A Strong Hand (31 page)

Nick glanced at Damian, almost relieved when the older man shook his head slightly, denying him permission to speak. He took up a position behind Damian's chair, aware of the leash swinging between his collar and the older man's hand.

Ashley smiled at Nick but didn't speak to him, continuing to stroke Derek's head. It was Crispin who examined him closely, smiling at the look of embarrassment on Nick's face under his scrutiny.

"You are one lucky man, Damian. I can't remember when I've seen a submissive more beautiful. The collar and cuffs truly heighten his desirability. Good thing you have him 295

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leashed; he'd raise quite a ruckus if he were let loose in here uncollared."

Damian laughed easily. "Thank you, Crispin. I do feel lucky."

"I know that it's your boy's first time here; I'll have my slave get us some drinks." Crispin snapped his fingers, and Eddy knelt up. Nick hadn't seen him at first, prostrated on the floor in the darkened club.

Now his face blanched as he took in the full glory of Eddy's rig; the well-muscled torso was well displayed as Eddy was wearing very little else. Nipple clamps were linked to his wide studded collar and to a leather belt buckled around his waist with chains. He wore a cock ring, also attached to the clamps with chains and his erection looked purple and angry. The chains wrapped between his legs and Nick surmised that he was wearing some kind of butt plug again.

Crispin told him to get five beers at the bar, and Eddy nodded, unable to speak because of the ball gag in his mouth.

When he rose to his feet, Nick could see that his hands were cuffed behind his back, and he was indeed impaled with a large butt plug. Weights swung between his legs and Nick realized with shock that they were attached somehow to his balls. He felt a little faint and decided that he didn't want to know exactly
how
they were attached.

Eddy's buttocks were well-marked with red lines crisscrossing over the muscular globes. Despite that, his eyes were peaceful, almost as if he were on some kind of high. He went to the bar, leaving Nick wondering just exactly how he was going to order with a gag in his mouth and bring 296

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everything back to the table with his hands pinned behind him.

"Eyes down, pet." Damian gave him a little reminder and Nick gratefully lowered his eyes, not wanting to see any more.

A server came to the table with a tray, unloading the mugs of beer, while Eddy knelt again behind Crispin's chair.

Crispin was still studying Nick, and the young man began to realize that although he felt his clothing exposed him provocatively, his outfit was actually quite demure compared to most people in the club.

"Have you traded him yet?" Crispin asked Damian casually.

Nick hoped desperately that his comment didn't mean what he thought it meant. Submitting to Damian was one thing; he had never considered that his submission might mean that Damian would give him to someone else to use.

He turned pleading eyes to Damian, receiving a little swat as a reminder. "Eyes down. Perhaps you'd better kneel, pet,"

Damian said under his breath.

Nick lowered his eyes and took in a shuddering breath, dropping to the floor.

Ashley spoke up. "I'm afraid that Nick is a one-man sub.

He belongs to Damian only, and he wouldn't obey anyone else."

"He could be broken," Crispin said. "But I'm not surprised that you don't want to trade him. He is peerless. Tell me, is every part of him as gorgeous as what shows? Is he beautiful in his submission?"

"Is Eddy?" Damian retorted.

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"As you can see," Crispin shrugged. "Eddy is never more beautiful than when he's suffering. Kneel up. Isn't that right, slave?" He tugged on the chains attached to Eddy's nipples, and the construction worker moaned and shut his eyes.

Crispin appeared to take that as acquiescence. Derek seemed to shrink behind Ashley, as if not to attract the other Dom's attention.

Nick felt like crying, but he couldn't shame Damian that way so he blinked rapidly and looked at the floor.

Damian recognized the acute discomfort on Nick's face.

"He's bright too," he told Crispin. "What's the most populated city in the EU, pet?"

Nick looked up, his eyes meeting Damian's. "
London,
sir."

Damian nodded. "Excuse us, Crispin, and thank you for inviting us. We forgot to take care of something."

Crispin laughed. "Don't be too hard on him, Damian."

Damian merely smiled politely and tugged on the leash, watching Nick rise gracefully to his feet as he had taught himself. "Are you sure?" he whispered.

"Yes,
please,
sir," Nick answered, the urgency of his voice telling Damian that he was almost in tears.

Nick tried to school his face to remain impassive and he looked at the floor, afraid to meet anyone's eyes. He bumped into Damian as someone's hand brushed his arse, and he jumped away from the touch.

Ordinarily that would have earned him at least a reproof, if not a swat, but Damian merely walked faster, opening the outer door and leading Nick out onto the deserted sidewalk.

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Nick drooped miserably, following behind Damian, not realizing he'd stopped until he bumped into him again. "Sorry, sir," he mumbled.

"Nicky. Look at me. Scene ended."

Nick looked up, trying to blink back his tears. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I know you wanted to ... you enjoyed it in there ...

I ruined it..." he stammered.

Damian raised his hand and thumbed away the tears on Nick's cheek. "The whole point of this is to enjoy what we're doing. I'm not going to have fun if I know you're miserable."

He felt almost helpless. "I want you to be happy."

Nick sniffled, hoping snot wasn't running out of his nose.

"Here. Blow," Damian said, handing his handkerchief to the boy.

Nick blew and then shrank into the shadows as a couple passed by, their attention drawn by the glittering leash that was still in Damian's hand.

"I guess you really aren't an exhibitionist," Damian said, unhooking the leash and rolling it up to stash it in his pocket.

He reached to unbuckle the collar, but Nick stopped him with a hesitant hand.

"Please, sir, please leave that on," he begged.

"You don't have to, you know. It's no disgrace not to like something. We tried, and now we know you don't care for the club," Damian said reassuringly. "You don't need the collar out here."

"I like it, sir. It makes me feel like I belong to you," Nick said shyly.

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"You belong to me whether you're wearing my collar or not, Nicky," Damian said, sweeping his boy into a ferocious hug, unable to withstand the sight of Nick's distress any longer.

"Thank you," Nick said, his arms coming up to circle Damian hesitantly.

Damian turned his head and kissed Nick, the sweetest, most tender kiss he had yet bestowed on him. "You're trembling, baby. Do you want me to take you home?"

Nick shook his head no, but his eyes were shadowed and Damian couldn't read his desires as he had so often before.

"No, I want you to ... to take me ... take me to your bed

... and ... and.... "Nick gasped, as if frightened by his own boldness. "Make love to me. Sir," he added hopefully.

Damian crushed Nick close to his heart. He was frighteningly happy; Nick wanted more than his dominance; he wanted his love.

"Do you love me, Nick?" he demanded harshly.

"Yes, oh yes," Nick answered breathlessly.

Damian drew him under the street lamp and searched his face. "Look at me carefully, Nick. I'm older than you, and you are just starting your life. I have wrinkles, and aches that plague me. Sometimes I'm only able to come once a night. I may not be able to fulfill you sexually forever. And I'm a kinky old buzzard. I will always thrill to the sight of you bent over my knee getting your ass warmed up. I can't promise that I'll ever want to stop spanking you."

"You're not old!" Nick cried indignantly. "And I'm not that young. You are beautiful to me, and my hip aches sometimes.

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You may be able to come only once a night, but you know how to last and I don't. You take care of me. And I like it when you warm my arse. I don't want you to stop."

"You know what you're agreeing to, don't you, baby?"

Damian asked anxiously. "I'm fine just playing, but when I pledge my heart, it's forever. You're agreeing that you'll be mine 'til death do us part. No one else gets to see this ass but me."

"I know what I'm agreeing to, Damian," Nick answered, his eyes shining. "I don't want anyone else to see my arse. And you belong to me as much as I belong to you," he ended proudly.

"I do," Damian admitted. "I'm a sad shell of a man, Nicky.

This is what you've done to me. Beaten me at my own game.

I'm afraid I can't do without you any longer."

"I love you, Ian," Nick said bravely.

Damian shook his head ruefully. "Ashley was right. It's the Top who's the slave."

Nick laughed confidently. "Right then. Take me home, slave."

"I'll take you home and fuck you 'til you scream," Damian said.

"No, just make love to me," Nick said, touching Damian's face with gentle fingers.

"I can do that," Damian said, smiling to see the hopeful, happy look in his boy's eyes after the pinched, miserable expression in the club. "Promise me that you'll never agree to anything again just to make me happy."

"I promise, sir," Nick vowed solemnly.

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"I love you, Nicky, more than I can say," he said, tightening his hold on Nick.

"I love you too, Damian," Nick said, smiling.

"Let's go home, baby."

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Damian unlocked the door and pulled Nick into the house, closing it behind them and pushing the boy up against it, attacking his lips as if they had never kissed before.

Nick opened his mouth, dueling for dominance against Damian's tongue, demanding his share more hungrily.

Damian grabbed his hair and held his head, breaking the kiss to look into the beautiful dark eyes. "In spite of everything, you still love me?"

Nick asked boldly, "Do you love me?"

"I have from the moment I saw you. I was just lying to myself," Damian admitted. "I wanted you so bad—"

"You have me," Nick said. "Take me. I'm all yours."

"Not here. In my bed," Damian said. He led the way quickly upstairs, not bothering to turn on any lights until he got to his bedroom. He released Nick long enough to light a few candles.

Then he turned to Nick, lifting him with his hands cupped around each cheek of the boy's ass. Nick wrapped his legs around Damian's waist and bent to kiss the older man as he was carried to the bed.

He giggled as Damian tossed him onto the mattress, and he almost bounced off the other side.

With mock severity, Damian said, "I can't have my sub giggling at me. You'll have to be taught a lesson."

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"Yes, teach me a lesson, Master," Nick said, his voice throbbing with desire. He held out his arms to Damian, who bent to kiss him savagely.

He caught Nick behind the knee and yanked him to the edge of the mattress, his butt barely hanging off the edge.

Damian undid the leather trousers and struggled to strip them off the long, slender legs. Nick wriggled to aid him in his struggle with getting the pants past his boots. With a cry of triumph, Damian rid him of both at once.

He simply ripped Nick's shirt open, disregarding such niceties as buttons, and bent to claim each tempting nipple in turn, nipping and tugging at the tender flesh until his lover was begging and writhing with arousal.

Damian released him to strip off his own clothing, growling, "This is why I don't like to wear leather. It's so fucking sticky, especially when you'd kill to be naked! Get the supplies!"

Nick giggled with delight, watching his lover hopping around with one sweaty leg stuck inside his pant leg until superior strength won out. Nick held out the lube and their fingers touched when Damian took it.

Their eyes locked, and the smile died away from Nick's face at the intensity of the look Damian was giving him.

"I will always love you, Nicholas."

"I'll always love you, Damian. I always loved you."

Damian pulled one slender leg over his shoulder and Nick let the other fall to the side, opening himself fully to Damian's gaze. "So beautiful and all mine. Forever mine," Damian 304

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murmured, delighting in the golden body lying there, eager to be claimed by him.

He slicked his fingers, stunned to realize they were trembling as if this were the first time he was taking Nick.

Damian worked his fingers into the boy's entrance, stretching him gently, although he was shaking with the need to bury his neglected cock deep inside him. Withdrawing his fingers, he put his right knee on the bed alongside Nick, bracing his left on the floor for leverage. He leaned over the boy, carefully working his cock into the tight heat. Nick pushed his arse up to meet the invasion, running his hands up Damian's arms, his eyes fearlessly open, looking up at the man who was taking him.

Damian marveled that during sex Nick hid nothing, his eyes like mirrors in which every feeling could be read. He was shaken by the boy's trust; not only to have allowed Damian the freedom of his body for his dominance but also for his lovemaking. He wanted to give Nick a different kind of pleasure tonight, to assure him that they would find many ways to make love.

Slowly Damian pulled back and braced himself to sink deeply inside, finding the cluster of nerves that made Nick arch and moan. With great care, Damian thrust deeply, changing his motion to rotate his hips, caressing every inch of the inner walls, finding and stimulating every sensitive spot.