Her question was answered not by Marcus, but by the man who arrived at the top of the stairs. Shoulders back, calmly confident, he approached the bar. Marcus watched him out of the corner of his eye, a hint of a smirk twisting his lips. He didn’t need to turn his head to see the man’s bare chest, or to know how the tight leather pants he wore sat on his hip to expose the tapered V leading to his groin, but the thrill of excitement he got from seeing the show play out in real time was worth theglance.
Lucian wasstunning.
It wasn’t long before Lucian reached the bar, taking his spot behind Marcus’ left shoulder. Marcus kept his head forward, eyes set on Clarissa. Her jaw dropped and her eyes widened. It was rare that she was speechless, but Marcus wouldn’t have it any other way. The purpose of tonight was to make an impact, and they were off to averygoodstart.
“My guest has arrived.” Marcus slid his drink back across the counter and stood. Lucian, obedient, said nothing—he simply waited for instruction. “Thank you for everything, Clarissa. You’ve been a constant source of support all these years, and I hope you know how deeply you’reappreciated.”
“Lucian?” The struggle in Clarissa’s voice would have been comical had Marcus been in the right frame of mind. “What the hell isgoingon?”
Marcus had no answer for her. He distanced himself from the bar, Lucian a shadow who remained framed in his peripheral vision. For now, Marcus’ focus wasn’t on him—it was on those who looked on from their seats or who’d clustered in the stairs to get a look at the young omega and the accomplished alpha whoguidedhim.
It was on Adrian, who sat scowling at them from one of the bar booths. He’d abandoned the older man he was with in order to watch, and Marcus was eager for him to take itallin.
Every last secondofit.
“They’re looking at you, fledgling,” Marcus said, keeping the volume of his voice high enough that he could be heard over the music, but not so high that other ears would be able to listen in on their conversation. “Every man in this club is lusting after you tonight. Do you know how pleased thatmakesme?”
“Yes, Master,” Lucian responded dutifully. The first nuances of mind-clouding lust obscured what he said, leaving his words blurry around the edges. The sound of Lucian like that tightened in Marcus’ gut and stirred his arousal. “But I will only ever have eyesforyou.”
Together they passed by open doors where others were already engaged. Marcus’ eyes did not wander—they were focused on a room at the end of the hall. The door was open only a sliver, but Marcus didn’t need to look in to know what waited inside. The barren, concrete floors. The drab walls. The metal frames bolted down and well-polished.
… And the chains hangingfromthem.
In years past, it had been Marcus’ preferred room, and he’d rented it from Stephaniefrequently.
Tonight, for the last time, he’d see that roomagain.
The door swung open. Marcus led Lucian past several metal frames adorned with chains to one set up in the center of the room, then guided him to stand in the middle of it. The frame he chose was kept rigid by four metal posts, each of them bound to its adjacent post on the top and on the bottom by flat, metal bars. Overhead, two long strips of metal intersected. At their point of intersection hung a ring through which a chain had been suspended, smaller rings securing it to one of the metal beams and bringing it back to coil around a pulley system rigged to one of the posts. Other chains hung from the sides of the frame, but Marcus ignored themfornow.
His focus was on the chain hanging overLucian’shead.
“Lift your arms, fledgling,” Marcus instructed. Shadows shifted by the door, a sign that they had onlookers. Amongst them, Marcus could have sworn he caught the scent of a familiar, troublesome omega—Adrian. The thought only spurred Marcus on—no one would ever doubt his intention toward Lucian again after tonight. He wanted every one of them to see, but he wanted Adrian to see mostofall.
No one wouldintimidatehim.
No one would make him beg for whatwashis.
With docile grace, Lucian’s fingertips traced over his own stomach and along his chest, then up his neck and along his jaw. The flash of silver from the hoops of Marcus’ suspension cuffs glinted from behind Lucian’s palms. From his jaw, Lucian ran his fingers through his hair. When there was nowhere else to go, his fingertips met, and they wove and caressed as he lifted his arms until the hairless hollows of his armpits werestretchedtaut.
The small ways Lucian moved were subtle, but calculated. As Marcus watched, he took it in for exactly what it was—a dance performed for Marcus’ benefit. But tonight, there was no ill intent behind it. What Lucian did, he did of his ownvolition.
Lucian embraced hisexhibition.
The thought turned Marcus on likelittleelse.
Lucian held his head high, neck stretched slightly to lend him further grace. His wrists remained braced above his head, marked by leather and steel. With no sense of urgency, Marcus twisted the handle of the pulley to lower the center chain. When it was low enough, he stepped forward and fed the reinforced clip at the end through the O rings attached to Lucian’s cuffs. The clip secured easily, and Marcus tightened it until he was confident it wouldn’t give. Lucian kept his hands up, armsoutstretched.
Soon, he wouldn’t have the choicenotto.
As Marcus drew away, he traced a hand from Lucian’s elevated shoulder down his chest. Lucian looked at him from beneath his lashes, his gaze clouded with the same lust once heavy in his voice. There was no fear in his eyes and no regret to stretch his lips thin. He wanted this, and if he changed his mind, all it would take would be a single word to endthegame.
Marcus was ready, no matter Lucian’schoice.
Eyes locked with Lucian’s, Marcus stepped back until he’d arrived at the pulley. The air was thick with their chemistry, made thicker yet by the erotic display they performed for each other first, and for others second. It flooded Marcus’ lungs and coursed through his veins until he was fullofit.
Full of Lucian, and everything they stood for as acouple.
Marcus set his hand on the pulley’s handle. Eyes locked with his submissive’s, heart hammering in anticipation of what was to come, Marcus turned the crank. The chains rattled as they were pulled backward. The slack allowing Lucian his agencydisappeared.
