At His Throat, a Promise (32 page)

Nothing could shock Ellis now. Still, the first touch of steel to his most intimate area was disconcerting. Even though William worked quickly, Ellis was still rock hard and trembling by the end of it.

“Stay there.” A moment later, a warm washcloth caressed him everywhere that had been shaved. The utter
nudity
of the sensation was heady. He felt completely unprotected, vulnerable. Again and again the washcloth went over him, all the way back to his entrance until he was pushing back into the touch, however clinical it was trying to be.

He heard the washcloth drop and went to sit up, but a touch against his hole stopped him.

“Amazing,” William whispered, licking him again.

Ellis cried out—it was too much, too intimate, too strange. But he didn"t try to move away.

William"s tongue flickered against him, seeking entrance. As soon as Ellis relaxed and began to enjoy the sensation, William pulled away.

“We don"t have enough time,” he said, regret clear in the lines of his face. He pulled Ellis back into the water, reaching between his legs and fondling him.

Wanting to feel, Ellis"s hand joined the master"s in touching himself. It was very smooth, very soft, very foreign feeling. He drew his hand away, uncertain as to whether or not he liked it.

There was no question how William felt. Heat was practically 273

AT HIS THROAT, A PROMISE

radiating from him, and his cock was thick and full under the water line. Ellis reached for it, the slippery water making stroking easy.

William let him go on, even kissed him a few times, but then stopped him.

“Finish up.”

William left, taking one of the towels with him, but Ellis knew he"d wanted to stay. He went about completing his ablutions, trying to be quick but getting distracted by his hairless state. It felt really strange; there was no denying that. But it was also kind of sexy. He felt sexy.

When he finished up, he draped a towel around himself and made his way to Harte"s room. Knocking on the door, he heard a distant call, and when he entered, he realised Harte was in the bathroom.

Shaving.

“Oh, look at you!” Harte cried, pausing. He was in the tub and staring at Ellis"s legs. “Do you like it?” Ellis twisted a little so he could feel the airy sensation around his cock and balls. “Yeah.”

“It"s weird, the first time. But it gets easier and then… it gets really good. Like,
really
good. You"ll see.” He watched Harte finish with his legs and start on his underarms. He had done his privates first, so Ellis wouldn"t get to see that.

“You can barely tell on you,” Ellis said. Harte"s hair was so pale that without it, he still looked the same.

“Yeah, but it
feels
different.”

Ellis laughed. “Good point. I"m going to go put a sheath on.

You almost done?”

“Two secs,” he said, and Ellis left.

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Stopping in his own room, Ellis strapped on the shoes. He would have to get used to it, and better to practise than to jump right in. The stairs were difficult to traverse, but by the bottom, he"d mastered the confidence, at least, to carry him from step to step. Now he just had to get the skill to back up the confidence.

William was in the dining room, putting together a plate of cheese, crackers, sliced meats, and various vegetables. “Get something to eat. We have to leave as soon as you two are dressed.”

Too nervous to stomach more than crackers, Ellis filled his plate with them and sat beside the master.

“How are the shoes? They look lovely.”

“I think I"ll be okay, Sir.”

“I know you will. Now, I wanted to talk to you about something.”

Ellis stopped eating and turned to face the master, giving him all his attention. “Of course.”

“At this party, you will see and probably partake in some enticing acts. It"s almost certain that you will experience arousal. I understand that you"re uncomfortable with being aroused in public, so I"m giving you the option of wearing your cock cage. But know two things: once it goes on, it will not come off, even if you beg, until I say so. And the former rules apply—you will wear a cock ring for just as long the next day.”

A laugh escaped Ellis before he could cull it. “I"m sorry,” he said quickly, sobering.

William wasn"t cross. “You have a beautiful smile. I"d love to hear what caused it.”

“It"s just that… well, I have to be soft for the cage to go on, and I don"t think I could manage that in time.” 275

AT HIS THROAT, A PROMISE

William"s eyes flashed. “No?”

Swallowing, Ellis managed, “No, Sir.”

“Would you use it if you could?”

Ellis didn"t need to think about it. “No, Sir.” With his hand on Ellis"s—bare, so bare—thigh, William whispered, “Good boy.”

Ellis really liked feeling like a good boy.

“I"m sorry I"m late, Master!” Harte cried, running into the room. He slammed to a halt and walked the rest of the way calmly, as if that made up for his ignoble entry.

William only smiled a little. “Eat up, all right? I"m going to get dressed and then help the two of you, so go into your bedrooms and wait for me.”

“Can"t we get ready together?” Harte asked before shoving a huge hunk of cheese into his mouth.

“I"d like to speak to each of you alone, actually.” Harte nodded. Ellis didn"t want to be worried, but what if the master was displeased with something Ellis had done? What if the master
wanted
him to wear his cock cage so Ellis wouldn"t embarrass him by becoming aroused?

“Ellis!” the master said in a sharp voice.

“Yes, Sir?” he gasped, having jumped at the harsh tone.

“Why are you worrying so much?”

“I"m not! I"m fine.”

“If you need to know so badly, then ask. You are not in trouble.

I"d planned on talking to you about what would be expected of you at the party, but I hadn"t wanted to upset Harte with the implication that you"d be looking for a master there.” Harte"s face fell.

Ellis"s eyes narrowed. That hadn"t been necessary. His 276

AT HIS THROAT, A PROMISE

thoughts were his own—William shouldn"t have upset Harte like that, especially after Ellis had said he was fine. “Thank you for telling me, Sir,” was all he said. He grabbed Harte"s hand under the table, not trying to hide it from William, who Ellis didn"t look at.

William left and Ellis finished eating. He couldn"t have any more, not if he wanted to contain that twisted pit of nerves in his stomach.

“Have you ever been to a party like this?” Ellis asked Harte, half to get the other slave"s mind off what William had said and half to quench his own desire to hide under the table until they left without him.

“Yeah, a couple. The Circle loves costume parties. Any kind of party, really.”

“What happens at them?”

Harte shrugged. He finished the food in his mouth—though only barely—before saying, “Slaves follow their masters around looking like whores. Masters show off. Masters get drunk. Masters tease their slaves. Sometimes they fuck them. Sometimes the slaves fuck each other. We"ll probably be boring and just meet people because Master seems to really want to find you someone.”

“You don"t think we"ll be expected to… perform?”

“Not sure. But don"t get your hopes up one way or the other, all right? Master"s unpredictable. Plus, I guess it would make sense for you to, you know, get fucked or fuck someone, so the masters know how good you are.”

“Oh.” Ellis hadn"t thought of that. “Well, I"m going up now, so you have some time to eat while Sir gets me dressed.” Harte waved because his mouth was full, and Ellis walked back up the stairs, feeling steadier in the shoes now, though his feet 277

AT HIS THROAT, A PROMISE

already ached a little.

William was just leaving his bedroom when Ellis got to the hall. He was wearing a perfectly tailored suit, all black. It made him look even more imposing—taller, somehow. He also wore a blue tie that was the exact shade of Harte"s eyes. Ellis wondered if that was an accident or on purpose, and which was more interesting.

“Ready?” he asked.

Ellis nodded and entered his room. It still felt safe, though not really in the way he"d hoped it would when William had first told him that rule. He knew he wouldn"t be hurt there, but that didn"t mean he could go there and all his pain would disappear. Pain that happened outside the room still followed him. Ellis had known it would, of course; he wasn"t naïve. Still, it had been a nice fairytale, to have a place where he wouldn"t feel any pain or disappointment.

The clothes were lying on the bed as he"d left them, looking intimidating in their lack of substance.

“Take your tunic off. Also, you"ll have to remove the shoes.” Ellis did, and when he stood naked and waiting, the enormity of his hairlessness hit him. He"d never noticed, never even considered, but his hair had been a small but significant barrier between him and the world. Without it, he was completely at the mercy of… anyone, really. He felt small, weak, even. And it didn"t feel that bad, not with William standing in front of him, staring at him with those unfathomable eyes, somehow conveying sheer
want
as clearly as if he"d said it.

“You look stunning. There"s no doubt in my mind that we"ll find you a master tonight.”

Ellis winced. Luckily, William was turned away, picking up the panties. He held them out and Ellis reached for them, but then 278

AT HIS THROAT, A PROMISE

William pulled them away.

“Let me,” he said, lowering them so Ellis could slip his feet through.

It was all part of the game, Ellis told himself. If that was what the master wanted, that was what would be done. William took pains to slide the panties up without haste, and Ellis gasped a little when his cock and balls settled into the material. There didn"t seem to be enough to cover him, but when he looked down, there was only a bulge in the lace; nothing important was showing.

William ran his hands over Ellis"s ass for too long to be considered a wardrobe check.

“Sit,” he said, almost a whisper and rough with feeling.

Perching on the edge of the bed, Ellis lifted one leg and let the master slip the stockings on. They were snug and strange, like pants but without the weight. The lacy part at the top stuck to his leg so they wouldn"t fall down after a long night, and they didn"t have the line on the back like Harte"s did.

After the second stocking, William"s hands drifted up to his belly and around his hips, tenderness in the touch.

Ellis shuddered, but handed William the corset. He didn"t want William to get him worked up again—he knew it wouldn"t take much.

Smiling wryly, William gestured for Ellis to stand.

“Hold it there,” he instructed, securing the corset in place while Ellis held it up.

The ties took a long time, and when he thought they were done, he was wrong.

“Remember I said I could give you a bit of a waist? Do you want that?”

“What would you prefer, Sir?”

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“The waist will complete the outfit, in my opinion.”

“Then the waist, Sir.”

That was when the real torture began. Ellis was instructed to hold onto one of the posters of his bed as William tugged and yanked, cutting off Ellis"s breath and making him dizzy. When he was finished, everything loosened up just a little. Ellis could breathe easily enough—the real tightness was in his stomach, and he was very glad he hadn"t eaten much.

Skimming his hands over the material, Ellis"s eyes widened.

He
did
have a waist. And it was slender.

“The shoes, now. Sit down again.”

Ellis did, a little awkwardly as the corset was very stiff. He couldn"t bend very much, nor slouch at all.

William strapped his feet into the shoes and secured the ties.

The heels weren"t as high as Harte"s, but they gave Ellis even more height, though he still didn"t compare to William.

As soon as the shoes were tied, William stood and tugged Ellis into his arms, kissing him hard and fast. Ellis gasped and William took advantage, thrusting his tongue into Ellis"s mouth so any noises were greedily swallowed.

William"s hands were on his lace-covered cheeks, holding Ellis against him.

Breaking the kiss, William said, “You look fucking amazing.” Ellis blushed. It was the first time he"d heard William swear; it made him feel dirty and wanton in the best ways.

“I feel amazing, Sir. Thank you.” And it was true. He wasn"t nervous any longer. He was
excited
.

“Come into my room. I have a full-length mirror.” William led Ellis by the hand, walking slow enough that Ellis felt safe in his shoes.

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In front of the mirror, Ellis couldn"t tear his eyes away. It wasn"t nice, he knew, to think such thoughts about oneself, but he looked fuckable. Any person there would be hard-pressed to tear his eyes away from Ellis.

He did look slutty, but it wasn"t too much. There was still some class in the outfit, or maybe it was in the way he held himself, tall and proud.

“Oh!” Ellis said, spinning. “I"d forgotten you were going to tell me about what to expect.”

William smiled. “That was really just an excuse to get you alone and ravish you.”

“You didn"t ravish me, Sir.”

“Are you asking to be ravished?”

“Um, yes, Sir. But I"d also like to know what to expect.” Laughing, William took Ellis"s face in his hands. “You say whatever you think I want to hear, don"t you?” What a horrible trick question.

So he said nothing.

William kissed him quickly and told him to go to Harte"s room.

Once they were all there and Harte had properly exclaimed over Ellis"s hotness, William dressed Harte while explaining what would happen at the party. He said essentially the same things Harte had: drinking, debauchery, and sex. He might engage in some sexual liaisons, but not with anyone except for Harte or William. However, Ellis was told to expect people touching him, even intimately. Any prospective master was permitted, expected, even, to touch Ellis in any manner. Whether to get him hard to see his size, grope his balls to conjecture on the amount of his emissions, or finger him to test for tightness and responsiveness.