Florentine

  “Green,” Alex says quickly, and Mahiro smirks at the way his eyes flare wide and his arms settle over his head. He quickly buckles a leather cuff to Alex’s ankle and clips it onto the loop he wrapped around the leg of the lounge as Alex watches, his chest rising and falling with his breath, coming heavy now as Mahiro lifts his other ankle, brushes his lips along the arch of his foot, and buckles it into a restraint.

  Alex’s toes curl as Mahiro draws a fingertip along the inside of his knee. “Oh God,” he whispers. “You just started. I’m so screwed.”

  Mahiro snickers. “Just enjoy, my beauty,” Mahiro says and walks around the lounge to draw one of Alex’s wrists out and buckle it into a similar cuff as for his ankles. “You’re going to scream my name before this is over,” Mahiro whispers, his lips brushing the shell of Alex’s ear. “You’re going to beg me to come.”

  Alex stops watching Mahiro restrain his wrists and drops his head back against the lounge, skin erupting in goose bumps at Mahiro’s words. “Whatever you want,” he says, and Mahiro can feel the thrill of Alex’s obedience settle in his heart, in his very core. Alex has no idea what Mahiro has planned, no concept of what exactly Mahiro will do to him, but he quietly accepts it without question, trusts Mahiro to take good care of him, to make him happy and satisfied in his submission.

  Christ, Mahiro loves this man. He can’t help but lean over his head and give him an upside-down kiss as soon as he’s finished with his wrists. “You’re so good,” he says, and Alex smiles against his lips. “Such a good boy. Now.” Mahiro straightens and picks up the bottle of massage oil. “Let’s get you nice and relaxed, okay?”

  Alex’s eyebrows rise as he watches Mahiro pour out some oil onto his hands, and he releases a breathless moan as Mahiro straddles him and begins to massage it into his stomach and chest. “Feels so good, sir,” he sighs and closes his eyes as Mahiro slicks his hands over the defined biceps, over his strong shoulders. Alex’s skin is smooth and hot, begging Mahiro to press his lips to it, to feel the beat of his heart through his veins, the excitement that they both crave surging under his lips. He has a plan, however, and he’s going to stick to it, and as much as he wants to lose himself in Alex’s body, he also wants to make it sing with pleasure at his hands.

  He climbs off and picks up the white pillar candle from the small dish it’s resting in. It’s been lit long enough that a really nice pool of melted wax has developed in the center, and Mahiro carefully holds it in front of him, but still away from Alex’s body.

  “Open your eyes, Alex,” Mahiro says and watches as Alex takes in the candle he’s holding. A smile tugs at his lips. “Yes, I thought we’d try this tonight. You seemed interested at the party. Turn your hand over for me?” Alex does, and Mahiro tilts the candle so a tiny stream of wax lands on the back of his hand. Alex’s fingers twitch.

  “Oh,” he says quietly. “That’s not as bad as I thought it might be.”

  “It’s a little lower melt point than regular candle wax. Adam makes these himself, just for us. Color?”

  “Green,” Alex replies easily, and the candlelight flickers, reflecting in his eyes as he watches. He looks serene and beautiful, stretched out and tied down to the lounge, candlelight warm and glowing on his skin and glittering on his collar. Not for the first time, Mahiro finds himself forgetful of what he’s doing, content to just look at him for a few moments.

  “Sir?” Alex asks.

  “I was just thinking how beautiful you are,” Mahiro says, and shakes himself out of his daze. “And all mine.”

  “Yes,” Alex whispers. “I’m all yours. Please, show me.”

  Mahiro nods and holds the candle over Alex’s sternum. Alex’s eyes are glued to the flame as Mahiro tilts the candle, and at the first touch of wax to skin, Alex gasps and tilts his head back, collar on full display. Mahiro swells with pride at how beautifully Alex wears his submission, Mahiro’s ownership. Mahiro tilts the candle again until the pool of wax slips over the side and cascades onto Alex’s chest in a thin white line that Mahiro draws from the hollow of his throat to his belly button.

  Alex snaps taut against his restraints. “Fuck,” he whispers.

  Yes, this is perfect. “Just feel,” Mahiro replies and pours another trail next to the first, from his stomach to his clavicle. Alex squirms slightly and gasps, the wax hardening almost immediately when it contacts his skin. Mahiro waits for the sting to subside and retrieves a small piece of ice from the bucket on the table and pops it into his mouth. He rolls the ice around until his tongue, his lips, and the inside of his mouth are absolutely freezing, and then he quickly pours another line opposite the last before bending forward and taking Alex’s nipple into his mouth. The effect is instantaneous: Alex arching his back and swearing as Mahiro continues to tongue him.

  “Holy shit, Mahiro,” Alex says, panting.

  Mahiro slaps him on the flank and Alex jumps. “I think you’ve forgotten who you’re speaking to,” he says, and Alex tilts his head back.

  “I’m so sorry, sir, I’m so sorry, but oh my God, more, please. Please.”

  Mahiro draws an X across his chest with the wax and takes Alex’s other nipple into his mouth, holding the nub between his teeth and lapping at it with his tongue. Alex’s chest has a nice coating now, but he’s not quite finished. Alex watches with wide eyes as Mahiro pours circles around his belly button, careful to keep the hot wax away from his red and straining cock, and then Mahiro sets a single ice cube to melt in the hollow of Alex’s belly button. He laughs as a full-body shudder wracks Alex’s frame, water trickling over his sides and down into the sheet below him.

  “Ah, God. Sir. Please. I need… I need…,” he says and pulls hard on his restraints, his eyes begging Mahiro for release.

  Mahiro needs to remind him of his place. “Mmmm. I’ll give you what you need, my beauty. Don’t worry.” Mahiro climbs over him and brushes a kiss along Alex’s jaw and down his throat, over the curve of his shoulder and bicep. Mahiro loves watching him shiver under his hands, loves the way his breath hitches when the sensations are on the edge of too much. He can feel the way Alex is melting under pressure, the way he strains against Mahiro’s control and then ultimately succumbs, like he does now, when Mahiro trails his fingertips over Alex’s chest and down over his cock.

  “You’re so very hard,” Mahiro says. “I think you should stay this way for a while.” He pulls a rubber cock ring from his pocket and trails it up Alex’s shaft until it loops over the head, but is still loose in Mahiro’s fingers. “Color?” he asks.

  There’s a pause. “Green,” Alex says, but Mahiro slows down, slips the ring carefully over Alex’s cock and balls, and watches him as he settles the ring into place. Alex shifts slightly but doesn’t say another word, and Mahiro checks that it isn’t too tight. Alex watches him intently as Mahiro climbs off and stands next to the lounge, before slowly and deliberately unbuttoning and unzipping his pants.

  “It would be a shame to let that gorgeous thing go to waste,” Mahiro says, shimmies out of his pants, and slips his shirt off. Alex’s mouth drops open when Mahiro straddles him, settling with Alex’s cock resting in the crease of his ass. “You’re not going to come, Alex. Not until I tell you. Do you understand?”

  Alex nods. “I do. But what happens if I can’t help it?”

  “Then you’ll get five with my crop, bent over the bench. Clear?”

  Alex swallows. “Yes, sir.”

  “Don’t worry,” Mahiro says. “I know you can do it.” He grinds down over Alex’s lap, his own cock leaving a drip of precome across the white wax that cracks and flakes as Alex’s stomach contracts with the sensation. Mahiro slips backward just enough that he can reach behind himself and slick Alex’s cock with a handful of lube. He took over an hour to prepare himself earlier, stretching and slicking his own body, but it’s going to be so worth it for this.

  “Are you—” Alex starts, and Mahiro just winks at him as he positions Alex’s cock at his entrance and begins to s
lide down, slow and easy, the breach shocking in its almost unfamiliarity. Alex is hot and hard, and it’s been so long since Mahiro has opened himself in this way to anyone, but he wants this, wants Alex inside him, part of him, wants to bring him pleasure with his body in ways intimate and divine, deep and lasting.

  “Sir,” Alex says, the syllable drawn out on a sigh. His hips shift and his cock pushes deeper into Mahiro’s body. “I’ve dreamt of you like this,” he moans as Mahiro seats himself fully.

  “Only for you,” Mahiro groans and rocks gently, Alex’s cock barely moving in his body. He lifts himself slightly and drops back down, the impact making Alex grunt, helpless against the restraints that prevent him from getting a grip on Mahiro’s thighs. He can only lie helpless as Mahiro rides him, gaining speed as his body adjusts, Alex’s breathy moans echoing in the playroom and driving Mahiro’s desire higher and higher. Mahiro watches as Alex begins to toss his head from side to side, the heat of Mahiro’s body encouraging him, teasing him, bringing him to the edge.

  “Look at you,” Mahiro coos and leans forward to lace his fingers with Alex’s, the gold barbells in his nipples brushing against Alex’s wax-covered skin. “I haven’t taken a dick in years, baby. How am I doing?” Mahiro rolls his hips and Alex cries out.

  “Yellow,” he sobs, desperate. “Yellow yellow yellow.”

  Mahiro stills instantly. “Are you too close?”

  Alex nods quickly. “I don’t want to fuck up, I want to be good, please, sir, help—”

  “Shhhh, baby, you’re okay. Deep breaths, okay? Breathe deep for me. Focus on my eyes.”

  Alex pries his eyes open and Mahiro squeezes his fingers, hoping the slight pain will distract him from the pressure in his groin. He’s not going to go soft, even if he does come, but Mahiro needs to remember that Alex still has a lot to learn about control. So he waits, absolutely still with Alex’s cock still buried in his body, until the panic fades from Alex’s eyes as they breathe together.

  “Better?” Mahiro asks.

  “Yeah,” Alex breathes. “God, you feel so good. Want to fuck you harder,” he pants, and before Mahiro can begin to move again, Alex manages to get his heels under him and gains enough leverage to fuck up into Mahiro’s body, making him gasp with the jolt to his prostate.

  “Oh shit, Alex, that’s… not what we’re doing,” Mahiro says, and tries to ignore the shiver that goes down his spine.

  “You didn’t say I couldn’t, though,” Alex says, and rocks Mahiro on his lap again, his powerful thighs and hips jolting Mahiro on his cock without using his hands. Holy Christ, his entire body is buzzing with the feeling, a momentary shift in power that leaves him startled and incredibly, unexpectedly, turned on. Mahiro leans forward and grabs Alex’s shoulders to steady himself, wrestle back his own control.

  “Spirit of the rule, not the letter, my beauty,” Mahiro says and uses his weight to pin Alex’s shoulders down and kiss him, his tongue swirling into Alex’s mouth and making him moan. “Don’t make me tell you again.”

  Alex huffs a pout against Mahiro’s mouth but stops moving, and Mahiro slowly pulls off Alex’s body. Alex whimpers at the loss of contact, and Mahiro himself feels strangely hollow, their connection broken for the moment. Mahiro looks carefully and realizes he left just a tiny bit too much slack in the ankle lines, and when he gives Alex a wry look, Alex just laughs.

  “Not going to punish me for not following the spirit of the law, are you, sir?” he asks and flutters his eyelashes.

  “No,” Mahiro says and unclips his ankles to quickly push Alex’s knees up and apart until Mahiro can grasp the base of his plug, the plug that’s been bumping his prostate every time Mahiro rocked against him, and pull it out carefully. “But you’d better be ready for me.” Mahiro grabs a pump of lube and slicks his cock, and Alex sucks in a breath as Mahiro pushes the head against Alex’s hole.

  “Yes, yes, I’m ready. Fuck me, sir. Please.” Mahiro can feel the way his body relaxes in Mahiro’s hold, the way his thighs loosen and hips shift, readying his body to take Mahiro in, to accept him. Mahiro pushes forward and shifts Alex’s legs until he’s spread wide open and Mahiro’s cock slowly slips into the slick heat of Alex’s body.

  “Yes, my beauty. Let me in.” Mahiro thrusts until he can feel the brush of Alex’s thighs against his sides.

  Alex gasps. “Harder, please.”

  Mahiro fans his fingers over Alex’s hip bones and snaps his hips hard, Alex’s body jolting against the lounge. He gasps and sighs every time Mahiro’s body meets his, his cock deep red and leaking against his stomach, his body tightening with every thrust. He’s close again, his eyes clenched closed and breath coming in heavy pants. Mahiro pulls the cock ring off, leans forward, braces himself on one elbow, and slips the first two fingers of his other hand into Alex’s collar.

  “Please, sir, I can’t… I can’t….” Alex pants, the flush on his neck and chest deepening, sweat beading on the edge of his hair.

  Mahiro kisses his shoulder. “Not yet, you can make it. Come on, sweetheart. Be a good boy for me.” Alex whimpers and closes his eyes as Mahiro continues to fuck him, his thrusts deep and relentless. The edge of the gold band bites into Mahiro’s fingers, Alex’s skin soft and warm against the back of his hand, and he waits until Alex’s fingers clench into fists before he leans forward and whispers against Alex’s mouth.

  “Come, my beauty. Come for me.”

  Alex’s eyes fly open and he gasps, and Mahiro watches as relief floods across his face. Mahiro keeps his hold on Alex’s collar and fucks him as deeply as he can manage, then, without warning, shifts his weight to his knees and strokes Alex’s cock with a tight hand.

  Alex arches off the lounge as his orgasm rips through his body, mouth open on a silent scream. Mahiro can feel his own orgasm building as Alex shivers to pieces around him, and as he reaches the peak he can only bury his forehead against Alex’s chest and groan heavily into his skin.

  “I love you, sir,” Alex murmurs as Mahiro comes down from his high. “I love you.”

  Mahiro lets go of Alex’s collar, the edge leaving an indent along his fingers. The gold clinks slightly as it settles back into place across Alex’s throat and Alex smiles, sleepy and pleased. Mahiro kisses him gently and slides out of his body.

  “I love you too, my beauty. My Alex.”

  “Always,” Alex says.

  THE BATH is hot and inviting, and this time Mahiro slips in behind Alex without being asked and settles Alex’s body against his chest. Alex already is dozing in the steamy, scented water that Mahiro had covered in petals from a rose he plucked on the way into the bathroom, and he massages away any stiffness in Alex’s shoulders and pinches off little bits of stray wax he didn’t remove earlier.

  “Mmm. Keep doing that,” Alex says.

  “Spoiled.”

  Alex smiles and holds a petal between his fingers. “You know you love it.”

  Yes, he certainly does. Mahiro kisses the crown of his head and reaches to unclasp Alex’s collar, but before he can get the safety chain off, Alex stirs from his sleepy haze.

  “No,” he mumbles. “Want to keep it on.”

  Mahiro’s heart lifts. “I just was trying to keep it out of the soap, sweetheart. But I’ll leave it if you like.”

  Alex hums approval and settles himself. Mahiro wraps his arms around Alex’s chest and nestles his chin over Alex’s shoulder. His body is humming with satisfaction and he’s overwhelmed with love for the man in his arms, but now that they’ve cemented their commitment to each other, what happens next? It’s August, and Alex is due to go home to Russia in just a few weeks. The thought sits like a stone in Mahiro’s stomach, and he tightens his hold almost involuntarily.

  “What’s wrong?” Alex whispers as he plays with Mahiro’s fingers, teasing the web of skin between them, rubbing over the knuckles in a sweet exploration before raising Mahiro’s hand to his lips and giving it a soft kiss.

  Mahiro sighs. “I’m just thinking about
what we’ll do when you go back home,” he says. “I’ll miss you so much. I don’t know how often I’ll be able to visit.”

  Alex pulls himself out of Mahiro’s arms and turns around until he’s facing him, the water swirling and sloshing over the side as he moves. “Mahiro,” he says. “What if I didn’t go back?”

  Mahiro gapes at him. “What?”

  Alex scoots forward and takes Mahiro’s hands again. “What if I renewed the lease on the apartment and stayed here?” His eyes are bright and hopeful, and Mahiro tries to process exactly what he’s hearing as Alex keeps talking. “I can finish the book here. I can stay with you. And then… well. We’ll see where it takes us?”

  Mahiro’s heart feels like it could burst out of his chest. “Oh my God. That’s… wonderful. You’d really do that?”

  “Of course I would!”

  “Wait, no, I can’t ask you to do that,” Mahiro says. “You’ve probably got a house and everything there, and a whole life, and—”

  Alex grasps his hands. “There is nothing there that’s more important than what I have with you. I can keep the apartment for a while, if that makes you feel better. But I want to try this, with you. I love you, and I can’t imagine leaving. Not now.”

  Mahiro crawls into his lap and grasps his face with both hands, kissing him deeply, fully, sliding his hands around Alex’s shoulders as Alex’s hands skim down his back and pull him closer. Mahiro can’t stop smiling against his mouth, and Alex keeps trying to kiss his lips while Mahiro breaks out in happy giggles.

  “Now that’s settled, let’s get out before we’re prunes,” Alex says. He stands, water cascading down his gorgeous body, and then climbs out to dry off. Mahiro only stares. There’s something in Alex’s grace, in the way he carries himself, even in the simple way he combs his fingers through his wet hair and now preens in the mirror and examines his collar that captivates Mahiro every time.

  Then he’s hit in the face with a towel and he scrambles to catch it before it falls into the water. “I’m still going to be here, Mahiro,” Alex says dryly. “You can blink. I promise I won’t disappear.”