At His Throat, a Promise (28 page)

“It occurs to me that I haven"t made the best of having two slaves.

I"ve neglected all the… opportunities that could come from our arrangement.” William put a hand on Ellis"s neck and tilted his face up. “Know that, after tonight, my mistake will be remedied.” Ellis opened himself up for the kiss that followed. It was tender and sweet in a way that everything beyond the bedroom doors would not be. Even having to watch William and Harte while he was with two others couldn"t dampen the thrill of William saying that next time, he would be between the master and slave he really wanted.

William opened the door and Ellis stepped inside. The room already smelled like sex.

Harte was naked and kneeling on one half of the huge bed, waiting for William. He was hard, his hands clenching on his thighs.

Alex and Alastair were laying side-by-side, bodies and mouths moving in perfect tandem.

“Go to them,” William encouraged, and Ellis did, dazed.

His body was reacting to the sight of the naked bodies and the smell of need in the air. He stood by the side of the bed and moved to take off his shift, but Alex reached out and stopped him. Sitting on the edge of the bed, Alex pulled Ellis between his spread knees.

His hands edged the material up and over his body, taking care to touch every inch of bared skin along the way.

Over Alex"s head, Ellis saw William stalk like a cat toward Harte, who lay down and opened his legs for William to settle between as if he"d done it a thousand times. Which he had, Ellis reminded himself.

“Isn"t he lovely, Alastair?” Alex said in a rough voice, his dark eyes affectionate despite the desire etched across his face.

238

AT HIS THROAT, A PROMISE

“The loveliest,” Alastair responded, only half-sarcastic. “Can we get him into the bed now?”

“So impatient.” But despite his words, Alex pulled Ellis into the bed and kissed him hard on the mouth. Alastair settled on his other side and alternated between touching Ellis wherever he wasn"t covered by Alex and kissing Alex anywhere that was free.

Ellis let his body be moved and manipulated by Alex, who was a fine kisser and very good at coaxing reactions from Ellis, but though Ellis"s body was focused on Alex"s fingers inside him and Alastair"s hand around him, his eyes were trained on William and Harte.

William was propped against the headboard and Harte was in his lap, impaled on the cock that Ellis knew was the perfect size.

Not that Alex wasn"t a very respectable size. Bigger than William, even. Ellis certainly felt it when that cock slid into him, brushing against his prostate on the very first stroke. Alastair wasn"t anything to scoff at either, Ellis thought, as he took his cock in until red curls tickled his nose.

Harte was kissing William, slow and sure and with the leisure of someone who knew his place was secured.

Alex"s lips were on Ellis"s back, when they weren"t whispering encouragements and instructions that Ellis followed to the letter.

Spread wider, stroke yourself, suck harder.
Alastair was making appreciative noises as Ellis sucked for all he was worth, matching his rhythm to the one Alex was enforcing behind him.

Harte was barely rising up off William"s cock, just rocking back and forth, keeping their mouths in close contact. They were saying things to each other, things Ellis couldn"t hear beyond Alex"s commands and Alastair"s moans.

When Alastair came, Harte glanced over for a moment, 239

AT HIS THROAT, A PROMISE

bestowing such a sweet smile on Ellis—a smile that reiterated the master"s previous
good boy
—that Ellis actually felt proud of himself for making Alastair come.

Then Harte"s attention was back on his master. They were both making noises: Harte little whimpers and whispered pleas; William more throaty noises and husky words that made no sense to anyone but Harte.

Ellis"s hand moved mechanically over his own cock as Alex filled him. The lubrication was wearing thin, and Ellis really hoped the master was close. A series of rough scrapes and jabs to Ellis"s prostate tore his orgasm from him, and he came without even closing his eyes. He was far from satisfied, but at least he was finished.

Ellis rested his head on his bent arms and watched the scene beside him as Alex finished up with his body. They were close to coming, but it was obvious that neither wanted to.

Alex came, groaning, and Ellis felt a little irritation because the noise drowned out Harte"s sweet sounds and William"s soft words.

Moving Ellis to the side, Alex stretched himself out beside Alastair. They spoke in low tones for a few minutes until Ellis could hear a light snoring. Alex was curled around his slave, and Alastair"s arms were around his master.

When Harte and William finished, Ellis pretended to be asleep.

They kissed each other and murmured, giving quiet laughs and soft sighs until they finally lay down. Their position didn"t change, however. William was on his back, Harte on top him, their arms wrapped around each other like they were afraid to lose one another.

They slept like that.

Ellis fell asleep between two pairs of master and slave, both 240

AT HIS THROAT, A PROMISE

blissfully entangled. When he woke up in the middle of the night, feeling alone and even a little used, he slid down the bed and returned to his own room. His safe place. Where he let himself give up for the first time in as long as he could remember.

When Alastair and Alex left the next day, they did not take Ellis with them.

241

AT HIS THROAT, A PROMISE

The next two weekends went by without another visit from Alex and Alastair. Despite the fact that Ellis and the red-haired slave had gotten on better than he"d expected, Ellis was still glad not to be put in the same situation as before: alone, yet surrounded by people.

After that night, he couldn"t help but pull away. The longer he stayed in this house, where everything seemed to be on pause, the harder it became to accept that he would have to leave.

Watching William and Harte together, more so now that Harte"s submission was something to behold, was becoming more painful by the minute. Ellis was glad for them, really. Still, it hurt that they had something so special, so different, and he was only 242

AT HIS THROAT, A PROMISE

allowed to watch.

If they sensed his withdrawal, they didn"t say anything. Harte went out of his way to make Ellis feel comfortable, and Ellis was grateful for that. William was careful to give Ellis the kind of praise that, had it come from his former master, would have shocked the words from him. William was spoiling him, and it made him angry.

How did he expect Ellis to be able to adapt to another master, another household, when this one was the one he wanted? It wasn"t fair. It was downright cruel.

He had to do something about it.

That was why he was standing outside the door to William"s study and thinking about knocking. Not doing it; just thinking about it. If he went through with this, he was basically saying he was ready to leave. He would be forcing William"s hand, as much as a slave could do such a thing.

But he couldn"t go on in this purgatory, with the end always looming around the corner, never knowing what night would be his last and when William was going to spring on him that it was time to go. Better to know.

It was
always
better to know.

He knocked. He said his name when William asked who it was.

He entered when William told him to. He knelt. He waited. He
wanted
. He gave up.

“Yes, Ellis?” William put down his pen and gave his attention to the slave by his chair.

“Sir, I"m sorry to bother you. I wanted to talk to you about something.”

William said, “It"s no bother to talk to you. Actually, I"m glad you"re here. I"ve been wanting to talk to you, as well.” 243

AT HIS THROAT, A PROMISE

Biting his lip, Ellis wondered if William had found him a master. That would save him what he was about to do. “I"d like you to go first, Sir, if you don"t mind.”

“Will you have a seat on the sofa? Let me just finish this up, it"ll only be a moment.”

Ellis nodded and rose. Sitting down, he thought about William kissing him on this very sofa. He almost got angry again. It wasn"t fair to get him used to—addicted to, even—such things.

William seemed to be taking his time, whatever he was doing.

Every now and then he"d glance over at Ellis, but Ellis was looking at the wall slightly to the left and only noticed it in his periphery.

The pen was set down and Ellis allowed his eyes to come back into focus. William got up and sat beside Ellis, close enough that it was hard for him to recall what he"d come to say. No matter—he"d rally while the master was speaking.

“When Alex and Alastair were over, did one of them do something that bothered you? Hurt you in some way?”

“Of course not, Sir,” Ellis said. He hadn"t expected to be asked that. Other than the pillowcase situation, he hadn"t been hurt in any way.

In any way that he would ever tell, that was.

“Hmm. Because you"ve been a little distant since then. If something happened, you can tell me. Alex might be my friend, but I know he isn"t perfect. And Alastair is a little unusual for a slave. So if you"re bothered by something, don"t keep it inside.”

“I"m fine, Sir. Actually, that was what I wanted to talk to you about.”

“About Alex and Alastair?”

“No,” Ellis said, beginning to get irritated. This was hard enough without William misunderstanding everything he said.

244

AT HIS THROAT, A PROMISE

Then he realised it was his fault that he wasn"t getting through.

He"d never really tried to explain himself before.

“Go ahead, Ellis. Tell me what"s on your mind.”

“Well, Sir, I was wondering if you"d found anyone to be my master yet.” There. Blunt and forthright, and completely and utterly eviscerating. Ellis forced himself to breathe.

William sat back a little and watched Ellis. Ellis found this disconcerting, as he wasn"t doing anything to warrant such appraisal. He wanted to blurt out an explanation, or perhaps just tell William to forget about it, do it at his own leisure, or maybe not at all. But he had to know.

“You are eager to leave us, then?” William asked—unfairly, in Ellis"s opinion.

“Of course not, Sir. I don"t like being a burden.”

“Have I—we—ever made you feel that way?”

“Not in so many words, Sir, but it"s implied just by my being here. I know you didn"t want to take me home, that you only did because you care for Harte.”

William"s face was impassive, but his eyes narrowed a little.

“That"s not entirely true. Harte may have me wrapped around his little finger, but I do make my own decisions.” Ellis"s eyes widened. “Oh, I didn"t mean to suggest—”

“And furthermore, I would have thought you"d be grateful. I"m sure you have a decent enough imagination to realise where you would have ended up without my intervention.” The conversation wasn"t going nearly as well as Ellis had hoped, and he hadn"t exactly hoped for best-case scenario in the first place.

“Please, Sir, let me explain.”

William didn"t say anything, so Ellis surged ahead. “I
am
245

AT HIS THROAT, A PROMISE

grateful that you took me in, more than you"ll ever know, if you"ll pardon me saying so. And I don"t think that Harte makes your decisions for you, I only meant that it was thanks to him that you noticed me at all.”

“Ellis, maybe it isn"t proper to say so, but when you walked into the Lounge, every single set of eyes was on you, from master to slave to employee. No one could look away from you.” That damnable blush was back, but Ellis fought it under.

“That"s sweet of you to—”

“I"m not saying it to be sweet,” William interrupted. “I"m only telling you the truth. Even with Harte on my lap, I was drawn to you. You don"t know the extent of your own power, your own beauty. And that"s
part
of your power. I"ve never been more eager nor more glad to listen to Harte when he asked for something.”
If I’m so amazing,
Ellis thought sadly,
why don’t you want to
keep me?

Instead, he simply said, “You honour me, Sir.”

“But you want to begin your slavery in earnest, is that it?” Ellis nodded. “It"s difficult to relax when I"m not sure what will happen next.”

“I can respect that. The honest truth, Ellis, is that I haven"t been looking very thoroughly for a master for you. I"ve been greedy, enjoying having two slaves to myself, enjoying the fact that my slave has someone to keep him company. Keep him in line, truly.

But I"ve been neglecting my responsibilities, and you are very good for bringing it to my attention.”

Ellis"s heart sank. How long, he wondered, would William have gone on
enjoying
him if Ellis hadn"t said anything? Perhaps he would have continued to do so right until the end. Though it was unlikely that William would have kept him for three years.

246

AT HIS THROAT, A PROMISE

And if he had, it wouldn"t have been the best thing for Ellis. A sponsored slave wasn"t the same as an owned one, and Ellis"s education, though as complete as Harte"s, wouldn"t have been as prestigious. Either William had to own him, or find someone who would.

“I don"t mean to tell you how to do your job,” Ellis said weakly.

“Of course not. Actually, I"m glad you came to talk to me. I was invited to a get together with the Circle—the group of masters I belong to—and I"d planned on declining, but it would be a good opportunity for other masters to get a look at you. I"d have to put the word out that you"re available, of course.” Ellis didn"t relish the thought of being made
available
to members of the Circle. Though made up of elite professionals, the Circle was known for both deviance and sharing.

On the other hand, that could be a positive. If his new master wasn"t averse to sharing, Ellis might get to spend time with William and Harte after he left.