Matthew is not a happy man. On the eve of his 40th birthday, he stands naked before a full-length mirror and assesses what he sees reflected within. Sure, his body is toned and well-maintained. His job is physical and defined muscles are a result of the manual labour. He is handsome. But what good are these things when they house an empty heart? The most upsetting thought is that the older he gets, the less chance he has of ever finding someone to fill that void.<br><br>He runs into the night, fuelled by negative thoughts and looking to end his loneliness -- permanently. But he trips and falls. There is an explosion of pain and then ... nothing.<br><br>He wakes in a place he doesn’t recognize. He lays chained to a bed, in a prison of gray stone patrolled by heavily muscled guards. He is Nowhere, a mysterious place of erotic fantasy.

Nowhere

Matthew took one last look around and followed Kell to a doorway no more than a few metres from the one they had used to enter the Great Hall. Through the wooden door there was another set of steps, a smaller corridor, and finally another door. As they entered, Matthew heard the sound of running water. It was not coming from any bath or conventional shower. Instead, the room had been constructed around a natural waterfall. There were even small ferns growing on the rock near the upper reaches and a vast expanse of grey cloud swirled and churned just above the opening in the roof. 


Two naked men were standing on either side of the narrow waterfall. The men looked to be around his age. One of them was almost as muscle-bound as Kell, though shorter in stature and possessed of blond hair, though the other one was more slender and athletic. He had jet-black hair and olive skin. As Matthew was led closer to the waterfall, each man picked up what looked to be brooms.


Chapter 4