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.
Chapter Fifteen
“This has to be the ultimate in self-indulgent decadence,” Luke said as he unbuttoned Skye’s shirt. “Going to bed in the middle of the afternoon.” He pulled Skye’s shirt from his trousers then pushed it back on his shoulders, revealing tantalizing smooth skin and two pebbled nipples. He gave one of them a flick. “Someone’s excited.”
“Yes, Sir. It’s been an amazing day and I’ve been wanting this forever. I mean, we haven’t known each other that long, but ever since I can remember realizing I was a submissive, I’ve wanted this…for my first time to be with a kind, loving Dom who I could respect and take care of.” He leaned against Luke. “You’ve been so patient with me.”
“Respect works both ways, sweetheart. I’m honored that you’ve given me your trust.” Luke drew him close, rubbing circles on the small of his back.
“I felt so empty when you took this plug out this morning, Sir.”
“I had to force myself to go out for a run. It would have been so easy to bend you over right there and then, but I want to take my time with you. You deserve to be treated with care.” He pushed a hand down the back of Skye’s trousers to grip his arse. “No one else will ever get to touch this. I don’t share.” His tone was fiercer than he intended. Skye rubbed against him, pressing the hard metal of the chastity cage against Luke’s thigh. “Enough talking.” He stripped the rest of Skye’s clothing with efficient movements, leaving him clad in collar, cage and a plaited leather bracelet around his wrist.
“I love my gift, Sir.” Skye fiddled with the bracelet. Luke had chosen it from a selection at the craft shop they had visited because there was a thread of silver wire running through the black leather, which reminded him of Skye’s hair.
“You can keep it on.” Luke ran his hands over Skye’s body from his shoulders, down his arms to his wrists,
which he pushed behind his back and held together with one hand. With the other he cupped Skye’s balls and gave them a gentle squeeze. Skye rose on his toes, giving a little squeak. Luke continued his manipulations, appreciating the warm weight of Skye’s sac in his hand. He nudged him back toward the bed, only letting go when the back of Skye’s legs hit the mattress. Luke dragged back the covers, rolling them to the bottom of the bed.
“I think you should undress me now.”
Skye obliged with shaking hands, gripping his lower lip between his teeth as if he were concentrating on a problem. He planted kisses, unbidden, on each exposed inch of skin, dropping to his knees to lower Luke’s trousers. He nuzzled Luke’s erection with his cheek.
“You have a beautiful cock, Sir.”
“On the bed, Skye.” The tone of reprimand was not meant unkindly, but Luke knew that if Skye stayed where he was, he would come far too soon. He kicked away his trousers and underwear before climbing onto the bed to lie next to Skye. Skye was on his back, arms stretched above his head. Luke’s first job was to remove the chastity cage. The key, retrieved from his trouser pocket, was already in his hand. He unlocked the device, dropping it onto the floor at the side of the bed. Skye’s cock sprang to life and he moaned.
“Need to come so bad, Sir.”
Luke considered tormenting him a while longer, but decided there was no harm in taking the edge off Skye’s need. He was young and would recover quickly. Luke got to his knees, moistened his lips, then took Skye’s rigid shaft into his mouth.
“Luke!” Skye screamed as he came seconds later. He arched his back, thrusting into Luke’s mouth. Luke swallowed, then licked Skye clean. He was still semi hard.
“I’m so sorry, Sir,” Skye gabbled. “I didn’t mean to, I couldn’t help it, you… I… Oh my God.” Both his face and his groin flushed a beautiful shade of pink.
“You did exactly what I wanted you to do,” Luke said, gripping Skye’s shaft and jacking it a couple of times. “When I take you, I want you to be able to focus on the sensations you’re experiencing rather than a desperate need to come. You’ve been in chastity for a long time. I’m surprised you managed to hold off long enough for me to get my mouth on you.”
Trusting Him Page 16
