“It’s time to get ready for the day.”
That didn’t help answer his question any.
“You haven’t showered since the accident,” Silver finally explained. “You’ll bathe, then dress for breakfast.”
“I can do all of that on my own.”
“No.”
Nuri stared at him, but when Silver didn’t back down, squeezed his eyes shut and lowered his head. “Majesty, please. I’ll apologize for what I said in the heat of the moment last night, okay? So, please, can we just—”
Silver didn’t give him the chance to finish, swooping down to lift Nuri in much the same way as he had at the front door. Hoisting him over his shoulder, he turned toward the bathroom and walked into it, leaving it open even as he lowered Nuri back to his feet.
“Undress.” The Emperor crossed his arms and propped himself against the wall, blocking the exit.
Nuri didn’t move.
“Narek.”
“We haven’t rolled yet. The game hasn’t started,” Nuri said.
“We’ve never needed a game for you to have to obey me,” he stated. “That’s no different now. We’ll play for your right to quit your job as my secretary, nothing more, nothing less. That and this are not the same situation. Strip, pet, or would you rather I do it for you?”
The thought of Silver’s hands on him caused a shiver to race down his spine, and before long, Nuri found himself doing as he was told.
“You’re acting like this is the first time I’ve seen you naked,” Silver chided, though why he was so displeased was anyone’s guess.
His bathroom was every bit as luxurious as his bedroom, with white marble containing streaks of gold and golden fixtures to match. There was a shower stall and a bathtub, as well as a His and Hers sink, even though as far as Nuri knew, the Emperor had never brought one of his lovers here before. The mansion was a sort of safe space for Silver. Not just anyone was allowed an invitation to walk through the doors. The security around it, given his position, was also tight enough it would take an invisible person to be able to sneak in.
Now that he was thinking about it, it truly hit Nuri how stupid his plan to run away last night had been. Even if he’d somehow made it out the front door without Silver noticing him, the guards at the gate would never have let him through if they’d been given the order to keep him inside. After the fuss Silver had thrown? Nuri was certain that was a detail he wouldn’t have forgotten.
He hadn’t stood a chance.
For a moment, he struggled over why the Emperor’s words sounded so familiar, then a vague recollection of Silver having said something similar yesterday returned to him.
At the mention of what they’d done, Nuri’s hands hesitated on the ties to the pajama bottoms. He’d removed the top, though it’d been a struggle, self-consciousness sneaking up on him.
“This is different,” he mumbled, not really sure why he bothered. It would only end up causing him more discomfort and he knew it.
Sure enough, Silver latched onto that statement. “How so?”
Nuri really didn’t want to say, but seeing no way around it, sighed in mild exasperation. “When we saw each other naked before it was in a completely non-sexual light.” At least, it had been for Silver.
“You think I’ve never jerked off thinking about you?”
Nuri startled, freezing like a deer caught in headlights with the pants halfway down his thighs. Even the ridiculous position couldn’t snap him out of it though.
“Just as I suspected,” Silver tapped his temple, “You’ve always been too caught up in your own head, Narek.”
“Me?” he shot back incredulously. The Emperor was the one who was constantly so distracted and in his own world that he didn’t notice the people around him. Half the time Nuri stood there waiting in his office for upwards of ten or so minutes even.
“Forget it. Your brother is waiting for us in the dining room. Let’s pick up the pace.” Silver made his way over to the shower stall, carelessly stripping as he did.
“You can’t actually expect me to showerwithyou?” Why he bothered to ask was beyond him, but the words shot out anyway.
“You’ll be lucky if I let you out of my sight ever again after the trouble you’ve caused.”
“This is a lot of effort just to prevent me from quitting,” he said suddenly, watching as Silver tensed with his hand on the shower knob.
