The Copper Horse #2 Pride (10 page)

Reuben shook
his head, feeling strangely empowered now that he saw no resistance
or promise of violence. “You just assumed I must have had a stupid
reason. Or just enjoyed messing with you in the middle of the
road.”

“That... would
make
me
stupid, wouldn’t it?”

“I don’t know,
you
tell me.” Reuben raised his eyebrows in a challenge.

Erik
straightened his back, and his closed eyes moved slightly under the
eyelids. “I made a fool of myself,” he finally told Reuben, his
two-colored gaze never flinching away.

Reuben took a
deep breath, reveling in this admission. Erik admitting to a
mistake  was like a breath of fresh air. “You made mincemeat
out of my ass.”

“I didn’t!”
Erik reached out to touch Reuben’s face. “I didn’t break your
skin.”

Reuben flinched
away in annoyance, but he had to admit that Erik’s readiness to
talk was nice. He didn’t feel nearly as disregarded as he had
yesterday. “I have never been in so much pain. And even if my skin
is whole, I know for sure everything’s all messed up underneath.
You didn’t trust that I had my reasons. Didn’t let me say anything
in my defense.”

Erik pulled him
close in a way that broke all of Reuben’s walls. It was so good to
be held again. “I should have. You are right.”

With a sigh,
Reuben put his head on Erik’s shoulder, unsure what to do now. It
wasn’t fair that words were all he got in return. “It’s just... how
am I supposed to know it won’t happen again... and again?”

“Copper, I’m
sorry...” Erik’s mouth ghosted over Reuben’s cheek with a sigh.

“I want to get
even. I want to feel this is fair,” Reuben muttered, unsure if he
wasn’t going a step too far. But if Erik would be willing to go
along with it to buy back his trust, it would mean
something.
Reuben needed to know the answer to all the
questions that had been floating in his head for too long..

His master
pulled back by an inch with a frown. “Even?”

Reuben returned
his gaze, trying not to blink. “I want to cane you with the same
amount of strikes. So you know how it feels.” It wouldn’t take back
the pain of humiliation, but it would ease at least some of the
soreness that remained. He knew it was an outrageous idea. Even if
Erik did have a soft spot for him, why would he allow his slave
take the position of a master?

Erik’s chest
heaved, but there was neither anger nor fear in his expression. He
was thinking, counting his tabs. “What do I get in return for such
an agreement? Will you still hate me afterward?” he asked
calmly.

Reuben opened
his eyes wider, though he was trying to hide his excitement. He
couldn’t believe Erik would be considering this.  If he could
only read Erik’s mind, understand what was going on inside that
skull of his. “No. We’ll call it even, and I promise not to hold a
grudge.”

Erik smiled.
“What if I allowed you more strikes? Would you still hate being
here?”

Reuben couldn’t
help but smirk. “I might hate it a bit less.” His mind was still
hesitant but his body knew better, and he leaned in to kiss Erik’s
lips. They opened with the softest of sighs.

“It was ten
strikes,” Erik whispered, tickling Reuben’s lips with his own.

“So, you want
fifteen?” Reuben nuzzled his cheek and kissed him again. He had
never been a brute, never wanted to see others in pain. What
excited him was seeing Erik so desperate for his affection. He
couldn’t believe his own eyes.

“Will that be
enough?” Erik’s arms slid around Reuben’s shoulders, pulling him
into a tender hug.

“Let’s go with
twenty, and I’ll almost like staying here,” Reuben teased, licking
his lips and slowly returning the embrace. Only now did he realize
that his hands were free. This might have been the first time he
was this close to Erik without being shackled.

“Oh, will
you?”

“I just
might...” Reuben kissed his ear, amused by where this conversation
was going.

“When? You want
it now?” Erik flinched a bit, surprised at the touch.

“You think
you’re ready for it?” Reuben stroked Erik’s nape and felt him
leaning into the touch. The mismatched eyes were hard to read, but
there was something new there, something Reuben hadn’t seen
before.

“I’m always
ready.”

Reuben slowly
pulled away and stood up, fighting against the soreness in his
muscles. At least they were both going to have asses covered in
welts. He held out his hand to Erik and helped him up when his
master accepted it without hesitation, his gaze never leaving
Reuben’s.

They walked out
of the stall, Reuben’s blood rushing through him so fast as if he
were pulling a massive carriage. “Stand by that chair.” He pointed
to one of the wooden chairs Jack sometimes used. Erik shot it a
glance but shook his head, suddenly becoming serious.

“No. We agreed
on the caning, but it’ll be on my terms.”

Reuben
swallowed, hesitant, nodding. It seemed fair. The atmosphere
thickened in the silence, and Erik broke their connection by
walking over to the cupboard. He had several canes and whips stored
in there.

“I want the
same one,” Reuben said, breathlessly watching his master’s
back.

“You will get
it. I don’t cheat.” Erik shot him a sideways glance before
retrieving the cane, along with a thick leather collar and a long
chain.

“Just making
sure,” Reuben said, reaching out for the items. It was strange how
bad he felt about being naked yesterday but didn’t mind it at all
now. His nakedness now meant power. “What’s that for?”

Erik stopped a
few steps away from him, swallowing. “The last time I trusted a
horse with my life, it scarred my face.”

Reuben
reflexively looked down at Erik’s lips, at the scars running across
both the pale cheeks like a strike through their pristine paleness.
“How did he do it?” he asked, but understood the message and took
the collar from Erik’s hands.

Erik looked
Reuben straight in the eye even as color drained from his face,
leaving him white like a frightened boy. “With a cheese wire.”

Reuben’s first
instinct was to offer a hug, but it seemed like an awkward thing to
do with a man like Erik, so he silently put on the collar and
turned around for his master to put on the padlock. Erik quickly
closed the collar without letting his fingers touch Reuben’s skin.
Then he tugged on the chain and wordlessly led Reuben to where he
conducted the physical examinations of his stallion.

“Where’s Hans?”
Reuben asked, watching his master’s slim ass through the
tight-fitting breeches. Erik fastened the chain to the wall with
another padlock and walked over to the chair Reuben mentioned
earlier.

“It’s his day
off.”

Reuben gaped at
him. “And you just walked in here on your own, without Jack, and
with my hands uncuffed? Daring.”

Erik gave him a
wide grin and slid the chair over the floor, a little closer to
Reuben. “You didn’t know.”

“And now that I
know, I’m chained to the wall. Not so foolish after all.”

Erik put the
cane on the seat of the chair and popped the top button of his
pants open. “I’m learning my lesson.”

Reuben’s gaze
followed the slim fingers. He was sure this would be an extremely
unpleasant lesson for Erik. He wondered if the proud Bluefinger
wouldn’t chicken out after a few blows. He didn’t seem like someone
who knew the meaning of that kind of pain.

Erik didn’t
wear any underwear, so he just kicked his breeches away, yanked off
the shirt, and picked up the cane, turning to look at Reuben, who
held out his hand for it.

Erik handed
over the cane, but there was an uneasiness to him, even when he
bent over the back of the chair and gripped the sides of the seat,
presenting his slim white buttocks to Reuben. His body wasn’t very
hairy, and the hair that was there was so fair it was hardly
noticeable. Now that Reuben’s focus was on those narrow buttocks,
he noticed so much more, from the soft glistening of the hairs to a
small birthmark on the left cheek.

Reuben tested
the length of the chain, and it allowed him just enough freedom to
deliver a strike. He stayed silent, remembering just how much it
had frightened him the day before. Erik deserved to feel just how
bad it was.

Reuben examined
the cane and slowly licked its side, hoping that would add that bit
more bite to the sting. He watched Erik’s muscles twitch and shift
in anticipation. His toes curled against the floor, but he didn’t
say a thing, didn’t urge Reuben on. He just stayed in the
uncomfortable position like a good slave.

Reuben
delivered the first hit to the middle of Erik’s ass the moment
fancy struck him. The swoosh of the cane made his own blood freeze
for a second at the memory of yesterday. Wood hit the skin with a
harsh smack, and Erik almost tumbled forward with the chair.

Yes, fucker.
That’s how much it hurts.
Reuben watched the pale skin redden
and took a deep breath before another hit. He wasn’t sure how it
would feel to actually go through with it, and even now bringing
pain to another person made him feel dubious, but it leveled the
playing field after yesterday. He had no reason to feel any guilt.
Erik was getting what he’d earned, and it seemed that each stroke
was harder to endure. After the first five, Erik was fidgeting,
moving like a puppet on a string, his red ass clenching. His cries
were still muffled, but their pitch cut right through Reuben’s
eardrums.

He hesitated a
bit longer before the sixth strike but delivered it as promised.
With the pain of the day before still a fresh burn in his brain,
and the aftermath still stinging his flesh, he shook his head in
disbelief. He never imagined Erik would agree to a beating. The man
had guts. Or clueless about just how much it would hurt and was now
too ashamed to back out.

By the time
they passed ten strikes, Erik was practically howling into his
fist, and his buttocks looked as if someone had brutalized him with
something much worse than a cane. At twelve, Reuben could
distinctly hear sobbing, and he hesitated, the cane swaying close
to the fidgeting ass. He was afraid that it would break his heart
to see Erik’s face. “I think you’ve had enough,” he said after a
deep breath. After all, it had been over ten, so they
were
even.

“N-no...”
Erik’s voice sounded broken and firm at the same time. His body was
trembling all over, and the thick welts Reuben saw on his master’s
buttocks didn’t make him feel better anymore. They were the sign of
what he’d become just to exercise revenge for something Erik had
already apologized for, and he didn’t like this new version of
himself at all. Didn’t like the power that came with it.

“No?” His
eyebrows shot up.

Erik gave a
stifled gasp. “Eight more.”

“I... I’m
satisfied, Erik, it’s fine now,” he muttered, stunned that Erik
managed not to lose  count.

“Eight
fucking
more!” Erik demanded in this strange voice that was
both weak and strong.

Reuben followed
the order with a heavy heart, but he did put a lot less force into
the next few hits, knowing all too well that Erik’s skin was on
fire. Even the weaker strikes wrung out pained gasps, and it wasn’t
fun anymore. He felt like the worst person in the world for going
through with this, but if he stopped, Erik’s pride would be hurt.
He couldn’t allow that either.

The last slap
was a relief for them both, and Reuben did try to make it as light
as possible. Pretty much just a tap. “Twenty,” he said, just in
case Erik didn’t know, but instead of slipping to the floor like
one might expect, Erik just held on to the chair and fidgeted in
anticipation of another blow. It looked like an obscene dance.

“Erik, we’re
done.” Reuben wanted to reach him and pet his back, but was
restrained by the chain on his neck. “Fuck.”

Then again it
made some sense. After yesterday, Reuben knew that staying in one
position for a while could soothe the pain. When Erik eventually
moved, it was a heavy slump to the floor, and the chair went with
him, clattering as it fell. Still trembling, Erik went into a
crawl. It lasted for a long time until he reached his clothes, and
he didn’t even dress, just wiped his face with the pants. ‘Are you
all right?’ would have been a stupid question, so Reuben just stood
in silence and put the cane down on the floor. Without Hans’
presence, the situation could become awkward. Would Erik not
approach him now?

Erik only moved
after regaining some of his composure. Slowly, he darted a look at
Reuben from where he kneeled. His face was red, and so were his
eyes, still swollen from crying. Reuben wanted to hug him, but he
did
feel a pang of satisfaction deep down. Justice had been
done.

“I’m—” Erik
cleared his throat and retrieved a tiny key from the pocket of his
breeches. “Copper, down,” he told Reuben, slowly shifting closer.
It looked as if his muscles had gotten very stiff during the
caning, and he had trouble moving properly.

Reuben complied
with a small smirk. A bruised ass would stay with Erik for a long
time.

“Open it.” Erik
closed his eyes for a moment and didn’t even look at Reuben as he
handed over the key.

Reuben reached
to the back of his neck and opened the padlock after a moment of
fiddling. He took off the collar and held it out to Erik in both
hands. Adrenaline rushed through his body like a horde of hungry
zombies after fresh meat. It was as if they reached some new,
deeper level of understanding. At least that was how he felt.

“Help me up,
Copper,” muttered Erik. Reuben knew it was meant as an order, but
sounded more like a plea. He smiled at his master and put the
collar away. Erik was in molten hot pain, but Reuben couldn’t help
feeling exhilarated. He himself had been a heap of heaving muscle
after just ten strikes, and it was amazing to see his master
persevere through twice more. Reuben gently wrapped his arms around
Erik and helped him up. Erik didn’t feel heavy, especially after
Reuben’s constant training, but it was nice to have Master wrap his
arms around Reuben’s neck as if Reuben were the protector, the
person to lean on for once.