Chapter Fourteen

Time in Luke’s study had given Skye a chance to clear his head. He was glad to be rid of the gag, which had left a funny taste in his mouth. His nipples still ached from the clamps and the memory of the shocking pain when Luke had taken them off would stay with him for quite a while. He’d had no idea that their removal would be so agonizing compared to having them attached. Next time—because he was sure there would be a next time, having seen the glee in Luke’s eyes—he’d make sure to have some ice cubes to hand. He worried that he’d enjoyed the experience a bit too much but then dismissed the thought. Moderate pain was one of his kinks. Luke was helping him realize that.

Reenergized, he’d bounced through dinner service and was now looking forward to the slave auction. Dinner had been an amazing, decadent feast. Saul had dressed as a Roman emperor, complete with crown, while Roy had donned a golden toga. Goran had drawn admiring, lustful glances in his gladiator get-up, complete with leather skirt, and the other guests seemed to have taken their inspiration from episodes of Spartacus, the Doms wearing almost as little as their subs.

In celebration of the last evening of a memorable week, Fergus and Henry had forgone costumes and were parading around in nothing more than cock rings, collars and sandals. They seemed to be enjoying every moment of the attention they were getting as a result. Skye was glad he hadn’t been asked to do the same. He’d fastened the strip of cloth he’d been provided with around his hips with several safety pins to ensure the knot didn’t give way at an inconvenient moment. Underneath, other than the chastity device, he was naked. Bending over had to be done with extreme care.

Goran had helped Fergus and Henry with the decorations and they’d produced a small stage for the auction offerings to stand on. Bidding would be done with a mixture of chocolate coins and Monopoly money, with Goran acting as auctioneer. Skye’s job was to keep the bidders supplied with snacks and drinks.

As the ‘sale’ commenced, Skye couldn’t stop laughing. Various incentives were offered alongside the monetary bids, ranging from jelly beans to flavored lube and fluorescent rubber cock rings. The event descended into a cheerful, hysterical riot as each Dom ‘won’ his own sub and appropriate gratitude was received. To Skye’s surprise, Rayne appeared, wearing wrist and ankle cuffs and a pink thong. Not very authentic, but no one seemed to care. Goran announced a secret bid had been received and Tor, still in his chef’s whites, appeared to claim his prize. Rayne’s grin spoke volumes as he was hoisted over Tor’s shoulder and carried toward the kitchen.

Fergus and Henry were the final, star lot. Offering themselves as a pair, bidding was heated, but they went to Roy and Saul, which was no surprise to Skye or anyone else. With the auction over, the various couples drifted toward their rooms determined to enjoy the last few hours of their break. Skye leaned against the wall, taking in the chaos that he had to clear before he could set up for breakfast. Everyone else was occupied, so he faced the task alone.

“I think they all enjoyed themselves, don’t you?”

“Luke!” Skye had no idea how his Dom managed to move so quietly. “Sir…were you watching?”

“In the background, yes. You did an excellent job. I’m proud of you.” Luke pulled Skye against him so that Skye’s back was pressed to Luke’s front. He stroked Skye’s belly before slipping a hand beneath his scanty costume to cup his arse. “Watching you move, knowing you were bare under here, I wanted to touch.”

“I…” Skye’s knees shook as Luke stroked between his legs, touching his balls, the soft skin behind them, the edge of his hole. “Sir…please.”

“Soon, sweetheart. Tonight I’m going to chain you to my bed, plug you, play with you. Tomorrow, you’re mine.”

“Already yours, Sir.” Skye’s senses overloaded. He pressed back against Luke’s body, needing to be held close.

“Indeed.” Luke kissed his neck. “I’ll help you clear. I get you to myself quicker that way.”

Skye worked on autopilot as he made trip after trip to the kitchen. There was no sign of Rayne or Tor. Benjy and Frank were clearing up, but focused on getting finished too. Skye decided that he’d get up early to lay for breakfast. All he wanted to do at that moment was be alone with Luke.

“Are we done?” Luke poked his head around the kitchen door.

“Yes, Sir.” Skye scampered toward Luke’s out-held hand.

“Good night, boys. Magnificent performance again this evening.” Luke still took the time to compliment Benjy and Frank. “Get yourselves to bed.”

“Yes, Mr. Redding. We’ll be done in a few minutes,” Benjy said, plunging his cloth into a sink of steaming water. “Can’t skimp. Tor is…”

“Demanding? Yes, I know.” Luke grinned. “We’ll see you both in the morning.”

Holding Skye’s hand tight, he tugged him all the way to the staff corridor—not that Skye needed any persuasion. Once they were inside Luke’s room, Skye let out a sigh of relief. It had been an exhausting evening and he hadn’t realized how much tension had built up in his shoulders.

“This barely merits the description of costume.” Luke fiddled with the safety pins before tugging the cloth from around Skye’s waist. “Oh, that’s much better.”

Skye kicked off his sandals, leaving him clad in his collar and chastity cage. He dropped to his knees, spreading his thighs wide, and clasped his hands behind his back.

“Very pretty.”

To Skye’s astonishment, and delight, Luke stripped to bare skin. He had the kind of muscle definition that Skye could only dream of, but wasn’t bulky. Skye guessed that all the running kept him lean. There was enough hair on his chest that Skye wanted to rub his cheek against it. He was erect, his cock bobbing as he walked closer. Skye parted his lips, desperate for a taste.

“Not yet, love. I want you on the bed. Lie on your back.”

Skye scrambled to do as he was told. Sometime during the day, Luke had fixed a set of manacles to each of the bed posts. He used them to chain Skye’s wrists and ankles, stretching his body into a taut star shape. Skye hardly noticed. He was fixating on Luke’s use of the word ‘love’. I’m sure it’s just a figure of speech. I know I’ve fallen hard for him, but he’s too controlled…it’s too soon. I’m the emotional one.

“I don’t know what’s going on in that busy head of yours,” Luke said as he knelt across Skye’s body. “But I’d appreciate your full attention.” He crawled up the bed until he straddled Skye’s head. His cock dipped tantalizingly close to Skye’s lips. “What’s your safe word?”

“Napoleon, Sir.”

“You won’t be able to use it all the time. Rattle the chains if you’re unable to speak but want me to stop.”

“I won’t want you to stop, Sir.”

Luke fucked Skye’s mouth like he owned it. All Skye could do, bound as he was, was lie there and take it. He had no opportunity to be an active participant in what was happening—he had no choice but to submit to Luke’s complete dominance. He relaxed his jaw and throat as best he could, ecstatic that Luke trusted himself to be so assertive. In its cage, Skye’s cock tried to stiffen, the rings of metal pressing hard into his aching flesh. He gripped the chains holding his arms, clutching the metal until it dug into his palms. Luke withdrew as he came. A few drops of hot liquid splashed Skye’s lips, which he licked with eager strokes of his tongue. The remainder of Luke’s release hit Skye’s chest and belly. Luke sat back on his haunches, panting, not resting all his weight on Skye’s legs.

Still taking care of me even now. Skye beamed, jubilant that he’d been part of Luke’s pleasure. He giggled as Luke ran a finger through the liquid on his chest.

“That tickles, Sir!”

“You smell of me now. I like that. If it weren’t so sticky, I’d be tempted to leave you like that but as it is…” He climbed off the bed, returning with a packet of wipes that he used to give Skye a cursory clean-up. “Do you need to use an enema kit before I plug you?”

Skye’s face heated. “No, Sir. I did that earlier. After I moved my things from my room.”

“You can always ask me to help you with it. It’s not so easy on your own.”

“I manage okay, Sir.” Skye couldn’t imagine letting anyone be involved in such a personal activity, even Luke.

“There’s no need to be embarrassed. I appreciate your forethought.”

“It’s a bit icky, Sir.”

“A strong relationship isn’t all hearts and flowers, Skye. I’m here for you whenever you need me. Icky or not.” Luke smiled and his eyes lit up. He released Skye’s wrists and ankles. “I’m going to use a bigger plug tonight—consider it part of your training.”

“So I can take you, Sir?”

“That won’t be a problem. You were made for me, but I want your first time to be as pain-free as possible. This will help.” He showed Skye a ridged black rubber plug.

“Oh…that’s big, Sir.”

“Not as big as me. Don’t worry, I’ll take it slow and use plenty of lube.” He coated the toy with a layer of glistening gel. “Pull your knees back.”

Skye gulped. He hooked his arms beneath his knees then pulled them to his chest, hyper aware of the view Luke now had.

“You have a beautiful arse.” Luke pressed the end of the plug to Skye’s hole. It was cold, making him flinch. Luke stroked Skye’s balls. “Perhaps a little distraction will help.”

“Oh God.” Skye willed his muscles to relax and the first part of the plug slipped inside him. He clenched his arse, gripping the invader, trying to push it out.

“It’s not going anywhere, love. Deep breaths.”

Each time Skye breathed in, Luke pushed a bit more of the plug into his channel. The stretch felt huge, but then the toy tapered.

“Well done.” Luke jiggled the end of the toy, making Skye gasp. His arse muscles seemed to have developed a mind of their own, working the plug in a rhythm that made Skye drop his legs. The change in position made him gasp again. The chastity device was getting painful.

“You have no idea how perfect you look, plugged and caged for my pleasure. Do you need the bathroom before we sleep?”

Skye shook his head because speech was beyond him. He shifted to one side of the bed wondering how he would manage a wink of sleep. With the warmth of Luke’s body pressed against him, his eyelids drooped.

“Sleep, Skye. That’s an order.”

Something in Skye’s brain registered the command and he had no choice but to submit to Luke’s will.

 

* * * *

 

More rested than he expected to be, Skye cruised through both the staff and guest breakfast services. Roy and Saul took the time to thank all the staff in person, even bringing Benjy and Frank from the kitchen to congratulate them on their excellent food. Fergus and Henry dealt with bringing all the luggage down to the front hall and Rayne parked the guests’ cars outside the front door. Each of them had been washed and polished until they gleamed, which got new exclamations of delight as the luggage was loaded. Skye hovered in the background, helping where he could. He accepted hugs from the submissives and had his hair tousled by the Dominants more times than he could count. Fergus and Henry had standing invitations from more than one couple if they ever wanted to stay in Manchester, or even to take a short city break.

Skye had overheard Saul trying to leave sizeable tips for everyone, but Luke had turned him down, telling him that there was no expectation of that kind of reward. The Retreat paid its staff very well and excellent service was expected as a matter of course, not because anyone thought they could be earning extra money. Roy promised to email some of the photos they’d taken that they were content to be used on the website, once he’d had a chance to edit them and Luke was very happy with that arrangement.

All in all, it was a very merry bunch who headed north with promises that they would be back and that they would be recommending The Retreat to all their friends. When the cars chugged in convoy down the drive, the place seemed very empty, and for a moment the staff looked at each other, a bit lost.

Skye stood close to Luke, needing his proximity but not really understanding why.

“This is about as close to top drop as you’ll get when you’re working. It’s like the feeling you get when you come out of subspace and the real world is still waiting. It’s been an intense few days and I want you all to take time for yourselves. Relax, go out, have some fun. You’ll be doing the cleaning crew a favor because they won’t want you lot under their feet while they work.”

Fergus and Henry retreated to their respective rooms to catch up on some much-needed sleep, making plans with Rayne to have an outing that evening to the local pub. Goran said his goodbyes as he would be heading back to London and his job at The Underground. Tor was going to travel with him as Goran had a car, because an old friend was staying in the country for a few days and he wanted to take the chance to have a short visit.

“I could do with a mug of coffee right now,” Luke said. “Why don’t you and I head to the snug to plan our day?” He squeezed Skye’s shoulder.

“I’ll make the coffee, Sir, then meet you in there.” Skye was happy to have a defined task to do. That it was a job he could do for Luke made it even better. Even something as simple as providing a hot drink gave him intense pleasure.

He knew where everything was in the kitchen so it didn’t take him long to brew a pot of coffee. He stacked everything he needed on a tray, along with a plate of stem ginger cookies that either Benjy or Frank must have baked earlier that morning. If he ever had time, he intended to ask them if they could teach him to cook a few simple things. He wanted to be able to bake treats for Luke by himself rather than relying on others.

He carried the tray through to the snug, placing it on a low table in front of the chair Luke had chosen. Luke’s eyes were closed, his legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles, his hands behind his head. The tray clinked and he opened his eyes.

“Wonderful. Thank you, Skye. You’re doing a great job of looking after me.”

“You deserve it, Sir. You look tired. It’s been a demanding week, hasn’t it? Everybody here works so hard.”

“No more than you,” Luke said as he poured the coffee for both of them.

“But I don’t have the same level of responsibility or all the stress that comes with it,” Skye said.

“We all worry about different things, except Rayne. I don’t think that boy has ever had an anxious moment in his life.”

“He’s a free spirit. I think he craves control though, that’s why he’s so attracted to Tor. They make a good couple. Rayne drives Tor mad and Tor enjoys correcting him. I think Rayne likes spankings a lot more than I do, Sir.”

“You like them well enough.” Luke patted his lap and for a moment Skye wondered if he was expected to lie over Luke’s knees or sit on them. Either would have been fine with him.

“I just want to drink coffee and cuddle for a while. I think, after last night, I owe you some comfort time.”

Skye scrambled into Luke’s lap, snuggling close whilst being careful not to jiggle his drink. “I don’t understand, Sir. Last night was amazing. One of the most memorable experiences of my life.”

“I wasn’t gentle with you. I’m afraid I lost control for a while. I hope I didn’t hurt you.” Luke’s brow furrowed.

“You would never hurt me, Sir. I had my safe word and I know that if I’d used it you would have stopped. I’m not made of glass and I don’t want you to treat me like I’m fragile. I may still be working out what I want, but you’re helping me find out, and I love that.”

“I think I need to send Carey and Alistair a gift basket.” Luke chuckled and stroked Skye’s hair. “Their plotting brought us together. They recognized what I needed and gave me you. I wanted you from the first moment I saw you crossing the dining room at The Underground. So graceful, so shy. Every man there had his eyes on you and I wanted to take you and hide you away so I could keep you all to myself. You saw a side of me last night that you’ll see again. I hope that doesn’t scare you.”

“I can’t wait, Sir.” Skye petted the triangle of skin that he could get to above the top button of Luke’s shirt.

“Much as I’d like to spend the entire day in bed ravishing your gorgeous body,” Luke said, smiling, “I think it would be nice to spend some time together first. Would you like to go into Lyndhurst and have a walk around the shops? We could pretend to be tourists.”

“That sounds wonderful, Sir. Oh, but I completely forgot, I had a response to my email to Professor Doring and she invited me to call in this morning. I was going to go back to her and say it wasn’t convenient…”

“We can do that too. I can drive you there then wait in the car while you have your interview. Then we can go into Lyndhurst afterwards. Did she mention a specific time?”

“Any time before two this afternoon, Sir.”

Luke munched on a cookie. “Then, as soon as I’ve had another one of these, we’ll go.” He fingered Skye’s collar. “Would you like me to take this off?”

“No! It’s who I am,” Skye said. “She’ll probably just think it’s a fashion accessory anyway but if it makes a difference to her, then it’s not the right job for me. Wearing your collar doesn’t dissolve my brain cells. That happens when you touch me.”

Luke laughed. “Good to know. No difficult questions whilst in physical contact. Got it.”

Embarrassed, Skye buried his face against Luke’s chest. “I need to learn to control my mouth.”

“If I didn’t want you to talk, I’d gag you or order you to silence.”

“Is it wrong that just hearing you say that turns me on?” Skye mumbled into Luke’s shirt, not expecting a response.

“Wrong in a sexy, stimulating way.” Luke’s husky growl made Skye whimper.

“Oh God. You know, I don’t need a job. I have one. It’s gonna be cold out too. We should just stay here. Cuddle under the blankets. Naked.”

“Go and fetch your coat, Skye.” Luke lifted him off his lap. His expression was stern, but his eyes twinkled. “You’re turning into a bad influence.”

As he went to fetch his coat, a warm scarf and gloves Skye decided that he didn’t mind being a bad influence. He could be himself with Luke and that gave him confidence. It didn’t hurt that Luke was gorgeous. Finding him in the front hall wearing a black overcoat and black leather gloves gave Skye palpitations. He added leather gloves to his fetish list alongside spectacles.

“Ready?” Luke asked.

“Yes, Sir.”

“We’ll have to walk around to the garages to fetch my car. I don’t want to bother Rayne on his day off.” He kept his arm around Skye’s shoulders all the way to the converted stable block that served as The Retreat’s garage. His Lexus was housed at the far end and getting into it, the smell of the leather, brought back all Skye’s memories of the journey from London. It was hard to believe it had only been a week ago.

Pulling away, Luke gave him a sideways glance. “Déjà vu?”

“A little. It feels like a lifetime ago that you brought me here. I’ve learned so much already about what kind of submissive I want to be. I need to be. And that’s thanks to you. Do you remember asking me what I was dreaming about a few days ago? I promised to tell you.”

“You don’t have to.” Luke kept his eyes on the road, his grip firmly on the wheel.

“I dreamed about you, wearing leather,” Skye snickered. “You had no shirt on. The trousers had a laced fly and you started to undo them… Then I woke up, which was so unfair.”

There was a hint of pink on Luke’s cheeks. “You’ve never seen me in leather, have you? My trousers aren’t quite the way you describe them, but I’m sure I could do my best to make that particular dream come true.”

All moisture evaporated from Skye’s mouth. He was grateful for the chastity cage because otherwise he would be heading into a job interview with an erection. Hardly conducive to making a good impression on an esteemed academic.

Traffic was light and the drive to Rydings only took twenty minutes or so. The house was situated down a short lane in a picture-postcard hamlet. It was a beautiful property, Skye guessed Georgian in period, not massive but with extensive landscaped grounds. He could see the gazebo at one end of the garden and could well understand why it was a popular wedding venue. There was a fairy-tale quality to the setting that couldn’t fail to appeal to the romantic.

His anxiety, which had been kept at bay by Luke’s presence, grew exponentially once Luke had parked the car.

“I’ll be waiting here when you’re done,” Luke said. “You’d better go in. Good luck, not that you’ll need it.” He gave him a quick kiss.

Gripping the car door handle, Skye hesitated. He was about to suggest to Luke that they gave the whole thing up as a bad idea when an older woman came scurrying from the direction of the house. She tapped on the car window, which Luke lowered.

“Oh my, are you Skye? That rhymes! I had it in my head that you’d be younger.”

“No, Professor, I’m just the chauffeur. Skye is a little nervous to meet you.”

The professor peered into the car. “No need to worry, young man, I don’t bite. It’s cold out here so get yourself into the house.” She bustled round to Skye’s side of the car and opened the door. “Your…friend can come in too, if it makes you feel more comfortable.”

“Would you like me to come with you?” Luke offered.

“Yes please, Sir,” Skye whispered, feeling a little ridiculous but relieved that he didn’t have to be alone. He climbed out of the car to follow Professor Doring, who was already striding toward the house. She had on wellingtons, muddy trousers and a voluminous hooded jumper in a vibrant shade of purple. Her gray hair had streaks of blue scattered through it. He hurried to keep up, with Luke right behind him.

The professor led them to the side door where she kicked off her boots to reveal fluorescent yellow socks.

“Come in, come in, time’s a-wasting. You wouldn’t believe how much I have to do. We’ll sit in the kitchen because it’s the warmest room in the house at the moment. I don’t bother heating the whole place when I’m the only one at home. Costs a fortune, you know.”

Her relaxed manner, and running commentary, put Skye at ease. The kitchen proved to be a large airy room with a battered table in the center covered with piles of paper, an assortment of biros and colored pens and a scattering of photographs. A laptop computer, half buried, sat at one end. Skye took the chair at the other end of the table while Luke lounged against the kitchen units. Professor Doring bustled around making tea before joining him at the table after handing Luke a mug with an assessing stare. He gave her a wink, which she seemed to enjoy immensely.

When she sat, her gaze was directed at Skye’s collar. He had shrugged off his coat and the shirt he wore exposed it a little. She looked from him to Luke and back again.

“Ah, I see. Good, good. You have someone to take care of you. Now, tell me a bit about yourself—the parts of your degree that you enjoyed the most.”

After a shaky start, Skye relaxed into the conversation, telling the professor about his dissertation, some of the field trips he had taken and the modules he had loved the most. For the most part, she just listened, nodding and asking the occasional probing question.

“I should tell you a bit more about what I’m looking for in my assistant,” she said.

“I thought the role was just for a researcher,” Skye said.

“That’s part of it, but what I really need is a right-hand man, or woman, to sort my life out while I’m abroad, which is around nine months of the year. My husband runs a salvage and deep sea exploration company. We have another home in the Far East and this country is way too wet and cold for my tastes now. I’m working on three different books at the moment. My publisher keeps demanding progress updates, and there are just not enough hours in the day for me to keep up with the required research and record-keeping that goes with producing accurate work. I need somebody organized, reliable and hard-working who understands how to conduct research, make detailed notes and occasionally write sections of the books, for which you would be credited of course.”

Skye gaped. He couldn’t believe how perfect the job sounded or that he was even being considered for it.

“Do you think you’d be interested?”

Skye asked a few more questions about the topics of the books, access to research facilities online and a few other more technical questions. “It sounds amazing,” he said. “You know I have very little experience. I know in theory what to do, and I think I can do it well, but I don’t have any evidence to show you other than my dissertation and a couple of articles that I wrote for the university paper.”

“I’ll be completely upfront with you, young man. I think you’re perfect. You haven’t developed any bad habits like most career academics have. You can be trained.” She threw a glance in Luke’s direction. “I think at first, two or three hours a day during the working week should suffice. I can email you the relevant passwords and instructions along with task lists for the week. We can Skype if you have any questions I’m quite up with all the new techno stuff you know.” She quoted an hourly rate that seemed very generous to Skye. “The only other people who contacted me were either overqualified, writing their own books, or had studied subjects that were irrelevant. You’re the only person I invited for an interview, so the job is yours if you want it. Do you need to talk to your…”

Luke stepped forward. “Luke Redding, Professor, Skye’s partner. He makes his own decisions, I can assure you.”

“Call me Sue. That’s good to hear “

“Sir, I want to give it a try. I think I can work it around my responsibilities at The Retreat.”

“Then you should say yes,” Luke said. “We can make arrangements to ensure you have enough time.”

Skye beamed. “Then I’d be very happy to accept, Sue.”

Sue held up her mug. “A toast, then, to a new working relationship.” Skye clinked his mug against hers, laughing. “I’m going away again next week, but I’ll be in touch before then. I have your email already. Would you like me to copy in Luke on your correspondence?”

“Yes, please,” Skye said. “I’d appreciate that.”

Luke handed over a business card. “Here are all my contact details. You can reach Skye on these numbers as well.”

“Good, good… It was a pleasure to meet you both. Do enjoy the rest of your day, I need to get back to clearing a drain in the garden. The life of a history professor is not all glamour, I can assure you.” She escorted them to the door, pulled on her wellies and when they turned toward the car, she went the other way with a cheerful wave.

Back in the Lexus, Skye let out his breath in a rush. “I can’t believe what just happened, Sir.”

“You did a good job of telling the professor what she needed to know. She liked you and she thinks she can work with you. I’m not surprised at all. Congratulations.”

“I’ll make sure it doesn’t affect my work at The Retreat, Sir.”

“This is what you want from your career, Skye. It’s important. We’ll work around it and see where it goes. Now, how about we head into Lyndhurst and find a teashop that has enormous cream cakes?”

“Yes please, Sir. I could really do with something thick and creamy right now.”

“You are turning into a brat,” Luke said. “You’ve been spending too much time with Rayne.”

“I don’t know what you mean, Sir.” Skye affected innocence but gave himself away with a giggle.

“Hmm.” Luke put the car into gear then pulled away, muttering about suitable punishments and whether the dungeon would have been cleaned yet.

With a happy sigh, Skye settled into his seat feeling like he’d won the lottery.