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‘Why can’t I come?’ Leo sighed. Hadn’t they already been over this? Several times. ‘Because one of us has to stay at work. We can’t both go on vacation.’ Josh pouted. ‘We went before.’ ‘That was a one-off. Now stop this! You’ll be fine. You like Fox, don’t you?’ Still holding onto his sulky look, Josh nodded. Leo continued to pack his case, occasionally comparing his mental list with the contents of the case on the bed in front of him. He also considered how much of Josh’s sulkiness was more to do with the fact that he was vacationing with Catherine than the fact that Josh was staying with Skinner. He tried to think of something useful to tell Josh. ‘Behave. Skinner’s a lot less tolerant than I am.’ ‘He’s scary.’ ‘Then maybe you’ll behave better for him than you do for me.’ ‘I will.’ Leo laughed, ruffling Josh’s hair as the younger man lay on the bed, fiddling with the lock on Leo’s suitcase. ‘Yeah Dep. I wonder how long you’ll last.’ Rolling onto his back, Josh contemplated the long weekend ahead. Grumpily, he mumbled: ‘Four days.’ Leo laughed again. ‘Maybe four hours.’ Catherine arrived half an hour early, catching Leo by surprise. He looked anxiously at his watch as she walked into the bedroom, Josh following. ‘It’s okay Leo, I’m early. You carry on while I have a little chat with Josh.’ Josh followed Catherine out of the bedroom. ‘Leo tells me you’re going to be staying with Walter.’ Josh tutted. ‘Yeah.’ ‘It’ll be good for you to spend some time with someone who takes being a slave a little more seriously than you do.’ Josh was hurt. ‘I do everything Leo says.’ ‘Yeah, but you’re really a little sub in a slave’s body.’ ‘What?’ ‘The difference, Josh honey, between sub and slave is mindset. Subs can choose when they submit. Slaves can’t. Now Leo’s very, very lenient with you. If you were mine, you’d be in trouble almost all the time. But that’s his way. And it works for both of you. You could try being a little less subby. You might find it’s not as hard as you think. And I know Leo would like it if he had to think less about you all the time. Subs submit to their Dom’s will, slaves surrender to their master’s. You’re getting away with a little too much. Watch Fox carefully. You might learn something.’ Josh stared at the floor. ‘I doubt it.’ Catherine got up, a disappointed look on her face. ‘That’s sub talk Josh. No slave would ever talk back to a guest of their Master’s.’ Sighing, Josh waited until Catherine was in Leo’s room before walking into his room and packing his own bag. ***************** In their own apartment, Skinner was trying to get Fox’s attention. Ever since he’d told Fox that Josh was coming to stay, the younger man had been unable to concentrate on anything. ‘Fox! Just because I’m going to relax our usual rules a little while Josh is here does not mean you will get away with anything more than you normally would, understand?’ ‘Yes sir.’ ‘Fox, what did I just say?’ Fox looked from Skinner to the floor and then everywhere but at Skinner. ‘I’ll be good.’ Interrupted by the doorbell, Skinner sighed, shook his head and walked to the front door. ************** Crash! The vase toppled from its marble stand and shattered on the wooden flooring, scattering fragments almost the length of the hallway. Before either Fox, who had picked up the ball Josh had thrown so carelessly, or Josh, who was horrified at what he’d done, could react, Skinner was in the doorway between the dining room and the hallway. ‘What the Hell happened? Fox, get a dustpan, and clean this up. Josh, wait in your room.’ ‘It was an accident!’ Josh was unwilling to leave without making his point. ‘Josh, be quiet and go to your room. One more word, and you’ll regret it.’ When Mulder came back into the sitting room, Skinner called: ‘Josh, get out here.’ He looked up at his nervous slave. ‘Fox, corner. Now.’ Mulder walked quickly to the far end of the room and stood, nose pressed against the wall, with his back to Skinner and Josh, who was walking slowly from his room. ‘Now Josh, you have a choice. I can punish Fox and tell Leo what you did and let him punish you. Or I can punish you both now and I won’t tell Leo what you did. Well?’ Josh had heard that Skinner had been in the Marines. He certainly spoke like someone was not expecting any disagreement. ‘You mean like writing lines?’ ‘No I mean like a spanking.’ ‘Like a kid?’ ‘Oh, believe me, this won’t be like any spanking you had as a child.’ ‘Why not?’ ‘This isn’t a discussion Josh. Now decide.’ Josh looked around the room. ‘What will you hit me with?’ ‘My hand.’ Josh looked across. They were big hands. Manicured nails but with huge, lined palms. Mentally, Josh compared Skinner’s hands with Leo’s. Who had only ever hit him once, and then from instinctive anger, without meaning to. That had hurt. A lot. This was going to hurt more. But it would be over. Leo would never know. ‘Okay.’ Skinner nodded. Still angry with the two younger men, he forced himself to calm down. From what little he knew of their relationship, Skinner had heard that Leo didn’t ever hit Josh. He was going to get a shock. ‘Undress, then lay across my lap.’ Just in time Skinner remembered he’d heard from someone that Josh was sensitive about the scar from when he was shot. ‘You can keep your t-shirt on.’ Josh thought about pointing out that, since the surgery on his scar, it wasn’t exposing his upper body he was concerned about when he saw Fox’s warning look. Don’t make it worse. So he released his grip on his t-shirt and unhooked the top button of his jeans. He walked across to Skinner, suddenly aware of how powerful the man was close up. ‘Boxers Josh.’ ‘What?’ ‘Skin to skin.’ Reluctantly, Josh hooked his fingers into the waistband of his underwear. Ignoring Josh’s obvious unease, Skinner sat down on the couch. ‘I won’t make you count this time. Misbehave like that again, and you’ll count every stroke. And I won’t use my hand, okay?’ ‘Yes sir.’ ‘Well?’ Josh arranged his long lean frame across Skinner’s muscular thighs. He and Fox were of similar height and build, and Skinner easily pulled him down across his lap. ‘Why are you being punished Josh?’ ‘Because we…’ ‘Josh!’ Sulkily Josh revised his comment. ‘Because I threw a ball and broke a vase.’ Skinner stretched his arm across Josh’s lower back, his hand gripping Josh’s waist. ‘Yes. Are you sure you don’t want me to let you up and tell Leo tomorrow?’ Josh swallowed hard, feeling the muscles under his near-naked body. ‘No sir.’ ‘Very well.’ Josh tensed as Skinner’s hand came down across his butt. The stinging, burning pain covered both cheeks and left him stunned by the strength of the blow. ‘Ow!’ By the time Skinner’s hand had landed on his butt six times, Josh was squirming, tears of pain and humiliation flowing down his flushed cheeks, dripping onto Skinner’s jeans. He managed to slow his breathing a little as the pain stopped. He moved slightly, expecting to be let up. ‘Hold still.’ Josh gasped for breath between hitching sobs. ‘What?’ ‘You’re only half-way. Keep still.’ Josh twisted in Skinner’s tight grip, but couldn’t manage to pull himself upright. Skinner’s large hand wrapped around his flailing wrists, trapping both of them in one hand. ‘Let me up!’ ‘I’m not done. Now calm down and lay still.’ Angrier than he could remember being for a long time, Josh shouted: ‘Get off me!’ In stark contrast, Skinner’s voice was calm, reasonable. ‘Josh, I’m sure you want to get this over with. I know I do. Now lay still.’ His arms and waist held tightly, Josh struggled for only a few more seconds before submitting to Skinner’s superior strength and position, the fight going out of him as he slumped back down. ‘Those were for breaking the vase. These are for back-talking me earlier.’ Lost in a pain-filled haze of sobbing and incoherent pleas for Skinner to stop, Josh didn’t even realise Skinner had stopped, and was rubbing his back gently, his hand pushing Josh’s t-shirt almost to his shoulders. He was startled by Skinner’s soft voice. ‘What lesson have you learned Josh?’ ‘Wh-what?’ ‘What lessons have you learned from your punishment?’ Josh allowed himself to be lifted upright, sitting on Skinner’s knee. ‘To be careful in the house.’ Skinner decided to let that one go. ‘And?’ ‘To mind my manners.’ ‘Okay. Corner. Hands on your head. Go.’ Skinner pushed Josh off his legs, scraping Josh’s burning butt across his rough jeans, ignoring the gasp of pain as Josh got to his feet. ‘Fox. Come here.’ Half-listening to Skinner and Fox, Josh let his hands drop to his burning butt cheeks, rubbing them in an attempt to lessen the discomfort. He jumped as Skinner’s loud voice carried across the room. ‘Unless you want to take Fox’s place, Josh, you’ll keep your hands where I told you to put them.’ Josh wasn’t even aware of the muffled sobs coming from the corner of the room a few feet away from him. He was too centred on his own misery. The immediate stinging pain had subsided. Now there was a burning sensation over a background of a dull ache. It was incredibly uncomfortable, and he wondered, too late, whether he made the wrong decision. Leo would have done little more than yell at him. Loudly, and for some time. But just yelled. Not hit. ************** ‘Josh, are you all packed?’ Skinner walked into Josh’s room and looked around the half-open closets and drawers. ‘Yes sir.’ ‘Good. Leo won’t be long.’ Skinner walked across to Josh. ‘So did you learn anything this weekend?’ ‘Not to play football inside the house.’ Skinner laughed quietly. ‘Anything else?’ ‘I’m never gonna manage to be like Fox.’ Josh’s expression was so disappointed, Skinner felt sorry for the younger man. ‘Believe me, aspiring to be like Fox isn’t something you want to do.’ ‘But he’s…’ ‘He’s a better slave.’ Skinner acknowledged. ‘But everyone is different.’ ‘Catherine said I wasn’t really trying.’ ‘I agree.’ Josh looked up. ‘I am trying.’ ‘Yes, that’s it Josh. You’re trying. You’re not succeeding. Ask yourself why not.’ ‘I don’t know.’ Josh snapped. Putting a hand under Josh’s chin, Skinner forced Josh to look at him. ‘Yes, Josh, you do.’ The knock at the door interrupted them. ‘Think about it, okay?’ Despondently, Josh nodded. ‘Yes sir.’ ************ Leo looked across to Josh who was sitting miserably in the passenger seat as they drove home. ‘So Skinner told you he wouldn’t tell me, but you’re telling me anyway?’ Josh nodded. ‘Yeah.’ ‘Why?’ ‘I thought he’d tell you eventually.’ ‘He wouldn’t have.’ Josh sighed. ‘So?’ Pulling the car into the underground car park, Leo sighed. ‘You misbehaved. Skinner punished you. It’s done.’ ‘You’re not gonna punish me?’ Josh seemed genuinely surprised. Getting out of the car, Leo shook his head. ‘No.’ Picking up his holdall, Josh walked towards his room. ‘Can we have pizza for dinner?’ Leo pulled a face. ‘No!’ ‘Can we have a meal without vegetables?’ Leo stared at Josh for a long moment. ‘What do you think?’
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