At His Throat, a Promise (23 page)

and for good reason, of course. Punishment was a
bad
thing, something to avoid, something to fear.

But it seemed that everything Ellis had thought he"d known was being challenged since he"d come to stay with William and Harte.

After Harte"s punishment, it was like a switch had been thrown.

The master seemed more relaxed, more agreeable, and Harte was 194

AT HIS THROAT, A PROMISE

better behaved while still retaining that essential spark.

William and Harte were closer than ever.

Ellis told himself he didn"t mind.

It was always better improving a situation and leaving than making it worse and staying. Maybe after William placed him with a new master, they would remember that he had helped them find solace and comfort in their roles.

Or maybe they"d never think on him again. He had no right to expect remembrance.

The day after the punishment, it had seemed like Harte was floating on air—which was for the best, as his feet had to be incredibly sore. He didn"t complain once, not even to Ellis in the privacy of one of their rooms. Ellis caught him looking at the soles of his feet, running a finger along the red striations, but when Ellis asked him what he was doing, Harte had only smiled sheepishly and shrugged.

In order to help Ellis better decide his speciality, William had been extending the lessons to an hour beyond the normal time, but with just the two of them. Harte was good-natured about the whole thing and usually took the time to tidy up his room or have a bath.

Ellis was beginning to realise that Harte didn"t seem capable of jealousy.

That was something Ellis knew he"d be wise to adopt for himself.

The longer he stayed with them, the more difficult it became to think about life beyond them. The feeling of impermanence grated at him, made him irritable at times, though he tried his best to contain it.

When William announced that Alex and Alastair would be coming for another visit, Ellis knew that his attempt at
containing
195

AT HIS THROAT, A PROMISE

it
wasn"t going very well. His hand clenched around his fork, and even Harte"s enthusiasm was enough to make him want to lash out.

Why did it have to be them? Why Alastair? They"d started off on the wrong foot, and Ellis hated feeling like he had to excuse himself for something he had no control over. So Alastair was possessive of his master—that was
his
problem. Ellis had learned long ago that jealous behaviour from slaves was unbecoming and crude, not to mention punishable. Ellis had no intentions of falling into that trap.

William wasn"t his. Harte wasn"t his.

This was made especially true when William followed up his announcement with instructions for Ellis to “make them both feel comfortable.”

Comfortable in a home that wasn"t his.

“He"s only trying to build a bridge between you and Alastair,” Harte said later that evening as Ellis bathed. Harte had insisted on barging in, and Ellis didn"t have it in him to turn the other slave away.

“Why? I don"t need a bridge.”

Harte skimmed his fingers over the surface of the water. No bubbles for Ellis. “Maybe you don"t think so, but it will make it easier for you when… ”

“When Sir sends me away.” Ellis cringed at the bitterness in his voice, but he could do little to curb it. He"d been hiding his feelings for so long that when the surface began to crack, it would become impossible to hold back. He only hoped he could keep it together for a little longer. He"d been doing so well, getting praise from the master regarding his studies and even his advice. He didn"t want to ruin it all with a tantrum.

Not that it mattered, really. Not when he"d be given away in the 196

AT HIS THROAT, A PROMISE

end. What difference did it make, anyway?

“Well, you have to admit, it"ll be better to have friends, especially if your new master is… difficult.” Ellis glared at his knees through the water. They really were knobby.

“Not that I think Master would send you to someone you won"t like,” Harte quickly added. “He"ll find you the perfect match, I"m sure of it.”

“So what am I supposed to do, Harte? To entertain Alastair and Master Alex?”

Harte"s fingers brushed against his knee, and the water rippling from the action tickled him. He pulled his knee away.

“When I first met Alastair and Master Alex, Master did much the same thing. The first night, the masters were catching up and they had us service them: me with Master and Alastair with his master. The next night Alastair fucked me while they watched. The third night we were sort of all together. It was a bit of a jumble, really. The last night was the hardest, though, because Master took Alastair and Master Alex took me, but in separate rooms. I didn"t like Alastair being with Master without me, but Master Alex was really good to me. I think he understood.” By the end of this, Harte was squirming a little, and though the tub blocked his lower body, Ellis wouldn"t be surprised if he was hard. It didn"t take much to get Harte to that place.

Ellis wanted to ask something he"d wondered about from the very beginning—did Harte mind Ellis being with his master? Harte had given indications, here and there, about feeling possessive toward the master—almost protective—but did that include Ellis?

However, he didn"t feel up to hearing the answer, so he asked instead, “Do you think he"ll send me with Master Alex without 197

AT HIS THROAT, A PROMISE

Alastair?” Because that was the
last
thing Ellis wanted. It would make things even more difficult with Alastair.

“Oh, no, no way. Not you.”

Too heart-weary to even try to figure out what Harte meant by that last, Ellis just nodded. “Anything I should know, anything that"ll help me please Master Alex better?” The question was almost automatic.

“Well, you know he likes makeup… We could try that. He also likes it when you"re really enthusiastic. Makes him crazy. I think he has a bit of a problem, feeling like he"s forcing slaves sometimes. That could also be why he used to have so many and now has only Alastair—if nothing else, Alastair is certainly passionate.”

Makeup and act like you mean it.
Whore.

“Thanks, Harte, I appreciate the advice. You"ll help me put the makeup on tomorrow before they come, won"t you?”

“Just leave it to me.”

* * *

He could see it was the master—not only was he about twice the size of Harte, he also had a stillness to him that Harte probably couldn"t even achieve while sleeping.

Sitting up and against the headboard, Ellis waited for William to approach. When he did, he perched on the side of the bed, facing Ellis.

“You seemed a little uncomfortable with my instructions.” If he"d been Harte, he would have blurted out about how Alastair had been rough with him on purpose, how he thought Ellis 198

AT HIS THROAT, A PROMISE

wanted to go with Master Alex, even though he
didn’t
, he wanted to
stay
…

But he was Ellis. So he was quiet. “Not at all, Sir. I"ll be pleased to know the other master better.”

“He"s a good man. You don"t have to be afraid of him.” Ellis was almost affronted, and it showed in his voice. “I"m not
afraid
. I talked to Harte and he gave me some advice on how to make myself more appealing toward Master Alex, and I feel reassured.”

William chuckled. “Harte probably just wants to see you in makeup, the little tart.”

“Harte said that you didn"t care one way or the other for makeup, Sir,” Ellis said leadingly. He didn"t want to wear it if it meant William wouldn"t find him at all appealing.

“I think there is a time and a place for such things. I"ll admit some can pull it off beautifully, like Harte. He is so… delicate. But only seemingly, as we both know.” William put a hand on Ellis"s thigh over the covers, his thumb rubbing gently. “But if he knew that I actually liked it, he"d wear it all the time, and I like him the way he is.”

Ellis nodded. William didn"t say anything for a few moments, prompting Ellis to ask, “Do you want to… join me?” He felt foolish immediately, as William was technically
with
him already, but he didn"t know how else to go about offering himself.

“Oh. Not tonight, Ellis. I want you to get some sleep. I know you"re nervous about spending more time with Alex and Alastair, but you really needn"t be. I know Alex, in particular, found you to be quite stunning.”

“I"m not nervous, Sir,” Ellis said, sulking a little.

William kissed him, but it was Ellis who subtly pulled away 199

AT HIS THROAT, A PROMISE

from the touch.
Go to Harte, then
, he thought.

After William left, Ellis lay on his back and forced his eyes to stay closed, for whenever they were opened, tears tried to come out. And that just wasn"t acceptable for a slave in his position.

* * *

Ellis, feeling anything but, threw the blankets off himself and blearily opened his eyes. They felt scratchy, even though he was sure he hadn"t let himself cry.

Thankfully, Harte was in too much of a flurry to notice if anything was amiss. He put a small case on the vanity and pulled one of Ellis"s everyday sheaths from the drawers, throwing it on the bed.

“You have to go wash, first.”

Without saying a word, Ellis obligingly showered. He gave especial attention to any parts that might be
getting
especial attention. Even shaving took longer than usual, and he didn"t even lament his unimpressive growth. William shaved every day and still got a shadow by the end of it. Harte, as far as Ellis knew, needed to shave very seldom, and any growth was fine and pale, making him look almost hairless except for his head and the soft curls surrounding his cock.

With a towel retaining his modesty, little though there was, Ellis re-entered the bedroom. Harte was on his stomach on the bed, wielding a small mirror and a pencil, outlining his eyes smoothly and smudging the colour a little.

“I thought about maybe using a different colour on you, because you"re kind of black-and-white, you know? With your 200

AT HIS THROAT, A PROMISE

grey eyes, green or even dark purple would look amazing.” Ellis"s eyes widened, but before he could protest, Harte laughed and continued, “Don"t worry, I changed my mind. We"ll save that for a special occasion. For now, you"ll wear black like me.”

Harte looked up and blinked. His eyes were encircled, making the blue almost alarming. Harte took another moment with a wand on his eyelashes, making them long and dark.

It was rather like thinking of Harte wearing women"s panties for William. It was taboo, decadent, and therein lay the appeal. Of course, it also increased Harte"s almost preternatural beauty.

“I don"t know if I want to wear it,” Ellis said. “I"ll look like I"m copying you, and I don"t look very… girly.”

“And I do?” Harte demanded indignantly.

Ellis just stared at him until Harte laughed. “Can"t really object when I"ve got makeup on, can I?”

Wisely, Ellis said nothing.

“Anyway, the point isn"t to look girly. I mean, you"re thin but you"re still taller than most girls. And your eyes are… incredible, but you"re obviously male.” Harte stood and walked seductively toward Ellis, the slave sheath hugging and caressing in a way Ellis knew was very purposeful. “And isn"t just a little… dirty? A little… sluttish?”

Harte twined his arms around Ellis"s neck and pressed his body against him, arching into him like any slave would to a master that liked submission. Ellis let himself, for a moment, imagine being a master. Being
Harte’s
master. He could do anything he wanted, any depraved, licentious thing. And Harte would let him. Would
love
it. The power was almost heady. Did William feel like this all the time?

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On the other hand, Harte was intentionally eliciting that feeling in Ellis.
That
was true power. Making a person feel a certain way, a way that opposed what they normally felt.
He
wanted that kind of power. William
had
complimented his looks, and Harte thought he was beautiful.

William had even said Alex thought him
stunning
.

Maybe… maybe it was time for Alex to get another slave. If Ellis had to leave, and he did, wouldn"t it be better to go with someone familiar to him, someone with a connection to Harte and William?

Now that he thought about it, was that what William had planned all along? Was he trying to show Alex what a good slave Ellis was in the hopes that Alex would take him on? Though Harte had said that Alex wasn"t interested in another slave… but the man
had
had ten at one point. Maybe Ellis just needed to remind him of the benefits of multiple slaves.

Unfortunately, all that meant he would have to make an effort to get along with Alastair, and the very thought made him want to sneer.

“Harte… ” Ellis said, backing away from the slave who was presently kissing his neck. “Is there anything I can do to get on Alastair"s good side?”

Harte looked suspicious for a moment, and Ellis added,

“Because I wouldn"t want to make Master Alex angry by doing something that Alastair doesn"t like.”

“Go sit on the chair,” Harte said, gesturing toward the seat in front of the vanity.

Ellis did and Harte hopped up onto the table, his legs on either side of Ellis"s.

“Hold still, all right?” Ellis did while Harte began to apply the 202

AT HIS THROAT, A PROMISE

eyeliner. It made his eyes water, especially when he had to hold them open, but Harte didn"t stab him, so he considered it a triumph.

“Alastair"s tricky to get to know. He doesn"t really get along well with other slaves. Always wants to fuck, never wants to get fucked. It"s not a problem with me, obviously, but he"s told me about how Master Alex sometimes gets upset with him for not playing very nicely.”