The sub cocked his head the slightest bit and whispered, “You’ve got a winning hand?”
“I do.” Carter ran his fingers through his handsome slave’s hair. “I know I do.”
“Then, yes, Master. Do whatever you need to do.” He fell silent again.
Carter massaged the head for another moment then straightened. “My slave agrees. I’ll offer the use of him—according to the Rose & Thorn tenets—for one night.”
“One night?” Hawk guffawed. “I have ten thousand dollars in the pot. I was thinking more like two weeks.”
Carter’s gut lurched—trey was everything to him. He couldn’t imagine being without him for two weeks.
I’m not going to lose.
He had to remind himself of that. He’d soon be ten thousand dollars richer. “Three nights.”
“Ten nights,” Hawk countered.
“One week.”
Hawk smiled, as if that had been his goal all along. “One week. Agreed.” He flipped his cards over and tossed them on the table. Two threes.
Four of a kind.
“What the fuck?” Carter jumped up, rattling the table. He could see trey trying to look at the cards without being too obvious.
The Native folded his arms. “I’m assuming I have the winning hand?”
Carter’s head and world were both spinning. “I don’t have to show my cards,” he slurred.
“No you don’t, as long as you concede I’m the winner.”
He dropped back into his chair and held his head.
Nick rose and turned Carter’s cards over. “Pocket kings. A full boat. Too bad.”
“Get your hands off my cards!” Carter snarled. “You can’t do this to me. I’m The Annihilator!” He beat his chest, remembering the nickname the poker announcers had bestowed on him in his heyday.
“You
were
The Annihilator,” Nick said smugly. “A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away.”
Hawk raked in the pot. “Mr. Perry, seeing as you’re out of money, would you care to choose two slaves to suck you off before you leave?”
He sprang to his feet, waving his hands wildly. “Why don’t
you
suck me off, you big Indian fucker!”
Hawk moved to trey’s side and reached for his leash. “I’ve had enough for tonight, myself. Are you still willing to come with me?”
“Yes, Sir. But…” His voice faltered.
“What is it? Speak up, slave.”
He glanced at his Master.
Carter was dizzy as hell and almost foaming at the mouth. He couldn’t seem to take control and reel himself in.
“There’s no way he can get home in that condition,” trey said.
Hawk smoothed a hand over the slave’s blond hair. “You’re a very caring submissive. I’ll make sure he gets home. Go with my slave, kel, and get dressed. Give kel the keys and address.”
“Thank you, Sir.” The slave nodded.
“Go ahead, you two,” Hawk told kel and trey. “Rise and go.”
Carter could only fall into his chair. “Fuck you!” he mumbled, before the gin knocked him out and he fell, face first, onto the poker table.
* * * *
Yuma Nighthawk cashed in his chips and tucked the bills into his wallet. He felt a little guilty cleaning Carter Perry out but the one-hit poker wonder was an arrogant ass who didn’t deserve the faithful and handsome sub he’d somehow ended up with. It had been a fair game, and Perry had been alert for the majority of it. That last drink had hit him hard, but they’d already made their arrangement by then. He’d be true to his word and make sure the man got home okay. He might even let the sub phone Perry the next day to ensure that he remembered what had happened.
His own sub kel, a burly Native American like him, returned from the other room wearing his street clothes. Perry’s tall but thinner sub walked behind him, kel holding the black leather leash.
Hawk stepped forward and took the leash from kel. “Did he give you Perry’s keys and address?”
“Yes, Master. I know the area. I’ll make sure he gets home and tucked in.”
Hawk cupped his slave’s cheek. “That’s my good slave. Oh and, kel, stay with him tonight, would you please? If Perry wakes up and he’s still inebriated, I wouldn’t want him trying to go out and look for his boy.”
“Of course, Master.”
He placed a kiss on kel’s forehead and said softly, “If Perry needs a little fluffing and folding, take care of that, too, would you? Reassure him that he made the best bet he could have under the circumstances. No one in his right mind would have folded a full boat. A couple hours with you might take the sting out a little. It always does for me.”
His sub accepted the compliment but never met his eye. “Yes, Master. Thank you, Sir.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow.” He turned to his new acquisition. “Let’s get Perry into his car and kel will drive him home.”
“Yes, Sir.” The blond sub directed them to Perry’s Lincoln.
kel had no trouble hoisting the man up and loading him into the back seat of the vehicle.
Hawk gave kel an affectionate kiss goodbye. “Call me if you need anything.”
“Thank you, Master.” He entered the Lincoln then fastened his seatbelt and drove off.
Turning back to his new little friend, Hawk smiled. “My sub will take excellent care of him. But just so you’re at ease, I’ll allow you to phone your Master tomorrow and make sure he’s okay. I’d like to confirm he remembers our arrangement in the cold light of day.”
“Thank you, Sir.”
“My truck is this way.” Hawk held the leash loosely as they walked to his cherry red Ram 4x4 truck.
“Would you like me to drive, Sir?” the sub asked.
Hawk chuckled. “I don’t think so.” He unlocked the door and the sub started to climb into the second row of seating. Hawk motioned to the front. “Sit up here with me.”
The sub appeared shocked, but did as instructed.
Climbing in, he buckled up and glanced sideways. “Seatbelt.”
“Oh, yes, Sir.” He hurried to oblige.
Hawk reached a hand out and rested it on the man’s arm. “Look, I understand you don’t know me, but you really have nothing to be afraid of. I’m a big guy, but kel would tell you—if I allowed him to, that is—that I’m very gentle, and very good to my slaves.”
“Thank you, Sir.”
Hawk inhaled and blew out the breath. “What’s your name, kid?”
“My Master calls me trey, Sir.”
“So your name is trey?”
He didn’t reply immediately.
Hawk exhaled again, louder this time, and repeated, “So your name is trey?”
“My given name is Shelby, Sir.”
He’d started to put the car into gear but paused and looked at the sub. “Shelby? Where the hell did trey come from?”
The sub stared straight ahead. “Trey is another word for a three in cards, Sir. The three is about the lowest card you can get.”
“The three worked out pretty nicely for me tonight, didn’t it?” Hawk mused. The sub didn’t reply, so he went on, “The deuce is the lowest possible card, but deuce is also slang for shit. So your Master ranks you one notch above shit, is that what I’m hearing?”
The sub appeared confused. “I…guess so, Sir.”
He slammed the big truck into gear. “Well, personally, I think
that
is shit. I’ll call you Shelby. And you don’t have to say ‘Sir’ every time you speak to me. I’d like to get to know you, have a conversation, and it would be nice to feel as if I’m speaking with a thinking person rather than an autobot.”
“I’m sorry, Sir…” Shelby stammered over his words then stopped talking.
Hawk chuckled as he drove. “Lord have mercy. It’s going to be a long fucking night.”
His ranch was twenty minutes out from the Rose & Thorn dungeons. Since making conversation seemed so hard, Hawk turned on the radio and they listened to country music as he drove them home.
He punched the button on his visor and one of the three garage doors rose. Hawk drove into the roomy garage and closed the door again. “Let’s go.” He exited the truck and entered the house.
Shelby followed hesitantly, gaze averted to the floor.
“You can look around, Shelby. I have a very nice home. What do you think?”
The sub glanced around quickly. “Very nice, Sir.”
Hawk sighed. He moved in front of Shelby and reached behind him, unfastening the leather collar and leash. He tossed them on the kitchen table and moved to the fridge. “What can I get you to drink? Beer? Wine? Soda? Juice?” He pulled out a bottle. “I’m having beer. You?”
Shelby seemed confused and didn’t reply.
Hawk twisted open the bottle top and took a long pull. He smacked his lips then set the bottle down and removed the ponytail holder from his long hair. “Might as well get comfortable.”
Shelby stood in the middle of the kitchen.
“Shelby!” he snapped. “Look at me.”
The sub raised his eyes nervously.
“Drink? Beer? Wine? Water? Juice? Diet soda? kel has a thing for OJ so we’re loaded with that. What’s your pleasure?”
“I don’t usually drink with my Master, Sir.”
“Fine. Well, I’m not your Master, but I am calling the shots for the next week, and I want you to drink with me. So what will you have? Or I’ll choose something for you.”
“Please do, Sir.”
“Aw for fuck’s sake!” Hawk stomped back to the fridge and pulled out a beer. He twisted off the cap and handed it to Shelby. “Here. Maybe if I get you drunk you’ll loosen up.”
“I’m sorry, Sir.”
“You are a piece of work. I told you, you don’t have to call me ‘Sir’. I want to chat and get to know each other, like friends. Can we just do that?”
“I don’t know, Sir.” Shelby appeared genuinely confused.
He took the man by the shoulders and directed him to the sofa, where he sat him down. Hawk sat next to him and kicked his boots off.
Shelby hopped down and grabbed the boots, setting them to the side out of the way. He settled on the floor next to Hawk’s feet.
He gaped. “What the fuck? Can you understand English, friend? We’re not role-playing right now. You’re a guest in my home. Get up and sit on the couch.”
“I’m not allowed on the furniture, Sir.”
“Not allowed—?” Hawk was stunned. He noticed that Shelby hadn’t tasted the beer. “Take a drink.”
The sub didn’t obey.
Irritation welling, Hawk snapped, “I said take a drink.”
“I’m not allowed alcohol, Sir.”
“You are tonight. Tonight, you’re going to get shit-faced drunk and let your hair down, so to speak.”
Shelby raised the bottle to his lips uncertainly. More of it dribbled down his chin than entered his mouth.
Hawk gazed at him with fascination. “Don’t tell me, you aren’t allowed to drink from a bottle?”
“I have my own bottles, Sir. They’re easier to drink from.”
A sickening knot formed in the pit of Hawk’s stomach. A flash from the past reminded him of something he’d witnessed before, and he had to ask, “Shelby, where do you sleep?”
“I have a bed, Sir.”
“Your Master’s bed?”
“Oh, no, Sir! It’s on the floor near his bed, though.”
“Shelby, do you sleep in a cage?”
The first appearance of defensiveness crossed his face. “I have a mattress, and food, and water.”
“Water bottles that hang on the side of the cage?”
He nodded.
Hawk closed his eyes.
The man lives like a fucking gerbil or hamster
. He enjoyed mastering his slaves as much as the next Dom, right down to paddling a sub’s ass when he deserved it or at least when Hawk
thought
he deserved it. But he’d never been a fan of TPE. To him, total power exchange was a more twisted scenario than even his warped mind could wrap around. “You know what? I’m not into TPE. Maybe this wasn’t a good idea after all.”
Shelby’s back straightened. “Please, Sir! If my Master finds I’ve displeased you, he’ll be very unhappy. Please don’t send me away.”
Hawk folded his arms across his broad chest. “What happens when your Master is unhappy, Shelby? Does he beat you?”
“Oh, no, Sir. He withholds privileges.”
“Such as?”
Shelby looked down.
“Don’t be embarrassed. Does he withhold orgasms, Shelby?”
“Oh, no, Sir! Different kinds of privileges, like the use of the shower or toilet.”
He screwed up his face. “That’s disgusting! Why would you stay with a man like that?”
Shelby cocked his head. “Why?
Why not?
I love him, Sir.”
He tossed back the last of his beer.
“Get you another, Sir?”
“Nope. Sit there and drink yours.”
“But—”
“No buts. Drink one full beer and then we’ll talk some more.”
Shelby sputtered but managed to finish the bottle.
Hawk took the empty from his hands. “The bathroom is down the hall, first door on the left. Feel free to use it at will when you’re here. Same goes for the shower, and anything you can find in the fridge. If there’s something you want and I don’t have it, I’ll get it.”
The slave looked down. “I couldn’t, Sir.”
“Why the fuck not?”
Shelby caught his gaze for the first time unbidden. “Because I might get used to it. And then I won’t appreciate what I have at home anymore.”
Hawk ran a hand through the sub’s spiked hair. “How could you appreciate that kind of lifestyle anyway? You’re a gorgeous young man, Shelby. You could have anything you wanted in this life, if you only spoke up for yourself.”
“I wouldn’t know how to do that, Sir.”
Hawk rose. “And I’m not sure what the fuck to do with you, you poor, sad creature. I think for tonight we’ll just turn in, call it a day. We’ll see what tomorrow brings. Come on.”
Shelby crawled after him.
Glancing over his shoulder, he winced. “Oh for flying fuck’s sake! Get up and walk.”
The sub did as directed.
He stopped in the hall. “There’s the bathroom. Extra toothbrushes and whatever you might need in the second drawer. When you’re ready for bed, my room is right through that door. Oh, and I like my subs to sleep nude.”
“Yes, Sir.”
Hawk left him and went to his own master bath, where he completed his night-time ritual before throwing back his silk comforter and top sheet. He stripped then crawled in the king-sized bed, covering himself with the sheet.
Shelby joined him a few moments later, every step a picture of hesitation. The gorgeous pale-skinned body made his mouth water. The sub was tall and lanky, but there were obvious muscles there, too. Not much hair—a light smattering of blond covered his chest. A slightly darker patch surrounded his half-erect cock. The organ mirrored the man’s body image—long and lean, but nicely muscled.