Of course, it was also like poking a tiger with a stick. In the blink of an eye, Mackie was being pried off the pole. He squeaked when he was yanked away and his world spun in a dizzying rush. He landed with his head still down, but now flopping against Val’s broad back. He struggled in an automatic response until a stinging smack on his bare ass made him gasp. It also made him smile.
To his growing delight, he watched the main room pass by in a blur as Val carried him up to the second floor. There was no way he’d give Val the satisfaction of any easy conquest, however. Mackie had cultivated his brat persona because it suited them both for him to do so. He wanted to restart their relationship the way he intended for them to go on.
When he was once more twirled like a rag doll and set on his feet, he hissed. “How dare you! I’m in the middle of my set.” He put his hands on his waist and flashed his eyes in a manner that was guaranteed to get a rise out of the guy.
Leaning down, Val scowled into Mackie’s face. “Don’t act so outraged when you’re getting exactly what you asked for.” Val’s admonishment came out sharp like a slap.
The man’s sternness turned Mackie on. This was what he’d missed, being admonished, then disciplined, by a commanding man. He hadn’t understood until he’d met Val that his whole life had been a quest to find this kind of relationship. Val’s aloofness and seeming indifference to him these last few months had left Mackie adrift. He needed a Dominant. He needed Val. Still, he wasn’t going to make it easy on the guy. There was no fun in that.
He folded his arms and tapped one foot. “What exactly do you think it is I’m asking for?”
“My attention.”
Mackie tsked. “As if. You made it quite clear you want nothing more to do with me. I have no interest in anyone stupid enough to toss me away. I was trying to entice Mr. Warren, if you must know. I figured if I pretended to be flirting with you, it would make him jealous.”
“You lying little brat,” Val spit out, showing more anger than Mackie had ever seen before. “That letch had his hand on your dick before you stepped foot on the stage. You had him with that frilly ‘see me, touch me’ thong.” Val’s gaze shifted down to Mackie’s crotch. “He didn’t need a show to spur his cock on. And, it looks like you didn’t need anything more than your own performance to get hard yourself.”
Those violet eyes made Mackie feel as if a hand had grabbed him. Unlike with Warren’s actual touch, this look caused blood to pool in his cock. If he hadn’t been hard already, Val’s gaze certainly did the trick. The tiny bit of fabric trying to contain his cock and balls strained under the pressure of his fattening dick. An ache between his legs told him that his own need had reached a point of no return. If he didn’t get some relief from Val soon, his balls were going to hurt like a bitch.
Val’s nostrils flared. With what Mackie now knew about the man’s alien nature, he dared to hope it was a sign that his arousal could be scented as well as seen.
“What do you care who touches me?” Mackie’s voice came out breathy, testament to how quickly he was losing control of the situation. “Or who and what turns me on?”
“I don’t.” Val’s voice sounded strained. Thank God, Mackie wasn’t the only one spiraling. “I simply don’t appreciate being teased.”
“You’re a head case. I barely noticed you, and only did so because you’re like the specter of doom out on the floor. Honestly, a complete buzzkill.” He was babbling at this point, stringing inflammatory words together to push Val into action. The mixture of fear and excitement he felt was a comfort, old times made new again. It gave him hope, even as it scared him witless.
Mackie squeaked again when he found himself eyeball to eyeball with Val, the fear edging out the excitement for a moment. The man had Mackie in a tight grip around his waist, with his feet dangling about a foot off the floor. Mackie grabbed Val’s biceps, catching a fistful of his silk shirt in suddenly sweaty palms. Mackie’s heart beat wildly and he could barely catch his breath. The familiar sensations were already sending him to subspace.
Val’s touch was cool, as usual, but his gaze was red hot. His pupils had turned from violet to almost black. That was something Mackie had never seen before. Then again, he’d never known Val to be on the edge of losing control, nor had they ever fucked face-to-face. Val had always taken him from behind after he’d paddled or whipped Mackie’s ass. The heated gaze was fixed on a point below Mackie’s face. He realized with a jolt that pulled him back from bliss that Val was staring at his pulse point.
Blood. Val wanted to suck Mackie’s blood. He needed to, maybe. Mackie had a sudden image of Val as a vampire, fangs down, striking at his neck and drinking him dry. If that happened, it wouldn’t be like before with Mackie still floating in subspace, barely aware of what was happening. This would be different. This would be terrifying.
Mackie’s bravado deserted him. He’d remembered a little too late that he was messing with a frighteningly strong alien being. What if I’ve pushed him too hard too fast? He allowed himself only a moment of worry and regret before shoving both aside. This was what he wanted, Val back in his life the way he used to be. The man had never abused the trust Mackie had given him. There was no reason for him to do so now. Mackie had to give that trust again, or there was no hope for them. And, he wanted there to be. He might not ever forgive Val for the way he’d treated him, but he did still crave his attention and his touch.
“Careful, boy,” Val warned. “You know better than to challenge me.”
Oh, thank God. Here was the familiar, the Dominant chastising the submissive for getting above his station. Mackie licked his lips, appreciating how Val’s gaze tracked the movement. “So, what are you going to do about it?”
Val bared his teeth, his pointy canines shining in the muted light. The sight, another first, caused Mackie’s lungs to freeze. “I’m going to give you exactly what you want, boy.”
Mackie’s world tilted yet again as Val whisked him over to one of the lap-dance chairs. Mackie had a quick second to scan the area and was relieved to see they were alone. If the choice had been up to him, he would have preferred to do this in private. But, it wasn’t his decision, and that was the whole point. Val could do the thinking and planning for the both of them, and knowing that he could rely on a strong, intelligent, reliable man to fill that role caused Mackie a peace of mind that had been missing for his entire life before meeting Val.
The second-floor balcony area was familiar territory, although not in the usual way. Instead of straddling a lap, Mackie was lying across one—Val’s, to be exact. Instead of leading a club member in a hot pantomime of sex, Mackie only had to lie there and take whatever Val decided to give him.
Mackie’s position was awkward until he stopped tensing against it and went boneless. His face was mashed into the velvet of the seat, a cozy spot that also made it impossible for him to see exactly what Val was doing. His bare ass was unguarded, and his stiff cock pressed against both the front of his thong and Val’s pants.
He felt both trapped and exposed—and thrilled.
“You need discipline, boy, like you always have.” Val palmed Mackie’s ass, his hand large enough to cover the entire expanse. For the moment, it merely rested there.
Mackie knew it was the lull before the storm. “Don’t you dare,” he threatened in a voice muffled by the chair cushion and the music floating up from downstairs.
“I don’t recognize that order. There’s only one word I do listen to. Are you saying that?”
“No,” Mackie ground out. He knew that he ultimately held the reins in all of this. The simple fact was that he wanted what Val was about to mete out.
The first blow was more of a warning shot. Not much more than a tap and merely a warm-up. The next came quickly and it was harder, a sharper discomfort. Then, there was a soothing circle as if to say ‘just kidding’, except it was followed by a blow that robbed Mackie of his complacent breath.
The spanking ramped up to a string of
strong slaps against his entire ass each time. Val’s hand was so big compared to Mackie’s backside that there was no need to focus on only one cheek at a time. Val pitched his smacks with an upward curve that started with the slope where ass met thigh and ended with the fleshier parts. Closing his eyes, Mackie pictured how they looked. The playroom walls were covered in mirrors. Val had often forced Mackie to watch his own punishment to keep him in the present and away from the escape of subspace.
There was no such possibility now, nor did Val make him count the blows. Mackie was free to simply experience the exquisite relief that came from a good spanking. It was nothing like the beatings he’d received as a child, and the soothing nature of Val’s ministrations had long-ago helped Mackie let go of his childhood traumas.
Against all sense, here was peace. With Val’s smacks setting a steady rhythm, Mackie had no trouble descending into the subspace that he craved. Oh, how he’d missed this for these last two months. All the stress and fear he’d held inside melted away in the face of his punishment. Like rubber bands snapping, his body shed, one-by-one, the tensions that had enveloped him since that horrible night when his world had come crashing down.
There went his heartbreak. There went the horror of a nightmarish monster made real. The pain of his arm snapping—gone. The fear of being out in the world alone again, rudderless and without a visible future, melted away as he gave himself over to Val’s stern care.
He hadn’t quite descended all the way to that floaty plain where all was a perfect haze of happiness when a sharp pinch of his ass cheek snatched him back to reality. He whined and wiggled. Another pinch made him stop.
“You were humping my leg. I didn’t give you permission to come, boy.”
“Sorry, Sir.” He hadn’t been aware of doing that, of course. The idea had merit, however. His cock had come loose of the thong and pressed against the soft fabric of Val’s pants. Mackie wasn’t the only one hard, either. The rigid length of Val’s cock jutted against Mackie’s hip. It made him wonder if the evening would end in a good fuck, not that he should get ahead of himself. The spanking would have to be enough for one night if that was all Val gave him. The man was prideful and stubborn. He wouldn’t capitulate to Mackie’s onslaught easily.
Val landed a blow that had Mackie rearing up in shock. “Stop thinking.” Val’s order brooked no argument.
Damn the man. He’d always been able to read Mackie’s mind. Is that an alien thing? Swallowing hard, Mackie said, “Yes, Sir. Sorry, Sir.”
The spanking recommenced. This time, Mackie was aware of how his dick was being stroked by the rocking movement caused by the blows. He bit his lip to fight against the rising orgasm. He might have been out of practice, but he knew how to be a good sub. He had mastered the control to hold back his climax until given permission. And, when it was given, the pleasure was all the greater for the waiting.
It had been too long, though. Not having come in months, his body was primed for an orgasm. He fought to keep himself in check, and when he feared he was losing the battle, he did what a good sub would do—he asked his Dom for help.
“Please, Sir. I can’t hold it back. I’m too weak.”
“No, you’re not. You can do it. You’re a good boy, Mackie, when you give yourself to me. Strong. Capable. Don’t come, not yet.”
The words of praise warmed him. He’d missed this simple affirmation, too. He wasn’t the worthless boy he’d been taunted as in childhood. Val saw more in him. Val trusted him. With gritted teeth, he kept his dick in check.
He knew the moment when he was lost. “Sir!”
“Come now.” The command was issued in a cool voice that barely rose above the music. As he gave it, Val slipped a finger past the thread of the thong and slid it up Mackie’s ass.
The pressure of being invaded set him off like a rocket. With a keening cry, he arched his back and watched the explosion of white behind his eyelids. He clawed at the seat cushion as if trying to drag himself away from the intrusion and the climax. He humped Val’s lap, the rasping against his sensitive dick goosing another spurt of cum out of him. His head spun and his hearing dimmed as he slumped back down in a mindless heap.
* * * *
This was duty.
Val reassured himself on that point as he carried a boneless Mackie to the boy’s room. He weighed almost nothing, like he always had, except it seemed as if he were lighter than usual. He’d looked thinner to Val since his recovery from the broken arm. Emil had been right about fattening the boy up.
Mackie had obviously needed the spanking, as well. Physical discipline had always chased the stress out of the boy, and given their current situation, Val should have been more attentive to that. His job had always included looking out for others. It was his role within the hive. Being human notwithstanding, Mackie was part of the loose familial group Alex had formed since being marooned. Val had let his own worries keep him from tending to Mackie’s needs. That stopped now. Helping Mackie didn’t have to mean becoming personally involved again. Val could separate the physical from the emotional.
Mackie barely stirred when Val laid him on the bed. The boy simply curled onto his side, facing Val, with his eyes shut and his lips slightly parted. He tucked his fists under his chin while Val drew the covers around his slight body. Mackie uttered a sigh of contentment before his breath evened out. He looked impossibly young and completely relaxed.
Sleep hadn’t always brought Mackie peace. For the first few months after Val had taken him as a lover, Mackie had been tense and wary all the time, in bed and out. And, he’d suffered from nightmares that had him bolting up and cowering. It was only when Val had cautiously introduced the bondage and discipline that Mackie had begun to lose the almost-feral quality that had undoubtedly served him well out in the world.
Val had taken pride in making a difference in the boy’s life. It was the emotional intimacy that had been the problem. Val hadn’t intended to take things with the human that far. He still didn’t. There was no denying, however, that he was responsible for Mackie. There was no turning away from him completely. Not yet, anyway.
He certainly couldn’t leave the boy at the moment. Even a spanking required aftercare, especially given how Mackie had responded. That orgasm had drained the boy with a force that told Val that Mackie had been without a release for probably the entire time he’d been recuperating. There was no telling how he might feel in the next few hours. Leaving him unattended was out of the question. His care was Val’s duty, as well, so that meant one thing.
With only a moment’s hesitation, he kicked off his shoes and slid onto the bed beside Mackie. He propped himself up against the headboard, determined to stay the night without sleeping. Lying by Mackie would provide too much temptation. His presence didn’t disturb the boy, either. Far from it. With a breathy little murmur, Mackie rolled closer to Val, so that their bodies touched. Val couldn’t resist petting the boy’s head a few times before pulling out his phone and texting Alex that he needed to take the rest of the night off.
Alex acknowledged the text without asking any follow-up questions. Not surprising. The man knew that Val never shirked his duty, and there had to be a good reason for his clocking off so early. He probably suspected it was Mackie-related, given how Val had swept the boy up from his stage time. That probably meant there were too few boys dancing for the night to keep the club members happy. Val didn’t care, nor did he regret his actions. He told himself it was because it was good for Mackie. The truth was not something he wanted to face, not at the moment.
There was nothing to do except play with his phone. The Internet held an endless amount of entertaining choices. He tried not to watch Mackie sleep, although he was tempted. He also avoided looking at the room. It was filled with the boxes Val had packed himself from Mackie’s old apartment. The boy had done nothing to unpack and make the former guest room into his own personal space.
Because he doesn’t intend to stay.
That though
t irritated him for reasons he was unwilling to explore. So, he kept his head down and his hands to himself. The sound of Mackie’s deep, even breathing lulled Val. The erection he’d suffered while he’d spanked Mackie’s taut ass had subsided. He had no intention of indulging it, either.
About an hour later, his phone pinged with a text.
My office, now!
Val sat up. Alex’s urgency came through loud and clear through the brief message. But Val was immobile with indecision. His duty required him to shoot down to Alex, yet he couldn’t leave Mackie unattended. Subs coming down from the endorphin flood created by the discipline were vulnerable. There was no one he trusted to come watch the boy, and it was his responsibility to look after him, regardless.
“Mackie, wake up.” He issued the order in a low voice so as to not startle him.
At the same time, he left the bed and went over to the dresser. He pulled out socks and clean underwear. In the bottom drawer, he found yoga pants and a sweatshirt. The last item surprised him. It was his, a ratty old thing he’d forgotten about. Mackie must have put it on at some point during their relationship and had still kept it. He almost put it back and found something else, but some primitive part of his brain stopped him.
Turning, he saw that Mackie was propped up on his elbow with sleepy eyes. “What’s up?” The boy’s voice was sweetly childlike, unconcerned and merely perplexed.
Val returned to him and stripped back the covers. “Alex needs me and I can’t leave you alone. Come on. Let’s get you dressed.”
“Okay.” Mackie was docile, letting Val do whatever he wanted.
The first thing was to strip off that silly lace thong crusted with Mackie’s cum. Val tossed it on the floor and wrestled the clothing he had onto Mackie’s pliant form. The boy yawned loudly and blinked up at him owlishly. Devoid for the moment of his usual snarky demeanor, he appeared sweet and biddable. Val told himself he liked him better this way, but that wasn’t entirely true. There was something perversely appealing about Mackie the Brat.
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