His head was spinning from the cocktail they’d given him, and he was bound, naked, on a St. Andrews Cross, with his arms and legs splayed wide. His rigid cock was throbbing painfully, seemingly being yanked upwards with each pulse by the full moon overhead. There must have been something in that chalice…
The night was dark save for that moon and the torches that lit the circle around him. Suddenly, he heard drums, and jerked his head up, alarmed. It was starting.
The drums were pounding a slow, menacing rhythm, and getting closer. Grim-faced figures paced into his view with slashes of red, ochre, and yellow splashed across them, looking like vile spirits to his befuddled eyes. They marched slowly around him, in lock-step, drumming steadily, until they had circled him twice, then stopped with a crash.
The sudden silence was frightening, with the only sound being the guttering of the torches. Then, in the distance, he heard the low, throaty rumble of a large animal. Fear ran down his spine, and his balls tried to crawl into his body.
The animal roared, and Matthew juddered, straining against his bonds, wondering why he had agreed to come here, and wishing he were anywhere else. Then, out of the darkness, across the circle, a giant Bear reared up, its snout thrust up towards the sky. Its jaws opened, and it let loose a terrifying snarl of menace…and hunger…and lust!
It dropped to its paws and started to pad slowly towards him, head turning this way and that, snuffling, and eying its helpless prey…
~~~~~
Two weeks earlier, Matthew had waited in a Costa Coffee café in the West End of London, almost vibrating with excitement. He was actually going to meet Marcus Cole, the Marcus Cole, author, actor, game show host, podcaster, brilliant, urbane polymath…and gay icon. Matthew had never imagined it would be possible that he would ever meet his hero, the one he had been crushing on since he was a teenager, the one he used to imagine having sex with as he jerked off in bed or the shower
So, when some friends told him that Cole was reported to enjoy rough sex with a different young man every month, he knew he had to find out more. It had taken months, but he had finally found the right person who knew the right person…and it had all come together very quickly after that.
The café door opened, and a nondescript man walked in, holding the door for Cole himself. Cole was a great, shambling bear of a man, and walked in languidly, glancing around as if he owned the place, dressed very much like his idol, Oscar Wilde. He spied Matthew, then strolled over and offered his hand.
“You must be Matthew. I am Marcus Cole.”
Matthew almost tripped over his chair in his eagerness to leap up and shake Cole’s hand. “Mr Cole, it’s a great…”
“And this is Mr Arthur Hodge, my solicitor,” Cole interrupted smoothly. “He will explain the terms of our agreement.”
They all sat down, Hodge laid out the terms, handed Matthew the agreement, and told him to read it carefully. Matthew was too excited, so ripped through the document for form’s sake, barely skimming the terms, badly wanting to agree.
Finally, he took Hodges’ pen and quickly scribbled his signature on all three copies. Cole signed them next, and Hodge witnessed all three copies, then handed one to Matthew.
With an amused smile, Cole languidly stood up, shook his hand again, and said, “Well, Matthew, I guess I shall see you at the next full moon, then, hmmm?” and left.
~~~~~
The warm evening did nothing to stop Matthew’s shivering as four acolytes, painted and stripped to loincloths, slow-marched him out to the Cross. It was a strange device, a metal X mounted on gimbals so it could be flipped over, hinged at the waist, but with locking pins to keep it in each position until moved. There were straps at the four corners of the X, as well as for the waist and chest.
It was upright when they fixed him to the giant X, fastening him securely to its outspread arms. It faced the entry to the circle.
His head was muzzy from the fruit-flavored drink they had given him in a goblet decorated with a roaring bear, and the world seemed to be spinning around him, while his prick jerked ever higher.
Then the drums began…
.
The Bear snuffled towards him, and Matthew had a hard time believing this was the same urbane, civilized Marcus Cole he had met in a café, dressed in an elaborate, beautifully crafted costume.