He was no one's boy.
"Oh, you are very much my boy." The man backhanded Lex. "And you will learn who your master is if I have to beat it into you."
Apparently, he meant what he said. He smacked Lex again and again, sometimes with the palm of his hand, other times with the back of his hand. The world around Lex grew fuzzy, muted. His body ached from one end to the other as the man beating him didn't keep to his head, but hit him all over.
When the world completely faded, Lex welcomed the darkness.
* * * *
Lex sucked in a breath then wished he hadn't when he felt something like a vice grip squeeze him around his chest. He tried to open his eyes, but only a glimmer of light came through. It was enough for him to see that he was still in his bedroom.
He tried to be quiet, not knowing if he was alone or not, but every movement made him want to scream in pain. His bit his lip so hard, he tasted blood. That small cut in his lip was nothing compared to the pain raging through every other part of his body.
"Get up."
Lex jerked.
"I said get up."
Lex winced as he turned his head toward whoever had spoken. He could just make out the same brown-haired man he'd seen before. "Who are you?" he choked out. "Why are you doing this to me?"
He cried out when the man clutched a handful of his hair. If this guy kept grabbing him like that, he'd be bald by the end of the day, and he really hoped this guy would be long gone by then.
"I'm your master, boy, and I'm doing this to you because I can. I can do anything I want to you. You're mine."
Lex was pretty sure they'd already covered that part, but he hurt too much to bring it up again. "I don't even know who you are."
"You know all you need to know. I am the master. My word is law. Your continued ability to breathe depends completely on me. Disobey me and you will be punished. Obey me and…" The man's evil-sounding cackle sent a shiver of dread down Lex's back. "Obey me and you will still be punished, but it'll hurt a whole lot less. You might even enjoy it."
Not bloody likely.
"Now, first thing first."
Lex cried out when the man dragged him across the room by his hair. Only by wrapping both hands around the guy's wrist was he able to keep from losing a fistful of hair. He was pulled into the bathroom then shoved toward the shower.
"Clean yourself off. You stink."
Lex had no doubt that he stunk. There was dried blood in several different spots across his body. By now, he probably reeked.
He bit his lip to keep from crying out as he struggled to climb to his feet. He wasn't going to give this guy the satisfaction of hearing his pain. He was pretty sure he'd enjoy it. Lex slowly peeled his clothes off. They were rags really. Just bits of fabric barely holding together.
He thought about asking the guy to turn away as he undressed, but he was pretty sure he'd get his head handed to him if he did. It wasn't like this would be the first time he'd showered with someone watching him. He had lived in the dorms while attending college. Everyone showered there. Still, he could feel the guy's eyes roaming over him as he stepped into the shower and started washing up, and it was enough to make his skin crawl.
"Wash your hair, too."
Lex barely kept from rolling his eyes. He was taking a shower. Of course he was going to wash his hair. What would be the point of going through all the work of showering if he needed to get right back in afterwards because he forgot to wash his hair?
Lex was fuming by the time he shut the shower off and reached for a towel. Not only was this guy looking him over like he was a prime cut of meat, but he was massaging his dick through his pants as he watched.
Sick pervert.
Lex was pretty sure he knew what direction the evening plans were headed in if this guy got his way, and Lex would fight until his very last breath to make sure that didn't happen. He'd been more than a few bad situations over the years—he'd even gotten beaten up a few times—but not once, in all that time, had someone violated him like this guy planned to do.
Lex kept his gaze averted as he dried off. He'd seen enough Animal Planet shows to know if you looked a predator directly in the eye, they took that as a challenge and would attack. He'd have to use his brains to get out of this one and not brute strength because this guy had a hundred pounds on him easily. He'd just have to wait and watch until the opportunity to escape arose.
The towel was ripped out of Lex's hand before he could wrap it around his hips, and then his wrist was grabbed. He was pulled back into the bedroom.
"Get on the bed."
