The Rules of Love

by Morticia Knight

  The admonishment to hurry wasn’t needed. Now that he was close to his goal, it was all that he could see. His every sense was filled with his need for Saul. In his anxiousness, he wasn’t as careful with the discarded underwear, tossing it aside. Saul opened up his legs farther and Kenneth lowered his head onto Saul’s twitching shaft.

  He took his lover in one move, swallowing him, too eager to draw it out. Saul cried out in response, arching his hips off the sofa and pushing his cock farther down Kenneth’s throat. Kenneth could eat a man all day. He’d always craved it and he’d practiced on Ronald for many, many years. Saul fisted Kenneth’s hair, his thrusts into Kenneth’s mouth becoming more urgent, more desperate.

  “Fuck.”

  He spent in quick spurts, filling Kenneth with his cum, which he took gratefully. Saul’s taste was sweet in Kenneth’s estimation, the bitterness like an elixir. He sucked his lover for as long as it was needed to drain him then he lapped at his emptied balls. Sinking his tongue behind them, he hungered for the moment when he could lave Saul’s hot, puckered hole.

  Saul used both hands to card his fingers through Kenneth’s hair as he continued to minister to Saul’s genitals. “Such a beautiful, perfect boy. God, the sight of you with your nose buried in my crotch. I thought I’d spend from that alone. You’re bringing me back to my younger days.” Saul framed his face, pulling him off his flaccid member. “Clothes off. Then up here, next to me.”

  Kenneth did as he was told, disrobing quickly, then sitting flush to Saul’s side. Saul twisted his body so that he could capture Kenneth’s lips with his. His kiss was demanding, thorough, and Kenneth could feel Saul’s claim on him. Soon they were embracing and Saul dipped his hand to Kenneth’s heated erection. He encircled his stiff flesh, his palm spreading the abundant moisture Kenneth leaked to smooth the way.

  Saul spoke against his lips, their hot breath mingling. “Do you need something more with this?”

  Kenneth rocked his hips into Saul’s skilled hand and tried to order his thoughts. “M-more, Sir?”

  “The sting of my hand on your ass?”

  “Oh…God. Yes, please, Sir.”

  “On your belly across my lap.”

  Kenneth knew exactly what to do and positioned himself, hopeful he didn’t seem too eager. Saul closed his thighs to trap Kenneth’s cock securely. He placed one hand at the small of his back right as the other landed hard on both cheeks. It would be impossible to last long. He wanted to, wanted to draw out his first orgasm with Saul, but even he didn’t have that much control. Not when the man he’d yearned for was using him so well.

  Another harsh slap jerked him forward, the friction of his dick sliding between Saul’s hairy legs just enough to taunt him but not enough to get him there. The smacks alternating between each cheek quickened, the burn building in his skin to a glorious hurt. His moans built and Saul hit him harder.

  “That’s it, boy. Let me hear you. Give it to me.”

  Saul’s rough hand landed again, the pain so right, so wonderful.

  “Oh, Sir. Please…I need…”

  “I’m sure you do, boy. Is my hand on your ass all you need?”

  “God, yes, Sir. Yes.”

  “Then come for me.”

  His nuts drew up tight, his release surging through his cock violently. He shot over and over, his fantasies with Saul come to life. Dizzy with the force of his climax, he had a moment of disorientation where he thought it all must have been a dream after all. As he floated back to reality, he became aware of Saul soothing his backside, the skin there like fire. His other hand still held Kenneth in place, allowing him to drape his body loosely over Saul’s lap.

  “Lovely.”

  Saul continued to caress him, his fingers sometimes dipping between his legs, stroking his perineum and the soft, loose skin of his sac. Kenneth’s head was cradled in his arms on the couch. He’d let the leg on the outside of the sofa drift off the side as he’d slipped into a state of utter bliss. Knowing that his naked ass was on display for Saul’s eyes and that his lover ruled his body filled him with peace. He was home after all.

  Chapter Ten

  Holding Kenneth in his arms while his boy slept wasn’t something he’d thought would ever happen. It wasn’t that he’d never slept with a man before, only that he’d never wanted one to stay. No one ever had. Their limbs were tangled around one another, their bodies not dissimilar in size. Kenneth was perhaps a couple of inches shorter, so with his head nestled on Saul’s chest, they fit together perfectly.

  Kenneth’s naked form was completely relaxed against him, snoring softly. There was a tightness in his throat and nausea at the realization that the previous night Kenneth had been chained in a shed, lying on the filthy ground. Without thinking, Saul clutched Kenneth strongly to him, causing him to stir.

  “Sir?”

  There was an edge of panic in his sleep tinged voice.

  “Shh. I have you. You’re safe.”

  His body relaxed again. “Thank you, Sir.”

  Saul smiled as Kenneth pressed his full lips against his chest, wriggled, then settled himself back in Saul’s arms. Within a few short minutes, his breathing had evened out, and Saul was astonished at the amount of trust Kenneth had shown him. He was under no delusion that there wouldn’t be demons haunting him after what he’d been through, but Saul planned to focus on the positives.

  He knew through Theodore—from the notoriously nosy Francesco—that Kenneth had been with another man for many years prior to Preston. Theo had said he thought the man died, and that was why he’d been available to be snatched up by Preston. The impression Francesco had gotten from the vague conversation was that Kenneth had been very happy with whoever he’d been with. Saul was comforted by the fact that at least Kenneth hadn’t been traumatized for his whole life.

  His enthusiasm for cock certainly hasn’t been dampened.

  Kenneth’s oral exploration of first his feet then his dick had been simply magical. It was unlike any other experience he’d shared with a man. He’d ordered men to service him many, many times. There had even been those who’d begged him for the privilege. But there’d never been one who could match Kenneth’s unadulterated pleasure and skill.

  Then there was the obvious need for pain. Kenneth had been as hard as steel, had been eager when Saul had first touched him. The mention of pain however, had sent Kenneth flying. Once he’d applied it, Kenneth had been a writhing, mewling mess. The mere thought had Saul’s length filling again.

  As if I was a twenty-year-old lad.

  He withheld a chuckle to keep from disturbing his lover again. Kenneth would rejuvenate him, he had no doubt. His bigger concern was how he could ensure Kenneth’s happiness going forward. He’d never be able to take away the brutal disregard and deliberate cruelty Preston had inflicted on him, but he could do all he was capable of to fill Kenneth’s life with care and affection. He’d never met anyone who—in his estimation—deserved it more.

  On a contented sigh, Saul drifted off with thoughts of all the delicious things he’d like to do with his beautiful, willing, giving, pain-worshiping lover.

  * * * *

  When Kenneth awoke, he had a moment of dread as he contemplated where he was. It was sickening to him that because he wasn’t locked up outside like an old hound, that something must be wrong. It was quite the opposite. For the first time in years, everything was exactly right.

  He chanced a peek at Saul, whose eyes were shut. Kenneth lay on his stomach with one arm draped across Saul’s waist. His lover was on his back. He remembered falling asleep wrapped in Saul’s embrace, but they’d understandably shifted during the night. He watched the slow rise and fall of Saul’s chest, pleased that his skin had a healthy glow and that he seemed to be a strong man overall. The first thing he’d noticed with Ronald was how gray his complexion had become. That was just before…

  “I’m awake, boy.”

  “I’m sorry, Sir. I didn’t mean to bother you.”

&
nbsp; Without opening his eyes, Saul lifted his arms in an open gesture. Kenneth scooted into them and inhaled the musky aroma of his skin. There was no avoiding the need to bathe, but the masculine smell of a lover in the morning before showering was heaven.

  “There isn’t a thing about you that bothers me. It’s all a part of you and all of that belongs to me, so I cherish it.”

  Huh.

  Already Kenneth was completely content in his new world. It was difficult to believe that twenty-four hours before he’d been living an actual waking, breathing nightmare. In some ways, it already seemed as if it had happened somewhere faraway to someone else. He thought that was good. He had no desire to hang on to all the shit Preston had flung at him. The time with him was an unfortunate blight on what had been a grand life before and he was sure would be a grand one again.

  He was realistic enough to know that he wouldn’t escape from Preston’s specter that cleanly, but he wouldn’t focus on it either. He wasn’t worth the energy it took for Kenneth to even remember his name.

  “Hungry?”

  “Yes, Sir. What would you like me to prepare for you?”

  Saul jostled him. “We’ll prepare it together.”

  Kenneth cringed. He had to remember that Saul was a different person than Ronald—and much different than Preston—so it only made sense that he would want things done his own way.

  “Talk to me, boy.”

  “Wouldn’t you like it more if I made breakfast for you, Sir?”

  Saul chuckled and Kenneth wasn’t sure how to respond. Did he think he was silly?

  “I would love for you to do that on another day. Perhaps tomorrow you can begin. If you’ll remember, we haven’t finalized our arrangement yet. I’m thrilled at how excited you are to provide for whatever need I require of you. It’s quite wondrous. However, I need today to get to know your needs. Understand?”

  “Yes, Sir. Thank you.”

  “Currently, my main need is a piss and some coffee.” Saul lifted his head from the pillow and glanced in Kenneth’s direction. “What about you?”

  Kenneth grinned. “Me too.”

  After tending to their initial needs, Saul turned on the shower and ushered both of them inside. They soaped each other up, but before Kenneth had the opportunity to gratify Saul, he was tugged off by his lover. He’d captured both of Kenneth’s wrists with one hand then grasped his cock with the other. Kenneth’s initial protests were drowned out by Saul’s lips on his, then halted altogether as Saul had fucked his mouth with his tongue.

  They made a simple meal of toast and eggs, which they shared out on the back patio. The outdoor area was covered and surrounded by beige stuccoed walls that reached waist high. The edges were soft, the frame of the patio border an arched style that matched the rest of the structure. Large square terracotta tiles made up the flooring, the burnt sienna coloring close to that of the roof ones. Kenneth mused that it really was like the pictures from Ronald’s book. They could have easily been relaxing on the verandah of an Italian Riviera home.

  A pang of sadness for his lost lover caught him unaware. He missed him, he always would, but it wasn’t that. It was that he truly believed Ronald would like Saul. He hoped that Ronald somehow knew that Saul was taking care of his boy and that everything was okay with him.

  He looked at his lover and was surprised to see Saul regarding him so closely. He was sure it wasn’t displeasure he saw in his eyes, but it wasn’t lust either. Saul was clearly absorbed by his thoughts though, whatever they were.

  “Are you ready to talk about what our arrangement will be?”

  “Yes, Sir, I am. Do you have a list of tasks and rules for me that you commonly use? We could start from there, if you’d like.”

  “No. I wouldn’t like that at all.”

  Kenneth swallowed down his fear. What had he done wrong?

  “You didn’t do anything wrong, Kenneth.”

  He dropped his jaw. How had he known?

  Saul chuckled, then leaned over, kissing him on his cheek. After scooting his chair closer, he entwined their fingers together, placing Kenneth’s hand in his lap.

  “I could see by the expression on your face that you thought you’d upset or disappointed me somehow. That’s not the case. However, we’re going to do this together, both of us. Once we’re in accord, then you can—actually, we both can—comfortably fulfill our roles in the relationship. Agreed?”

  Even though Ronald had always been exceptionally fair in his domination of Kenneth, he’d never included him in the implementation of the rules. He didn’t even want to contemplate Preston’s methods of deciding how things should be done.

  “Agreed, Sir.”

  “Good. Very good.” Saul took a sip of his coffee before setting it down again. “Do you mind telling me a bit about your first Master? I assume he’s the one you had before you ended up with Preston?”

  Kenneth nodded. “Yes, Sir.” He wanted to tell Saul about Ronald. He was the first person he’d ever wanted to share those times with. “Ronald found me when I was working at an antique shop in Hollywood. I was just eighteen and had only been in town for about…oh, I’d say about six months. I’d saved up the train fare to come from Chicago because I’d heard that there were tons of jobs out here. Plus, I wanted the sunshine. It’s too cold back east.”

  Saul grunted. “Isn’t it though? I’m from Jersey, so I completely understand your thinking. It was part of my reasoning too.”

  “Oh.”

  Kenneth had never wondered where Saul had come from. All he’d cared about was that he was currently in Los Angeles.

  “Then what happened?”

  “He was told by the shop owner that I’d been training on how to restore old furniture and that I was a natural with it.”

  “Were you?”

  Kenneth’s face heated. “I thought so. I really liked it.”

  “Hmm. This is good information. I have a few pieces here that belonged to my grandmother that are in quite a sorry state. If you’re so inclined, I’d love to have you take a look at them.”

  “I’d be happy to do it. I’ve missed that so much the past few years.”

  “So it was something you did when you were with Ronald, but then it was taken away when you ended up with Preston. Is that the case?”

  Kenneth turned his head away, his eyes filling with tears. It hadn’t occurred to him until that moment how Preston had literally stripped his life of everything that had held meaning for him. He hadn’t even been allowed to contact his aunt or anyone he’d ever known. Preston had stolen four years of his life that he’d never get back because he’d trusted the wrong person. He didn’t want to be angry with Ronald. He’d loved him so much and he’d been so good to him, but Ronald should’ve warned him about people like Preston. He’d had no idea that something like that could’ve ever happened to him.

  “It’s all done now, dearest. I’m here with you and I won’t go away.”

  He faced Saul again, swiping at the tears that had fallen on his cheeks. “Ronald went away.”

  “But he didn’t mean to, right? What happened?”

  “He got cancer of the liver. Years before when he’d been traveling in the near east, he’d contracted hepatitis. We didn’t find out until he was very far gone. The doctors said there wasn’t much that could’ve been done anyway. Still, I like to think if we’d known sooner…” Kenneth swallowed. “Anyway, he went fast. I held him at the end so he wasn’t alone. But then…” More tears fell. “But then I was the one who was alone.”

  Saul brought Kenneth’s fingers to his lips, kissing them gently before resting their hands in his lap again. “Then Preston came along and he seemed like the answer.”

  “Yes. For a few short months, he was.”

  “What changed?”

  Kenneth felt the weight of that time descend on his shoulders. He’d certainly asked himself the same question a million times over the years.

  “I’m sure I’ll never know for sure.
And I don’t believe for a second that he suddenly turned into a monster out of nowhere. But with me, I think what may have ignited him was my fond memories of Ronald. It was like he was competing with a dead man. He was always trying to prove to me that he was the better Master, the smarter Master, the harsher Master.”

  “Preston’s a fool. He had a lovely submissive boy who would’ve given him everything, yet all he could think about was his own idiotic pride.” Saul squeezed his hand. “To put you at ease, it won’t bother me at all if you want to talk about Ronald. He was a big, important part of your life and I feel I should be thanking him for training you so remarkably well. Preston gets none of that credit.”

  “Thank you, Sir. That means a lot to me—all of it. And you’re right. Preston gets none of the credit because he never taught me a thing other than how to be afraid.”

  “Good boy. One of your shining traits is your courage and strength.” Saul sipped at his coffee and grimaced. “Ugh. Cold.”

  Kenneth was practically out of his chair before Saul yanked him back down.

  “Let me get you another, Sir. Please.”

  “In a moment, Kenneth. You have a wonderful natural instinct to please that I appreciate very much, but I need you to learn my rhythms and what I need.”

  “Of course, Sir. Forgive me.”

  “There’s nothing to forgive. We’re in the midst of hashing it all out. Anticipating what I might want at any given moment will work much better farther down the road once you really get to know me. Right now, you’re operating in the dark. Until then, let me direct you.”

  Kenneth nodded sheepishly. “It’s so simple. Makes so much more sense.”

  “Nothing unknown is ever simple. It has to be revealed before you can understand it.” Saul considered him. “Were you always expected to automatically know what your lovers wanted or needed?”