Idolatria Ch. 14

"We?" I repeated. "Like... your sub--"

"No. Other way, Ash." When he caught my blank stare, he sighed again. "My Master. I was his slave."

A familiar, provocative image skated across my mind, unbidden. "Did you -- you told me about this before, how you've been on both sides. That's what you meant?"

"Yes."

I wasn't sure I should keep making him talk about this, but curiosity got the better of me. "What made you decide to switch?" I asked.

At this, I thought I saw Levi sit up a little straighter in his seat. "My trainer rescued me from that," he said. "He was way more experienced than I was -- way older, too -- and it didn't take him very long to decide I was being wasted as a sub in the first place." He gave a short, faint laugh. "Actually, I... pretty much owe him everything I have now. Including the Tannery."

I had so many more questions than answers now. As always, it seemed. "He sounds... really important to you."

"He is," said Levi, but he looked over at me with a smile. "But so are you, Ash. So why don't we talk about you, now? How're your classes going?"

‡

I couldn't remember ever actually parking to go somewhere in Philadelphia before. But I hadn't really made many trips into the city myself, anyway. Levi, however, seemed to be an expert on it. He managed to parallel park that unwieldy SUV in a spot I was positive was too small for it, not too far from where we were going, according to him. Once more he waited until I came around to open his door for him, and praised me with a casual "Good boy" as he stepped out to grab his bag from the trunk.

"We're only going to one place today," he assured me, slinging the strap over one shoulder. "I used to ship big orders to the shop up here, but I prefer doing it in-person now. Ready to go?"

"Yeah... I think so." I checked my shirt out of nerves, not entirely sure that the harness wasn't visible to a passing eye, but I swallowed back my nerves and hurried to catch up to him, already a ways away from the car.

I'd seen the spires of skyscrapers in the distance against the graying clouds when we were coming over the Walt Whitman bridge, but this place felt miles away from them. The side street we'd parked on was lined with trees and little shops and restaurants, the worn-out sidewalk cracked and sloping under my feet. Only half a block away, it spilled out onto a wide road with walls of storefronts of all kinds, with different sounds pouring out of each in such a way that it was difficult to tell where the music or voices were loudest.

This seemed like a much more reasonable place to find a shop like the Tannery -- between open record stores and lingerie shops and tattoo parlors and independent bookstores and bustling diners and cafes, with patrons of seemingly every background trawling the street. Every other building was painted violent colors or splashed with murals and mosaics, so much that the ones left bare were what stood out, all sporting fading neon shop signs mixed in with slick modern ones along the way. Every spare surface within arm's reach seemed to have been plastered with colorful stickers and posters, or scribbled on with markers and paint: lamp posts, electrical poles, garbage bins, abandoned store windows. I couldn't help gawking at every window display as I tailed after Levi, feeling like a tourist in a place barely a half-hour drive from my home. Levi fit right in here. And he was right; hardly anyone spared either of us a second look.

"Ash, stay with me, please."

I hurried to catch up with Levi at his order, trying to keep pace with his long strides, and somehow able to hear the jingling of my collar over the street noise. "Sorry," I said breathlessly. "I've seriously never been here before. It's crazy."

Levi grinned back at me. "Don't get overwhelmed already," he said. "You haven't even seen where we're going yet. My store's got nothing on them."

The place we eventually reached after a two-block walk was a slim section of the building painted entirely black from sidewalk to roof, with a modest window display that angled inwards towards the front door. As Levi took the lead to the entrance, I glanced over the offerings behind the glass -- much different than the Tannery's. Extremely high-heeled shoes with spikes around the ankle, white plastic mannequins in latex and vinyl lingerie, and an assortment of shiny metal mystery implements, among other things. It was a moment before I realized Levi hadn't gone inside, and was once more waiting by the door and looking at me pointedly. I felt my face flush as I stumbled over to hold the door for him. "Sorry."

As he passed me by with a smile, he said "You can behave how you like in here. Just be respectful."

I was still trying to figure out exactly what he'd meant by this when I followed him inside, and was immediately met with a loud voice that cut through the music and echoed off the concrete floors --

"MA-AX! Your leather guy's here!"

The owner of the voice was the first thing I looked for when the door chimed shut behind me. A skinny girl with half-blonde, half-black hair was hanging out behind a glass countertop filled mostly with what looked like colorful buttons and stickers. The high walls all around carried rows and racks of clothing (mostly black) and a variety of things towards the back that I couldn't see much of from the entrance. I followed after Levi in a daze as he strode up to the counter and hefted his duffel bag carefully up in front of the clerk. "Are they busy right now?" he asked.

"They went to go check a thing, but I know they said to call when you got in," she replied, leaning on the glass and prodding at the bag. "What'd you bring me? Lemme see-ee."

"Not for you," Levi laughed. "Merchandise only. Is Max in the back? I can just go get them."

"Fine. I won't look in the bag."

"Thanks. Can you keep an eye on my boy? I'll be right back, Ash," he added, glancing at me before turning on his heel and walking back between the colorful displays. I wanted to go after him, but I stayed put, feeling stiff and out of place as I shuffled around by the counter.

The clerk seemed just as confused as she looked around at me. "What do you mean, your --" I saw her wide eyes slide from my face to the collar at my throat and back again, her mouth sticking open a little. "You're not -- Levi's sub?"

My cheeks stung as I tried to find something to do with my hands, before shoving them in my pockets awkwardly. "I... y-yes."

As informal as Levi had been treating this outing, I didn't expect the girl's reaction at this introduction at all -- she seemed to be torn between leaping over the counter at me or running back after Levi himself, making a noise under her breath as if she were deeply affronted by my answer. She finally danced over to one end of the counter and yelled to the back of the store: "MAX! COME LOOK AT WHAT HE WAS HIDING!"

"Am I... not supposed to be here?" I asked, a little more timidly than I wanted.

The girl looked about to answer me, but someone else had just bustled out from the back room with Levi in tow, who was half-between laughter and exasperation. "I have not been hiding anything, don't make a fuss."

"Hon, I told you not to go through my product before I get to it." The person who had just spoken was a tall man with dyed blue hair in a braided ponytail, pushing thick-rimmed glasses up his nose as he made a grab for the duffel bag on the counter and began unzipping it. "What surprises you got me this time, V?"

"Forget that," the girl at the counter insisted, pointing at me now. "That."

There were now two pairs of eyes scrutinizing me with Levi off to the side looking somewhat impatient. This new person, presumably Max, made the same glance from my face to my collar and back before looking accusingly at Levi. I noticed bands of black tattoos just barely visible along the man's broad arms, as I tried not to look any of them in the face out of embarrassment.

"Yours?" was all they asked.

"Yes," Levi said shortly.

"Since when?"

"Officially?"

"Babe, don't play games with me, how long has your collar been on that boy?"

Levi paused. "Two weeks."

"Who else haven't you told? Does Red know?"

"Well, it's not like I posted a newsletter."

"L -- Sir?" I piped up. Now all three sets of eyes were on me. I swallowed and focused on Levi. "Is... is this a big deal or something?"

Levi immediately said "No," but the girl behind the counter cut across him sardonically. "Well, it's only been however many years since our local leather artist owned someone. Sure, no big deal at all."

"You're just making it awkward for him, now," Levi said, indignant, although I thought I could see a smile perking his mouth. He sidled across the counter and pulled the duffel bag open. "Did you want to see what I brought you or what?"

Thankfully, the bag now became the center of attention. I couldn't help but want to squeeze in on Levi's other side to see for myself. When I did, though, he smiled at me and said, "Go take a look around for a second. This won't take long."

I felt like a kid who had been asked to go play while the grown-ups are talking. But the things I saw peeking out of the bag looked mostly like Levi's usual basics, cuffs and collars loosely wrapped in brown paper, so I acquiesced and wandered down the rows of clothing racks on the wall, while the pounding music almost drowned out Levi's conversation.

I could see Levi wearing a lot of this -- although there was much more that I couldn't see him wearing at all. Both black and colored skirts of either denim or leather, fishnet shirts of all styles and sleeve lengths, even a pair of leather pants that I was sure Levi had worn the night I came back. Past a section of boots on display, I noticed a secluded wall that seemed to draw attention to it regardless of how far back it was.

This stuff, I could recognize instantly. The offerings of cuffs and collars and harnesses was almost exactly like how Levi kept them at the Tannery, and there was even a little box of black business cards with white lettering on them between it all.

And yet... a lot of this was stuff that seemed a little more specialized, especially in the glass cases flanking the wall. A locked-up mannequin in particular drew my eyes to it at once -- it was wearing an elaborate, sculpted piece made of dyed moss-green leather, bound from its shoulders all the way up the neck and attached to a harness across the chest, with matching bands on each of the upper arms and a short corset. Each individual piece was decorated with finely drawn vines and flowers, leading up to a life-sized rose made of leather petals and leaves affixed to one pauldron. I noticed a price tag hanging off of this with a three-digit number... but much more noticeable was the paper slip pinned to the mannequin reading "SOLD - PENDING PICKUP".

"Ash, come here."

I was torn from my slack-jawed admiration to rejoin Levi at the counter, where most of the duffel had been emptied. The girl behind it was already sorting things into a large bin, presumably to restock the back wall. Levi was carefully unwrapping something on the glass, the appearance of which must have been quite stunning to Max, because he let out a low whistle and craned himself over it for a better look.

"Look at that! Is this that new thing you were fuckin' around with?"

"Sure is. Took a while. It's not something I could test on myself very easily."

"There is no way you are getting yourself in an' outta that bitch. It's sturdy?"

"Well, that's why I called Ash over," Levi said smoothly, untangling the thing in his hands as he turned to me. "Boy, I need you to model something. Turn around and put your hands behind your back."

My immediate instinct was to obey, but the recognition of two extra people watching me made me freeze up. I'd never done this in front of someone else before. Levi, apparently sensing my trepidation, smirked and took one of my wrists anyway.

"Don't worry about anything else. Just turn around."

I swallowed back the anxiety and turned my back to him, letting him fold my hands behind me. I heard a jangling and clicking of metal before Levi wrapped something cool around my left forearm -- it felt like a heavy leather band that engulfed me from wrist to elbow. It apparently took a minute to affix, and then another to buckle me into another for my right arm. Even so, just the cuffs felt way heavier than they should have. And I began to understand why when Levi bound another set of cuffs around my upper arms and tightened something between all four points.

"Fuck. Is that really practical?" I heard Max laugh.

"It's much less complicated than it looks. You can do this with any hogtie and arm cuffs... The key piece here is the gauntlets and how they link up."

By the time Levi let go of me, my arms were trembling. This was far different than just having them cuffed behind me. Whatever he'd done, I couldn't budge my arms at all, and though my hands were free, my restraints were out of reach. I struggled out of instinct and let out an involuntary noise, much to my further abashment.

There was a sharp tug on the straps between my biceps, forcing me to straighten my back. "Stay still for a second, boy. I want a picture."

"We've got arm binders already, ya know."

"It's art, Max. You can have a leather sock over his arms or you can have this. Which is hotter? Stay right there." There was a pause where I heard a faint camera shutter from someone's phone. "Besides, this one's more adjustable. Less sweaty. You put it up somewhere, promise, someone'll want it. Alright, how's it feel?" Levi asked me, his voice startlingly close to my left ear as he began to work the buckles back off of me.

"It's... I mean, it's comfortable," I said honestly, trying to steady my breath. "Mostly. It just puts a lot of strain on my shoulders at the front."

"They'll do that," he nodded. He freed me after another moment, placing the rig carefully back onto the counter with a note of pride in his smile. "Well! Guess we did what we came here to do. You alright if I head out?"

"Yeah, alright. Send me the invoice," Max said shortly. "Which reminds me. I got more peeps asking for those heart collars in more colors."

"What is with that? Fine. They're stupid easy to make."

"Hey, Levi?" the clerk interrupted them, voice wary. "It looks like you barely got here in time. It just started pouring out."

"What?"

Everyone went deathly quiet, both Levi and I staring out at the sliver of street visible through the glass door. The very air was gray with a cascading sheet of rain, the hush of its fall loud enough to make itself heard through the store's music.

Levi let out a hollow laugh and zipped up his now empty bag, slinging the strap over his head. "Okay. We'll figure something out. Say bye, Ash."

And then Levi and I were left standing under the store's awning, a sheer curtain of water gushing off the eaves, so loud it was almost deafening. I stuck my hands in my pockets and exhaled hard. "So what do we do now?"

Beside me, Levi was shortening the strap on his duffel bag so it fit snug to his back. "Well," he replied, "now we make a break for it."

I stared at him incredulously. "Levi, it's a fucking waterfall out there."

"We're only two blocks away from the car. We'll make it," he said dismissively. "Come on, you're the athlete. Bet you can beat me there."

"You're insane -- wait!" I'd barely gotten the sentiment out before Levi bunched his shoulders and dove headlong into the torrent. Unthinking, I dashed out after him.

Getting wet immediately became the least of my problems. I was soaked to the bone in seconds. I yelped and automatically put my arms over my head, only to realize how fruitless it was, and instead threw my whole effort into sprinting to catch up with Levi. I thought I could hear him whooping and swearing loudly ahead of me as we dodged more sensible people with umbrellas and splashed through quickly filling puddles in the uneven pavement, and dove for meager protection under shop awnings for the brief moments we passed them.

By the time I drew level with him, he'd rounded the corner and made a last full pelt run for the car. He banged into the driver's door and frantically fished his keys out, and I stood there helpless at his side for a moment before he looked at me and barked, "No, just get in! I got it!" I tripped my way over to the other side just as he'd done the locks, and we both scrambled into our seats to escape the deluge.

The slam of car doors, one after the other, abruptly muffled the roar of rain around us. In the remaining calm, I let my body sag into the seat and caught my breath at last. The raindrops kept hammering away at the car's hood and the roof over me, and flooded down the windows so heavily that they were impossible to see through. Beside me, Levi's ragged breath was harsh, but slowly fading... and then, very suddenly, he burst out laughing and threw his empty bag into the back.

"That was fucking nuts!" he gasped, raking both hands through his sopping wet hair. "God, I haven't done that in years!"

"Why did you do that?!" I demanded. "We're a fucking mess and we still gotta drive home like this, you know that, right?"

"There's a towel... in the backseat if you want one."

"Man, we are way past the point a towel could help me out here!"

Levi snickered, looked over at me, and then snorted loudly into his hand. "Fuck...! Ash, look at your fucking shirt--"

"What about my..." I realized it before I even looked. My shirt, already so thin, was now transparent and clinging to my chest and the now very visible harness. I clamped my arms irritably over myself. "Oh, real fucking funny..."

"It's hysterical... I'm gonna fucking die!"

"Did you drag me out there on purpose?"

"No, that was... that was an accident... I swear to god, that wasn't my intention!"

"Well, I hope you're happy."

Levi's laughter faded until he was left breathless and panting softly again, eyes still fixed on me. His hair was dripping and sticking to his face, clothes disheveled and soaked through like mine. But there was something in the way he gazed at me now, as the shadows of the pouring rain fell down over his eyes in dappled rivers...

"I am," he said faintly.

The pounding of the storm outside sounded miles away, and yet I felt it pressing in on me somehow. It was so deathly quiet all of a sudden, and I swore that I could hear my heart thumping in my chest, in place of the breath I held in my tightening throat.

It was impossible to tell who had moved first. Levi's lips clashed with mine, hands searching skin and clothes for purchase, an awkward dance unfolding in which I fought to bridge the gap between car seats and the wall of the console between us. His mouth tasted like cold spring rain and the lingering ghost of peppermint. His skin was chilled and slick and offered me no warmth, and yet it felt as if the very threat of friction between us made my body burn. I couldn't think about how uncomfortably my jeans were sticking to my legs, how tight my clothes felt as they clung heavy to my shape, how my hair was still dripping into my eyes, how difficult it was to breathe when my lips wouldn't leave his...

Not until he pried himself from me and pushed me away, struggling to catch his breath again as he stared me down with what seemed like painful restraint.

"We should... get back home."