thegoodfellas/blogset-br huggingface dataset:
think hes fortunate?Martinsmiled. I think hes having a lot of fun.Doyou wish Id do the same for you?Martindrew back, frowning. Why would you do such a thing, Henry? Youarent losing interest in me already, are you? His mood made adrastic shift; he looked wounded and even a little angry.No!God, no, Martin! Of course not. I only wondered if you wanted thatfor yourself.Martinwas hurt, eyes downcast and mouth downturned. He shook his head,refusing the idea. I want to serve you,Henry. I want to belong to you.Youdo, Henry assured him, drawing him close and petting his hair. Ofcourse you do, Martin. Youre my own. Smoothing Martins hairback from his face, Henry said, What about me? What about me,Martin?Oh,Henry, Martin said, so fiercely fond, Youre mine. Heleaned down and whispered hoarsely, No matter what happens,theres a precious part of you that will alwaysbelong to me.Henryknew this to be true, and he loved that Martin would admit it, claimhim, instead of deferring to Henrys future wife as hetoo-frequently did. He sought Martins mouth with his own and theykissed with a very romantic desperation, but the chair wasntreally big enough for the two of them and Henrys legs were fallingasleep under Martins weight. He was about to say something whenMartin stood up and held out his hand.Cometo the bed. Well do homework later.Martinpaused to remove their boots, but then pushed Henry down on the bed,fully-clothed and climbed atop him, still dressed.Arentwe going to have sex? Henry asked, confused.Martinshook his head. Not yet. I have to go down for dinner soon. I justwant to neck with you a little, if thats all right.Itsall right, Henry assured him. Do whatever you want, Martin,please.Martinkissed him, a lingering press of the lips and a hint of tongue, andwhispered, Do you remember our first kiss, Henry? Up against thedoor with all our clothes on?Ofcourse Henry remembered! He was never going to forget! But all hesaid was, I remember.Iwas so excited that I nearly came from just your mouth on mine. Heput his hand on Henrys cock and stroked it through the layers ofclothing.Surelyyoud had better kisses, Henry said, thinking of his fumblingand inexperience.Idnever had one I wanted as much. He kissed Henry again, his mouthtasting so human and sweet, and rocked his hips against Henrys.Youre so good at kissing nowit didnt take you long tolearn what I like. Youre my perfect lover, Henry. No one has everknown my body like you do.Ilove your body, Henry allowed himself to say. It was just shy of astraightforward declaration of love. I love touching you, and Ilove the smell of your skin, and I love tasting you. I love to lookat you. I love watching you come, and I love the sounds you make.He paused for a breath. Youre perfect for me,too.Theykissed a few minutes more, rolling over so Henry was on top, Martinshands biting into his back and his leg wrapped around Henrysthigh.Martinbroke for air. I shouldnt say it, but it makes me so happy thatno one else knows your body, no one else has ever seen your beautifulhard cock. Its sentimental, maybe, but
I love that Im yourfirst, and Im the one whos showing you everything. I know yousay you wont, but if you ever make love to another man, yourinstinct will be to do the things IlikeIwont,Henry assured him, slightly irritated. I wont be making love toanyone else. Why would I, when I have you?Idont know, Henry. Im sorry. He looked away, sheepish. Iwas brought up understanding that my master might say or do lovingthings when we were young that would amount to nothing in our adultyears. I dont want to presume, Henry. I never want to take whatyou give me for granted.Ifyou really care for me, Martin, you willtake me for granted, Henry insisted. Trust me. Dont you knowhow important you are to me? He kissed Martin and then rolled offhim. Youre going to miss your dinner.Martinsat up and tugged his clothes back in order. Are you angry withme?No,Im just frustrated. I want you to believe me when I say thatyoure all I want. Do I have to order you to do it?Illtry. Ill try so hard. But please understand, until I came to livewith you, I was told that a master would never care for me like yousay you do, and I had to accept that. I want to believe you, butweve only known each other a few months, and its hard toovercome the lessons of a lifetime. He seemed ashamed to admitthis, a little anguished, and Henry felt bad for upsetting him.Goget your dinner. Im not mad at you. Henry squeezed Martinsshoulder. How could I be mad at you when youre my favorite?He did not think this distinction was diminished by the lack of othercandidates, and hoped Martin would feel the same.Martinwent downstairs and Henry went and sat in front of his Latin textagain, though he made no progress with the adjectives. He thoughtabout Martin, how he felt about him, and felt reluctant to expresshis emotions any more forcefully if Martin was only going to discountthem and insist that Henry would develop deeper feelings for someunknown, unwanted future person. He wanted Martin to take himseriously now,but it seemed Martins training would get in the way.Henryfelt grateful to Ganymede for putting him together with Martin, ofcourse, but he couldnt help feeling that some of the slavetraining was emotionally cruel, and that it would be better if no onehad to go through it, even if it meant the resulting slaves would beless perfectly servile. Martin had had sixteen years of terriblemessages; Henry would just have to lavish affection on him steadilyuntil such time he could accept Henrys feelings wholeheartedly.OnThursday, Henry lay on the bed waiting impatiently for Martin toreturn from his dinner. He knew he should be doing somethingindustrious and productive with this time alone, but that just wasnthis style. He was more the restive, petulant type.Thewardrobe stood open, the sleeve of his black-and-grey check suit coatvisible. It had been made for him in the spring and had remained hisfavorite ever since. Admiring his suit brought to mind his fatherssuggestion at Christmas that he buy some new clothes, and it occurredto him that
if he were at Hamilton & Sons with Martin at hisside, he might be able to persuade Martin to wear something new, aswell.Theidea of seeing Martin in something fancier than his everydayBlackwell livery was terrifically compelling, and it was this visionof a dandified Martin that propelled Henry from first the bed andthen the room. He hurried down the back stairs, intending to findTimothy to tell him to make the arrangements. Henry had not been downto the slaves mess during mealtime since his lunch with Timothy inNovember, and he hesitated to intrude on the slaves privacy, butit was near the end of their dinner hour and he hoped they wouldntmind too much.Downstairs,Henry looked through the windows into the mess from the hall. Timothysat at the head of the table, facing the windows. Martin sat atTimothys right hand, Billy at his left, Jerry beside Martin, andall the younger men were laughing together and did not notice Henryin the hall.Timothydid see him and inclined his head toward Martin with a questioningeyebrow cocked, and Henry hesitated a moment. If he told Martin hewanted him to wear something special, hed protest and citeprotocol; it would be better to spring it on him at the shop, if atall possible. He shook his head and gestured for Timothy to come.Timothywiped his mouth with a napkin and got up from his chair. The rest ofthe slaves continued their lively conversations and paid no mind toTimothys passage through the room. Timothy slipped out the halldoor and closed it behind him.Sir.What can I do for you?Iwanted to ask you to call Hamiltons for me, to let them know Imcoming Saturday.Certainly,Sir. Timothy blinked at him, somewhat bemused. You neednthave come all the way downstairs, though, Sir. You might have told meafter dinner, or sent Martin with word.ButI want you to ask them to have things ready for Martin, too, and Ithink its better if he doesnt know beforehand.NowTimothy frowned, not liking the sound of this. Why is that, Sir?Itsjust that I want to give him nicer things than he usually wears, andhell say, Plain black is good enough for Mr. Tim, and wantto argue if he knows beforehand. All I want is for him to trydifferent waistcoats. Black, but not plainblack. Fancy weaves or something.Timothyseemed quite relieved. Oh, well I see no problem with that, Sir.Im sure Martin will be happy to wear whatever youd like. YourMartin is very devoted to you.Henrywas embarrassed by this assertion, but pleased to hear Martin praisedin just this way.Timothyasked, Is it waistcoats for you, too, then, Sir?Yes,Henry said. Patterned waistcoats. The wilder the better.Youcertainly have modern tastes, Sir, Timothy remarked.Someof the maids sitting near the door had finally noticed Henry talkingwith Timothy in the hall and alerted Martin. Martin got up from hisseat and hurried to the door.Donttell him, Henry warned Timothy as Martin stepped into the hall.Asyou wish, Sir, Timothy said. Will there be anything else?No,thank you, Henry told him.Martinlooked both worried and gratifyingly happy to see him. Sir? Didyou need me? Im done with my dinner now.Ijust needed to ask Timothy something.Timothypatted Henrys arm and
the brocadeoff its hanger. Henry fought the urge to help him with it, not infront of Prescott. Martin buttoned it and smoothed it over his torso.He smiled at Henry in the mirror. Its very subtle, Sir, but youcan see the pattern if you know to look, I think.Itfits you well, Prescott noted. It could perhaps come in alittle at the sides. He turned to the shop assistant, who stoodnearby awaiting orders. Go fetch one of the tailors.Ifits all right, Sir, Id prefer to leave it be. I amstill growing, Martin said. The shop assistant paused mid-step,waiting to see what Prescott would say. Even since September, Sir,I can feel the difference in the fit of my clothes.Prescottfrowned. Do we need to fit you for new uniforms, young man?Oh,no, Sir! Martin hurried to say. I believe they still fit mewell, Sir, only differently than when they were new.Imquite sure Mr. Blackwell Senior would want you to arrange for newuniforms beforeyou need them. We cant have you looking ill-fit while serving inhis house, Prescott admonished. Be sure to tell Timothy as soonas you feel new clothes are needed.Yes,Sir. Of course, Sir.Martinlooked properly chastised and Henry felt a little annoyed at Prescottfor scolding Martin, though of course Prescott was right. Fatherwould not be interested in economies and making do when it came tooutfitting his slaves.Youregetting that, Henry decided. And Ill get this. Lets keeplooking.Henryalso settled on a multicolored serpentine stripe and a pattern ofpurplish and grey feathers and sent the shop assistant in search ofties to go with his choices. Martin tried on a sateen woven in adull-and-shiny checkerboard pattern and agreed that he would alsowear this if Henry bought it for him.Henryput the pink floral back on and sat slumped on the couch eatingcookies while waiting on the neckties.Ifyoull excuse me, Prescott said, Ill just go help the boywith the necktie selections. It neednt take up too much more ofyour time. He slipped out the door of the room without waiting foran answer.Martincame to sit on the arm of the couch. Im sorry I was soreluctant, Sir, he said, nibbling on a cookie. Youre beingso kind to me, and I wasnt very grateful.Sincethere was no one to see, Henry put his hand on Martins knee andsqueezed. You just want to do the proper thing, I know, Henrysaid. But, really, these clothes will be fine. Timothy willapprove.Ofcourse youre right, Sir. Then Martin leaned over and said,Thank you, Henry, in a low voice close to Henrys ear, andHenry was pleased that Martin would risk using his name where someonemight hear.Withsuch busy patterns on the waistcoats, Prescott suggested plainneckties and Henry agreed that this was likely best. With Martinscautiously-offered input, Henry selected ties to go with eachwaistcoat: light blue for the floral, an orangey-red for theserpentine stripe, and a gunmetal grey for the feather pattern. Healso chose an additional tie with acid green and emerald stripessimply because he liked the look of it. He sat on the couch with alapful of silks, Martin seated at his side, and felt he was having awonderful time.Youcertainly dont shy away from
off our newclothes.Martinconsidered this a moment. We could visit Mr. Briggs, hesuggested.Louisdoesnt appreciate clothes, Henry said, wrinkling his nose.Whichof your friends does?Charles,Henry told him, but Im not in a hurry to spend time withCharles after New Years.Yourenot fighting with Mr. Ross, are you? Martin seemed concerned thatthis might be the case.Werenot fighting,Henry said. I just think he was rude to kick me out. I know hesnot going to apologize, though. Most of the guys probably think I wasin the wrong anyway, since I dont share youbut I got a glimpse of their slaves putting on a show.Didyou enjoy that glimpse, Henry? Martin asked in a teasing tone.All my handsome friends naked in front of you?Ofcourse I enjoyed it, Henry said. So did you, Ill bet.Martinsmiled and did not deny it.Henryfelt that he could easily end up in an adversarial situation withMartin if they continued to discuss the New Years orgy and he didnot want this to happen and changed tack.Iknow its not the best weather, he said, but lets go tothe park anyway. We can see and be seen.Now,Henry? Or do you want lunch first?Wedefinitely need to eat first. Will you go down and let Cook know?Theyhad soup and sandwiches in the breakfast room. After theyd eaten,as they stood to leave, Billy came in to clear their plates butgasped when he saw Henry.Oh!Sir!Whatis it? Henry immediately feared he had gotten soup on hisbeautiful new waistcoat and looked down at his belly.Pardonme, Sir, Billy said, quite red in the face and hurrying to composehimself. Its your waistcoat, Sir. Its...very bold.Henryhad certainly not anticipated that his garments would startlepeople, but he wasnt entirely displeased. I like bold, Henrytold him decisively. Martin has a new one, too. Show him, Martin.Martinopened his jacket and told Billy, Its not just plain black.Theres a pattern to the weave. Maybe you cant see it in here...He went to stand by the window, Billy squinting at his midsection.Oh!I see it! Billy said. Flowers and stripes. Its lovely,Martin, really. Im a bit jealous. Ive only ever worn plain.Plainsgood enough for Mr. Tim, Martin pointed out. Though Imcertainly happy to have this one.Billyhelped them with their coats and they left the house. Henry kept hiscoat and jacket unbuttoned so that his waistcoat was on display, andit wasnt so cold that he was uncomfortable doing so. They walkedup toward the park and Henry stopped on the sidewalk before theBriggs house. He didnt want to see James, but it was worth therisk to see Louis, even if Louis wouldnt appreciate his clothes.He stood with his hand on the gate, hesitating.Shallwe see if Mr. Briggs is home, Sir?Doyou know about anyone having a swap party this weekend? I dontwant to bother if hes going to be out.Ihavent heard anything, Sir. Lets knock.Patricklet them in and went to tell Louis they were there. Henry felt jumpy,worried that Jamesor Alicewould appear at any moment.Hey,you, Louis said from the stairs. Do you want to come up?Weregoing on a walk. Do you and Peter want to come with us?Thatsounds better than staying cooped up in here, Louis said with
agrimace. Theres an unpleasant atmosphere today. Henry gotthe impression that he meant something about James. Wait a minute.Well be right down.Louisand Peter came down shortly thereafter and Patrick went to get themtheir coats.Whatisthat youre wearing? Louis asked, squinting at Henrys torso.Itsnew, Henry said proudly, opening his jacket so that Louis couldsee the waistcoat in its full glory.Louisraised an eyebrow, keeping a wary eye on the floral pattern as Peterhelped him on with his coat. Youre brave to wear that, heremarked, and Henry felt pleased with himself for being so daring.Asthey were leaving the house, Henry saw Alice out of the corner of hiseye, watching from behind the balusters at the top of the stair. Whentheir eyes met, she leapt up and scampered out of sight.Thefour of them crossed the street to the park and set out along thepath. Henry told Louis about his morning shopping, and then Louiscomplained about James.Hesin a permanent bad mood, and he acts like its someone elsesfault that hes in all this trouble. Hes drinking at all hoursof the day and Dad is furious with him, but Dad doesnt actually doanything except lecture him, and James doesnt even listen.Whatdo you think your dad should do, then? There had always beenplenty of hitting in the Briggs household, but it had been betweensiblings; the Briggs parents were not great believers in corporalpunishment.Idont know, Louis said, clearly frustrated. Be better atlecturing him, I guess. Make him dosomething. Hes such a big, spoiled baby. He looked at Henrywith such sadness. What happened, Henry? Remember how much welooked up to him? We thought he was the best.Wedid, Henry agreed. Just as recently as the summer hed beenjerking off regularly to the memory of James shirtless at theseashore changing into his bathing suit, and now the thought of Jamesfilled him with mingled pity and revulsion. He felt bad for Louishaving such a lousy brother.Theywalked north into the park. Although there was a chill, the air wascrisp and clean, and the pale sun was bright. The paths were seeinggood use, people of all ages in singles and pairs and groups outwalking and cycling. After perhaps ten minutes, they met up with someof Louis sister Susannahs friends who were kind enough torecognize Louis, and they chatted a few amiable minutes beforecontinuing on.Ahundred yards farther along, Louis stopped to help a lady cyclistwhose bicycle had lost its chain. Louis was able to get it back onthe sprocket, though not without getting a fair amount of blackgrease on his hands. The girla Miss Daleand her slave were bothvery grateful for Louis and his pocketknife and she insisted ongiving Louis her handkerchief to clean the black smudges from hisfingers. She was a pretty girl, probably a little olderSusannahsage, maybeand turned out to be the cousin of someone Louis knewfrom church. Henry was somewhat contentedly bored listening to Louischatter with Miss Dale, but certainly had nothing he wished to add tothe conversation. He looked around to find Martin and they exchangeda smile. Martin looked happy in Peters company.Thatsquite a waistcoat you have on, Mr. Blackwell, Miss Dale said,nodding at Henrys
midsection.Thankyou, Henry said, pleased at the dividends his sartorial choiceswere paying out.AfterMiss Dale got back on her bicycle and rode away, they walked a fewminutes in a companionable silence before Louis asked, Say, Henry,can I ask your opinion on something?Ofcourse.Itsabout Peter, he said, and Henry glanced back over his shoulder atPeter and Martin walking behind them.Whatabout him?Hesgot a girl hes interested in, a parlor maid at the Spanglershouse, and hes asking permission to court her when I dont needhim.Oh.Henry thought a moment of what it might have been like for him ifMartin had ever wanted to court a girl at some other house. Ofcourse, Louis would have different feelings on the matter. Whatare you going to say?Well,Im asking for your advice, dummy!Doyou need him every night?Well,I like having him handy, Louis said, but I dont always needhim, I suppose. I thought about letting him have one night a week tohimself. Or maybe every two weeks.Youcould do that, Henry agreed.OrI could just start using him earlier in the evening, so that hedstill have time to go see this girl when were done.Thatalso seems like a good plan.Whatdo you let Martin do? Louis had never asked before, of course, butit was clear that he assumed that Martin did something.Oh.Nothing. Henry blushed. Its not necessary. Martin doesnthave anyone hes interested in, I dont think.Yourekidding! Louis turned around to gape at Martins handsome face.Practically all of the others have girls, even if they never getto see them. Hes content to just let you bugger him, eh?Henryblushed even redder. I-I dont know about that, Louis Hedarted a glance at Martin, who looked as though he was trying hardnot to laugh.Huh.Louis was thinking about it. I suppose some of them do prefer it.They doall seem to like it well enough.Henrydidnt want to discuss what kind of sex Martin liked, but Louis hadquestions and turned to Martin. See here, Martin, do you likebeing buggered?Oh,well, Sir, Martin said, laughing bashfully. I-I do like itquite a bit, I must admit, Sir.Henrywas mortified and also frightened; what if Louis somehow loosedinformation about Henrys transgressions?Yourenot ashamed of liking it, either of you, Louis said to the slaves,not really asking a question.Well,no, Sir, Peter told him. We can do a better job if we like it.We all want to do a good job.Martinsaid, Its better for everyone when the slave likes it, too,Sir, dont you think? I think thats what most masters wantanyway.Sure,that makes sense. Louis lost interest in the topic and turned toHenry. Well, I guess youre no help in figuring out a schedule.I need to ask Freddie about his arrangement with Tom, and maybe talkto Albert about what hes letting Stuart do.Youknew about Freddie and Tom? Henry was also absorbing the newsabout Albert and Stuart. By not swapping Martin, he was getting leftout of all the gossip, as well.Ofcourse, Louis said, surprised. Why wouldnt I know? Hethen realized who he was talking to and became apologetic. Hey,Ill try to remember to tell you things that the guys say atparties. Theyre not supposed to be secrets, after all. Heglanced back over his shoulder