Hearts Under Fire (9 page)

Daniel’s cock filled, and he worked his deliberate way to Adam’s throat. “No marking?” he asked, suddenly aware that if Adam was a professional, he might not want to show up at a client’s bruised. He set the edges of his teeth against Adam’s pulse and waited for the answer.

“Answer him, boy,” Tristan said with an edge to his voice. He moved down to press his teeth around an abused nub of skin, and Adam tensed in anticipation.

“I’d be honored to carry your mark, Sir,” Adam said in a rush.

Tristan hummed and bit into Adam’s skin, sucking hard and making an encouraging sound when Adam panted. Daniel bit down as well, tasting Adam’s skin, breath, and pulse. Daniel let go of Adam’s balls. With both hands, he pulled the boy’s hips back and ground up against his ass, so that Adam could feel how his acquiescence aroused Daniel.

Body rocking, Adam closed his eyes, breath catching on a stuttered moan. He pushed back against Daniel, and his fingers snagged the fabric of Tristan’s shirt. The chain between the cuffs clanked as Adam moved.

Tristan let go of Adam’s thighs and ran blunt nails up Adam’s sides, red lines rising in their wake. Daniel licked his angry-looking mark twice before backing away to caress Adam.

“How do you want to be spanked?” Daniel asked. “Held by Master Tristan here while I go at it? Will that work for both of you?”

Adam worked to swallow and answer, but Tristan spoke before he got the chance. “That sounds like a perfect start, but if I know our boy here, he wants to be over your lap and panting for it.” Tristan laughed when Adam jerked and whined. “And he knows that’s something he needs to earn.”

“Yes, Master... Sir... please, oh... please...” Adam begged.

“Pretty little thing, all worked, up,” Tristan said kindly. “C’mere, sweet.” Carefully, Tristan maneuvered Adam’s cuffed hands over his head and behind his neck, pulling the young man closer, but still kneeling down so Adam’s backside was available to Daniel. Adam buried his face in Tristan’s throat.

Adam’s trust in Tristan made Daniel’s heart ache, however, he felt more longing than jealousy. These two were so comfortable together that he couldn’t begrudge them. He moved to Adam’s side and put his left hand on Adam’s lower back. He gave four sharp blows, two on the right, two on the left side of Adam’s ass. He kept the slaps quick and light, more for his arm and hand’s sake than Adam’s.

Adam’s cries were muffled by Tristan’s neck, and he braced and moved back into the blows. Tristan crooned softly and let one hand wander lower, stroking over Adam’s stomach and making him flinch.

“I do love you caught between two desires, boy,” Tristan said.

***

Adam groaned, and across the room at the bar, Clark’s jaw flexed. The music wasn’t nearly loud enough to drown out the very familiar sound of a hand impacting flesh, and before he could stop himself -- think through what the hell he was doing -- Clark turned on the stool. He got an eyeful of Adam, hard, needy, and clinging to Tristan, even as the boy obviously wanted more from Daniel.

And Daniel...

All Clark could see was the line of Daniel’s back, the tilt of his head as he considered Adam and his next move. But Clark had absolutely no trouble filling in the intensity of the gaze, the concentration, the care, or the simmering lust that Clark found himself wanting and hating at the same time.

Breath catching and body going still, Clark watched with half the room, view unfortunately unobstructed, and his blood began to warm.

Daniel ran his left hand along Adam’s back, side, and belly, reaching for and then wrapping his fingers slowly around Adam’s cock. Daniel stroked, and Adam shook and tried to move into Daniel’s fist, but Tristan caught Adam and held the boy still.

“Boy,” Daniel said. “Warn me if you’re close to coming.”

“Give the man his due, boy... honestly. Think you’d never been spanked by a handsome man before,” Tristan chided.

Immediately, Adam moved his head so he could be heard. “Yes, Sir. I will, Sir... and please, God,
more,
Sir...”

Tristan chuckled warmly. “Pretty when they beg, isn’t it?”

“Beautiful even,” Daniel said reverently, and he gave Adam another quick set of four. Then Daniel rolled his shoulder before he put his whole arm into a good, hard swat across all of Adam’s ass.

Adam’s cries were loud and uninhibited, and Tristan softly spoke to him, one hand brushing back Adam’s hair. Adam shuddered, and the chain clanked as he pulled on it, shifting his hands to grip Tristan’s shirt.

Clark felt warmth slither down his spine and between his legs to bloom in his gut, balls, and cock. He was off the stool and moving before brain caught up to body, and he told himself that he just wanted to see technique. He rationalized that watching Daniel perform for the first time at Break was somehow polite, respectful. Maybe it would make Daniel happy to know Clark was interested, especially after that look in his eyes earlier.

And maybe some or all of the reasons were true, but they fled Clark’s conscious mind as he paused with a clear view of Daniel. Adam and Tristan might as well have been invisible for all they registered, and for a moment, Clark relaxed his iron will and let himself enjoy the way Daniel looked, moved, and worked.

Clark
wanted,
but he caged it tight and buried it beneath the observation of someone else’s need.

Daniel waited until Adam got a good grip on his master’s shirt before laying down another swat. Clark spread his legs to find balance, and the world spun as his mind provided him an image of a dingy hotel room, of what it looked like when he was on his knees.

Adam’s cries became incoherent, and when he tried to thrash -- move to get more friction, adjust to offer more of himself, get closer to and away from the impact at the same time -- Tristan’s arms clamped down and held him stationary. Another swat cracked before Adam completely stilled, and Clark jerked, a gasp escaping his lips.

“
Yes
!” Adam called, sounding grateful and helpless. Tristan petted through Adam’s hair and held up two fingers, saying without words that Adam was at the point that they should either stop and have mercy or give Adam a moment to recover.

Daniel nodded at Tristan and shook out his hand. Clark licked his lips when the spank landed with a satisfying smack. Adam didn’t make a sound, but his body rolled with a shudder and his hips pulsed.

“Good, boy,” Tristan said. “Take what he gives you.”

Adam whimpered, and Clark stood frozen, eyes unblinking and a hundred things swirling just under the surface. The way Adam clung to Tristan made him hurt. Physically hurt. He’d seen Adam interact with Tristan before, but this was more honest than Adam usually let himself get in public. Maybe it was the crowd, maybe it was the addition of the new player. But the ability to give in like that was...

Clark put on his best poker face, knew it didn’t reach his eyes, and didn’t give a shit.

Daniel let go of his hold on Adam’s cock, using both hands to stroke angry skin. He kneaded the muscles once. “Just one more, boy. You’re exquisite with your ass tanned and ready.” He gave Adam another soft caress before he said, “Here it comes,” and hit red flesh.

“Nnnn-God!”
Adam cried, and his voice broke. “Close, oh God, oh please... close... close...”

Tristan held the shaking man, who trembled and went half-limp in his arms. Clark gripped the glass in his hand hard enough to make it give, and his teeth clacked together and ground down when Daniel hugged Adam from behind, cheek against the boy’s shoulder. Clark swallowed, and his free hand formed a fist as he breathed faster, watching Daniel recover and enjoy someone else. His mind screamed at him for such a thought, but it was lost within the swirling maelstrom of confusion and need.

Letting go of Adam, Daniel licked the rim of Adam’s ear, saying something too softly for anyone to hear. It made Adam roll his face against Tristan’s shoulder. Clark retreated backward into the gloom, eyes down and thoughts darkened by old unhappiness that cut him deep. Every time he hoped he’d found the bottom and could clean the wound and let it heal, something else twisted and drew fresh blood.

“I think he did very well for you, Daniel. What do you think?” Tristan asked.

“I think he did very well, indeed,” Daniel said, taking the same tone, grinning even as he rolled his hand against his thigh.

“Well enough for a reward?” Tristan asked. “Maybe give yourself a rest and let me go for a while?”

“I think he deserves it,” Daniel said soberly. “I’d love to watch you work. How can I help?”

“Well,” Tristan began, “why don’t you go make yourself comfortable on the couch? Our boy here is going to follow. Settle between your knees, I think.” He grinned wickedly. “And what do you say he can tease you but nothing more? He’s been good... but not
that
good.”

Adam made a noise between a whine and a chuckle, and Daniel laughed. “Yes. That would be very pleasant, and...” He stopped speaking to look around, and Clark watched from the shadows, hearing it when Daniel’s voice grew quieter. “... and yes on just the teasing. That sounds like a good line to hold.”

Tristan carefully removed Adam’s arms from about his neck. “Go on, then, boy,” he said to Adam. “I’ll be along in a second.”

Adam sat back and turned to Daniel, eyes down and cheeks flushed. Daniel hesitated before stroking Adam’s hair and putting a hand on Adam’s shoulder. “Come on.”

“Thank you, Sir,” Adam said, standing with some modicum of grace. Daniel wrapped one arm around the sub, holding him close. Tristan rose with the pair of them, hands out toward Adam for a second before he nodded. Daniel took Adam over to the couch, keeping pace with the boy and maintaining the shoulder-to-hip contact.

“You feel so good, Sir,” Adam said, brushing his cheek against Daniel’s shoulder.

Daniel brushed his lips across dark hair. He spoke again, words lost to the crowd, but Clark shivered with Adam, who always spoke loudly enough for an audience to hear.

“You can taste whatever you like, Sir,” Adam said, before sinking to his knees.

“Make yourself comfortable,” Tristan said to Daniel, rejoining the pair.

In a shadow nearby, Clark watched the exchange with mounting tension. This was a trainwreck. Daniel sat down on the couch and settled Adam between his legs. Clark circled the stage, moving as though in a dream until he had a clear view once again. He saw Adam lick lips and speak --

“May I touch you, Sir?”

-- words eager and hungry. Tristan crossed his arms, content to stand and watch, gaze affectionate.

“Just a minute, I want to do this first.” Daniel stroked along Adam’s jaw and into his hair, turned Adam’s face, and deliberately kissed Adam’s lips. Clark’s mouth tingled as Adam moaned beneath the onslaught of Daniel’s attention, and Tristan made a sound of need and appreciation as the men tasted one another.

The kiss lingered, and Clark gasped as anger roiled and subsided like a flash flood. He bit the inside of his cheek hard enough to taste blood and took three involuntary paces forward into the pale blue light surrounding the play area. Clark couldn’t take back the steps -- that would appear too obvious a retreat -- so instead he stayed where he was.

Daniel broke the kiss with a lazy grin at Adam, looked up, and found Clark. Clark went utterly still when his eyes met Daniel’s, and he tried very hard to make his face work into a smile, but all he could manage was the twitch of his upper lip.

Clark wasn’t like this; he didn’t get this easily disturbed. He could always fake a mask, show a smile, play the part, but...

I can still remember the way Brian’s hands ran through my hair; the way he smiled down at me.

A cruel shudder rocked Clark’s shoulders, and he tried to contain it as much as he could.

“Please... Sir... may I... God...” Adam shivered, and Tristan pulled a black glove from one pocket and put it on his right hand as he went onto his knees behind Adam.

Daniel stroked Adam’s skin but kept his gaze locked with Clark’s. “What do you want, boy? Tell me.”

Clark scowled.

The hell’s he looking at me for?

“I want to rub my hands over your thighs and cock through your pants, Sir,” Adam husked. “I want to lie across your lap and tease you with my face and mouth while Master does what he wishes to me. I want to smell you, moan against you because what Master does will feel so good, and just... be close... hold on to you... please? Sir, may I?”

Tristan pulled out a condom packet from his pocket and ripped it open with his teeth. Daniel stroked Adam’s bent head, still looking at Clark. “Since you’ve asked so nicely, please go ahead and do what you’ve said.”

“Oh, thank you, Sir,” Adam groaned, loud and clear, before his hands slid along Daniel’s inner thighs, the cuffs and chain restricting his movement. Bending forward with a soft noise of greed, Adam turned his face and kneaded at one of Daniel’s legs while he mouthed Daniel’s cock through the pants, moaning as he worked.

Clark’s mouth fell open as Daniel took a deep, shivering breath, bucking his hips against what friction Adam provided. Daniel looked down at the sub in his lap with naked affection and desire, reaching to brush his thumb against the mark he’d made on Adam’s throat. “Mm... that’s it. Just what I like: sweet, eager, and...” He glanced at Clark. “Wanting.”

Clark struggled to appear merely interested. He forced his shoulders down, his leg to bend, and held the image of a relaxed pose even as every muscle in his body went rigid. He thought of hurricanes and tsunamis and thunderstorms, wet things that swirled and threatened lives. He felt some force of nature sucking him down, and he fought against the sensation tooth and nail.

He wanted to be Daniel with Adam in his lap; he wanted to be Tristan, with nothing else on his mind but giving pleasure to a pretty boy. But Clark couldn’t stop staring at the cuffs on Adam’s wrists or the way Adam’s mouth worked over Daniel.

Clark gritted his teeth, jaw flexing as Tristan grabbed Adam’s hips and pulled backward. There was a condom in the man’s hand and a small bottle of lube near Tristan’s knee. Clark knew what was coming.