I closed the door and approached silently, unwilling to disturb him when he looked so peaceful. I perched on the edge of the mattress, wrapping my blanket around myself for warmth, tucking my feet into the thick cotton folds to ward off the morning chill of the floor. He snored, just a little, his mouth open as he slept. It was cute. His jaw was already dark, lightly stubbled with hair that felt rough to the touch. I would have to shave him every couple of days to keep his face smooth, and I found myself rather pleased at the prospect.
He opened his eyes as I was wondering if longer hair would suit him, and he blinked, a slow, sleepy smile lighting his face.
"Good morning." I smiled back. "Sleep well?"
He made an affirmative noise, pulling the covers up around his neck.
"What happened last night after I fell asleep?"
"Nothing happened," he barked, immediately defensive. "Master took you to bed and shut me in here."
"He gave you bedding."
"It was cold." Kai looked uneasy. "I don't think he realised how cold it was."
I fidgeted, picking at the bobbles on my blanket. I wanted to ask where we stood, if he was still comfortable with me after the intimacies we'd shared, but I didn't know how to find the words. Would he want to talk about it? Did it even matter? We were slaves. Our job was to please our master. In the grand scheme of things, he asked so very little of us. And yet I found I didn't want Kai's hands on my body for that reason alone. I wanted him to touch me because he wanted to touch me, not because he feared the repercussions if he refused.
I cleared my throat. "Last night-"
He pulled the covers over his head. "Do we have to discuss it?"
"I'd rather we did."
"Why?" He threw the covers back, eyes narrowing as he looked at me. His nipples tightened at the sudden shock of cold air. "What good will it do?"
I hung my head. "I'm sorry I put you in that position."
He laughed, astonished. "You're sorry?"
"Of course." I looked at him, determined to be honest even if it made my skin crawl. "I don't want to pressure you, or force you to do things you don't want to do-"
"You think you forced me? You really think that?" He laughed again, a hard, guttural sound. "You were so out of it. You barely even knew your own name, you were that gone. I think you'd have let anyone do anything to you at that point, and I"-he made a pained sound-"I went right along with it. I was touching you, inside you. I could smell you on my fingers, for fuck's sake!" He raked a shaking hand over his shorn scalp. "And the worst of it was, I wanted it. I wanted to know what it felt like to touch a man, to see you come … . Watching the two of you together had me so hard, I could hardly think, and then afterward, you fell asleep and I realised what I'd done … ."
"What had you done?"
He stared at me incredulously. "I raped you."
It was my turn to laugh. "Is that what you think?"
"What else would you call it? I violated your body without your permission, just because he told me to. I didn't even think twice. What kind of man does that make me?"
I cocked my head at him, smiling broadly at his admission. "Did it never occur to you that he told you to do it because he knew I wanted it? That he guided you, not to spur you into depravity, but because he knows how I like to be touched? He's had a long time to learn my body, Kai. If he wants to make me come, he can."
"But, you love him."
"I do."
"Then how could you possibly want anything from me?"
I shrugged, because wasn't that the very question I'd avoided asking myself? "I don't know."
He huffed, sitting up and pulling the covers around his shoulders. "It's bad enough I'm a slave," he muttered. "Without still being second best."
"Is that what you think?" I eyed him angrily. "Let me tell you something. I chose you, and you were my only choice. I didn't bid on any of the others. I spent more than Master gave me as an allowance getting you here. He might have sent me to purchase a new slave for him, but it wasn't him I was thinking of when I began bidding-and not because I felt sorry for you." I cut off his protest. "If I'd been on a crusade to save someone, I'd have bought one of the kids, or two, or all of them. I could have afforded it with what you cost. I didn't, I picked you. Because I wanted you."
"Hooray for me," he answered sullenly.
"Sulk then, Kai. See if I care." I rose from the mattress. "It's almost time for breakfast. Get yourself ready."
҉҉҉
Breakfast was a sour affair. Kai and I stood in silence at the foot of Master's table, refusing to look at each other. What did he want from me? I'd known him only a handful of days, and he was demanding … what, exactly? It's not like he was in love with me.
"Tam." Master's voice was sharp. "I asked you what was wrong."
I flushed, mortified he had spoken and I'd not responded. "Nothing, Master."
"Tam, don't lie to me." His voice had that low, dangerous quality to it which made me shiver.
I hung my head. "Kai's angry with me."
"Is that so?" His attention turned to my fellow slave. "Why is that, Kai?"
"I'm not angry with him, Master."
"Then why does he think you are?"
"I don't know."
Master made an impatient clucking sound. "I don't have time for this today," he said, his tone weary. "I have to go out, and I don't want you two fighting while I'm gone." He grinned, a sudden flash of teeth. "You seemed to be getting along all right last night."
We both scowled.
"So that's what's wrong with you." He smiled broadly, sitting a little easier in his chair. "Tam, tell me truthfully, did you dislike Kai touching you?"
I mumbled a negative somewhere in the direction of my toes.
"Kai, honestly now, did you not want to touch Tam?"
From the corner of my eye, I saw Kai shake his head.
"Well good, because from where I was sitting, you two looked gorgeous together. Perhaps it's something you can explore while I'm away." He rose, dropping his napkin onto the tabletop as he moved towards me, his gaze intense. "You could teach him, Tam. Teach him everything you know."
He hooked his thumb under my chin, tipping my mouth towards his. His lips hovered over mine, so close I could feel the whisper of breath as he spoke. "Show him what your clever little mouth can do. See how he reacts when you suck on those lovely nipples, taste him, make him hard." He gripped my chin, twisting my face so I looked at Kai, standing startled on the other side of the table. Master's teeth scraped over my cheekbone, and I groaned. "Yes, you like that idea, don't you? How big do you think he is, Tam? Big enough to fill you up, to stretch your tight little hole until you squeal? I think he is."
My breaths came quicker, the wicked words blazing a trail straight to my groin. I locked eyes with Kai, the two of us flushed and uncomfortable in our arousal. Apparently neither of these men had to love me to make me hard.
"And then what?" Master purred. "Once you've taught him everything you know, perhaps he can teach you something. You can learn from each other, Tam. Don't tell me you haven't wondered how it feels to be inside another man. You could spread his cheeks and lick and rub his hole, play with it the way I play with you, revel in the noises he makes. Do you think anyone's ever touched him there before? Do you think he has any idea how good it feels?" We both looked at Kai, lust rolling off us in waves. "Do you think he's ever penetrated himself?"
Kai curled his fingers around the back of a chair and whined, unable to stop himself.
Master snickered. "I don't think he has. I think he's a sweet virgin, just ripe for you to pluck. And oh, Tammy, the noises he'll make. Can't you just hear them? Do you think he'll be quiet, the first time you fill him with your lovely prick, or do you think he'll whimper and groan and beg you not to stop?"
He pulled away, looking from one to the other of us. "Yes, I think he'll respond beautifully. Just like you do." He cradled my face as he planted a soft kiss on my temple. His next words were for me alone, whispered directly into the shell of my ear. "You picked him, Tammy. Now make him yours."
CHAPTER NINE
Kai and I skirted uneasily around each other when we returned to his room, not making eye contact. We settled awkwardly at opposite ends of his mattress, arms clasped around our knees. I didn't know what to say to him. The equilibrium we'd found only yesterday was gone, our fledgling rapport strained to breaking point.
I scowled. Why was Master pushing so hard? He'd promised me time. Kai needed to settle in, to reconcile himself to his new life. And I needed to adjust, too. Did Master honestly expect us to start going at it like mindless animals the moment he left us alone?