At His Throat, a Promise (7 page)

AT HIS THROAT, A PROMISE

some strange way. But with me, even the punishment feels good sometimes, so he has to come up with new ways of doing it. Do you like pain?”

Recalling back to his conversation with William on spanking, Ellis only shrugged. “I never have before.” Harte pushed Ellis onto his back and leaned over him, his hand not losing rhythm for a moment. “Master will make you feel so good you think you"re an angel to deserve treatment like that. He"ll kiss you all over… on your mouth—that"s my favourite—but also here”—Harte kissed Ellis"s nipple—“and here.” His navel. “And sometimes here.” A quick, fleeting kiss to his cock that Ellis barely had time to protest before it was gone. “And maybe even here… ” Harte"s hand ventured below his balls and wriggled between his cheeks to press against his hole. Ellis shivered.

“The first time he did that to me, I screamed. I didn"t know what he was doing. I thought he was some kind of freak or something. You hear about things like that, you know? Masters who go to the bathroom on their slaves and things like that. But it wasn"t like that. His tongue… it made me crazy. I was begging after five minutes. Has anyone ever done that to you?” Ellis shook his head, eyes wide. Like Harte, he"d heard of the more depraved things that went on between master and slave, but he hadn"t thought someone might enjoy doing that, or having it done.

“I"d love to be the first to do it to you, but I think Master would like it more.” Harte"s hand sped up, and so did Ellis"s breath. “And then he might suck you a bit. He likes doing that, and he
really
likes having it done. You know how to do that, right?”

“Yes, of course.” That was usually the first lesson with any new master.

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“And then he"ll put his fingers inside you. They"re nice and long, and touch all the right places. He"ll do that for a while, not because you need it, but because he
loves
it. That"s why I like it so much, I think. And then he"ll fuck you… and you"ll feel full to splitting. He"s big—I think I told you that. He knows just what to do to make you scream and cry and beg and
come
… ” And Ellis
was
coming, the words painting such a vivid picture that, combined with Harte"s increasingly punishing strokes, he couldn"t hold back, ropes of come decorating Harte"s hand.

When Harte brought wet his fingers to his mouth, Ellis shot out a hand to stop him and quickly wiped him off with the flannel.

“Are you crazy?” Ellis hissed, annoyed that Harte kept almost-breaking the rules.

“It"s not oral sex. It"s just clean up.”

“And then you"ll run and tell Sir and get us both in trouble!” Ellis said bitterly.

“I
knew
you were mad at me for telling him about the kiss.” Harte sulked and got out of bed.

“It"s not that, Harte,” Ellis said with weariness in his voice.

“Your place is secure here, and that"s great for you. But mine isn"t.

I really don"t want to leave. I need your master"s help.”

“I"m sorry.” Harte hugged himself a little, looking pathetic, which made Ellis feel horrible. “I"m just not used to all the rules.”

“And that"s another thing. You shouldn"t talk back to Sir so much. Sometimes you don"t even act like a slave!” Ellis forced himself to stopper the dam, because he didn"t want to lose Harte as an ally or a friend.

Harte was quiet for a moment before, in a serious voice, he said, “I know you think you"re helping or protecting me and I"m grateful. But what you"re talking about is between me and Master.

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You don"t understand.”

Ellis nodded, chastened. “You"re right. It"s none of my business.”

Rubbing his arms almost nervously, Harte looked at Ellis with a small smile. “Should we shower, then? Master Alex and Alastair should be here soon.”

“Sure, let"s go.”

The shower was quick and efficient with none of the playfulness of the day before. Ellis knew he had pushed too hard, and he vowed to keep his mouth shut until he better knew the dynamics of the house.

Harte returned to his room to change and get ready, and Ellis put on one of his new sheaths, marvelling at the softness and fit. It skimmed his body rather than being draped over it. He even felt taller within the narrow garment. And the white was bright and unmarred by various stains and pulls.

Not really knowing what else to do besides brush his hair, Ellis stood in the hallway and waited for Harte.

When the other slave came out, he was wearing a shift almost identical to Ellis"s only trimmed in gold, and there was makeup on his face. It took Ellis a moment to realise what was different, but there was a thin line of black around his eyes, and his lashes were thicker and darker. His lips were a little shiny, but that might have been because he was licking them nervously.

“Does it look all right? Master Alex likes it, and Master doesn"t mind when I wear it.”

“You look very… pretty,” Ellis said, for lack of anything more helpful to say. Harte did look pretty, very feminine and very young. If not for his coltish limbs and the shape of his jaw, he might have been mistaken for a girl. “Should I be wearing that 54

AT HIS THROAT, A PROMISE

stuff?”

“Do you want to?”

Ellis shook his head quickly and Harte laughed. “Master probably won"t ever make you wear it. I don"t think he cares one way or another, but he does like to show off, and with this on, Master Alex will be pleased and that will make Master happy.” They walked toward the staircase, the large house ominously silent, and Harte asked, “Have you ever had a threesome?”

“Yes.”

“And have you ever been watched?”

“You mean, someone watches when I have sex?”

“Yeah.”

“I suppose.” Other slaves were often told to stand by while the master made use of one.

“I think that"s what Master will have us do today.” He shivered a little. “See, Alastair, the slave, is a natural top. But so is Master Alex. Master Alex doesn"t like to be topped, so I"m the only one Alastair gets to fuck.”

“Why doesn"t Master Alex just give Alastair to someone better suited to him? Or maybe to a woman?”

Harte looked at him like he"d asked why not just kill Alastair and get a new slave. “Because they are perfectly matched.” Ellis didn"t bother voicing his confusion—it sounded to him like they were a horrible match, but it wasn"t his place to say anything.

“Ah, there you two are. I was about to send Janine up to find you.” Janine was one of the three house servants, and Ellis was glad she hadn"t been sent. She was cold and difficult to understand because she didn"t seem to mean what she said or say what she wanted to.

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“We were just getting ready, and I was telling Ellis about what you"ll probably have us do.”

“Well, I"m sure I can thank you for terrifying him, then,” the master said wryly, looking Harte over. “Trying to win Alex"s favour so he"ll take you away from me?”

Harte"s eyes went wide, though even Ellis had heard the jest in William"s tone.

“No, Master! I just thought… I"ll take it off right now!” He raised a hand as if to scrub the makeup away, but William stepped up and stopped him.

“Hush, Harte, it was a joke. Alex will be thrilled to see you like this. You look lovely.”

Harte visibly settled and held his face up, inviting a kiss.

William obliged him, and then held a hand out for Ellis.

Taking it, Ellis was pulled into William"s arms. “I don"t think paint would suit you, though you"re welcome to wear it if you want.”

“He doesn"t,” Harte chimed in.

“If Sir says it won"t suit, I would not like to wear it,” Ellis said softly. He didn"t want to look like a girl.

“I want to talk to you about what"s going to happen when Alex and his slave get here. Should we go to your room so you know you"re safe?”

“Thank you, Sir, but no. I don"t need to.” William smiled at him, and Ellis"s breath caught. Harte had been on the receiving end of these small smiles, but never him. He felt warm all over.

“Good boy. Let"s go to the study. Harte, run and tell Nell to bring breakfast there and then join us.” Harte jaunted off and Ellis followed William, sitting beside him 56

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on the loveseat as they had the day before.

“What did Harte tell you you"d be doing?”

“He said that Alastair and Harte and I would have sex while you and Master Alex watch.”

William rubbed his forehead in an exasperated gesture, and Ellis almost laughed.

“Harte… well, what can I say. It"s Harte. He"s correct, anyway.

Alex and I very much enjoy seeing our slaves intimate with each other, and I think it will give you a chance to become comfortable with your role, as it"s one you"ll likely assume during your time with me and Harte.”

Ellis hated feeling stupid, but he wasn"t following. “I"m sorry, Sir, I don"t understand.”

“Well, Alastair will be fucking you, and you"ll fuck Harte. It seems to me that that will be a common position for you—later, you"ll fuck Harte and I"ll fuck you. Obviously other arrangements will also happen, but regarding all three of us at the same time, that seems like a fair assessment.”

Ellis"s heart had started pounding as soon as the master had said he"d be fucking Harte. And then it skipped a few beats when the master said he"d be fucking Ellis…

“Sir, the rules… ?”

“The rules are for when the two of you are alone. When I"m with you or watching, the rules don"t count. Do you understand?” Ellis didn"t, and it must have showed. William sighed and traced Ellis"s lips with a finger. He automatically opened his mouth, and William met his eyes before slipping the finger inside, pressing down on his tongue before pulling it out and wiping the wetness over his lips. William shifted on the sofa and leaned in to kiss Ellis, who eagerly responded.

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A body settled behind him, squeezing between the arm of the loveseat and Ellis"s back. He recognised Harte"s scent—summer, of course—and gasped a little when Harte began kissing his neck.

Then William pulled away and kissed Harte, hard and fast, demanding. Harte seemed to have no trouble keeping up, and his face was blissful under the assault.

Eventually, William said, “I was explaining the new rules to Ellis.”

“New rules?” Harte repeated excitedly.

That was when Ellis remembered that Harte had shouted about the old rules only the evening before. Had William changed the rules just because Harte didn"t like them?

“The rules are only in effect when the two of you are alone.

When you"re with me or I"m in the room, you can do whatever you want.”

“So I could get on my knees and suck his cock right now because you"re here?” Harte said in a sultry voice.

William"s hand shot out past Ellis and encircled Harte"s throat.

Harte"s face immediately lost its teasing demeanour, and he stiffened. Ellis watched in horror as the hand on his neck tightened, and Harte"s face grew red.

“You still only do what I tell you to,” William said harshly.

The fingers loosened and Harte took a deep breath, never looking away from his master. “You are still mine.”

“Yes, Master,” Harte whispered, barely audible. When William let go, he moved to his knees on the floor in front of William and tentatively rested his forehead against William"s knee. He nuzzled it for a moment before pressing a small kiss to the inside of William"s thigh.

“Come here,” William said, and held out his arms. Harte settled 58

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into his lap and buried his face in William"s neck, panting. Ellis could see bruises already forming in the shape of fingertips.

William held Harte, running reassuring hands up and down his back, and Ellis felt betrayed, like Harte"s feelings for his master were a lie. He"d actually thought for a moment that these two men genuinely cared for each other, but it wasn"t true.

“We"ve scared Ellis,” William whispered, his eyes full of concern—
false!
Ellis"s mind shouted—as he carefully held Harte.

“I"m sorry, Ellis,” said Harte, not looking up.

“Tell Ellis why you"re upset.”

Because you choked him!

“Because I disappointed Master with my talk and my forthrightness.”

“Did I scare you, Harte?”

Harte shook his head, looking up at his master incredulously.

Ellis felt lost.

“No, Master. I spoke out of turn. I should have been better. I will be, I swear it.”

“I know, love,” William said.

Ellis made a choking sound, feeling like
he
had a hand tightening on his throat.
Love.

“Go tell Janine we"ll have breakfast in the dining room after all and wait for us there.”

Harte quickly left the room, and Ellis tried not to feel afraid.

He"d known the master was a harsh man, but Harte spoke freely all the time. He didn"t understand.

William stood and paced the length of the room. Ellis slid to the floor on his knees, hands on his thighs, head down. But then William was on
his
knees in front of Ellis, tilting his face up and brushing the hair from his forehead.

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“Harte knows that he"s not to speak like that, so brashly. He also knows that what he implied was wrong—that it would be his choice to pleasure you. When I choked him… I know this is hard to understand, Ellis, but that wasn"t what hurt him. It was getting in trouble. I know the choking scared you, but that"s something Harte and I do sometimes. Sexually. Do you know what I mean?” Ellis shook his head. There had been a time his old master had choked a slave until she didn"t move anymore, but she"d been all right once she"d woken up. It had been punishment for not finishing the food on her plate.

“Choking can actually be pleasurable sometimes. I can see it frightens you, so I won"t do it with you.”

“It doesn"t frighten me,” Ellis said, remembering his vow to be
good
.