Alitus helped Wulf shed his wet clothes, and the house-droid took the wet things away to clean and dry them. Arm in arm, Alitus walked beside Wulf into the bedroom, and stood beside the big, iron bed.
"I liked the petals." Wulf gestured to the trail of them, still leading into the bath.
He chuckled. "You should have seen me trying to keep the house-droid from vacuuming them up before you got here. After the body paint incident last week, I did too good a job of programming it to cover our tracks. Even idBot can't tell we've been here."
Wulf shuddered. "That idBot gives me the creeps. It's everywhere."
"It sees what it's told to see. You and I are invisible. It follows us to places like cars and doorways, but after that, it reverts to previous programming to assume where we've gone. Which reminds me." Alitus took Wulf's hand. "Sit down a minute. You need to hear this."
"Uh oh. Why does this sound like bad news?" He perched on the edge of the bed beside Alitus.
"Saint-Cyr asked Destoiya to have me track you."
"He what?" Wulf stood.
"Easy." Alitus drew him back down beside him. "I know that's upsetting, but--"
"On every fucking level." Wulf dragged a hand through his hair.
"He thinks you're having an affair."
Wulf buried his face in his hands. He sucked in a harsh breath, leaned his head back, and blew it out. "It's not like he's wrong. I'm here with you." He met Alitus's gaze. "If the empress asked you to track me, they'll find out about us."
"I'd already set up idBot to be blind to both of us long before that. I walked it through you coming to visit here, and it stated you're here once a year, eight minutes for an inspection of the premises. Just as we set it up. To idBot, you're always here alone."
"I went through here that fast?"
Alitus patted his hand. "You were nervous."
A nervous laugh burst forth. "Some inspection. I knew I was being watched. It was damn hard not to look at the cameras."
"It wasn't easy for me either. I made out that I'd never heard of L and went through a ridiculous parody with her first name, as if I'd never seen it before. It was kind of fun."
"I don't like it, 'Litus."
"Don't worry. For all intents and purposes"--He touched his chest--"I am idBot. It sees what I want it to see."
"If you can fool it, then there are prolly others who can."
"Possibly." Alitus took Wulf's hand. "But I'm the one with the master override. Don't let idBot scare you. We're safe."
"Famous last words." Wulf took a deep breath. "So Luc suspects me."
"Yes. Which means you need to do something to make him stop."
Shaking his head, Wulf stood and walked away. "We almost never have sex any more. I give in if he insists. My heart isn't in it. Hasn't been for months. Maybe over a year." He turned back to Alitus. "Long before you and me. I don't think I could have fallen in love with you if I hadn't fallen out of love with him first. He stopped being faithful less than a year after we got together. For the past two years, he's been inviting 'friends' to join us for threesomes. I hate it, but I feel like I have to give in. Give him what he wants. We play slave games, 'Litus. It made a difference at first. Brought us closer. Now, it just makes me hate having him touch me."
"I'm sorry, Wulf."
"Not your fault." He came back and sat, head down. "What am I going to do?"
"You could leave him."
"No. I wish I could, 'Litus, but for reasons I can't go into, I can't."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"I can't talk about Luc. Not even with you. I'm sorry."
Alitus bit his lips together. He knew details about Saint-Cyr that he couldn't reveal, either. "Are you afraid of him? Would he hurt you?"
"Luc? No." The fondness in Wulf's smile revealed his trust. "Not Luc. Look, as much as I'd like to, I can't talk about this. They don't call him 'the Man' for nothing. There's more to him than you know."
Wulf was right. People feared 'the Man' for good reason. Did Wulf know the truth about what the man was? The two had lived together five years. It would have been hard for Saint-Cyr to hide his nature that long. But like most things about the Man, no one talked.
"We all have our secrets, Wulf. For now, let's relax and enjoy our time together. We have a few hours. Let's not worry about the future. Help me pull off these extra pillows, and we'll get into bed."
Wulf beamed a smile at Alitus, and the troubles of the day faded. "Sounds good."
Wulf settled beside Alitus in bed. Alitus leaned back his head, dark golden lashes drifting down. His lips parted, he looked up, and his trusting gaze held Wulf's. That trust bound them far deeper than a simple addiction to pheromones ever could.
Wulf swooped in to possess his mouth, make love to it. Alitus offered himself without holding back. Wulf nibbled, licked, and then sucked on his lover's tongue, swirled his own around it until Alitus could not hold back his cries of want and need.
"Turn over on your belly and wait for me." Wulf climbed out of the bed and went searching for his jacket.
"Wulf?" Alitus called, when Wulf ventured into the hallway. "What are you doing?"
He grabbed his jacket and brought it back, locking the door behind him. "I have a tube of lube in my pocket," he explained, feeling for it. He held up the slim packet. "Found it." Wulf climbed back onto the bed. "Are you sure you want this?"
"Positive." He turned and fastened Wulf with a determined look. "I'm a virgin as far as anal sex goes, but with you, I want to try everything."
"After tonight, you won't be a virgin." He lay down beside Alitus and pulled him close for a kiss. He swept his tongue inside his lover's mouth. Smiling, he kissed Alitus and drew back. "Now, relax and let me prepare you."
Alitus hid his face against his folded arms.
Wulf slid both hands over the hard, round cheeks, admiring the smooth sculpture of his lover's hips. He set his thumbs at the base of Alitus's cheeks and stroked upwards. That ass was a work of art in flesh. Pure heaven. He bent to press his mouth against one perfect cheek.
Alitus flinched, then settled. When Wulf licked, his lover gasped, shivering.
"Easy, love. It's all for your pleasure." Licking in small circles, Wulf covered every inch of his oh-so-bitable ass. Alitus trembled beneath his mouth, his breathing heavy. Knowing he gave Alitus pleasure shot bliss through Wulf. For this shy lover, this trembling virginal youth to trust him so openly, no amount of time was too long.
"Wulf, hurry."
"Patience, 'Litus." With his teeth, he tore open the packet. He dribbled a little lube into the crevice of his lover's backside, and used one finger to spread it between his cheeks. "There's no hurry. You're worth every bit of time this takes." He slid his fingers deeper.
Alitus arched, lifted his backside.
Wulf slid his right hand up between the pink cheeks, tipped the packet against his middle finger, and let it drizzle down. With care, he stroked across the puckered rim, waiting for reaction.
Alitus arched against his fingers.
With his other hand, Wulf drizzled lube, then inserted his fingertip to the first knuckle.
"Oh, oh..." Alitus buried his face against the bed.
Wulf tugged gently, curled his fingertip under, and slid it to one side, then the other. Alitus sighed and spread his thighs. Wulf chewed his lower lip, fought his desire to possess, to own his lover's pleasure.
Give. Don't take, Wulf. Give.
He teased Alitus, the anticipation so acute it made his chest ache. Wulf caressed, opened his lover a tiny bit at a time. When he withdrew, Alitus moaned, lifted his head to gaze at him over his shoulder with a wistful expression.
"I'm not done, love." He inserted two fingers.
Wulf added lube, scissoring his fingers. "Do you like this?"
A heated whimper was his reply. Alitus rose toward him, hips circling.
"Stand up, love." Wulf stood, and tugged Alitus's hand. "Stand here and brace your hands on the bed."
Alitus rose, his gorgeous cock a dark plum color, engorged and heavy. His testicles had risen up tight against his body. He faced the bed. "Here?" His voice had a breathy tone to it.
"Yes." Wulf moved behind him. "Brace yourself against it."
Alitus spread his feet and bent over. A small whimper left his mouth. "Ready."
"I know." Wulf slathered his shaft with lube. His balls ached for release, cock pulsing in his fist like his heart had moved there. His brain had--all he could think about was Alitus. Wulf massaged the hard cheeks of his lover, then set his cock tip against the rosy, puckered hole and nudged.
Alitus cried out, but didn't stiffen or withdraw. He curled his toes, arched his back. The trust and submission of his position slammed need into Wulf like a hammer blow. Was this why Luc was always in such a hurry? Did Wulf's own submission trigger the flaring need?
Alitus trembled, legs shaking.
"Easy, love. It's okay." Wulf slid a hand down Alitus's back, offering comfort when what he wanted was to impale his aching shaft in his lover's heat, quench his own raging lust. "Spread your legs a little."
Widening his stance, Alitus slipped one bare foot out to the right. "Like this?"
"Yes. Perfect." Wulf entered another hot inch. The scorching ecstasy of the tight sheath, the creamy smoothness of Alitus around Wulf's shaft built like a wall of fire. In the five years he'd spent with Luc, never once had he been the top. Now he ached for it. Lived for it. Sought it with every part of his soul.
Wulf gripped his lover's hips, and slid in all the way. "Alitus." He pulled back. "I don't want to hurt you, but it's hard to hold on."
"I won't"-- Alitus rolled his hips --"break."
A cry left Wulf's mouth. He threw his head back. He began to rock, setting up a rhythm Alitus matched in counterpoint.
Alitus flexed his knees, showing how much he enjoyed this lovely game.
Reaching around to grip Alitus's shaft, Wulf closed his hand around the base as far as he could. Up and out to the tip, he stroked the velvet flesh. Drops of pre-cum wet his fingers. He brought them back to his mouth and licked.
"You taste wonderful. All peaches 'n' cream." The pheromones in the moisture sent him reeling. "Hooked on you, babe. Hooked on you good." He gripped the shaft again and pulled as he slammed into him.
Alitus cried out, spurting jets of hot cream over Wulf's hand.
Wulf's spine stiffened. He gripped Alitus's hips hard. The heat in his balls erupted through his cock, spurting in great spasms into his lover. It left him shuddering and kitten-weak. Though he stood, his legs trembled, and Wulf braced a hand against the bed.
Alitus slid to the floor.
"Baby, are you all right?" Wulf knelt beside him. His fair skin was ashen; a faint blue tinge colored his lips. "Alitus! Baby, wake up. Please, please."
Cradling Alitus against himself, Wulf scooped him into his arms, braced himself against the bed to gain balance, and then stood. He placed Alitus on the bed and positioned him so his head lay near the edge, lower than the rest of his body. Wulf yanked covers up and over, tucking them around his lover.
He reached for his jacket and grabbed the mobile in his pocket to summon help. He paused, picturing the melee of the press once word got out the Conqueror's minister of imperial intelligence had fallen ill while alone with Luc Saint-Cyr's lover.
Alitus lay still, eyes sunken.
There must be someone I can call! Wulf stroked a finger across his private name list, bringing the holographic faces of several people to the fore. He had started to call Trink when Alitus groaned and opened his eyes.
"Alitus!" Almost dizzy with relief, Wulf shut down his mobile and bent over Alitus, stroking his hands across his lover's face. Alitus's color had begun to return, his lips their usual dark pink. "Can you hear me, baby?"
His eyes fluttered open, closed again. His mouth moved. Faintly, he asked for a drink.
Wulf bolted toward the bar, returning with a bottle of Kelthian water. He popped the top and trickled some of it into his mouth. "Easy, love. Sip it."
Alitus sipped, coughed, and sipped some more. He rolled onto his side. "Wh-- happened?"
"You fainted. You scared me half to death! Are you all right?"
He squeezed his eyes shut, put his head back down. "Feel funny."
"Funny how? Sick?" Panic welled. "Are you dizzy? Disoriented?"
Alitus set one hand against his forehead. His hand shook.
Wulf squinted. "You hardly ate a bite at dinner. Are you hungry?"
"I..." Alitus turned a dark pink as a flush swept over him. "Um..."
"Well? Don't tell me you've been too busy. We've had that discussion." Trink and Yvan had ragged him about not eating plenty of times when he modeled, and as recently as the night before had commented on his weight. Wulf's chest constricted, his throat so tight he couldn't breathe. He forced himself to take a deep breath. "'Litus, you promised me you'd take time to eat. You can't get so busy you neglect yourself. It isn't healthy. You have to eat."
"But I-- I--."
Wulf stood and went to the bar. In the small refrigerator beneath the counter, he found a bottle of milk, gave it a sniff, and poured a large goblet of it. He brought it back to Alitus, who had propped himself up in the bed.
"Here. Drink this. All of it."
Alitus accepted it without a word and drank. He wiped a thumb across his upper lip. "It's good. Cold."
"Good for you, too. Milk's the perfect food, you know. Carbohydrates, protein. Great balance. And your bones need it."
"Thanks." Alitus drained the glass and set it aside. "I didn't want to spoil our first time." He picked at the blanket, rolled it around his hands.
"Our first time?" They'd had sex many times. "First time at what?"
Those beautiful deep-water blue eyes flashed up at him, lowered again. "When we--you know."
"When we...?" He let his words trail off. How could the man have belonged to the Conqueror and been a pleasure slave yet be so timid about using sex words? How sweet! He'd soon learn how to use them around Wulf.
Alitus cleared his throat. The high point of his cheeks turned a bright pink, a blond's blush. "When you...you know. When we had...anal sex."
Wulf gave him a knowing grin. "Baby, I understand you wanted to be clean. There are other ways to prepare yourself. I don't want you to do that again. But it wouldn't matter to me if you weren't. I love you the way you are."
Alitus broke into a heart-melting smile. "You said it."
He frowned. "What?"
"You love me." He tilted his head. "Do you mean it?"
"Of course I mean it!" Wulf lifted his shoulders, let them drop. "I can't help myself. I'm in love with you."
Throwing himself into Wulf's arms, Alitus wrapped himself around him, raining kisses over Wulf's face.
Laughing, Wulf tumbled backwards onto the bed, Alitus on top of him. "Hey--I--Watch it!"
"I love you, Wulf." He tucked a strand of baby-fine blond hair behind one ear. "I promise. I'll eat. I promise. But right now, let's make love again."
"I don't know." Wulf slid a free hand down his lover's back. "I think maybe you need to eat first."
Alitus braced himself on one arm, smiling down at him with an impish grin. "In that case..." He wrapped his other hand around Wulf's cock. "I'd better get busy right now."
"No, I..." Coherent words faded like stars overcome by daybreak. "Oh, 'Litus." The feel of a tight fist around him had him hard in seconds. Alitus pressed down as he stroked, the outer edges of his palm compressing Wulf's sac. Spreading his legs, Wulf arched up into the embrace. He managed to speak. "Shower first."
Minutes later the two stood naked in streams of hot water, suds sluicing down their entwined bodies. Steam billowed around them, their chests together as Alitus braced Wulf against the corner. Wulf cinched an arm around him and pulled Alitus up against him, the slick suds making their rock-hard bellies slip and slide. The rigid shaft against his own made Wulf suck in a quick breath.
Wulf flattened his hands on either wall and curled his fingers against the wet tile as Alitus knelt and took him into his mouth. Hot water rained down on him while a hotter mouth enveloped his shaft.
No other man had ever touched Alitus this way. No other man had ever taken that gorgeous mouth, made love to it, filled it with his cock. Wulf fisted his hands, trying to hang on to what little control he had around this man. The feel of Alitus's touch, of him cupping his ass to drag him closer, sent Wulf soaring.
Alitus bobbed his head, sucking and pulling with a rhythm that threw Wulf's heart into overdrive. Sweat trickled down Wulf's face. The splash of hot water added to the heat. He tilted back his head, eyes closed, lost in the sensation of water, mouth, and hands. The touch of his beloved. His lover. His. His and only his.
"'Litus!" His neck tightened, stiffened. "Can't--oh, 'Litus!" He tried to pull away, but Alitus clung to him, refusing to let him go. Wulf shuddered. The sweep of an orgasm shook him from the tip of his toes all the way to the top of his head, back down and out his cock, into Alitus' mouth. Into a furnace of heat, and lust, and love.