As Nikolas played with Ben’s mouth, he eased himself up and onto the long, hard cock he’d been preparing with his hand. Ben cried out with pleasure, felt hands on his face and then the blindfold removed. He blinked and moaned into the kissing, lifting his hips to fuck Nikolas, even though he was the one helpless beneath. Nikolas brushed their lips together, smiling. He stroked his thumb over Ben’s cheekbone, staring into his eyes, the pupils wide from the darkness of the blindfold. Ben brought his bound arms up and slid them over Nikolas’s neck and then, bound together, he used his phenomenally strong abdominal muscles to ram and thrust until he came in a shiver of deep release into Nikolas’s body. Fully used, Nikolas draped boneless upon him. Ben vaguely remembered closing his eyes, and then they were both asleep, exhausted from the various rigours of the day—some more pleasurable than others.
§§§
Ben only woke when the circulation in his hands felt threatened. He jolted awake from dreaming about food and realised his hands hurt and he was starving again. When he’d processed both these, he realised Nikolas was fast asleep and stretched out on top of him still, as far as Ben could feel, embedded on his cock. He wasn’t sure, it was all pretty numb down there. He twitched and grunted softly. “Hey, wake up.”
Nikolas breathed deeply once but didn’t stir. Ben lay back, working on the silk knot. He’d have the tie off soon. Nikolas shifted slightly but remained asleep. Ben was suddenly aware of how light the other man was—considering he was as tall as Ben. He knew Nikolas was considerably thinner than he was, and he hadn’t been joking about the bones bruising him. He could feel a hipbone now, jutting into him. Nikolas was all sinew and cord, tendon and bone. But then he hardly ever ate. As far as Ben could see, Nikolas survived entirely on a diet of caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, and semen. It wasn’t healthy. Ben finally got his hands loose and shook them to regain circulation. The movement finally woke Nikolas, but he was still for a moment, assessing his surroundings before he appeared to deem them safe, then he stretched, yawned, and prepared to go back to sleep. Ben rolled him off and propped himself up on one elbow, staring down at him. They were pretty messed up—bruised, bleeding, and covered in come. Nik had never looked more desirable to him. Ben leaned in, kissing Nikolas fully awake. They kissed for a long time, no words needed. Finally, though, Ben’s stomach betrayed him, and he could ignore imminent starvation no longer. He eased them apart. “I’m gonna order room service.”
Nikolas nodded and stood up fluidly, offering Ben his hand, which he took gratefully. Before he released the fingers, Nikolas said softly, “Do not tempt me to play that game too often—for your sake. It makes me lose myself. I would not ever want to really hurt you.”
Ben shivered slightly as if a ghost had brushed past his naked body, but he nodded and watched Nikolas walk into the bathroom and shut the door. He had the oddest thought that he may finally have found one of the less cerebral games Nikolas had been taught to play in prison.
§§§
Ben ordered for four because death was imminent, and he couldn’t decide what he wanted. When it arrived, he was in the shower, so when he emerged dressed in old jeans and a favourite T-shirt, it was laid out on the table by the window. Nikolas was also dressed in jeans and one of Ben’s old T-shirts, but he was lying on the bed, watching the news. Ben sat down. “Come on, food’ll get cold.”
“Hmm.”
“Nik, come eat.”
“I am watching Dear Leader. When you see him on the television, he almost appears intelligent. It is a rather interesting trick.”
“Nik, now, or I’ll come there and fetch you.”
Nikolas reluctantly rose from the bed like a sleek cat, all grace and elegant lines, despite his rigorous day and few hours of sleeping on the floor. Ben began on a burger and pushed the seafood platter he’d ordered for Nikolas across the table for him. Nikolas picked up his fork but, once more, prawns and squid and crab were rearranged in intricate patterns rather than actually eaten. Ben laid down his burger. It must have been a rare occurrence because Nik looked up, obviously worried. “What’s wrong?”
Ben pointed at the salad. “Eat it. And I’m not fucking around here. You eat all of that, or I swear I will find my own room tonight and you can sleep alone.”
“You would not. Do not make idle threats, child.”
Ben placed a hand on Nikolas’s wrist. “You eat thatandthe pudding and then drink the fucking coffee, or I’m sleeping in my own room—and not just tonight, Nik. Every night from now on. Look at me, and tell me if you think I’m bluffing.”
Nikolas regarded him for a while, his eyes narrowed, his lips pursed. “I am not hungry.”
Ben shook his head. “I’m counting to ten, and then if you’re not eating, I’m leaving.”
Nikolas pushed it out to eight but then began to eat. Ben noted he started with some tiny bean sprout thing, but it was a start. His own food forgotten, he watched Nikolas eat everything on the plate—except a tiny squid, which still had its eyes, and which Nikolas utterly refused to put in his mouth. Ben took pity on him and let him leave it. Nikolas rose from the table and threw his napkin down angrily, returning to the bed to watch television. As he never watched television, except for the news, Ben knew he was furious. He stood, picked a pudding up from the selection, and approached the bed.
Nikolas clenched his jaw. “Do not even try it, Ben. I am too angry with you to speak—let alone eat.”
Ben slid across his lap, straddling him and produced the pudding from behind his back, a dark chocolate tart. He picked up the fork, broke some tart off then slid it between his own lips. It was like falling into heaven. Very slowly, keeping Nikolas’s furious gaze, he bent forward to kiss him. Nikolas frowned, didn’t seem sure what to do, but received the kiss automatically.
Ben tongued the melting chocolate across into Nikolas’s mouth.
For one awful moment, he thought he’d blown it badly—someone who didn’t want to eat didn’t usually want to eat second-hand from someone else’s mouth. Nikolas seemed frozen in horror, but then he swallowed. His tongue flicked out to lick around Ben’s mouth, and then they were entirely lost once more to their endless passion for each other. Ben laughed into the kisses and fed Nikolas another piece of pie, more conventionally off the fork, but it was eaten as well.
Finally, the food was gone. Nikolas flung his arm over his face and groaned theatrically. “I am going to be sick.”
Ben nodded unsympathetically. “I’d only make you eat it up again, so I advise you to concentrate on keeping it down.”
“I think I might ban you from this room anyway.”
“I’ll go if you want.” A hand shot out and pulled him down to lie on the bed next to him. They lay in companionable silence for a while. “Food is good, Nik. It’s like sex; it’s just pleasure, and there’s no sin in enjoying it.”
“You know nothing, Ben. Food is a weapon to be used by those who have power against those who do not. This has been my—The story throughout history. But I have no desire to explain myself to you tonight. I am…what expression would you use, let me think…ah, yes,I am totally fucked, so please let me lie here in peace.” Ben began to stroke gently over the smooth skin under Nikolas’s T-shirt, rubbing his almost concave belly.
“This going to disturb your peace?”
Nikolas smiled. “No.”
