My Forever Read online

  Lucas quickened his strokes, using the drops of pre-cum to slick his straining shaft. He recalled gripping the boy’s head in his hands and taking control. Small moans had vibrated around his cock, urging his hips forwards each time he pulled that hot mouth onto him. His balls tightened and his member throbbed with every pulse of his heart.

  The mental image shifted. When he looked down at the sub again, green eyes stared adoringly upwards through golden strands of hair. Full lips were fastened to his thickness and ignited a fire that boiled his blood. Kyle’s beautiful face offered him the power to take complete domination over the scene. And he took it.

  Pumping himself furiously, his orgasm ripped through him with an intensity that took his breath away. He came in a profusion of spurting semen, groaning out his pleasure until he’d milked the last of his stores from his still swollen cock. When sense finally returned, he wiped himself off and threw the tissues into the trash beside his bed. That night he fell asleep to haunting dreams of that single tear escaping from Kyle’s thick eyelashes.

  * * * *

  “What are you doing?”

  Kyle jumped at the deep voice behind him. He swallowed his heart back down and turned around, making sure to keep his eyes at Craig’s feet, which were haloed by the hem of a black robe.

  “I’m sorry if I woke you up, Sir. You said I could eat breakfast before I left for work.”

  Craig approached swiftly and Kyle cringed to the side in anticipation of a strike, but it never came. A thumb caressed his cheek and his boyfriend’s malicious chuckle floated down to his ears.

  “I did say that, didn’t I?”

  He remained still, knowing it was a rhetorical question.

  “I don’t think this job is good for you. You work too many hours.”

  Kyle felt his breath catch in fear. His job was his only independence. It had taken him years of begging to talk Craig into allowing him to work. If his boyfriend took that away from him, he didn’t think he could survive the demands of total confinement again.

  “It’s just for the wine-tasting, Sir, and only because two of the workers called in. It won’t happen again, I promise.”

  Craig leaned in close, his stale cigarette breath fanning over Kyle’s cheek before he took possession of his mouth. Kyle opened himself to the invasion, trying to match the sweeps of his boyfriend’s tongue to prove his sincerity, but that wasn’t what Craig was after. He swallowed a gasp as the larger man wrapped one hand around his throat while clenching his hip in a bruising grip with the other. Craig backed him roughly against the countertop and ground his hard cock into Kyle’s belly.

  He was looking for proof of submission, and Kyle played his part as always before things could escalate out of his tenuous control. With a mewling whimper, he forced his muscles to relax and bent beneath Craig’s show of dominance. Fortunately, it worked this time. Once the man sensed his prostration, he sucked in Kyle’s tongue and bit down hard enough to draw tears, but backed off afterwards.

  “Get to work, then. Jake will pick you up at ten tonight.”

  Craig pinched the tendon just above his elbow and manoeuvred him to the front door. Kyle twisted his head around and took one last, longing look at the eggs he’d been cooking as he was dragged from the room.

  “But, Sir…you said I could eat.”

  The hold on his arm tightened, fingers burrowing mercilessly into muscle until Kyle cried out.

  “If you would rather work all day than spend time with me, you have to suffer the consequences.”

  Gulping back tears of futility, he stopped himself just in time from chewing on his already bleeding tongue. He hadn’t been allowed dinner last night since he’d got in so late, and chances were he wouldn’t have the luxury of eating tonight.

  His brother, Jake, stumbled out after them, still half-asleep, and climbed into the driver’s seat while Craig shoved him into the passenger’s side. His jaw was encased in a bruising grip as his boyfriend gave him one last, devouring kiss.

  “Ten o’clock. Don’t forget.”

  Kyle nodded his head and held his breath, eager to get away from his prison as soon as possible. As Jake pulled out of the long driveway of Craig’s mansion, he raked Kyle with his customary, repulsed sneer.

  “Gah, you disgust me. Why the hell would you want to work when you have everything you could possibly want here? No wonder Dad threw you out.”

  Kyle faced the window and did his best to ignore the ensuing string of insults from his brother.

  This was not happening. This was not his life.

  One day he would wake up and everything would be right in the world again. The way it had been when his mother was alive. He could still hear her lilting, country accent in the songs she used to sing to him at night. Still smell her perfume in the air every time he took fresh linens out of the dryer. Her memory was his one true possession, and he clung to it with everything he had.

  Kyle got out of the car the moment it came to a stop behind the store. A gust of frigid wind reminded him that he’d forgotten his coat at home and he rushed to the back entrance. With a quick wave to Lucas once inside, he headed for the cooler and silently begged for his boss to have forgotten about yesterday’s fiasco.

  His luck, for once, held out.

  Amanda joined them shortly, mumbling something about hanging her kids by their toenails if they didn’t start behaving. His mood gradually lightened as the day progressed. The shop buzzed with life that helped to keep his mind off the cramps in his stomach for the most part. He declined another one of Amanda’s offers of food and was saved from her mounting argument by a customer wanting to know the difference between merlot and cabernet.

  If Craig found out that he’d eaten without permission, there would be hell to pay.

  Sometime in the late afternoon, when business started slowing, Kyle was putting the last few bottles of Chianti on a shelf when he felt a shove from behind. Beefy arms wrapped around him to stop his forward momentum, allowing him to save the bottle in his hands from crashing into the others.

  “Thanks.” He turned while taking a step back but the customer wouldn’t let go. Kyle recognised him as a member of the wine-tasting club in town. A mop of grey-flecked, brown hair, obviously a toupee, topped his rounded face. His bloated gut pressed into Kyle’s flat stomach, despite the foot and a half of distance between their faces. Up until now, the older gentleman had kept his contact with Kyle to furtive glances and the occasional greeting.

  “You’re welcome. What’s your name, gorgeous?”

  “Kyle. And I’m taken.” He flashed what he knew to be a charming grin to take the sting out of his words. “If there’s something you’d like me to help you with, just let me know.” He tried again to twist away but the man crowded in closer, moving his hands from Kyle’s arms to his hips.

  “Actually, there is something you can help me with.” The guy took a step forwards and Kyle stumbled back until he hit the shelf behind him. “Are you free tonight?”

  “Please don’t touch me,” Kyle breathed in a rush.

  “Come on, sugar. Take a break and meet me out back. I’ll make it worth your while.”

  Kyle turned his head just in time to avoid fat lips making their way to his. He thought about calling out for Lucas when a sharp voice to his left made his blood run cold.

  “Kyle!”

  The customer immediately released him, but sent one last, leering look his way. “My offer still stands.”

  The man shuffled away and Kyle looked up into his brother’s irritated face. If not for a few similar characteristics, it would have been impossible to believe that they came from the same parents. Jake had everything that Kyle lacked. Defined muscles, charm, height, and an air of confidence bordering on narcissism.

  “Outside. Now.”

  Jake grabbed his wrist and Kyle had just enough time to set the bottle of Chianti on the shelf before he was hauled out of the front door and around to the alley on the side of the building.

>   “Jake, I…” The stinging slap across his face cut off his defence. Jake bunched the front of his shirt in both hands and slammed him back against the wall.

  “What the hell were you doing in there flirting? Do you want to get us kicked out?”

  “No. He came up behind me. I don’t even know…” Jake reared back and backhanded him, snapping the side of his face along the bricks.

  “I have a sweet ride there and I’m not going to let you ruin it because you’re a spoilt little brat. You better start behaving or your ass will be right back out there on the streets where Dad threw you,” Jake hissed.

  “What’s going on here?”

  Lucas’ booming voice cut through the alley and Kyle wanted to sink into the concrete below him. Jake shoved him back one more time before letting go.

  “I’ll see you tonight,” his brother said ominously, then turned and left, wisely giving Lucas a wide berth.

  The sounds of traffic filled the sudden silence. Kyle didn’t hear Lucas walk away as well so assumed he was still near, but he was too afraid to lift the curtain of his bangs to see. Humiliation at home was one thing, but the knowledge that his boss had been witness to it made his insides shrivel. With a not-too-steady hand, he touched his fingers gingerly to his lower lip and winced when they came away red with blood.

  “Let’s go inside and get you washed up,” Lucas said in a gentler tone.

  Kyle didn’t want to. He wanted to run and hide from his shame. Even if Lucas didn’t fire him, he wasn’t sure if he would have the courage to look the man in the eye every day and be reminded of his cowardice. Lucas came closer and clasped one large hand around his forearm, giving Kyle no choice but to walk back into the store with him and down the far aisle to the employee bathroom beside the office. Lucas closed the door after them and guided Kyle to sit on the lid of the toilet seat.

  His boss soaked a few paper towels then knelt down to blot them along his lip. “Is your brother your only ride to and from work?”

  Kyle felt uneasy under Lucas’ scrutiny. His pampering and proximity. Up close, the scent of his cologne seeped into Kyle’s lungs, a soothing balm on his frayed nerves. Lucas’ face was angled below his, giving him a clear view of perfectly sculpted, thick arched eyebrows above high cheekbones and lips pursed in concentration. Kyle felt the sudden urge to run his hands through the man’s short hair. It was as black as a starless, midnight sky and appeared as soft as silk.

  This man had at least fifty pounds of solid muscle and a couple of inches on Craig, which was saying a lot considering his boyfriend was a big man. But whereas Craig was built like a tank, Lucas was all sinewy strength and long limbs. His boss had also never raised his hand or voice to Kyle. What would it feel like if hands that large touched him in kindness? Kyle had thought he’d known the gentle feel of a man with Craig so many years ago, but now it seemed more of a fantasy than reality.

  Irises as blue as the deep ocean flicked up and peered at him questioningly. “Your brother?”

  His brother. The asshole. The asshole that…oh right. Work. “Yeah. I don’t have a licence.”

  “He lives with you, right?”

  He could hardly think straight when Lucas centred his entire focus on Kyle’s mouth. “My boyfriend lets us stay with him.”

  Lucas nodded, as if that explained everything, although Kyle still hadn’t a clue as to what Lucas was getting at with his line of questioning. Desperation filled Kyle’s chest as he reviewed the earlier episode.

  “Are you going to fire me?”

  His boss stilled, face expressionless. “No, I’m not going to let you go, but I do want you to take my card. You have a cell phone, right?”

  Kyle nodded, confused but not willing to push his luck by asking the man why he would hang onto an employee with obvious issues. Lucas pulled a business card from his back pocket and pressed it into Kyle’s hand.

  “My personal phone number is on the back. Call me if you need anything.” He discarded the used towels in the trash then placed both of his hands on Kyle’s knees. “Anything, Kyle. Do you understand?”

  No, but he nodded anyway, unable to deny the power of the man’s gravity. Lucas paused for several seconds, piercing him with those searching blue eyes until Kyle had to look away. He heard his boss sigh and a moment later he was left alone. He wasn’t sure what had just happened, but if there was even the slightest chance that he still had a job, he didn’t want to give Lucas any more reason to doubt his worth. Straightening his shirt, he left the sanctity of the bathroom and did his best to blend into the background as he finished his duties.

  * * * *

  Five minutes before closing, Jake laid on the horn of his Mercury Milan in the front parking lot—one of the many luxuries Craig had bestowed upon him throughout the years. Kyle hadn’t finished sweeping the floor, but he knew his brother would only come in and cause another scene if he didn’t leave right then. He flashed Amanda a bright smile, hoping to dispel the concern written on her face. So far, he'd avoided her attempts to pull him aside and ask him about his busted lip.

  Just one more minute, then the day would be over.

  He found Lucas in his office, squinting over a document covered with more digits than letters. Kyle rapped on the door, his apology for having to leave so soon on the tip of his tongue, but Lucas cut him off.

  “You have my card, right?”

  Kyle creased his brow. “Yes.”

  “Then I’ll see you on Monday.” Lucas went back to his paperwork without another word.

  Kyle couldn’t tell whether the man was frustrated at him or the paper. Another long beep told him it was past time to go. As he left the store and climbed into the back of Jake’s car, a blonde seated next to his brother twisted around to get a closer look at him.

  “Who’s this little cutie?”

  “No one. Just the kid I get paid to chauffer around every so often,” Jake replied.

  The blonde gave Jake a curious look but turned back around in her seat. The response didn’t bother Kyle. He was used to it. Jake had found out long ago that women didn’t exactly fall at his feet once they found out the type of relationship he ‘allowed’ his younger brother to be in.

  Twenty minutes later, Jake parked at the front of the mansion and all three entered with Kyle trailing behind.

  The blonde let out the appropriate ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ at the impressive expanse of the foyer, requiring Jake to take her arm and steer her towards the pristine sitting room where Craig reclined on a brown, leather armchair beside a lit, stone fireplace. Kyle supposed that once upon a time he had also been awed by the strategically placed, austere decorations and paintings that cost more than his father’s yearly income.

  The house was designed in a classic, Victorian style with all of the comforts and amenities of modern day civilisation. But now, it resembled nothing more to Kyle than a prison that had long ago sucked away any dreams he might have harboured for his future.

  Kyle hurried over and knelt beside Craig’s feet with his head bowed, prepared to wait until acknowledged. Jake told the blonde he wouldn’t be long and left her standing in the doorway while he walked over to Craig. Bending down so that he could whisper in Craig’s ear, Jake calmly reviewed his perception of the scenario involving Kyle and the frisky customer that afternoon. But the truth wasn’t enough for his brother. He embellished every line, making it seem as though Kyle and the stranger had been carrying on an affair for quite some time.

  Kyle broke his subservience and looked up in horror. The anger on his boyfriend’s face grew as the spiteful grin on Jake’s lips widened. Yes, his brother had coerced him into a relationship with Craig, and yes, he enforced Craig’s rules with anything and everything at his disposal with a little too much relish, but he had never told an outright lie to get Kyle into trouble. By the time Jake was done, Craig was fuming, and Kyle was too stunned to speak up for himself.

  Not that it would have mattered.

  Jake sent him an evil smir
k then sauntered back to the blonde. Kyle didn’t have time to react before Craig grabbed a fistful of his hair and threw him to the side. He tumbled across the carpeted floor, coming to rest only when his shoulder hit the hard edge of the ornate, oak coffee table.

  Dazedly, he heard the fading voice of the blonde asking, “Should we do something?”

  “Oh no,” his brother replied offhandedly. “They’re into the whole BDSM thing. This is normal. Let’s get out of here.”

  Kyle opened his eyes to see Craig stalking towards him. Fear seized his heart at the promise of punishment on Craig’s face. “No, no please,” he begged. “It’s not true. I didn’t…”

  Craig kicked him in the ribs twice, stealing his breath. “What’s not true? The fact that you were out whoring yourself instead of working a real job?”

  Kyle was lifted from the floor by a steel arm around his neck, cutting off his air supply, and dragged to their bedroom on the other side of the house. It was a fairly long distance and by the time Craig tossed him onto the bed, he could do nothing but gasp for breath.

  “I gave you my trust.” Craig ripped the clothes from him, leaving deep scratches in his haste. “I gave you freedom.” Kyle’s arms and legs were stretched until he was lying spread-eagle on his belly, tied at the wrists and ankles by thick cords of twine. Craig wrenched his hair back so that he was forced to look the man in the eye. “And this is how you repay me?”

  Kyle fought to hold back the sobs threatening to break free while Craig disappeared to the back of the room. “Please, Sir, please. I love you. I would never do that.”

  The first lash that whipped like fire across his backside cut off the rest of his pleas. He let out a high-pitched scream, but they kept coming. Craig landed a series of strikes from his shoulders to his thighs, each one splitting his skin open so that it felt like he was being flayed alive. Kyle couldn’t stop crying out until his hair was pulled back again. Tears obscured the vision of Craig’s face but he instantly gave up on sight when a hand repeatedly slapped him over his eyes, mouth and ears.

  He could hear distant curses and threats, but his head was ringing too much to make sense of them. The lashes began again and he screamed until his voice gave out. By the time Craig invaded his ass, Kyle had given up his fight for consciousness and slipped into blessed oblivion.