All In - Part One

Shane doubted there was a more beautiful man alive than his master. From the dark depths of his eyes to the smooth perfection of his naturally browned skin, he could not find a single flaw, no matter how hard he looked. And he looked. He could trace every inch of ink that tattooed David's body with his eyes closed and knew the curve of his mouth more intimately than he knew his own. He understood the meaning of every gesture, every blink, every frown and small smile. Given a moment's notice, he could summon up the exact sensation of his master's touch, as though his fingers were actually there, pressing into his flesh.

"Dude, if you keep staring at Dave like that, he's going to burst into flames."

Startled, Shane jerked his eyes away from his master. Seeing the amused expressions of the other two boys sitting with him, he felt his face begin to flush.

"Way to go, Rob. Now Shane's gonna burst into flames," Brian said.

Rob laughed and nudged Shane with his shoulder. "Don't worry about it. I just had to make sure you were still with us."

Still blushing furiously, Shane nodded.

"Cool. Did you see this one yet?" Rob handed him a comic book. "Just got them in today."

Shane took the comic with a murmured thanks and the others went back to their conversation about who was cooler, Batman or Superman. He pulled the comic from its plastic carefully and began to flip through it. Only a few pages in, he found his gaze dragged back to where his master was sitting once more.

They were at the club again. It had become a regular place for them. They came once a week at least, sometimes for dinner, sometimes for just a drink. At the moment, they were in one of the large upstairs game rooms. David and several of the other doms were involved in a friendly game of poker. While they played, Shane and the other boys sat in the small sitting area that had been arranged on the other side of the room. They had a firm rule here that stated simply, "No pets at the table." It cut down on cheating and kept the players from being distracted.

Though it wasn't really fair to call Rob a pet, Shane told himself. Sure, he had a dom, but he wasn't really a sub, not like the rest of them. He was independent and opinionated. He talked freely and laughed often. Behind his little wire-framed glasses, his strange golden eyes always held a light of self-confidence that Shane envied.

Still, when Shane had met Rob a few months before, he'd been collared and leashed, sitting at the heels of his huge and frightening master, Glen. David had introduced them. He'd decided that Shane should get a part-time job and knew that Rob ran a comic book store. It was a perfect fit. Shane loved comics, the store was walking distance from their apartment, and since Rob was part of the lifestyle, he understood Shane's situation without having to ask. Shane enjoyed working there. He made friends and spent less time sitting at home while David was away on business. As always, his master had known what was best for him.

Realizing that he was staring again, Shane turned his attention back to his companions. The discussion of which superhero was cooler had become more vigorous, to the point that Brian received a scolding from across the room by his master for being too loud. As soon as Sean had turned back to the card game, Brian stuck his tongue out at him. The immature, bratty gesture was enhanced by the fact that Brian was currently dressed in a schoolgirl outfit, a white blouse with a short plaid skirt, white knee socks and shining patent leather shoes. His blonde hair was pulled up in two messy ponytails on either side of his head. Shane knew that the cross-dressing had been introduced as a form of punishment, but lately it seemed he saw Brian in girl's clothing more often than anything else. Unlike Rob, Brian's little displays of independence were a purposeful attempt to rile his master, something Shane didn't understand.

There was a fourth boy among them, Chrissy, but he sprawled gracefully on the floor in front of them with his arms propped on the coffee table, taking no part in their conversation. His blonde hair hung in an unruly mane around his shoulders, his teal eyes tracking his master's tiniest movements. He could sit for hours without moving or speaking, only the sound of his breathing and the flicker of his eyes showing that he was alive. Watching him, Shane had always been reminded of some kind of great cat.

Though Chrissy's gaze never left his master, either, the others knew better than to tease him as they did Shane. Compared to Chrissy, Shane was practically a dom himself. He was the only true slave among them. He never spoke, never laughed or smiled or did much of anything else unless his master gave him specific permission. While the others were happy to have these times when they could relax and talk freely amongst themselves, it was obvious to anyone who cared to look that Chrissy longed to be back at his master's feet. That, Shane could understand.

When Shane had first encountered Chrissy with his master, a handsome but cold young man named Tommy, he'd felt a shudder of recognition. It had taken several more meetings before he realized that Chrissy's relationship with Tommy was much different than the ones he'd had in the past. Yes, Chrissy was the lowest form of sub, but it was because he chose to be, not because he was forced into it.

"Hey, fellas. Got room for a couple more players?"

Shane looked up to find that two new men had entered the room. The one who'd spoken was an older man with a dark tan and white blonde hair. The other…

Shane recoiled as if he'd been struck. Suddenly, there wasn't enough air in the room. He tried to breathe, but his chest felt tight and constricted, as if he was being squeezed by a giant hand. His heartbeat began to thunder painfully in his ears. He closed his eyes as the room swam in front of him. Though he knew it was impossible, the couch seemed to go out from under him, and he felt as though he was suddenly falling.

God, please don't let him remember me. Please...

"Shane?" Rob's voice couldn't possibly be as loud as it sounded to Shane, but it seemed to echo around the inside of his head. "You okay?"

No, I'm not okay.

Rob's hand touched his then. The feeling of those strong fingers curling around his seemed to act as an anchor. He wasn't falling anymore, though he still felt faint and vaguely sick. He forced himself to take a deep breath around the tightness in his chest, then another.

"We're going to take a break after this hand," Sean was telling the newcomers. "Then you can pull up a chair, but your boy's not allowed at the table."

Shane's eyes flew open. He'd been so shocked at the sight of…HIM…that he hadn't even noticed the boy trailing behind him at the end of the leash. Now, even though he had his head down, there was no mistaking that fine blonde hair and round face.

Shannon.

The sick feeling became less vague and Shane had to turn his head away. It did nothing to shut off the images in his own head. Shannon's shining eyes and smiling face, the ring of his laughter as he collapsed against the boy named Gui…

Through the sounds of his memory, he heard Rob asking, "Do you want me to get Dave for you?"

"No," Shane whispered quickly, clinging to his hand. He didn't want to do anything to draw attention to himself. Besides, Sean had said that they were going to take a break. Maybe then he'd find a way to talk to his master without being noticed and convince him to leave.

He sat fighting back the nausea, trembling, with his head bowed onto the back of the couch and Rob close at his side until the hand finally ended. He heard rather than saw the players moving away from the table. Brian got up and Chrissy crawled quickly away at a sign from his master.

A moment later, David was there. He must have seen that something was wrong, because he waved Rob away from Shane and took his place. Shane curled into him, hiding his face against his master's chest. Strong arms circled around him, pulling him even closer.

"Sugar?" he asked quietly. "What's going on?"

Shane couldn't answer right away. He could only cling to his master and try to slow his pounding heart. He was afraid to look up, afraid to find out if he'd been seen.

"Come on, sugar." His master pulled him into his lap as if he was a child, cradling him. "Look at me."

Shane was too obedient to ignore the command, no matter how scared he was. Lifting his head slowly, he met his master's worried gaze.

"What's wrong? Don't say nothing."

Shane bit his lip, because that's exactly what he meant to say. Digging his fingers into the black silk shirt his master wore, knowing that he was going to ruin it but unable to stop himself, he whispered, "Hunter."

Read Chapter Two of Ten of Baslady's All In