with an unseen questioning look swallowed by the dark.
"You keep tossing and turning, Sugar. Time to go to sleep."
"I'm trying…" he said. He worked hard to keep the whine out of his voice.
Derrick leaned up on an elbow. "Are you not well?"
"I'm fine…"
Wade rolled over, stirred by the voices and tried to find Brandon's face in the darkness. He could just make out the outline of his jaw. "Are you sure you're all right? You didn't drink any caffeine before going to bed, did you?"
"Are you going to ban it if I did?" Brandon asked. His sarcasm was apparent even without the facial expression to back it up.
"I just might," Wade said. "Did you?"
"Nooooo," he said, rolling his eyes in the dark. "I don't know what's wrong. Except, my head won't shut up."
"At least it isn't talking out loud. Tell it to count sheep," Derrick instructed with a sleepy chuckle.
Wade's hand slipped out from under the covers and went to Brandon's head for confirmation he wasn't sick. "You don't feel hot."
"I TOLD you I'm not sick," he said, shoving Wade's hand away. "I just can't sleep."
Wade exhaled audibly, and tossed the covers back. He padded toward the door in his bare feet moving across the room. "I'll get you some warm milk. It should help."
Brandon watched as his lover's lean silhouette filled then exited the doorway. How could someone he loved so much make him so mad, he wondered? Wade could be as soft as he was firm. Brandon took a deep breath then let it out slowly.
"Sounds like you have a slow leak," Derrick said in response. "Want to talk about it?" he asked intuitively. He rolled over and pulled Brandon up without effort so he could get an arm under his shoulders to hold him close.
"Talk about what?"
"Whatever is keeping your head chattering," Derrick said and kissed the top of Brandon's head.
"Oh. Not really."
"It's about the trip, isn't it." Derrick asked. It wasn't a question; it was stated fact.
"I want to go, Derrick."
Derrick smiled with understanding. "I know you do. It's not a good time right now."
"But, I have the money."
"Money isn't the issue; it never was," Derrick pointed out in the darkness. "Now, let's not get worked up about this again, okay? We'll never get to sleep if we do. Try not to stew about it."
About that time, Wade returned with the milk and he switched on the bedside lamp, making Derrick and Brandon squint against the glare. "Here you go, Sweetheart. Bottom's up," he said, passing the glass to Brandon. Brandon disentangled himself from Derrick and scooted his back up against the pillows. He took the milk and drank it down; it was good even if it didn't help him sleep. Wade sat on the edge of the bed waiting for him to finish. Brandon drained the glass fairly quickly causing him to expel an impressive burp. He handed it back to Wade with an embarrassed smile and a slight shrug of his shoulders.
Wade raised his eyebrows at Brandon and smiled. "Feel better?"
"He should," Derrick pointed out from under his forearm draped across his eyes to block the light. His partners could see his grin peeking out from under his arm.
"I do," Brandon said.
"Think we can get some sleep now?" Wade asked, taking the glass from Brandon's hand.
"I hope so," Brandon said. He snuggled back down against Derrick, and Wade got back into bed. He rolled up on one elbow and kissed Brandon goodnight. "Mmm, milk."
Brandon grinned back at him, "Got milk?"
"Funny guy. It's too late to be funny," he said with a yawn and a glance at the alarm clock. It was nearing one AM. "It's going to be a tough day tomorrow if we don't get some sleep," he said, shutting off the light. "Try to go to sleep, Brandon."
Snuggled deep against Derrick's chest with the warm milk in his belly, Brandon finally drifted off.
Derrick had arrived home before Wade to an empty house. He was busy juggling the grocery bags, grateful for the plastic and not paper regardless of what the environmentalists thought. They were much easier to handle when one was trying to carry too many. He arrived in the kitchen and dropped the bags onto the table, his wrists welcoming the relief.
"Brandon? Brandon? Are you home?" he called up the stairs and his frown deepened when he wasn't answered. He poked his head into the garage and found that sure enough, Brandon's car wasn't there. He was only slightly concerned since Brandon was only about a half-hour late. Brandon was lucky he was home first, and not Wade. Brandon had some difficulty in being where he was supposed to be on time and it was an issue revisited between him and Wade on multiple occasions. Regardless of the fact Wade wasn't home, Derrick knew in his heart he would have to tell him about Brandon's tardiness. It would do Brandon no good to receive mixed signals from them.
He went back into the kitchen to put the groceries away and check the machine. Maybe Brandon had run into a snag on the way home and had left a message. He glanced at the answering machine when he entered the kitchen and saw the message indicator flashing. His heart relaxed a bit as he pushed a finger against the "play" button.
"This is Joe with the Tropical Travel Agency. I'm pleased to tell you, you have won…" Derrick rolled his eyes and pushed "delete" before the recording was finished. He put the perishables away quickly as he glanced at the clock. Brandon was now 40 minutes late instead of 30. Derrick's stomach started to twist as worry gave his gut a nudge. Leaving the rest of the groceries, he started looking around for a note, hoping by some chance to find one. Perhaps Brandon had come home on time and just needed to run out for something. He didn't find a note anywhere in the kitchen or in the living room. On a whim, he went to their bedroom and could see the sheet of paper lying on the bed from the doorway. It seemed to take years for him to reach the bed and pick up the note with Brandon's neat pen strokes painted on it.
Derrick's lips moved slightly as he read:
"Dear Wade and Derrick,
Please don't be angry and please don't worry about me. I went to Vegas with my friends. I'll be back Sunday afternoon. I know you won't be happy with my decision, but it was my decision. I'm sorry. I'll call to let you know when I arrive.
PLEASE, don't worry and don't be mad. I'll stay out of trouble, I promise.
I love you both, Brandon"
Derrick's mouth hung open and he re-read the note again as if in doing so, the message would change. Anger overtaking worry, he turned on his heel and went back to the kitchen. He picked up the cordless and began to pace waiting for Wade to answer. He was more than a little perturbed to have to leave a message. He wanted nothing more than to talk to Wade at that moment, unless it was to talk to Brandon and give his ears a tongue-lashing. He roughly replaced the phone in its cradle and tried to occupy his mind with putting the rest of the groceries away.
He nearly dropped the cans he was holding when the phone rang. He rushed over and snatched the phone up anxiously, hoping he would find one of his lovers on the other end. "Hello?"
"Derrick, what's going on? You sounded tense in your message," Wade said with a slight edge to his own voice.
"You will NOT believe what Brandon has done."
Wade paused, not sure he wanted to know if it had Derrick this upset. "What?"
"He has gone to Vegas," Derrick said in clipped tones.
"He did WHAT?"
"That's right," he said, nodding his head to the empty kitchen. "He went to VEGAS. After we distinctly told him not to."
"When? When did this happen?"
"If I remember from what he told us two weeks ago, they were leaving after work today."
Wade's mind worked to catch up. "How do you know he went?"
"He left us a note." Derrick read the note to Wade, and paused for his reaction.
It wasn't long coming.
"Huh!" Wade grunted. "How ironic that he promises to stay out trouble while walking right into it." The simple observation was heavily coated in a layer of sarcasm that gave away Wade's displeasure, even if it could have been lost in his tone.
"You noticed that, too, huh?" Derrick began to calm down just by sharing the situation with his partner. The heavy weight on his shoulders greatly decreased when the burden was shared by two.
"Yeah." Wade shook his head in amazement and ran a hand across his forehead. "I canNOT believe he did that. He knows good and well what's going to happen when he gets home. I have half a mind to go to Vegas and find him."
"Wade, we can't do that. You know it, too."
"I would love to find him and swat his behind all the way to the plane," Wade said through clenched teeth. "How dare he pull something like this, leaving us to worry all weekend!"
"Well, there's nothing we can do about it right now. He'll be home in a day and a half." Derrick said. He knew exactly how Wade felt. He had felt the same way when he found out, but he'd had the luxury of more time to process the information.
"What day and a half? He'll get his butt home as soon as we talk to him. He can just catch another flight as easily as he caught this one!" Wade fumed.
"Wade," Derrick said, trying to speak calmly to get his partner thinking more rationally rather than impulsively. "We aren't going to make him do that. I have no intention of embarrassing him in front of his friends like that. I'd rather you didn't either."
"He should have thought about that before he went," Wade said, unconvinced.
Derrick said, "We make these decisions together, and I am in no way inclined to agree here."
Wade heard the determination in Derrick's voice and tried to step back and rethink his position. Against his will, he could see Derrick's point and he grudgingly agreed. He sighed and said, "Fine, Derrick. You win. But, if he finds more trouble out there by staying…"
"I know. You won't let me forget it, I'm sure. I'll take that chance, and hope Brandon does nothing to make this any worse. He'll be home shortly and we can deal with him then."
"It won't be soon enough," Wade growled into the phone.
"I know. Don't worry about it. He'll be fine. He knows how to behave."
"Oh, he does, does he? After what he's pulled you can say that?"
"I mean, he knows how to behave in Vegas," Derrick quickly corrected himself. "Behaving with us seems to be a difficult prospect for him at times," he added with a touch of regret.
"You can say that again." Wade ran his hand across his forehead again as if he could rub out of his mind the knowledge that his lover had gone AWOL. "I'm glad it's time for me to leave because I won't be able to concentrate another minute here today. We need to discuss his punishment when I get home."
Derrick frowned. "No, I think we need to wait until he gets home to hear what he has to say before we make any decisions on that front. I don't want to make any judgments without hearing him out."
"What could he POSSIBLY say that hasn't been said?" Wade's voice dropped as his temper rose. "We told him 'no', IN English, by the way. There was nothing unclear about what we said, no question as to what our decision was. He knew it. He went to Vegas. End of discussion."
"Wade, you're angry. Let's just wait until he gets home. Please?"
"You seem calm enough. I can't believe you're not worked up about this," Wade said with exasperation.
"I'm only calm now because you're so upset. I was plenty angry when I got home and found out," Derrick said. "I just don't want us to start going down the path of handing down verdicts without a trial, especially when we're upset. You know?"
Wade lowered his head into his palm and let his partner's words take root. Derrick was right. At this point in time, they would be assuming a lot of things and needed to hear what Brandon had to say for his actions. "All right, you win again, Derrick. Although I can't imagine him saying anything that will change the outcome, we'll wait to decide his punishment."
Derrick visibly relaxed. They never made hasty decisions about how Brandon would be punished and this was big. This was no time to start changing the routine. "Come home, and I'll have some dinner fixed for us. I suppose we won't be going out now."
Wade disagreed, "Why not? Just because we had plans and Brandon decided to change them doesn't mean you and I shouldn't go out."
"But, he's supposed to call when he gets there."
Wade was silent as he thought. Maybe it would be good for Brandon to get the machine. Let him wonder where he and Derrick were and see how it felt. He couldn't do that even though it was a tempting prospect. "You're right. We'll stay in. Do you feel like cooking or would you like me to get some Chinese?"
"I thought I was up to cooking, but Chinese sounds better."
"I'm on my way. I love you."
"I love you, too. And, Wade?"
"Yes?"
"He'll be fine."
Brandon had called just as he promised although his stomach had jumped while his fingers dialed their home number. He wasn't sure if he was relieved or worried that his partners made little mention of his pending punishment. They just seemed genuinely happy to hear from him and to know he was safely in Vegas. After a terse comment or two about the fact they would be discussing the situation when he got home, nothing more was said. He knew he was in big trouble, but he didn't want to think about it, much less talk about it, so he was glad it wasn't the main topic of conversation.
Derrick and Wade warned him not to gamble away all his money and Wade jumped in to put a dollar figure on the request. "No more than $150. Is that understood?" It was all Wade could do to remain calm on the phone. The last thing either he or Derrick wanted was an upset partner running around in Vegas with a couple of loose cannons for friends. They were both quite certain Brandon was already worried, knowing full well they would be dealing with his weekend vacation when he got home. There was no reason to beat a dead horse over what they all knew.
"Yes, sir. I won't."
"What time will you get home Sunday?" Derrick asked.
Brandon's insides twisted with the question, knowing the discussion regarding his actions would commence as soon as he got home. "Should be around 5:00 if the flight is on time and all."
"We'll see you then," Derrick said. "Be careful." They sent their love to each other and disconnected the call.
Wade and Derrick looked at each other for a long time before speaking. Finally, Wade said, "And, now we wait."
"Hard, isn't it?"
Wade sighed heavily and leaned against the edge of the kitchen table. "Very."
Derrick sighed loudly in the dark and Wade wasn't sure if it was from contentment or the glaring void from their missing partner.
"What's that all about?" Wade asked spooned against Derrick.
Derrick thought about the vast expanse of the king-sized bed he had never seemed to notice before. "When did this bed get so damned big?"
Wade said, "When Brandon decided to go to Vegas. Was it not good for you? It didn't sound like you had any complaints…"
"It was, I'm sorry. I was very satisfied," he said, twisting around enough to kiss Wade before settling back into their position. "It just doesn't feel right. I'm so used to him being here…" Derrick said. "I'm not saying sex with just you wasn't great, it's just…"
"I know. I felt it, too. It's like old times, isn't it? It's been a long time since we've slept just the two of us. Or anything else, just the two of us," Wade said, commenting on their recent love-making. "I really felt him missing."
"I know. I miss him, too."
"I know you do," Wade said. "We love him. It's to be expected."
Derrick shivered just a bit and said, "Does the bed feel colder to you?"
"I think it's the room, not the bed," Wade said. He pulled the covers up tighter over the two of them and curled as close as he could get against Derrick.
"Well, this bed is just too damn big," Derrick complained.
Derrick could hear the smile in Wade's voice. "This from the one who's always complaining that we shove you to the side?"
"I like being shoved to the side."
Wade laughed and said, "I'll remember you said that." Derrick expelled an exaggerated sigh once again. Wade said, "He'll be back here where he belongs soon enough… sleeping on his stomach, maybe, but back…"
"Wade," Derrick said sternly. "We aren't talking about that, remember?"
"Whatever, but you know it as well as I do."
"I know," Derrick conceded. "I hope I can sleep tonight."
"Well, you won't if you keep talking," Wade said, in a tired voice. "And, neither will I."
"Okay, okay. I get the picture."
"Good. Goodnight, Sweetheart."
"Night," Derrick said, but his eyes continued to stare into the darkness.
Derrick and Wade tried to pass the time between Friday and Sunday afternoon without thinking about what would happen when Brandon returned. They worked around the house trying to distract themselves, but their thoughts kept returning to their errant lover. Putting the vacuum away, Wade said, "I can't stop thinking about what he did." He turned from the closet and looked steadily at Derrick.
Derrick took a seat on the sofa and held a hand out to his angry lover. "Come sit down." Wade trailed the expanse of the living room and sat close to Derrick, gripping his hand.
"I'm so angry with him…I don't know what to do," Wade said. "How could he pull a stunt like this?"
"It's just part of his personality, his free spirit," Derrick explained. "We have to expect this sort of thing occasionally."
"No, we don't!" Wade disagreed. "We have a relationship built on trust. He flew in the face of that trust."
"Wade," Derrick said gently. "Are you already too old to remember what it was like to be 25?"
"Of course not. I remember. It was only five years ago, for heaven's sake," Wade said angrily. "But, I never pulled anything like this, and neither did you."
"We aren't Brandon. It isn't in your nature or at all a part of your personality, or mine. You pointed that out yourself when this first came up. He doesn't mind taking risks, and trying new things. Brandon's free spirit is something we both love about him."
"Not when he's disobeying us, it isn't," Wade grumbled. "I know you want to wait to talk about his punishment, but I can't think of a thing he'll say to make it any better. Possibly, he'll say something to make it worse."
Derrick sighed and rubbed Wade's hand, trying to calm his temper. "I know it's going to be bad, Wade. I know we need to make a statement. I just prefer to hear him out like we always do."
"That's easy to do when he's right here. We've never had to wait two days to hear what he had to say. I'm going to wear his tail out, whether you want to or not."
Derrick's eyes grew large and he looked at Wade. "You wouldn't do that if I didn't agree. We never punish him without agreeing on the consequences." Wade knew Derrick was right and he nodded confirmation. He also had little doubt they would disagree on the fact that Brandon needed to be spanked for what he did. As if reading his mind, Derrick said, "I don't think there's any question he has a spanking coming. Whether you do it or I do it. The 'who' does it and 'how' it's done can be sorted after we hear what he has to say. Like always when he disobeys the two of us. Don't you agree?"
"Yes, I'm just so angry with him right now... I'm worried about him being there alone without us, and that makes me angry, too."
"He's an adult, Wade. Even if he wasn't, we can't be with him all the time."
Wade looked questioningly at his lover and snorted a laugh. "The voice of reason," Wade said and smiled. "How do you stay so calm?"
"Who needs to be upset? It's a waste of energy. You're doing enough of that for both of us anyway."
Wade looked at the floor. "I'm sorry. You know I'll not let my anger interfere when we punish him. I love him too much for that."
"I know you won't. You never do." Derrick started to chuckle, and he squeezed Wade's hand.
"What?" Wade asked.
"To think I thought he was just going to be in trouble with you for being late." He winked at Wade as he pressed his lips to the back of his hand held in his clutches.
Wade looked at Derrick and shook his head, "If only that were all he did."
They sat quietly for minute, thoughts still on their lover and how each was dealing with the situation. Finally, Derrick asked, "How about a movie to pass the time? That might take our minds off it for a while."
"Sounds like a plan to me," Wade said. He left the sofa long enough to find the paper then sat back down beside Derrick to scour the local listings. "That will at least kill a couple of hours. Popcorn?"
Derrick gave Wade a disapproving look. Wade had to admire him in his tight t-shirt accentuating his pecs and biceps. Derrick admonished, "You know better than to offer me puffs of carbohydrates drenched in pure oil. I don't care if the public DOES call it 'popcorn'."
"You need to live a little… er, not as much as Brandon, though," Wade corrected himself.
Derrick laughed while tugging Wade from the sofa in a firm yank. "I intend to live. And, for a long time. Longer than most who eat movie popcorn."
Sunday afternoon finally arrived and the couple anxiously awaited their missing lover. They were trying to relax, Derrick with a book and Wade with the ballgame. Wade kept catching himself looking at the clock; he was sure the hands were broken by their slow movement.
They both jumped up at the sound of the front door opening and ran to see Brandon in the hallway, overnight bag in hand. He wore a sheepish look and had trouble meeting his partners' eyes.
"Brandon! Thank God, you're safe and home," Derrick said pulling the younger man into a strong hug.
"Hey, Derrick," he mumbled back, half-heartedly returning the hug.
Wade was eager to get in on the action after having missed his youngest lover, so he pulled him away from Derrick and delivered his own bone-crunching embrace. Wade pulled him back to look at his face and saw the troubled worry etched on his features. He pushed Brandon's hair back off his forehead and kissed the exposed skin there.
"Go upstairs and put your things away," Wade instructed. The warm welcome was cut short by his next statement. "Hurry along; we have a lot to talk about."
Brandon nodded his head miserably and trudged slowly up the stairs in spite of the fact he was just told to hurry. Wade turned to look at Derrick who was shaking his head slowly. Derrick said, "I still can't believe he went off like that. I wonder what in the world he was thinking."
"We're about to get to the bottom of it and find out," Wade said, not intending a pun. Derrick cut his eyes at Wade and gave him a half-smile, not missing the reference. "What?"
"The 'bottom' of it?" Derrick asked.
"You know what I mean," Wade said tersely, clearly in no mood to joke. He turned to go back in the living room to wait for Brandon, and Derrick followed behind him.
Wade straightened up on the sofa when he heard Brandon descending the stairs. He stood to adopt his lecture pose, complete with hands on hips, and waited for Brandon to enter the living room. Brandon glanced anxiously at his partners and waited for instruction.
Wade said with a wave toward the sofa, "Come in and have a seat." Brandon went where he was directed to sit beside Derrick. Derrick laid a heavy hand on his knee for reassurance as the difficult conversation began.
Wade started the questioning and asked, "What were you thinking, Brandon?"
Brandon shifted nervously on the sofa and felt Derrick's hand give a gentle squeeze to his knee to still him.
"Answer him, Brandon," Derrick prompted.
"I…I know you're mad at me…I'm sorry."
"That's not an answer to the question, young man," Derrick said.
Brandon gulped hard and tried again, with a nervous glance toward Derrick. "I just wanted to go. I wanted to spend the weekend with my friends."
"And, what did we say?" Wade asked.
Brandon paused, looking from one partner to the other for some sign of understanding. Finding only a firmness and determination in both sets of eyes, he conceded, "You said, 'no'." His fingers worked at the hem of his shirt and he watched them move since it was easier to look at than his partners at the moment.
"'No'," Wade repeated. "Not a difficult concept, Brandon."
"I know I'm in trouble. I know. I just want to get it over with." His worried eyes moved from looking at his hands, and pleaded for swift retribution, which would promise an end to the uncomfortable conversation.
"Not so fast. We deserve an explanation," Wade said, unmoving.
"Why would you do that after we told you 'no' and you clearly understood that?" Derrick asked.
"I guess, um," Brandon stammered, "because I… I just wanted to." His eyes widened in light of what he just said, and he quickly amended, "I mean, I didn't want to DISOBEY you, but I really wanted to GO. You know…"
"When faced with that choice, what should you have done?" Wade asked. "What do we expect of you?"
"I should have stayed home like you told me. That's what I um, should have done, and what you would want me to do," Brandon said, shifting again. A heavy silence filled the room as Derrick and Wade let Brandon's own words sink in. As the discomfort of the silence grew to be too much, Brandon asked, "Are you…are you mad at me?"
"Do you expect us to be happy about what you did?" Derrick asked.
"N…no. Does that mean you're going to spank me?" he asked bringing pitiful eyes up to Derrick.
Derrick and Wade exchanged a quick look. Wade said, "We aren't talking about the consequences right now. We're talking about why you would blatantly disobey us. But there WILL be consequences. Derrick and I still need to decide what they will be." Brandon dropped his head. He didn't know what to say.
"What if the answer is 'yes', and you are going to get spanked? Did you think about that before, and decide the trip was worth it?" Derrick asked.
"NO, no. That wasn't it at all," Brandon said, looking imploringly at Derrick. "I just wasn't thinking too much of the consequences at the time. I knew - know - I'm going to catch it. I just wanted to go and have a good time; worry about the consequences later."
"It's 'later'," Wade said from across the room with his arms folded.
Brandon cast a saddened expression Wade's way. "I'm sorry if I worried you. That wasn't my intention."
"That doesn't exactly fix it, does it? Because we were worried. Very worried," Wade cut in. "What you did was selfish, plain and simple. You had no regard whatsoever for how your little disappearing act would affect me and Derrick. You didn't care that our relationship is built on trust, and that by your actions, you thumbed your nose at that trust. You didn't care about anything except what you wanted for yourself at the time."
Tears were burning at the backs of Brandon's eyes with Wade's words. "I didn't think of it that way. I didn't think of it that way at all. I swear. I won't do something like this again ever. I couldn't even enjoy myself."
"Don't even begin to think of your lack of enjoyment as part of your punishment," Wade said. "I'm not entirely convinced you didn't have a good time."
"I wasn't thinking that…that it would be part of my punishment. I was just saying…" Brandon paused and changed gears in an effort to diminish the severity of what he did. "You know, I DID leave a note. I didn't WANT you to worry."
"How did you think we'd feel? You went off with friends you know we don't approve of and you did it against our wishes. Of course we worried. Note or not," Derrick said.
"I know you don't like my friends, but I wanted to go," Brandon said.
"No, we don't like them. But, we won't tell you who you can be friends with. We will, however, tell you what we will and will not allow you to do with those friends," Derrick said. "Hauling off to Vegas with them is definitely in the 'what we will not allow' category, and that was clear when we discussed it."
"It was," Wade interjected. "I was there and distinctly remember it. We worried all weekend."
"I don't know what to say. 'Sorry' doesn't seem to be enough but it's the only thing I know to say," Brandon said miserably. His eyes were stinging all the more realizing how much he had hurt and worried his partners and he voiced what he was thinking. "I never meant to hurt you or worry you. I'm so sorry," Brandon said, his voice finally cracking against the tears lodged in his throat.
Wade felt the time had come for retribution and said, "I don't think there's anything left to say, Brandon. Derrick and I need to discuss what your punishment will be. Do you have anything to add before we do that?"
Brandon's eyes fell and he shook his head, "No, sir. Just that I'm sorry and it won't happen again."
Derrick took his hand and stood, pulling Brandon with him to his feet. "Go upstairs and wait for us. We'll come up when we've made a decision." Brandon glanced up into Derrick's eyes and recognized the sternness there, but also the love and hurt. Brandon threw his arms around Derrick suddenly and cried, whispering he was sorry over and over.
"Okay. That's enough. Wade and I need to talk. Go wait for us," Derrick said with a firmness that belied how he felt. He tenderly peeled Brandon from him and gave him a push toward the door.
Brandon had to walk past Wade to get to the stairs and he paused to wipe his eyes. He flung his arms around Wade as well and Wade's formerly-crossed arms unfolded to embrace his lover. He kissed his head then pulled him away, pushing him toward the stairs. "Go on, now. Go."
They silently watched Brandon head toward the stairs, and waited for him to disappear before the two of them went to the kitchen. It was their usual location for punishment discussions, since it was the farthest room from the upstairs office they used to mete out any penalties. They didn't want Brandon to hear the discussion so he was typically sent to the office to wait as in this case. Derrick pulled a chair away from the table and sat down, holding his head in his hands.
"I can't stand to see him upset," he grumbled under his hands.
Wade was getting them something to drink, and said from the fridge, "I know. But, he brought this on himself." Wade filled two glasses with ice and poured tea over the frozen cubes. He took a seat beside Derrick and slid a glass over to him. Derrick shifted his hand from his head to beneath his chin. He took the glass willingly and drew a long swig from it.
Wade got the ball rolling, "All right. I'm sure we agree he's definitely getting spanked. Am I right?"
Derrick nodded his head, which was still resting in his palm. "He knows it, too. He knew it when he left on Friday."
"Okay, so he's getting a spanking. In my opinion, this deserves more than a hand spanking. What do you think?"
Derrick was nodding in agreement, looking up from his glass to his partner. "But, I hate to see him strapped," he said in spite of the fact he knew this escapade called for exactly that. "A paddling?" he asked hopefully.
"I think this is worthy of the belt."
"I didn't say it isn't 'worthy' of the belt, I said 'I hate to see him strapped'. There's a difference."
"I know you do. This was big, though," Wade pointed out.
"I know. How about a paddling and grounding to go with it?" Derrick tried, still doing his best to avoid a whipping in the final verdict for Brandon's behavior.
Wade looked at him uncertainly. He didn't say it, but knew exactly what Derrick was trying to do. He gave him a chance and asked, "How long and what restrictions?"
Derrick thought for a moment. "Why not two weeks and take away all the big things: TV, internet, and phone. Of course, he'll be staying home during that time. No more adventures."
"I don't know. It doesn't seem like enough," Wade said. He tried to gently point out reason to his partner by adding, "It isn't like he went somewhere across town we told him not to."
"You know he was miserable all weekend."
Wade looked at his partner dumbfounded. "You sound like him. That was NOT punishment. It was a guilty conscience."
"It shows he wasn't happy with himself or with what he did. I'd rather him be that way than have no conscience at all."
Wade steered them back to the topic at hand, anxious to be done with this. "We're getting away from the subject. Do you really feel like a paddling and two weeks grounding is enough for what he did? Honestly, Derrick."
Derrick thoughtfully considered it. "I think so," he sighed. "I think grounding fits the crime." Wade looked at him sideways. "I'm NOT just saying that so he doesn't get a whipping with the belt. Think about it. He ran off. Grounding will keep him close to home. It fits."
Wade sipped his drink and shook his head. "I don't disagree that grounding fits the crime, but two weeks? I don't think so. I think he needs to get the belt and at LEAST a month's grounding."
Derrick sighed. "I hate to see him get the belt," he said again.
"Derrick, listen to me. He deliberately disobeyed us. He didn't just stay out late or do something insignificant like that. He went to Vegas. VEGAS. After we told him not to."
"I KNOW," Derrick said. "I know it was bad."
"Bad enough to get the belt. Like it or not."
"How many licks?" Derrick asked without yet voicing that Wade was right.
"I don't know. Twenty-five should be right. Plus, a month's grounding."
"Twenty-five?!" Derrick said, sitting up bolt straight in his chair. "That's too many. He's never gotten more than twenty."
"He's never run off to Vegas against our wishes before either." Wade took Derrick's hand lying on the tabletop, and his voice took on a serious edge. "We need to make a clear statement here, Derrick. We canNOT let something like this go lightly. Do you want him to pull another stunt like this again?"
Derrick knew he didn't want that. He had worried all weekend about Brandon, and what he might be up to. "No. I don't want another weekend like this one."
"Then, I think we need to make this count. Wouldn't you agree?"
Derrick relented. Wade was right and he knew it, no matter how much he wanted to spare Brandon's bottom from the belt. "All right. You're right. I know it. I don't like it, but I know it."
Wade relaxed and was glad they had come to an agreement. "Early bed as well?"
Derrick nodded, "Nine o'clock. Whose turn to spank him this time?"
Wade frowned, trying to remember. He asked, "Did you spank him last time?"
"I don't remember." Derrick stared into his tea, avoiding Wade's eyes.
Wade recognized the fact that Derrick didn't seem up to the task judging by his body language. "Why don't I do it this time and you monitor the grounding since it was your idea," Wade suggested. "You're anal enough to keep up with it, plus, you don't fancy using the belt."
"Gee, thanks," Derrick said, gracing Wade with a crooked smile. "That would be better for me if you're okay with it," Derrick said. "I think it's my turn, though."
"You can take the next two turns," Wade said, leaning over and kissing Derrick's neck. "Deal?"
"Deal," Derrick said. He searched Wade's eyes, and knew he had worried just as much all weekend. The last thing either of them wanted was to punish Brandon. They were just thrilled to have him home. "I'm just glad he's home." Derrick's thoughts broke through and became vocal.
"Me, too, but I love him too much not to deal with this. We can cuddle later," Wade said.
"I know. I feel the same way," Derrick said. "Are you ready?"
"No," Wade said even as he quickly drained his glass before nodding, and standing to go.
Brandon shifted on the stairs when he heard them approaching and quickly ran ahead of them to the office where he was supposed to be. His stomach was churning knowing his partners were not far behind and on their way to proclaim his punishment.
He made it to the office in time and he tried to slow his breathing from his sprint and his jangled nerves. The door creaked open, and he watched Wade and Derrick enter the office. Wade grabbed the straight-backed chair from against the wall as he came through, and sat it in the middle of the room; a sure sign a spanking was about to take place.
"Have a seat," he said to Brandon, indicating the dreaded chair. Brandon never saw that chair he didn't associate it with spankings. Brandon called it the "spanking chair", although he was sure it had served some other purpose somewhere in the past. He moved over and took a seat on the hard wood with his feet interlocked together, toeing nervously against each other.
Wade stood tall over him, again with his arms crossed, and Derrick took a seat on the burgundy leather sofa across the room. "All right, young man. Starting tomorrow, you will be grounded for a month. That's thirty days. There will be NO television, NO internet and NO talking on the phone with your friends. Except for work, you will spend your time in this house. You will not go out without our express permission. Do you understand?"
Brandon nodded his head and said, "Yes, sir." It looked like Wade would be spanking him this time since he led the charge on handing down the verdict. Brandon was sure it was Derrick's turn to spank him. Damn. Wade spanked hard and Brandon was reconsidering the wisdom of running off for about the millionth time. Not that Derrick was a lightweight; he was just a tad more tenderhearted and tended to stop spanking long before Wade ever would.
Wade continued, "Derrick will monitor your restrictions during the month."
Derrick added, leaning his forearms on his thick thighs, "And, let me forewarn you. I WILL pull your pants down and wear your butt out if I catch you breaking your restriction in any way during that time. Is that clear?"
"Yes, sir," Brandon answered.
Derrick went on to say, "During that time, you will be in the bed no later than 9:00 every night. I don't want to hear any complaints about it either."
Brandon's mouth dropped in surprise then snapped shut immediately when he saw the look on Derrick's face. He looked to Wade and saw the same determination there so he dropped his eyes and mumbled, "Two against one."
"Excuse me?!" Wade said in amazement. Derrick looked on, astonished at the comment as well. "These 'two'," Wade said, swinging two fingers back and forth between him and Derrick, "were left here to worry while the 'one'," he added with an accusing finger pointed at Brandon's chest, "went traipsing off disobediently on a weekend trip to Vegas."
"I know. I'm sorry," Brandon said miserably looking hard at the carpet, properly flushing crimson. The corners of his mouth turned down and he said, "I know I deserve it. I just don't want to go to bed at 9:00."
Derrick said, "That's what punishment is about. It isn't to be pleasant. Now, I said no arguments about the early bedtime and I meant it. That doesn't just go for later, it goes for now as well." His muscles bulged when he sat back and crossed his arms over his chest.
"Yes, sir," Brandon said, as he picked at his fingernails nervously. He was still waiting to hear if he would be spanked, although he was fairly certain he would be. He couldn't bring himself to ask the actual question so he went about it the long way. "Is that…everything?" he asked reluctantly.
As if reading his thoughts, Wade reached over and took his hand pulling him to his feet then he took a seat in the hard chair in Brandon's place. Brandon's insides started to flip flop recognizing the signs of what was about to happen.
Wade said, "Hardly. I'm going to pull your pants down then you're going to put your hands on the seat of this chair for a spanking. You're getting the belt this time."
Brandon's tears broke through with the pronouncement and he cried, "Nooooo. Please Wade, don't use the belt. I won't do it again." The belt was reserved for times when Brandon had done something particularly stupid or dangerous. It had only happened a couple of times, but they were incidents Brandon preferred not to remember.
Even as he pleaded with Wade, he looked at Derrick across the office. "Derrick, NO. Don't let him. Please!" Brandon begged. "Please, Derrick, don't let him strap me!"
Derrick stood up and walked over to face Brandon, taking his chin in his hand. Wade paused and let Derrick talk. "Brandon, Wade wasn't alone in the decision to use the belt. Don't try to use me against him. We both agreed on this punishment, it's just that Wade will be handling it." Brandon's tears escalated with Derrick's words as he realized Derrick wouldn't be getting him out of this. "Do you understand me?" He looked into Derrick's determined eyes and nodded that he understood.
Wade turned his attention back to baring Brandon's rear end, tuning out the quiet tears, and focusing on the fly enclosure of Brandon's jeans. He unzipped them and pushed them down Brandon's legs. He pulled the underwear down to Brandon's knees to join his jeans before he stood up and pointed to the chair. Derrick moved out of the way and reclaimed a seat across the room.
"Bend over and put your hands on the seat of the chair," Wade ordered, unbuckling his belt.
"Pleeeaasse! Don't Wade!" Brandon pleaded, and he shuffled around to face Wade with his back to the chair. He continued to plead even as he watched his lover's hands move over his belt and begin to free it. "Let Derrick do it," he said in partial submission. "Please?"
"That's not for you to decide," Wade said. He glanced over at Derrick for his reaction and saw a slight look of surprise on his face. Apparently, their muscle-bound partner was easier on Brandon's backside than Wade was, at least in Brandon's opinion. It never sounded like a stroll in the park to Wade when he had to look on, but apparently…
"But, it's HIS turn," Brandon pleaded, interrupting Wade's thoughts. "I KNOW it is!"
"Now, young man. Don't make me tell you again," Wade said, pulling his belt out through the loops. Brandon's tear-filled eyes were fixed on the leather doubled over, and hanging ominously in his partner's hands. He tried to pull his eyes away so he could turn around. He waited seconds too long and Wade moved into action, turning him brusquely to face the chair. "I said to bend over. You don't want to earn any extra licks, Brandon, I assure you," Wade said.
Derrick was trying desperately not to think about what was happening, and he fidgeted uncomfortably in his seat. For some reason, it was always harder for him to be a witness than a participant. Not that it wasn't equally difficult for him to spank Brandon just like it was for Wade, but when he had to sit and listen, it was that much more heart-wrenching. It wasn't that he didn't trust Wade to handle the spanking properly, he just felt out of control with his lover in pain at the hands of his other lover. He knew they were both hurting in their own way, and he could do nothing to appease that other than wish it over with quickly.
Brandon leaned over slowly and placed both hands on the seat of the hard chair and tried to focus on the wood grain pattern.
"Do you understand why I have to spank you?" Wade asked.
A sniffling Brandon responded, "Yes, sir."
"I'd like you to tell me, please."
A high-pitched squeak escaped Brandon's lips before he spoke, "Because I disobeyed you after you told me not to go to Vegas. It was selfish and I made you both worry."
Brandon felt the tail of his shirt being lifted out of the way as Wade spoke. "That's right. I hope the next time you're faced with doing what you want or doing like we say, this spanking helps you to make the right decision."
Wade stood close enough to hold Brandon's shirt out of the way, and hold him in place while still having room to swing the belt to land it equally across both cheeks. Milliseconds later, Brandon heard the slap of the belt against his butt before the sting and burn blossomed across his butt. He tried to stay still gripping the seat of the chair hard in an effort not to reach back. It wasn't long before his feet were stomping involuntarily and he tried futilely to wiggle his hips out of the way.
"Stand still," Wade said. Brandon attempted to answer that he was trying, but it didn't come out coherently. He put more effort into staying in position, against his body's self-defensive maneuvers.
Derrick tried to look away but couldn't help but see the activity out of the corner of his eye. The only way to shut out the sight would be to close his eyes, and then the sounds would be magnified. His heart squeezed painfully for both his lovers, but especially for Brandon who was crying freely from the attack on his rear end. He mentally kept count as Wade continued to swing the belt lighting stripes of fire across Brandon's backside. Fifteen…sixteen…seventeen… Wade was waiting seconds between each lick, which only made it take longer. Brandon was sobbing hysterically by the time the 25th lick of the belt crossed his cheeks. Twenty-five with the belt was about as severe a spanking as Brandon had ever encountered at their hands. But then, this was one of the worst things he had ever done as well, as Wade so bluntly pointed out.
Wade immediately pulled Brandon to his feet and tugged him over to the empty corner in the office. Brandon's crying eyes sought his but he kept his face stern and continued to march him to the corner. He didn't say a word; there would be time for consolation later. He glanced at his watch before motioning to Derrick that they should leave Brandon to cry it out. Derrick grabbed the chair on his way through the office and returned it to its former location just before they left. Derrick caught Wade's hand before he could get far down the hallway.
"Hey," he said. Derrick pulled him into a hug and held on tightly. "Are you okay?"
Wade nodded against Derrick, appreciating his strength and support. "I'm glad it's done."
"Well, almost done," Derrick said. He pulled away and glanced toward the office door where they could still hear Brandon crying. "How long in the corner?"
"Usually 15 minutes, but this time, I think double fits. Don't you?" Wade asked.
Derrick nodded. "He probably needs a full thirty. I can't tell if he's crying more from the whipping or from being in trouble, you know?"
"Guilt is probably part of it for sure. Being punished should help that part as well as keeping him from doing it again, don't you think?"
"Definitely," Derrick agreed. "Bedroom?" Wade nodded and took Derrick's hand. They walked the short distance to their room where they could still keep an ear out for Brandon.
They sat in silence with the exception of Derrick asking for the time every five minutes or so. "How long has it been?"
"Five minutes since the last time you asked," Wade said with a scowl. Derrick listened from their bedroom door as Brandon's wails died down and he was crying now obviously from remorse and not from the immediate pain. Wade noticed the difference in the tears and he glanced at his watch again from his seat on the edge of the bed. Brandon had a little less than 10 minutes to go before the full 30 were completed.
"Has it been 30 minutes yet?" Derrick asked again impatiently from the doorway.
"Derrick," Wade said. His voice had an edge to it and Derrick didn't miss the frustration there.
"I'm sorry, Wade. I just want this over with." Wade strode over to the doorway and put his arms around the broad form of his partner. "I know. It's almost over."
"So…?"
Wade gave him an exasperated stare and said, "Ten more minutes, Derrick. Can you stand it?"
"No." Wade gave his tenderhearted partner another hug.
"You don't mind waiting when you put him in the corner," Wade pointed out with his lips near Derrick's ear.
"That's different," Derrick said with a smile.
"It certainly is. That's harder on me," Wade said with a grin. Derrick swatted Wade softly in a playful style. "Well, it IS," Wade protested.
"I'm sure," Derrick responded. "How much longer?"
"You're impossible," Wade said. "If you'd wear a watch…"
"Shut up and answer the question." Wade looked at his watch again, and several more times before the final ten minutes had elapsed.
After the agreed upon time had passed, they went back to the office where Brandon was still crying softly. Brandon had kicked his pants and underwear off at some point during the 30 minutes, and they lay in a pile on the office floor. Derrick couldn't help picking them up and folding them, mostly to distract himself. Brandon's hands were cradling his backside to soothe the sting there, and his forehead was pressed against the corner of the wall.
Wade went to him taking his hand, and settled him in his lap in one of the office chairs. Brandon's arms wound tightly around his neck and he could feel his shirt collar tighten as he gripped the back of it in his fists. Wade held him tightly and kissed his head firmly, running his hands down the back of Brandon's head. He silently held him and he could feel the heat coming off the smaller form in his lap. Brandon's body was shaking with the tears while he continued to cry against Wade's neck, and Wade waited for them to subside. He looked at Derrick over Brandon's head and found the support he was looking for. Derrick gave him a weary smile.
As the sobbing subsided, Wade struggled to pull Brandon away from him so he could see his face. Derrick brought over some tissues and handed them to Wade to clean up Brandon's face and his fingers grazed Brandon's back softly. Brandon let Wade wipe away the tears and he turned his puffy red eyes to him. "I'm really sorry I scared you. I should have thought more about it and made a better decision. Do you forgive me?"
"We forgive you, Sweetheart. We love you," Wade said. He pulled Brandon's head down and kissed him hard on the forehead, feeling the strands of his sweaty hair against his lips. He pulled him away and ran a gentle hand down the side of Brandon's face.
"I think someone else would like a hug," Wade said, indicating Derrick in the chair across the room. Brandon slipped carefully from Wade's lap and shuffled the short distance to Derrick's chair. Derrick stood to meet him and gripped him tightly.
"We love you so much. Do you know that?" Derrick whispered into Brandon's hair.
"I love you, too," Brandon said.
Derrick kissed him and continued to hold him tightly. He finally broke the embrace and said, "Why don't you go get a shower? I'm sure you feel yucky from travel and it might help you to feel better." Brandon nodded and Derrick leaned down and kissed him again before gently pushing him toward the door. Derrick's eyes followed their partner's criss-crossed bottom as he exited the doorway, and he shook his head, hating what he saw. He knew it hurt Wade more than it did him since he was the one who had to do it. He went to his other lover and hugged him tightly.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Derrick asked.
Wade sighed heavily and returned the hug. "Yeah. Regardless of what you might think, I hate to punish him. I'm glad it's done. How about you?"
"I'll survive. It's hard for me to watch. And, I never once thought you enjoyed it, by the way."
"I appreciate the support. I know it's hard to watch." Wade took Derrick's hand. They sat quietly for a few minutes and absently noticed the shower start running. Wade said, "He shouldn't be long. Want to help me whip up some dinner?"
Derrick had to smile, "You're just whipping everything today, aren't you?"
With that, the tension was broken slightly and Wade chuckled, shaking his head. He pulled Derrick to his feet from the sofa and said, "Come on before I decide to whip you next," Wade said, as his hand slipped down to Derrick's butt and gave it a gentle squeeze.
"I don't think so." He pulled Wade close and the two kissed before heading down to the kitchen. Their family was back together, safe and sound.
The end.
