Scorched Edges (10 page)

“Nothing that needs stitching,” Serena said.

“No need to sound so disappointed.”

“We can take you in to the General to get those splinters in your shoulder removed, or I can take them out here.”

Beau pulled his uniform trousers up but stepped out of his protective outer layer. “Do it now. I hate hospitals.”

“You and every other fireman in London,” Caroline said. “I’ll leave you to it, Serena. I’ll go and see if anyone else needs help.” She left the vehicle and pushed the doors closed behind her.

“This will be easiest if you lie face down on the gurney,” Serena suggested.

Beau got into position without causing himself too much pain.

“I’ll just sit here.” Marty pulled down the folding seat opposite and gave him an encouraging smile.

“I’m swabbing your back with alcohol wipes,” Serena explained. She switched on a bright overhead light then used a pair of tweezers to extract a number of splinters, dropping each one into a metal dish as she went.

“Your shoulder is a pincushion. Once I’ve got all the pieces out I’ll flush the deeper wounds then put some sterile gauze on. You can take a shower or bath but you’ll need to reapply antiseptic spray and keep the area covered overnight. If there is any sign of redness or inflammation in the morning, check in at the hospital. Is there someone who can examine the wounds for you? You won’t be able to see them yourself.”

“I’ll do it,” Marty said.

“Good.” Serena switched her attention to Marty. “He’s going to need to take it easy for a few days. You can use arnica on the bruises, and ordinary over-the-counter painkillers should be adequate. Gentle exercise only to stop the muscles stiffening.”

“Hey! Still here, remember,” Beau butted in.

Serena rounded on him and narrowed her eyes in a way that seemed to be unique to the female of the species, her expression saying ‘don’t fuck with me or you’ll regret it’.

“You”—she pointed at him—“keep quiet. I know full well that you’ll pretend to listen to me then ignore every instruction I give you. Marty here will keep you under control and make sure you do as you’re told.”

If only you knew the irony of that statement.
Beau wisely kept his thoughts to himself. The determined set of Marty’s shoulders told Beau that his sweet sub would be no pushover when it came to his care.

Serena scowled at Beau then gave Marty the smile of an accomplice. “You’ll need to keep an eye out for any signs of concussion but the bruising is probably from the edge of his helmet pushing into his skull rather than a direct hit. The pain and shock of the ceiling beam hitting him could have caused a momentary loss of consciousness. Frankly, I’m amazed he got out of there without more damage.”

“I’ll mind him, Serena. Thanks for patching him up.” Marty went to the back of the ambulance and pushed open the doors. “We need to find you something to wear, Beau.”

Grateful to escape, Beau followed him. “We keep spare T-shirts in the rig. I thought you’d like me wandering around without a shirt.” He smirked.

“Oh, I do.” Marty gave him a shy smile. “Doesn’t mean I want everyone else getting a free peek, though.”

“Hey, don’t forget these!”

Beau caught the rolled-up bundle that Serena tossed at him.

“Your jacket and overtrousers.”

“Thanks.” He waved, and Serena gave him a brief smile.

The storage facility was a ruin. Several crews had hoses trained on the smoldering wreckage but the flames had been put out. The ground in front of the building glittered with a carpet of broken glass. “Looks like the whole place will have to be demolished,” Beau murmured, half to himself.

“You’d have thought a place like that would have had a sprinkler system, smoke detectors, the works, considering the range of stuff stored there,” Marty said.

“Yes, you would.” Beau knew full well that the business wouldn’t have been able to get insurance without the appropriate fire-safety certificates in place. He didn’t voice his suspicions to Marty because he didn’t want to worry him without proof, but Beau thought the chances of the fire being caused by arson were high. If any evidence was found that the firebug who had been plaguing his watch was to blame it was a worrying development because it made Beau the only common link amongst the fire crews. Only a few people would have known about his shift change, and they were people Beau trusted with his life. That only left one logical possibility—that he was being watched. His gut clenched at the thought. If he were under observation then the watcher would know about Marty and that put him in danger too. That was unacceptable.

They reached the command post, and Beau dumped his filthy gear on the floor while he hunted for a spare shirt. The one he found was a little on the small side but it was better than walking around half naked. Marty looked him up and down then licked his lips.

“Wow.”

Beau chuckled and walked across to his boss. “Hey, Alvin, I’ve been let out for good behavior. No hospital. What can I do?”

Alvin scowled. “You can get your ass home and rest up for the next five days, that’s what you can do. You are officially signed off from duty.”

“But—”

“But nothing,” Alvin cut him off. “You were lucky to get out of there alive. Caroline came by and warned me that you need to rest. I don’t want to hear any arguments.”

Beau knew when he was beaten. “Fine I’ll catch a lift back to the station to collect my street clothes then head off. Is it all right if Marty comes along for the ride? He’s going to babysit me tonight.”

“Sure. It was nice to meet you, Marty. I only wish it could have been under better circumstances.”

Marty bounced on the balls of his feet.

“What’s got you so excited?” Beau asked.

“What do you think?” Marty said, as if it were the most stupid question in the world. “I get to ride in a fire engine!”

* * * *

Marty’s excitement was infectious, and by the time they got back to the station he had charmed the entire crew with his eager questions. He wanted to know how every piece of equipment worked and was fascinated by fire-related statistics. Beau sat back and let Marty chatter away. It was good to see his normal shyness overcome by his quest for information, which Marty sucked up like a sponge. Once the engines were parked, everyone trooped inside. The watch still had a couple of hours left of their shift, so they sorted a rota for showers and someone set about pulling together a meal.

Beau and one other member of the crew had been signed off. Annie had twisted an ankle, and when her husband arrived with their car to take her home he offered Beau and Marty a lift. Beau took up the offer, opting to get cleaned up at home. Darkness had descended when they finally reached Beau’s building. For once, Beau agreed to use the lift rather than haul his exhausted, aching ass up the stairs.

As soon as they were inside, Marty ran Beau a bath. Beau took a quick shower first to rinse off the grime then sank into the warm, scented water with a happy sigh.

“You could join me,” he suggested to Marty, who lounged in the bathroom doorway watching him.

Marty shook his head. “You’re hurt and you need to rest.”

“I want you to stay here tonight.”

Marty scuffed at the floor with his foot. “I’ll stay because there’s a possibility you might have concussion and someone has to keep an eye on you.”

Beau sighed as the hot water soothed his aching muscles. “This isn’t how I pictured our first night together.”

“How did you see it going then?” Marty asked, mischief in his eyes.

“You gagged and bound to my bed, laid out for me to play with. A nice fat plug stuffing your ass, ball splitter, cock ring…nipple clamps.” Beau palmed his cock beneath the water.

Marty drew a sharp intake of breath.

“You all smooth and shaved for me. Did you get my text?” Beau raised an eyebrow.

“Y-y-yes.”

Marty’s stammering reply was too adorable.

“Are you hard, Marty?” Beau teased.

Marty nodded frantically.

“Drop your trousers and jack yourself off. I want to watch you come apart for me.”

Marty fumbled with his belt buckle and zip. He shoved his jeans down, exposing an impressive erection, the gleam of pre-cum evident. He was cute as hell with his clothing round his knees, his T-shirt riding up to expose a nice strip of smooth skin. He sank his teeth into his lower lip and closed his eyes as he wrapped a fist around his shaft.

“Eyes open,” Beau ordered.

Marty moaned. His lashes flickered up. The flush on his cheeks darkened.

“That’s it—rub your thumb over the head. Not too fast…” Beau yanked on his own hard dick. He’d much rather have it compressed by Marty’s ass than his own fist, but that pleasure would have to wait.

Marty’s lips parted, his tongue ran across his plump lower lip. His hand blurred into faster motion.

“Come for me, baby,” Beau commanded.

Marty wailed. He came in jerky spurts, back arching.

“Such a beautiful sight.” Beau fisted himself hard. He raised his hips so that his dick emerged from the water and he came with a triumphant shout. The twinges of pain from his bruises were cheap payment for the release. He shuddered and sank back into the water’s embrace. Marty bent to raise his trousers.

“No. You’ll stay like that until I’m done. Then I’ll clean you up.”

Marty straightened, his face an even darker shade of pink.

“Hands behind your back.” Beau admired the view.

Marty’s flaccid cock rested against his thigh.

“I can’t wait to see you shaved. You have a pretty cock… It needs to be displayed properly for me.”

Marty fidgeted. “Those bruises haven’t affected your evil mind, have they?”

“The pain just enhances my sadistic thought processes.” Beau grinned. “Amazing how a close brush with death brings such clarity. You’re mine, Marty, and nothing will change that. Nothing.”

Chapter Seven

Marty sat at his desk and stared at the clock on the wall. It was one of those big round ones, almost two feet in diameter, similar to the kind found in schools and factories everywhere. The office was quiet, many of his colleagues having taken advantage of the good weather to leave early and extend their weekend. Marty didn’t dare leave before five o’clock. He’d pushed his luck with his hours over the last two weeks, distracted by caring for Beau and making sure that he didn’t do too much too soon. Becket had been tolerant but his patience could only be stretched so far and Marty respected him too much to take advantage. He fixed his gaze on his computer screen and went back to searching for patterns in the rows of code in front of him. The numbers soothed him and he became absorbed in his task. Becket cleared his throat.

Marty lifted his head, blinking in confusion. It took a while for his vision to refocus on Becket’s face.

“Oh, hello, sir, I wasn’t expecting you back today.”

“And yet here you are, working away when everyone else has scarpered.” Becket pushed a paper cup of coffee across the table to Marty’s side of their shared space.

“Are you checking up on me, sir?”

“No. I have a conference call booked in with Aiden this evening. I’ll be working late.”

“So you won’t be at the Club tonight?” Marty sipped his low-fat vanilla latte and gave a contented sigh.

“Christian’s working. I should be done by the time his shift finishes, then we’re having date night at home for a change. Late night horror movies, unhealthy snacks and a long lie in tomorrow morning. But I hear on the grapevine that you have a big night tonight.” Becket’s eyes twinkled.

Marty’s face heated. “Beau’s booked a private room. He goes back to work next week so this is a bit of a celebration. Alistair helped me shop for a new outfit. How did you know?”

“Alistair told Christian. Those two gossip like old women. They’re happy for you and so am I. Beau is a good man and a fine Dom. He’ll take excellent care of you.”

Marty smiled. A few weeks earlier he would have been astounded that anyone thought he needed ‘taking care of’ and would likely have protested any such suggestion. Now he accepted the statement without a problem. Beau did take care of him. That didn’t mean Marty wasn’t an intelligent, independent man in his own right. He had gradually come to understand the nuances of a D/s relationship. It made Beau feel good to be his protector, it gave Marty deep satisfaction to please Beau. They complemented each other perfectly.

“The last week has been tough. Beau is not a good patient. He’s desperate to get back in to the action.”

“I’ll bet that’s an understatement,” Becket chuckled. “Forced inactivity would not sit well with a man like Beau. Has there been any progress with the arson investigation?”

Marty’s good mood dissipated instantly. “The storage unit fire was confirmed as arson. The investigators believe the preparations were made well in advance. Two units were hired under a false name, using cash. There were two seats of the fire, in those units. An industrial solvent was used as the accelerant, ethyl ether based. It has a sweetish odor and wouldn’t have been noticeable. The fire spread through the roof, which was the building’s weak point. The fire protection systems had been disabled.”

“Calculated and efficiently executed. This guy knows what he’s doing.” Becket steepled his fingers.

“What’s worse is that it is now fairly certain that Beau is this idiot’s target. All the fires have been on Beau’s watch. That wasn’t enough of a link until last week’s incident. Beau was the only firefighter that changed shift that day. It’s not categorical proof, but I don’t believe in coincidence. There was another message as well, found on the back wall of the building in red spray paint. ‘See me dance’.”