“Hmm. That’s a surprise. My friend Giles is going to be in London tonight for a brief visit. He and his father are on their way to Amsterdam on business. He’s asked if I want to come and meet them for dinner.” He checked his watch. There was still plenty of time to get to the city.
“Rowan, could you please go and ask Mr. Redding if Rayne is free to drive me. He’ll need to stay late to bring me back.”
Rowan got up and made his way to the door. Lorcan kept track of every step, every movement of Rowan’s buttocks as he walked, the flex of each muscle. He shook his head. Rowan captivated him. He was torn between not wanting to leave him behind and not being ready to share him, even with Giles. It could be a moot point if Rayne wasn’t available. He should have checked his messages sooner.
Rowan was gone no more than a minute or two.
“It’s fine, Sir. Mr. Redding sent Rayne into town this morning, but he’s back so it’s no problem for you to use the car. Rayne will wait in London while you have dinner.”
“I’ll text Giles now to let him know I’m on my way. He and his father are staying at the Ritz. I…don’t want to share you, Rowan.”
“I understand, Sir. There’s plenty for me to do here.”
“Let’s go upstairs. You can help me get ready then have the rest of the afternoon off while I’m away. You’ve had hardly any time to yourself since I arrived and it only seems fair that if I’m off enjoying myself, you should too.” He took Rowan’s hand, brushing his thumb across the smooth palm as they walked to the stairs.
“What will you do, while I’m gone?”
“I think I’ll have a long soak in the bath with lots of bubbles and my book. I’ll call my aunt and Ed then spend some time recovering from the ear bashing they’re both likely to give me. They are both way too interested in my life and want to know every detail of what goes on here. They know I can’t tell them but they keep asking anyway.” He laughed. “I’ll miss you.”
“Don’t worry, I’m going to give you something to remember me by while I’m gone.” Lorcan pushed open the door to the Blue Room. “Hands and knees on the bed.”
“Yes, Sir.” Rowan scrambled into position.
Lorcan went straight to the toy chest. He selected a rectangular paddle, its rubber-coated surface covered in dimples. He swiped it through the air a couple of times, flexing his wrist. The weight felt good in his hand. Four sharp blows, two to each cheek, and Rowan’s ass glowed pink.
“Now you’ll be reminded of me every time you sit down,” Lorcan said, satisfied with his work.
“Thank you, Sir.” Rowan’s tone was wry. He collapsed onto his belly, face buried in the pillow.
“Turn over.” Once Rowan had executed an uncoordinated roll, Lorcan inserted the key to the padlock holding his belt closed. He removed it, and the plug, with care. “Much as I would like to leave you stuffed full for the rest of the day, I don’t know what time I’ll be back.” He gave Rowan’s metal-encased cock a pat. “I want you to sleep in this bed tonight. Don’t wait up for me. Just be here.”
“Yes, Sir.”
Rowan’s shy smile melted Lorcan’s heart. He almost changed his mind about going into London but decided that it would be good for Rowan to have some time to himself. He needed to think through his options without the pressure of Lorcan’s presence.
Once he was primped and dressed, Lorcan gave Rowan a chaste kiss goodbye before heading down to the main hall. The front door stood open, letting in a mild breeze and Lorcan could see Rayne leaning on the car, waiting for him. He didn’t go outside straightaway however but tapped on Luke Redding’s office door.
“Come in.”
Lorcan wondered if Luke ever relaxed. He always seemed to be working.
“Luke, do you have a moment?”
“Sure. Come in and take a seat. There’s no problem, I hope?”
“With my stay, not at all,” Lorcan reassured him. “Everything here has more than exceeded my expectations. This place really lives up to its name.” He hesitated, uncertain how to put his next words.
“I sense a but.” Luke smiled. “And, if I haven’t completely lost my intuition, I’d guess it has something to do with young Rowan.”
Lorcan stretched his legs, crossing his ankles in a semblance of relaxation he didn’t feel.
“I’ve asked him to come with me when I leave.” He held Luke’s gaze.
“Do you mind if I ask in what capacity?” There was no challenge in Luke’s tone, no aggression.
“As my assistant and my submissive.” Saying it just reconfirmed to Lorcan that it was what he wanted. More than anything. “He’s scared.”
Luke steepled his fingers. “He worships you. Of course he is.”
“He…wait… What?” Lorcan wasn’t sure he’d heard Luke correctly.
“You’re not just a job to him. That’s blatantly obvious to everyone here. He’s in love with you, Lorcan.”
“But…”
“I’d guess he doesn’t know that what he’s feeling is love. He’s young and you’ve rocked his world.”
“He’s only known me a few weeks.”
“A few very intense weeks. You have to remember that Rowan gave up his old life to move here. He wanted it badly and now you’re asking him to make another huge change. His emotions must be scrambled.”
“I should stay here tonight.”
“No, I don’t think so. Some time alone will be good for him…and I have an idea.”
“Care to fill me in?”
“Not yet. I need to make a call first but I will say this—Rowan was made to serve one man. Whether you deserve to be that man is yet to be proven…and that’s not an insult, by the way. You need to prove it to yourself, not just to him.”
Lorcan closed his eyes. “You are one hell of a scary guy, Luke.”
“I try.”
Lorcan opened one eye to find Luke grinning.
“You need a sub of your own. I’d bet good money you could tame the most incorrigible brat.”
“It’s true that no real Dominant is complete without a sub. The right man for me will come along one day. But we’re not here to talk about me. Go to London. Enjoy yourself. I’ll be here if Rowan needs me.”
Lorcan drummed his fingers on his thigh. “Convenient way to change the subject, Luke. We should revisit this topic. Soon.”
Luke could give the Mona Lisa a run for her money when it came to enigmatic smiles and Lorcan knew when he’d met his match. He pushed his chair back, feeling a bit like he’d been out-gunned. It was almost as if Luke had been expecting him, had known what he was going to talk about and had already considered every potential outcome. Lorcan guessed that The Retreat’s manager was even more of a control freak than he was. He’d love to see him in action at The Underground, wielding a whip or a flogger. He imagined Luke would be able to deliver a masterclass in any and every form of domination.
“Have a good trip,” Luke said. “Take care of Rayne.”
Lorcan caught the smile that Luke tried to hide.
“I have earplugs, but don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye on the brat.” Still a little reluctant to leave, Lorcan headed outside. It was a glorious afternoon and he sucked in a lung full of fresh air. Rayne waved, holding the car door open for him.
“It’s a conspiracy,” Lorcan muttered. “They can’t wait to get me out of here.” He shook his head. Perhaps a long conversation with Giles was what he needed. Some advice from a neutral party might help. “Boardroom negotiations were never this bad.”
“Would it be disrespectful to point out that you’re talking to yourself, Mr. Wilder?” Rayne affected wide-eyed innocence.
Lorcan sighed. It was going to be a long car ride to London.
Chapter Thirteen
It was a novelty for Rowan to have so much time to himself and he found he didn’t like it. Without Lorcan he felt lost. He lay on the bed for a while, breathing in Lorcan’s scent, but after a while he got fidgety. He spent some time cleaning and ti
dying the room, changing the bed and scrubbing the bathroom until it gleamed. When there was nothing left to do he took one of Lorcan’s dress shirts from the wardrobe and shrugged it on. The tails just about covered his arse and would allow him a modicum of dignity while he walked back to his room. It was one thing to wander around naked when it was Lorcan’s wish, but somehow felt entirely different without him.
He scuttled downstairs, managing to avoid getting any new bruises and keeping his fingers crossed that nobody would spot him. He made it as far as the banqueting hall where he caught sight of the computer. Before he even realized what he was doing he had taken the seat in front of it and turned it on. The pressure of the hard seat on his recently spanked behind made him think of Lorcan and he nibbled his lower lip, feeling guilty before he’d even done anything. He brought up the search engine, typed Lorcan’s name into the box but hesitated, his finger hovering over the return key.
“Dammit.” He stabbed the plastic. Millions of search results instantly flashed onto the screen. “In for a penny…”
Shoulders hunched, he leaned toward the screen, scanning the rows of text. Lorcan was famous. There were hundreds of articles about his business dealings, his charitable work and his associates. There were pictures of social events with him dressed in a dinner jacket and those made Rowan’s mouth water and his cock twitch. But Rowan wasn’t online to ogle pictures of the man he shared a bed with. The real thing was far more attractive. He dug deeper, going back in time to when Lorcan had started his business, and it was there he found a reference to something disturbing. He clicked on the link, which took him to a newspaper article giving an account of a violent home invasion.
Lorcan Wilder, 17, adopted son of Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Wilder, was taken from the scene to the local hospital. There is no information at this time about his injuries. A police source informed journalists at the scene that Lorcan had been home alone at the time of the break-in. His parents are on their way back from a vacation in the Hamptons.
Rowan stopped reading and began to search for more information about the incident. It had been picked up by the national press and some of the more sensationalist periodicals and from a range of articles he managed to piece together what had happened.
Four men had broken into the property in the early hours of the morning. Lorcan had awoken and attempted to escape via a rear exit, having discovered that the phones had been disconnected. The gang had caught him then spent several hours assaulting him, before a concerned neighbor had reported the presence of a strange vehicle on the street. Hearing sirens, the men had made a run for it. Two of them had been arrested while the other two made their escape, but had later been tracked down. Lorcan had spent several weeks in hospital.
There was no information on what exactly had been done to him or what his specific injuries were and Rowan was relieved about that. His imagination was conjuring up quite enough horrors. He was convinced he had discovered the source of Lorcan’s nightmares. He stared blindly at the computer screen, not sure what to do. He couldn’t hide his knowledge from Lorcan but had no idea how he might react. Rowan powered down the computer and he was still sat with his fingers resting on the keyboard when Luke came into the room.
“Rowan? Are you okay? You’re as pale as a ghost.”
Rowan jumped at the sound of Luke’s voice, then pasted a fake smile on his face. “I’m fine, thank you, Mr. Redding.”
“You’re not a good liar, Rowan.” Luke went across to a sideboard and poured a tumbler of brandy from the decanter. He pressed the glass into Rowan’s shaking hand. “Drink.”
Rowan tossed back the golden liquid, which burned a trail down his throat into his stomach. He coughed, not used strong alcohol.
“I know you’re worried about the future, Rowan. You need to do what’s best for you. Mr. Wilder will respect that and I’ll support you in whatever decision you make.”
“It’s not that, well, not just that. I shouldn’t have been digging around, but I was interested. I wanted to know a bit more about him and he’s not very forthcoming about his past. Something happened, a long time ago. I think it’s the reason he has so many bad dreams.”
“Mr. Hoffman does extensive and thorough background checks into everyone who applies to stay here. I know what you’re talking about and I’m not surprised that the trauma has stayed with him, but it happened a long time ago and you shouldn’t let what you know affect what you feel about him now. That wouldn’t be fair.”
“I’ll have to tell him that I know,” Rowan said. “He’s going to be so angry.”
“I think you should give him more credit.” Luke squeezed Rowan’s shoulder. “Go to your room, take a nap. Everything will seem better once you’ve rested. There’s a lot going on in that pretty head of yours and you have some decisions to make. I know you find it hard without Mr. Wilder here, but these decisions have to be yours, Rowan, made without his influence. Come to dinner in the kitchen later. As Mr. Wilder is out it will be nice for us to get together.”
“Okay.” Rowan gave him a tentative smile. “That sounds good, and I am a little tired. I think I’ll take a soak in the tub then snooze.”
Luke nodded and strolled away in the direction of his office. Rowan unfolded himself from the uncomfortable chair then headed for his bedroom where he ran a bath, adding far too many bubbles. He had his choice of the same products used in the guest bedrooms and, as with everything at The Retreat, they were great quality. He put Lorcan’s shirt on the back of a chair, grabbed his Kindle then clambered into the steaming water. As he lay back, he realized just how much tension had built in his neck and shoulders. The hot water soaked into his muscles and he moaned, relishing the deep heat treatment. He changed his mind about reading, put his Kindle on the floor, closed his eyes and tried to get his thoughts in order. He was distracted by the glint of metal beneath the water but realized that the chastity device meant that Lorcan was still with him, in a way.
Rowan wondered if that was how it would be if he decided to take Lorcan’s job offer. The attraction of never being alone, never having to worry about making decisions by himself, was strong. Not that he didn’t know his own mind, but Lorcan’s presence always made him feel as if he was being looked after. He felt the same in bondage. Safe. Secure. Ropes and chains were just a replacement for Lorcan’s arms.
His thoughts were invaded by visions of Lorcan as a young man and how terrified he must have been on that night all those years ago. Rowan couldn’t bear to think what might have happened to him, been done to him, and he had no idea how he was going to raise the subject. Lorcan would know there was something on his mind. He had a way of looking into Rowan’s soul and there was no hiding from his gaze. Rowan could be fully dressed yet stripped bare beneath Lorcan’s uncompromising examination. Not that he’d been dressed that often in the last few weeks.
He caught himself drifting into a doze, so decided to get dried off. He lay on his bed wearing a pair of light pajama bottoms because it didn’t feel right to call his aunt when he was naked. She answered the phone at the first ring. Rowan pulled Bilbo close but the expected tirade didn’t come.
“Rowan love, it’s wonderful to hear from you. How are you doing?”
“You know, I’d prefer if you just yelled at me. I’m sorry I haven’t been able to call more often.” Rowan rolled his eyes at Bilbo.
“And there was me trying for sweet and understanding.” Rory snickered. “Should have known I couldn’t pull that off. Now, what’s up? There must be something or you wouldn’t be calling me.”
“You have a suspicious mind.”
“And you’re not denying it so spill.”
Rowan debated how much to tell her but decided that she’d get the story out of him eventually anyway, so he might as well be honest from the start.
“I’ve been offered a new job. It’s with the guest here at The Retreat, as his personal assistant.”
There was a moment of silence.
“And you want to
take it.” It was a statement, not a question.
“I think so.” Rowan stuck the phone beneath his chin so he could massage his temples. There was headache developing in a tight band around his head. “I like him, Rory. A lot.”
“I’m guessing the job description involves a little more than keeping his diary and answering his calls.”
“Yeah, but those are details I’m not going to share with you, so don’t even ask.”
“Spoilsport. You’re all grown up, Rowan. You don’t need me to help you make a decision like this.”
“I think I’ve already made it, if I’m honest, but it helps to talk things through with someone who understands me. Everyone here is very kind and I’ve made some great friends, but I think this new opportunity will be even better for me.”
“Then you should take it,” Rory said. “But I want to meet him and that’s not negotiable.”
Rowan giggled. He could just imagine the kind of interrogation his aunt would subject Lorcan to. That would be fun to watch.
“Okay, I’m going to call Ed now while he’s still between shifts. I’ll let you know where I’ll be once I know.”
“You told me the client was American. You won’t be moving abroad, will you?”
“I’ve been helping him house hunt over here. He’ll probably have to rent somewhere for a while but he’s looking for a place in London and another in the Cotswolds, so we won’t be far away. His home is in San Francisco, so I imagine he’ll want to spend some time there too.”
“I’m hiding your passport until I’ve had the chance to make sure he’s good enough for you.”
Rowan didn’t know what to say to that so he made his goodbyes and selected Ed’s number from his contact list instead.
“Hey, kink boy. I thought someone locked you in a dungeon and threw away the key.”
“Funny, Ed. You and Rory should get together. You’d make a good comedy duo.”
“She’d have to be the straight guy.”
Rowan groaned.
Serving Him Page 17
