Gilded Lily(36)

“What about Lily?” Adam pointed to the veranda where Lily was curled up, sitting on one of the chairs, sipping a glass of sangria.

“She’ll be fine. Come on.” Adam followed Tony down the garden path until they reached the outside bathtub. Tony slid his hand along the worn enamel lip. “This is Lily’s tub. Your brother got it for her.”

“Yeah? Don’t you think it’s pretty odd to have a bathtub in the middle of a flower garden?”

Tony smiled as Adam slurred his words. The combination of Scotch and sangria was beginning to kick in. “She likes to take a bath out here.” He studied Adam’s expression.

“God, I could imagine she’d look fucking hot doing it.” Adam stopped short. “Oh, man. I’m sorry if I…I mean, well. I know you two are…friends.”

“No problem, man. So, you think you’d like to see her in here?”

“Truth be told, Tony, I have.” Adam slipped his hand over his face as he reclaimed the erotic image. “I overheard someone down here and found her in it, talking to you on the phone.”

“And…” Tony coaxed.

“Well, that’s it.”

“That can’t be it. I remember what she was doing. Did you stay to watch her?”

“No.” Adam acted offended that Tony would even suggest such a thing.

Tony knew there wasn’t a man on earth who could’ve turned down watching those naked curves and full breasts. Just thinking about what the scene must have looked like made his cock twitch. He knew how stunning Lily was naked, and he knew all too well how great her creamy white skin looked in a tub of water.

“I… Well…” Adam looked around like someone might be spying on them. “I walked away.”

“You could resist watching her masturbate?” Tony asked, knowing there was no way in hell Adam could’ve walked away from a sight like that.

“I didn’t want to embarrass her,” Adam said.

Tony gave Adam a knowing half smile. “Really? Tell me, when was the last time you were with a woman?”

“It’s been a while, around three months. So I’m crazy horny. Goddammit, okay, I stayed. No man could have resisted that. She was working so hard, and her voice sounded…so… Well, it made me want to come right there.”

Tony laughed. “So, did you?”

“Fucking yes, man! I did.” Adam hesitated, then started to laugh too.

“Did she ever see you?”

“No, I left after she came. I don’t think she ever knew I was here. Please don’t tell her. I don’t want to scare her. She’d surely send my ass packing if she thought I was some kind of stalker running around her property.”

“Your secret’s safe with me,” Tony assured him as he gave him a firm pat on the shoulder. “Tell me something. When was the last time you were tested?”

“Tested?”

“Yeah, tested.”

Realization bloomed on Adam’s face. “Oh, you mean tested. I had a checkup and blood work before I left on my last assignment. It was several months ago. I haven’t been with anyone since.”

“Perfect.”

Adam took a deep breath. “Can I ask you a question?” Tony sat on the edge of the tub and watched as Adam paced on the foliage. “How did Lily get those marks on her back? I mean, did someone beat her?”

Tony had to be delicate not to alarm Adam and not to betray his poppet at the same time. “She has a delicate taste for the sensual arts.”

Adam stopped pacing.

“She has certain desires that lead her to obtain those marks. When did you see them?”

“The other day she seemed upset when I noticed them. What do you mean ‘delicate taste’? I’m not naive; I have been to a sex club before. There was some scene play, but no one got hurt. It was mostly acting.”

Tony took that as a sign of encouragement. At least he knew Adam had been exposed to the lifestyle. Only problem was, this was no scene acted out by amateurs. This was real life. Real submission and dominance. This was not a club where the flogger was some plastic play toy. There were no tickling feathers and handcuffs. Real submission couldn’t be taught. Real submission was broken into a sub or born into the character. Real subs knew to keep their eyes to the floor without being told.

Tony could sense other doms as easily as he could command a willing sub. Adam carried the qualities, maybe unknowingly, but with a few guiding tips he could be a strong leader. He was sincere, honest, relentless, and above all other things, he adored Lily.

“Soon enough, Adam.” Tony rose and again patted Adam on the shoulder. “Soon enough you’ll see. If you so choose.”