I card my fingers through the slightly damp curls upon Ezra's head, raking the blunt curve of my nails across the warmth of his scalp in slow lazed circles. He sighs, bone-deep relief seeping out every portion of his body. The sub squints through his lashes and then burrows into the crevasse of my bosom, shy and ever so soft. It wasn't fair. How was I going to be able to avoid his temptations, urges, and feelings? I'd never be able to escape him now, and deep down I knew the only way we'd separate was by that of his own will. His own say.
"You can't," He murmurs pressing the warm plumpness of his lips against the jut of my collar bone. "you can't leave me. Not like the others." Oh, Ezra. Didn't he already know I was trapped within this relationship?
"Maybe...maybe you should go to therapy?" I offer, freezing the gentle circles. He tenses, but I just pet him through it. Firmly warming his limbs with my palms until he relaxes back into the boneless heap against my chest.
"I don't need it."
"Yes, you do," I lift his chin with my palm until his hazel orbs meet my gaze. "You've been through traumatic events and it reflects Ezra." He tries to sit up, but the narrowing of my brows and the stiff draw of my lip keeps him from rising any further.
"From what I heard, the stories you've told me, I think you may have abandonment issues or a form of separation anxiety." The sub shakes his head, fingers clenching the soft duvet across the mattress. Ezra seems to fall silent after that and my heart beats wildly rising to fill the void of absolute silence. I lick the chapped skin of my bottom lip and for once Ezra doesn't follow the movement.
"Who?" I finally ask. He rolls his head until his ear is resting on the exposed skin of my shoulder. "What was his name? The man?" He shakes his head again while lifting his fingers to his mouth, the trembling digits ghost over his lips.
"It's alright Ezra, you can tell me," His eyes glaze with dewy moisture and his brows scrunch together tightly. Pure agony. I immediately apologize, knowing I'm treading on a sensitive subject. Wrapping my arms around his torso I plant a few kisses across his forehead. The conversation dies, and in a sense, a small portion of me does as well.
°♡°
I walk down the hall with the light iridescent robe fluttering around my bare calves, dragging ever so fluidly across the cold sting of marble. A few minutes ago, I had put Ezra to sleep, dropping him into the comfort of his headspace with creamy praises and honeyed touches across his body. The boy was out in a matter of seconds. Making a sharp left, I feel the air in my lungs release as a violent jump shakes my body.
"I see Ezra's got his claws deep in ya." Will gushes pushing himself away from the wall to stalk towards me. I clutch at my heart as it tries to slow and I eye the man wearily before circling him, trying to leave.
"He's told you about his coming, yeah?" He asks jumping in front of my path to cease my quick getaway. I grumble out an answer neither agreeing nor disagreeing. "Must have, you've got this look on your face all pitying, mixed with that of disappointment. He must have talked about our previous relationship," My aura flares and William sinks to his knees with a dazed smirk on his face. "Bettin you feel really bad for 'em, all regretful and understanding." He spits out. The venom in his voice makes me wince and an unsettling gurgle twists and worms around my belly.
"Why does this matter?" I finally ask feeling protective over the not present sub. Will laughs and it washes over me like nails on a chalkboard. He pushes himself off the ground and stumbles into my arms with a snare etched onto his face.
"Cause I'm sick and tired of him using bits and pieces of his story to rope the gullible and weak-minded into complying with his every whim! He's a manipulator Ama'Rose." I clench my hands and narrow my eyes towards the switch. How dare him?
"You heartless a—" Will's eyes ignite and the man grips onto my shoulders shaking me fiercely.
"Did he tell you about Carla? About what he did to her? Or the damage control Mistress Buchanan had to administrate?" I open and close my mouth and Will scoffs rolling his eyes.
"Or how about Frank or Quinten?" God who were these people? I stumble away from William, but he follows every step I make.
"What are you talking about?" I hold my head as a pounding headache begins to throb behind my eyelids.
"Well, he's told you about his previous Doms right?" He smiles and deep down I can tell Will knows he didn't tell me shit about any of these people. "If I were you I'd run for the hills as soon as possible. Everyone knows what happens behind these closed doors. You're not special Amanita, and before you, there had been hundreds trying to fill the void deep with Ezra's being. What people don't understand is that...it can't be filled, not now and not ever." Will finally backs away.
"And if I had the choice to leave...let's just say I would have been gone." He pivots and sluggishly walks down the hall, figure growing smaller before he turns and disappears. I look down at my hands clenching them until my nails nick the flesh of my palm.
°♡°
It takes a long time before Ezra wakes up, stretching across the bed with a small muffled groan. I look up from my cellphone finger hovering over the multiple tabs opened.
"Mistress?" He purrs. I sit up straighter untucking my legs from underneath my body and the chair. And with a forced smile, I greet him.
"Yes, Ezra?" He sits up patting the bed once before running his fingers through the disheveled locks on his head. Ezra slips out the bed, still nude from earlier, and walks toward my chair. When he's right in front of me, the boy slides to his knees placing his fingers against my legs with soft touches. He presses his lips into the inner meat of my thigh, and I clench my fingers around my phone.
"What are you doing?" I immediately click my phone off and lean in to distract Ezra from the sudden haste of the action. He peers up at me parting his lips in offering. What if I don't kiss him? Will he notice the newly developed discomfort raging through my body? What if I just ask him about his previous Doms? No, no I couldn't do that. I quickly look towards the bottom of the bed where my suitcase rests, full and ready to go. I had packed when Ezra was sleeping, and I had used one of Noma's.
Ezra whines to gather my attention and I snap my gaze back down at the sub.
"Just browsing through some emails," I peck his lips and Ezra melts massaging his fingers into my thighs. "They've been absolutely atrocious since my coming out." The lie comes out smoothly. I hadn't been checking my email, in fact, I'd been researching articles about Ezra Wellington, his biography, history associated with Buchanan's mansion, and any and all scandals involved with the inhabitants of this house. The sub rests his head against my thigh and the weight makes me squirm in my seat.
"Oh?" He grumbles nuzzling deeper into my flesh. I can feel the draw of his brows pinched in displeasure. "What were they about?" He asks lifting his long fingers up to trace across the worn case of my phone. No, no, no. Something deep within me quickly takes the rein of my turmoil, shaking me in a sense that screams, 'Get your shit together!' The only thing that would make him suspicious was if I began to act suspicious. I feel my body melt in the chair and I begin scratching deep soothing circle into Ezra's scalp. The skeptical look doesn't seem to ease from his face.
"You know," I rub my cheek across the soft strands of his hair, letting my whole body envelop his head. "Contracts, interviews with talk shows, a lot from journalist. You understand?" His aura blips, quick as it is. Something ugly which makes the few names Will gave me, spiral through my head. The sub leans up chasing my retreating form until he's between my spread thighs, peering down at me with his pupils pinched tight and menacing. Ezra cups the underneath of my jaw with both hands; splaying his fingers across the skin of my cheek. And with sluggish movement, he thunks his forehead against my own.
"Let me see?" He asks nuzzling in closer. I subconsciously tighten my hold around my device.
"You really don't have to, they're not that important."
"Well if they're not that important, then you shouldn't have any problem with showing me." He says reaching for the shardy mess of phone. I yank my hand away and Ezra's cheeks flush with the tint of rage; he crawls farther up my body to get to the device dangling over my head. He reaches again.
"It's my business and if I don't want to show you what's on my phone then I don't have to." The boy grabs onto my wrist and tugs it down until the phone is right under his blazing glare.
"It's my business too!" He bellows. "You're mine, mine. I have the right to see whose sending contracts to you!" Ezra finally yanks the device free and scampers out of my lap, tripping onto the bed with scary haste. He hunches into himself swiping across the spiderweb pattern on the glass, before huffing in frustration. He peeks back towards me.
"What's the password?" He asks as if I'd actually give him it! I cross my leg over my thigh and lean into the cushion of the chair raising an eyebrow.
"Ezra give me my phone back."
"No. Not until you tell me your password." No? Really?
"No?" I repeat. Ezra flinches and then licks his lips as the cogs in his brain begin to turn. He looks down at the phone before sliding his gaze up to rest at the bottom of my chin. "When I tell you to do something," I walk around the bed dragging my fingers across the comforter. Stopping right next to the frozen boy I reach behind his ear tracing the soft skin. "I expect it to be done." My fingers wrap around the nape of his neck and the sub whimpers, muscles and limbs growing pliant, moldable. Raking my fingers up into his hair, I fist my hand through the strands and jerk his head back so that he's capable of meeting my stare. He chooses not to.
"Do you understand?"
"Yes, mistress...m'sorry." I pluck my phone from his trembling fingers and let the wound tight tresses of his hair fall freely.
"Good boy, now go and fetch me something to drink. I'm quite parched," I drag a finger over his lip and Ezra parts them obediently letting his tongue chase after the digit. Kissing the pad of my palm the boy finally falls back readying to depart. I make haste and catch him by the chin. "Crawl," I whisper and he moans clenching the cream of his thighs together.
"Yes, mistress." When he disappears out the doorway with a small sway to his hips, and the enticing hue of rouge to his skin, I drop to the ground while clutching my phone tight to my chest. Tugging the suitcase free, I hug the hard plastic to my chest trying to soothe the raging war in my head.
Who was Ezra Wellington? More importantly, who were his previous Doms? And what in the world happened to them?
---
A/n
Someone come beat me up, maybe then I'll have some common sense knocked into my head. 🧘🏾♀️🧘🏾♀️