Saving Sebastian: A Catharsis Novel (Custos Securities Series Book 3)

by Luna, David

  “Use them if you need them, Bastian.”

  “Yes, S—”

  The rest of the word was cut off with the strike of the flogger to his upturned ass. Before he could take a full breath, there were two more on the same exact spot. As he took in a deep breath and let it out, Gideon fell into the figure eight rhythm Sebastian had guessed at earlier. His left cheek getting a strike and then his right, and on it went. It wasn’t painful, but when his focus needed to remain on keeping his knees on the edge of the ottoman and his ass was getting warmer and warmer, he found it difficult to sink into any type of subspace. He didn’t for a second believe that was accidental.

  “Your skin is pinking up so beautifully. You’re doing great, Bastian.”

  At the praise, he relaxed a bit more. As soon as he sank into a headspace where he could at least focus less on his precarious position and more on the feeling of the flogger making his nerve endings sing, Gideon changed tactics and stood near his head, focusing the flogger’s aim at his back. And again, as soon as he could fall into that headspace where he could begin to float, Gideon moved behind him again and focused on his upper thighs.

  “I can see you struggling. You can do this, Bastian. Breathe in and give me another thirty seconds, boy.”

  He took a deep breath and then another, but he wasn’t sure he could take much more and his legs, though not in too much pain, were shaking from keeping them in position. He hadn’t moved a muscle, but it was costing him and he let out a groan as he realized he was going to have to call out his safeword to slow things down when he couldn’t hold on any longer.

  Before he could say his safeword, the flogging stopped and he could hear Gideon’s words of praise as he moved quickly to unhook his wrists from his ankles. “Move slowly. Don’t rush to get up.”

  He slowly moved so that he was lying flat, legs dangling off the edge of the ottoman. He brought his arms up to drape over the other edge near his head and moaned as his muscles were allowed some relief. He was lying in a puddle of his own precum and on top of his ridiculously hard cock, but he didn’t have the energy yet to move.

  He opened his eyes and saw Gideon crouch down beside the ottoman. He ran his hand up Sebastian’s shoulder and into his hair. “You took the flogging so well. Do you have it in you to turn over on your back? If not, we can call it done and get you into the bedroom so I can rub you down.”

  Sebastian saw the admiring glance Gideon gave his body and before he could answer, Gideon’s hands skimmed down his back and he took his left ass cheek in his palm and squeezed. “Oh, fuck. Mmm. Sir.”

  He reached over and squeezed the other cheek and Sebastian’s hips involuntarily began rutting against the leather beneath him. He let out a groan when Gideon smacked his ass. “None of that, boy. Answer my question before I start to get impatient.”

  “Yes, I can turn over, Sir.”

  “That’s my good boy. Do you need help?”

  Sebastian shook his head and answered, “No, Sir.”

  He slowly maneuvered himself onto his back, wincing as the heat of the flogging met with the warmth of the leather he’d just been lying on. He didn’t know where Gideon wanted his arms, but he didn’t have to wait long to find out as he pulled them above Sebastian’s head, and chained them around the leg of the ottoman. He did the same to Sebastian’s ankles. He could move if he needed, the chains weren’t tight. The slack allowed him to squirm and from the look in Gideon’s eyes, he’d be squirming a lot. He kept his eyes on his Dom as he stepped away and leaned down to pick up a riding crop.

  Sebastian’s eyes rolled back in his head when he realized what Gideon had in mind. Goddamn he wasn’t sure he could take it. Did Gideon think he was a machine? Fuck, he was gonna have to safeword and damned if the thought didn’t make him miserable enough to somewhat deflate his erection.

  He sucked in a breath when he heard Gideon tsking his disapproval. “No, no. That just won’t do. We can’t have you soft for what I have in store for you, boy.”

  Fuck, fuck, fuckity fuck. The man was gonna kill him.

  Gideon chuckled. “Such language. I’m not gonna kill you, boy. That’s a promise.”

  He’d said that out loud? Double fuck. “Sorry, Sir.”

  “Forgiven. We’re gonna get you nice and hard again and then I’m giving you the freedom to come when you’re ready. Understood?”

  “Yes, S—”

  FUCK! He needed to remember that his new Dom liked to surprise him before he was ready. The crop landed on the underside of his cock and had him arching up as much as the chains would allow. Before he could recover he had another slap on his cock and then one on his balls. He squeezed his legs together before he could stop himself, but realized Gideon knew he’d be doing so and had landed two more volleys, one on each nipple. He gasped and moaned and damned if his cock wasn’t as hard as steel.

  “There we go. Damn, Bastian, you keep surprising me. Look at that pretty cock, dripping for me, hard as a rock.”

  He gave Sebastian’s cock several slaps on both sides, lightly this time, enough to drive him wild with need. Two hard smacks on his nipples again and he actually felt his precum pulse out of his slit with his heartbeat. “Oh god, oh god, oh god.”

  “Yes, boy. Let me hear it.”

  Sebastian panted when Gideon slid the crop down his cock to his balls and then smacked them repeatedly. But when Sebastian went to squeeze his legs together this time, he realized Gideon’s knee kept his legs wedged open. He wasn’t going to be able to protect his balls and the groan he let loose couldn’t be contained.

  “Beautiful. Fucking beautiful, boy.”

  Three more smacks up and down the length of his cock and he shouted, “Sir! Oh god. Oh fuck, Sir!”

  Gideon walked around the ottoman towards his head, kneeled down and whispered, “Breathe in.” His Dom covered his mouth and nose after he’d done so and growled out, “That’s it, boy.”

  When he’d first seen breath play on the contract, Sebastian had been intrigued. He’d always been interested in it, but had never done it before. He realized once he’d thought about it that he had a habit of holding his breath when he was in some scenes and almost always when he was masturbating.

  When he’d admitted as much to Gideon, the Dom’s eyes had gotten heated and Sebastian had gotten hard seeing his reaction. Gideon had assured him that he would never take it too far, nor would he ever put him in danger, always making it possible for him to take a breath if needed and mostly just playing with the psychological aspect of it, rather than realistic asphyxiation play.

  Sebastian nearly lost his mind when Gideon slowly tickled his sack with the tip of the crop, smacked his nipples again and then went after his cock with that thing like it had pissed him off. He needed to breathe and his eyes rolled back in his head when he realized he wasn’t permitted. Gideon must have seen his need because he removed his hand from Sebastian’s mouth and placed it on his throat, providing pressure, a pressure that thrilled him.

  Sebastian shouted and couldn’t have stopped himself from shooting if he’d tried. He didn’t know what he yelled, everything was a jumbled mess in his head and though he’d cried out he still hadn’t breathed in. He was in pain, he was in ecstasy, he couldn’t make heads or tails of what was going on with his body.

  Gideon’s whispered, “Breathe now, Bastian,” had him drawing in greedy gulps. He was vaguely aware that he still hadn’t stopped coming and felt some hit his chin and his cheeks. He could feel his pulse in his cock and it continued to drip onto his stomach as his cock bobbed in the aftermath.

  He looked up into his Dom’s eyes and smiled at the awed expression on the man’s face. He tried to speak but his throat was raw and he watched as Gideon brought his other hand up and then both of his hands had wrapped around Sebastian’s throat. The possessive look in Gideon’s eyes and the soft grip he kept on Sebastian’s throat would linger in his mind for quite some time. He grinned wider as his Dom growled and took his mouth upside down,
still gripping his throat.

  When he had pulled away, Sebastian thought it was over until he felt the soft rasp of his Dom’s tongue on his cheeks, then his chin, and then his chest, licking the cum off his skin. Fuck, was this man for real? Sebastian didn’t think a sexier Dom existed and just as he was sucking in a breath at the teeth biting into his nipple, those lips were back on his and he’d have given anything to touch his Dom in that moment.

  When Gideon had placed an ornate wooden box in his hands that morning, Sebastian hadn’t known what to think. He’d glanced up at Gideon from his seat on the edge of the bed and watched as his Dom had gotten on his knees in front of him.

  When he’d shaken his head at Gideon and looked down at the box, Gideon had asked bluntly, “What’s got you shaking your head?”

  He’d blushed and shaken his head again. “Nothing, Sir. What’s this?”

  When he’d looked at the Dom’s stern expression, he’d bitten his lip and then laughed at himself, realizing how ridiculous he must look and finally admitted, “You keep getting on your knees for me.” He sighed and glanced back down at the box. “It feels wrong.”

  “Why? Because you’re convinced that as my sub you should always be below me?”

  Sebastian shrugged. “Yeah. I mean, I’m serving you, not the other way around.”

  “You don’t think I do the same for you?”

  Sebastian tilted his head in confusion and shook his head. “You should never serve me.”

  Gideon chuckled at that and said, “Of course I should. We’re serving each other. We just do it in different ways. You’re offering your service to me as my submissive. But I’m also offering my service to you as your Dominant. We’re equals in this, Sebastian.”

  “You really believe that?”

  “Fuck yes! I absolutely do. I can do nothing with you, to you, unless you have given your express permission. That power is in your hands. You know this.”

  Sebastian nodded. “Yeah. I mean, I guess. I just never thought of it that way. That doesn’t seem right.”

  “I’m giving you what you need, just as you are doing for me. If that isn’t service, I don’t know what is.”

  A warmth had filled Sebastian then and he’d glanced down at the nearly forgotten box in his hands. He traced a pattern on the lid, trying to keep his hands busy, trying to… Nope. He reached up and gripped the back of Gideon’s neck and tugged him forward so he could ravish his Dom’s mouth.

  When Gideon’s lips curved and he chuckled under Sebastian’s passionate kiss, Sebastian blushed, bashful at his own uninhibited reaction. Gideon clasped his face in his hands and gave him multiple chaste kisses on his lips and pulled away, a gorgeous smile lighting up his face, the honest joy in his expression surprising Sebastian and making him grin in return.

  “We good?”

  Sebastian nodded in response and glanced back down at the box, muttering, “We’re good.”

  “All right, boy. Open your gift.”

  He glanced up at his Dom, then back down as he flipped the lid up. He gasped and reached to touch and then pulled his hand away and looked up at Gideon. “Sir?”

  His Dom’s expression had grown serious and he’d reached around and taken one of the items out of the box. The one that had his heart racing and his eyes stinging. He sucked his lips into his mouth and breathed in through his nose, doing his best to control his emotions as his Dom clasped the gorgeous black metal chain around his neck. When it was on and Gideon had settled back down on his heels, he’d touched it, in awe.

  “It matches the black metal bracelet on your wrist, so I thought you’d like it. And as collars go, it’s not obvious, so you can always keep it on.”

  Sebastian lost a bit of his color and covered the medical alert bracelet on his arm but recovered quickly when his Dom, obviously not noticing his distress, continued. “You’ll wear my temporary collar and cage while we’re in contract. I want you in chastity at all times when you’re not with me. I had this one made for you, but if it isn’t the right fit, we’ll get it adjusted. I guessed at the measurements, so we’ll have to see. They’re both made of black titanium, so they’re corrosion resistant and hypoallergenic. I wasn’t sure if you had any metal allergies, and I wanted you to be able to bathe with them on.”

  Sebastian’s heart had raced again as he thought about the gorgeous cage. He’d never worn one and when they’d talked about it, he’d hoped to be able to try it, but hadn’t dreamed he’d be wearing one twenty-four seven while contracted with Gideon. Jesus. A contract, a fucking collar, and chastity? What alternate reality had he stepped into? His life had taken a detour he’d never expected and fuck if he didn’t hope he never found his way back on course.

  Remembering that day with great fondness, he found himself touching the smooth, uniquely shaped links of the chain around his neck. Nearly jumping out of his chair when his captain, Jon Conway, came and rapped loudly on his doorframe before striding into his tiny office, a thin box under one arm. “Sorry to surprise you there, Sebastian. You looked like you were a million miles away. I just heard from Captain Baxter at Coopertino PD. They’re gonna need your help this afternoon.”

  “Sir, I’m booked at one p.m. and four p.m. I won’t be able to drive down there, do a sketch and make it back in time.”

  “But, what about a two thirty appointment via video conference?”

  Sebastian sighed. “Sir, I don’t have…” He looked up, the box in his captain’s hand held out towards him. “No way!”

  His captain laughed and placed the box on his desk. “There was a lot of grumbling about this, but in the end you were right, it will cost them less money in travel and faster turnaround time. Don’t say I never did anything for you. Once you get set up, call IT to come and pick up your ancient desktop. There are still several of the older precincts that haven’t signed on, so there might be some residual travel, but we’re working on getting them on board.”

  Sebastian grinned. “You’re a miracle worker, Cap. You won’t regret this.”

  “Yeah, well you might. You know what this means, right? Those police departments that have been mostly out of reach of your services will now be able to make use of you.”

  Sebastian shrugged. “I can get a lot more done this way. It’s been a long time coming. We’ve been quite antiquated from that standpoint, for my job, anyway. And, I’m happy to help as much as my schedule allows. You know that, Sir.”

  His captain nodded and clapped him on the back. “I know. We have the technology where it’s most beneficial according to the higher ups. But someone finally paid attention, so I’ll consider us lucky. Let me know how it goes. Thanks, Sebastian.”

  “Thank you, Cap.”

  As his boss left, he practically dove into the brand-new laptop box he’d be using for video conferencing with other police departments in the state, which would mean much less travel. Less travel meant the possibility of more time with Gideon and as far as he was concerned that was the best news he could have possibly gotten that day. He settled in, humming to himself as he began to set up his new toy.

  THE SUNDAY BEFORE THANKSGIVING MARKED their third week in contract. Gideon felt that they’d settled into a comfortable rhythm and were seeing to each other’s needs quite well. His boy seemed to be flourishing under his domination and Gideon was quite satisfied by his submissive’s progress. Sebastian seemed to be coming out of his shell. There was less of the shyness around him for sure, less of the hiding or glancing away to avoid scrutiny, and less of the self-deprecating comments. He hoped that meant that the boy’s confidence was growing, as that was one of Gideon’s biggest goals with his sub.

  He couldn’t believe his luck, really. The boy was a natural and never seemed inclined to say no to trying something new. His behavior was impeccable, his submission absolute. He’d yet to have to punish the boy for breaking a rule. He wondered if that would be a different story, if they were in a committed D/s relationship, not just a committed short-term D/s cont
ract.

  Admittedly, they didn’t spend enough time together and as much as he wanted to change that, he’d agreed to the stipulation that Sebastian retain the control of their schedule. It was constantly in flux as a result of his work and as a business owner, Gideon had the ability to adjust his schedule at will. Although he knew it was best to keep their schedule as is, because he was already in danger of getting too emotionally attached.

  He had a feeling his boy had many secrets and they’d agreed to that damned rule about keeping out of each other’s personal business. At first, he’d thought it would benefit him the most. He thought Sebastian had been exaggerating or denying his true nature when he’d said he wasn’t built for relationships, that it wasn’t what he was looking for.

  He’d been convinced that Sebastian would be the one pushing for a more personal connection. But damned if his boy didn’t avoid asking any personal questions. In fact, he was very careful not to ask anything at all. He let Gideon steer their conversations, always, as if that was a part of his submission.

  Gideon didn’t know what that meant. Did he not want to know more about his Dom? Did he not care? Or, more likely, did he think if he asked questions of Gideon that he’d be asked questions in return? If that was his assumption, Gideon had to admit it was probably true. The more he got to know the boy, the more he wanted to know, which, to his mind was a trap he needed to steer clear of, if only to save the boy confusion and himself heartache. But the more he tried to deny himself what he knew he wanted deep down, the more he found it impossible not to ask Sebastian the probing personal questions they’d each promised to avoid.

  With the holidays coming up, he wanted to know his sub’s plans. They wouldn’t be spending them together—he’d stipulated that before they even signed the contract. He wanted, needed, to maintain those lines. Blurring them would be no good for either one of them. But he still couldn’t help thinking, would Sebastian have his family visit him or would he travel to visit them? He knew from the tiny bit he’d been able to glean, in a moment when his sub’s defenses were down, that he didn’t get along that well with his parents, so he knew the visits would be short, which was fine by him, as he wouldn’t have to be too long without his boy.