Nineteen more then. “You should count, out loud,” I said, feeling rather sadistic.
“Okay.”
“And you’re not allowed to come until I’m inside you,” I reminded him.
He gulped. “I’ll try.”
“You’ll succeed.” Jeez, I was getting into this a bit too easily. Without giving him time to think, I cracked my palm across his opposite cheek. He hissed, but said steadily, “One.”
By the time we reached a dozen, I was doubting my future career as a dom. My palms fuckingstung.But we’d made an agreement, so I’d stick to it. “How many was that, Charley?”
He whimpered. “Twelve.”
“Colour?”
“Still green.” And his dick was still hard enough to cut diamonds.
I kept going.
By the time I laid the final slap on him, the sounds pouring from his mouth were filthy; guttural syllables that were no more than moans pretending to be words. I shook out my ringing palms for a moment as I took in the wondrous sight of his crimson backside. Handprint over handprint had merged into a cloud of colour. He was even prettier like this than usual.
“On your back.” I made a grab for the lube, coating my desperate cock with care. I was so primed, I was frightened I’d go off before I got inside him. Charley turned over with a similar degree of care, and sucked in a whistled breath as his scarlet arse made contact with the sheet. His pupils were blown so wide, there was only a suggestion of sapphire rimming them. “Hold your legs open,” I commanded him.
Even with the lube, he was so tight I had to be hurting him. But he canted his hips towards me, forcing me deeper. His dark fringe was plastered to his forehead, his gaze glassy. “Please, fuck me hard,” he begged. And as usual with Charley, I didn’t know how to say no. Dropping to my elbows, I grasped his shoulders and used the leverage to pound into him. Sweat blurred my vision and trickled down my back, my chest, my temples. This wasn’t going to take long.
Charley wailed, high and thin. His grasp on his thighs abandoned, he clawed the sheet as his dick shot ropes of cum over his stomach, chest, and even his chin. His orgasm seemed endless. I dragged my nose through the creamy mess, then licked some into my mouth, before slanting my lips over his and demanding a bruising kiss. As our tongues touched, my climax hit like a runaway freight train and my head exploded in a shower of fireworks. The world outside my eyelids went dark.
When I came to, Charley was on his side, watching me. “Are we good now?” he asked in a hushed tone.
“Definitely,” I slurred. “I’m sorry too, y’know.” It felt important to say it out loud.
Charley blinked slowly. “I know.”
I stretched out a hand and caught his fingers between mine. “Wanna shower…or?”
His laugh was light and carefree. “Good fucking luck if you can crawl that far. I’m gonna snuggle.” He draped a languid arm over my hip and passed out. It seemed like a good idea. I followed him into oblivion.
* * *
The house wasquiet when we woke some time in the late afternoon. The bed was ruined, so together we stripped and remade it, sticking the dirty laundry outside the door to be collected as Eleanor had told us to. It felt wrong, as if we expected room service, but Charley reminded me how Pavel seemed to enjoy his duties, and perhaps we’d upset him by offering to do the laundry ourselves.
We ate in the dining room, along with Eleanor. Dalziel and Baxter joined us during dessert, Baxter with another bottle of red wine, Dalziel with a glass of blood, and sporting a long-suffering expression that spoke volumes about the low-level teasing he was presumably on the receiving end of from Baxter. Her eyes were lively and her tone irreverent, as we chatted in a way that suggested confirmation that they shared a long history. I decided I liked her enormously. Anyone who could ruffle Dalziel’s feathers and get away with it was all right with me, even if she was a bloodsucker.
Pavel cleared the table and offered tea, coffee and a cheese board. I was still ravenous, but hesitated until Charley said he’d like some grapes if Pavel had any. The shadow cracked a real smile and assured the young master it would be an honour. When he left the room, I addressed Dalziel.
“Why does Pavel call Charley ‘young master’?”
Dalziel’s haughty face returned. “Because he is my son, of course. Proper deference is important. Pavel would be mortified to show any hint of disrespect to his master’s progeny.”
“He is a shadow then. I thought as much.”
Dalziel’s jaw tightened. “Pavel is a very valued member of my entourage. Please remember to use his name at all times. He is much more than his designation.”
Jeez, I’d touched a nerve. Dalziel’s eyes said he’d be more than happy to throw me over a high cliff, preferably to some vicious rocks below. I steeled myself not to drop my gaze as I apologised and promised not to mess up again. I still wondered if he fucked his shadow or not. That was one creepy relationship.
Baxter winked at me from behind Dalziel’s shoulder. “Looking forward to your film debut then, Luc?”
Deft change of subject. I barely stifled a wince at the thought of what was to come. “I wouldn’t say it was top of my to do list,” I snarked, “but I’m sure Charley will make me forget we’re being filmed.”
