Party Night
I looked over Runner's fur, especially on his face. Nearly every student needed some trimming or other adjustment, but Runner was about as physically perfect as it is possible to be. Not a hair out of place anywhere on his body. I finally decided to trim his eyebrows. They'd been fine when he was wearing a student uniform, but were just a trifle bushy for the metrosexual effect we were trying to produce.
Marcus was working on Runner's headfur, brushing it straight back and slightly up at the sides, then fiddling for at least ten minutes to get the windblown look we wanted. Zuchter was checking Runner's fingernails: trimmed short, but long enough for sensual scratching, with no rough edges that could hurt sensitive spots.
I checked the way Runner's clothing fit him. I made a slight adjustment in his shirt collar, straightened his jacket, and ran a lint brush over the slacks.
Satisfied, I stood again and looked at Runner, trying to see any detail of instruction we might have forgotten. I reminded myself that it was perfectly okay if Runner seemed inexperienced; it was okay if Runner sometimes seemed not to know what to do. As usual, the reminder did no good. I felt responsible for Runner. I had brought Runner here to be a Hanging Boy, and felt a strong need to see that Runner could excel in every aspect of the profession. "What do you do if you can't tell what she wants? If you see she wants to be in control, but you don't know what she wants you to do? If you can't read one of the positions we showed you?"
Runner nodded slightly before speaking, responding to the drill. "I can tell her I want to be her slave for the night, and ask her to put me in the position she wants. I move any part of me in the direction she pushes it, until I'm sure I know what she wants me to do. Oh! And I do the little moan, to say I like her doing it."
"And if something hurts?"
"I don't say anything. If it gets too bad, and if I can't make the hand signal, I hum like this..." He hummed three notes on a descending scale, "...so Marcus can hear it on his TV. Then he'll send somebody to help. But if it's not too much, then I don't give any sign, but I make the other sound," he did the short squeak of distress, "And if she didn't mean to do it she'll stop. If she doesn't stop, I'll know it's what she wants, and I do the moan. Wynn, I'll be okay! If I do something wrong, then I'll remember it for next time."
As always, Runner seemed fully in charge of his own learning process. I wanted to go on testing him, but I was just going to have to trust him on his own.
Zuchter looked at the clock. "Just a couple of minutes. Do you need anything else, Wynn?"
I shook my head. "You two go ahead." Zuchter nodded, and he and Marcus took off for the monitor room. The rest of the dorm was nearly empty, most of the other boys already assembled for their party entrance.
I took a deep breath, smiled, and took Runner's hand. "You ready?" I could barely look at Runner: He looked so hot that it took all of my self control to keep from pulling him to the nearby bed and spend hours making love to him while the party went on without us.
Runner, looking excited, simply nodded.
Runner and I waited in the corridor while the Second Year boys entered the Party pavilion, each boy receiving his share of applause, appreciative sighs and gasps. I held Runner's hand, and used my other hand to adjust my own outfit, genuine prey-leather, chosen from the Wardrobe room to suggest an Island Boy, although prey didn't wear clothes on Purity Island. My shirt was sheer, nearly see-through, and didn't cover my bellyfur. The shorts were leather, not much more than a loincloth, leaving my legs bare to the hips. I wore moccasins on my feet, similar to those worn by farmers on Purity Island but better fitting.
The last of the boys entered. I turned to Runner and gave him a lingering kiss. "Now it's time for you to show the sailors how grateful you are for rescuing you."
Runner smiled and nodded. "I'm just as grateful as you are. And I like them. And it's something new to learn. Don't worry, I'll make them happy."
When the last of the applause started to die down, I took a deep breath. "Time to go in." I gave Runner's hand a last squeeze, and left him to wait with Marcus, who would go back to the monitor room as soon as Runner had made his entrance. Zuchter would be monitor for my room, Marcus for Runner's.
I waited a little longer, then walked into the party room. Most of the guests thought the processional of hosts was over, so it took a few seconds before they reacted. A few guests who happened to be looking at the door gasped; then more turned to look at me. Applause started and quickly grew. All the guests knew me from my performances with Maverick, and most knew where I had been.
I colored a little at the enthusiasm of the reception, and gestured for quiet. "I'm really glad to be back..." I said. The applause broke out again, mixed with cheers. I grinned, gestured for silence again, and gradually got it.
"I'm not here tonight to put on any sort of show, but just to thank the furs who are responsible for me being back here at the Academy." I looked around briefly, and spotted them, near the hanging platform. "They're right there. The captain of the boat that brought me back from the island is Justin Greene... Raise up an arm, Justin." The applause got louder as the guests turned to see Justin; he gave an embarrassed smile. "And standing with him are Rochelle Bailor... Give them a sign, please, Rochelle." An equally embarrassed Bailor raised a hand. "And Jimmy Pellis." Pellis nodded shyly. "Everybody please join me in telling them how much we appreciate what they did for me." I led a renewed burst of applause.
The three of them looked about the way I'd expected. All were freshly showered, Greene with his hair carefully combed, Bailor with hers tied up in a ponytail, and Pellis with his cut short, all of them looking uncomfortable in their Sunday best. I'd sent the word along to them to "dress to look nice," which covered a lot of possible variations in clothing. The men had taken the safe approach. Probably fewer than half of the male guests were wearing suits, but there were enough of them that Greene and his crew didn't look out of place, beyond radiating an impression that they felt out of place.
I looked around the room with a grin and said, "Okay, I'll have another announcement in a few minutes, but for now, everybody just party!"
A gleeful shout went up around the room, and the guests resumed picking out boys to chat with and arrange some private time together.
I made my way across the room. I'd meant to greet the men coolly, but within about ten feet I broke into a run and threw my arms around Greene, who was surprised but returned the hug. I broke away and gave hugs to Bailor and Pellis. With the two males, I could feel the hardness at the front of their trousers. Pellis, in particular, was looking around wide-eyed, turning his head rapidly to look at one boy, then another, like a small child suddenly finding himself in a huge, colorfully-lit candy store. Rochelle Bailor was equally excited; I could smell her arousal.
I broke off the last hug and flashed a grin meant for all threee. "Before we figure out any plans for the evening, I have a confession to make. Obviously, I meant everything I promised you, and I've worked on making sure you get it, but I wasn't totally upfront about one of my traveling companions from the island. My friend's name isn't really Caleb."
Greene, who had apparently been steeling himself against disillusionment, gave me a puzzled look. "Why would we care what his name is?"
I chuckled. "You'll see. It was just a matter of being really careful. I didn't know what your reaction might be if you knew. I'm sorry about not trusting you, but you understand I didn't really know anything about you." I turned around and held my arm up. "Can I have everybody's attention again for a minute?"
Conversations quieted around the room, and I went on, "I want to introduce another person who's very special to me, who came with me from Purity Island." I made a beckoning gesture with my arm in the air. "This is my very, very good friend and roommate, Runner."
In the dim light of the corridor beyond the boys' entrance, I saw Marcus give Runner a one-armed hug and pat on the shoulder. Runner, with the grin of excitement he reserved for any opportunity for a new experience, entered the room, using the walk Marcus had been teaching him. His nearly-bare furry chest pracically glowed in the room's bright light, and the skin-tight silk slacks drew the eye to his crotch.
The collective gasp around the room reminded me of the reaction when a breathtaking jackal named Maverick had entered this room for his first party several years ago.
Greene, staring at Runner, was seized with a coughing fit, holding the back of his hand over his mouth so he could remain standing upright. Pellis whispered hoarsely, "He's a prey species?" followed by a grunt as Bailor elbowed him in the ribs. "Nitwit," she said affectionately, "Of course he's prey. That's why he needed to escape from the Island."
In the seconds following the first shock, a general movement toward Runner began as he crossed the room. I called out, "Runner is not a student yet, and he's here tonight only for my friends from the boat. If those of you who want to spend time with him privately can have some patience, he will be a student eventually." The convergence on Runner stopped, with several disappointed groans, and Runner was able to reach me and take my outstretched hand without mishap.
Greene said uncertainly, "The puppyboy was really a puppyboy, right?"
I laughed so hard it took some time to recover my breath. I turned back to the sailors. "So how should we do this? Usually each boy at a party has three one-hour sessions from seven to ten. Does everybody want an hour with me and an hour with Runner? And an hour with another boy?"
Neither Pellis nor Bailor could manage much more than an inarticulate "Umm," unable to take their eyes off Runner. Pellis, in particular, had his gaze fixed on Runner's crotch, that the slacks did so little to hide.
Greene was looking at me. "Meaning no disrespect to your very beautiful friend, I was hoping for a little more time than that with you."
I smiled, genuinely happy. I was grateful to all three collectively, but it was Greene whose decision to take a chance on the boy in distress had guaranteed my rescue. I wanted to show him just how grateful I was. "We can probably arrange that." I turned to the others. "How does this sound? Would the two of you like ninety minutes each with Runner, and spend an hour of the rest of your time with another boy? I can't guarantee you could have absolutely any one you want, because you've got a whole room full of members competing for their attention, but really, you can't go wrong with any of us."
Rochelle and Jimmy had both torn their eyes from Runner and were looking hungrily around the room. I saw Rochelle's attention fasten on Jordan, standing about ten feet away talking with two guests. I asked, "Do you want him? The dirty-blond coati in blue?" Jordan was in a half tank-top and very short shorts with strategic rips.
Rochelle gulped and nodded.
I signaled Jordan to come over. "Jordan, do you have any chits left?"
Jordan gave me an apologetic look, and a smile to Rochelle. "I'm sorry, Wynn, I just gave out the last one."
Bert, one of the males with Jordan, had won an auction last year for my evening-long services after a performance with Maverick. He smiled at me. "Wynn, are you trying to arrange something for one of your friends here?"
I returned his smile. "Hi, Bert. Hoping to, yeah."
He held up the stub of paper he was holding. "Jordan, if you'll promise to look for me at your next party, I'm willing to give this up to help Wynn out."
Jordan nodded. "Sure. By that time I'll be at a Third Year party, not Second Year."
I tried to read the chit, jiggling in Bert's hand. "What time is it for, Bert?"
Bert looked at the chit to make sure. "First hour, I think... yes."
I looked at Rochelle. "That okay?"
Rochelle cleared her throat. "Does that mean, like... an hour with this boy, then wait thirty minutes, then you were saying ninety with... ummm, Runner?" I nodded, and a smile lit Rochelle's face. "Cool."
Jordan gave Bert a friendly kiss. Bert smiled, waved at me, and departed to look for another boy.
Within five minutes, I had located a date for Jimmy's last hour, a goat named Chevy. We had a few minutes before it was time to go to our private rooms. Jordan, Chevy, Runner and I chatted with the three sailors, who were obviously — and uncomfortably — horny. Actually, four of us chatted. Runner mostly stayed silent and observed the interactions, except when asked a direct question.
I took Justin by the hand and led him to my room for the night. I turned to him. A quick read of his face confirmed what I'd sensed in the main party room — I should be his boyfriend, with an intimate, long-standing relationship. I stroked his arm, smiling, speaking softly. "Take off that coat, Justin, loosen that tie. Wait, let me do that." I reached up and wriggled the knot loose on his tie, freed the top button of his shirt, and caught his coat as he shrugged out of it, hanging it on the hook on the door.
He seemed suddenly shy. Hesitantly, he said, "Your hair looks good. They did a nice job on it. Fixing it..." He trailed off.
I grinned at him. "Thank you. Would you like coffee? Something stronger?"
He blinked. "Coffee's fine, thanks."
I gestured; Zuchter would relay the order to the staff. "Now watch the magic happen. Shoulder rub while you wait?" I pulled him down gently to sit on the bed, and knelt on the bed behind him, and started kneading his shoulders. I could feel him begin to relax.
Within about three minutes a kitchen slave arrived with a coffee service on a silver tray — steaming carafe, a cup already poured, creamer, packets of sugar — and set it down on an little table beside the bed. Justin picked up the cup and started sipping the coffee, black.
Still working his shoulders as he sipped, I leaned forward and lightly kissed his neck. "So how was your day? Same old same old?"
It took Justin a moment to formulate an answer. "Pretty much."
I smiled and softly licked the spot I had kissed. "Well, let me add some sugar to it then."
Justin blinked, staring at his cup, and then seemed to realize I wasn't talking about coffee.
I gave him time to finish his coffee, then slowly unbuttoned his shirt.
Justin and I lay naked on the bed, facing each other, each lying atop one of the other's arms, our bodies cooling after the intense heat of sex. I stroked his hair lightly with my other hand.
I touched my lips to his. "So why did you want to take a chance on rescuing me? I could have been a really clever island boy, fooling you. You could have got in so much trouble."
Justin smiled and returned my kiss. "I knew you weren't. And... well, I don't want to say it was just that you were worth a lot of money. I like to tell myself it was more than that. You didn't belong there. That did mean something to me. Really."
I giggled and ran my hand down his back to stroke his hip. "That's kind of a self-proving argument, you know. The fact that you want to think of yourself as a good person, wanting to do the right thing because it's right, means you are a good person."
He smiled. "If you say so." He cupped his palm on my buttock. "This, tonight — this means more than the money, too. I'll run through that so fast I probably won't even remember where most of it went. But this right here... I'll remember it."
I kissed him again. "I'm glad. Speaking of that, maybe I should add to the memories now. You ready for another ride?" I gave him my best seductive look.
He was silent a moment, checking his own body's responses. "I could probably be talked into it."
I favored him with my most naughty smile. "Talk? I use my mouth for that." I scooted down slightly and kissed his chest, then slowly licked my way down his stomach, until I arrived at his limp maleness. I sucked it deep into my mouth, flicking it with my tongue, and felt it begin coming back to life.
I returned to the main room, still holding Justin's hand. The room was now about half-full, with more boys and their final partners for the night entering from the private wing. I spotted Jimmy Pellis, getting a final warm kiss from Chevy. Pellis looked flushed, a little disheveled, and happy. His tie was missing, likely coiled in his coat pocket.
I looked at the entrance again, and smiled. There he was, Runner, holding Bailor's hand. Rochelle looked at least as exhausted as Jimmy; her clothes were a little crooked, but at least she was wearing all of them.
Runner looked ecstatic. His hair, damp at the roots, flowed freely, almost down to his shoulders, and his shirt clung to the sweat on his upper body. It made his shape even more obvious than before, and attracted attention from anyone he passed. As he arrived he grinned at Jimmy and kissed him, still holding Bailor's hand, then broke contact with both and hugged me.
I grinned at the group as a whole. "Everybody have a nice time?" I got stunned vague nods from Bailor and Pellis, and an excited one from Runner.
I saw Marcus, just now returning from monitoring Runner. He grinned across the room, gave me a two-thumbs-up signal. He shook his head slightly in wonderment, and went to stand with Zuchter.
I've got to see the video of Runner's sessions tomorrow. I'd been planning to anyway, so I could — gently — tell Runner about any errors he had made. But now I was unexpectedly eager to see exactly what had happened.
I spotted Benjamin about thirty feet away to my right. I should have realized he'd be here. I'd been planning to get a message to him this week anyway; this was an ideal opportunity.
I gave Justin a quick kiss, and said, "I'll be right back. Got to talk to someone."
I walked over to Benjamin, and hugged him. He grinned. "Still getting to know the Second Year boys?"
He smiled back. "Indeed. I was able to see Sanford, Elton, and Tate tonight. I hadn't been with Sanford before. Delightful, all of them."
"I'm sure they'd all say the same about you. I was meaning to ask you something." I bit my lip, hopefully.
"Yes?"
"Could I invite a couple of people to my hanging? I mean, besides the boys from here we've already talked about? I would have asked when you were here before, but..." I smiled ruefully. "My mind was a little blown."
"Oh, certainly. I was expecting you would invite your father, at the very least. I assume your Other Father is no longer with us?"
I nodded. "Right. We skinned him years ago. And yes, if my father can be there, I'd really appreciate it. And there's one other person, non-family." I gave him another hopeful look.
"Ah, another V.I.P. in your life?"
I was pleased he had understood immediately. "Oh, very! I don't know whether you know him. He's a member here. Ted Bloom?"
"I know the name, though I don't believe we've met. He is the one you are hoping to invite?" I nodded eagerly, and Benjamin smiled. "Consider it done. I have nothing to write with at the moment, but I will... well, they probably have unpublished addresses and phone numbers. Why don't you have your Dean pass along the information tomorrow?"
"I will! And thank you!" I hugged him again.
Benjamin looked beyond me. "I heard you say earlier that those are the men who brought you home?"
I turned and looked. "The ones standing with Runner. Oh, that's Runner, my roommate. The one I mentioned before."
"I caught that earlier tonight, when he came in. Quite a stunningly pretty boy."
I smiled. "Very."
"Would you have any objection to my also inviting the three men to your hanging?"
I gaped at him. "Would you? I feel I owe them so much, and I was trying to do what I could to pay them back tonight, but if they could see what they saved me for... Benjamin, you're one in a million." I kissed him on the cheek, making him blush.
The monitors had been streaming in for some time, and now Loren, and now Loren, the Third Year hare now serving as a Dorm parent for the Second Years, appeared in the doorway, with a fox beside him dressed as a prisoner. The room quieted as Loren called out, "I see all of the boys are back now. I would like to introduce, for the entertainment of our honored members, Manfred, who will hang for your pleasure. He will be assisted by his roommate Jared. Let me hear a big round of applause for Manfred!"
The fox grinned and blushed. He was a little shorter than most students, but so wiry-thin that he looked normal. He should have been a nerd with coke-bottle glasses, but his sandy windblown headfur, pecs and abs belied that stereotype. In spite of the incongruity, the overall effect was gorgeous. Obviously he would have liked to cover his face, but his hands were already bound behind him.
Runner turned quickly to me. "Where should I stand? Where's the best place to see it?" He had been almost beside himself with excitement two days earlier, when I told him a student would do a terminal hanging at the end of the party.
I whispered quickly, not wanting to miss anything, "Wait until he stands on the platform. He's going to be turning to face everybody while he's hanging, but go stand in front of him before he hangs, just a little to this side." I gestured to the right. "I've seen him practice, and when he turns he'll go this way." I gestured again, a counterclockwise flip of my wrist.
Runner nodded, just as Manfred spoke up, in a whiny stage voice. "I thought there'd be more people here to see my execution. Did they put an announcement in the paper?"
Jared, a bactrian camel standing next to Manfred, responded loudly, "There's a bigger hanging going on tomorrow. They're probably waiting for that. We're expecting a huge crowd for that one."
The crowd seemed puzzled at first, but they gradually caught on that the exchange between Manfred and the wombat was part of the show. I whispered to the shocked looking Runner, "They're just doing make-believe, for fun, like on TV."
Runner spun toward me and gaped, with his I've-got-it look, and whispered, "That's what you meant when you said boys do a show when they hang! Like a TV show!"
I grinned and put my finger across my lips. "Quiet now. Just watch."
Manfred was continuing with the script, exclaiming irritably, "Lot of good that does me! And where are the television cameras? I told all my friends I'd be on TV!"
" 'Best Friends' is on right now," Jared explained, naming one of the most popular shows on television. "The network doesn't want to interrupt that." There were several chuckles as Manfred made an exasperated sound and rolled his eyes.
Manfred went on, "And what kind of a last meal was that? I thought I was supposed to get a filet mignon steak and champagne. Not a tuna sandwich and some awful soda pop! There weren't even chips! How can you eat a sandwich without chips?" Both Manfred and Jared began walking toward the hanging cage at the center of the room.
"Sorry about that. Budget cuts."
"I robbed a bank! Couldn't they use the money from that?" More laughter.
"Ummm... they can't find it."
"Can't find it!! I had it all in a bag when they caught me. What happened to that?"
"The chief of police said the investigative team will make every effort to find the money, just as soon as they all get back from Star Mountain." Another outbreak of chuckling at the mention of the ultra-expensive ski resort. Manfred and Jared entered the hanging cage and stepped up onto the platform.
Runner gave my hand a squeeze and walked up closer. He stopped where I had suggested, just behind the knot of people in front of the cage. None of the nearby members seemed to have any objection to a skimpily-dressed treasure of beauty and sexual magnetism standing among them.
As Jared dropped the noose over Manfred's head and tightened it around his neck, Manfred whined, "And you keep it too hot in here. I hate hot weather. It makes my fur frizz up at the ends!"
"Didn't you use the special shampoo they brought you? It was in a blue bottle."
"That?? I thought that was the soda pop!" He squeezed his eyes shut, stuck out his tongue, and shuddered, as everyone laughed.
Jared reached up to the neckline of the prison outfit and tore it away from Manfred's body with one motion, hopping down from the platform, and three bright spotlights focused on Manfred from different directions. The sudden sight of his naked body, glittering as if from from a twinkling inner star, evoked the usual response of gasps, both appreciative and sexually aroused.
Jared exited the cage and closed Manfred inside, and said, "Manfred Larkin, do you have any last words?"
Manfred curled his lip and said, "Yeah, just one, for your hangings in this useless waste of a town: bo-ring! Next time I die, I'll do it where I'm appreciated!"
There was laughter once more, and then, spontaneously from several directions, applause began and spread throughout the audience, as if to make sure Manfred knew that, contrary to his script, he was very much appreciated here. Manfred tried to maintain his sour face but couldn't. He grinned and mouthed, "Thank you."
He closed his eyes then, and evened out his breathing, taking in the air more deeply. After about ten seconds, Jared pulled the lever.
I could never resist watching a hanging, but this time my eyes kept being drawn back to Runner. I smiled. Runner was as focused as I'd ever seen him, his eyes wide and only rarely blinking. Manfred kicked and wriggled, going through all of the standard choreography, and I saw Runner tensing different groups of muscles, echoing Manfred's movements. I suspected that he was not conscious of doing it, nor indeed aware of his own body at all. Runner was, to the extent possible, inside Manfred's body, experiencing a hanging more fully than he ever had before.
All around were the usual groans and gasps of highly aroused furs, the inevitable reaction to watching a Hanging Boy show off his best. I was as susceptible to it as any of the guests, and started rubbing my crotch as I continued watching Manfred and Runner.
At about the fifteen minute mark, Manfred was visibly tiring. I saw him smile suddenly. The fox was as aware of the time as I was, and I knew that, in a sense, he had just made a passing grade on his Fifteen, the test that the rest of his classmates would go through a couple of months from now. He gave a triumphant little kick, and began making the pelvic thrusts that would bring his terminal orgasm. The audience began applauding again, using hands that had been otherwise employed.
Just a minute later, Manfred's whole body shivered in the throes of that climax, and then, all energy expended, he hung limp, his body twisting slowly from side to side in gradually diminishing turns. The applause continued until, one by one, audience members and students alike let their hands return to their earlier occupation.
It occurred to me, at last, to see how my guests were taking the show. All three sailors were staring at Manfred, each with a hand between his or her legs. I grinned. No doubt Manfred's performance had gone beyond what they could have imagined.
There was one more round of applause as Jared stabbed Manfred. Then, slowly, conversations began again around the room.
Looking entranced, Runner came back to where I was standing. In a dreamy voice, he said, "Do we get some of his fur?"
"I said maybe. The Second Year boys will get first pick. Marcus is going to find out if he can get a swatch for you. I think it will be okay. There aren't as many Second Years as there were at the start of the year."
Runner nodded and, in that same voice of wonder, said, "I never saw a boy hang that long."
I smiled. "We don't go so long in practice. We're trying not to die."
Runner looked back at Manfred, whose swinging had subsided again following his stabbing. "When I hang to die, I'm going to do it that long."
I stroked Runner's arm. "Runner, I'm sure you're going to go a lot longer than that."
Runner turned back to me and grinned, then looked back at Manfred once more.
I tapped him on the shoulder. "We need to say goodbye to our friends."
Runner saw me hug Justin, took the cue and gave Rochelle and Jimmy each a hug and a warm kiss, and echoed my sentiments about being glad they could come, et cetera. Together the two of us walked them toward the exit.
Watching Runner, Justin asked me, "That accent he had, on the island. That was faked too?"
I gasped and mentally replayed the sound of the last thing Runner had said to me. I had, mostly been able to understand Runner, even when we first met, and my mind had gradually filtered out any consciousness of Runner's island accent. The changes in Runner's speech pattern since his arrival at the Academy had been so gradual that I hadn't noticed them, but now that Justin had called my attention to it...
I blinked in amazement. "No. No. That was all him. He's just... he learns things fast." I shook my head to clear it, and grinned. "See you at my own hanging?"
Justin grinned back. "Wouldn't miss it."
Once the sailors were gone, Runner turned to me, with a look of sexual hunger. "Wynn, could we go back to our room? I feel... jumpy all over."
I laughed. I knew the feeling exactly, and knew that a long session of lovemaking was coming up. "Let me take just a minute to say goodbye to Benjamin. Then we'll go right there."