Author's Note:

Gentle readers (and not so gentle), there is a super awesome event upcoming called The Greatest International Scavenger Hunt the World Has Ever Seen or GISHWHES that Misha Collins sponsors. (I realize this isn't really a Misha-centric fandom, but the cause is good and I'm excited) GISHWHES is a charity event, lots of crazy fun, and you can meet people from all over the world. I mean, you meet them online, but you still interact and it's awesome. My last year's team consisted of three of my closest friends and a bunch of "vikings" (self-identified) from Norway. This year it runs from July 30 to Aug 6, and registration is now open. Go to the website and see all about it. GISHWHES is the center piece between the Ws and the com.

It's loads of fun, very silly, and if you can't afford the modest entry fee, it is possible to qualify for subsidies called Gisholarships.

If you've ever seen him live or followed him on Twitter, you know Misha Collins is crazy. Imagine that joined with a scavenger hunt where you build strange things (a life-size dog made of feminine hygiene products last year), create strange scenarios (I armed my dog for battle with the cats - awkward when one of the cats started sniffing the battle axe and my dog gave me this anxious look), and basically do a good turn for the world while having good, silly fun. William Shatner plays! So should you! (That's not peer pressure unless you're a) a celebrity or b) in your 80s.)


Chapter 6

Abby's friend Zack was neither a wanted felon nor a known mass murder, and he came up trumps. They'd had a crash course in domination, Abby had gone home to dig out her nicest well-used collar that was big enough to fit Tony, and now they were in a cab on their way to the club. Tony's heart was playing hip hop, but he had a wire on him this time, and he had an earwig so tiny that he was almost afraid he'd lose in his ear canal. He also had his weapons back. He and Gibbs had gone by earlier in the day to pick them up. Someone else had picked up his car.

Tony was dressed in a pair of skin tight blue jeans, a dark red shirt with the top three buttons undone and a black leather collar with rounded metal studs all around. It even had a tag, Abby's touch. The front said TONY, the back had Gibson Howe's name and cell phone number. On his wrists he wore the shiny suede-lined cuffs. They had d-rings that could allow them to be locked together – or to other objects, for that matter – but they could also be worn as simple decoration. It gave them the option of using the slip lock that Zack had found for them if Sullivan insisted on Tony being restrained again, and they had a few other pieces of equipment both for their room – in case of snoopers – and for the meeting. Tony really hoped they wouldn't need most of it – that they could finish this off tonight – but he suspected he wasn't that lucky.

The cab pulled up in front of the club and Gibbs got out first. Tony followed him and, per Zack's advice, he walked to heel, just behind Gibbs and to his left. He'd spent the last few hours psyching himself into the notion that Gibbs owned him.

They were met at the door by a waitress who ushered them to a table. It wasn't usual to be seated here, but this wasn't a usual evening. A lot of thought had gone into their arrival time. Too early would have signified desperation, too late would have signified arrogance. It was quarter after ten, which theoretically was on the early side of late. That conversation had made Tony's head spin. All he knew was that the club opened at eight, their 'do not pass' deadline was midnight, and if he'd been planning an inconspicuous time to drop in, around ten-fifteen would have been it. Mere social instinct, however, had not been received well.

Tony flirted with the waitress and she responded coquettishly to his subtle flattery. When she was gone, though, he put a hand on Gibbs' hand, as though to reassure him. Gibbs turned his hand up and caught Tony's, bringing Tony's eyes to meet his. Once he had Tony's attention, he shook his head and Tony dropped his eyes to the table. It was a bit of theater that they had worked out with Zack to play up Gibbs' current state of possessiveness, or rather, Gibson's. No flirting tonight, Gibson's nerves weren't up to it.

They had ordered bottled beer, and Marino's hand was detectable in the fact that the bottles were delivered with the caps still on. "I can open them for you," the young woman said, trying to catch Tony's eye. Tony didn't look up, and it was Gibbs who spoke. "No, thank you." Looking a little perplexed, she gave up on Tony and walked away. Gibbs pulled out his key chain and opened the two bottles. He placed one of the open bottles in front of Tony. "You may drink," he said.

"Thanks, Boss," Tony replied, and he took the bottle, taking a swig. Zack had determined Boss to be their 'master' equivalent, which made things a little easier on Tony. He wasn't honestly sure he could call any man master.

Tony returned after a few moments to looking around the bar, assessing threats and behaving like a good dog, watching his owner's back. "Rudy at seven o'clock," Tony muttered as the other man approached.

"Welcome back, Mr. Howe," Rudy said. "If you and your companion will come with me, your party is waiting."

Leaving their drinks, Tony and Gibbs got up. Tony stayed close at heel as they headed back towards the meeting room. They entered the hallway and once the door closed, Rudy turned. "Mr. Sullivan has given orders that your companion is to remove his shirt and shoes and submit to being cuffed before he enters the meeting room." They had more or less expected this, so neither of them raised any objection. Tony waited, though until Gibbs gave him the unvoiced order. He unbuttoned his shirt, took it off and hung it on a hook in the wall next to another shirt that had already been hung there. He'd selected loafers without socks, so he slipped out of them quickly. Then Gibbs said, "Present your wrists, Tony," and Tony turned towards him, holding his arms out, wrists together, so that the rings on the cuffs were easily accessible. Gibbs threaded the lock through them and shut it with an audible click. Tony was made uneasy by it even though he knew he could get out without difficulty. He just had to have a really, really good reason to do it. He'd just have to cope with anything less.

"I believe Mr. Sullivan would prefer that you use his cuffs," Rudy said, holding out a shiny pair of standard handcuffs. "And I believe he'd prefer for his hands to be behind him."

"You believe?" Gibbs asked, his tone making it clear that Rudy's beliefs were insufficiently important for him to act on.

Rudy stared at him uncertainly, and finally came to the conclusion that Gibbs wasn't going to make any changes. He stepped back and opened the door. Tony followed Gibbs into the room and didn't swallow his teeth. Directly opposite them, in the corner, Marino knelt wearing only his trousers and whatever was under them. His ankles were cuffed together, and his wrists were cuffed behind him.

Sullivan rose to his feet. "First, Gibson, let me apologize to you for the damage done to your pet by my ham-handed associate," he said. "I was not informed last evening, or we would have dealt with the matter then."

"I confess to being displeased," Gibbs said dryly.

Sullivan was studying Tony's ribs from a safe distance. "I can see that he at least did not try to minimize the damage he did. I have disciplined him for not telling me immediately as he should have done, and you are now free to punish him yourself, if you like."

Tony didn't know how Gibbs would play this. He wasn't sure how it should be played. Gibbs gazed at Marino for a long moment, then turned back to Sullivan. "He's not mine, and I don't choose to punish what's not mine. Consider, though, what you would do to a man who had damaged your most treasured possession and mete out whatever punishment you think just."

Sullivan's brows went up, and he gave Marino a measuring glance. Marino's eyes widened. From his expression, Tony suspected that he'd rather Gibbs had punished him. "Very well," Sullivan said. "Would you care to sit?"

Gibbs nodded and then gestured Tony towards the cushion by the chair. Tony walked over and knelt down, aware of Sullivan's eyes on him the entire time he moved. It was disconcerting to say the least, but he tried not to show it. Gibbs sat down in the chair, and he stroked Tony's head the way one might to settle a nervous dog, so maybe he wasn't keeping his feelings to himself as well as he thought. He could only hope that it wasn't as obvious to people who didn't know him.

Nathan was kneeling next to Sullivan again, but today his nipples had weights dangling from them as well as being chained to his collar. Tony found the desire to have weight hung from an object that had been inserted through such a tender part of the anatomy incomprehensible, but it wasn't his anatomy, thank heaven. Nathan didn't seem to mind.

"Mind you," Gibbs said, stroking down the back of Tony's head again, this time in a possessive gesture. "If he lays hands on my property again, I will beat him to the ground. He's got two strikes against him already. Most men don't make it past one."

Sullivan smiled, but the expression didn't reach his eyes. "I'll keep than in mind," he said. He glanced back at the two bouncers. "Take him out." They grabbed Marino by the arms and removed him from the room. Tony kept his eyes on the floor, not wanting to attract attention. He was unsuccessful. Sullivan cleared his throat. "Have you considered piercings?" he asked, gesturing towards Tony. "I find they make the subject quite sensitive, both to pain and pleasure."

Gibbs shook his head. "Not really my thing," he said. He glanced down at Tony, and for a feigned look of lust, it was extremely persuasive.

"You might give it more thought," Sullivan said. He reached down and set the weight depending from Nathan's right nipple swinging, and Nathan's eyes widened. A slight hiss of indrawn breath was the only other reaction the man gave. Sullivan smiled and flicked the nipple with his forefinger and Tony could see Nathan's jaw clench. He twitched slightly, but didn't move away. "You see what I mean?"

Gibbs shrugged. "I'm not one for public displays, but I find he's sensitive enough."

"I was thinking of inviting you to my private club if things work out tomorrow evening." He glanced at Tony, and Tony found himself hard pressed not to show any reaction. He had a feeling that if things didn't work out tomorrow evening, Tony might be visiting the club anyway, just not with Gibbs in attendance. It wouldn't happen, he knew that, the surveillance teams wouldn't let it, but the idea was enough to creep him out. He found himself leaning closer to Gibbs in his chair, his shoulder actually touching Gibbs' knee before he realized what he was doing. Gibbs responded to the shift by resting his hand on the back of Tony's neck, an obscurely reassuring gesture. While Gibbs was looking down at Tony, Sullivan gave him an amused wink. Tony tensed slightly and Gibbs gave his neck a gentle squeeze.

"We'll see how I'm feeling tomorrow night," Gibbs said, and Tony hoped that translated to 'hell, no' in Gibbs speak. Being ogled by Sullivan and felt up by Marino was plenty fun, he didn't need more.

Mark and Rudy came back in and settled against the walls on either side of the door.

"How long have you two been together?" Sullivan asked.

"Nearly three years," Gibbs replied.

"How did you meet?"

"He caught my eye while he was working for someone else," Gibbs said, and Tony didn't look up at him. They always said that the best lie was one that contained a germ of truth. Gibbs was simply failing to mention that the someone else had been the Baltimore Police Department.

"So you poached him away from another master?" Sullivan asked, eyes brightening as if that gave him some kind of an advantage.

"No," Gibbs said. "Nobody had laid claim to him yet. He was promising, but a bit of a hothead."

"So you tamed him?"

"I gentled him. The wild ones are never really tame unless you break them, and I'm not interested in broken men."

"If you break them, you can rebuild them into whatever shape you want," Sullivan said.

Gibbs shook his head. "I disagree, but I guess that depends on what you want."

Sullivan chuckled and stood up, walking around behind Tony and Gibbs. Tony turned his head enough to keep a watchful eye on the man, but Gibbs declined to be baited. "Why is he watching me? Doesn't he know his place?"

"He does," Gibbs said, sounding vaguely amused. "Does he disturb you?"

"He should keep his eyes down before his betters."

"You've called him my bird dog," Gibbs said, remaining relaxed in his chair despite the fact that Sullivan was right behind him. "He's not a pretty toy, he's a working animal."

"If I menace you, will he growl and attack?" Sullivan asked in a joking tone.

"I wouldn't test it if I were you," Gibbs said, shrugging.

"I can see that you don't mind hair. I prefer my boys to shave." Tony noticed abruptly that Nathan was glaring at him, like somehow any of this was his fault. "He certainly is well proportioned."

"I know what he looks like, Doug," Gibbs said dryly.

"I'd like to see all of him."

"As I said, I'm not one for public display."

"This is hardly public," Sullivan scoffed.

"I don't know you well enough to strip him bare for you," Gibbs said. "And I won't change my mind, so if it's a deal breaker, I'll forget the address and Tony and I can both go on to Austin."

"It's not a deal breaker, Gibson, don't overreact. I'd just like to see more, but now Nathan's getting jealous." Jealous was one word for it. Murderous looks from the chained man kneeling across from him had been making Tony uneasy. He might not just have to watch out for the tops in this room. Sullivan walked up and took a handful of Nathan's hair, pulling his head back. "You know how I feel about jealousy, slut. You don't own me, I own you." Grabbing the bound man by the neck and dragging him halfway to his feet, he kissed him hard. The kiss spoke less of passion and more of possession, and when he had dropped Nathan back to his knees, Sullivan gave Tony a look that made him press a little closer to Gibbs.

"We're here for a reason, Doug," Gibbs said, his hand squeezing Tony's neck. "Business?"

Sullivan said, "Now, as for business, before we can really get down to deals, I've got a friend in need of some help."

Gibbs tilted his head curiously, and Tony kept his expression impassive. Apparently Gibson needed to prove himself and no doubt incriminate himself at the same time. That was how these kinds of organizations worked. Everybody had something on everybody else. "I see," Gibbs said. "What sort of help?"

"I don't know the details, but he's got something of a supply problem. You're a go getter. Find out, solve it, and come back." He held out a slip of paper. "Memorize the address and the time." Gibbs blinked at it and squinted. Tony wished his boss would get a pair of reading glasses. Sullivan sighed and read it aloud to him.

Gibbs repeated it and nodded. "We'll leave in the morning," he said.

"Tony stays at the hotel," Sullivan replied. Gibbs started to object, but Sullivan continued to speak and Gibbs broke off. "My friend will expect a man alone, not a man, his lover and two bodyguards, which, according to our agreement, is what he'd get." Gibbs pursed his lips. "So, tomorrow, Tony will be spending the day in your hotel room with Rudy and Mark." This wasn't Tony's favorite plan, but they'd assumed it would happen and had prepared. The room had been swept for existing bugs, and their own had been placed. Once in the hotel room, nearly everything Rudy and Mark did would be on camera.

"Very well. I'll need an early start, so I think it's time we went back to the hotel."

"Rudy and Mark have the adjoining room. I'll expect that the door between will stay open at all times."

"Well, that will interfere with my plans for the evening," Gibbs said, sounding resigned.

"It doesn't need to. They can be selectively deaf. I'm not interested in your sex play."

Like hell, Tony thought. He wanted details and diagrams, but he wasn't likely to admit it. "I don't perform in front of crowds," Gibbs replied. He rose and Tony rose with him. "Are they ready?"

Sullivan nodded, walking up to Tony and touching the manacles, carefully not touching Tony's skin. "These are nice."

"Yes, they are," Gibbs said.

"Good night, Gibson. Take care of your pet."