A Strong Hand (10 page)

school; his thoughts were firmly fixed on the symbol of his submission to Damian and his own cock.

By the time he arrived home, Nick was so tired, he didn't even eat; he simply went to bed.

* * * *

"Take this fucking thing off me!" he demanded.

"Good morning to you too, Nick," Damian said mildly. He unlocked the door without haste and went to his office, Nick dogging his every footstep.

"Did you—?"

"I didn't touch it or myself. Take it off right now!" Nick said angrily.

Damian sat down and motioned Nick closer. "We're going to have to have a talk about topping from the bottom. I don't allow that, pet."

"Yes, sir," Nick gritted, without knowing what Damian was talking about. He sighed with relief as Damian unbuckled him and rubbed at his limp organ.

Damian inspected him; a few reddened areas, but no damage. "If it bothered you that much, why didn't you just take it off?"

"You said not to," Nick said, as if that was self-evident.

Damian nodded. "I'm very proud of you. You did well."

Nick's lips curved in a tremulous smile. "Thank you, sir."

"Go make me a coffee," Damian said, and gave him a little swat.

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Nick's eyes darkened with desire but he turned obediently and made for the door.

* * * *

"Sure," the young man said agreeably, although his gaze was resentful. "How's it hanging, Damian?" he asked the photographer with a familiarity that stunned Nick and also made him jealous.

Then Derek came up to Nick and asked, "Are you one of the models?"

"No, I'm just the assistant, but they asked me to model a couple of things for this catalog," Nick answered modestly, wondering if he would ever be able to talk to Damian with such familiarity. "My name is Nick Sayers."

"Oh, the assistant. You have my old job. I'm Derek Stearns. Boy, you wouldn't catch me dead wearing any of that gear," Derek declared, glancing over his shoulder to see if Ashley was within earshot. "Eyeball those chicks. Man, they're tough."

"You fancy the birds then?"

"Not really. I'm more of a man's man, if you get my drift."

"You're an American, aren't you?"

"Yeah. Came over to get some life experiences before I buckle down to real work. I've traveled all over Europe; it's a real lark over here. Hey, doesn't this stuff of Ashley's give you the willies?" Derek asked curiously.

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"No, not at all," Nick lied boldly.

"Well, better you than me then," Derek shrugged. "Want me to do that?"

"No, I know how Damian likes his coffee, but you could go downstairs to get the pastries, and Ashley usually takes a latté," Nick suggested.

"Yeah, I know. Okay, where do I go and how many do I get of what?" Derek asked.

Nick told him and handed over some money. After Derek left, Ashley came into the kitchen and said, "I hope you don't mind wearing something a little unusual today, Nick. I had it made just for you. I'm starting a new line, and I think it'll be a hit."

Damian strolled in and said, "I think perhaps you should have consulted me first on that, Ashley."

Ashley nodded vigorously. "You're right, but I was sure you'd agree. I had this one made especially for Nicholas, in his color."

He led the other two men to a carton he'd dumped in the studio. He took out a red leather box, opening it reverently.

Nick peered in to see a supple red leather collar. It didn't look like a dog collar, as most of them did. This one was designed to lie flat at the base of the neck.

Ashley was speaking to Damian. "I find that a collar is mostly a symbolic accessory; depending on one's tastes, it doesn't need to withstand much force, such as a dog tugging at his leash. I thought for the discriminating master, one who wishes to enhance the beauty of their sub, rather than yank him around, this would be eminently desirable."

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Ashley lifted the collar out of the box. "Nicholas, turn around, please."

He buckled the collar onto the boy, smoothing it into place.

The front of the collar formed a "V" that nestled in the little hollow at the base of Nick's throat.

Nick reached up to touch the soft leather with one slender finger, his eyes fixed on Damian's.

Ashley smiled with delight. "You look lovely in that, Nick.

Look at yourself." He drew the younger man into the makeup room to look in the mirror. It took Nick's breath away to see how he looked with the deep red of the collar next to his glowing skin.

"Nicholas, follow me," Damian commanded tersely.

Apprehensively, Nick followed Damian to his office and stood, shifting from one foot to the other.

Damian said sternly, "You've not earned that collar, not from me. You may wear it for the shot, but it's not yours, understand?" He unbuckled the collar and took it off, laying it carefully on his desk.

"Of course," Nick burst out, not taking Damian's meaning at all. "None of this stuff is mine. I wouldn't steal anything!"

Damian laughed, his nerves a bit unsettled by the sight of his beautiful boy with the collar that he longed to make permanent. "I'm glad you realize that but I didn't really think you would steal it." In order to divert Nick from his own overreaction to the symbolic scrap of leather, he continued. "I like to see my sub in jewelry, and you don't wear any. So let's try these on for size. Unbutton your shirt."

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Nick's fingers flew to undo his buttons, pulling the turquoise striped shirt open. Damian walked over to him and pointed to the floor. Nick dropped to his knees uneasily, aware that although the office door was closed it was unlocked.

"Close your eyes, pet."

Nick did so and gasped as warm fingertips circled his nipples. He trembled as he felt the delicate caress make his nipples harden.

"Very responsive, my pet," Damian crooned softly. He pulled gently at the dark nubs held between thumb and forefinger, watching Nick's head fall back and his mouth open.

Nick suppressed a squeak as Damian began to pinch and twist his nipples, the little frisson of pain skittering along on the edge of his nerves, making his cock stand up and take notice. Blood rushed to his nipples and his groin, setting him awash in a sea of pleasure.

Damian tugged firmly on the dark peaks, deciding that they were as hard as they were going to get. He was extremely tempted to kneel in front of Nick and take them in his mouth, to see if they tasted as sweet as they looked, but he had a different plan.

Nick shook as Damian's hands left him and he swayed forward, as if searching for the sensuous touch that kept him so on edge. Then he yelped quietly when he felt one nipple pulled and captured in something cold that pinched. He almost opened his eyes, but remembered in time that he was to obey Damian. The older man hadn't said that he might 94

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open his eyes, and he didn't want to get a spanking with everyone just outside the door where they could hear.

A pinch at his other nipple, and Nick felt something cool brush his ribs.

"Open your eyes, pet," Damian said, sounding extremely pleased with himself.

Nick did so and looked down to see two small silver clamps glittering on his chest, with the chain that linked them swinging slightly between his nipples, brushing against his torso. "What is it, sir?"

"Nipple clamps," Damian said with a wicked grin. "We're shooting them today. I didn't think you'd want Ashley or Gabe to put them on you."

Nick shuddered in horror. "No, I wouldn't. Thank you, sir."

"That's a good pet. You must remember to thank me for whatever I give you: pain, pleasure, or both," Damian said, holding Nick's chin, caressing his jaw with his long, slender fingers. "How does it feel?"

"Pinched just at first. Now it's kind of numb," Nick answered after a moment.

"It will hurt a great deal more when they come off, understand?" Damian said. He was pleased with the look of apprehension that sprang into Nick's eyes. "But you will be able to bear it. In fact, I'm sure you'll enjoy what I have planned for you. Now put your shirt back on. It'll be a while before we get to this shot."

Nick buttoned his shirt and remained on his knees, waiting for Damian to release him.

"You may go, pet. Scene over."

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"Thank you, sir," Nick said, and got to his feet.

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Nick went to the makeup chair, refusing to take his shirt off. "Damian's orders," he explained to Gabe, who smiled knowingly and proceeded to powder the shine off the young man's face.

"Well, we mustn't disobey
him,
must we?" Gabe teased.

"He's the photographer," Nick said, hoping not to betray his uneasiness.

By the time Damian was ready for him, only he and two blond males were still in the studio, with Nick to be sandwiched between them. The other two men wore only leather pants, and Nick couldn't drag his fascinated gaze from their nipples. They wore clamps like his, and he wondered if their nipples were throbbing like his, keeping time to his pulse.

He was given black leather pants to wear and came out to the set barefoot with his shirt hanging over them, thankful that Ashley had ordered the female models to bugger off.

They'd wanted to stay and watch, but Ashley had teasingly claimed that they were trying to hold him up for a higher fee.

Damian positioned the three men in the set, with a blond model standing to either side of Nick. He adjusted the lighting, so that the lower half of their bodies fell into shadow, with just a tantalizing hint of shine reflecting off the leather.

He caught Nick's gaze, and in a measured tone commanded, "Take off your shirt, Nicholas."

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It was his Dom voice, and Nick shivered with the illicit thrill of obeying his orders in front of other people who didn't know. "Yes, sir," he said huskily. He took off his shirt, expecting gasps of surprise, but the other two models were completely blasé about the clamps on his chest.

"All right, Markie, I want you to grab Nick's hair and pull his head back, so that only the lower half of his face is in the light. Right, like that. And you, Craig, grab Nick's wrist and hold it right about there."

Damian guided the other model to hold Nick's arm back and slightly away from his body. "Now Markie, when I tell you, reach over and take the right clamp off. Let your hand leave the shot very slowly. I'm shooting film with a motor drive in tandem with the digital so that I can catch the exact moment I'm after. Understand?"

All three nodded their understanding. Nick felt Markie's fingers thread through his hair, getting a firm grip.

Damian looked through the viewfinder. "Craig, can you hang onto Nick's other hand as well, so he looks trapped?"

"Sure thing," the blond called out cheerfully.

Nick did feel trapped, and so did his cock as it started to grow under the tight leather. He couldn't see beyond the lights, but he knew that Damian and Ashley were looking directly at him, and he bit his lower lip nervously.

"Don't you
dare
bite your lip, Nicholas!"

Nick released his lip and licked it nervously.

"Good, and action," Damian directed.

Nick's body jerked when Markie's hand landed on his stomach, sweeping smoothly up his torso until his fingers 98

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found the clamp. His head was pulled back, and he swallowed hard. Then Markie released the clamp and the combination of a rush of pain along with the knowledge that Damian was watching flooded Nick's senses. He cried out as the explosion of blood returning to his nipple sent shockwaves throughout his body, and his cock got hard enough that he was afraid he might come right there, in front of everyone.

Damian stopped shooting when Nick was sagging limply in Markie's arms.

Ashley exclaimed, "That was brilliant! Fucking brilliant!"

"Let's see if I caught what I wanted. Otherwise we have to do it all over again," Damian said wryly.

The blond models released Nick, Markie patting him on the back as he staggered. "First time with those?"

"Yeah," Nick admitted, although he had the impulse to lie and imply that this was nothing new for him.

"Don't worry; you'll soon be a pro like me," Markie assured him before swaggering off to stand beside Ashley to look at the monitor.

That only made Nick writhe even more; was everybody in on what was happening to him? What made them think he wasn't merely modeling this shit?

Nick walked over to stand behind Damian, feeling incredibly self-conscious as the chain swung from the clamp still attached to his other nipple, bumping the loose one against his body as he walked. He wanted to remove the remaining clamp, but he was afraid of yelping again in front of everyone.

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He watched the monitor as Damian set up the series of digital shots to flip through automatically like a little movie.

When Markie pulled his head back, Nick saw how the light fell mainly on his neck and chest, leaving his face in shadow.

Damian stopped the slide show at the exact image he'd been trying to capture. "That's it. That's what I wanted."

"Brilliant," Ashley breathed in an aroused voice.

Nick stared at himself, every muscle standing out in sharp relief under smooth skin as his body arched and strained against the hands that imprisoned him. His mouth was open, contorted in pain and pleasure. His hands were in shadow, but you could see just enough detail to know that he was being restrained.