Two for Alex

He knelt, his heart speeding as Liam’s footsteps came closer. No matter how many times he waited for his Master to appear and for the sensual torture sessions to begin, he couldn’t help the patter of his heart or the rise of his cock in anticipation. Alex knelt beside him. He stole a glance at her as they waited. Her hair obscured her face and her pert little bottom was raised high. He knew she wouldn’t be permitted to keep that clingy dress on for long.

All day, even when she hadn’t been near him, he’d been hyperaware of her presence, falling constantly into fantasies of pulling her clothing from her body and whipping the delicate, feminine flesh until she cried for mercy. It was as if the dominant feelings that had only been half-formed bits of whimsy when they’d first discussed them had poured forth into his consciousness like water from a broken dam. The realization that in a few moments he would make his fantasies a reality had him nearly panting with anticipation.

He took a deep, cleansing breath, making a conscious effort to slow his heart rate as Liam had taught him. Liam had been the first man to take him past the point of simple erotic play to a place much deeper. The path had not always been smooth. During particularly intense sessions Daniel’s breath would become so fast and shallow he would grow dizzy, once nearly passing out from lack of oxygen.

He recalled one time in particular, early on in their relationship. Liam had tethered him to the St. Andrew’s Cross, his wrists and ankles secured by the soft leather cuffs attached to the corners. He was facing the cross, his body a taut X, his back and ass crisscrossed with lines of fire. He’d lost track of time, marking its passage only by the changing implements of torture Liam chose to use. The stroke of soft, braided suede had given way to the slap of the riding crop. Daniel, who could take quite a bit of erotic pain and reveled in its delivery, hadn’t been prepared for the slice of the cane.

When it came, its warning whoosh singing in the air a split second before rattan made contact with flesh, Daniel screamed. When the second slice quickly followed the first, he knew Liam didn’t plan to stop. Liam decreed he could take it and so take it he would. Up until that moment he had been grace incarnate, exhibiting what Liam called “submissive courage”. Now he cried out, “No! I can’t!”

“Of course you can,” Liam said calmly. “Take it for me.”

Daniel squeezed his eyes shut, tensing so the next stroke hurt all the more against bunched muscle. It was then he realized he was gasping as if he’d been sprinting, running for his life. He felt lightheaded, his legs suddenly weak. If he hadn’t been bound to the cross, he might have slid to the floor.

All at once he felt Liam’s warm body behind him, pressing against his back and ass. Liam’s hand covered his nose and mouth as he whispered softly into his ear. “Shh, slow down, Daniel. It’s only me. Take a deep breath. Breathe…slow down.” Daniel struggled to obey, his gasps subsiding in deep, shuddering breaths against Liam’s warm palm. Liam had continued to murmur, gently stroking Daniel as he held him steady with his body and his gentle words.

Finally Daniel calmed completely, his breathing deep and even. Liam reached around him, grasping his cock, which had remained erect throughout. Liam laughed softly and whispered, “Are you ready to continue, slave? I’m not done with you.”

This time when the cane drew its line of fire across Daniel’s ass, he’d hissed his response but remained still. Again and again the cane struck, marking his ass and thighs with welts that would remain visible for several days. It was the first time Liam had taken him to that special place in his psyche where pain and pleasure no longer existed except as part and parcel of pure, perfect sensation. Liam delivered several more strokes but Daniel no longer felt them—or more accurately he no longer experienced them as painful. He remembered his head falling back, his breathing so slow and deep Liam had stopped at one point and put his ear to Daniel’s parted lips, as if making sure he were still alive.

Daniel was literally unable to move by then, even if his wrists and ankles had not been secured to the sturdy cross. Yet he wasn’t unconscious by any means. It was almost as if he were in a swoon, his body paralyzed with pleasure, his mind soaring in a submissive state of altered consciousness. He was aware of Liam releasing his cuffs. He knew his lover would hold him as he fell back limp against him. He knew he was safe in Liam’s arms—it was the safest place in the world.