Serving Him Read online

  “Luke Redding will take a bullwhip to my arse for this,” Lorcan said.

  “I’d much rather you took one to mine,” Rowan whispered.

  “Hmm. Seems like I have a pain slut on my hands.” Lorcan lifted the towel, peering beneath it. He pressed his fingers to Rowan’s cheek. “Does that hurt?”

  Rowan didn’t want to answer because either way Lorcan would stop touching him. He settled for shaking his head.

  “Use words, please. And tell the truth because I’ll know if you lie to me.”

  “It’s a little sore, Sir,” Rowan admitted. “But I can hardly feel it. It’s nothing, I promise.”

  “Okay, but I want you to tell me if the pain gets any worse and hold the ice there a bit longer. It’ll reduce the swelling.”

  Lorcan stood with his hands on his hips, feet a shoulder width apart, his stare intense. Rowan wanted to fidget but managed to stay still with an effort.

  “This wasn’t how I pictured us getting to know each other,” Lorcan said. “Candlelight, you kneeling naked at my side accepting treats from my fingers, then a spanking so my hand could get familiar with your arse. That’s how it was supposed to be.” Lorcan’s gaze strayed toward Rowan’s groin. “I can see the idea appeals to you.”

  Rowan would have liked to relocate the towel full of ice from his cheek to his rigid cock. He groaned and, from the heat in his face, knew he must be blushing.

  “I think we should start again. There’s no need to give up on the plan. I’m going to take a shower.” Lorcan plumped the pillows. “You get into the bed and stay put. Keep the ice on your face.”

  Rowan obeyed, swinging his legs up onto the mattress. Lorcan pulled the covers over him.

  “I won’t be long. Try to relax.”

  Lorcan disappeared into the bathroom and Rowan sank back against pillows that smelled of lemons. He was so hard, he ached. He allowed his free hand to stray toward his cock. Lorcan poked his head out of the bathroom.

  “No touching.” He grinned then retreated.

  “Damn,” Rowan whispered. “How did he know?” He sat on his free hand and pressed the ice harder against his face. The cold was a convenient distraction. He had no doubt that Lorcan would follow through with his plans, which fulfilled some of the fantasies that Rowan had been dreaming about not long before. His arse clenched as he imagined Lorcan’s palm making contact with his sensitive flesh. He wondered if Lorcan would let him come. Rowan wasn’t religious but he would pray if it meant finding release.

  The sound of the shower ceased and he could hear Lorcan whistling as he dried off. A few minutes later he emerged from the bathroom, still naked. He seemed unselfconscious about his body and Rowan could understand why. Lorcan took care of himself, that much was clear. It took effort not to drool as Rowan got a perfect view of Lorcan’s backside when he strolled across the room to his suitcases. He unzipped one of them then rummaged through the contents.

  “I think I should be appropriately dressed for our introduction, don’t you?”

  Rowan eyed the leather trousers dangling from Lorcan’s hand and nodded his approval with a bit too much enthusiasm. “Yes, Sir.”

  Lorcan pulled the trousers up his legs before zipping the fly closed. The garment hugged his shape and hung from his hips. Rowan could see traces of trimmed stubble above the waistband. Knowing that Lorcan was bare beneath the leather made him all the more alluring.

  “Now, how do we go about getting some food in this place?”

  “Sir, I took the liberty of arranging some light snacks for you. If I may, I’ll ring the kitchen and have them brought up.”

  “Perfect,” Lorcan said. “Can you have them bring some juice as well? Apple if they have it.”

  Rowan put his towel full of ice down before reaching for the phone on the bedside table. He dialed the kitchen, relayed his request then set the receiver back on the stand. “I should get rid of this ice, Sir.” He waited for Lorcan’s permission to get out of bed.

  “Yes, go ahead. I’ll take another look at your cheek later. I’m sure Luke will have a proper ice pack if we need one.” Lorcan opened the drapes and the room flooded with light. Rowan had lost track of the time but guessed it was early afternoon. He slipped into the bathroom, dumped the ice into the sink then hung the towel behind the door. Back in the bedroom, Lorcan was seated at the small table in front of the window. He had placed a pillow on the floor at his side.

  “Take off your underwear, Rowan,” he ordered.

  Rowan rolled the flimsy garment down his legs and stepped out of it. He clasped his hands behind his back, ignoring the bounce of his rigid dick.

  “You have a beautiful body. I wonder how well you can control it.” Lorcan crossed his ankles, completely relaxed. “You are not to come without my permission, do you understand?”

  “Yes, Sir.” Rowan understood—he wasn’t sure he could obey.

  There was a soft tap at the door and Lorcan gestured that Rowan should answer it. One of Luke’s kitchen assistants stood outside with a covered tray. He didn’t bat an eyelid at Rowan’s nudity, just asked where he should put the tray.

  “On the table next to me here,” Lorcan said. “What’s your name?”

  “Frank, sir.”

  “Thank you for bringing the tray up, Frank. Could you relay a message to the chef for me?”

  “Of course, sir.”

  “I’d like dinner at seven. I don’t mind where it’s served but somewhere cozy would be nice.”

  “And the menu, sir?”

  “I believe the chef has a list of my likes and dislikes. I’m happy to leave the menu up to him.”

  Frank grinned. “He’ll be very pleased to hear that, sir.” He scampered from the room, pulling the door closed behind him.

  “I think I just found the way to our chef’s heart,” Lorcan said. He took the pristine white cloth from the top of the tray to reveal a jug of cloudy apple juice and two tumblers, a marble slab piled with miniature samples of a variety of cheeses, a plate of sliced fruits and a selection of crackers. “This looks delicious. Your choice?” he asked Rowan.

  “I wasn’t sure how hungry you’d be,” Rowan said. “So I went for something light. I hope that’s okay—I can always order more later on.”

  “I don’t tend to eat much in the middle of the day,” Lorcan said. “This is perfect. Why don’t you pour us both a glass of juice then come and kneel next to me.”

  Rowan did as he was asked, leaving his own glass of juice on the tray. He knelt on the pillow next to Lorcan’s chair.

  “Is there anything here that you don’t like, Rowan?” Lorcan asked.

  “I’m not fond of blue cheese, Sir,” Rowan admitted, “but I like everything else.”

  Lorcan sliced off a section of brie, loaded it onto a cracker then held it to Rowan’s lips. Rowan ate the tempting morsel.

  “The underwear you were wearing was my choice. However, I think I prefer you naked. I confess to a penchant for kinky briefs but most of my pleasure comes from removing them.” Lorcan leaned down and took a firm hold of Rowan’s rigid shaft. “I will have to do something about this though.”

  Rowan made a garbled sound through clenched teeth. He was going to come all over Lorcan’s hand and there was nothing he could do about it. He gasped as an orgasm rolled through his body and jerked, unable to control his reaction to Lorcan’s touch.

  “I’m sorry! I’m sorry…” He panted his apology.

  “I’m not.” Lorcan licked a finger. “You taste good.”

  “Oh God.” Rowan found it difficult to keep his back straight.

  “I don’t think He had much to do with it, do you?” Lorcan went to the bathroom and came back with a damp flannel. He cleaned his hand then applied the cloth to Rowan’s flagging dick. “Once we’re done eating, I have a chastity device with your name on it. In the meantime, I seem to have developed an appetite.” He discarded the flannel then pressed a grape to Rowan’s lips before eating several himself.

&nbs
p; Rowan ate everything Lorcan offered him but found it difficult to concentrate on the food while picturing various forms of chastity. Just the idea of Lorcan having absolute control over his body made Rowan shiver—in a good way. If Lorcan noticed his distraction, he didn’t mention it but Rowan fancied there was a certain smugness in the curve of Lorcan’s lips. To his utter horror, Rowan’s dick began to harden again. He gave it a miserable glance, willing it to subside, but then Lorcan stood and stretched. The sight of him in nothing but tight black leather trousers left Rowan breathless.

  “I believe I promised you a spanking,” Lorcan said. “And you’ll learn that I always keep my word. As we’ve just eaten, I won’t put you over my knee or the spanking bench. You can lean over the bed.” He strolled over to his luggage. “I’m sure there are plenty of paddles and floggers provided here, but I packed my favorite crop so, until I’ve explored the facilities a bit more, the crop it will be. Followed by my hand, because there’s nothing better than the personal touch, don’t you agree?”

  Rowan had no idea what to say. His pulse was racing and it was all he could do to maintain a semblance of calmness.

  Lorcan retrieved the crop. He snapped it against the side of his leg, the sound loud in the quiet of the room. Rowan fancied he could hear his own heart beating, it was pounding so hard.

  “Get into position, please.” Lorcan flexed his fingers and twirled the crop like a majorette with a baton.

  There was no way he could fail to notice Rowan’s burgeoning erection as he rose from his knees then walked across to the bed. Lorcan gave him a knowing glance.

  “Come again without permission and I can promise you won’t enjoy your punishment.”

  A glass dish on the dresser held a variety of cock rings, which Lorcan seemed to find fascinating. He debated over his choice.

  “Leather, metal or rubber? Hmm. Leather will look good against your skin, but steel is more constricting. Steel it is. Turn around, Rowan, and spread your legs so I can put this on you.”

  Rowan straightened from his position bending over the bed then turned around. As Lorcan fastened the thick metal ring around the base of his balls, Rowan squeezed his eyes shut, praying to every god he could remember to stop him from coming. It was a relief to be able to bend over the bed again so Lorcan couldn’t see his face, which Rowan guessed was the color of a post box. A strand of hair flopped over his eyes, tickling his nose.

  “Six with the crop. Six with my hand,” Lorcan stated.

  Rowan locked his elbows but when the first blow came he still lost his balance. Lorcan gave him time to recover before adding five more searing lines of heat across Rowan’s arse.

  “Beautiful. Your skin takes color well.”

  A sarcastic retort rose to Rowan’s lips but he kept silent. He was grateful for the cock ring when Lorcan stroked his heated cheeks, pushing a finger down Rowan’s crack to brush his hole. Rowan shuddered and sank his teeth into his lower lip.

  Lorcan didn’t drag out the spanking. He delivered six smacks of equal force, three to each cheek. Tears welled in Rowan’s eyes, not because of the pain but because the spanking was over. He bit back a sob.

  “Lie face down on the bed, Rowan.”

  Rowan listened as Lorcan went to the bathroom but returned almost immediately.

  “I spotted this balm when I took my shower earlier. I want you to lie still while I apply it. I don’t want you to bruise.”

  The ointment was cool and soothing, but it was Lorcan’s gentle touch that made the most difference. Rowan rested his head on his folded arms and focused on registering every contact. Lorcan’s hands weren’t as smooth as he might have expected—there were calluses on the pads below his fingers, making Rowan wonder how Lorcan had acquired them. The pressure on Rowan’s arse was delicious, a sensuous mix of pain and pleasure. He twisted his head, trying to see how well the marks stood out, but couldn’t get a good view of his backside.

  “Neat red stripes topped with a perfect, pink blush,” Lorcan said, apparently reading his mind. “Now, keep still.”

  He smoothed more gel onto Rowan’s heated skin and Rowan fancied that he was enjoying the experience just as much as Rowan. His touch lingered longer than necessary and his fingers strayed toward Rowan’s hole as if drawn there by magnetic attraction.

  “I want you to lie here while this stuff soaks in. I’m going to go and have a chat with Luke Redding. When you’re ready, you can unpack my bags and put everything away. No touching the cock ring. If I even suspect that your hands have been anywhere near your dick, you’ll find out what an utter bastard I can be.”

  “Yes, Sir.” Rowan wondered what the world record for staying hard was. He had to have a chance at beating it. He giggled at the thought of a man from the Guinness Book of Records following him around with a stopwatch. Instead of making his erection flag, Lorcan’s threats just made him harder. To Rowan’s disappointment, Lorcan pulled on a T-shirt. He perched on the edge of the bed while he put on socks and boots then gave Rowan’s backside a gentle pat before he left the room.

  Rowan lay still for a few minutes but he wasn’t sure how long Lorcan was going to be and wanted to have everything stowed away before he returned so he soon got up. He heaved the first bag onto the bed then unzipped it. He lifted out the neat piles of clothes before sorting them into stacks of trousers, pullovers, T-shirts et cetera. Putting everything into the available storage, in drawers and in the wardrobe, was a pleasure. Lorcan’s clothing wasn’t fancy, quite utilitarian in fact, but was of excellent quality. Rowan enjoyed the textures of cotton, silk and leather sliding over his skin. It crossed his mind that doing chores with no clothes on was a strange situation to be in, but he guessed it was something that he was going to have to get used to. In the scheme of world problems, it was a minor one.

  Lorcan’s second bag held an assortment of items, including sportswear, toiletries and a soft leather bag which contained a set of worn leather cuffs and a stiff collar as well as a set of what Rowan guessed were nipple clamps and a spiked, metal cock ring, the sight of which made his cock ache. He zipped the bag closed then placed it in the bottom drawer of the dresser.

  It didn’t take him long to deal with the rest of Lorcan’s belongings. He placed his laptop and satchel on the desk without opening them. The cases he placed outside the door so that they could be put in storage for the duration of Lorcan’s stay—something he would deal with later. With the unpacking done, Rowan took the opportunity to clean the bathroom and make the bed. He gave the room a final check over, satisfied that everything was in order. It had been just over an hour since Lorcan left the room and Rowan missed him. He settled onto his knees facing the door and prepared to wait.

  It had been an intense day so far. Rowan replayed the highlights in his head. Waiting in the lobby for Lorcan to arrive that morning had been terrifying. He had worried that Lorcan would take one look at him and decide that he wasn’t suitable to serve. Instead, Lorcan had lived up to Rowan’s highest expectations of how a good Dominant should behave. He wondered what could have happened in Lorcan’s life to give him nightmares. Rowan touched his cheek, remembering how Lorcan had thrashed around in the bed. His face didn’t hurt anymore and when he’d checked his reflection in the bathroom mirror the slight red mark that remained was hardly visible. Perhaps it had been the journey and Lorcan’s exhaustion that had unsettled him, but Rowan had the impression from what Lorcan had said that the nightmares were a regular occurrence. Rowan wouldn’t dare ask for more information but he hoped that, perhaps, Lorcan might tell him, in time.

  The spanking Lorcan had delivered would populate Rowan’s dreams for some time to come. He had enjoyed the pain more than he’d expected to and hadn’t wanted the experience to end. He smiled, guessing that spankings might feature regularly in his life for the next few weeks. That didn’t worry him, but he was a little concerned about Lorcan’s threat of chastity. It wasn’t something he had experienced or felt that he was likely to enjoy, but then it
wouldn’t be for his pleasure but Lorcan’s. It was on the list of things he had agreed to in his contract, as were several other things he had no experience of. He had only ruled out those practices that gave him cold chills of horror. Those he didn’t want to think about.

  He imagined how it might feel for Lorcan to fuck him. The man was well endowed and Rowan loved to be filled. Though it wasn’t part of his contract he hoped that Lorcan might want to negotiate on that point. Rowan shifted on his knees, resisting the temptation to stroke his aching shaft. The cock ring seemed to be growing more restrictive and Rowan sighed, knowing that the situation wasn’t likely to change anytime soon. He was so lost in his own thoughts that the door opened without him noticing.

  “It seems I’ll have to work harder to keep your attention, Rowan.”

  Rowan gasped. “I’m sorry, Sir. I confess, I was daydreaming.”

  “About me, I hope.”

  “Yes, Sir,” Rowan whispered.

  “And that’s something we’ll have to discuss in more detail,” Lorcan said. “But for now, I promised Mr. Redding I would send you down to speak to him. He wants to see for himself that I haven’t damaged you too badly.”

  “But it was an accident, Sir,” Rowan protested.

  “Still, it’s his prerogative to be concerned. He’s responsible for your safety.” Lorcan tousled his hair. “Thank you for unpacking everything, by the way.”

  “It was my pleasure, Sir.”

  “Put your underwear on before you go downstairs.”

  Rowan scrambled to pull on the skimpy briefs. “I’ll be as quick as I can, Sir.”

  “I’m sure you will. When you get back, you can give me a tour of the house. I’m looking forward to seeing everything The Retreat has to offer.”

  Lorcan held the door open for him, which brought heat to Rowan’s cheeks. He ducked his head as he passed, suddenly shy. Not looking where he was going meant that he banged his elbow on the door frame.

  “Ow.” He rubbed at the sore spot.