Twisted Moon - Book 3 of the Black Moon series - Chapter 12: Authority
(Camden's POV - Mon. 2 March 2015)
Calm down, Cam... Just calm the fuck down! It seems likes this is going to be my new mantra. This boy is already wearing on me and I don't think that this is going to get any better since I proposed him to stay at my place while he recovers. I don't have any regret doing this because I really want to help him as much as I can, but damn! This is not going to be easy to reign myself in.
Leaving home so soon, I will probably be too early for my appointment with Joshua at his office, but I just couldn't stay any longer with Noah getting so curious all of a sudden. I don't really mind him asking questions; the honesty I am expecting from him shall be reciprocal and I am more or less willing to satisfy his prying. However, there was that weird little sparkle in his eyes and some sort of tension in his voice that suddenly made me feel a bit uncomfortable; something that I wasn't able to pinpoint at that moment and which led me to think that there was a hidden purpose behind the boy's questions. But this is not the only thing that made me uneasy.
I can't believe that he is into self-harm because he needs physical pain. I mean, this is something that I can easily conceive... For fuck's sake, I have been dealing with masochists for several years now and I can understand them as much as I understand those who need to inflict the pain. I have often discussed with masochistic Subs at the club, either during their training or even after scenes while I provide aftercare. In reality, they are not much different that the regular Subs; they aim at surrendering their powers to a Dominant who will take control over their life, take care of all their concerns and responsibilities and guide them toward a better life. This is a way for them to get relieved of all the pressure by allowing other people to decide for them. When they let someone else take the commands, they just feel like they only have to follow their lead and it makes life easier for them.
For the masochistic Subs, the concept is the same, except that they need the pain to manipulate their attention in a more effective manner; pain acts as an immediate means to focus on their Dominant's commands and the sensations that it engenders help them to reduce this self-awareness they want to give up. However, even if some of them were into self-harm before they joined the lifestyle, none of the Subs at the club seek harm or injuries anymore. They need to feel physically hurt, but not harmed and this is what Noah needs to figure out. I can understand that he needs the pain to soothe his anguish or sadness and that he uses it as a coping mechanism that provides a temporary relief from torments or whatever makes him loathe himself, but injuries are not necessary in that matter; and this is one thing that I want to help him with.
However, things won't be so easy with Noah because he is not a Submissive of the club and I can't help him the way I would with a Sub. As a sadistic Dominant, I would never accept to harm or injure any of them. I do like to hurt these boys - which is fine in the sense that they need this pain to reach their peace of mind or to relieve their conscious - but I would never hurt them to the point that they get permanent marks. This is something very clear in all the Doms' minds - may they be Sadists or not. Any abusive Dominant who doesn't respect these rules would immediately get punished for their inacceptable behavior and see their membership terminated should this happen on a regular basis.
I have met a few Subs at the Black Diamond who used to verse into safe-harm; once under the control of a Dom, they were able to withdraw from this disorder, but I can't apply the same methods to Noah for obvious reasons. For one, he is not a Submissive, much less mine and probably too young to get into the lifestyle. I cannot tie him up and flog him until he feels relieved from his anxiety; or fuck him hard into oblivion. That's completely out of the question! The only aspect I could use is to exert my authority over him and I well intend to do that; and I need to help him to find other coping mechanisms than cutting into his skin.
Although I took my time driving downtown and even got stuck into some traffic jams on the way, I am still half an hour early when I take the ramp to the underground parking lot beneath the Pierce building and park my car in one of the spots reserved for visitors. It is only my third or fourth time here - well, I usually don't visit Josh in his office, right? - but once again, I truly appreciate the elegance of the construction and its beautiful hall as I walk out of the elevator and to the reception desk to announce myself.
"Good morning, I'm Camden Hall. I'm here to see Mr. Pierce, but I'm a bit early," I state to the young receptionist.
"Good morning, Sir. I'll inform his assistant," she replies politely as she picks up her phone. "Hi Ally! Mr. Hall is here to meet Mr. Pierce..."
".........."
"I will let him know, thank you!" she then says, hanging up the phone. "Mr. Pierce will be available in a few minutes. You can take the elevator to your right, using this code, and go to the twenty-first floor, Sir," she then tells me kindly, putting a little note on the counter.
I thank her and make my way to the lifts, calling what I know to be Joshua's private elevator. My friend, being a freaking billionaire, could live a much more extravagant life than he actually does. He certainly has a beautiful mansion, nice cars, a housekeeper and a chauffeur, but he is not one of those haughty wealthy people who think the sun shines out of their asses; probably the result of hanging out with middle class people like Mark, Aaron or me. However, the man doesn't like to waste his time, so this is not surprising that he has his own elevator that takes him directly to the right floor without having to stop at all of them. When I reach the 21st, I am met with a blushing Liam who is just about to step into another lift. I know that Liam doesn't work on that floor anymore and as we briefly greet each other before the doors slide shut, I wonder what he was doing here. Well, I can easily guess by the discreet smirk on Joshua's face. Shaking my head, I ignore my friend who is waiting for me by the entrance of his office and first stop by his personal assistant's desk to greet her.
"Hi Ally! How are you doing?"
"Hi Mr. Hall, I'm doing good, thank you! How are you doing?" she says warmly. I sometimes get to talk to her on the phone when Josh needs some appointments with me or when I can't reach him on his mobile phone, but it has been a long time since I last saw her and I can tell that maternity has made her look even more glowing and beaming.
"I'm all good. How's your son doing?"
"Oh, he's doing wonderfully well! He's growing like a green bean and you wouldn't tell that he had such serious issues when he was born..." she says with a chuckle.
"Good to hear!" I reply with a warm smile.
"I don't have all day, Mr. Hall..." Joshua says with mock irritation.
"I'm early, so don't act like we're running late..." I reply, rolling my eyes at him.
"You could have made an effort and worn a suit..." he then teases me, looking at my casual clothes and taking a step back to let me in before he shuts the door. "But you trimmed your beard, that's a nice effort!"
"Screw you, Josh, I'm not your employee and I'm going to work afterward. I'd love to see you manipulate some patients all tied up in one of your beautiful business suits!" I reply and we both laugh. "By the way, what was the elegant Liam doing here?" I then ask as we take a seat at a round table. The smirk instantly gets back on his face.
"We're having lunch out together in about an hour, and I won't have much time to prepare him for a quickie in the restrooms, so... the plug will do it for me," he replies with a grin of satisfaction.
"Oh God... you're impossible..." I sigh, yet chuckling as images of a poor Liam wriggling on his desk chair form in my head.
"Come on, Cam! He loves it!" Joshua exclaims.
"That's just so not ethical..." I laugh, knowing that Josh doesn't really care about ethics as far as Liam is concerned. "And how do you explain Liam's visits to your office to his boss and Ally?"
"Easy. Just need to discuss private matters," he scoffs, clearly happy with himself. "It doesn't happen that often, don't worry!"
"Yeah, sure... Not more than once a day..."
For the next hour, Joshua and I discuss about the possibility of settling an osteopath and physiotherapy practice on the second floor of his building; he has already consulted his teams and this would require a bit of works on this unoccupied floor, as well as the implementation of a separate elevator that would only go to that floor. All in all, this looks feasible but a bit complicated to me. The goal is not for him to start huge modifications into his building, but patients definitely can't be allowed to the other levels of the company.
This is why he also suggests another option that sounds much more reasonable. His company is currently working on a brand new building in The Loop, even better situated and that should be completed by the end of next spring; the owner is an investor who intends to rent full or half floors to different companies, and it seems like we could share one with a dental practice. Huge advantage, this is going to be one of the rare constructions with an underground parking in Chicago. That option sounds much better considering that one, the building is on Monroe Street, which will be easier for us to move and that shouldn't be too much of a change for our clientele; and second, as much as I love Josh like a brother, I am not sure I want to see his face every damned day!
In the end, Joshua proposes another appointment with his second in command, Allan Brightman, who is absent at the moment. I know Allan quite well since he and Josh have been friends since their university years and I have met him a few times at our common friend's place for dinners or brunches. He should be able to provide me with plans of the building as well as the investor's contact details so that my colleagues and I can finalize an agreement with him.
After a quick stop by a deli to get my lunch, I finally make it to my practice and discuss these opportunities with Sarah and Ethan who, as I expected, have a preference for the building on Monroe Street rather than the Pierce building. I just have enough time to eat my sandwich before my first patient of the day arrives at noon; a special patient I should say since this is my friend Mark.
As soon as he walks into my office, I can tell that the man is tired and stressed. I wasn't expecting any less since he was already tense last Saturday night that the club and asked me for an appointment. I can't believe that it was less than forty-eight hours ago that I saw him at the Black Diamond before I took Chris to my private room. So many things have happened in so little time!
"Jeez, look at all these knots in your back!!" I exclaim, brushing my hands on Mark's back once he has undressed and lied down on the massage table. "Some work to get done..."
"I wouldn't be here if that wasn't case, dumbass!" he groans as I start to press my fingers on some stiff muscles.
"Grumpy much today... What's gotten you so stressed? Is that the boys or just work?" I ask.
"Pretty much both, I would say..." he sighs.
"Alright, let's start with work... You said that the restaurants work well, so what's wrong there?"
Mark owns some successful and very nice restaurants in Chicago. One is the classy Le Marais which serves typical French gastronomy and the others are a chain of expensive fast-foods - although he hates the classification of fast-food - that cater delicious varieties of French cheese with baguette and good wines. He opened another of these in Boston and is planning to expand them throughout the northeast cities of the United States and Canada maybe. He also owns a restaurant in Philadelphia, the first one he ever opened, and another one in New York that he is about to sell.
"Everything's working well, I'm just trying to finalize the sale of Le Louvre in New York and it's taking more time than I would have thought... Ouch!!!!"
"Sorry, there was a big knot here... So what's the deadline for that one?"
"If everything goes as planned, I should be in New York to sign the documents and finalize the transaction on the 19th of March..." he sighs.
"That's all good then!" I cheer, wondering why he sounds so anxious about the two or three million dollars he is going to make out of the sale.
"Yes, and then, I'll be able to focus on the chain of Wine & Cheese Bars. I just hope I don't make a fucking mistake on that..." he comments thoughtfully.
"Mark, stop stressing! The first three ones are already running well! Why wouldn't it work in other cities?" I try to reason him. What the hell is going on with his usual self-confidence?
"Oh I don't think that it's not gonna work... It's just a lot of pressure to find the perfect locations."
"And you have all the time in the world to find the right places. It's not as if you were in a hurry and running short on cash..."
"Yeah, I know... You're right. It's a long-term project anyway," he eventually admits.
"How are your parents doing?" I then ask while my hands move onto his shoulders.
"They're doing great! They have completely gotten used to their retired status now; even my father starts enjoying the quietness of his days!" he replies more cheerfully.
"And his heart?"
"All good! The doctor says that the pacemaker is doing its job perfectly, and anyway, now that he has stopped working, the muscle doesn't get strained so much anymore."
"See!? This is all good news!" I exclaim, adding a little pressure on a knot on the lower side of his neck.
"Oh fuck, Cam! That hurt!" he shouts, making me chuckle silently.
"Oh shut up! A little pain's not gonna kill you and you'll feel much better after that! How's it going with the boys by the way?"
"Pretty good..." he grumbles.
"That's not very convincing... Is Shannon causing you some troubles?"
"No, not Shan, for once! I'm just worrying a bit about Alex..."
"Is it still that cook of yours at Le Marais flirting with him?"
"Partly yeah... That certainly pisses me off, but I trust Alex, so I don't worry too much about his loyalty, even if I feel like punching that dumbass of Richard each time he ogles him," he scoffs. "What worries me is that I find Alex a little... too quiet at the moment. He'd made big progress on opening up and I find that he recesses a bit now."
"Isn't communication one of your favorite rules anymore?" I ask with sarcasm. Mark only swears by communication; he believes that talking can solve most of the problems in a relationship and he is probably right about that.
"Yes it is, but Alex is a bit difficult with that. Even if I try to worm some information out, he still manages to stay in his shell and to avoid conversations that go into too much detail. And he's fucking good at evading!"
"You're the Dominant, Mark. Force him to talk if you feel that something's wrong..." I remind him.
"I don't feel like there's anything wrong at the moment; I just wish he would talk more on his own accord but I'm afraid that it's just not in his temper. I just have a feeling that he sometimes withholds things and when I ask, he just changes the subject and makes sure that he looks like everything is alright."
"If it goes on, you should just have a serious conversation with him..." I finally advise as I am taking care of the last knots.
"Yeah I will... You're sure you're not tempted to take care of a Sub at some point?" he then asks with heavy sarcasm. "As you can see, it can be so much fun!"
"Thank you, but no thank you! I'm not ready for that..." I grumble.
"Oh come on Cam!! You and Aaron should settle down..."
"You're only saying this because you don't want to lose the bet you and Josh made..." I chuckle.
"Yep, maybe... but I swear that it can be fun sometimes. You do get used to have someone living with you and sharing your bed, you know?"
"Yeah!! You got so well used to it that you even took a second someone to share your bed! Your dick's gonna end up completely wrinkled with so much sex!"
"Don't worry about my dick... It's doing perfectly fine!" he shows off.
Once Mark has left, I continue my day with nearly twenty more patients until it is finally time to head back home. The weather is awful and it is almost eleven when I finally reach Lisle, exhausted by this long day. As soon as I open the front door, a little ball of fur runs to me, skidding on the tiled floor on his way, wagging his tail and sticking out his long tongue in happiness. Jess scratches his little paws and whimpers while I hang my coat in the closet, and I bend down to take him in my arms. The little puppy immediately starts squirming, trying to lick my face.
"Stop that! As much as you're a male, I don't like dogs licking my face!" I scold him and he just nudges his head against my shoulder. I wasn't expecting him to still be downstairs when I'd get home so I am a little bit surprised. Noah was supposed to go to bed early, but I find him asleep on the couch. I go to the kitchen and see that he must have skipped dinner since there are not that many dishes in the dishwasher, so I put the dog back on the floor and head back to the living room.
"Noah... Noah..." I whisper, gently shaking his shoulder until he finally cracks an eye open.
"Hmmm..."
"What are you still doing here? You should be sleeping in bed... Have you had dinner?" I ask him, leaning back up and towering him from my height.
"No... Was waiting for you..." he says sleepily.
"I told you not to wait for me!" I scold him, giving him the bad eye. "Come on, get up. I'll prepare you something to eat now." I turn around and go to the kitchen where I heat up some soup in the microwave. Noah soon joins me here, still half-asleep, and almost falls off when he tries to hoist himself on a stool at the counter. "Look how tired you are now! When I tell you to sleep early, I would expect you to do so, Noah," I scold him again as I bring our bowls with the warm beverage to the counter and sit across from him.
"I still slept early in the end..." he mumbles in a barely audible voice but I still get to hear him and his relative insolence makes me tense. Calm down, Cam! Tired as you are, it's not a good time to start a fight.
"Did you change the bandage after you showered?" I ask after a long moment of silence. Noah takes the time to empty his bowl before he answers.
"I didn't take any today... will do tomorrow..."
"Not tomorrow... And since you're done eating, go get a shower now and I'll have a look at the cuts in a few minutes."
"That's fine... I can do this tomorrow..." he sighs, annoyance clear in his tone, making me a little more tense.
"My home, my rules, Boy!! You're not on the streets, so you can clean up at least once a day!" I reply a bit harder than I expected and that makes him somewhat stiffen.
"Yourenotmyfather..." he mutters to himself. Unluckily for him, I do hear what he says and this time, I am really losing my patience.
"I may not be your father, but if you are to stay under my roof - and believe me, you will - you'd better go by my rules, young man!" I growl at him.
"Or what...?" he defies me, chuckling at the same time. Please God help me! I can't even tell him that if he doesn't obey, he will end up over my lap, bare-ass and with a spanking! Authority, Camden! Authority! That's all you are allowed! The Dominant in me straightens on his stool, muscles all strained and I bet that my scowl must be speaking for my mood because Noah cowers a little.
"Trust me, you don't want to know! Now go take your shower and I'll see you in your room in a few minutes," I order. He blinks at me for a few seconds and then hops off his stool. "Did Jess have dinner?" I then ask a bit more softly.
"Yes, he did and I already walked him..." he mumbles, picking up the dog from the floor and leaving.
Shaking my head, I make a quick task of clearing the table and stop by the laundry room to see if Noah took care of his clothes. Well apparently he did wash them but forgot to put them in the dryer, so I open the washing machine and transfer the wet clothes into the other appliance. Doing this, I realize that all his clothes are really worn out. All his briefs have holes, and the same goes with his socks and the two pairs of jeans. Since I finish early tomorrow, I should have time to stop by the mall and buy him some stuff. I also need a collar and a leash for the puppy. I should send Noah to the hairdresser too. A haircut would do him some good and that would make him go out to take some fresh air as well.
Once I am done down there, I quickly lock all the doors and head upstairs where I stop by the bathroom to get the first-aid kit. I find Noah lying on his bed, dressed in the pair of sweat pants and one of the tee-shirts I gave him, and Jess is already sleeping on his master's sweater on the floor. Good! That's something he understood at least!
"Let me have a look," I command and he slightly pulls up the tee-shirt. He has already removed the old bandage and I can see that the three recent cuts are healing pretty well. I apply some disinfecting lotion and stick a new band-aid over the wound. "It's all good..." I say, pulling down the tee-shirt and getting up from the bed. "Have a good night now!"
"What time are you working tomorrow?" he asks shyly, yawning widely.
"I'm starting at ten and I'll finish earlier than today. I should be home by seven or eight," I reply from the entrance of the bedroom, switching off the light.
"Okay... good night!"
"Good night..."
"Camden...?" he then calls out just as I am about to shut his door.
"Yes...?"
"Can you leave the door slightly open please?" he asks in a small voice.
"Sure..."
"And Camden...?"
"Yes?"
"Thank you... for all the things you're doing for me..." he whispers, his eyes brimming with tears. My heart constricts at seeing all this sadness on his face. Life seems to have been such a bitch with this young man! A little smile tugs at his lips though, softening his features greatly.
"You're welcome..." I reply with a chuckle before I walk to my bedroom.
After a quick shower in my own bathroom, I go to lie down on my bed, trying to relax before I fall asleep. I realize that I haven't felt so responsible for a person's future in a long time and as my mind slowly drowses off, I think about Sony; my younger brother is the last person I really had to take care of. I wonder where he may be now... Does he still live with my mother, wherever she took him? Or has he built a life of his own? Does he sometimes think of me? Does he even remember that he has an older brother? Plenty of questions to which I have no answer, unfortunately. However, I don't let my mind dwell on these thoughts for too long because they already bug me often enough; instead I let myself fall into a deep slumber... until I am woken up by a shrilling scream.
Published on 9 Apr 2017
If you're wondering when Aaron, Mark and Josh will find out about Noah (since I've been asked), I would suggest you reread chapter 47 and 48 of I Was Shooting For The Moon and look at the dates ;)