Chapter Eleven: Don’t Disturb
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The following week, Shade knocked on Midas' office door around noon on Thursday. "Enter," Midas called.

Shade opened the door and saw Midas was engrossed in his laptop, typing something. "You're busy right now?" He asked.

"No; I was actually about to go get lunch," Midas answered, not looking up from his laptop. "Just have to finish up one last thing, then I'm free."

"Good," Shade replied. Midas heard the lock click; he looked up in surprise. Shade stepped around the desk and behind Midas' chair, placing his hands on his shoulders. He leaned into Midas' ear and whispered, "I want you so fucking bad right now." Shade had been working up the courage to approach Midas first. He kept his composure but, on the inside, he nervously awaited Midas' response to his advance; I hope I didn't go too far.

Midas' heart thumped and he closed the laptop, placing it in a drawer. "In that case, I'm all yours," He looked up at Shade.

Shade let out the smallest sigh of relief and then the excitement began to build. He observed the desk; its top was already golden so perfect for Midas to hold on to. "Stand up," He ordered and Midas obeyed. Shade pushed the chair away; Midas turned towards Shade but was stopped and redirected to face his desk instead. "Put your hands on the desk." Midas hesitated for a moment but then leaned forward, hands on the desk; what's he going to do? He nervously awaited Shade's next move; this is different... Being the one who's being led; I've never been given orders like that before him. I guess I've never done anything in the office before either... He was still a little nervous but chose to trust Shade. Shade wrapped his arms around him from behind. He put his hands under Midas' shirt, feeling his muscles before moving down and unbuttoning his pants. He began to stroke Midas slowly, very slowly.

This went on for longer than Midas anticipated. "Don't tease me," He growled.

"Isn't anticipation half the fun though?" Shade asked seductively as he picked up the speed. Midas let out a moan, then they heard footsteps approaching. Midas made a move as if he was going to fix his pants. Shade put his hand on top of Midas' for a moment and whispered, "The door is locked- Let it go." Then he placed his left hand over Midas' mouth while picking up speed yet again. Midas moaned behind Shade's hand and shifted, pushing himself against Shade, his body reacting to the pleasure. Midas was surprised; fuck- Why is this so hot!? I'm not so sure about it though; he felt very nervous. He reached for Shade's hand to remove it from his mouth. Shade released him immediately and backed up a bit as Midas turned to face him; I went too far... What was I thinking?

Someone knocked on the door, "Boss, you in?"

Shade and Midas remained still and silent until the visitor retreated, leaving them alone again. "I'm sorry," Shade immediately said. "I got too excited and pushed too hard, without warning."

"I got a little worried," Midas admitted. "I just had to know that you would stop and you did- So now, I'm not worried anymore." Midas was relieved to know Shade wasn't going to take things too far. The way Shade would take control was unlike anything Midas had experienced; I really do like it- I'm sure now, this is what I want from him. He didn't want it to ever slip to a point where his boundaries would be ignored though. Shade suddenly seemed hesitant to move, so Midas went to him. He raised Shade's chin and loosened his tie, opening his collar. He kissed his neck then nibbled and licked before moving to whisper in his ear, "Please, continue." Shade removed his converter and kissed Midas deeply. Then he removed Midas' shirt, placing a few kisses on his chest before turning him back towards the desk. Midas leaned on it and Shade squeezed against him. Shade noticed, for the first time, a tattoo on the back of Midas' neck; it was a crown. Shade smiled; the golden king. He kissed it, then nibbled Midas' shoulder. "Mmm," Midas moaned. "Shade, are you going to finish me?" He asked, impatiently. "I do have other things to do after lunch," He smirked.

Shade put his converter back on, "You're so impatient- Enjoy the build-up." He began stroking him again, slowly. He gradually built Midas up, bringing him to the edge. When Midas was close, Shade stopped.

"You're torturing me," Midas moaned.

"This will be worth it in the end, I promise." Shade removed the converter and turned Midas' head, kissing him for a while, waiting for some time before beginning to stroke again. He returned his converter asking, "Should I let you this time?" Midas moaned in response. Shade built him up to the edge again. As Midas was getting close, they heard someone approaching again. "So it's okay?" Shade asked in a whisper and Midas nodded desperately. Shade covered Midas' mouth and didn't stop. The new visitor knocked and Midas tried desperately to remain quiet; even with Shade's hand covering his mouth, he didn't want to make noise.

The person was retreating as Midas went over the edge. Shade uncovered Midas' mouth and he let out a gasp. "Shaaade," He moaned out as he finished. Spent, he collapsed into his chair panting, eyes closed. When he opened them again, Shade was at the desk, admiring the aftermath, seemingly lost in his own world. He rubbed his hand on the outside of his pants and moaned in a way Midas hadn't heard yet. Midas' stomach lurched in a mix of excitement and slight fear. He had been thinking a lot about when or if the time would ever come that Shade being a man would become real. He had wondered if there was going to be a line he would find himself unable to cross; he's so fucking hot though? "Do you want to too?" He asked, trying to be seductive.

Reality came crashing down on Shade; what was I just doing? "Um- No- I- Just..." He backed up slightly.

Midas stood and approached him. "Please, I just want you to enjoy yourself too. I don't have to touch you..." Midas thought quickly, "I could moan for you? Whatever you want or need but I want to take the next step- With you." Midas felt sure, he wanted to please Shade too; why does he get so nervous after I've been taken care of? Last time, I managed to coax something he wanted out of him. Maybe he will think of something else again?

"Next step..." Shade repeated as a sudden sense of dread set in. Shade began to hyperventilate; I can't fight it off this time! These used to only happen when I was being restrained or confined- What is wrong with me!? His mind raced as he backed further away from Midas. He put his hands to his neck, rubbing as he glanced to the door.

"What's wrong?" Midas became concerned; why is he breathing like that? He's got his hands on his neck too. He's done that before- I thought it was just a nervous habit, but those marks on his neck... "Do I need to call medical!?" Midas took a step towards him.

"No!" Shade felt dizzy, "I-I have to go." He fled, leaving Midas alone in his office.

 

Midas froze in confusion for a moment before quickly cleaning up his desk, afraid to leave it unattended in that state, and fixing his clothes. He went next door to Shade's apartment. A hastily written note reading 'Please Don't Disturb' had been taped to Shade's door, which was locked. "Please leave," Was the only response Midas received upon knocking. Midas frowned; guess he really is physically okay, at least. Midas went to his own apartment, pulling out his phone and calling Styx's in-house therapist.

"Midas, what can I do for you?" She asked as she answered.

"Hey Carla, what does a panic attack look like?"

"Do you think you had a panic attack?"

"Not me, someone else. Let's say someone's response to something was to go blank for a moment, then they started breathing rapidly, and then basically ran from the situation."

"What were they responding to?"

"Um- Someone suggesting they take things further- Sexually?"

"You're the one who suggested it then?"

"Is it a panic attack?" He pressed.

"You know I can't say anything for sure without talking to the patient directly," She chided. "You are right, it does sound like one though," She conceded. "Seriously though- Were you the one making the suggestion?" Midas remained silent. He wasn't completely sure why he wasn't being direct with her; he did see her sometimes for himself and had always been honest. "Alright," She gave in. "Well; whoever it was who had the attack should see me."

"Yeah; sure- Thank you..." He ended the call.

 

The next day, Shade texted Midas. 'I'm sorry for how yesterday ended. You may have realized, that was a panic attack. I'm aware that I get them. I haven't had one in such a long time that I was caught off guard. I normally handle them much better. You didn't do anything wrong either, I'm just not ready for a next step. I'm sorry if that upsets you. I understand if you want to put an end to that part of our relationship again. I hope you won't pull away completely though. I would like to remain a friend, if possible.'

Midas was unsure how to respond, he wasn't upset but he wasn't sure what he wanted to do with the relationship. He became afraid that it was harming Shade in some way; I caused him to have a panic attack... It's even more obvious now that physical intimacy really is too much for him. I don't think he's ready for this kind of relationship; there may be some things he needs to work out... Something has clearly happened to him and I may be making it worse. He texted back, 'Perhaps a break would be a good idea. Please consider going to our therapist. She is good, I go to her myself sometimes.' Midas knew it was somewhat hypocritical to tell Shade to use the therapist when he was avoiding it himself. He wasn't ready to talk to her yet about his new and confusing relationship; with a man... He still hoped Shade would consider it. Even if Shade told her all about the two of them, Midas didn't care as long as he was getting help. He also knew Carla wouldn't press the issue until he was ready to talk too.

 

It had been a few days and Shade hadn't seen or heard from Midas since the texts. He was a little uncertain what Midas had meant by a break and if he was willing to keep a friendship or not. He was also afraid to ask or contact Midas first so he'd been hoping to encounter him naturally and see how Midas would behave towards him. After having witnessed Shade and Matt eating together, and Shade ditching the cloak, people were getting much more comfortable with him. More people had introduced themselves to him and no one seemed tense around him anymore. Shade was waiting in line for dinner when Matt eagerly greeted him. "Shade, have you heard the news yet?"

"No; what news?" Shade asked.

"Marigold is coming back this week. I'm sure you must know who she is."

"The boss' daughter." Having not met her yet, she had been abstract in Shade's mind. He only occasionally remembered; Midas has a daughter.

"Yep- She's been gone for nearly a year, doing some traveling. Everyone is really looking forward to seeing her again," Matt seemed excited.

"Midas allowed his daughter to travel solo? How old is she?" Shade asked with surprise.

"She's twenty-one. He wasn't too thrilled about the idea, I think. He caved easily though. He's kept everything about her secret from the public. People off the island don't know anything about her; so, she's possibly actually less conspicuous alone."

"I see; that makes sense." Shade looked down; that seems true... Shade had attempted to gather intel on everything related to Midas. While he had discovered the existence of a daughter and late wife, no information about them was available, not even their names. Shade looked back up; wait- Did he say twenty-one? Then- How old is Midas? Shade tried to think. He realized he definitely didn't know Midas' age; it wasn't among the things he'd found in his research. He'd never dedicated any time to trying to find out either, as it was never relevant.

Matt chuckled in amusement, "I bet I know what you are thinking- The boss, right? We don't know his exact age. Most guesses are thirty-nine to forty-four, based on Mari. The youngest current bet is thirty-five and the oldest is fifty. If you want in, Tim is the one keeping track of everyone's bet."

"You guys are betting on this- And someone thinks he was a fourteen-year-old father?" Shade scoffed; I guess I can't criticize too much... I thought he was thirty-four to thirty-eight myself but I thought his daughter would be younger and in a boarding school or maybe a college freshman. Now I'm convinced he's at least forty...

"Yeah; it's technically possible so a few people latched onto it. The whole thing started as a joke; but, hey, in case we ever find out, why not?"

Shade nodded; is he genuinely that sensitive about his age? That is kind of cute... Why do I find that cute? Wait- Those women. "No, uh, judgment- But I've seen some of the women Midas takes to his room..." They are barely older than his daughter, if they are at all.

Matt nodded, understanding what Shade was referring to. "Yeah; some of them are young- A lot of them, to be fair. I honestly don't think it's on purpose though. I know one woman he sees regularly is forty-five and there are some everywhere in between. I just don't think he cares, at all."

"Hmm... I see," Shade found himself slightly relieved; maybe it's because of his disinterest in commitment, rather than a specific interest in young women?

A cook called through the window, "Shade, you're up."

"Thanks," Shade took the bag, then spoke to Matt. "Well; I'll be eating in my room today but thanks for the chat. Catch you later."

"Sure thing, have a good one."

 

Word had spread fast about Mari's return and people were very excited. She was quite popular with Styx residents and seemed to be friends with everyone. People had decided to use Kharon's Rest to throw her a welcome home party and they made sure everyone knew about it. Shade received an invitation through email, as well as texts from several people. Shade had avoided Kharon's Rest since the tour but he was aware Midas regularly went, usually to bring women back to his apartment. Shade stared at the invitation; surely he'll be there for his daughter's welcome home. Shade worked up his courage and decided to attend as well, hoping to see him.

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