The chamber didn"t even vaguely look like whatHarrison had thought it might appear. He"d been expecting more of the cold gray stone, probably clammy-cold and wet to the touch, like the gargoyle corridor, like a cave. There would have been rusty, old iron bondage wheels and vicious bullwhips hanging on the walls. A bed, too -- chosen for its high posts and not for comfort, perhaps with only a bare, stained mattress. Dangling cuffs and piles of rope.
Research had takenHarrison many different places in his time. He"d seen BDSM dungeons before, and they"d always given him both a case of the creeps and a yearning he didn"t understand. Although he respected the desire in some men and women for dominance and submission, he didn"t like to poke his own feelings with a stick to see what would happen or to think too hard about what he"d seen.
For all that, though,Harrison had never been able to resist running his hand down the links of a well-used set of chains. Though he hadn"t dared to go any further, he"d ached to touch the instruments of torture often laid out in careless rows on trays. Such fascinating tools, driving him wild with a need to know about what this one or that one did. Not daring to fantasize on a personal level, though, oh no.
But sometimes, when he didn"t have the... the bad nights, he dreamed about those toys and chains and the men who knew how to use them, all the while safe in his own bed. Every time, he woke up with his c.o.c.k hard and his breath ragged.
"You"re remembering now," Martin murmured. "I saw bits and pieces in your memory when I looked into your mind. Not everything, but enough for right now, I think. I"m understanding more and more allthe time. Go on. Keep looking. Nothing"s going to bite if you walk around. Nothing bites until I say the word -- or you do." He gaveHarrison a light push to the small of his back. "Trust me. You have to trust me, or this will never work."
Whydid it matter?Harrison still wasn"t sure. He only knew that it did.
Slowly, as if he were caught in a dream, he took a few staggering steps forward, then stopped again to turn in a slow circle and look around himself. To his surprise, he found himself chuckling. "Leave it up to you."
Martin leaned one shoulder against a wall in a saucy pose. "The style just screamsme , wouldn"t you say?"
"That"s an understatement."Harrison inhaled, catching the scents of vanilla and cinnamon from dozens upon dozens of tapers and votive candles. The heat they generated warmed his skin and the light was bright enough to illuminate the room and banish any shadowy corners. Yet, paradoxically, the glow was also so gentle it soothed his jangled nerves. Or perhaps the sense of eas.e.m.e.nt came from their smell?
Slightly more confident,Harrison took closer stock of his surroundings. No cuffs or chains dangling anywhere. No torture wheel -- althoughHarrison suspected if Martin had owned one, it would be made of fine wood polished to a high shine. No bondage horse.
The walls were of soft, cream-colored marble, smoothly cut and perfectly fitted together. There was a bed more than big enough for two or possibly three, neatly made up with a rich brocade quilt in various shades of Martin"s trademark purple and black. Plumped-up pillows were strewn in abundance across the bed. The bedposts, four of them, yes, were st.u.r.dy and unscarred by the marks of any bondage gear.
The wood glowed like satin in the candlelight.
No windows. No other door. No means of escape, which should have been frightening. Should have setHarrison "s nerves on high alert.
He marveled, instead, at the sense of comfort settling over his shoulders like a cozy blanket.
And although he would never have done such a thing before this night,Harrison went with what felt both natural and right. He dropped to his knees, spreading his thick fingers on his thighs, and gazed at Martin.
"Beautiful," he managed to say. "So beautiful."
"Beautiful, yes. I"m glad you like the room, pet. But is that all?"
"No."Harrison chewed at his lip. "Homely. Like home, I mean. Like I"ve been here before. With you."
He paused. "That doesn"t make any sense."
"Not yet, but maybe it will. With magic, who knows?" Martin hadn"t moved from his position on the wall near the door, or whereHarrison vaguely remembered the door being. Hard to tell, with the marble fitting so neatly together. "Good enough for now, now that you"re pleased. I do want to please you, Harrison. We both have something to give. The offer"s open and on the table. If you want, I"ll take all the burdens you carry and then show you how to find the peace you lost so long ago."
Harrisonwet his lips. "And in return?"
"Fear me. Love me. Do as I say. Believe. Submit, and let yourself believe. You"ll be happier than youever were before."
"I don"t know..."
"Yes," Martin insisted, suddenly sinking down gracefully in front ofHarrison .Harrison could not help but raise his eyes to meet the Magician"s soothing gaze. "Yes, you do know. Admit the truth,Harrison . Say the words so both of us can hear them."
"I can"t..."
"You can. You want to. I"ve Seen inside you, remember? I know what you want. You do, too." Martin liftedHarrison "s hands off his thighs and squeezed them. "You"ll feel a hundred times better once you come clean." He grinned crookedly. "I"ve been there before, myself."
Harrisoncouldn"t stop the fine tremors shaking him from head to toe. He swallowed on a painfully dry throat. "I"m a top. I"ve always been a top. I"m the one in charge."
"Not anymore. Letting go will be wonderful. Believe in something beyond dry facts. Believe in yourself.
Believe inme ."
Harrisonhad to close his eyes again; he took a deep breath. Then, another and another. Martin waited patiently, compressing his hands in a soothing rhythm.
The struggle withinHarrison "s heart was tremendous, a battle he didn"t feel sure he could win, though he burned to conquer and marveled at how he yearned for what Martin had promised, both at the same time.
Finally, with a tremendous effort of will, he made up his mind for once and all, and nodded.
"Ah, ah, ah. You have to say this out loud." Martin liftedHarrison "s broad hands and kissed the knuckles on each. "Relinquish it all,Harrison ."
Harrisonexhaled heavily. He gathered all his pain, fear, and skepticism up into a ball, then cast the weighty ma.s.s aside and allowed himself to crumple. "Yes," he said; then, in relief, he repeated himself.
"Yes."
Martin kissed his hands a second time. "Good pet. I knew you could. Thank you,Harrison , love. Now, how do you feel?"
"Strange."
"Strange how?"
"Like a... a..."Harrison struggled for words. He found thinking difficult after discarding so heavy an enc.u.mbrance, something he"d clung to for too long. Would he be stupid now? The fear struck deep and hard.
"You"re as intelligent as ever," Martin rea.s.sured him, reading his thoughts so easily. "No worries. Go on."
"I feel like a balloon,"Harrison confessed. "The kind children get at carnivals and parties. Floating. Doesthat make sense?"
"Floating, and brightly colored, although you probably can"t see as much yet. That"s all right. You will."
Harrisonaccepted Martin"s words; he didn"t feel like there was anything he wanted or needed to say in return. He breathed in and out instead, the scented air filling his lungs like the freshest breath of spring after a long winter.
And he became aware of something else, as well, spreading through his body in equal measure with the relief that came from total surrender.
Arousal.
The desire built slowly but steadily, pooling in his groin. He felt his c.o.c.k gradually stiffen, something he would normally have forced down or efficiently taken care of, but not now.
His erection belonged to Martin, so he waited to see what Martin would do with him.
The Magician purred in approval. "Body and mind agree," he said. "Tell me,Harrison . What do you want? I order to you answer the question."
"You. I want you." These words, at least, tumbled easily fromHarrison "s lips.
"How do you want me?"
"However I can have you. Do whatever you want to do with me."
"Are you mine, then?"
"Yes. Yes. Yours."
"Sucha quick study. That"s exactly what I wished to hear. Then again, you"re naturally talented, although you were unaware before now. Sit still." Martin rose, walked behindHarrison , and knelt again. The firm end of Martin"s c.o.c.k brushed against the still-slippery crease ofHarrison "s a.s.s, makingHarrison realize, with a mild sense of surprise, that they were both naked and had been all along.
Nestling up tight againstHarrison "s back, Martin pushed his c.o.c.k betweenHarrison "s cheeks.Harrison couldn"t help a hiss of pain as the Magician"s hard p.r.i.c.k brushed his hole, still aching from their rough f.u.c.k earlier.
"Sore? Hush, hush, I"m not angry. Soreness is to be expected. Not to brag, but I"m pretty well hung, and you took every inch of me earlier in your cherry hole."
"Doesn"t matter."Harrison meant what he said with all his acquiescent heart. "If you want to f.u.c.k me, then f.u.c.k me. I... I might like the..."
"Hush. You"re not ready for pain yet. Submission is as far as we need to go right now. Pain would be too much at the moment. In the future, though, that might be a different story."
Harrisonshuddered with pleasure and banished his small flicker of amazement at how the notion enticed him. He had an idea... Speaking slowly, he suggested, "You"re a Magician. You could heal me. Make iteasy."
"I could. I won"t."
"But--"
"Don"t question me." Martin reached underHarrison "s arms to spread his hands onHarrison "s chest.
He gaveHarrison "s nipples a warning tweak. The feeling wasn"t painful, butHarrison got the point. He nodded and let the need to argue float away.
"What do you say?" Martin prompted.
What? Oh. "I won"t question you."
"Master."
"I won"t question you, Master." Such strange words to sound so right and taste so good on his tongue.
They made him almost giddy. It really was a mad, mad, mad, mad, mad world, wasn"t it? And he"d been so blind to everything all along.
G.o.d, he"d been a fool.
"Better and better. You obey so sweetly." Martin kissed the nape ofHarrison "s neck. "You need release. I choose to let you have what you crave. I"ll enjoy myself, too."
"But you can"t... won"t..."
"Silly pet. s.e.x isn"t all about penetration, no matter what some men think, gay or straight. s.e.x between a Master and his pet is whatever the Master wishes to call it." Martin began stroking his c.o.c.k up and down betweenHarrison "s a.s.s cheeks. Instead of stinging pain,Harrison felt a tingling thrill of excitement. "See?
This can be just as good in its own way."
"Yes,"Harrison breathed, tightening his a.s.s without prompting to give Martin more friction. "Oh, yes."
"I"m not forgetting about your needs, pet." One of the hands onHarrison "s chest slid down to give his b.a.l.l.s a hard squeeze, stopping a hair short of causing pain. A taste of discomfort was allHarrison got, but his c.o.c.k twitched with excitement at the tiny ache. "Here. For you."
Martin grippedHarrison "s c.o.c.k, a nice solid grasp, and began to move his hand up and down, masturbating him. Startled yet thrilled -- no one except himself had ever done this, not even Oliver, the selfish b.a.s.t.a.r.d --Harrison let himself moan and rock into Martin"s fingers. He pushed forward into his lover"s hand, thrust backward against the Magician"s c.o.c.k, and lost his head completely.
Martin never stopped crooning to him, not once.Harrison couldn"t have said how long they moved together, only that when he tried to hurry, Martin gently forced him to slow down. They could have been at it for minutes or hours when Martin finally whispered "Come" into his ear;Harrison "s b.a.l.l.s let loose with a rough jet of s.e.m.e.n that splattered on the floor between his knees.
Martin kissedHarrison "s neck as he himself came in a quiet, easy climax that perfectly matched their mood and gaveHarrison a new insight into the control a Master possessed. So unlikeHarrison "s former delusions of being in control of his own life. So much better. They swayed together for a moment in perfect silence. Again, whether this lasted minutes or hours,Harrison didn"t know. He didn"t care, either. He was lazily intrigued when Martin murmured a word and the messy aftermath of s.e.x evaporated, butHarrison floated on without faltering.
He could see the color of his balloon self now. Purple. Bright, shining purple.
"Pet." Martin reached up to run his fingers throughHarrison "s springy hair. "Lovely pet. I feel as if we"ve been here before, too. The Third Eye won"t let me look any further back right now. So I don"t understand, but I get the sense we are as good together now as we"ve always been. I believe it"s true somehow. You make me proud."
Sweet satisfaction rolled overHarrison in comforting waves. He"d done well, hadn"t he?
"You realize this is only the first step, though, don"t you?" Martin cautioned. "We have so much more in front of us, but I think you"re definitely worth the effort. My magic tells me so, too."
"It does?"
"Mmm hmm. More, I like you, too. Did you know that? Before you entered this bedroom chamber, I was torn between wanting to rip your lips off -- shh, shh, I won"t do that now, I promise -- and throwing you up against the wall to kiss you senseless, which I did do and probably will again."
Martin scratchedHarrison "s scalp, a light p.r.i.c.kling sensation. "Don"t be afraid. Never be afraid. I"ll guide you every step of the way. I"ll teach you what you need to know about everything, and you"ll fall in love with being a pet and belonging to me."
The truth in Martin"s words could no longer be denied.Harrison nodded, feeling himself float higher still.
So delicious. So easy. So free.
It was magical.
Harrisonlaughed despite himself. Martin didn"t seem to mind, and even joined in.
"Funny what you see when you really get a good look at things, isn"t it?" The Magician gaveHarrison "s curls one last tousle and then stood. "Stay where you are. We"ll need a contract. Let me get one and prepare some ink for signing."
Contract? Ink?Harrison let the puzzlement wash over his head instead of seizing upon the words and worrying them like a bone between his teeth. He was content not to question. Martin would explain.
Martin would take care of him.
Rocking slightly,Harrison embraced the blessed calm and let himself drift higher.
If Martin made any noise getting his things together,Harrison didn"t hear him. When the other man returned, Martin held two sheets of what looked intriguingly like genuine parchment, a quill pen, and a small bottle of black gla.s.s.
The Magician knelt beforeHarrison and laid everything down on the magically cleaned floor between them. "This is a contract between Master and slave, pet. You can read it, if you like, or I can summarize." "I trust you,"Harrison said, and it was the truth. "Just summarize."
"Good, good pet. If I sign this, it binds me to the responsibility of taking care of everything you need. It includes a vow to teach you discipline and manners and how to please me. And even though I never would -- and never will, at least not on purpose -- it"ll keep me from harming you in any way. If you sign, you"re giving me the reins. I"ll be in control from now on."
Harrisonexamined himself within and felt nothing but contentment with the proposal. "Sounds all right to me."
"So well-behaved. This is the most basic of contracts. We can make whatever amendments you want later." Martin held out the quill pen. "Will you sign?"
Harrisonstudied the quill for a long moment before taking the feather in his hand. One last time, the nature he"d shaped for himself tried to rebel, protesting that he was going too far, too fast, that he"d regret this, that he"d fallen into some kind of trick or trap.
To h.e.l.l with that.Harrison started to dip the pen into the ink bottle with every intention of signing.