Paid to Kneel

by Romilly King

  Taking a deep breath Richard climbed out of the car and looked around at the carefully husbanded wild garden that surrounded the stone house. He couldn't hear any traffic noise and there wasn't another property within sight.

  While he knew that Delphic had performed an extensive background check on the Emptor, he also knew that many things could be hidden from the public eye, especially if the Emptor was well-to-do, as he surely must be given the amount of money he was paying. Richard didn't like the idea of being so remote if things went wrong.

  He glanced at the car and then back at Ms. Maisie who was beckoning him towards the house. $35,000, he had to think of the money. He took another deep breath. He'd just have to trust his instincts. This meeting was an opportunity for both of them to get to know each other, and if he detected anything sinister about the Emptor, Richard would leave.

  The thought didn't give him much comfort since how well could a person really get to know someone else in an hour, but he followed Ms. Maisie up the shallow stone steps to a high and wide walnut door.

  As she rang the doorbell and waited Richard again fiddled with his tie. Delphic had a strict policy of professionalism and all staff and Venditores wore formal business attire during consultations and interviews. Richard understood and appreciated this, a suit was a kind of armor in circumstances like this even if he'd be taking some--if not all--of his clothes off if the Emptor required it.

  "Remember," Ms. Maisie whispered quickly as the door started to open, "No names, be guided by me."

  He straightened and tried to assume an expression of calm attentiveness.

  The entrance led straight into the main living area, a huge open room floored with pale stone. An open ceiling of slim metal girders and walnut beams gave height to the room and complex heavy textured paintings were scattered over walls of pale cream. The space was flooded with light. Clean modern styling with a mix of materials met subtle textures of fabric and furnishings that had been arranged to harmoniously flow from one space to the next.

  The Emptor clearly has wonderful taste.

  Speaking of the Emptor, there he was, shaking Ms. Maisie's hand briskly before he turned to Richard.

  Richard's first feeling upon seeing him was relief. He was good-looking; tall, and wide-shouldered with dark hair. He wore an immaculately tailored dark blue suit with no tie, his white shirt open at the neck to reveal golden skin. That the Emptor was attractive shouldn't have mattered to him and mostly it didn't but there was still a small part of him that was grateful anyway.

  The Emptor was definitely very handsome Richard realized as he took him in. He was about Richard's age, maybe a year or so older, say mid-thirties, and from his groomed hair to his smartly booted feet he was polished and poised, exuding a casual confidence only old money instilled.

  The Emptor's presence was insidious and within seconds Richard realized that he was actually one of the most attractive men he had ever seen.

  He had a perfect profile, a classically cut jawline and long long legs that had little butterflies taking flight in Richard's stomach. Maybe the Emptor being handsome wasn't such a good thing after all, Richard thought, feeling his objectivity starting to creep away from him.

  As if from underwater Richard heard Ms. Maisie making brief introductions.

  "Nice to meet you, Venditor," the Emptor said. His voice was deeper than Richard expected and his gaze was searching as their eyes locked.

  God those eyes; silver grey with a dark band around the iris, the lashes thick and curling. Richard had to swallow before he trusted himself to answer. He'd never been this drawn to someone so suddenly before. "You as well," he said, sounding more gruff than usual, and the Emptor's eyebrows went up for a second, but then he smiled, and yes, this was definitely going to be a problem.

  "Please, follow me," the Emptor said and lead them further into the room towards two large sofas placed in front of a focal point fireplace. The fireplace wall was stone veneer, a warm blend of Colorado sandstone and split brownstone. What looked to be sliding glass panel doors, currently closed, led out to a cedar deck area.

  "Please have a seat," the Emptor indicated the other sofa after settling himself comfortably and elegantly crossing his legs. He appeared utterly collected and whilst not unfriendly he was certainly detached.

  Ms. Maisie took the lead laying a draft contract and both Richard and the Emptores particulars on the heavy walnut coffee table that stood between the sofas. She started by going over the general terms of the contract before moving on to what specific duties the Emptor had requested. Throughout she was smiling and exuding a sense of breezy nonchalance which Richard felt was totally at odds with discussing clauses around the Emptores requirement for no condoms so he could come in Richard. It was like watching a cheerleader juggle dildos.

  Ms. Maisie reminded both of them that Richard wouldn't be required to engage in sexual activities more than three times a day. She then proceeded to define what constituted sexual activity, and Richard spent most of that extensive list examining his surroundings. It was impossible to look at the Emptor while Ms. Maisie talked about penetration and contact with either of their penises.

  "I was a little worried when they gave me your profile to review," the Emptor said directly to Richard after Ms. Maisie had finished, leaning forward in his seat. "This is your first time as a Venditor, as well as your first time participating in a BDSM relationship, isn't that right?"

  "Yes," Richard said since there was no point in denying it. He'd been concerned that his inexperience might be a stumbling block for the Emptor, so he'd prepared for their meeting as much as he could. "I have, however, conducted extensive research into BDSM culture and practices--"

  "That is commendable but reading about something is not the same as experiencing it. I mean, it's all well and good to read something on a website, but how do you know if you're going to like it?"

  He resisted the urge to squirm. "As I was saying, I spent a lot of time trying to understand what I was agreeing to do. It's true that I couldn't get first-hand experience from reading about other people's activities" and watching a lot of porn "but there were a lot of different things that I would be willing to try," he said, attempting to not think about what those things were to keep his face from heating.

  "Willing to try things?" the Emptor asked with a raised eyebrow, and Richard had the impression that he maybe he should have been a bit more forthcoming as the Emptor leaned back and folded his arms. "Like what?"

  Richard found himself glancing at Ms. Maisie. He knew that she had access to everything the Emptor had requested, which meant that she knew all the things that would be asked of Richard, but up until now, it had always been about what the Emptor wanted, not what Richard wanted. It was a small distinction, but an important one. And now the Emptor was asking him what he wanted and he didn't know what to say. Of the things he had learned about many had excited him, some had confused him and a couple he had found when he strayed from the Emptor's stated kinks had terrified him.

  "Things like," He cleared his throat and started again "I spent most of my time," he began in a low voice, looking over at Ms. Maisie and seeing that she had the prudence to pretend she was reading the contract instead of watching the two of them, "trying to focus on the items you had detailed in the terms." He tried to sound confident but he could feel his shoulders tensing without his permission, "and I" he trailed off finding himself just helplessly staring at the Emptor.

  "I think it's time to move this along," the Emptor said, rising gracefully and looking down at Richard with a slight smile on his face. "I think we would learn more about each other if we go on to the practical part of the interview. Are you agreeable to that, Venditor?"

  Richard tightened his jaw muscles so his voice didn't shake. "Of course, Emptor. What will that entail exactly?" Ms. Sara had told him he would perform a task, but she couldn't say what exactly he'd be asked to do.

  "I want you to masturbate for me," the Emptor said calmly b
efore turning to Ms. Maisie, "Naturally you will need to be in the room but I would prefer we do this in the bedroom, it has a more naturalistic atmosphere."

  "Of course Emptor," Ms. Maisie said as calmly as if the Emptor had asked her to pass him a file.

  Richard slowly rose to his feet. This was somewhat more than he expected but then he wasn't sure what exactly he had expected. Beside him, Ms. Maisie smoothed down her skirt and dug her phone from her handbag. "Just so you know Richard I won't be watching," she said quietly, "I'll be looking the other way the whole time."

  She might not be looking but she would be listening thought, Richard. Whilst he had no interest in women sexually the thought of his, well he supposed she was almost a colleague, being in the same room whilst he masturbated at the request of a third party unnerved him. He felt the beginnings of a flush building in his cheeks and his heart rate began to rise.

  I can do this, he thought. Stepping forward he allowed the Emptor to guide them along a glass framed corridor into a huge bedroom whose glass walls looked out onto a spectacular view of forest and distant blue hills.

  Chapter Three

  The room was decorated in soft greys and silver with muted purple accents. It felt intensely masculine but undeniably luxurious. The floor was pale wide wooden planks and a modern fireplace, currently unlit, was built into a matt grey chimney breast.

  A large bed with its wooden headboard up against a dressed stone wall stood on a silver rug to Richard's left and an easy chair had been placed roughly ten feet from the edge of the bed. The bed itself was dressed with pale grey linens and a heavy knitted wool throw was draped casually over one corner.

  Richard hovered just inside the door and Ms. Maisie moved past him and walked briskly to the huge windows that formed the corner and half of the far wall. She became immediately absorbed in the view. Richard saw her slip a single earpiece in and it made the tight feeling in his chest ease a little, knowing she was trying hard to show him she wasn't interested or trying to listen.

  The Emptor rested casually on the arm of the easy chair watching Richard. His hands were in his pockets and his ankles casually crossed. "Come stand in front of the bed please," he said.

  Richard moved quickly to obey. He was doing this. He was really going to do this.

  Until recently Richard had never given a great deal of thought to Venditores or Emptores. He knew some people took the moral high ground about the whole thing but they tended to be the people who could afford to. Richard had known several fellow students over the years that had been grateful for the agencies and he had always assumed it was just like any other business. It was one person offering a service that another person wanted.

  At the same time, it wasn't an industry he'd ever planned on entering himself. He wasn't the most naturally sociable of people and even though he'd been doing what he could to prepare over the last few weeks he still felt like he wasn't ready for this and he desperately didn't want to fail.

  "The more you listen to me the easier you will find this," the Emptor said quietly. He hadn't moved, his silver eyes fixed on Richard. "If it makes you feel any better I'm not going to be touching you, and anytime you want to stop, you can."

  "I know that," he spoke more harshly than he had planned, but all the Emptor did was smile.

  "Good. This is about seeing how you follow instructions so all you have to do is exactly what I say. We're going to go slow and all you have to do is masturbate for me."

  "I can do that," Richard wished he sounded more confident.

  "I'm sure you can." The Emptor's voice was low and calm and his silver eyes never left Richard's face.

  Richard's palms were already sweating and he was all too aware of Ms. Maisie a few feet away, staring fixedly out at the forest view. He didn't dare look at her. Was this the humiliation kink the Emptor wanted? It felt like it might be.

  "One other thing," the Emptor added his smile widening "Whilst you are masturbating I might tell you to stop every now and then."

  "You want me to stop?" That made sense, orgasm delay with possible orgasm denial. That had been in the paperwork.

  "Yes, when I say stop, you stop. And then, when I tell you to, you will start again." The Emptor tilted his head to one side and smiled, "Clear?"

  "How many times will you want me to stop?" Richard asked.

  The Emptor's smile grew wider "As many times as I want."

  Richard took a deep breath. Then another. He should have been more prepared for this. He had signed up to have sex with an Emptor. How did he think it was going to happen, remotely, via video link? He was procrastinating.

  He looked over at the Emptor, but he didn't seem annoyed. If anything, he appeared amused, and that made Richard's resolve rise. "How should I start?" he asked.

  "Start by taking your cock out for me. Just your cock, nothing more."

  The Emptor had already expressed doubt that he would--could--go through with this, and Richard's hesitation had to be reinforcing his belief that he'd fail.

  Well then, he'd just have to prove him wrong.

  Trying to remain as calm as possible Richard undid the buttons of his pants and pulled down the zip. He took a deep breath and reached down inside his briefs pulling his cock out into the open.

  Looking down at his flaccid cock hanging obscenely through his open pants Richard felt a blush building in his cheeks. He fought the intense desire to cover his manhood and waited.

  "Jacket off," the Emptor instructed quietly after a moment.

  Richard shrugged it off his shoulders letting it fall to the floor behind him.

  He kept his gaze focussed on the pale wood floor a few feet in front of him.

  "Now the tie."

  Richard loosened the knot and worked the tie loose. The whispering noise as it slid through his fingers was shockingly loud in the silent room.

  "Open your shirt."

  Richard could feel a tension building in his belly and he couldn't help fumbling as he undid the buttons of his shirt.

  There was a pause and Richard could feel the blush that had started in his cheeks spread down his chest.

  "Push your pants and underwear down. Don't take them off" The instructions were softly spoken but relentless.

  Jerkily Richard bent and pushed his black pants down to his ankles, followed by his white briefs. As he straightened his open shirt flared around him and he shivered and felt his nipples tighten.

  Keeping his gaze fixed on the floor Richard saw the toes of the Emptor's boots as the man stepped closer to him. The boots paused for a moment and then disappeared and Richard was aware that the Emptor was circling him. His gaze was almost physical and Richard tightened his muscles to stop another shiver as the Emptor's gaze wandered over him.

  He was aware he was in good shape, his legs well-muscled and his waist trim but that seemed irrelevant whilst he stood in such a vulnerable and frankly humiliating position with his pants around his ankles.

  "Take everything off and sit on the edge of the bed," The Emptor's voice came from further away now, he had obviously finished his initial inspection.

  Thankful that he hadn't been asked to full disrobe in a more exotic way Richard hurried to remove his shoes, socks, and shirt. Being totally naked now seemed less vulnerable somehow.

  Moving quickly to the foot of the bed Richard perched on the end of it. He planned to carry out each instruction to the letter. If in doubt be thorough would be his mantra here.

  The bed was firm but the coverlet shockingly cold against his heated skin. He didn't know where to put his hands. All he could think about was that he was naked. In front of a stranger. A stranger who was still completely dressed. A stranger who when Richard risked a fleeting glance towards him, was smiling a smug little smile. A stranger he was going to masturbate in front of.

  He was still too nervous to be aroused. Richard didn't know if that was a mark for or against him, probably against considering the circumstances. If he was given the contract he didn't thin
k it would be a problem in the future, he found the Emptor startlingly attractive. But right now being flaccid somehow just added to the shame he already felt, as if he were failing in the most rudimentary way to be what the Emptor wanted.

  He forced himself to stillness despite the turmoil inside and forced himself to raise his gaze from the floor. The Emptor was now sitting in the easy chair across from the bed and Richard fixed his eyes on an intricate branching silver sculpture over the Emptor's right shoulder. The longer the Emptor was silent; his gaze centered on the naked man in front of him, the longer Richard had to wonder if he should be doing more. Should he be being flirtatious, trying a more seductive position, being more overtly sexual? Whatever that entailed?

  "Very nice," the Emptor said finally, and there was a sincere note of appreciation in his voice that had Richard flushing even harder, something he wouldn't have thought possible. "Now if you don't mind would you spread your legs for me?"

  Richard tensed for a second before straightening and spreading his thighs so they weren't locked together. He hadn't even noticed he'd been doing it.

  "You're really lovely," the Emptor said, his voice deeper than before. There was another wait, and Richard's cheeks burned as the Emptor looked his fill, but he kept his head raised. He might be embarrassed, but he wasn't ashamed. "Alright, whenever you're ready."

  It was said kindly and that made Richard hopeful. The Emptor had yet to be demanding or aggressive and that, almost as much as the money, was keeping Richard where he was. He took a deep breath and then took his cock in hand.

  He'd never masturbated for anyone before, at least, not without his partner right beside him, doing the same thing, and it was very different performing for someone than doing it alone. Richard stared down at his cock, which was still mostly soft, the jerky way in which he was tugging at it probably not helping things along. It'd be easier if he could pretend to be alone, but that was impossible in his current circumstances. He tried to relax, to let the pleasure overtake his nervousness.