In the Den of Sirens

Prologue

A shiver ran the length of his spine, body fixed into place by ropes fastened tight into a series of interconnecting knots. Every part of him felt lit on fire, as though a current of electricity had settled on his skin and set itself upon the task of jolting him each and every time the barest sensation crested over him. A slight shift in the air, for instance. Or the brush of the ropes any time he wriggled and squirmed. He had been stripped down to nothing and placed on a low, seated chair, anticipation ratcheted to the point that his once flaccid length had been hardened to full erection.

Air filled his lungs in one, deep breath, in an attempt for him to settle his rapidly fraying nerves. Try as he might, though, he could not entertain that notion before a host of others brought images into his mind that only made his skin prickle more. The words whispered to him several minutes ago danced through his ears once more as an echo. A threat, or a promise. Perhaps a bit of both. Swallowing hard, he leaned his head against his chair, allowing his long hair to fall loose behind him and tickle his back with the ends.

'If you want to beg for me tonight, Mr. O'Shane, then you will.'

Michael shut his eyes and squirmed once more, this time a deliberate attempt at some kind of friction. All teasing and taunting aside, the mere context of the conversation which had preceded him being tied up made him desperate for some manner of release, even if his initial intention had been much less complicated. An attractive man had been at his side, slipping him a drink and addressing Michael's obvious interest while his fingertips danced across Michael's chest. Even the memory of that touch made him groan and shift in his seat again.

"You're not ready for me yet," said a voice from the corner of the room. It bore the same timbre as the man with whom he had been engaged, only now, it carried a distinctly darker edge to it. "You haven't learned how to sit still."

"I don't believe that I can much longer," Michael responded. The air shifted again, seemingly right across his cock as though the universe had joined the conspiracy to unravel him. If the tip had not started leaking yet, then it was a wonder. "I want you, Alphonse."

"Not nearly enough. You said you wanted me the way I wanted you and I told you exactly what that involved." He paused. "Obedience. You're too used to instant gratification and get impatient when you don't receive it. I'm teaching you the reward that comes from placing your trust in me."

"Please..."

"Please what? I believe I told you the rules of our game?"

Michael nodded, his throat turning dry again. "Please, Master."

Alphonse hummed, the sound a delighted one. "Much better. Perhaps you can be taught after all." Michael heard the sound of a chair being pulled out, though its owner still lingered in the shadows. "Are you familiar with the forms of discipline I like to use in these scenarios?"

"Discipline?" He repeated the word, as though language had suddenly failed an immortal linguist. A lusty breath passed through his lips. "No. Only vaguely. I saw what you did with your woman."

"Betty is my slave. I am her master. I do whatever she needs to be satisfied. That is the role of a Dominant and my first lesson to you in that." A few footsteps closed in on Michael, each taken at a slow, deliberate pace. "You said you were interested in doing what I do. I can instruct you, but I warn I wasn't lying when I told you the cost. I need to break you first. Can you handle that?"

"Yes, I can."

"Yes, you can, what?"

"Yes, I can, Master."

"Much better." He finally drifted into the scant amount of light in the room. It had been constructed as a basement, and though this room itself was one of the smaller areas in the underground network, it still only bore a single lamp, placed closer to the center. Michael might have reasoned it deliberate, had he been capable of much thought beyond those small gusts of air and the ropes against his skin. As it was, he found his focus lapsing the moment he could take in the sight of Alphonse.