Flipping the Switch by Brigham Vaughn

SIX

“I need some laundry done,” Mike said.

Tony looked away from the TV screen and over at his father. “Can I do it tomorrow?”

He’d spent most of the day working on other chores around the place. He snuck in some time in his workshop but now he was ready to relax for a few hours before he went back to work tomorrow morning. Thank God he’d finally convinced his dad to let him hire weekend and night managers or he’d be working 24/7.

“Outta clean underwear.”

Tony rubbed his forehead. “You couldn’t have told me that this morning when I did my laundry?”

“I didn’t realize it then.”

He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths, trying to go to that calm, quiet place to find the patience he definitely was not feeling right now. “Is it all in your hamper?”

“I think so.”

Tony bit back a snarky retort and stood. “I’ll take care of it.”

His father just grunted but that didn’t surprise Tony. That was about the extent of the thanks he got most days.

Tony had been twenty when his dad was diagnosed with an autoimmune condition called ankylosing spondylitis. It was a type of arthritis that affected the spine. He had been dealing with lower back pain for years but he’d ignored it and refused to see a doctor. By the time he’d finally gone in, it had advanced.

Most people with the condition were independent for years, often decades, and only gradually lost mobility in the spine.

But Mike was one of the rare people who had severe spinal fusion early on. The nerves in the bottom of his spine had become compressed and he now had pain and weakness in his legs and sometimes struggled with incontinence. It had humiliated a once proud man and he’d sunk into depression. Tony had tried everything he could to get his dad to see a therapist or at least do the exercises that would help stave off the worst of the symptoms, but his father had flatly refused.

Tony did what he could, but the past year been hard. Mike’s condition had worsened to a point where he was often fatigued and short of breath. Each flare-up left him worse off than he’d been before and Tony was worried that soon it would be more than he could handle alone.

He’d discussed a variety of options with his dad, like moving into an assisted living place or at least a smaller single-story house, but Mike had refused to live anywhere but the big old farmhouse he’d inherited from his own father.

Early on, Tony had encouraged him to get an electric chair lift to navigate the steep old staircase but Mike had called it a waste of money. He’d called remodeling the dining room and hall bath into an easily accessible bedroom and bathroom a waste too, but Tony had finally put his foot down and had that done against his wishes.

Now, Tony tried not to be angry when he walked into the dining room turned bedroom and found the majority of his father’s clothes scattered on the floor instead of in the hamper. He was just so frustrated. He tried to be understanding but some days it was so difficult.

He couldn’t imagine what it was like to be active and fit and have a medical condition gradually take that away from him. Mike had been twenty-one when Tony was born and now he was barely fifty and in living with chronic pain. It wasn’t fair and Tony probably would have railed at the world too.

But his father’s perpetual anger and—what Tony assumed was undiagnosed depression—were exhausting to live with. It made Tony sad that his father had never found a way to be okay with his life the way it was. He appeared to hate every minute of being alive and that seemed like a terrible way to go through his days. It had been nearly ten years. His condition wasn’t going to improve, but it didn’t mean he couldn’t find some good in life.

If Mike hadn’t been so stubborn, he could have afforded to sell the business, house, and property and make a tidy bundle. More than enough to cover a smaller, more accessible home and regular in-home care. He could use a motorized scooter or wheelchair to get around when the pain was too much for him to hobble around with a cane. There were options for a better quality of life, but Mike didn’t want to hear any of them.

And Tony was left trying to do his best to help a man who resented the fact that he needed that help and seemed to go out of his way to make things harder for Tony.

He viciously chucked a pair of jeans into the hamper and felt a sudden stab of anger at his mother. She’d left when Tony was twelve. Probably just as well because she never would have stood by his father after his diagnosis. But Christ. Why did Tony have to do it all? Why couldn’t he have even the slightest bit of a life for himself?

He wanted his dad to be happy, comfortable, and well cared for, but he made it so stressful and Tony’s ability to withstand the verbal abuse was wearing thin. It wasn’t fair to Tony to be treated that way, he knew that, but what choice did he have? If he left, his father would be high and dry. Tony would never be able to live with himself if he abandoned his dad but some days the bitterness rose until he felt like he’d choke on it.

Tony’s sour mood lingered as he stomped down the rickety steps to the Michigan basement. The house had been built at the turn of the twentieth century. At the time, there had only been a crawlspace, but sometime in the twenties, someone had excavated it to the depth of a basement.

It was still shallow, at least for someone of Tony’s height, and he had to duck to avoid banging his head on the furnace ducts and framing for the floor above as he crossed the concrete floors. Some Michigan basements still had exposed dirt, but his grandparents had finished the walls with stone. They were, like everything else in the place, crumbling a bit and in need of work. Which meant more time and money going toward a place Tony didn’t even want to live in anymore.

He turned on the washer and flung the clothes into it haphazardly, then splashed some detergent in as it began to fill. He was too frustrated to do it properly. He ground the heels of his palms into his eyes, seeing sparks and flashes of light behind his eyelids for a moment before he dropped his hands with a sigh.

Tony closed the lid a little more forcefully than he’d intended, then walked up the stairs, barely avoiding clocking his forehead on the beam he passed below. When he stomped into the living room, his father glanced over at him. “What are you so damn pissed off about?”

“Nothing,” he muttered. Sometimes, resentment built up in him until he wanted to scream. He swiped his phone off the side table and stuffed it in his pocket. “Gonna head upstairs. I might try to get to bed early.”

“Well don’t forget to put the clothes in the dryer.”

“I won’t.” His voice was short and terse. “You know I always take care of it.”

Mike turned his attention to the TV without answering so Tony walked away before he said something he’d regret.

He jogged up the stairs and flopped onto his bed with a sigh. He pulled up his phone and checked the kink app. Stupid, but it was his go-to when he was feeling overwhelmed and annoyed. He liked the attention he got on there and while maybe that was pathetic, it was the best he had these days.

There was a little green dot next to YourSwitchyDream’s name, indicating Jude was on too, which made Tony’s mood lift.

BigSubbyBottom: Hey.

YourSwitchyDream: Hey. How are you?

BigSubbyBottom: Okay. You?

YourSwitchyDream: Sore AF.

BigSubbyBottom: Oh?

Tony tried to tamp down the jealousy that swelled in him at the thought that maybe Jude had found a Dom to play with. Not that Tony didn’t want Jude to be happy and get what he wanted, he just … ugh. He didn’t know what he wanted.

YourSwitchyDream: Yeah, did some construction today. I’m dying.

BigSubbyBottom: You do construction?

Tony couldn’t quite picture that.

YourSwitchyDream: LOL don’t sound so shocked.

BigSubbyBottom: Sorry.

YourSwitchyDream: No, I get it. Not my usual. I do now though, apparently! It’s for the restaurant reno.

BigSubbyBottom: Makes sense. Did you enjoy it?

YourSwitchyDream: Surprisingly, yes. I enjoyed fucking you more though.

Tony smiled, feeling his bad mood begin to slip away.

BigSubbyBottom: Well, I’d hope nailing me is more fun than hammering boards.

YourSwitchyDream: Ha! Nice pun. It is a lot more fun. Though in this case, I got to play with a rod. *waggles eyebrows* Not as nice as yours though.

BigSubbyBottom: What a shame.

YourSwitchyDream: It is! Trust me, if I had the energy, I’d ask you to come over tonight. But every square inch of my body hurts and I’d be useless.

BigSubbyBottom: I could come over and give you a massage …

YourSwitchyDream: Don’t tempt me. I’m afraid I’d fall asleep before you even made it over though.

BigSubbyBottom: Well, I’ll be around if you change your mind.

It was probably just as well Jude said no since Tony still had the stupid laundry to deal with. He reached for the remote and turned on the TV on the dresser while he waited for the wash cycle to finish. He didn’t watch television up here much. He didn’t want to just lock himself away in his bedroom and ignore his father, so he mostly watched downstairs. Of course, that meant everything they watched was at his father’s whim, but Tony was used to it.

His phone pinged.

YourSwitchyDream: You’re the best.

That made Tony smile big.

YourSwitchyDream: OH! Before I forget, I havean interesting proposition for you.

BigSubbyBottom:Yeah?

YourSwitchyDream:Ran across a guy on here who’s new to town and pretty new to kink. He’s a Dom, hot, hung, and interested in getting some hands-on experience. You in?

Tony grimaced and typed out a response.

BigSubbyBottom: IDK, not sure I feel ready to let some newbie experiment on me …

YourSwitchyDream:Hey, I get it. No pressure. I promise though, if you were considering it, I’d be there through the whole thing. I also suggested to him that I could top you while he watched. Then he could practice on me. And we could all fuck after that if we’re all feeling into it. Hell, you wouldn’t have to let him touch you if you don’t want, though seriously, you may change your mind once you see his pics.

The reassurance helped. Tony trusted Jude and if the other guy was only there to watch him and Jude together … Tony’s cock stirred, and he reached down to adjust himself. He’d never done anything like that before, and he didn’t know if he was an exhibitionist, but it definitely made him hot under the collar to imagine someone watching him and Jude together.

BigSubbyBottom:What’s his username? I’ll check him out at least.

YourSwitchyDream: NewBieDom

Tony checked out the profile and his jaw dropped. He had thought Jude was full of shit about how hot the guy was but whoa. Tony had always had a thing for older guys, but they weren’t usually that good-looking.

Tony read through the guy’s profile. Hmm. NewBieDom wasn’t looking for anything serious, but that was okay.

A night with Jude felt like a dream. A night with Jude and this guy? Tony was pretty sure he’d fallen down the basement stairs, knocked himself unconscious, and was in some strange, wonderful afterlife right now. Stuff like that just didn’t happen to guys like him.

And most importantly, he trusted Jude to make sure nothing went sideways. While he had no idea what the mystery Dom would be like, he had to hope that he was decent. If it got too weird or uncomfortable, Tony would pull on his pants and leave. It wouldn’t be the first time.

Might not be the last either. But maybe, just maybe, this would go well.

At this point, he had nothing to lose. He sent a message to Jude.

BigSubbyBottom: I’m in. When and where?

YourSwitchyDream: LOL, told you. I’ll let him know you’re in. I was thinking about tomorrow night at my place? That work for you?

Monday nights weren’t great, because Tony worked early on Tuesday mornings, but he would deal with not having slept the night before if it meant a great time with two hot guys.

BigSubbyBottom: Definitely.

YourSwitchyDream: Want me to suggest he message you so you can get a feel for what he’s like?

BigSubbyBottom: That would be great.

Tony pretended to watch TV for a few minutes, but the dialogue washed over him like white noise as he waited for a message. His heart sped up when his phone pinged with a notification.

NewBieDom: Hello.

BigSubbyBottom: Hey.

NewBieDom: So I just wanted to make sure you were on board for what YourSwitchyDream is suggesting.

BigSubbyBottom: Definitely.

NewBieDom: Have you ever done anything like this before?

BigSubbyBottom: No. You?

NewBieDom: No, I haven’t.

BigSubbyBottom: Pretty sure YourSwitchyDream will show us what’s up.

NewBieDom: *laughs* pretty sure he will. He doesn’t seem nervous about anything.

BigSubbyBottom: I think you’re right.

His phone went silent for a few minutes before another message from NewBieDom popped up.Well, to be perfectly honest, I’m a bit nervous myself. I want to reassure you I’m always safe though. I may not have a lot of practical experience, but I promise I have done everything I can to learn how to be a good Dom/Top.

BigSubbyBottom: Did YourSwitchyDream tell you I’d had a bad experience before?

NewBieDom: He did. I hope that’s okay.

BigSubbyBottom: Sure. I would have said something if he didn’t, but this makes it easier.

NewBieDom: I am totally okay with the idea of just watching while the two of you play. Or whatever scenario makes you feel the safest. And feel free to share your limits with me whenever you’re comfortable.

Huh, this guy sounds pretty great.Tony narrowed his eyes. There had to be a catch somewhere. He was too hot and too amazing for there not to be. But Tony sent a brief message telling him more about his bad prior experience and that restraint and whips were off the table for now.

I’m not saying I’d never do it,he added. It’s just … not right now. Not until I get my feet back under me and feel ready for it.

NewBieDom reassured him that was perfectly fine, and Tony felt a weight slip from his shoulders.

His conversation with Jude had dropped off, but Tony figured he’d fallen asleep. He kept talking to the new Dom for a while, even as he switched out the laundry and put it in the dryer.

After a while, the new guy excused himself to go to bed too, but Tony’s mind whirled with images as he folded the warm, dry clothes and wondered what tomorrow night would bring.