A Strong Hand (4 page)

He resolved that he would burn the negatives. After all, the young man hadn't agreed to this so it wasn't right for him to keep them. He would definitely burn them.

Just not yet.

"So who d'ya fancy? A blond, a brunet?" Ashley asked looking through a number of headshots. "We'll have to see them in person, won't we?"

"Of course. You never can tell from their card. Hell, they even lie about their measurements," Damian said.

"They list their measurements?" Ashley asked with excitement, peering at the card.

"Height and weight, Ash, not length," Damian said with a smirk.

He turned at a slight creak of the door. Nicholas was standing there, neatly placing his backpack in a corner, out of the way.

"Hi, Damian, Mr. Winthrop. Do you want a coffee?" he mumbled, looking at the floor. He didn't dare look at 31

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Damian's face, for fear the other man would make fun of him.

Or even worse, Damian might know just by looking at him that he had spent the entire night jacking off thinking about him ... and, even more humiliating,
doing
things to him.

"Yes, please, go down and get three, and some muffins,"

Damian said happily, handing over some money.

"Latté for me," Ashley piped up. "Large, cinnamon—"

"I remember, Mr. Winthrop. Large, cinnamon decaf, whipped cream, nonfat." Nick took the bill, carefully not touching Damian's fingers, and vanished to the café that his employer favored.

Ashley looked after Nicholas in disbelief and then at Damian, who was grinning stupidly after his assistant. "What did you do to make him behave?"

"Oh, I just gave him a little spanking," Damian said.

Ashley laughed heartily. "If only, but in this day and age of lawsuits, we can't do that to employees anymore. Pity, really.

Lots of boys would be improved by a strong hand. Well, whatever you said to him, it seems to have worked."

Damian laughed, wondering what Ashley would say if he knew what had really happened. "Brunet," he said.

"What, what—oh, the model. Yes, I tend to agree, except for some of these black leather bits. They always go better on a blond," Ashley said, bending his head to scrutinize the cards again.

"I was thinking of maybe using Nicholas for a few shots,"

Damian said casually.

The carefully noncommittal note in his voice alerted Ashley that something was up. He decided to tease Damian. "I don't 32

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know, my dear Damian, you can't just pitchfork an innocent into something like this," he said, stroking his chin. "He would be shocked. Very shocked."

Damian grinned, remembering how easily Nicholas had stripped for him. "I wasn't thinking of the out-and-out kink shots. I was just thinking he might do well for some of the leather clothing."

Ashley considered. "All right, he
is
a pretty boy, if annoying. We'll ask him. Pay him the base model rate?"

"If he does well. I'll need to do a test shot first, of course."

"Of course," Ashley agreed, amusement twisting his lips.

The door opened, and Nick came in, carefully balancing a box containing a selection of pastries and three coffees. He set everything out on the small table in the kitchen, bringing napkins and paper plates. He retrieved the cream from the refrigerator and placed spoons for the sugar.

"Sit down with us, Nicholas," Damian said.

Nick glanced up through his lashes, without raising his head, startled into silence. He wondered if he was about to be fired or propositioned as Damian pushed one of the coffees across to him.

"Ashley has a proposal for you."

Nick blushed furiously, wondering if Damian had told the attractive blond man what had happened the night before. He started to get up, but a hand clamped around his wrist, holding him in place.

Damian pitched his voice soothingly, to calm the boy down. "It's not that scary, Nicholas. He just wants to know if you'd be willing to show off some of these clothes."

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Ashley pushed an older catalog across the table, and Nick could see ordinary leather trousers, such as he might wear to go dancing in a club if he had the money for either the pants or the club.

He looked up to find Damian smiling reassuringly at him.

"I'd want to take some test shots, to see if you're suited.

After all, Ashley will need to see you on film before he comes to a decision."

Nick nodded slightly and sighed in relief. He understood that Damian was telling him that Ashley hadn't seen the shots from yesterday. "Okay, I guess ... I could do that." Very faint stress on the "that."

Damian smiled broadly in satisfaction. If he got Nicholas to agree to that much, he had no doubt he would soon be able to convince him to model some of the more outré oddments.

Considering that he had photographic evidence of how much Nicholas had enjoyed himself, he figured it was a sure thing if handled delicately.

Ashley licked the whipped cream off his straw, watching the byplay between the two of them. Damian was up to something; Ashley was sure of it. He'd enjoy watching this play out, because yesterday, Nicholas had been defiant and rude. But today, he was polite and wary.
Something
must have happened between them.

"Nicholas, call the agency for these boys and arrange a cattle call for tomorrow. When you've done that, join us in the back. We'll find a pair of those leather trousers to fit you and snap a couple of shots," Damian directed.

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He got up and strolled into the studio with Ashley, without checking to see whether Nicholas was following orders.

"Come on; you can tell me," Ashley said persuasively.

"Tell you what?" Damian asked.

"What happened between you and the boy? You didn't really spank him ... did you?" Ashley unconsciously adjusted himself in his shrinking pants.

"If I did, would I be likely to tell you?" Damian teased.

"And if I didn't, maybe I'd lie to impress you."

Ashley guffawed at that, bending over so far, he slid off his stool. Damian stretched out a hand to steady him, smiling to see his friend so amused.

"As if you give a damn about impressing anyone," Ashley gasped.

Nick came in, watching silently until Damian had nudged Ashley into good behavior, and asked, "All set?"

"Yeah, the agency has most of them set up for nine to twelve, but a few models can only come in from one to five.

Is that okay?"

"Yeah, sure," Damian said. "What size waist and inseam?"

Nick mumbled his size, and Ashley quickly sorted through the stacks he'd brought, pulling out all the trousers in Nick's size.

Nick reached out to stroke a pair of dark, wine-red trousers, made of the softest leather. "I like these."

"They'll go with your coloring, kid," Damian said, remembering the smooth, honey-toned skin that had been exposed fully to him the night before.

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Nick looked up guiltily, wondering what Damian was thinking. He hoped that nothing of his arousal was showing, unaware that his wide eyes and parted lips spoke volumes to both men.

"Put this on with it," Ashley said, tossing a white shirt at Nick.

Nick caught it, his fingers sliding against the silky fabric.

"Go get dressed, boy," Damian urged. "We'll take a few shots so Ashley can make a decision."

Nick went to the bathroom to change while Damian set up his digital camera on the tripod standing right where he'd left it the previous evening. It amused him to direct Nicholas to the same set, and he wondered maliciously how uncomfortable it would make the young man.

Ashley gave a wolf whistle when Nicholas emerged from the bathroom. The silk of the shirt was thin and the flat dark circles of his nipples showed dimly through the fabric. The leather pants clung to his slim hips, outlining each cheek of his arse, the smooth lines telling the two older men that he was going commando.

"Nicholas," Damian said, his husky voice purring with power, "go into the set. Put both hands behind you and lean on that bar."

Nick felt his cock twitch at the tone in Damian's voice; the slow drawl was commanding, but promised a rich reward for obedience. Automatically, he walked to the canvas, shivering from the cold of the painted concrete floor under his bare feet. The canvas was a little warmer, although he stumbled as he tripped over the forgotten lump of foam under the cloth.

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When he reached the bar, Nick faced Damian, not fully, but turned into the light, his eyes flicking questioningly to the photographer to see if he was posed correctly.

"Hands behind your back. Lean on the bar," Damian directed encouragingly.

Ashley moved abruptly to stand behind the cart that held Damian's computer monitor tethered to the camera, in order to hide his burgeoning cock. At Damian's order, Nick had put his hands behind him, grabbing the bar, making him arch his chest out, the buttons pulling a bit. His nipples were hard and the little peaks were shadowed as the white silk pressed against them.

"Good boy," Damian said softly.

Even from where Ashley stood, he could see how the soft leather outlined every ridge and vein of Nicholas's cock as it stood erect in sharp relief. Damian's voice had had its effect on Nick. No matter how he tried to make it go down, Nick's erection continued to grow.

The pose he had taken had the effect of making him look as if his hands were bound behind him, but his eyes were defiant and his mouth sulky. His dark curly hair swept almost to his shoulders.

Damian strode onto the set and tousled the boy's hair, making him look as if he'd just rolled out of bed. He pulled out his own lip balm, smearing it onto the pink curved mouth until it glistened. Damian pretended not to notice how Nicholas jumped whenever he touched him, panting softly through parted lips. As a final touch, he opened one button of the shirt, dragging his fingertips deliberately over the exposed 37

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skin to pull the shirt slightly open. He smiled right into Nicholas's eyes as he heard a small groan of desire, inaudible to Ashley.

"Good boy," he said again, and he returned to his camera.

Nick was acutely aware of every feather-light brush of Damian's fingers against his skin, the thumb smearing the salve on his lips, fingers drawing along his chest, and hands on his shoulders positioning him just so. He forgot that Ashley was even in the studio with them.

"Damian," Ashley said in a breathy voice. "That looks good."

"Good enough to eat?" Damian asked softly, so Nick couldn't hear the words, only his voice.

"Good enough to beat," Ashley concurred, laughing as Damian frowned at him. Having got his cock back under control, he sauntered up behind Damian. "Don't worry; he's yours. You have first dibs."

"Mine?" Damian was shocked. "I don't want him. I'm done with all that."

"No, you're not," Ashley said confidently. "Besides, this one's yours, whether you want him or not. He jumps to attention when you speak. Watch." Raising his voice, he called to the boy, "Nicholas, turn to your left just a bit."

"All right," Nick called back confidently, moving as Ashley had requested.

"See? Nothing. Now you try."

Damian looked up and smiled at Nicholas. "Slide down the bar camera right."

"Yes, sir."

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Ashley smirked as the boy who'd been so defiant yesterday slid obediently and unerringly in the correct direction, anxiously watching Damian to make sure he was doing right.

"Thank you," Damian said courteously.

Nicholas looked as if he'd just opened his Christmas present.

"See? He's yours," Ashley nudged Damian.

"Don't want him. Don't want anyone," Damian grumped as he started shooting.

Sure you don't, but someone wants you even if he doesn't
know it yet,
Ashley thought shrewdly.
And I don't think you're
going to have much to say about this one
.

Out loud, he said, "Quit acting such a hermit, Ian. You're only thirty-two! You have many years left to you. Do you want them all to be empty?" He held up a hand to forestall the photographer's hasty retort. "I know; you have your
art
.

But are you really going to turn down a chance to bed that lovely creature?" He licked his lips as he turned to look at Nicholas.

"Unbutton the shirt all the way," Damian called out harshly. He cringed at the wounded look on Nicholas's face as he started to unbutton the shirt.

Damian strode forward and pulled at the shirt so it lay open over the boy's chest. He muttered, "Sorry, Ashley's taking the piss with me."

"It's all right," Nick said softly.

Damian patted the young man's hip absently, looking straight into the questioning brown eyes when he heard the sharp intake of breath. "Take it easy, kid. Not now."

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Nick nodded, his pupils dilated and his breath panting from him. He just knew his cock was outlined by the tight leather for the two men to see, but he didn't dare to look down to check.

Damian was all business as he went back to shooting.

"Okay, Nicholas, take off the shirt now."

Nick did so, his dark skin gleaming under the lights like dull silk with the slight sheen of sweat.

"Nice tattoo, Nicholas. When did you get that?" Ashley called out.

Nick glanced at the bird partly visible on his hip, noticing all at once that the dark trail of hair leading down from his navel was very noticeable in the low-slung pants. "When I came to London to go to school," he answered, and then his gaze flew to meet Damian's.

The older man was smirking. "Need to take a break, Nicholas?" he teased, but his eyes were serious, questioning whether the boy was really in distress.