Saving Alexander (9 page)

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Eric Rossi scowled fiercely as he readied himself for his session with Alex. He’d been given his new instructions by Madame and he wasn’t pleased with them at all.

The chamois flogger, for God’s sake? You might as well whip the man with a damp dishcloth. He’d also been requested to limit himself to Alex’s back and buttocks, nothing in the front.

It had been nine days since he’d last seen Alex, longer than normal. He wasn’t sure what the reason was but tonight he was damn well going to find out.

Eric entered the basement room where his client normally waited for him. Alex knelt on the sumptuous floor cushion in his usual spot. He wore his chinos, no shirt, and his arms rested loosely at his sides. He looked up as Eric entered but kept silent.

He looked delectable, Eric thought, his groin stirring. “Alex, I missed you. But I’m glad you’re here now.”

He moved over to Alex and pulled him to his feet. He stood quietly, head slightly bowed as Eric caressed his cheek.

“I understand you’ve requested a change to the programme. You’ll have to tell me all about that later. I’m interested to see what’s changed in your life.”

It could only be a man, he thought savagely as jealousy surged through him. His imagination had been running riot that morning as he’d pondered the possible reasons for Alex’s change of heart.

He’s found himself some nice vanilla that probably fucked him from the front and was actually able to kiss him and see his face when he came.

That’s why he didn’t want any marks on his stomach. Marks on the back could always be hidden if you were doing it missionary or cowboy style.

Eric’s resentment built in his chest and he reached out, roughly unzipping Alex’s pants and thrusting them down his legs.

Alex flinched but continued to keep his head bowed.

Eric motioned to Alex to step out of the trousers puddled at his ankles.

Alex did as he was instructed and Eric kicked the trousers across the floor. Alex stood naked in front of Eric, his cock hard and already leaking. Eric ran his hands over the healing welts from the last session.

The bruises had faded and Eric felt a sense of loss.

Alex’s breathing deepened as Eric touched him and satisfaction flooded Eric’s body. At least he hadn’t lost the ability to turn Alex on. Eric licked Alex’s left nipple, then bit, hard. Alex hissed and Eric smiled, then his mouth travelled upward to Alex’s neck. He sucked the skin, intent on leaving a bruise. Alex pulled away and Eric heard his next words in amazement.

“No biting, Eric. I thought Madame would have told you. I asked her to.”

Not only had Alex spoken, which was one of the cardinal sins of the game, but he’d done so with such determination that Eric was very taken aback.

“Have the game rules changed so much then?” Madame
had
told him about the new no-biting rule but Eric had chosen to ignore it. Alex nodded. Eric stood back, looking at his charge in displeasure.

“This whole thing doesn’t leave room for me to do much, does it? You’re becoming soft.” Eric walked around Alex, inspecting a body he already knew so well.

Alex was lean and muscled, with strong, slim legs covered in fine, dark hair. His stomach wasn’t a defined six-pack but rather tight and smooth. His backside was a pleasure, with taut cheeks and a swell that Eric loved to slap. He had broad shoulders and a narrow waist and his shaven groin was always a turn-on.

Eric insisted Alex shave it because it made the slapping and whipping so much more effective. He could see the welts and scars left from the whippings so much more clearly. Alex’s cock was a thing of beauty too. It wasn’t the biggest Eric had seen but it beautifully formed, wide and strong with a slight curve toward his stomach. It stood out now, rampant against his lightly tanned skin, proud and twitching with each touch of Eric’s hand on Alex’s body.

Alex’s body was a canvas of past abuse. Alex wouldn’t talk about the marks and scars no matter how hard Eric tried.

Small scars dotted his lower stomach from what looked like cigarette burns and when Eric stepped around to Alex’s back, there were more scars. Cigarette burns as well as four deep parallel scars ran from his left shoulder blade to just under his right arm, long, deep indentations that could only have been done by a knife.

He’d been curious about the origin of those violent marks. Alex’s hip also had a four-inch-long jagged puckered scar on it. It looked like it hadn’t healed properly.

Finished with his inspection, Eric pulled Alex over to the posts and Alex stood meekly whilst Eric tied his wrists to them. He bound his ankles with the silk, caressing the inside of his thigh as he straightened up. Alex shivered.

Eric unzipped his own trousers, freeing himself, as he reached out his hand, taking Alex’s chin, pulling it up. Alex’s eyes looked at his unwaveringly.

Eric picked up the flogger that was not his favourite toy of choice. A short-handled crop with seven-foot strands of soft chamois leather. It was almost a party toy compared with what he was used to. A tool a bored housewife might give the pool man to use when she was in the mood. It did sting but left much less of a mark on the body than his custom-made rawhide crop.

He’d have to make up for the lack of whip strength in the number of strokes he inflicted. There’d been no talk about restricting that. Alex still had his “Get out of jail free” card, the safe word.

Eric leaned forward, trailing his tongue over Alex’s nipples and sucking them deeply, hearing him sigh. He stood back, sliding the fronds of his flogger through his fingers, then used light strokes at his back and backside, as instructed. Alex’s sudden intake of breath invigorated Eric and his strokes grew harder.

The chamois left thin strips of colour across Alex’s body, but there would be no weals that would be felt when a man ran his hands across Alex’s skin. The thought incensed Eric and he continued his mission, and he watched as Alex crumpled in pain.

At one point Eric thought Alex would use his safe word.

He whispered in Alex’s ear. “If you suck me off, Alex, or allow me to go down on you, I’ll stop the flogging,”

Alex tensed at his invitation.

“It’ll be a small price to pay and save you from anymore pain. Perhaps we can change the rules a little just this once? I’d love us to taste each other.”

Alex shook his head vehemently and Eric felt an irrational burst of anger. “Fine, if that’s how you want to play it, so be it.”

He increased his flogging efforts. Alex took his punishment quietly until finally Eric stopped, his chest heaving from his exertion. He reached up to undo the bonds and Alex fell into his arms as he released him. Eric roughly supported him as Alex righted himself and walked over to the bed, once again lying face down.

Alex’s back showed a mass of pale pink streaks, the earlier ones already beginning to fade.

Eric’s frustration at being held back from his full service intensified and he dropped his trousers, quickly sheathing himself. He lowered himself on top of Alex, reaching down between his legs to grip his cock roughly as he forced himself inside the man beneath him with no lubrication. Alex arched and tossed beneath him but Eric wasn’t sure if it was to escape the rough assault of his arse or if passion caused the movements.

Eric thrust in and out as his hand continued working Alex’s cock. Finally Alex shuddered and Eric recognised the tremors oscillating through his body as he climaxed. Eric’s anger and irritation was evidenced in every violent thrust of his body into Alex, whose face remained buried in the bed.

Eric heard his gasps as he fucked him deep and hard. Eric cried out loudly as he came, his semen filling the condom, his hips still plunging into the man beneath him.

Finally Eric’s orgasm abated and he slumped on top of Alex. When he lifted his head, he felt a sense of satisfaction at the bruises forming on Alex’s hips where he’d gripped him so tightly. The deep crescent marks of his fingernails on Alex’s tanned skin thrilled him. At least he’d left his own marks on him, Eric thought savagely. Let the other man see those and know that he’d been there first.

Finally, his lust and anger spent, he rolled off his charge, his eyes gazing at the ceiling above.

Alex turned to face Eric, his face white, his eyes glittering, before climbing off the bed in obvious pain. “That was too personal, Eric. I told you what I wanted and you disobeyed the instructions.”

Eric shrugged. “Alex, you got what you paid for. I didn’t do anything against your wishes; it was just a little rougher than normal. I thought you liked that.”

Alex’s lips pressed together as he ignored Eric. He moved to the corner of the room to pick up his clothes and dressed swiftly, leaving the room without looking back. Eric watched in satisfaction. He’d re-established some control. The fact that Alex seemed to be slipping away from him had infuriated him.

In his world, when Eric was wielding the whip and the flogger, he was king.

Chapter 11

Sage glanced up from the sitting area outside Alex’s office at the man seated inside. The past few days Alex had been very quiet, keeping to himself, and no amount of conversation seemed to draw him out. He was a different person to the one Sage had flirted and laughed with over the past few weeks.

Their evening drinking sessions had come to an abrupt end and Sage had no idea why. He’d honestly thought he’d been gaining some ground with Alex. He wondered what had happened in the days between that flirty Alex and the one he saw now.

These weeks passed, Sage had to control himself like hell to not gather Alex’s body to his and take his mouth in a kiss that he just knew would be absolutely mind blowing. Instead he’d given Alex the space he so obviously needed and hadn’t acted like a caveman.

Sage was in between filming scenes and he decided he’d try once again to talk to Alex.

Alex looked up as Sage came in. He seemed very tense.

“Alex, is everything okay?” Sage perched his backside down on the desk beside him.

Alex moved back slightly. “I’m fine. I’ve just not been sleeping well and I’m tired.”

“I’m worried about you; we all are. You haven’t been eating and you look very pale.” Sage smiled as he said the words but the other man’s expression stayed stoic with no flicker of real life in his eyes.

“Everyone needs to stop worrying about me. I’m a big boy. I can look after myself. I wish everyone would bloody leave me alone.” He leaned forward, looking at his computer screen intently.

Sage stood up, conscious that he’d been dismissed. “Well, if you need to talk, you know where I am.”

Alex nodded but he didn’t seem particularly concerned in Sage’s whereabouts. A prickle of temper began in Sage’s chest at Alex’s disregard of his concern. He felt the Black Irish creeping up on him.

He was only trying to help for fuck’s sake!

He’d thought they’d started making a breakthrough but this man was just unreal.

He really should give it up and find someone who isn’t so bloody temperamental and secretive, just like he promised himself he would.

Sage shrugged. “Suit yourself. It seems like you think you can do everything on your own. We’ll all leave you to it then, shall we?”

He hadn’t meant to sound bitchy but this man bought out the worst in him. He scowled then turned as someone came in behind him. It was Janine Fortress, looking fairly harassed.

“Sage, have you seen Dianne anywhere? We’re due to start filming in twenty minutes and nobody’s heard from her. Luke is getting a little pissed off with the delay. Her phone is off and no one can get hold of her. Has she called you?”

Sage frowned, pulling his mobile out of his pocket. He shook his head. “No. No call, no text. That’s very unlike Dianne. She’s normally very punctual.”

Janine looked fed up. “Thomas last saw her this morning. She was only scheduled to be here at two p.m. She had some beauty treatment this morning and she was coming in from there. Thomas called them but they said she left a long time ago.”

Alex looked up with a frown on his face. “That isn’t like Dianne at all.”

Sage was perversely glad to see something shocked the man’s current air of disinterest in everything around him. “I imagine she’s just lost track of time, Janine. I’m sure she’ll be here soon.”

He moved out of the office onto the main studio floor, Janine following him like an anxious puppy. Diane’s husband, Thomas Cunningham, was on his mobile on the other side of the floor and Sage walked up to him, placing a hand on the man’s arm.

"She’ll pitch up, Thomas. Stop fussing."

Thomas scowled, looking harassed. He finished talking to whoever was on the phone then put it back in his shirt pocket with a vexed sigh. “Absolutely no one has seen her since this morning. I don’t know where the hell she can be. I’ve even called her friends and they haven’t spoken to her today either. She was supposed to give her sister Jem a call too to find out how Natalie was and even she hasn’t heard from her.”

Sage frowned. “Natalie is your niece, if I remember?”

Thomas nodded. “Yes. She’s been ill lately and Dianne calls Jem in the US every day to check how she is.” He checked his phone screen again.

Out of the corner of Sage’s eye he saw Alex talking to Luke. He wandered over. “Luke, I suppose we’d better put the next scene on hold and do something else until Diane turns up. Any suggestions on which one you want to do and I’ll get it sorted?”

Luke looked grateful. “Perhaps we can shoot that one scene in the casino that didn’t need Dianne. That was all set up to go next anyway. We’ll just bring it forward if you’re okay with that.”

Sage nodded. “No problem, I’ll get kitted up in my James Bond suit.”

Luke chuckled. “That’ll make the ladies and gents squeal in delight. Did you see that last magazine article from when you attended that summer fashion event a couple of weeks ago? Maggie said your bloody fan mail went ballistic after that photo was published with you in your tux with that gorgeous model Maddox on your arm. They had to hire extra help just to get through it all.” He laughed softly. “You’re becoming a fashion plate, a real-live sex symbol. I believe you’ve even got a modelling job on the catwalk next week, right? That should be something to watch.”