Tennant pushes off from the wall, but I stop him with a firm shake of my head. “No. You’ve done nothing to be punished for.”
“Yes, I have! I raped someone, Master! And I tortured my best friend, my soulmate, my love. I fell in love with others, and left you, even though I knew you were spiraling out of control. I’m…I’m amonster.”
A sharp crack when my hand meets his ass leaves him gasping. “Enough! I will not let you talk about yourself like that. You did not rape someone—that bitch raped you and an innocent. You did not torture Roman. You were used by the Senator to do it. And you fell in love because these men saw how special you are and gave you what you needed. They cherish you, and there’s nothing to be ashamed about with that.”
“But I left you!” he sobs. “I know what it’s like to lose control, and I still left you!”
“No, Tesoro. No, you didn’t. You kept yourself safe.” Silent tears roll down my face, and I wish I could take his pain onto me. I wish I could make him understand how much I love him. “You did exactly what I would always want you to do. You put yourself, and your safety, first.”
Without thought, I break and capture his face in my hands, leaning uncomfortably to do it. But I want him to look in my eyes, to see my belief in him, even as I’m the one stripped raw.
“M-m-master?” he whispers.
“You did nothing wrong. You have the biggest heart of anyone I know, and I’m so fucking proud of you.” I don’t give him time to argue. Instead, I capture his lips, trying to sear the truth onto his soul in the only way I know how.
Letting him go, I brush one last kiss on his forehead, reminding myself—and him—of how much he means to me. Standing up straight, I can’t resist looking over at Tennant. For a man who so rarely shows emotions, the rawness is painted across his face right now, and I shudder from the force of it. Fuck.
It takes a moment for me to remember how to breathe, how to find my way back to reality, and by the time I do, he’s shut it all down again. His face is once again a mask of nothingness. Still, that peek behind the curtain tells me more than I ever hoped for. Because while I am grateful to him and Hollis, now I know for certain, these are the two men that will always protect Emilio, including from ourselves.
Pulling myself away from my thoughts, I turn back toward my heart, and this time, I open the drawer to the nightstand and take out a flogger. The hitch in Emilio’s breath is enough to make my cock begin to harden, but after a moment of shock, the idea of actually feeling sexual arousal is so foreign at this point, I shut it down. This is for him, not me. Never me. I’d cut off my dick if I could, so I could never hurt my love again.
“You deserve a reward for being honest,” I say roughly, knowing exactly what the dark promise in my voice does to him. “Isn’t that right?”
“Please, Master.” He begs so sweetly.
“That’s right. I’ll always give my sweet Boy what he needs.” I pray that’s true. I vow it always will be from now on.
Keeping the memories in the forefront of my mind, including all the lessons that taught me the right way to inflict pain, instead of the fucked up ways my father had taught me, I zero in on Emilio’s ass and start out with the perfect hit. It's just enough for the beginning of redness to bloom across it.
He yelps, but it changes quickly to a moan. I don’t let up, my focus narrowing only on him, his pleasure and pain. On the control I’m exerting, and the sweet gift of submission he gives me. This…this is what I can give him. I can take away the emotional turmoil and give him something else to focus on.
Increasing the intensity, I watch the redness grow, the heat almost pouring off him. Now it’s a battle of wills. His or mine. Which of us will break first, and I fucking pray like I never have in the past that he breaks before my mind does. He needs to let go, to get that release.
Gritting my teeth, I ramp up once again, sweat dotting my forehead as the hitches in his breath come faster. I sense Tennant moving behind me, but I ignore him. I can’t take the time to reassure him when I know what Emilio needs. Fuck, Tennant could stick a knife in me right now, and unless the devil manages to take my soul, I. Will. Not. Stop.
And then, it happens. Sobs like nothing else rack my sweet Boy’s body, release and relief crashing through him. As much as I want to toss the fucking flogger aside and hold him, I can’t. Not yet. Instead, I meticulously start to decrease the force and speed of the hits, bringing him down from that high slowly, instead of letting him crash to earth. As soon as I can, I drop the flogger, barely realizing I’m gulping for air the same as him, as trembles hit me.
I reach for the nightstand drawer again, pulling out the cream to use on him. Aftercare. The most important part of this.The time to reconnect and let him know how very loved he is. Part of me wonders if I should leave it to his Daddy. Wouldn’t that be better?
“Master,” Lio whimpers, and it steals my heart, just as he has been doing since the beginning when I faced him down as a captive. I’m not sure when it switched, when suddenly he became the captor, but fuck if he’s not. He holds my very life in his hands, even if he doesn’t realize it.
“I’m here, Tesoro. I’m here,” I murmur, applying the cream to his ass before tossing it aside. I undo the ties easily and help him move down on the bed, so that he can sprawl out. I hesitate, but only briefly, before I join him.
I don’t deserve it, and I know that, but fuck if I can resist. I gather him close in my arms and whisper how proud I am of him, how much I love him, and I hope that even a small amount of the love I have for him gets through. I think it must because as he quiets, he snuggles into me, his body fully relaxed as he breathes out.
I feel the bed depress, but I don’t pay attention to it. I can’t. Whether he’s joining us, or he plans to take my love from me… Fuck, I just can’t think right now.
All that matters is that Emilio finally broke. He gave in to the emotional upheaval he’s been fighting, and he won because he came out the other side. And if I have my way, I’ll always be here to guide him through it.
Although, there's no fucking way I’ll let anyone touch my Little One again. Not while there’s breath left in my body, or any amount of life clings to me, because he’s all that matters. As it should be…
Well, that didn’t go as expected, and for a moment, I feel bad for Allesandro. Just for a moment, though. Pity…is an emotion that doesn’t belong here.
“Are you okay?” I ask quietly. There’s a beat of silence, and that’s all my patience allows for before I try again. “Sandro, how are you doing?”
He startles, looking across the bed to me, his blue eyes not as vibrant as they should be after his first scene connecting with his Boy. “Oh…you’re asking me?”
I bite my tongue to avoid saying something scathing. “Lio is out for now; the emotions and endorphins took him quickly.”
