Benched: Volumes 4-6 Boxed Set Page 4

  “Why would you do that? Why would you put that kind of pressure on me? I don’t want to be controlled like that.”

  “Of course you do,” Juno said, easily. “And it’s not pressure. It’s what you should be doing anyway. There’s no reason for you to act like such a fucking diva. It’s not going to get you anywhere.”

  “That’s like blackmail.”

  “I don’t think so. I’m just giving you some consequences that might actually mean something to you.”

  “You’re seriously fucked up if you don’t think this is blackmail. You’re forcing me to do something I don’t want to do.”

  “You know what, rook? I just saved you from a world of fucking pain. Getting paddled hurts, and you should be thanking me right now, instead of yelling at me.”

  “I’m not going to thank you,” Kyle ground out between his teeth.

  “Yeah, I know.”

  “I didn’t ask you to do this. I would never have asked you to do this.”

  “All you have to do is stay out of fucking trouble. Which you need to be doing anyway.”

  “I don’t want to!”

  “Too bad. Now, calm down.”

  Juno reached out for him, his hands barely brushing over his biceps before Kyle snapped, fury and frustration buzzing in his head. Juno’s chest was like a brick wall when he shoved him, barely yielding under his hands.

  “Whoa. Uh-uh. We’re not doing that.” Juno grabbed his wrists tightly and spun him around so quickly that Kyle was dizzy. Juno pulled him back against his chest, holding him tight and pinning his arms to his sides. Kyle twitched and shrugged in his hold until Juno slid his other hand under his shirt, stroking his fingers up and down his side, Kyle’s body relaxing whether he wanted it to or not. “Don’t fight me, rook. Don’t,” he warned him.

  So he fought a little more, struggled tiredly, just to prove he could.

  “So, what, you can hit me, but I can’t hit you?”

  “If it makes you feel better to say it like that, yes.”

  “This isn’t fair.”

  Juno didn’t answer, just held him tighter. After a minute, Kyle stretched out one leg until the toe of his sneaker touched the wall and he pushed off half heartedly, just succeeding in pressing their bodies closer together.

  “I know you’re mad. I know you feel like I took something away from you. But it was for your own good.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Listen to me. I’ll take care of you. I promise.”

  “You think you know me, and you don’t,” Kyle whispered. “You think you understand me.”

  “You’re right. I think I do. I know you like to feel like you’re bad. But you also like to feel special. And noticed. And loved. I know you do. If I’m wrong, tell me. Explain it to me better.”

  Kyle shook his head. The truth was, he couldn’t explain any of it. Yet, here Juno was, explaining it with no trouble at all. Defining the crack in his world that kept getting bigger, the needs that kept getting stronger.

  “You like to be able to get out of control and know someone will put you back in line. It makes you feel calm and safe and taken care of. But it doesn’t need to be Mackey who does that. It needs to be me. Because I do love you, rook. If I need to spank you every day to remind you, I’ll do it.” He paused to kiss the top of his head. “And I’ll love every second of it, too.”

  “Because it’s hot.”

  Juno kissed his way down his temple and closed his teeth around his earlobe, chuckling softly, the vibrations traveling up Kyle’s scalp. “Yeah, because it’s hot. And because you need it. I’ll find a way to give you everything you need, if you just trust me.”

  “Tell me what I need.”

  “You need a lot of fucking attention. You’re a high maintenance kid. I’m really starting to get that. You need a lot more than I’ve been giving you. But I have an idea.”

  “What kind of idea?”

  He could feel Juno’s chest rise and fall deeply behind him, once, and then again, before he finally said, “I need you to move in with me.”

  Kyle was stunned. Okay, he was practically living there already. But practically was a big word. He tried to wrap his head around the idea of mornings and nights and afternoons, and Juno’s place being his place, but it wasn’t computing. He focused instead on the strange way he’d phrased it. “You need me to?”

  “Yeah. I need you to. I want you to.” He loosened his grip and pulled Kyle around to face him, holding him gently by the arms. “You can say no if you want to— shit, are you gonna throw up?”

  Kyle shook his head, feeling mildly sick. Not nauseous, exactly, just, okay, yeah, nauseous. “No, I’m just, it’s… this is fast, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  “What if you get sick of me? You will get sick of me.”

  Juno smiled. “Rook, I’m already sick of you. It just makes me want you more.”

  Kyle snorted. “That’s true. I know it is.”

  “Do you want to pretend I didn’t ask you?”

  “No.”

  “Then don’t be a dick. Let’s go get your stuff and I’ll take you home.”

  “What happens after you take me home?”

  Juno smirked.

  “Whatever you want, rook.”

  “Anything?”

  “Mmmhmm.” Juno pulled him closer. “I’m gonna warn you, though. If you move in with me, we’re gonna have some rules.”

  “Why?”

  “Don’t pout. I know you like having rules,” he whispered. “So you can break them.”

  Kyle shuddered, Juno’s breath on his neck and words in his ear warming him inside and out.

  “What kind of rules?”

  “The usual kind. Pick up after yourself. Eat something besides junk. Make it to practice on time.”

  “That’s crazy. I don’t do any of those things.”

  “I know. Why do you think those are the rules?”

  “What happens if I break one?”

  “Do it and find out.”

  “Fuck. This is gonna be awesome.”

  * * *

  Kyle’s room was a mess of boxes and clothes, not much different than it looked earlier that morning when he wasn’t moving in with Juno. But it definitely felt different.

  “Dude, what is all this?”

  Kyle looked up from a pile of clothes he was failing miserably at folding. He clearly lacked the neatness gene, he wasn’t sure why he even tried. He was just moving them from one place to another anyway. He saw the box Juno was holding and waved his hand dismissively.

  “Junk.”

  Juno pulled a jumble of trophies out of the box with one hand.

  “You’re all OCD with my high school shit and you just throw all these in a box? Why?”

  “I don’t know. I got sick of looking at them. Anyway, they’re only good when someone’s handing it to you and everyone’s watching. After that, it’s just a piece of plastic.”

  “You’ve got issues.” Juno dropped the box on the floor and crouched down to rifle through it, pulling one out at random and laughing. “Sportmanship? Seriously? This one’s gotta be mislabeled.”

  “Shut up.”

  Kyle gave up on folding and crammed what he was pretty sure was clean laundry into a duffel bag while Juno dug deeper into the box.

  “It’s just stupid stuff, I don’t need to take it.”

  “Wait, hold on.” Juno unearthed a dark red jersey and held it up like a prize. “Is this what I think it is?”

  “My uniform.”

  “Your high school uniform?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Why do you have this?”

  “For Cooperstown. Or ebay. Whoever pays more.”

  Juno looked at him uncertainly before looking back at the jersey in his hands.

  “I’m kidding. Wow. You totally believed I was that much of a tool.”

  “Half believed.”

  “It’s my dad’s…” Kyle shook hi
s head. “I don’t know. He wanted me to bring all that stuff. It’s supposed to inspire me or something. He probably thinks it’s in a glass case somewhere.”

  Juno unfolded it, smoothing the wrinkles out. “Rattlers?”

  “Yup. Strike, Strike, Strike, Rattlers.”

  “That doesn’t really—”

  “Yeah, I know. It’s kinda confusing. I don’t write the cheers.”

  “Can you still wear this?”

  “What, you think I grew out of it? I was wearing it a few months ago.”

  “Fuck. I forget how young you are.”

  “Whatever.”

  Juno tossed the jersey at him. “Put it on.”

  “Why?”

  “Why do you think? Just put it on.”

  Kyle pulled off his tshirt and tugged the once familiar jersey on over his head. “Good?”

  “Oh, yeah. Now the pants,” Juno said, carrying the box over as he leered at him.

  “You’re hot for me in uniform,” Kyle said, eyes opening wide.

  “No kidding.”

  Juno grabbed him by the front of the jersey and yanked him forward, slamming them together with enough force to make Kyle’s body ache.

  Kyle opened his mouth to say something, anything, to push him forward, egg him on, but it wasn’t necessary. Juno pulled him in closer, reaching behind him to cup his ass in his hands, lifting him up on his toes as he mauled his mouth, nipping and thrusting in a sloppy, lecherous kiss.

  It was startling when he lifted him, just picked him up into the air, with a hand on each ass cheek, hoisting him belt high so Kyle could wrap his legs around his waist. He felt ridiculously small and powerless, and agonized over it and reveled in it at the same time until Juno dumped him onto the bed, the box of trophies crashing loudly to the floor.

  “Wow, you’re like really hot for me in uniform.”

  “That’s what I said.”

  “How’m I supposed to know that?”

  Juno shrugged. “So now you know. You have a jock?”

  “I… yeah, I should.” Kyle waved a hand in the general direction of the rest of the room. “Somewhere.”

  “I’ll find it.” Juno pointed to the ground, where the contents of the box were scattered. “Get the fucking hat.”

  He swallowed hard, and crawled across the bed to reach down for his Rattlers cap. This was definitely new. Juno, a little less laid back, a little more in charge. Dressing him, he could get into this. He liked this. But—

  “Kyle?”

  His stomach dropped. He knew instantly what had happened, that that tone of voice could only mean one thing. When he turned around, Juno was standing in front of his prefab dorm room dresser, the top drawer pulled open.

  “Yeah?”

  “What am I looking at?”

  Kyle climbed off the bed, not sure if he wanted to back away or move closer. “My underwear drawer?”

  “Mmmhmm. You know there’s some stuff in here that isn’t underwear, right?”

  “Um.”

  Juno leaned against the side of the dresser, clearly enjoying himself. “You know what? I’m just gonna stand here and watch you squirm for a little bit.”

  “I hate you.”

  Juno reached into the dresser drawer. “So, I don’t see a table in your room, but maybe you’re on some kind of team that I don’t know about? Or maybe…” he pulled the ping-pong paddle out of the drawer and spun it in his hand, like someone who’d played a lot of ping-pong. “You had some other use in mind for this?”

  Kyle hadn’t even meant to buy the thing. He’d just been trying to buy the stupid ninety dollar biology book that was still out of stock, and it had been there on an endcap, alongside a massive stack of keg cups. A net, two balls, and a couple of paddles— obviously the college bookstore’s way of selling beer pong without actually encouraging drinking. Not that you even needed most of that stuff to play beer pong. But that didn’t seem to keep them from moving a hell of a lot of units at forty-five bucks a pop. In fact, there had only been a few left.

  His face had grown red just standing there looking at it, like everyone around him knew what he was thinking. It had been after Mackey had spanked him, but before Juno— the really desperate time when he had no idea what he was doing. And he’d just wanted to feel it. To hold it in his hand and test it out, hit himself with it, just once.

  So, with ninety dollars burning a hole in his pocket— or on his parents’ credit card, more accurately— he bought the set. And the cups, to make himself feel less suspicious, blushing the whole time. But not nearly as much as he was blushing now, as Juno stood there with the paddle in his hand and an unreadable look on his face.

  “I hate you,” Kyle said again, his voice barely above a whisper.

  “See, you keep saying that. But, you don’t mean it.” Juno smiled the slow, pulse pounding, dick swelling smile that made Kyle's knees shake, and started to cross the room slowly, tapping the paddle against his hand. “You really should say what you mean, rook. I’ll help you out. It goes something like, Juno, at some point, I went out and bought a paddle. And then I kept it hidden in a drawer. And then, when you asked me this morning if the idea of getting paddled turned me on, I said no. Because I’m a liar.”

  Juno stopped in front of him, and stroked the paddle slowly down the front of his body, teasing the edge across his stomach, then turning it flat to rub it over the bulge in his jeans. Kyle dropped his head, swaying slightly on his feet as he rocked into the touch.

  “Jesus.”

  “You know what happens to liars?” Juno asked him, his voice low and playful as he drew out the words.

  “What?”

  “Take a guess.”

  He swallowed hard. Which was ridiculous, because they’d done this already, he knew how this went, except every time it was a little different. Every time, he seemed to get turned on a little more, because Juno tweaked and pushed and played with him a little more and a little more, zoning in on perfection.

  “They get spanked?” he asked, his face burning.

  “That’s a good guess. But not quite. They get paddled. And I promise you, that’s much different.”

  Kyle whimpered.

  “How embarrassed are you right now?” It was a legit question, like he wanted a number, like he wanted an answer, but all Kyle could do was nod.

  Juno lifted his hand and stroked his fingers along Kyle’s cheekbone, adding tingles on top of the growing heat. He felt exposed, and blushed even warmer, feeling the color rise until he was dizzy.

  “I’ll bet you’re hard as a rock.”

  He nodded again.

  “It’s gonna hurt, you know. More than my hand. Might even leave marks.”

  “I’m not scared.”

  Juno slid his hand down his jaw, over his neck, resting it on his chest, above his rapid heartbeat and ragged breathing. “You seem a little scared to me, rook,” he said, dropping a rough kiss on his temple. He ran his fingers through his hair, tugging gently and then harder until Kyle gasped. “So, what’s the idea here?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Why do you always get so shy on me? I know you like to get spanked. I like to spank you. It doesn’t need to be a struggle every time.”

  Kyle shrugged.

  “Oh. Does it?” he asked, curious. “Me getting it out of you, you like that. Is that it? You like me to catch you.”

  “Yeah.”

  “You really like to be played with, don’t you?”

  Kyle groaned softly as Juno stroked the paddle between his legs, up one thigh and down the other.

  “Answer me.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Here’s what we’re going to do. You’re going to put on the rest of that uniform. The cleats and the cap and the whole damn thing. Game ready. And then we’re gonna play the very naughty ballplayer gets his ass paddled. Just the way you obviously want.”

  * * *

  He felt completely ridiculous. He hadn’t changed into a uniform at ho
me since, well, little league, probably. His hands shook as he dressed, watching himself in the bathroom mirror as he stripped down and pulled on his jock. The lower straps rode right against his sorest spots, rubbing the raw flesh between his butt and thighs. He rubbed his ass, which was barely pink now, wondering if the paddle would really leave marks, if it was as vicious at Juno warned him it was. God, he hoped so.

  Without a cup to keep him in place, he could barely keep himself stuffed inside his jock. He was so hard, his dick kept trying to work itself out the front. Something about keeping himself compressed that way appealed to him, though. Cock trapped and nerve endings tingling, even more snug when he pulled up his uniform pants.

  It was a shock to see himself in his old uniform again, the old color, the old number. Only the cap felt right, so beat up and worn in from wearing it day after day for years. The rest of it already felt unfamiliar, seemed more like a costume than something that had been such a big part of him.

  It was some kind of subliminal thing, he was sure, how he suddenly felt so young, like the Rattler emblem on his chest was somehow way more juvenile than the Panther he wore now. He didn’t quite see himself when he looked in the mirror, he saw the uniform he’d been wearing when he was fourteen— a freshman just as cocky as the freshman he was now. Who maybe wouldn’t be quite as cocky in a few minutes.

  * * *

  “This is, like, really porny,” Kyle said, opening the bathroom door.

  Juno had obviously been waiting for him, which was surprising, almost as surprising as his reaction when he saw him come out fully dressed.

  “Okay, that’s fucking hot as hell.” Juno’s gaze crawled over him slowly, so intensely Kyle could feel it. He could get used to this kind of attention.

  “You have like a total uniform fetish or something.”

  “Can you blame me? Jesus, look at you. Come here.”

  Kyle tried not to strut across the room, and failed miserably, but Juno didn’t even tease him. Instead, his hands wandered over his body greedily, groping his cock, kneading his thighs, slipping his fingers between the buttons of his jersey to stroke his skin. Then he laughed. “You’re right. This is pretty porny. Too much?”

  Kyle shook his head. “No way.”