It was enough. Marcus was pleased by what he saw, but he wouldn’t allow himself to be distracted by it. There was time to worship Lucian while wrapped in lace later. For now, Marcus had otherplans.
“You will take off your panties, your socks, and your shoes,” Marcus demanded. He kissed the crook of Lucian’s neck again, then drew away. “When you’re done, you’ll join me in thebathroom.”
“In the bathroom?” Lucian askedsoftly.
“Do not make me repeat myself.” Marcus’ hand ran down the outside of Lucian’s thigh, then drew back suddenly and found the flesh of his ass with an open palm. It was a swat, not a full-on spanking, but it drove themessagehome.
Luciangasped.
“When I speak, you will listen. Every word I say, you will be able to repeat back to me. Is thatclear?”
“Itis.”
“Then you know where you will join me.” Marcus stepped away from his omega, trusting him to behave. “Do not make mewaitlong.”
He left Lucian where he stood, crossing the room and turning down the hall to approach the bathroom. As he walked, he shrugged off his suit jacket. It found its place on the hook on the back of the bathroom door, soon joined by Marcus’ shirt. He folded his pants carefully and left them on the closed lid of the toilet. His shoes and socks were left tucked against the wall, out ofsight.
Marcus ran the water in the shower, letting it heat while he waited for his company tojoinhim.
The game stirred excitement in him that he’d long forgotten was possible. There had been other submissives in his life, other orders given, and other scenarios that had played out much like this one, but with Lucian, nothing about their scene was stale. He’d woken a part of Marcus that no one else had before. Tonight, Marcus wasn’t only Master—he was protector. He would iron the hurt from Lucian’s soul with stern guidance. He would show Lucian that he was worth so much more than his old Dom had led him tobelieve.
Warm water cascaded from the suspended showerhead, circling the drain. Marcus set his hand on the sliding shower door and was prepared to shut it when the sound of soft, bare footsteps across tiled floor marked the presence ofanother.
His omega hadfoundhim.
“Step beneath the shower,” Marcus instructed without turning. “Let the water rinse away the man youoncewere.”
“Yes,” Lucian said softly. He stepped past Marcus to stand beneath the stream, and Marcus followed, drawing the shower door shut. The space was tight for two, but Marcus didn’t mind it. Lucian’s body was his, and he’d be as close to it as he wantedtobe.
He would see it cleaned andprepared.
There were soaps on the recessed bathroom shelf, and Marcus helped himself to one of them as Lucian stood, awaiting instruction. He opened the cap and poured some onto a clean washcloth, guiding the fabric over Lucian’s shoulders and down his chest. Marcus circled his navel, watching the suds catch in the shallow dip before they were rinsed down Lucian’s abdomen and parted to either side around the base ofhiscock.
“How old are you, fledgling?” Marcus asked as he brought the washcloth to cleanseLucian’sback.
“I just turned twenty-one before starting at the bar,” Lucian murmured, the sound barely louder than the impact of the water on the showerfloor.
Marcus closed his eyes, his hand momentarily paused. Twenty-one. A baby. It hurt him to think that someone had done Lucian wrong at such ayoungage.
“Are you enrolled in collegecourses?”
“No.”
Lucian’s skin turned pink beneath the water, his clear skin susceptible to heat. Marcus brought the washcloth down, cleaning each modest globe of Lucian’s ass before letting the fabric dip into the valley between them. Lucian made a strained noise and squirmed. Marcus wouldn’t put up with that. His free hand swept around Lucian’s body to grasp the rigid length of his cock. He pumped slowly, almost absentmindedly, and Lucian whimperedforhim.
“I want to change that.” Marcus worked his length, keeping his grip firm, but his motions slow. He wanted Lucian to hear what he had to say. “I want all parts of me to be educated and successful. I lead a lifestyle that demands perfection, fledgling. I want you to maintain thatforme.”
Lucian swallowed. He hung his head in bliss as a strained, “Yes,” broke from histhroat.
“That is something we’ll work on in time,” Marcus promised. He let the washcloth slip down, past Lucian’s tight hole to the stretch of skin between his entrance and his balls. Marcus cleaned him thoroughly. “For tonight, what you have is enough. Do you feel like you’re clean,fledgling?”
Marcus worked Lucian’s cock, water easing the passage of his hand. The washcloth made its way back from beneath Lucian’s balls and to his hole, and Marcus applied slight pressure meant to arouse, not topenetrate.
Lucian jerked forward into his hand just as he thought hewould.
“I’m clean,” Lucian promised, his voice vibrating witharousal.
“I didn’t hear you,” Marcus remarked. He pushed a little harder, feeling Lucian start to part for him. He would allow Lucian leeway on his first night, but there came a point where he couldn’t ignore Lucian’s misbehavior anymore. “Are you clean,fledgling?”
