Into Another World - Sean's Story 7

Into Another World - Sean's Story

Part 7

Posted: March 24, 2006
Title: Into Another World - Sean's Story
Author: Ian Howe

*****

Sean awoke to a soft voice calling his name, followed by a hand freeing his bound wrists. Slowly opening his eyes, he recognised Viggo smiling at him, and instantly became aware of where he was. His eyes narrowed.

"Come on, sleepyhead, it's nice outside. Let's join the others in the pool or the garden."

When he got no reaction from the blond, Viggo's expression grew concerned. "I know that this must be difficult for you, but the sooner you accept it, the sooner you'll feel better."

"The sooner I accept what? That I was chosen to be the plaything of a madman who surrounds himself with poofters? That I'm held captive, chained to a bed against my will?" Okay, maybe that was not the brightest statement as it could imply that he wanted to be in chains. But Sean's patience had come to an end. "That I was -" he swallowed, "violated and humiliated, punished for what every sensible person in the world would try to do in my situation, namely escape?"

His ranting would have been more impressive if he had been able to sit up on the table, but Sean suddenly remembered that his groin was still covered with the sticky mess of his come.

Viggo frowned at the outburst and raised his hand. "Wait a minute. Karl has a tendency to surprise people with his invitations, but what do you mean by violated, humiliated, and punished?"

"Oh, you were there... did you miss it? I think you rather enjoyed yourself when your buddy followed this so-called Sheik's orders to shave my arse and - and -" Sean's sneering was cut off by his embarrassment.

"That was not a punishment devised by the Sheik." Viggo's tone of voice became flat. "Look, I'm sorry, I only realised when you were sick... That was Craig's idea of a harmless joke to welcome you. I noticed you were uneasy but I thought it was because you didn't know us, and that Liv would make things easier..." He hesitated, then looked into Sean's eyes. "You've never been with a man, have you?"

"Of course not!" Sean exploded. "Why, do I look like a -" Again, he interrupted himself. Even in his rage he had no wish to hurt the other man who had, after all, just tried to apologise to him. After taking a deep breath he lowered his eyes. "No, I've never been with a man." His voice became even and determined when he looked at Viggo again. "And I don't intend to be. Ever. Nor will I stay here for long. No matter what that bloody Sheik or whatever he is may want."

The Dane nodded. Sean was a virgin. No wonder the blond had been so shaken earlier. "Still, let's talk. You're not leaving right now, and it will make your life here - and ours - easier if you understand a few things."

"Not sure that I want to..." Sean's expression was guarded and doubtful.

Sighing, Viggo tried again. "Come on, give me a chance to explain. And it is really nice outside. I'll get Eric..."

"No, wait!" The Brit looked at him, pleading, "Can't you get me crutches or a walking stick, please? I hate being carried around..."

That sounded fair enough. "I'll see what I can find." Viggo hesitated. "I'm not supposed to leave you alone uncuffed, but..." He shrugged.

Sean snorted. "I won't get far with me injured foot."

"Yeah, I think I've heard that one before, just two days ago..."

The blond smirked at Viggo's wry comment. Grinning back, the Dane left the room.

He returned only a few seconds later when Sean had just climbed down from the table and was trying to figure out what to do with the soiled sheet and his soaked boxers. Viggo stared at him for a moment and the blond felt himself redden. "This isn't what it looks like... I mean... I'm not trying to run!" Sean lifted his chin in defiance.

The Dane burst out laughing at the sight of the flustered man. "No, you wouldn't, not like that." Forcing his voice into a serious tone, he added, "I was just going to ask if I could get you something else. Think I got the answer..." Giggling, he left again.

Sean swore. Gods, this was so embarrassing! Why did the guy have to come back and see him? Well, look on the bright side, Bean! At least, Viggo would spare him the shame of being lugged around by Eric in his sticky boxers. The others had already given him enough bollocking for one day!

When Viggo returned with a towel and a crutch a short while later, the blond looked almost comfortable. "Maybe you'd like a short detour for a quick shower before we go out? And Ian asked me to show you your room. He meant to do so earlier but decided that you needed your beauty sleep after the exertion..."

Sean's head shot up in alarm. "What are you talking about?" He was stopped short in his attempt to wrap the towel Viggo had handed him around his waist.

"Ian mentioned to Karl that you had some fun with the table, that's all." He shrugged. "Shower?"

The Brit groaned and felt himself flush again. This place was worse than 1984. Big Brother, it seemed, was always watching. He pulled himself together. Show some backbone, Bean! "Shower sounds good to me, mate."

With the crutch in one hand and Viggo supporting his other arm, Sean managed a painful hobble, wondering how on earth he had hiked the desert in this state. It was slow and uncomfortable, but much better than being carried. His spirits rose even more when he saw his room. Although it was not too spacious and contained only a bed, a cupboard, and a shelf, it had a door that could be closed - and latched.

Snatching a pair of the inevitable black silk boxers from the cupboard, he limped to the tiny bathroom adjoining his room. Viggo sat on the bed and made no attempt to follow. "Holler if you need help!" was all he said, and Sean appreciated his privacy in the bathroom.

Five minutes later he emerged, fresh and clean and almost at ease. He had a place for himself now, and for the first time since his arrival he felt taken seriously, not treated as someone's toy. When Viggo smiled at him, he smiled back.

"Feeling better now? You look like you do. Maybe I should give you the tour of the whole place later when your foot is better, and we only go to the pool now? It's not far from here and the others are there, too."

Sean hesitated. "Erm, you mentioned a garden earlier... I think I would prefer to go there if it's possible? Uh, not because of the others, I," he blushed, "I do like a bit of gardening..."

"Sure! We can sit in the shade and talk." Viggo beamed at Sean, held out his arm to the younger man, and they left together.

The garden was magnificent. Sean was delighted and amazed how many plants the Sheik's gardeners had bred. Surely, many of them would not normally grow in this type of climate, and yet everything looked healthy and well-arranged. Under different circumstances, he might even have been able to like the place.

After settling Sean on the grass under a tree, the Dane had disappeared to get cold drinks and a snack. Sean chuckled; he had made another faux-pas earlier by asking Viggo for a fag, realising too late that this term might insult a gay American man. However, all he had gotten in return was a wicked sparkle in the Dane's eyes, and the innocent question about what Sean would need him for, before bursting into silly laughter. Surprisingly, Sean had joined him. It had felt good to forget all this chaos; they were simply two blokes having fun.

"So, do you like the place?" Viggo had returned and sat next to the blond, handing him a glass of fresh orange juice.

"It is nice, or I should say it could be nice if it had been my choice to be here." The Brit grew serious again.

Viggo nodded. "It was easier for me and the others. Mind you, we were invited in a similar fashion to the way you were, but at least none of us had problems with homosexuality."

Sean blushed. "It's not that I have problems with homosexuality, it's just that I'm not gay. You do whatever you want and be happy here, but I'll leave as soon as possible."

"That may not be as soon as you like, though. The Sheik is pretty determined to keep you here, and from what he told us, I think you could do far worse. My impression was that your life was not exactly roses before."

Sighing, Sean admitted that Viggo had a point there. "I've three wonderful daughters, but my third ex-wife is trying to destroy my relationships with them, to get a court order so I can't even see them. My divorce is discussed by the public as if it were a soap opera. I've had problems concentrating on my work, and, well, things could have been better. But running away won't improve my situation, and I need to go back to fight for custody." His voice betrayed his pain.

Viggo nodded in understanding. "Eric's wife caught him balls deep in another man. She screamed bloody murder and he was banned from ever seeing his kids. It nearly killed him. I mean, he looks so huge and like a rock, but he's such a gentle man, you wouldn't believe it. Karl met him in Australia and invited him to his place. When he arrived, Eric said there was nothing left in Australia for him. And, without Eric knowing, Karl contacted his ex-wife's lawyers, and now Eric is allowed to write letters to the kids and they send him photos." He looked at Sean. "He's happy here."

"No wonder he's happier here than with his wife if he prefers men - which I don't." Sean shook his head. "I won't stay here."

"It won't be easy to get away. You already know first hand that we're in the middle of a desert. You'd need equipment, and nobody here will help you, nor will the people you might meet in the neighbourhood. They're too afraid of the Sheik's punishment."

"What, you mean they'll have their arse shaved by Craig?" Sean broke into a sneer.

"Sean, that was not a punishment. And don't blame Craig too much, either. He's a light-hearted kid, really, and there is absolutely no malice in him. If he knew how much discomfort he caused you, he'd feel very bad about it, believe me."

"What did your Sheik mean then when he announced I'd be punished for running?" A hint of worry had crept into the Brit's voice.

Viggo looked at him. "Typically, for something like an escape attempt, most of us would get whipped." Sean's eyes widened and his jaw dropped incredulously. The Dane raised his hand. "But since you're new here and you didn't know the rules I think he'll let you off lighter, maybe with a spanking or something."

Sean swallowed hard. No way! His old panic returned. He had to get out of here quickly, help or no help from the others. Damn his foot! Licking his lips he asked, "How much time do I have before...? Why didn't he... this morning?"

"Because it would have been rude to have you spanked by someone you weren't introduced to." Viggo smirked, and instantly became serious again. "Sorry. He'll probably talk to you about this later. Don't worry about it too much. It's not that bad."

"Not that bad? What do you mean?" Sean looked at him with horror. "How do you stand living here?"

Not sure whether the last was a rhetorical question or not, Viggo decided to answer it anyway. "My life was pretty much fucked up before I came here. I had blown a few relationships - with men and women - including my marriage, although at least my wife thought it'd be good for my son to stay in contact with his father. But my career was going down the drain, and when my landlord cancelled the contract for my studio and I had no place for my art anymore, I was at the lowest rung of the ladder. Karl offered me a place to stay. I've got friends here. I've got a studio and everything I need. Why would I want to leave?"

"You don't mind getting whipped when you screw up?" Sean couldn't believe that the Dane would undergo this voluntarily.

Viggo shrugged. "It doesn't happen very often that the Sheik decides to punish someone. The only one of us who gets into trouble from time to time is Bale, and he doesn't get whipped - at least not for punishment."

"So why does he get away without punishment? Is he the Sheik's favourite pet?" Sean scoffed again.

It took a while before the Dane answered. "He does not get away unpunished. Things are a bit more complicated with Christian. He enjoys being whipped." Sean gasped, and Viggo continued. "Now, how much do you know about the dynamics of a BDSM relationship?" Sean shook his head.

"I'll try to make it simple. Bale was badly hurt before he came here. And I'm not talking physical injuries. To put it mildly, he was betrayed by his master, and he has had serious issues with trust ever since. He doesn't talk much; he spends most of his time in the library, and despite what he looks like, he's very vulnerable. Karl and Ian know more than me, and they care deeply for him."

Viggo's eyes met Sean's; he wanted to make sure that this point hit home. "Karl cares about each of us. He likes to show himself off as a possessive and macho man, but he drops everything when one of us needs his help. He's very concerned about you, too. You should have seen him the day you ran. He had spent the day before worrying because you were so sick, and then he feared that you might be too weak to survive out there. He's a good man, and he had a reason for bringing you here. And it was not only his pleasure he had in mind, believe me."

Sean was speechless for a moment. Before he could reply, however, they were interrupted by Craig sauntering through the garden. "Ah, here you are. We missed you." He smiled at Sean. "Both of you!"

The old unease returned immediately, as if he had never had the talk with Viggo. Sean blushed and concentrated on the grass between his feet, hoping they'd just forget about him. Which, of course, they didn't.

"You should have seen Karl and Eric in the pool! Eric was -" Craig followed Viggo's meaningful look at Sean and raised a questioning eyebrow. The older man shook his head and mouthed later.

"Anyway," Craig continued, "it's about time for dinner and the others have sent me out as a search party. I'm starving and I bet you could handle a snack, too." He addressed the blond. "Karl has the most gifted cook you can imagine!" His eyes were sparkling.

Sean's thoughts were racing. How could he decline the offer without hurting the young man's feelings? He had no intention of being drawn into another performance like the one he had witnessed during breakfast - his face turned again a delicate shade of red at the memory.

"Uh, I'm not really hungry. You just go and I'll find my way back to my room." Actually, he wouldn't mind sitting in the garden on his own for a while. The place was truly nice...

"Oh no, Ian told us to make sure that you eat well." Again, Craig smiled. "I could feed you..." A pink tongue appeared between his even teeth.

Seeing the Brit's horrified expression at this suggestion, Viggo hurried to intervene. "Sean, I think you should join us. Craig is right, Ian was determined to see that you eat and Karl has the means to force you if you refuse." He met Sean's eyes. "This time it'll be just food, trust me."

Sean wanted, needed, to trust the Dane. Also, he knew that his chances at another escape attempt through the desert were slim in his currently weakened state. Let alone the indignity of being force-fed! With a sigh he nodded in agreement and held his hand out to Viggo who grasped it and pulled him to his feet.

Together, the three men slowly strolled through the garden and made for the dining hall.

*****

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