Gabriel sucked in a quick, shallow breath, but it did him no good. He remained frozen where he was, his eyes drinking in Sir as he’d never seen himbefore.
Are you interested in body modification,Gabriel?
Back then, Gabriel hadn’t been sure, but now? Now he had his answer. He liked body modification just fine, as long as it wasonSir.
“Rabbit,” Sir said softly. He made no move to hide his body. “Did you open the door withoutknocking?”
“No, Sir.” Gabriel’s voice was strained, but he did his best to speak as if the man he wanted wasn’t standing naked no more than six feet from him. Nervous, he tried to duck his head, but the collar held him in place. He could not look away. “T-the door was open. When I went to knock, it swung, and… and I’msorry.”
“Hmm.” Sir lifted the towel and patted at his face. The towel lifted away from his groin, and Gabriel did his best not to look. He swallowed hard, allowing the posture collar to keep his gaze level. “I guess I didn’t close it. That was my fault. You don’t need toapologize.”
Sir wanted him to look at his face. Hisface. Not down. Not at… not atthat. But he wasn’t putting the towel back down. Why wasn’t he putting the towel back down? Gabriel’s lips parted as his resolve wavered, arousal fighting his sense of duty to drive himcrazy.
Was Sir doing this on purpose? There was no better test of obedience to see if Gabriel would dip his gaze than to tempt him like this. All he had to do was look down,andthen…
“Are you here to ask to have your collar off, Rabbit?” Sir tucked the towel around his waist, ending Gabriel’s torment. “It’s about time, isn’t it? I’m off-scheduletoday.”
“Yes, Sir.” The words were like sand in Gabriel’s mouth. His cock strained against the fly of his pants, and for the first time, he regretted how tight they were. Sir had to be able to see everything. “Please, could you takeitoff?”
Sir’s eyes looked into his. Gabriel had been trying to get used to the feeling of meeting another man’s gaze, but despite his best attempts to acclimatize, it still sent a shiver down his spine whenever Sir looked his way. “Come here,Gabriel.”
It was rare that Sir used his name these days, and so Gabriel heeded his word. He stepped forward, crossing the bedroom floor until he stood in front of Sir. Up close, he saw the details of Sir’s tattoos—geometric patterns interlaced with feminine, floral imagery. The work was artful, photorealistic in its presentation. The colors were vibrant, and the line work was solid. Gabriel did his best not to look overly interested, but he wanted to take in every tiny detail and commit it tomemory.
When he tore his gaze from Sir’s colorful arm, he noticed what he’d missedbefore.
Hisnipples.
Both of them were pierced, run through with captive bead rings. Gabriel’s cock twitched. All he could do was lift his chin and tilt his head up, hoping that Sir would take the invitation and undo the straps binding the collar to his throat. If he stayed next to Sir’s naked body much longer, he wouldn’t be able to help himself—he wouldbebad.
“You’ve been a good boy recently, Gabriel,” Sir whispered. His words were articulated carefully, not muddied by the low volume at which he spoke. “Such a good boy. You’ve served your punishment without complaining once. I know that the collar isn’t always comfortable. Being restricted takes gettingusedto.”
“Yes, Sir.” Gabriel closed his eyes. He’d hoped for an escape from Sir, but his attempt was unsuccessful—he saw Sir’s image in his mind, body still wet from the shower, tattoos radiant on his skin, piercings glinting beneath thelight…
The collar tightened—Sir always tightened it just a little bit when he was undoing the straps, and Gabriel was sure it was deliberate. It was a gesture made to remind him that if he was bad, his life could be made worse. Muchworse.
But Sir was merciful, and Sir was kind. The tension lessened, and when it did, the collar came partially undone. Gabriel let out a breath and did his best not to look affected. He opened his eyes, focusing on Sir’s face. Sir’s eyes were downcast, paying attention to the buckle he was working to undo. “So I was thinking, since you’ve been so good, that you should berewarded.”
“Rewarded?” Gabrielsqueaked.
“Mm. Rewarded.” The collar tightened again. The last strap fell. Sir took the collar from Gabriel’s neck, his touch delicate and thoughtful. “Here is your choice: you can either go shower and go to bed right now, then sleep as late as you want regardless of our schedule; or after your shower, you can come to watch a movie in bed with me. What is it thatyouwant?”
Gabriel didn’t need to think on it. “To make youhappy,Sir.”
A shudder ran down Sir’s spine, visible even to Gabriel. He held his breath, knowing if he didn’t, he’d have gasped. How was it that his words had power over a man like Sir? Could it really be that Sir was attracted tohim,too?
“Then run the shower, Rabbit,” Sir whispered. He leaned close, letting his lips brush the lobe of Gabriel’s ear. “And make sure to dry your hair well. I don’t like it when my pillowsarewet.”
25
Cedric
It was a mistake.The second Gabriel walked back into the bedroom from Cedric’s en suite bathroom, his torso bare and his skin beaded with water, he knew he was in over his head. Gabriel was slender in a delicate, graceful way, like a glass ballerina at the peak of her arabesque. His face was young, and with his clothes cast aside, he looked younger than ever. Cedric had given him a clean pair of his boxers to wear, and they slouched down Gabriel’s hips and flowed loosely around his thighs like he was a kid playingdress-up.
Twenty-one. Gabriel wastwenty-one.
Was he really a kid? Cedric had always thought there was a world of difference between twenty-five and twenty-one, but he wasn’t so certainanymore.
Gabriel approached the bed cautiously, meeting Cedric’s gaze the whole time. When he arrived, he hesitated, then set one knee on the mattress. When Cedric didn’t correct him, he climbed up and crossed the bed on his hands and knees. Cedric’s cock couldn’t have been harder. His body was reacting like Gabriel had crawled across the bed, straddled his lap, and begged him with those innocent eyes to put his collar back on so he could make himhappy.
