Bondage and Marriage - 86

86

After Tanner chased everyone away to talk with Ian alone, Noah didn’t go to his room but lingered outside the door. He couldn’t hear any conversation, so hoping they were talking peacefully, Noah headed to the dining room. Sitting at the table, Noah carefully brewed some tea and took out the desserts he had bought on the way.

Listening for any raised voices from inside, Noah contemplated which dessert to eat first, looking at the dazzling, beautiful treats. Cake? Crème brûlée? Gelato? Cream would be nice too, or perhaps something with syrup… Which would be better… Ah, why choose, just eat both.

Noah’s hand paused at the tart. Come to think of it, Ian seemed to like tarts quite a bit last time. Remembering the day Ian teased him with desserts, Noah set aside a tart for Ian and put the rest in the fridge.

“Looks delicious.”

As he unwrapped the transparent packaging, seeing the cake with lots of strawberries made his mouth water. The sweet whipped cream, fluffy bread, and the sweet-sour strawberries made Noah moan in happiness as he neatly cut and put a piece in his mouth. The combination of the melting cream and the strawberries was excellent…

After quickly finishing one dessert, Noah took the shopping bag out of the fridge again, rummaging through it. He remembered seeing another dessert with strawberries… Finding another strawberry-laden treat, Noah swallowed hard, opening another one. Just as he was about to take a bite with his fork.

“Ah, give me one too.”

James, who had returned early even though the movie wasn’t over, plopped down at the table and reached for the tart. That one’s taken, Noah said, giving him something else instead. James, who wasn’t picky, took what Noah handed him without much thought.

“Why are you back so early? The movie isn’t over yet. Wasn’t it good?”

“No, it was good… but they shot a deer in the movie.”

“Ah…”

James wasn’t picky about movies either, but he couldn’t stand seeing animals being abused or hunted in films. Well, that’s why he flies off to remote jungles to rescue and protect animals. Mumbling, James took a big bite of his dessert, sighed in satisfaction, saying it’s been a while since he had something sweet, and asked Noah another question.

“By the way, are you feeling better? How sick were you to come back without watching the movie?”

“Um, well…”

Even to himself, he didn’t look sick at all, so after some hesitation, Noah honestly explained. He said he and Ian did some things at the cinema, which led them to come back home, and James made an “Oh” sound. Even though he was left alone to watch the movie, he didn’t look particularly angry. James’s threshold for getting angry was as high as a rooftop.

“Come to think of it, you had that kind of taste.”

“Hmm…” James seemed to fall into thought. Noah’s taste had been revealed to James a long time ago. When Noah had just realized his own taste, he was experimenting by himself. Using tools to spank his own thighs or looking for things from school supplies that could go in the back…

The day James caught him was when he forgot to lock the door. That day, Noah was kneeling, spanking his thighs with a switch, and later, he cautiously held a utility knife. Even though I like pain, do I like this too? And unlike spanking, this might leave scars… Okay, just a little scratch then…

With a fluttering heart, Noah poked his thigh slightly. It stung. Hmm, I’m not sure. A needle prick doesn’t leave a scar. But this doesn’t seem very good… As Noah tried scratching again, “Noah!” the door burst open. Startled, Noah accidentally stabbed his thigh, yelping in pain. However, no one was as surprised as James, seeing his friend self-harm with a utility knife.

“What are you doing, Noah!”

With that shout, Noah didn’t have a chance to explain before being slapped by an angry James (during which Noah thought getting slapped wasn’t so bad) and it was only after some time that he could explain to James. It was… quite embarrassing.

The utility knife was confiscated by James, but since it wasn’t Noah’s taste anyway, he accepted James’s action. He showed James various explicit videos he had kept hidden, proving his taste wasn’t from depression but just his preference, and only then did he convince James. Fortunately, James was someone who kept secrets. He even told Noah about Tear, the safest club around, when Noah became an adult.

“Anyway, why is it so noisy over there?”

“Huh?”

At James’s words, Noah listened and faintly heard shouting, or rather, Tanner yelling. Just as I thought. Thinking he should go soothe Tanner later, Noah turned to see James reaching for Ian’s tart again, having clearly forgotten that it had an owner.

“That’s Ian’s.”

Instead, Noah handed him another dessert, and James looked at him with a strange expression. After eating the dessert in silence for a while, James finally shook his spoon and spoke.

“Listen… what do you think about cheating with permission from both parties?”

“What?”

“You know, like… swapping? No, is it called having a mistress…?”

Noah looked at James, mouth slightly open at his sudden, strange question. The mention of swapping reminded him of Dmitri. Of course, James was a hundred times better than Dmitri.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, if both spouses agree, is it okay to have an affair or keep a mistress?”

“Well… if they’re okay with it, then I guess it’s fine.”

Still not understanding why James was asking this, Noah answered in confusion. At his response, James fell into deep thought again. Meanwhile, Noah, suppressing the desire to eat more for the sake of dinner, sipped on some bitter tea to cleanse his palate, turning to James’s question.

“…So, Noah, are you in a serious relationship with that Ian Miller?”

Serious with Ian? Noah pondered. Ian liked him. He even said he loved him, but honestly, Noah didn’t completely believe all of Ian’s declarations of love. Moreover, he wasn’t sure what exactly constituted a serious relationship… Serious meant saying you love each other, and… also having love fights and crying over them, right? Recalling what he saw in the dramas he often watched, Noah spoke with some uncertainty.

“No, it’s not that serious…”

After saying that, he felt a strange discomfort in his chest and a slight dryness in his throat, so he took a gulp of tea, only to spill it all over at James’s next words.

“If it’s not that serious, then, Noah… would you marry me?”

Noah didn’t choke, but instead, he spilled tea all over his clothes, staring at James with his mouth wide open. Did James just propose to me? That James? Am I dreaming, or did someone spike my drink? Only after a while did Noah manage to ask back.

“…What?”

“I’ll do my best. Just marry me. You can go to that Tear club as you like, or have a lover, or even set up a dessert shop in the house…”

There was not a hint of jest on James’s face. Noah seriously considered. Since when did James like me like that? Noah had never imagined James would like him in that way, not even once. Even now, he didn’t feel that way.

“If you don’t want to do anything like cheating while married, I can try to match your tastes.”

Noah asked “What?” again, feeling a bit dizzy. He had resolved to keep his stomach somewhat empty for dinner, but his hands were already fumbling for something sweet.

“Spanking or something, that’s nothing…”

Even saying that showed how little James knew about this. Spanking, to be precise, required significant physical effort from both the one giving and receiving. It was basic for the arm to hurt, and the one being spanked needed to be controlled to avoid hitting dangerous spots while keeping the mood right.

After a long moment, only then could Noah open his mouth to speak properly, looking at James waiting for an answer.

“Can you spank until it bruises?”

“What? Bruises? That’s too much.”

“Or maybe some electric shock… or choking a little…”

James frowned. That’s almost like torture. From that answer, Noah was sure James hadn’t suddenly changed his tastes overnight. Then what is this about… Anyway, since James seemed to be seriously proposing, Noah tried to respond as gently as possible without causing hurt.

“Listen… I have no intention of getting divorced.”

“Huh? You don’t need to get divorced.”

“You’re asking me to marry you?”

“Yes, marry me, and there’s no need for divorce.”

Noah realized there was some misunderstanding between them.

“James, do you not know I’m already married?”

At Noah’s words, James dropped his spoon with a clang, his eyes wide, clearly showing he didn’t know about Noah’s marriage. After opening and closing his mouth for a moment, James asked in a surprised voice.

“When did you get married?!”

“Four months ago?”

“With whom? Oh, no, I mean… with that Ian guy?”

“Yeah…”

Noah nodded. James said “I see…” several times, but it seemed more out of shock that his close friend had gotten married rather than from heartbreak.

“Congratulations, even though it’s late. If you had invited me to the wedding, I would have flown back immediately.”

“I would have needed to be able to contact you.”

“That’s true.”

James quickly agreed, then suddenly apologized sincerely to Noah.

“Sorry, Noah, for proposing to someone who’s married. You must have been very confused.”

Yeah… very confused, indeed. Noah had received marriage proposals before, but none had shocked him as much as James’s. As they both tried to gather their thoughts, James grumbled.

“But you said it wasn’t serious. So I thought you weren’t dating.”

“Well… yeah…”

Upon hearing the question with the assumption that the other person knew he was married, Noah had to wonder if there was some underlying intention. Now, thinking back, he wasn’t sure why he had responded that way. Marriage was certainly a serious relationship.

“But what’s going on? You came back to the country suddenly, you’re at our house, and why did you propose?”

At Noah’s words, James let out a deep sigh, sitting at the table and gulping down the tea Noah was drinking. Noah silently poured him some water.

“My mother is insisting I get engaged.”

“Your mother?”

James’s mother, like Tanner, was an Alpha with an Alpha supremacist attitude. With both parents being Alphas, it was common for the children to be Alphas too, but James was the only Beta in the family. That’s why James didn’t stay at home much, and his parents easily made his younger sibling the heir.

“I kept refusing the talks that came up before, so this time she sent someone after me. I ran to your house for refuge, but I don’t know how long I can stay.”

Noah frowned. Unlike Tanner, who would back off if asked gently, James’s mother never gave in once she decided on something. She would push through with an engagement once she set her mind on it, so it made sense why James had escaped here.

“Your father didn’t say much, but since they’re close, it’s only a matter of time before they find out. If the partner was somewhat normal, I might go along with it. I’ll have to get married someday. But this is too much.”

“Who is it supposed to be?”

“A child, a child! She’s only 14 years old.”

James groaned, pulling at his hair. Even for someone as laid-back as James, there was nothing he could do against his mother’s tyranny. Of course, Noah was also shocked to hear the partner was only 14.

“She plans to marry us off as soon as she turns 18, but how could I possibly want to marry someone so young?”

Noah patted James’s back, genuinely sympathizing, saying “Oh, oh…” As James explained his situation and his mother’s unjust dictatorship, an idea suddenly flashed in Noah’s mind.

“Here, why not pretend to be engaged to someone else?”

“But I don’t know anyone else besides you.”

James shook his head. Having traveled around like a wandering weed for a long time, James had many animal friends but few human ones. Seeing the names and numbers Noah wrote down on his phone, James read them out loud.

“The name is Heather?”

“Yeah, as far as I know, she’ll act out anything you commission. I’ve experienced it; she’s good at playing the villain too.”

James was half-doubting but looked very tempted. Thanking Noah for his consideration, James seemed ready to make the call, standing up and heading outside with his phone. Heather would definitely be able to stand up to James’s mother.

“Then I’ll go up too.”

Noah picked up the tart and fork he had set aside for Ian and stood up. Glancing over, he saw Tanner slumped on the couch, being examined by the doctor. Seeing Tanner grinding his teeth, it looked like Ian had won against him. Then Ian wouldn’t be in such a bad mood, would he?

Contrary to his expectations, when Noah entered with the tart, he saw Ian standing there with his arms crossed, glaring at him menacingly. Pausing mid-step, Ian grabbed Noah, throwing him onto the bed, and with a terrifying voice, asked while Noah carefully held onto the tart.

“So, you didn’t say yes to marrying him, right?”