Bondage doesn't solve everything: a Kelvin/Keefe romance

The scene was especially intense tonight.  Kelvin, Keefe's boyfriend -- and for tonight, Master -- had him chained to a St. Andrew's cross, wearing a gigantic slave collar, the biggest in his collection, making it hard to breathe.  The nastiest alligator-clamps on his nipples.  And he was using a rider's crop on him!  

"Ow!" Keefe had subbed in a lot of BDSM scenes, back in the old days when he was Baby Queef, a performance artist at the Club Sinister, but he had never been into the pain part.   How about something fun, Babe, like edging me, or forcing me to do oral?   

"Ow!"  But Kelvin was new to BDSM, and not really good at reading his signals.  He wasn't even experienced in vanilla sex.  What do you expect from someone who grew up as the youngest child of world-famous megachurch pastor and televangelist Eli Gemstone, a role model (and teen idol) for millions of Christian kids?  That's a lot of pressure!  No wonder he was too guilt-ridden or worried about his image to do much sexual experimentation.

Kelvin unhooked his slave collar and pushed him down to his knees.  Oh boy, forced oral coming up!  Keefe thought.  But instead he got his horse whip and started on Keefe's chest. 

"Ow!"   Remember, he told himself, this is Kelvin, the love of your life.  You would do anything for him.  Keefe had been in love with him since Day 1, when Kelvin dragged him off-stage during a Baby Queef performance and moved him into his house.  But the preacher's son was deeply closeted: it took him over a year to say "I love you," and another before he would allow them to become intimate.  He still refused anal, either as the top or the bottom.  But that was fine...oral was all that Keefe needed. And kissing -- a lot of kissing. Maybe getting tied up and "forced" now and then, to spice things up.  

Is that really all I need? He asked himself.  Do I really want to spend my life on my knees, looking up at Kelvin?  Do I want a Master?

"This will teach you your place, Slave," Master was saying.  "You'll think twice before disobeying my orders again."

Huh?  What orders?  This was a scene -- a game.  Outside the dungeon, they were equal partners.  Weren't they?

"Wait -- Kelvin, are you punishing me for starting a teen group without your permission?"

"You will address me as Sir."

"I will address you as Kelvin.  Answer the question: Are you punishing me for starting a teen group without your permission? "  

"Ow!"  The whip came down on his back, hard.  He roared with pain and rage.  "Get me out of here, jackass!  Now!"

"The safe word is 'green.'"

"Green, green, green!"

Kelvin put down the whip.  "Ok, ok, hang on."  He started untying the ropes.  "What's wrong, Keefe?  I thought you liked this.  You're aroused"

"Kelvin, you're standing in front of me naked.  Of course I'm aroused"  His hands free, he removed the nipple clamps and sat down on a leather bench. 

"You know that love you," he began.  He had said it a hundred times before, but here, now, it felt different.  "But it's not like any other love I've ever felt.  It's white-hot, fierce, so intense that I lose myself.  Everything I want, everything I need falls away.  All I want is to look into your eyes forever."

"That's a good thing, right?" Kelvin said.  "You're everything I need, too."

"And you want it to happen," Keefe continued.  "I don't really have a job, with duties and a salary -- I do what you tell me to do.  If I make a suggestion, you dismiss me.  If I disagree with anything, you pout." 

"You apologized for starting that teen group without my permission," Kelvin said, "And I forgave you.  Why are you still harping on it?"

"Everything I own is either a gift from you or something I bought with your money. "  

"I didn't know you felt this way," Kelvin said, sarcastic.  "I'm sorry that I buy you things."

"I'm one of your accessories, someone to parade around so everybody thinks you're cool."  Suddenly the tears started up. "I want to share my life with you; I don't want you to be my life.  I want us to walk side by side, as partners.."

"But Keefe, you are my partner," Kelvin said, paling as he realized what was happening.

"No, I'm not.  I'm your boy toy."  The tears started.  He struggled to talk.   "I have to go.  Right now."  

"No, don't...I love you..." and as Keefe headed to the door.  "You can't go out like that.  At least let me take off the slave collar."

But he couldn't wait.  Kelvin followed for  a few steps.  "Wait..." he called, his voice cracking.  He was starting to cry, too.  "I love..."

Keefe ran up the stairs, across the foyer, and out of the house.  Should he go back inside to change clothes and pick up some car keys? No way -- if he turned back, he would collapse into Kelvin's arms. He took one of the golf carts and drove it, tears burning in his eyes, across the estate to Judy and BJ's house.  

Judy, Kelvin's older sister, answered the door. "Keefe, darlin', you're crying.  What's wrong?  Did that jackass Kelvin do something?  Did he hit you?"

"Not like that," he managed to stammer.  "I...I....think I left him." 

She led him to the couch in the parlor, and sat with her arm around his shoulders.  Soon BJ appeared, and sat on other side.  It took a moment for him to speak. "I need somewhere else to stay tonight.  And maybe...."  He broke down again.

"Of course you can stay here until you get things sorted out,"  Judy told him.  "And even if you don't.  You're part of the family, with or without Kelvin.  You'll always have a home here.  I'm sure Daddy will be happy to give you his father's house, since Gideon doesn't want it."

"It's too early for plans like that," BJ told her sternly.  "Right now we just need to get Keefe through the night.  Could you go into the kitchen and make us some tea?"

"I don't know how to make tea!" Judy protested. "Emilia always makes it."

"Oh -- just microwave some water and put a Lipton's teabag in it."

"Water will be fine, Judy," Keefe said.

She vanished into the kitchen.  BJ kept his arm around Keefe.  "Buddy, it's hard being the partner of a celebrity.  You're in their shadow so much that it feels like you're losing yourself.  I know from experience."

Keefe stared.  That was exactly what he said, half an hour ago.

"But you don't just let it end.  You have to fight.  Find some way to be your own man.  Find a life that doesn't revolve around him.  If he loves you, he'll accept that."

"Maybe I'll fight tomorrow," Keefe told him.  "Right now I'm too tired to think,"

"Oh, of course.  Stupid of me.  We'll get that collar off and find some pajamas for you to wear.  Will you be ok by yourself in the guest suite?  I could bed down on the couch in there. "

"No, that's ok.  I just want to sleep."

In the morning,  the housekeeper Emilia made turkey sausage, 12-grain toast, and a fruit parfait just for Keefe, but he couldn't eat more than a few bites.  At least he wasn't crying anymore, but...he had been with Kelvin almost every moment for the last three years.  Even having breakfast without him seemed strange.

"Morning, Brother."  Kelvin was there, right in the doorway!  Judy stood quickly to block his entry. 

"Can't I just talk to him?"  

She looked at Keefe for validation. He shook his head.

"You heard the man.  Get out!"

"Judy, I came to pick you up for the Salvation Center.  We have a board meeting in half an hour."

"That's a lie and you know it!  We always take separate cars..."  She glanced back at Keefe again.  "Oh, sorry, I forgot that I asked you to pick me up this morning."  She returned to the table, kissed BJ on the cheek, and hugged Keefe.  "Bye, y'all.  I wish I could come along on all the fun things BJ has planned for you today!"

Then they were gone.  Keefe watched for a long time, hoping that they would return for something, and he could see Kelvin again.  "What fun things do you have planned for us today?" he asked.

"Oh, Judy was just trying to make Kelvin mad.  In a few minutes I'll pop over to your house and get some of your stuff.  Then I'm free all day , if you want to do something -- go to the beach or Splash Mountain, or to a movie. Or we can just hang out here and play video games."

Keefe frowned.  "Don't go to any trouble on my account.  If you have somewhere to be..."

More after the break

"Buddy, I have nothing that can't be re-arranged."  He squeezed Keefe's arm. "Besides, I owe you.  You'll never know how much."

"What do you mean?"

"Well...Judy is quite...a challenge, let's say."  He took a sip of orange juice. "When we were dating, I almost gave up.  But I saw how devoted you were to Kelvin, when the poor guy wouldn't even admit that he was gay.  It gave me the strength to keep going, in spite of Judy's craziness." 

Remembering those days, when a smile or hand on his shoulder was enough to keep him going, when an offer to hold his hand was a major triumph, Keefe started crying again.  

"Oh, sorry, I said something wrong," 

"No, you're fine. I just need to cry right now." 

After he finished crying, and BJ fetched his stuff from the house, Keefe wanted to learn to box.  BJ was on the boxing team in college, but Keefe had never tried.  So they got some glove and sparred a bit in the back yard.  Then he wanted to toss a football around, mainly because Kelvin was not interested in sports at all, but also because it was a standard father-son activity.  BJ was only seven years older than Keefe, but still, he was more father than older brother.  

They were about to leave for lunch when there was a knock on the door.  "If it's Kelvin, tell him I don't want to see him," Keefe cautioned.

It was actually Martin, the chief accountant for the church.  "I heard that you were staying here, Keefe," he said.  "I have something for you."  

He tried to hand Keefe an envelope, but BJ retrieved it.  "I'm the official mail-opener."  He read the letter inside.  "Keefe, it's a job offer.  Director of Recreational Ministries.  And it pays more than I make as Welcome Center Director."

"Director of...huh?"  

"We are planning to draw more members ot the church by expanding on our recreational activities," Martin explained.  "Yoga classes, aerobics, tai-chi for the elderly, sports teams for the teens.  Eventually a full-sized health club that anyone can join, but church members can use for free.  This morning at the board meeting, we all agreed that you would be perfect as director."

An actual job at the church, with a salary!  No more sponging off Kelvin.  "Wait -- was this Kelvin's idea?" 

Martin looked away.  "Well, Kelvin was quite vocal about your qualifications. I had no idea that you managed his God Squad last year.  But the vote from the board was unanimous.  Everyone is impressed by your dedication to physical fitness, and your devotion to the church."

 Does this mean that Kelvin wants us to break up? Kelvin asked himself.  He found a job so he won't feel guilty.

"Of course you must talk it over with your partner before making a decision.  Could you let us know by Sunday?  Oh, and Kelvin gave me another envelope for you.  I'm not supposed to know what's inside, so I'll be going."

After Martin left, BJ snatched the second envelope from Keefe's hands and opened it.  "Strange," he said, "It's a name change application, filled out but not notarized. Kelvin is applying to change his last name to Chambers-Gemstone."

"What's that about?" Keefe asked, confused.

"Can I come in now?"  Kelvin appeared in the foyer.  Apparently he had been waiting on the front porch for Martin to leave.

Keefe resisted the urge to rush into his arms.  "Babe...Brother...Kelvin, what's this about?"

He smiled hesitantly.  "It's about me marrying you and becoming Kelvin Elijah Chambers-Gemstone. Um...if you want too, that is."

"Why does Chambers come first?" BJ asked.  "Alphabetical order?"

"Because we're going to be equal partners.  Walking side by side.  If you say 'yes.'  Oh, I forgot the ring."

Keefe couldn't wait for the ring.  He rushed into Kelvin's arms.