At His Throat, a Promise (31 page)

“But I"ll look gawky and awkward, Sir,” he whispered, putting his fingers lightly on William"s knee. Maybe he could play Harte"s game to get out of this. “Wouldn"t I look just as nice in… I don"t know, a cat costume or something?”

“I"m sure you would look lovely as a cat. But you wouldn"t
be
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a cat, would you?” William winked at him, and Ellis almost rolled his eyes. That point had been driven home already, he thought.

“Why do you think you"ll look unattractive?” William prompted, pulling Ellis closer and kissing the top of his head.

“Because I have knobby knees, Sir.”

“That"s all?”

“No. That"s not all. Because I"m straight up and down with no curves, because I can"t walk in high heels, because I have hairy legs and armpits, because I don"t look good in makeup, because my hair isn"t golden and softly curling, because my Adam"s apple sticks out, because—”

“Enough,” William said firmly. “That"s enough.” Ellis sighed and looked away. It wasn"t even half of what he could have said. William cupped his cheek and forced him to look up, and though Ellis wanted to, he didn"t resist.

“You are wrong. You are so completely, fully, and utterly misinformed, confused, mistaken, and
wrong
. You don"t have curves because you"re a man. If that"s why you think the costume won"t suit, guess again. I can
make
it give you curves, but only if you want that. You have hair because, again, you"re a man. I"d planned on shaving you, at any rate. Your hair isn"t blond because you"re
Ellis
, not Harte, and thank goodness, because one is enough. And, Ellis… you have
lovely
knees.” He wanted to be upset. He wanted to hold on to his anger and refuse. Yet… William really did think
he
was beautiful, not because of how he looked next to Harte, not because of what he"d look like in lingerie.
Him.

“I"m going to give you the option. And I hope you realise that under normal circumstances I wouldn"t allow this, but I know you"re not just trying to get out of this because you"re being petty 265

AT HIS THROAT, A PROMISE

or spoilt. I will let
you
decide whether you want to wear the lingerie or a costume made for a man. I"m sure I can pick something up—anything you like. How does that sound?” Ellis"s hand tightened on William"s knee without him realising it. William rubbed it with his own hand and kissed Ellis on the lips before standing.

“Think about it. I"m going to make sure Harte"s on schedule, and then I"m going to shower. You have half an hour to decide.

And I won"t punish you or be upset either way.” In the first few minutes after William left, Ellis"s mind was made up. Obviously he was going to choose his own costume.

Why wouldn"t he, if William promised not to be upset?

Then Ellis realised there was a huge difference between not being upset and being
proud
. He wouldn"t make William proud if he chose his own outfit. And making William proud, even if it embarrassed Ellis, would make Ellis feel better. If he didn"t wear the lingerie, he"d be letting himself down.

He wasn"t weak. He was a good slave. He was a
man
, but so was Harte. And Harte looked stunning in lingerie… and William thought
Ellis
was beautiful… so maybe Ellis could look stunning in lingerie, too.

And if he didn"t, what did it matter? People were going to judge William, not him. He wasn"t responsible for anything William did to him. The onus was totally off him.

It would make William happy. Ellis was a good slave.

The answer was obvious.

Ellis set out the costume on the bed. The stockings would be tricky, but maybe Harte would help. Or William. His cock gave a little twitch as he touched the silky material and thought about William sliding it up his leg, maybe continuing on even after it was 266

AT HIS THROAT, A PROMISE

secured. William"s hand cupping his cock, pressing the lace against him.

Exhaling sharply, Ellis eyed the lingerie. Interesting.

When William came back into the room wearing only brown trousers, Ellis nearly stumbled in the high heels. He"d been practising, though he hadn"t been brave enough to tackle the rest of the costume without assistance.

“I made up my mind, Sir,” he said with confidence, striding over the master with a true smile on his face.

“Good boy,” William said very slowly, a smile softening his features. He met Ellis halfway and took him in his arms, taking his mouth in a kiss so fierce that Ellis"s eyes watered.

William made a growling noise in his throat, and Ellis automatically bared his throat, opening himself up to William"s teeth and tongue.

“I"d love to mark you,” William said against Ellis"s neck. “But I think a clean slate would be even prettier.” He pulled away, but Ellis held on and William let him.

“You walk very well in those,” William said, his hand rubbing Ellis"s back.

“It wasn"t very far.”

“You"ll be fine, sweetheart. I promise.”
Sweetheart.

Ellis knew he"d made the right choice. “And I"d like to shave, Sir, if that would please you.”

William groaned. “That would please me
very
much. And you"re comfortable with this? You don"t feel like I"m trying to make you into something you"re not?”

Ellis smiled. “It"s a costume, Sir. It comes off.”

“Come with me, then.”

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Leading him by the hand, William brought Ellis into his own bedroom, and then his bathroom.

Compared to Ellis"s bathroom, which was large by any normal standards, this room was a palace. Gleaming white tiles with accents of varying shades of green surrounded them. There was a shower that was more like rain right from the sky, and the tub was almost a swimming pool. It was already filled with softly scented, bubbled water. Ellis could forgive the bubbles because it just looked so luxurious. He"d
never
seen anything like it, let alone experienced it.

“Wouldn"t it better to use my bath, Sir?” he asked, knowing he sounded one step away from reverent but unable to help it. Surely he didn"t deserve this?

“Not at all. I"d filled the tub in hopes that you"d agree to the costume.”

Ellis saw a razor sitting on the ledge. “I"ve never shaved before, Sir. Won"t I cut myself?”

“Maybe, but it doesn"t matter because I"ll be doing it for you.”

“But you"ll get wet and you"ve just showered!”

“I"m coming in with you, Ellis. Are you trying to get out of this, or are you genuinely concerned that I might overclean myself?”

Ellis was abashed. “I"m sorry, Sir. Of course it"s your decision.

I just want to make things easier on you.”

“It"s easier for me when you just do what I say,” he said, but Ellis knew he was teasing by the light in his eyes. “Now, tunic off and get in. Soak for a bit and let the water soften your hair. I"ll be back shortly.”

With an order like that, it was easy to obey. Ellis undressed and stretched out in the enormous tub, feeling blissfully decadent.

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William left for a few moments but came back with an armful of towels. He dropped them on the counter as he undressed. Ellis tried not to stare, but the master"s form was something that deserved appreciation. He was fit and muscled in the way of Mensonites, not that Spirans couldn"t achieve the same body shape with a little work. It came naturally to William, and Ellis felt a little stab of envy. He would never look like that, so strong. He was destined to be spare—tall maybe, but thin.

Ellis also noted the half hard cock, and his own stirred at the thought that maybe William would fuck him before the party.

Though if he did, William wouldn"t enjoy seeing him squirm the entire night through, and that seemed like something William wouldn"t sacrifice.

William slid into the tub. It was so large that they needn"t touch each other and still have room to spare, but William was right beside him, a firm, thick thigh pressed against his own.

“What shall we attend to first?” William asked.

“What do you mean, Sir?”

“You want to look the part, don"t you?”

“Yes.”

“Then we"ll certainly have to shave your legs. But it wouldn"t be very seemly to have smooth legs and keep the underarm hair, would it?”

Ellis closed his eyes. Well, he might as well just get it over with. He"d already decided to please William as best he could.

“No, Sir.”

“Good. So that will have to go. And maybe it would also be wise to relieve you of your pubic hair.”

“Of course, Sir. Whatever pleases you.”

“I"m very glad to hear you say that. Now, again, how shall we 269

AT HIS THROAT, A PROMISE

begin?”

Ellis considered. His underarms hadn"t been below the surface, so they wouldn"t have been soaked as William had suggested. And maybe the master would get tired or change his mind by the time he got to Ellis"s crotch. His balls were retreating at the mere thought of the razor anywhere near his cock or sac.

“My legs, Sir.”

“Good idea. Rest your back against that slope.” Ellis did, reclining so the water came to about his collarbones.

William sat between his legs and raised one up, bracing it on his own bent knee. Ellis watched very carefully as William lathered up some soap and smoothed it over his leg. He picked up the razor and Ellis twitched.

“This isn"t going to hurt, it"s a safety razor. It would be almost impossible to cut you—if you stay still.” It was, indeed, the same sort of razor that he used on his own face, but it looked more menacing against the protruding bone of his ankle. “I"m okay,” he whispered.

“Of course you are. It might be better if you shut your eyes.

But I promise I won"t hurt you. Do you trust me?” Ellis sensed the import of the question. “I trust you, Sir.” William didn"t answer, just began shaving him, dragging the razor in short stripes, rinsing it often in a bowl of water on the tub"s ledge. Ellis watched in a daze as the straight black hairs were systematically removed until the entire leg was bare.

He raised his other leg to compare and laughed at the sight. His naked leg looked much smaller and more feminine than his unshaved one. William smiled at him and ran a hand over the bare flesh. The sensitivity of it shocked him, and Ellis moaned in surprise.

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“Feels good?” William whispered, hand smoothing over the calf.

“Yeah,” he answered, biting his lip.

William manoeuvred the razor around Ellis"s knee before starting on the other leg. The shaving tickled but it wasn"t uncomfortable, just unusual. When William let his leg drop back into the water, Ellis rubbed them together, enjoying the novelty of it.

Grabbing Ellis"s ankle, William moved closer between his spread legs, propping Ellis"s foot on his own bare shoulder. From there, William began to shave his thigh, all the way to his hip, even though the hair thinned out before that. The razor had to go underwater to do the job, but the bubbles make his skin slippery, easing the way.

The treatment was repeated with the other thigh. Ellis realised about halfway through that this was definitely something he could be doing for himself. He knew how to shave; he could easily wield a razor with enough competence to not hurt himself. He didn"t say anything, though. Letting William take care of him felt good.

There was no need to analyse that.

“Now what?” William asked in a husky voice.

Ellis swallowed, wondering if it was the light that had made William"s eyes go so dark.

“Armpits,” he said, and the word had never sounded so sexy.

William made a small grunt of agreement. To Ellis"s undiluted shock, the master straddled his legs—the movement sent currents of water along his hairless skin, making him feel
everything
—and pulled one arm over his head. Ellis bent the arm so his hand rested on the back of his head, and William held it lightly by the elbow, his grip steady and sure.

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The razor made only a few short swipes and it was done. The brusque treatment was repeated, and Ellis lowered his arms.

“Oh, it"s so… ” He squirmed, not knowing how to explain it, especially to someone like William who had likely never shaved anything other than his face in his entire life. “Embarrassing.” William chuckled. “You like it, don"t you?” His eyes were knowing.

Ellis didn"t answer, but he didn"t need to. His small smile and constant movements gave him away.

“Sit up on the ledge and open your legs.” He arranged himself as per the instructions, feeling a little out of sorts when he noticed he had the beginnings of an erection.

William didn"t seem to take notice—or rather, he did, but he didn"t say anything—so Ellis tried to ignore it.

It didn"t get much better, however, when William began to lather his pubic hair. Ellis shifted a little, and William tutted.

“Stay still, now. This is the important part. And bring this leg up.”

William pushed one of his legs until his heel was on the ledge and Ellis had to fall back on his hands to keep his balance.

Making very short, smooth strokes, William diligently cleared away every inch of pubic hair. Ellis found it was better not to watch. His arousal diminished when William came close to the base, but reared up again when the master gripped his cock to get the hairs around it.

Ellis whimpered when William lathered his balls.

“It"s all right, Ellis. I"ve done this before, you know.”
Harte. That slut
, Ellis thought with affection. “I trust you,” he said again.

The skin was pulled taut and the razor applied. Ellis thought 272

AT HIS THROAT, A PROMISE

about the high heels to distract himself. At least when he fell while wearing them, his legs would look nice going up over his head.

“This leg up, too,” William murmured, pushing it up so Ellis was bent and spread. “I"m going to shave your hole, all right? Just so you"re not shocked.”