Page 26 of Sanctuary After Dark

I blanched a little at Diego's words because that's exactly what this was. I was being a whore for Daddy. I was letting his friend touch me like he did and use my mouth. But if this was what it took for Daddy not to play with anyone else, I would do it, because if I lost him, I wouldn't have anything.

I just hoped that this would be the only time he made me do this.

Swallowing down my panic and disgust, I opened my mouth.

Chapter 9

Walking into the Rope Haven room a couple of days later, my mind was still on the pool party that we had over the weekend. How I had sat back and watched Elias come out of his shell more and more. He had been so nervous to show off any part of his body, and I completely understood that. But I also wanted to push him a little out of his comfort zone so that he could grow and become more comfortable with his body. From what I have seen, he had a beautiful body, scars and all.

I was so proud of him for agreeing to the compromise I put forward. He showed off his legs while keeping his torso and arms covered. The swim shorts he wore hit around mid-thigh, and I had seen some of his scars marring his pale skin. The anger that had coursed through me was hard to swallow down, but I managed. I had to remind myself that Elias was safe, and that Jack was behind bars awaiting trial.

Once the party started, he had stayed close to me or Lincoln, but slowly he started gravitating towards the others in the pool.

He accepted Raven's invitation to play Marco Polo with the other Littles, and I was thrilled. Leave it to Raven to be the den mother and make sure that everyone felt like they belonged. I had already sent them flowers as a thank you, and since that day I had seen Elias hanging out with some others around the house. He was making friends and coming out of his shell.

The rest of that day I watched as he smiled and laughed more. As his body relaxed around everyone and he started to talk and get to know them. How he leaned on Lincoln and myself, but was also confident enough to go off on his own and play.

Being able to dote on him and care for him like I would if I had a Little of my own was something I didn't even realize I had been missing. We had play partners now and then, but it wasn't the same as having a sub of our own to take care of. Watching Lincoln laugh and play with him in the pool while also ensuring his well-being made my heart ache to make this boy ours. He had so much fun, and it made me so happy to see how he was blossoming.

But I knew he still had a long way to go with his healing.

Today was hopefully another step in that direction with an exposure session that we had planned with Alec.

Heading towards the stage along the far wall, I greeted the others who had arrived for the demo. We had this planned already for our members months ago, and after we spoke to Alec and went over the details, we had all agreed that it would be a good demo for Elias to sit in on. It was a demo by one of my really good friends who specialized in shibari work and compression therapy. He was a doctor in New York and a shibari master who studied rope with me while in Japan. We hit it off right away and stayed in contact over the years. He was visiting for a while and had agreed to do a demo on how shibari was an amazing tool for compression therapy.

I smiled as I approached Liam and his boyfriend while they spoke about what they were going to be doing.

"Glad you could finally get time out of your busy schedule to grace us with your presence.” He turned towards me and laughed before taking my outstretched hand and shaking it.

"Lucas, it's good to see you again. I've been looking forward to this and finally being able to visit the place. It's gorgeous. You and your brother have really built a sanctuary here."

I grinned and nodded as I looked around for a moment at everyone who had shown up and was mingling around the chairs and seats we had placed around the room.

"Hence the name. We're proud of it. This room, though, is my personal slice of sanctuary."

Liam hummed in approval as he looked around before motioning to his boyfriend.

"Oh, this is my boyfriend and my sub, Elijah. Darling, this is Lucas."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, sir."

Grinning at the boy and how polite he was, I moved to shake his hand as well. Liam had always liked them more obedient than me. I loved a brat who liked to push back, or a Little with a goofy sense of humor. Ideally, I would like both.

"The pleasure is mine. If you need anything at all, both of you, don't hesitate to ask. I'll be over in the corner there with Lincoln and Alec. We also have a sub we're helping with PTSD and exposure therapy, so he'll be with us as well, observing. His name is Elias."

Glancing over to the couch that we set up off to the corner of the stage, I smiled watching Lincoln, Elias, and Alec, already there and getting comfortable. Elias looked nervous but also curious as he looked around the room. I wanted to feed that curiosity and draw it out more. To show him how amazing rope work could be.

"Oh, he's an adorable little thing, isn't he? And by the look on your face and your brother's, I take it you want to claim him?" Liam smirked while he let his eyes roam over Elias.

Looking over at my friend, I chuckled as I rubbed my hand over the back of my neck. A nervous habit I had.

"Eventually, yes. If he'll have us. But we're trying not to push anything right now since he's working through his PTSD. We don't want to ruin any healing he's already done and set him back."

Liam nodded as he watched Elias press closer to Lincoln on the couch while people started to take their seats.

"I see. Well, he's in the best place for it, and I think this demo could really help him. Have you done any rope work on him yet? You know as well as I do it can be an amazing tool, especially for trauma."

I shook my head before I reached out to straighten one of the rope bundles on the table. "Not yet. He listed it as a kink on the list we had him fill out, but also a soft limit, because it had been a part of his abuse. He's conflicted about it and still liking it, while also fearing it. That's why Alec, Lincoln, and I thought this would be a good demo for him to attend."