Dog Days Are Beginning Chapter 11: Week 1 Henry Wolf
I hope everyone is keeping well and enjoying Steve's journey? Thank you for all the kind messages. If you would like to get in touch, you can email me at henrywolf12@outlook.com
Note: Warning: this series contains violent behaviour and explicit sexual scenes. The events in this story are purely fantasy. In real life, please show respect and practise safe and consensual sex.
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Things only went from bad to worse for Steve as his week at the office went on. There were numerous situations where he messed up his duties, was late with his deliverables, or wasn't submissive enough to his superiors. He was struggling to apply his training to the work environment, feeling self-conscious around other men who were fully clothed, and was thus messing up his on his duties. The office was a totally different environment to the training facility, plus being in full view of his husband only made things worse. Of course, he had the support of Malik, his sub bro, but, apart from at lunch, he didn't see much of him as he was often working away in other parts of the office.
One of the few times during the week where Steve had messed up big time was when he was in the printing room stacking sheets of paper and ordering them into numerical reports. He had been in there for hours printing out multiple copies of a long report and had stacked the sheets into bundles. He was nearing the end of printing, the last few sheets spitting out of the printing, when a junior member of the team, Eric, strolled into the room.
"You're still taking up space in here, sub? Someone else might want use of the equipment," Eric slapped Steve's naked butt as he passed him.
"Sorry, Sir," Steve apologised despite the fact that there were plenty more printers and photocopiers to use in the room. He tried to keep himself steady after the humiliation of being smacked on his ass.
"That's ok, boy," Eric pressed a few buttons on the photocopier, starting a printing job. "You can keep me entertained while I wait for that to finish." He strolled over and came up behind Steve. "Such a nice body."
Steve could feel Eric behind him: the other man's tie tickled Steve's lower back and his boner pressed through the fabric of his pants, rubbing against Steve's butt.
Eric caressed Steve's back, feeling the muscles of his back, and drew his hands up to Steve's shoulder blades and onto his biceps. Steve didn't move, shivering at the other man's touch.
"I love the new and improved sub internship," Eric began. "Everyone wins. You subs get to be in your proper place and serve real men, and us Norms get to be pleasured by you. It's the natural order of how things should be. It's quite radical for a workplace. Usually people only practise sexual Dom/sub dynamics in private. But having it in the workplace... it's genius and so hot," Eric looped his arms around Steve, holding him and kissing his neck.
Steve thought he was going to be sick, not only from practically being felt up by this pervy guy but by his social Darwinism thinking. Sure, he knew he was classed as a sub now and he had been through much worse during training, but the fact that he was no out in the real world as a sub, without any protection and anyone in the office could use him as they saw fit, was a reality that filled him with dread.
Eric was kissing Steve's cheek. Steve could smell his cologne and feel the other's man's warm body against his back, the fabric of Eric's shirt caressing him. Eric was about to kiss him on the lips when another clothed man entered the room. Eric broke away from Steve, looking abashed. Steve just stood still, bowing his head with respect.
"Hey, Eric, what did we tell you?" The other man talked to them over his shoulder as he grabbed some office supplies from the shelves. "Bronze subs are only for office tasks. You can use subs for sexual needs once they're promoted to silver accreditation. Once they've shown they're dedicated to the company, we know they'll do anything to work their way up. Best not to scare off the newbies this earlier."
"Yeah, of course, man. We were just messing around," Eric straightened his shirt and chuckled.
"I believe it," the other man gave him a dubious look. "Anyway, don't let the senior guys see you `messing around' with the new subs, especially not that one," the other man nodded to Steve. "Mark owns him." The man left that remark settle in the atmosphere as he left the room.
"Well, boy," Eric said. "Lucky for you I can't make use of you now, but work hard and we'll see each other very soon," Eric laughed and shoved past Steve, pushing a little too hard so Steve fell back against the desk and knocked over the stacks of reports he had been organising. The sheets spilled over onto the floor and scattered everywhere.
"What the fuck?" Steve yelled.
"Ooops," Eric smirked. "Maybe you won't make it to a silver sub after all. And mind your mouth, boy. Don't forget you're a sub, have some respect." Eric slapped him across the cheek and kept a raised finger in front of his face. "I can't use you for sex but I can punish you."
Steve could feel himself growing red, his cheek felt hot from the slap. He bit his tongue and kept his eyes lowered. He could hear his heart beat in his chest.
"Good boy," Eric petted Steve's head. "Now get back to work," Eric pulled his sheets from the photocopier and left Steve to his work.
Steve sighed, his shoulders drooping as he looked at all the sheets that had scattered across the floor. It took him ages to gather up all the sheets and put them into their proper order. Because of that, the reports weren't ready for a meeting and the man he was assisting got a lot of slack for not being prepared. Of course, Steve got the brunt of it and all he could do was apologise. He didn't want to explain that he had actually gotten everything done on time and it had actually been Eric who had messed everything up. Grassing on another staff member who was higher up than you wasn't a good look, especially given the sub status, so he had swallowed his frustration and promised to do better.
Later on in the week, Steve messed up even more. A few of the junior staff wanted coffee. Steve, being the only sub within earshot, was given the honours of doing the coffee run. He took down the orders, seven coffees in total. As he walked towards the canteen, one of the men shouted after him. It was Eric.
"Where are you going, boy?" Eric asked. Not the canteen. We don't want any of that muck. Run down to the café down the street." Some of the other men laughed, glancing at one another.
Steve could only stare, not believing what he had heard. "Sir?" he asked.
"Did I stutter, boy? Or are you just really dim? Take the lift downstairs, walk out the door, stroll down the street, and get the coffee in the café. Do you need to write that down too?"
"B-b-but. That's outside. In public. I don't have any clothes on. I can't go out like this."
"Of course you can, boy. Don't be silly," Eric came over to Steve and pressed a hand on Steve's collar. "You have your uniform so wear it with pride. It's perfectly natural for a sub. And don't forget, you're representing the company, so best behaviour."
Steve stood in silence, unsure what to do.
"Unless of course you want to quit? You're free to leave the programme at any time if you can't handle the responsibilities."
That was exactly what Steve needed to hear. He was invigorated. He knew Eric wanted to break him, wanted to see him quit. This was a test, just like all the lessons at training.
"I won't be long, Sir," Steve replied.
Eric skipped a beat. He stared at Steve. He wasn't expecting Steve's compliance. After he had regained composure, he smiled at lightly tapped Steve's cheek. "Good, boy."
The line in the café was annoyingly long. Steve stood in the queue, bouncing on his heels and trying to zone out all the stares and pointing from other customers. He could feel all their eyes on his muscular body, from the collar on his neck, down past his pecs and biceps, across his abs, along his thighs and calves and down to his bare feet. Most subs in workplaces just did menial work for low pay, but there was no dress code like the one that had been enforced at Goldman Price. Thus, the sight of a man in a jockstrap and collar stuck out like a sore thumb. Steve guessed most people thought he was part of a prank or something. He kept his eyes straight ahead, reading the menu over and over as the queue slowly moved forward. He ignored the picture-taking and comments, but knew he was red with humiliation and self-consciousness.
As soon as Steve ordered and collected the coffee, he was out of there, keeping the trays of coffee safe in his grip. He walked quickly, both to get away from the public but also to get off the cold, concrete pavement that was sore against the sensitive soles of his feet. He sped past the curious looks and wolf whistles of the crowds on the street, keeping his focus on the office as it came into view. He let out a sigh of relief as he got back into the warmth of the building.
Steve got the lift to their floor and strolled in, his head high, proud that he had accomplished the task. As he was walking down the rows of desks, he saw Stan with a few of the men. They were surrounding him, admiring the twink's body and petting him. In response, he looked up at them through long lashes and flirted back. He had them in the palm of his hand and they were eating him up.
Steve tutted. Stan had been right. He was really popular with the men. Just as Steve was walking past Stan, he felt himself trip over something. He looked down just in time to see Stan's foot pull back. He tried to catch onto something, but his hands were full, so he dropped to the floor, and the coffees went everywhere, splashing onto the floor, across a few desks, and drenching multiple computers. There were gasps and yelps as the men jumped from their desks, berating Steve for wrecking the place. Their work was ruined, the equipment was malfunctioning, and their clothes were drenched in coffee.
"I'm really sorry," Steve said over and over, as he collected himself, getting to his feet. "It was Stan, he tripped me. He did it on purpose," Steve explained but none of the men believed him.
"I would never disrespect the company's property like that, Sirs," Stan nodded towards Steve. "Nor would I disrespect such wonderful men like yourselves, Sirs, when all you're looking for is some light refreshments to help you get through the hard work you do every day," Stan looked at all the men, giving them a coy look like butter wouldn't melt.
"He's lying. You have to believe me," Steve was red with frustration.
"That's enough, boy," Eric shouted. "Making accusations against your fellow colleague when he's just been standing here innocently talking to us and keeping us entertained while you take all day just to get us some coffees," Eric caressed Stan's face.
"I don't take any offence, Sir. The sub was probably just misunderstood. Why don't I go into the canteen and get your coffees while the sub cleans up here," Stan strolled off while the other men were won over by Stan's "kindness" and the view of his perking butt cheeks as they wobbled as he walked. Steve had to bite his cheek at Stan referring to him as "the sub" like Stan wasn't one himself.
Once he had lost view of Stan's butt, Eric turned back to Steve, "You could really learn a thing from that boy. Why can't you be more like Stan? I don't want to hear anymore. Go get something to clean up this mess."
While the men took a coffee break, Steve lugged some cleaning supplies and began mopping up the mess. He threw away the empty cups and coffee-drenched papers. He was soaking up the coffee from the desks when someone came up behind him.
"Need some help?" It was Filipe, one of the other interns on the programme. He was Brazilian and in his late 20s.
Steve was taken aback by the sudden kindness amid the disaster of a week he was having. But he wasn't surprised that it was Filipe who was offering to help. Apart from Malik, Filipe was the nicest of all the other interns. He was soft-spoken and kind whenever he had chatted to Steve in the lunch room.
"Are you sure? Aren't you afraid of getting yelled at?" Steve asked.
"Nah, it's ok. I spent the morning lugging heavy boxes. But I got it done early, so I'm all free," Filipe smirked through his beard, picking up a cloth and gathering up some of the spilled coffee. His brown skin glistened with sweat. His muscles looked pumped from the heavy lifting.
"Thanks, I appreciate it," Steve smiled, grateful for the help. He hadn't done much smiling at the office, so it was nice to have a moment of levity. "That Stan guy really had it out for me."
"No worries. I think he's just trying to sabotage anyone else in his rise to the top. Unfortunately, that means the rest of us get shat on. The other day he spilled some ink on reports I had been preparing. I had to start all over again. The guy I was helping wouldn't hear a word against their precious toy Stan."
"He's a psycho. So, apart from insane co-workers, how are you finding the work so far?"
"I'm doing ok. The work itself is pretty handy. Grunt work. Not really much to think about. I guess the real challenge is being eyed up like a piece of meat. They're all hungry, it's like they haven't had sex in years and it's only now they can see what's on offer."
"I know right? What's with that?"
"Ugh, men," Filipe joked and they both laughed.
The two men had gotten rid of the ruined paperwork and dried the desks and were now moving onto drying the equipment.
"So did you know about this... `uniform' before you started?" Steve asked.
"No idea. It was a real shock. I thought those days were behind me. I did the sub training a few years ago so it's like it's brining it all back to me. What about you?"
"Same here. I just did the training a week ago so it's still fresh, but I didn't think we'd have to dress like this at the office."
"It sucks for sure," Filipe picked up a keyboard and held it askew, letting the coffee drip from it. "At least you have your husband here for support."
"Yeah, it's great to have him to go home to and talk things through. Although it's hard in ways having him see me like this."
"I getcha. It does change things seeing a partner like that. But you'll pull through. You seem like you're really in love and that's enough to get through something like this. As weird as it is."
"How about you, do you have a partner to talk about this whole situation?"
"Not currently -- I'm single so no one owns me legally, just when I'm at work I'm the company's property. But I did tell my housemate. He thinks it's crazy, like I'm making up some fever dreamed fantasy or something," Felipe laughed. "But he's cool, he's supportive."
"That's good. I'm glad," Steve wiped coffee from a monitor. He was happy to have a normal work conversation without having to look over his shoulder or feel threatened with some power exchange or scary task. The two men worked away, happy to chat while the junior men were away.
The work week finally came to a close. Steve was glad when Friday evening rolled around. He could put the horrible week behind him. At least for the weekend, he could wear some actual clothes, he wouldn't need to worry about Eric and his menacing nature, or Stan and his manipulative behaviour, or any of the other men who wanted to feel him up. Plus, when he went home, he could forget about the fact that Stan had somehow managed to worm his way into being promoted to a silver sub. He now got to wear a shirt, socks that went over his calves, and a shiny silver collar.
"Girl, you gotta be careful," Malik told Steve after he explained the coffee situation. "He's got them wrapped around his finger. If you come for him, they'll go for you,"
"Well, what do I do then?" Steve had asked.
"Just avoid that bitch like the plague. Don't make an enemy of her and she'll leave you alone. Plus, I bet they just promoted Stan so they can use him for sexual pleasure. That's the only reason -- they're hungry. Once they realise he doesn't do any actual work around here, he'll be done for."
"You're ever the wise philosopher," Steve smiled, knowing he could always count on Malik's words of wisdom for support.
"I've got you. Keep me posted, sis," Malik gave him a quick peck on the cheek before he ran off to run a message to another part of the building.
When Steve and Mark had finished dinner that evening, they both settled onto the couch. Steve was scrolling through his phone when Mark switched off the TV.
"Steve, we need to have a talk," Mark said.
"Ok. What's up? You sound serious," Steve put his phone down.
"I've had a chat with Ryan at work about your performance. He pulled me aside to warn me. It's not looking good. He said if you don't improve, they're going to cut you from the programme."
"Wait, what?" Steve was in shock. "I know I haven't been perfect, but a lot of my mess ups weren't even my fault."
"It doesn't matter whose fault it was. The fact of the matter is you have to improve or you'll be out."
Steve couldn't believe Mark was being so cut-throat. Mark wasn't even hearing him out. "Ok, I'll try harder, I promise."
"I know you will. The thing is. It's more than just trying. Ryan said you have to change your attitude. You're not doing your duties diligently or showing dedication to the company, that's why your tasks are late and you're messing up. You need to push yourself and do more than what's expected of you. One of the interns is really impressing everyone. You should look to him as inspiration. What was his name, Stan?"
"God, if I hear that name one more fucking time," Steve crossed his arms, pouting.
"Steve, come on," Mark rubbed Steve's arm. "You want to succeed, don't you? You want to get through this programme and get a permanent position, don't you?"
"Yes," Steve sighed.
"Ok, well Ryan gave me advice on how we can improve your performance."
"What did he say?" Steve perked up.
"He explained that the reason why you're not doing as well as you should is because when you get home, you shut off, you're back in Norm mode, so when you get back to work to sub mode it's like a shock to the system and you're finding it difficult to switch between the two."
"Ok..." Steve didn't know where this was going.
"So, what he recommended was that when you're at home, you don't go back to being a Norm. Instead, you stay in sub mode when we're at home so that you get used to being in the sub space in your head, and you get used to being obedient at all times. That way, it'll help with being obedient at work and you'll do better at your tasks," Mark paused to let that settle in.
Steve's head swam. It was like his world was turning upside-down. "This is getting out of hand. First it was the sub training, then being a sub at work, now I have to be a sub at home? I feel like I'm living someone else's life."
"You know we can stop it. You don't have to go through with the programme, but you've made it so far. I know it's frustrating, but think of all you have achieved so far. You've done amazingly. Why waste the opportunity for success just because of a bit of discomfort?"
Steve thought about it. He knew Mark was right, and he could quit if things got too much. It made sense to give it a try. It was worth it for the promise of success down the line. "So, what exactly do we have to do?"
"Let's start off slow. We'll make sure you're comfortable and see if that helps getting you into the right headspace so you're used to being a sub when you go to work. Remember, babe, you've done all this in training so you have the skills. It's just about applying them, right?" Mark rubbed Steve's face.
"Ok. It's worth trying I guess," Steve sighed.
"Great, well, no time like the present. We'll just start with the clothes for tonight and then see how we go."
"Wait, you mean now?" Steve asked.
"No point in delaying. We need to get you used it, remember?"
"Alright," Steve complied, although he couldn't say he wasn't disappointed at not being able to wear clothes after a week of being in a jockstrap. Steve took off his clothes, stripping down to just his jockstrap. He folded his clothes and put them away. He stood there, feeling self-conscious. Sure, he and Mark often lounged in just their underwear, there was nothing strange about that. But, being told to strip was different, and having his fully clothed husband in the room while he was in just his underwear added a feeling of power play between them. It further supported their Norm/sub dynamic. Mark was the owner, and he was owned.
"How do you feel?" Mark asked, gazing at Steve.
"It's a bit weird, me in my underwear and you in your clothes, but you've seen me naked plenty of times so it's not too bad," Steve decided to sugar-coat his feelings.
"Eventually, you won't notice it, which is the goal. One more thing," Mark got up from the couch. "You're collar," Mark stood in front of him and held up a thick black leather collar.
Steve could feel his heart beating against his chest. He didn't think he'd have to wear a collar at home. The full symbolism of the object was daunting. Before now, it had just been at training and at work when he had been collared and had been a sub, but now, as soon as the collar was placed on his neck, he would be a collared sub, 24/7.
"Head up," Mark ordered.
Steve snapped out of his thoughts and complied automatically, thinking he was back at training. It was like it was muscle-memory. But this was no longer training, this was real life, and this was now his reality. He raised his head and stared straight ahead at Mark's chest.
Mark looped his arms around Steve's neck, wrapping the collar around his neck and closing the buckle.
Steve felt the cool leather surround his neck. It was tight but not uncomfortable. It forced his chin up slightly so he had to keep his head up. It wasn't until now that the full weight of their changed relationship fell on Steve. Being collared and unclothed highlighted the fact that he was a sub and Mark was a Norm, that he was owned and that Mark was his owner. He was his husband's property, the collar showing that.
"You look so hot," Mark smiled and held Steve's face. Mark's dark eyes bore into Steve's. "You're going to do great, trust me," Mark kissed Steve, thrusting his tongue into his mouth. He wrapped his large arms around Steve's torso, rubbing his nude back and holding the back of his head.
Steve felt as though he was giving something of himself away to Mark, and Mark was taking it from Steve, which was strange since they had been married for years and they both had given themselves to each other already. But this was different, it was something deeper, more personal, like the ownership over his own soul. In that moment of being held by Mark, his owner who had just collared him, he felt a little of his old free self slip away.
Steve is now a sub at home, but will it help him at work? Find out next time as we go further down the rabbit hole of Steve and Mark's evolving relationship.