At His Throat, a Promise (37 page)

“Andrews is another example of a master who doesn"t use his slaves. Not in the traditional sense, anyway. He is morally opposed to sexual slavery, but he has no problem making his slaves do all the work around the house, including the cooking. He is, however, a senior partner, and he"s very good at what he does.” Ellis would prefer giving occasional blow jobs to being a glorified maid.

“And this is Patterson. He"s very high up in the company, chairman of the board, has vast experience with pretty much any 317

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area of law, and could guide you every step of the way. He"s eighty-three years old, so I doubt he"d be making use of you.” Three out of five of the options so far wouldn"t be having sex with him? Ellis thought that was rather odd. He looked at William from the corner of his eye.

“Isn"t it unusual for masters to even take slaves if they aren"t interested in the sexual reciprocation?”

“Well, clearly not,” William said, waving his hand at the pages as if the men
he
had chosen proved his point.

Ellis wasn"t sure, but it certainly seemed as though William didn"t want him having sex with his new master. And the fact that so many worked with him suggested that William wanted to be kept abreast of Ellis"s life.

“The last, Sir?” The sixth page was half-tucked under a few books that had been cleared to one side of the desk.

William drew it out and placed it before Ellis. It was Jude Mitchell.

“He"s brilliant at his job, he has an almost alarmingly high success rate, he"s never had so much as a whisper of a complaint against him, and his slaves are well-mannered, thoroughly educated, and perfectly trained.”

“Does he sleep with them?” Ellis asked.

“Yes,” William snapped.

Ellis drew back a little. “I didn"t mean to presume… ” He didn"t really know what he
had
presumed. William had offered that information about the other masters; Ellis just wanted to get a clear idea of his options.

“It"s fine. Now, what are your thoughts?” Ellis immediately put Jack, Jude, Smythe, and Patterson into one pile. The other contained the mean-looking master, and the one 318

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who preferred house slaves.

“Not these two?” William asked, sounding a little surprised.

“No, Sir.” He didn"t explain himself and William didn"t ask.

He didn"t want to be a house slave, and there was something about the other man he simply didn"t like. He was in the very rare position of being able to choose his own destiny, and he wanted it to be something
he
decided upon.

“What about Archer?” William asked.

“He"s in the pile because you said to give him a chance. It can"t hurt to meet him. But… is it actually my decision? Or are you just taking my thoughts into account?”

“When I compiled these six, I chose men that I could actually see with you. Any of these would be a choice that I don"t think you"d regret.”

Still, William looked like he was withholding something.

“Which would you choose for me? Out of these four.”

“Patterson,” William said without hesitation. The man who was too old to fuck.

“Who do you like the least, Sir?”

Again, William didn"t even need to think. “Mitchell.” The man who had kept Ellis from falling at the costume party.

“Why?”

“I just think you can do better.”

It frustrated Ellis that William thought he could make an informed decision if he didn"t have all the information. But if William just had a gut feeling, Ellis couldn"t really expect him to explain that; he just wouldn"t be able to take it into account when making his decision. Jude had been gracious and sweet at the party, not to mention a little exciting, with his accent and his sense of humour.

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Jude and Jack were both definites. Ellis wanted to meet Jack again just to prove to himself that he was right about him—the fact that William was pushing for him made Ellis curious. Jack had been an asshole, but maybe that had been a front, or maybe he was overcompensating. It did seem like sex with him would be exciting, as long as he didn"t hurt Ellis or force him to do things he didn"t want to do.

Though that was, of course, his right.

Patterson he also wanted to meet because of William"s declaration that he was best. The fact that he had so much experience was also appealing. The connections made could be very important.

Ellis pulled out Smythe"s file and put it with the others. If he didn"t have to force himself to have sex with a girl, he didn"t want to. Also, Smythe had been a little frightening when Katelyn had asked him to repeat himself. Ellis was a good slave, but he wasn"t perfect, and he didn"t want to have to try to be all the time.

“These three,” he said finally.

“Good. Now, put them over there,” William instructed, gesturing to the far end of the desk.

Ellis did as he was told, leaning across William, who was still sitting in his office chair, to put them inside an open folder.

William"s hand pressed down on the small of Ellis"s back, forcing him against the desk.

“Sir?”

William didn"t answer, only ran his hand up the back of Ellis"s leg, from calf to thigh and a little farther, his thumb grazing Ellis"s still quite hairless balls.

“I"ve given a lot of thought to finding you a new master,” William mused, rubbing in circles on Ellis"s inner thigh.

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Squirming a little, Ellis opened his legs in what he hoped was an encouraging manner.

“Thank you for being so kind, Sir,” Ellis said, thinking he knew where this was going.

“Oh, you"re welcome. But I think I deserve a reward for such hard work, don"t you?”

“Absolutely,” Ellis moaned, gasping when a searching thumb brushed against his entrance.

William pushed his chair back and straightened Ellis so that he was facedown over the desk with William right behind him.

William then pulled the chair up so his legs were between Ellis"s wide-open knees.

Ellis moaned a little at the exposed position, his ass high in the air and completely bared, thanks to his shift riding up.

“Such an obedient boy,” William praised, both hands exploring his legs but never touching him where he wanted. “How do you think I should reward myself?”

Looking back over his shoulder at the master, Ellis said, “Any way you want. I"m yours.” Turning to face ahead again, Ellis bit his lip; hopefully William didn"t suspect the depths of truth behind that simple statement.

“Yes, mine. I think I know what I"d like.” Ellis groaned when William spread his cheeks even more than the position already did. Being bared in such a way should have shamed him, but he felt nothing other than desire. When William licked him, Ellis stretched his arms out to catch the other side of the desk, bracing himself so he didn"t move too much.

William"s tongue was so practised at searching out a reaction that Ellis just let it happen. He didn"t try to fight against the sensations. Each lick, each flicker, each
nibble
made him cry out 321

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for more. He wasn"t embarrassed by his begging, or the wet sounds coming from behind him, or even the way his hips ground back in a circular motion to get the most from the experience. William never made him feel dirty in a bad way. William didn"t want to hurt or embarrass him. William made him feel good, inside and out.

William didn"t want him for good, though.

Distracted by that thought, Ellis"s erection flagged a little, though he moaned to make up for it. It was gut-wrenching to feel so desirable and yet not be wanted.

“Get the lubricant and prepare yourself for me,” William said, voice raw.

Ellis fumbled with the top drawer on the right. He knew very well where the lube was kept, having had to get it out many times for William to use, or to use on Harte while William watched.

Slicking his fingers and reaching behind himself, Ellis forced his eyes forward. He didn"t want to look back and see
want
in William"s face. He circled his furrowed centre for a moment, teasing himself and the master, before sinking one finger inside.

The stretch was nothing, not after all he"d taken recently. Another finger and he started to feel it, but William told him to stop.

“Pull your fingers out,” he said. Then William"s own fingers were on him, inside him, touching that place that made him beg like a fool and love every minute of it.

William"s other hand stroked his cock. Ellis shuffled back from the desk to give that merciless hand more room, and then the fingers were pounding into him in opposite rhythm to the fingers clenching on his cock. It was enough to make Ellis cry out, and he did, without care.

Ellis came, shooting into the leg gap of the desk, as William 322

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firmly bit the fleshy part of his ass cheek. The sting focused his attentions until he couldn"t hold back, and he slumped weakly onto the desk.

William gave Ellis a moment to recover before pulling his chair back and spreading his own legs, and Ellis dropped down to his knees, took William in his mouth, looked up at those dark, dark eyes and wondered
why
.

* * *

William didn"t seem very pleased, but Ellis didn"t think it had anything to do with his behaviour. He"d been a model slave, even letting the white-haired old man kiss him with a strangely wriggling tongue.

Apparently, William had been misinformed about the extent of Patterson"s sexual prowess. The man made it very clear that he would, indeed, be expecting sexual compensation, though he suggested his pleasure was to see Ellis lose control. The thought of continually having to come at the gnarled hands of an old man made Ellis feel slightly ill, and it didn"t help that Patterson was quite possibly the most lecherous person Ellis had ever met.

By the end of an interview so filled with innuendo that Ellis could barely even follow along, William had actually rushed the older man out, insisting that they"d be in touch.

Ellis had a shower. A very long one.

When he went to see William afterward to discuss it, the master had already thrown the man"s information page into the trash.

“That was uncomfortable,” William said, shaking his head.

“I thought you"d said the interviews would take place when I 323

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was alone with the masters,” Ellis said, recalling back to something William had said before Patterson had shown up.

“That is usually how it"s done. However, Patterson is from a different era. When he was old enough to interview his first potential slave, they would have had to have several witnesses in the room to make sure no promises were made that couldn"t be kept and no untoward actions occurred.”

“But isn"t that sort of the point, Sir? To make sure any untoward actions would be appreciated by both parties?” William laughed a little and pulled Ellis onto his lap, the desk chair squeaking in protest. “Are my untoward actions appreciated?” he asked in a whisper against Ellis"s neck.

Ellis almost groaned. Ever since the costume party the week before, Ellis had been sucked, fucked, rimmed, and fingered more times than he could count; and just as often he"d been on the giving end of those actions, as well. Not mention being shared between two men who wanted all those things at the
same time
. He was frankly exhausted.

He wouldn"t have minded if it wasn"t for one thing: every time felt like good-bye.

Ellis
knew
what William and Harte were doing: making the most of the little time they had left together. It hurt to think of it like that, and he didn"t like the way they made it so obvious, with Harte clinging to Ellis like a lifeline afterward, and William constantly making
mine
statements that Ellis desperately wished he could agree with.

“Of course, Sir,” Ellis said a little stiffly. He would never stop wanting William, but it was hard enough without the constant reminder of what he couldn"t have.

William seemed to take the hint, his entire demeanour shifting 324

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to the more formal man Ellis had become so familiar with. “In any case, your next two interviews will likely take place without my presence, if you"re comfortable with that. The rules will be suspended during that time.”

“That"s fine. Am I supposed to be asking them anything, or…

?” William had guided almost the entire conversation with Patterson, and Ellis had found himself distracted by the man"s jowls, not really listening to the conversation—something he wouldn"t admit to upon pain of death.

“You can ask them anything you feel comfortable about. They might not answer, but if they want you to keep them in mind, they will most likely be very forthcoming. Remember the three categories—personal, professional, and sexual—and try to find out as much as you can as to whether you"re compatible.”

“What if neither of them are what I want?” Ellis asked quietly.

He found himself unable to look at William, and that bothered him.

He"d never suffered from a lack of bravery before.

“I still have the files of the thirty-odd candidates who did apply. If you don"t think either are acceptable—and, Ellis, you"re well within your rights to think that; please don"t think I"m pressuring you—then we"ll start from the beginning.” Ellis tried to escape the feeling that he"d brought this all on himself with forcing William"s hand. But the uncertainty had been destroying him. If nothing else, at least he now knew what to expect.

And what not to hope for.

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Ellis and Harte sat side by side on the long sofa in the parlour.

One of the formal rooms in William"s home, the parlour was done in shades of icy blue and cream, with darker blue accents in the furniture and décor. It was a little stuffy, and Ellis always felt out of place in it, but it was where the master wanted him to meet with Jude Mitchell and Jack Archer. Harte was keeping him company while William and Jude were speaking in the study. They"d been waiting for nearly half an hour, and Ellis was growing more and more agitated with Harte.