At His Throat, a Promise (3 page)

“It is certainly a possibility,” William said noncommittally. “If you"ll excuse us.”

“Of course.” The man stepped aside, staring at Ellis as he did.

Ellis tried not to let it bother him—he was used to men staring at him.

Once outside, Ellis and Harte followed William to an expensive-looking black car. William opened the back door, and Harte scrambled in first, Ellis following.

William got into the driver"s seat and started the car, but before he drove, he looked at Ellis in the rearview mirror. Ellis was 15

AT HIS THROAT, A PROMISE

caught up by his eyes and didn"t look away. William stared for a long moment before shaking his head, as if at himself.

When Ellis looked over, Harte was grinning knowingly. Ellis gave him a tentative smile in return before looking out the window.

As they drove, Ellis finally let the occurrences of the night wash over him. He"d been taken in. It wasn"t a master—not even close. But it was one step closer than he"d been only hours before.

And William would certainly be able to find him a better master than he would have on his own with nothing to recommend him.

He"d only been two days away from the Facility. The first five days had found him trying more and more desperate measures until finally he"d ended up at the Lounge. He had resigned himself—

almost—to the Facility. Harte had saved him from all that.

In a rare show of not-quite rebellion, Ellis let his fingers find Harte"s. They were soft and warm, and he squeezed them briefly before taking his hand away.

But because this was Harte, he grabbed Ellis"s hand back and held it the rest of the way home.

* * *

Ellis knew when they were pulling up the house because Harte began squirming almost immediately. They barely rolled to a stop before Harte launched himself out the door, and in a manner Ellis was beginning to realise was typical, hauled Ellis from the vehicle.

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“This is our home, Ellis,” William said quietly. It was the first time he"d said Ellis"s name, and he started a little in surprise. His old master had mostly just called him “slave.” “We have many rules here. I expect you to follow them implicitly. We will discuss them in detail once inside, but I will tell you now that you are not allowed outside the house without my express permission with the exception of the backyard. Because you are an unknown entity, you are not allowed outside at all without Harte or myself. Harte will help you learn your place, as all masters are different, but know that if you break the rules or manage to get Harte to break them, you will
both
be punished. I hope that is incentive enough for you to behave.”

It was quite a speech. “Yes, Sir,” he said, imbuing sincerity into the words.

“Good. And please continue to call me „Sir." I am Master only to Harte, and so it shall remain.”

Ellis nodded. William turned and walked toward the house, and Ellis and Harte both quickly followed.

The house was massive, three stories aboveground, possibly more below. It was all white with dark grey shutters and doors, immaculately maintained. Ellis"s old master"s home hadn"t been half the size for almost three times as many people. The door was as imposing as the owner, heavy and difficult to haul open for a small slave like Harte, though he managed.

Inside was even more impressive. It was large and very tidy but still managed to feel comfortable.

“Let"s have a seat in the sitting room, shall we?” William proposed.

Harte led the way, settling to his knees beside a softly worn leather armchair that Ellis deduced was William"s favourite. Ellis 17

AT HIS THROAT, A PROMISE

hesitated a moment before kneeling a few feet in front of the chair.

It wasn"t presumptuous and it also indicated his gratitude.

William gave him a nod that reassured him he"d made the right decision. He settled in his chair with one hand searching out Harte"s shoulder, his fingers closing around it. There was a length of silence during which William rubbed at his face with his hand, looking very tired.

“All right, Harte, tell him the rules.”

Harte grinned. “The rules are really simple, but you better not break them. Like Master said, no going out the front, no going out the back without me. Master"s bedroom and Master"s study are off-limits unless you"re invited. Your room is yours to do with what you please, but you have to keep it tidy. Clean up after yourself as best you can. There are three servants for cleaning and a cook. You can go in the kitchen, but don"t make a mess. You have to take a shower every day. If you feel sick or don"t like a certain food or something, you have to tell Master. Um… ” Harte had recited the list like he"d heard it a million times, or maybe he just had really good recall. He looked to William, who just looked back with an arched eyebrow. “Oh! What about his apprenticeship?”

The basis of the slave system was apprenticeship. Each master was honour-bound to teach his slave how to do the master"s job. At the end of the slavery period—when the slave turned twenty years old—the slave was free and began to work. After a number of years and if they were deemed good enough, that former slave could take on a slave of his own to teach. It was a system that had become flawed and corrupted over time, but it was normal to Ellis.

“What job was your previous master training you for?” William asked.

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Ellis hesitated. “He was an accountant, Sir.” The truth, but not really answering the question. Ellis"s former master hadn"t taught him much of anything, claiming there"d be “time enough for that in later years.” Of course, there hadn"t been.

But the mincing of words wasn"t lost on William, who nodded knowingly. “I practise law, so I"ve been teaching Harte the basics.

We began on his first day, so I expect to do the same with you.

Unfortunately, I cannot halt his learning to catch you up to yours, so I will allow Harte to teach you as much as possible during the day, and when I get home I"ll teach you both together. Afterward, you and I will have some time alone to clarify anything you"re uncertain about. Does that sound fair?”

“Very much so, Sir.” In truth, Ellis had never been more excited. He wanted so much to be useful, and he knew he was better than what his old master had always said.

“It"ll be so much fun,” Harte said, doing a little bounce. “I"ve learned so much, tons more than with—” But he cut himself off and looked down. William"s fingers carded through his hair and a moment later, Harte raised his head again, looking as cheerful as ever.

“Now, Ellis, I"m sure you"re wondering about rules other than household things and work. The truth is, I"ve never had another slave and I"ve never wanted one. However, now that I have you for however long as I do, I intend to use you. I imagine you"re trained?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Good. I don"t keep a schedule like some masters, but I"ll try my best to let you know in advance so you can prepare, if you need to. Furthermore, as I"m sure you gleaned from Harte"s forward behaviour, I don"t have a problem with you two enjoying each 19

AT HIS THROAT, A PROMISE

other. I do, however, have rules for that. Please listen carefully; Harte, you as well.”

William almost looked uncomfortable, so Ellis looked at the ground to try to help alleviate his uneasiness.

“There can be no penetrative sex between you. There will also be no oral sex. And I do not want you to kiss each other on the mouths. Are these rules clear?”

Ellis nodded and saw Harte do the same. Frankly, he wondered what else could be done besides hand jobs, but he knew better than to question the master. Just having the comfort of Harte in his arms would be more than he"d ever been offered before.

“Master, if I may?” Harte inquired.

“Please.”

“Will you be enjoying us together?”

Ellis wanted to hide his face at Harte"s boldness, but he merely tried to keep an impassive expression as he looked at William"s shoes.

“Most likely, but not for a while. I"d like the transition to be as easy as possible for Ellis.”

Harte winked at Ellis, but he pretended not to see.

“There is just one more thing,” William said, and he had that uncomfortable look on his face again. “About punishment.” Ellis stiffened. He couldn"t help it. He"d earned many punishments, but frequency didn"t lessen the horror and degradation of it.

“I will be lenient on you the first few days while you adjust. I will not tolerate deliberate rule breaking. I absolutely will not tolerate back talk. If you have a question, you may always ask for clarification—you will not be punished for that. In public and around other masters, you will address me with esteem and treat 20

AT HIS THROAT, A PROMISE

me with utmost respect. Your behaviour reflects on me and my profession. If you are untenable, no one will take you on. If you cannot follow these rules or prove otherwise intractable, I will take you to the Facility.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Punishment for minor rebellions or repeated errors will be dealt with accordingly. With Harte, I use the lash. I have also kept him in his room for days without seeing anyone. Only he can explain why the second is more effective than the first. With you, I will use physical punishment to begin with until I learn what will really bring you to heel.”

Ellis nodded gravely. He made a note not to let his weaknesses show, as William had just proved he wasn"t above exploiting them.

William sighed. “I"m certain there"s more, but I"m tired and I have to work in the morning. Oh, that reminds me. I work from nine in the morning to five in the afternoon, Mondays through Fridays without fail. Lessons begin when I get home and go until six or I deem them complete. Dinner is at seven. If I go to bed early, you may stay up as late as you want as long as you are quiet and are able to get out of bed by seven the next morning. There is another lesson from about half past seven to half past eight. We do not work on the weekends unless something is giving one of you particular difficulties. Is that clear?”

“Yes, Sir.”

William stood and walked from the room. Harte beckoned for Ellis to follow, and the three went up the large, marble staircase to the second floor and down a long hallway. He stopped outside the third door on the left.

“This will be your room—”

“Master,” Harte interrupted.

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William pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger, and Harte hastily continued.

“I thought he might like the red room better.” At this, William genuinely chuckled. “You are completely transparent,” he said with fondness. Instead of chastising Harte for his presumption, he turned and passed the staircase to the other wing. This time they stopped outside the second door on the left.

“This will be your room.” He gestured to the room across the hall. “This is Harte"s.” Indicating the room right next to Harte"s, he said, “And this is mine. Harte, go wait in Ellis"s room for him. I"d like a moment to speak with him.”

Harte quickly left, closing the door before Ellis could get a glimpse within. William leaned against the wall, and he looked so weary that Ellis had to wonder why they had been out so late with work the next day.

“Ellis, I know this is a big change for you. I don"t want to scare you or hurt you, so it"s important that you obey the rules, especially the ones regarding Harte. You may have noticed we don"t have the most conventional Master-slave relationship… ” Ellis must have reacted to that, for William gave a wry smile. “But we care for each other. Or at least I think he cares for me as I do him. I don"t like to share, but as I said to MacMillan earlier in the evening, Harte does seem lonely at times.” William got a faraway look on his face, and Ellis waited patiently. “Ah, anyway, be good to him. He is not… the typical slave. Do so, and I think we will all get along fine.”

Ellis smiled broadly, and William looked a little surprised, but he smiled back. Touching Ellis"s cheek with his fingertips, William murmured, “And you do have lovely eyes.” William leaned forward and pressed their cheeks together, kissing Ellis with 22

AT HIS THROAT, A PROMISE

just the corner of his mouth before pulling away. Ellis didn"t know how to react to such a gesture, so he remained still.

“Please tell Harte to come tend to me. And have a good night, Ellis.”

William disappeared into his room, and Ellis entered his.

At first he wasn"t certain why Harte had called it the red room, as it was almost entirely white. The furniture bore the only colour, a rich cherry wood. But then he saw the bed.

A huge canopy bed draped in white, the red was beyond those silk curtains. The comforter and pillows were the deepest, most saturated red he"d ever seen. They were stunning.

“Nice, huh?” Harte asked. He was standing by the window.

“Master thinks I suggested the room because it"s closer to mine, but he was wrong.” He laughed. “Well, mostly. I thought it suited you. See… the white all around, that"s your obedience. You"re a very dutiful slave, aren"t you? I can tell. But the
red
… well, it"s out of sight, but you don"t have to look hard to see the
passion
that"s just there… ”

Ellis was so wrapped up in his words he almost didn"t remember William"s parting words. “Sir wants to see you,” he said once he shook himself mentally.

Harte smiled and left the room without another word.

Ellis took his time exploring. He was tired—exhausted, even—

but he didn"t like not knowing what to expect. The drawers and closet were empty but for a few emergency items such as a person would need if they"d forgotten their overnight bag.

He boggled when he saw an attached bathroom. He"d never had his own before, not by far. It had a tub and everything. He longed to soak indulgently, but Harte had said the rule was to
shower
every day… they"d said nothing about bathing.