The Rules of Love (17 page)

When Saul broke their connection, Kenneth was hard, his balls filled and aching. The tip of his cock was beaded with moisture and he wanted to ask Saul to lap it up the way he had the day before. He’d teased Kenneth by taking only that small offering from his slit then stopping. Then he’d blown on his dick, watching as it twitched and bobbed, waiting for the next bit of pre-cum. Again he’d suck that portion and wait for the next until Kenneth had been ready to scream. As soon as Saul had finished leading him to that glorious precipice over and over, all it had taken was Saul telling him to come then blowing on his tip for him to shoot so hard it had hurt.

“I know what you’re thinking, boy.”

Kenneth jerked his head up in response. “How can I help it, Sir?” Saul’s expression was one of mirth and Kenneth was reassured—the way he was on a daily basis—that Saul was a decent and good human being. Kenneth had found treasure the day he’d spotted him for the first time. If he could ever be grateful to Preston for anything, it would be that he’d brought him to Saul.

As Kenneth sat on the table patiently, he sipped on a bottle of seltzer water Saul had opened for him. He waited for Saul to return from notifying Aaron about the showing and for him to apply a covering to his wound. Kenneth worried that Saul might feel guilt or that Kenneth would be upset over what had happened. He hoped to set his mind at ease that it wasn’t an issue.

When Saul returned he wiped Kenneth down with a soft towel then fixed up the cut on his back. Saul was helping Kenneth off the table and he couldn’t hold back any longer.

“Sir? I don’t want you to feel bad about the whipping. It doesn’t bother me.”

Saul paused. “It bothers me. But not for the reasons you think.”

Kenneth stumbled over the edge of one of the carpets.

Saul pursed his lips. “If you’re too tired, we can save this for another time. You’ve already been through a lot this evening.”

“I can keep going. We’d only barely started.”

“But it was a helluva start.” He nodded. “If you feel you can proceed, I think this would be good for you right on the heels of what just happened.”

“Like I said, I trust you, Sir.”

“Then let’s go.”

Kenneth fell in step behind Saul as he led the way to the ballroom. Already several men were seated, some with their submissives at their feet. He spotted both Aaron and Theodore with Sam and Francesco kneeling next to them. Thomas was sitting nearby, but he had no one with him. Kenneth wondered if it was true what Saul had said he’d heard from one of the other men. Linus had decided not to come back after all the things that had gone on there. If so, he was sad over it. The few times he’d interacted with him, he’d believed that with the right man, Linus would have blossomed.

Saul guided him to the center of the stage area. It was only one step up from the floor level on a specially constructed solid wood surface. All manner of rings and attachments had been drilled and secured to it in order to accommodate any equipment a Dominant man might wish to use on his submissive. Kenneth was completely naked with the exception of the generic leather club collar he wore to designate that he wasn’t available to another man.

Once he was positioned with his feet shoulder length apart, his arms at his side, Saul stood directly in front of him, blocking him entirely from the audience.

“Look at me, boy.”

Kenneth did as he was told, waiting for Saul to continue.

“I said look at me. Is that clear, boy?”

Saul’s tone was adamant, but Kenneth was completely confused. He
was
looking at him. It wasn’t as if he could miss him, they were practically nose to nose.

“Sir?”

Sweat broke out on his forehead, and they hadn’t even started yet. Had they?

“See me.
Really
see me. I’m here with you. I’m staring into your eyes, and you into mine. Do you feel my heat, my breath on your face? Can you detect the hint of jasmine that still clings to you from when I worked the oil into your skin? We’re here together. You and I.”

Oh.

“Yes, Sir. You and I.”

His tension left him and all of his attention was on Saul. Approval shone back at him from Saul’s’ gaze.

“That’s my good boy.”

Saul silently cuffed his ankles in leather straps to the rings on the floor. After they were secured, Saul lifted first one then the other arm so that Kenneth’s wrists were cuffed to the chains hanging from the ceiling. As soon as he was restrained and on display for the club members to see, Saul stepped back. The room was quiet. No one made a sound. He waited—they all waited for Saul’s next move.

After what seemed like an age, Saul slowly and purposefully circled him. A few times, he touched Kenneth with the tips of his fingers. Whenever he did, Kenneth was reminded that it was him and Saul. Together.

“Look at me.”

He almost frowned but caught himself. Saul had stopped just to the right of him. He turned his head and found it was easier to really see him than it had been before.

“Are you here with me? You and I?”

His gaze never wavered. “Yes, Sir. You and I.”

The approval was there again and his heart fluttered. It was like invisible threads had reached out of his chest, connecting him to his lover.

“Very, very good.”

Saul gave him a chaste kiss on his lips then strolled over to the large wood cabinet that housed all the devices and implements for the stage shows. There was a small creak as Saul opened one side of the piece of furniture, and Kenneth was so unbelievably aware of his surroundings that it made him jump. After Saul had presumably chosen the item he wished to use, he advanced on Kenneth again.

When he stood before him, he held the flogger across the expanse of his opened palms as if he were presenting it to Kenneth. He wasn’t sure how to respond, what Saul wished from him.

Do you trust me?

He did. He did trust Saul. So he waited, ready for whatever his Sir might wish from him. Kenneth still held Saul’s gaze.

“Look at what I have in my hands.”

Kenneth did as instructed. It was a beautiful instrument. The brown suede tails were knotted in various spots on the extra-long strands. The braided leather handle was thick and solid. The softness of the leather was a false promise. In a practiced hand with a good measure of strength, it could inflict a sharp sting. His breathing accelerated, sweat forming on his upper lip. His eyes glassed over and he began to drift off.

“Look at me!”

His head snapped up almost involuntarily. He reconnected with Saul.

“Stay with me, boy.”

“Yes, Sir.”

His breathing became regular again and Saul lifted the flogger until the handle was next to Kenneth’s lips.

“Keep your eyes on me and kiss it.”

He’d already begun to harden as soon as Saul had restrained him, but when his lips met the leather of the whip, his cock jerked, his nuts tensing up against his body. He detected moisture seeping from the end of his erection as he resisted the urge to moan.

Saul lowered the flogger. “Don’t hide from me. I want everything. You and I. You’re sounds. Your submission. Your pleasure. All of it.”

“Yes, Sir. All of it.”

Saul gripped the handle of the whip and dropped it to his side. He brought his palm up to stroke Kenneth’s face. “Such a good boy.” He took a step back. “Stay with me.”

The scream that was ripped from him when the tails struck his torso then wrapped around his side had surprised even him. He yanked on the restraints, his toes curling as he processed the pain spreading out from where the leather had connected with his skin.

“Look at me. How many lashes was that?”

He was incredulous over the question.

But I trust him.

“One, Sir.”

“Very good.”

The next strike was across the top of his thighs, the ends snapping him under his ass. The hurt was different than the first time. He found the pain less satisfying there than when it had been on his stomach. It was duller, not as pleasing. He wondered what it would be like if the target had been the backs of his thighs instead.

“How many lashes was that?”

He looked without being directed to.

“Two, Sir.”

“Excellent.”

He shrieked when the ends of the tails snapped on his cock, wrapping it in a cacophony of pain that included his sac and his legs again. The urge to fall away and disappear until it had ended washed over him. Saul was upon him.

“Look at me.”

His voice was soft, soothing. Kenneth let loose a deep groan. He refocused on Saul and was struck by how handsome he was. He had no idea why that thought had crossed his mind right then, but it was so true. There was even a good chance he was falling in love with him.

“How many lashes was that?”

“Oh, God. Three magnificent lashes, Sir.”

Saul’s eyes crinkled as his face broke into a full smile.

“Perfect, boy. You and I?”

“Always, Sir.”

“Pleasure?”

“So much pleasure, Sir. So much.”

Chapter Eleven

For several weeks they’d explored what Kenneth now saw as his new pain limits. Everything he experienced at Saul’s hand he felt to his core. He didn’t hide from any of it. It wasn’t necessary because Saul was always there to keep him safe. Sometimes it was the flat of his palm against his abdomen, sometimes it was connecting with their eyes, other times it was with his mouth on Kenneth’s skin.

He was starting over as if he’d never experienced erotic pain before. Together they were discovering what Kenneth really needed at this point in his life and how Saul could give it to him. Once Kenneth no longer had to go into a shell to get through an exchange with Saul, he’d be ready to float again the way Ronald had originally shown him.

Saul had called one of the chefs from the club to come over and cook a special meal for them, so he was downstairs in the kitchen fussing over that. Kenneth had been instructed to shower, then wait for him in the bed naked. He was fine with that, if somewhat puzzled as to why he couldn’t have made dinner the way he always did. Forcing himself to not automatically assume that it was because Saul didn’t like his cooking, he assured himself it was probably that the chef was preparing something he didn’t know how to do.

Then shouldn’t he have had him teach me for next time?

Most of the time he handled things very well. He’d been good at maintaining a positive outlook in general, but once in a while Preston’s hateful words would demand that he listen. All the times when his ex-lover had told him how useless, stupid and worthless he was had the tendency to lodge itself in his mind at the worst possible times. Saul had the amazing ability to sense when something wasn’t right with Kenneth, and for his part, he’d been fairly good with letting Saul know if something was bothering him.

‘I’m here to take care of and protect you. I need to know when you’re suffering in any way.’

He’d easily fallen in love with Saul. A handsome stranger had seen him for what he really was, then had risked so much to save him from a horrible life. He’d opened up his home and heart to Kenneth and shown him the true path to the ecstasy of pain. There could never be another for him and he planned on telling Saul how much he meant to him. Maybe then, Saul might want to be his Master instead of only his Sir.

“Perfect. You are such a dear to me.”

Saul ambled over to him, clad only in his satin pajamas and an elaborately detailed brocade smoking jacket. It wasn’t the same as the one he’d used to cover Kenneth several weeks before. It was much more elegant. Saul had shared with Kenneth some of the involved antics he’d had to go through in order to hide the fact that he was actually the owner of Hampton Road. He’d had to learn to keep duplicates of things over at the club. If he accidentally left something behind, he didn’t want to be caught going back in to retrieve it.

Saul lowered himself on the bed then pulled Kenneth into his arms. He kissed his face, throat, neck then back up to his face again. Finally he claimed his mouth, delving deeper with each swipe until Kenneth was breathless. Saul pulled back to gaze into Kenneth’s eyes, keeping him on his lap as he kneaded his flesh.

“The chef has left behind some wonderfully prepared cold dishes. That way we can eat when we choose. There’s some cold duck, smoked cheeses, fruit and a crab and avocado cocktail. I was also able to sneak in a fine champagne from the Hampton Road stores.”

Kenneth stroked Saul’s face. He could touch him constantly. “You should be careful, Sir. I might tell the owner.”

“Please don’t. I hear he’s a brutish old curmudgeon.”

“Really? That’s odd, because from what I understand, he’s a devastatingly handsome and sexy man.”

“Ah, did you now? Is that the words of someone trying to get out of their punishment?”

He’d had a brief set back when he hadn’t cried mercy and Saul had known he’d drifted off. Kenneth had lashed out at him without thinking, some of the pent up anger he had at Preston surfacing. Saul had reminded him that as his caretaker, he was there to support him and help him through his fears and worries. But he had to communicate in order for it to work.

“Possibly. But they’re still true.” Kenneth was the one to kiss Saul that time. He broke the connection then chewed at the corner of his lip.

“Tell me, boy.”

“I didn’t finish ironing all your shirts yet, Sir.”

“Do I at least have a few to wear this week so I can leave the house?”

“Plenty, Sir. I did the first dozen.”

“Hmm, that still leaves you a few dozen to finish. At least you know what you’ll be doing tomorrow, so that’s good, right?”

There was a wicked gleam in Saul’s eyes and he knew there wasn’t a chance his lover would be lenient with him.

“Right, Sir. I will say though, you must shop a lot.”

“Watch it, boy. There are several pairs of my socks that require darning as well.”

“Yes, Sir. I only meant that it’s nice that you shop so much.”

“You’re pushing it, and I’d rather fuck you than force you to mend my hosiery.”