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    Andr0gene
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Stories posted in this category are works of fiction. Names, places, characters, events, and incidents are created by the authors' imaginations or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual persons (living or dead), organizations, companies, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you. 

The Butler - 20. Chapter XX

After having gained an EDITOR (yay!), I was encouraged to adapt a new format. "Line spacing 'r' us" is something I never bothered with, so I apologize for this and thank T for his direction towards the light! You will be seeing the new chapters in this new format from now on, and I will go back, editing the other chapters (and at some point also the other stories, which will be a MAJOR task, blech/bah/brrr) and give you a correctly spaced and readable little fantasy I dreamed up so long ago.

Stretching my legs, I set my feet on the sand and rose, taking a few steps toward the waterline. I could feel his eyes in my back. Turning around, I sought his gaze.

"Did it ever occur to you," I said with some difficulty, "to just start a conversation? Like normal people?" He didn't say anything, just kept eye contact. "Show interest? Ask me on a date? You know; get to know me? Or is any of that unavailable in your world?"

Rising, he shoved his hands deep in his pockets but he never looked away. “Would you have?”

“Back then? Before you were a complete and utter jackass, you mean?”

I sighed, blowing out a breath. “Probably,” I then admitted. “Yes. You were so different, then. Engaging, open, passionate.” Tilting his head a bit, he regarded me curiously.

“So I wasn’t the only one who was interested, when we first met, was I?” When I didn’t respond right away, he came over to where I stood, his gaze searching. “Was I?”

“That Greg was someone who would’ve been great to get to know,” I answered, evasively. He stilled.

“He’s right here,” he then replied, softly. I knew what he was doing and any sane person would've stepped back. Give some rebuke. But I didn’t step back and whatever came out of my mouth, a rebuke wasn't it. A very inelegant croak did, but nothing else. His hand came up and hesitated a second; then the back of his fingers touched my cheek. “Chris, I am still that man. A man who still would very much like to get to know you. And for you to get to know him. Warts and all.”

“That’s not fair, using my own words against me.”

“It’s late in coming, but they’re good words to use. Get to know the real me. Start over…”

“And forget all about the past six years? You treated me like shit, intimidated me; forced me to do something I didn't want to do and used my past against me, threatening to...God, Greg...not okay." His thumb gently stroked at the corner of my eye when emotion got the better of me.

“How about forgive?” he asked. “No, that was not okay and no apology will correct it. You never accepted it, when I did apologize. But could you forgive?”

“And forget?” I countered, finally finding the control over my feet and taking a step back, using the palms of my hands to wipe my eyes.

“I’m not asking you to forget; much of what I’ve done and said went much too far to forget but I’d like to be forgiven.”

“Why?”

“To start over and begin again, as should have happened six years ago. You once said you got a second chance and jumped at it...” He looked down for a few long seconds and then raised his head. His eyes were very clear. “I’d like a second chance. And do it right, this time.”

Of all the things he could have said…

Inhaling deep, I closed my eyes for a second, shaking my head to clear it. Then I met his, still clear, unblinking and expectant. I barely nodded and let the words come.

“I forgive you.”

**********

"The Sound of Music."

We were walking back to the inn, having spent the last five minutes in complete silence. I guess we were both in deep thought; I was. My brain was a maelstrom of thoughts; where would we go from here? What was he thinking about?

It was pretty clear his own thoughts were also occupying him and at times it felt like he wanted to say something, turning slightly towards me much like I at times did to him, almost saying something but then thinking the better of it. Then I latched on to something and it wouldn’t let go so I had to say it. And see his expression turn to puzzled.

"You read it on that day, didn't you? Your father’s letter, when we watched it?"

He nodded. "Yes. You have a good memory. How did you know?"

“Something you said back there, where we left the wreckage of us,” I answered, jerking my thumb over my shoulder. “I don’t ever want to go back there. Too much pain.”

A corner of his mouth turned upwards. “I do. I’ll always go back there.”

“Masochist,” I muttered softly under my breath.

It caused him to softly laugh. “What did I say? I said a lot of things.”

“That I hadn’t accepted your apology. I was thinking about it, and that was the day you had to have read it because something changed. You changed.

"Ah. Yes, you finally yielded to me.”

What the… “You took control!”

“And you accepted it.”

“But…”

“No, Chris,” he cut in, “you accepted it. You didn’t like it, but you accepted my control.” I thought back hard. Had I? “I asked you to share, you decided to throw a hissy fit, so I put my...”

“I do not throw hissy fits,” I huffed, interrupting him. That earned me a ‘oh please’ look. “Fine. I threw a hissy fit. It’s not every day someone takes your toys away.”

“Your toys,” he repeated, snickering. “How did you feel, when I did that?”

“Angry, at first...”

“At first?”

“Well, yeah. I mean, I’d been doing all of it for six years. Kinda hard to give it up, from one day to the next. The way you went about it was so…final. But, after a while; I dunno, it was kind of nice, not having to worry or try to do ten things at once.”

“Exactly. You yielded.” I flared up again. That word just...set me off but he stopped me when he saw me react. “Nuh-uh. You yielded. You accepted my dominance over you.”

“Even then?”

“Especially then. I put my foot down and you finally stopped resisting.”

I swallowed and slowed to stop, a realization dawning on me. The way he viewed the world around him…I was out of my depth. I'd done several things in the past but never an official...

“Greg, do you...am I….so right now…”

He frowned. He must’ve seen something in my expression because he halted as well and came right over. “Chris? What’s wrong...” I got completely flustered by now, my brain working overtime.

“Chris?”

“W-when I said I forgave you, and agreed t-to start over, did I submit?”

And for the second time in as many months, the first time being when he saw me shy away from a phone on vibrate, I saw Greg laugh out loud.

Edited 04/18/2018: redid the spacing + small correction.
Copyright © 2018 Andr0gene; All Rights Reserved.
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Stories posted in this category are works of fiction. Names, places, characters, events, and incidents are created by the authors' imaginations or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual persons (living or dead), organizations, companies, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you. 

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Chapter Comments

Good chapter but I liked the old spacing better, at least on my laptop it was easier to read.   I wonder what other think.  

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20 minutes ago, ltc_fireman said:

Good chapter but I liked the old spacing better, at least on my laptop it was easier to read.   I wonder what other think.  

I agree with both comments..great chapter and preferred the old spacing both on laptop and phone.

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After some thought, I edited out the negative part of my comment because it wasn’t constructive, just generalized bitching. LOL I left what really matters:

 

This format is actually harder to read. Please consider returning to the way you did it before.

 

Thank you for posting, especially during such a busy work week.

Edited by Geemeedee
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D'oh!!  Mild as far as cliffhangers go but equally frustrating, ☺️.

I'm officially addicted to this story. (awaiting the next chapter with bated breath) 😳

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Great chapter. Chris is understanding his role in this partnership. The act of submission is not giving up control. It’s trusting your partner to know what you need. Bringing peace and contentment. As a couple and individually.

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5 hours ago, ltc_fireman said:

Good chapter but I liked the old spacing better, at least on my laptop it was easier to read.   I wonder what other think.  

 

5 hours ago, mfa607 said:

I agree with both comments..great chapter and preferred the old spacing both on laptop and phone.

 

5 hours ago, Geemeedee said:

This format is actually harder to read. Please consider returning to the way you did it before.

 

Yay, it's Fixed ! :2thumbs:

Edited by Timothy M.
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The old format was much better, Greg suffers from correctable issues arising from being a second son and he needs to be brought to heel. He is a walking bag of psychological issues that are easily corrected. And as I stated, with an oak 2 x 4 or any other handy object. Greg needs to learn his true position. All of his actions are screaming out to be put in his place. 

 

 

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3 hours ago, Timothy M. said:

It's because he only did the first part of @Myr's instructions on line spacing. I didn't manage to tell him before he went to sleep.  :( It'll be fixed when he gets up later today. He wanted to get the chapter out there even though it was 1 am his time zone. 

 

 

No, 1pm. I returned at 8am, have to go in again at 10pm. I just woke after some good 5 hrs, lol. I'm sorry about the format, people! It'll be corrected!

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24 minutes ago, Andr0gene said:

 

No, 1pm. I returned at 8am, have to go in again at 10pm. I just woke after some good 5 hrs, lol. I'm sorry about the format, people! It'll be corrected!

 

Ah, sorry, my mistake. Glad to know you had some sleep at least. :hug: 

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1 hour ago, Andr0gene said:

heh, I will be going back for stage 2: my nap before work. ;) 

Sounds like my sleep schedule. Good to know I'm not the only one with a crappy work schedule:P

I am impressed you can do the writing with such a fabulous schedule. I can barely look for a new job with mine.

Great story. Keep it up!

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6 hours ago, BlindAmbition said:

Great chapter. Chris is understanding his role in this partnership. The act of submission is not giving up control. It’s trusting your partner to know what you need. Bringing peace and contentment. As a couple and individually.

Thank you for this comment. I know little about D/s, and this helped clarify some things for me.

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7 hours ago, BlindAmbition said:

 The act of submission is not giving up control. It’s trusting your partner to know what you need. Bringing peace and contentment. As a couple and individually.

THIS is why I give Greg the side eye. Nothing he has done or said lets us know that he puts Chris first. It’s about what Greg wants and what Greg needs and how Greg thinks a relationship should go. Why would anyone want to put their life, basically, in his hands? I look forward to seeing how this goes.

Edited by Geemeedee
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15 minutes ago, Geemeedee said:

THIS is why I give Greg the side eye. Nothing he has done or said lets us know that he puts Chris first. It’s about what Greg wants and what Greg needs and how Greg thinks a relationship should go. Why would anyone want to put their life, basically, in his hands? I look forward to seeing how this goes.

Exactly how I feel. My opinion is not about D/s relationship or to be generalised, it's about Greg and Chris in this story. I didn't see a caring man that wants to take care of another, even if in a controlling way, and I didn't see Chris talking and deciding to to put in trust and control in Greg. Yes, Chris might not be aggressive dominant, might enjoy pleasing people, and admitted that he needed a rough partner in bed. But he was described as confident man in a terrible situation. Barely out of his teens he was living in the streets and selling himself, no hope or safety need. One might even imagine that he either doesn't have family or was abandoned by them. And what I saw was a spoiled powerful man, much older than him, that for six years humiliated him, and was not above using physical violence, threats and sexual assault to get what he wants. One that forces Chris hand and laughs at his discomfort. Forget about control, he didn't care about Chris' wants or needs, he looked to him and decided "you are mine". I don't think it is strange at all that Chris surrendered some control while they life together, one can go to extremes to mentally protect oneself and keep some sense of normality (that's what some cheated wives and violence victims do), since he doesn't have more options (it's kind of hard chosing other path, after the threats of never getting a job as butter again). However, I don't think Greg is beyond redemption, just found it hard that it would be with Chris. But hey, this is a story so that mind all end up happy :lol:

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6 hours ago, Geemeedee said:

THIS is why I give Greg the side eye. Nothing he has done or said lets us know that he puts Chris first. It’s about what Greg wants and what Greg needs and how Greg thinks a relationship should go. Why would anyone want to put their life, basically, in his hands? I look forward to seeing how this goes.

I disagree. Although, I see how you think that.

The beginning interactions of a Dom and sub is like a dance. Those personalities search each other. They connect through verbal, visual and physical cues. Chris has shown he is drawn to Greg.  Greg has asked if he could be forgiven. He gave Chris control there. He’s attempting to put them equal again.

A Dom is a nurturer in nature. Chris said he felt better when not having to do 10 things at once after yielding household control to Greg. That put Chris first. It released him of pressure and anxiety. It’s a gift to make your partners life easier, by making the tough decisions.

I do agree that he was not a nice person and was initially controlling by threats and intimidation. That’s why I said something a few chapters back before some changes. Dom/sub have no relation to Master/slave.

Edited by BlindAmbition
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3 minutes ago, BlindAmbition said:

I disagree. Although, I see how you think that.

The beginning interactions of a Dom and sub is like a dance. Those personalities search each other. They connect through verbal, visual and physical cues. Chris has shown he is drawn to Chris. Greg has asked if he could be forgiven. He gave Chris control there. He’s attempting to put them equal again.

A Dom is a nurturer in nature. Chris said he felt better when not having to do 10 things at once after yielding household control to Greg. That put Chris first. It released him of pressure and anxiety. It’s a gift to make your partners life easier, by making the tough decisions.

 

I was busy with a response but this one pretty much covers it. I'll add; many points touched upon will be addessed in the coming chapters. 😉

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Greg has admitted his mistakes and asked for Chris to forgive him. He has basically told Chris he's the only man in the world for him and he's willing to do anything to gain his trust and love. Chris recently noticed how Greg is the one to try and mend matters when they have a disagreement, no matter who is at fault. To be sure, they still have a long way to go before they can have a romantic relationship, and Greg has to show more of the original man Chris met and was attracted to.

Let's not forget that in the six years gone by, Greg only visited his father a few times, so the two main interactions of Greg and Chris were the original meeting and the disaster right after Greg's father died. Chris may recall Greg being nasty during those six years, but he'll soon have many months of Greg trying to win his regard to set against it. 

And there was one huge advantage to Greg turning his back on Chris six years ago. Chris has had six wonderful years with Mr. Montgomery, maturing and becoming a man who can stand up to Greg and hold his own. They would not have had an equal relationship back then, but they may be able to now. Greg has suffered a lot more anguish during those six years than Chris, which serves him right, and he'll always have to live with the fact his mistake cost him his father's approval.

I don't know much about D/s relationships, but as far as I understand the sub has as much control as the Dom, just in a different way. I think that's why Greg laughed at the end, because in fact Chris was very much in control at the moment he decided to forgive Greg. What is the saying: To err is human, to forgive divine ?

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On 3/26/2018 at 8:06 AM, Timothy M. said:

What is the saying: To err is human, to forgive divine ?

 

That's....astute. And very much what this story is. Look past Greg, and look to Chris instead, as the redeeming factor for Greg. Very astute indeed. :) 

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I LOVED this chapter.  On some level you truly seem to understand the D/s relationship in a way that so many that write about it don't.  You have done an excellent job of conveying so much with a refreshing take on an ago old subject matter.

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