Lee chapter sixteen

[maculategiraffe]

Holden woke the next morning with a gentle mouth on his; he opened his eyes and looked into Bran's, their expressive gray depths luminous with affection. Registering the weight against his right side, he looked down to see Lee curled in the crook of his arm, apparently still asleep.

Bran leaned down and whispered in his ear, "You're taking him to Taganov's today, master?"

Holden nodded carefully, one eye on the peaceful young face with its translucent veined eyelids, and pitched his voice as low as Bran's. "You want to come?"

Bran frowned. "Do you think I-- should?"

"You don't want to, do you?" Holden ran a hand through Bran's curls.

"Lord Taganov makes me sort of nervous, master," said Bran apologetically. "The way he looks at me--"

"He makes me nervous too, around you," Holden agreed softly. "I'm never sure he isn't just going to grab you up and try to make off with you-- and then I'd have to kill him, and imagine the paperwork on that."

Bran smiled a little. "It's not that I'm afraid of him, master, I just never-- quite know where to look."

"You don't need to come," said Holden, as Lee's breathing against him changed and he suspected the boy was now awake, though his eyes were still closed. "But do you think Lee will do all right? It will be his first time in... mixed company."

Bran nodded seriously. "Just remind him what to do if he does something wrong."

"You think he'll misbehave?"

"I think he'll be terrified that he might misbehave, master. Like you said-- his first time in front of the nobility, someone you've mentioned selling him to. And Dunaev-- when we misbehaved in front of company, it was always ten times worse than in private. He hated-- being made a fool of."

Holden nodded. "Good to know... Bran, I don't know what I'd do without you here, I really don't. Lee would probably still be waiting to get off, for one thing." He added, as Bran smiled and squirmed at the praise, "Lee, sweetheart? You awake?"

Lee slowly opened his dark eyes, looking up at Holden tentatively.

"Good morning, beautiful. Sleep well?"

"Yes, master," Lee whispered. "Thank you."

"We're heading out for Lord Taganov's right after breakfast," Holden said gently. "I'm not too worried about how you'll behave-- just speak when you're spoken to, do as you're told, and what else?"

"Keep my eyes and ears open, master," said Lee with a small smile.

"Good. And if you do make a mistake?"

Lee sobered, looking a little scared. "Kneel down and touch your feet, master."

"Good." Holden touched Lee's cool cheek. "Good boy."







Mona answered the door to Lee and Holden herself when they arrived at Taganov's, and smiled at them, her chipped front tooth lending piquancy to her pretty round face with its thick, chestnut-colored fringe. "Hi, Mr. Larssen."

"Hi, sweetheart," said Holden, smiling back at her as she stood back to let them in. "How are you? Taganov still spoiling you rotten?"

"Yes, sir," Mona giggled.

"Good," said Holden. "Let me know if he doesn't. I'll rough him up a little for you."

Mona shook her head at him as she led the way to Andrei's parlor, where the tall young man rose to greet them. Mona knelt on the floor by the chair where her master had been sitting as Andrei's blue eyes fixed, with a startled, almost hungry look, on Lee.

"Holden," he said, "it's good to see you-- and this must be Lee. My goodness." He stepped forward and cupped Lee's chin in slender, well-kept fingers, examining his face.

"You've got to stop showing me these boys if you're not going to let me buy them," he said to Holden. "He's even lovelier than Bran."

"That's a matter of opinion," Holden smiled, as Lee lifted his eyes after a moment to look into Andrei's, and Andrei seemed to shiver. With a sort of tender abruptness, the young nobleman bent down and took the boy's mouth with his, and Lee closed his eyes, his expression blissful, as he kissed back.

"Master--" said Mona, her tone faintly scandalized, and Andrei pulled away as abruptly as he'd leaned in. Lee's eyes snapped open, and Holden saw naked terror in them in the moment before the boy crashed clumsily to his knees at Holden's feet, bending his head to press his forehead against the toe of his master's boot.

"It's okay," Holden said to Taganov, who was looking nearly as alarmed as Lee. He knelt down on the floor facing Lee and cupped the white face in his hands, making the terrified dark eyes meet his.

"That was very good," he said gently. "I'm very pleased with you, Lee. You didn't panic-- you did exactly the right thing. We'll talk more about what just happened when we get home." He leaned in to kiss the boy's cold forehead.

"And this is why we don't kiss people without their owners' permission," he added, half jokingly, to Taganov, as he hauled a shaking Lee to his feet. "May we sit?"

"Oh-- please," said Andrei, flustered, his eyes still on Lee, and Holden sat down, motioning to Lee to kneel at his feet. Andrei sat, too, and Mona laid her head down on his knee; he gave her an apologetic look before he turned back to Holden. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be-- inappropriate."

"It's all right. This is just a bit of a tense time for Lee." Holden stroked Lee's hair. "We've barely done any training-- it's all been recovery, so I'm sure his imagination is running wild when it comes to punishment."

"You wouldn't punish him for getting kissed!" Andrei protested.

"Of course I wouldn't. But some people would, if it looked like he enjoyed it too much." Holden watched Andrei's eyes on Lee's dark head. "Which is what I wanted to talk to you about."

"Of course," said Andrei, his eyes moving back to Holden's face. "Alix said on the phone--"

"That we had something to ask you and Mona? Yes."






At home, Bran came running to meet them at the door. "How did it go?"

"Success," said Holden, and put his arms around Bran, kissing him deeply; Bran kissed back with equal fervor, sending a shiver down Holden's spine. "He's bringing Mona over tomorrow to meet Denys and Robin."

"That's wonderful, master." Bran smiled at Lee. "Did you like Lord Taganov?"

"Quite a lot, actually," said Holden, and Lee sucked in his lower lip. "Come upstairs with us, Bran. There's something we need to talk over."

"Uh-oh," said Bran, taking in Lee's shiver at Holden's words. "What happened?"

"Come upstairs and I'll tell you."




By the time Holden had put Lee and Bran on the mattress in the training room and closed the door behind them, Lee was pale and shaking again. Bran took his hand. "Lee?"

"It's okay, Lee," said Holden, sitting down and taking Lee's other hand in his. "You're not going to be punished. I just want to talk."

"Lee," said Bran softly, "what happened?"

"I--" Lee swallowed. "I let-- Lord Taganov-- kiss me."

Bran looked up at Holden, puzzled. "So did I. What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing," said Holden. "Lee, there was nothing wrong with letting him kiss you. If a free person touches you inappropriately, it's not your place to resist." His eyes flicked up at Bran, then, thinking of the man in the cafeteria, and Bran lowered his own eyes, obviously remembering the same thing. "It's your owner's job to make sure that doesn't happen."

"If he's there," said Bran softly.

"Right. And it's also his job to make sure you don't get put in a position where you have to make that call." Holden forced his mind back to Lee and general principles. "Anyone I sell you to will understand that. You didn't do wrong to let him kiss you. So what did you do wrong?"

Lee looked up suddenly, almost smiling. "I-- enjoyed it?"

"You were listening." Holden stroked the slim hand. "No one can tell you what you are and aren't allowed to enjoy. Your mind is your own, no matter who owns your body. But it's not always a good idea to show what you're feeling so openly." Holden lifted a hand to stroke Lee's hair. "The next time someone touches you without your owner's permission-- and we hope that won't ever happen, but if it does-- you should just be still and wait for your owner to deal with the situation."

"Yes, master," said Lee nervously. "I-- but what if I-- don't mean to-- I mean I didn't--"

"Okay, so what if you're caught by surprise?" Holden looked at Bran. "Bran, you be Lord Taganov."

"Aw," said Bran, trying not to crack up. "I wanted to be Lady Kareyeva."

"Wiseass. Grab Lee and kiss him."

"Yes, master." Bran took Lee gently by the shoulders and kissed his lips. Lee made a soft small noise of pleasure as he kissed back, then stiffened and pulled away, looking up at Holden miserably.

"That's okay," said Holden, smiling at him. "But just sit still. Surprise is okay, but no other reaction. Don't pull away and don't kiss back. Let's try again."

Bran kissed Lee again, and Lee trembled visibly as he struggled to remain still.

"Good," said Holden. "Trembling is fine. Could be fear, could be lust, could be revulsion; no one knows but you. Still a little too much lip movement, though. Again."

"You're enjoying this way too much, master," said Bran, leaning in again, and Lee laughed into his mouth, then dropped his head sheepishly.

"Again," said Holden, grinning, and, finally, "Good, Lee. That was good. Now-- if Lord Taganov had asked me if he could kiss you, and I had said yes, then how would you respond? Show me. Kiss him again, Bran."

This time, as Bran slid his tongue between Lee's lips, Lee closed his eyes as he had with Taganov, his whole body relaxing. Bran moved closer, one hand coming up to grasp the back of Lee's neck, the other slipping into Lee's hand; Lee squeezed it convulsively, leaning into Bran's touch and moaning so softly Holden wasn't sure he hadn't imagined the sound. When Bran pulled back, both boys were flushed and panting.

Bran looked up at Holden hopefully, making Holden laugh.

"What?" he asked. "Want more?"

Bran nodded enthusiastically, and Holden laughed again.

"Go on," he said. "I'll tell you when to stop."

Lee quivered as Bran pulled him into his arms, one hand splayed gently on his back, tipping his head back in a deep kiss; he moaned a little more loudly, his hands coming up to clasp Bran's forearms. Bran nipped gently at Lee's lips, then trailed his tongue along the line of Lee's jaw, kissing softly to just below Lee's earlobe. Lee was arching into Bran's touches, lifting his eyes occasionally to Holden's, and for the first time, Holden's cock was taking notice of Lee.

He moved closer, pressing up against Lee with an arm around him, took the hand Bran wasn't clasping in his and moved it to his groin. Lee gasped and froze.

"It's okay," Holden said softly, cupping the boy's hand against his growing cock as Bran kept kissing Lee. "Hey. Lee. Look at me."

Lee looked.

"I want your mouth," said Holden softly, and touched the boy's lips with one finger. "Show me what you can do."

Lee pulled obediently away from Bran and waited while Holden stood up, then knelt up and crawled forward, pushing the cloth of his master's tunic up and out of the way. Holden watched, seeing the hesitation before he felt the warm, tentative mouth close on the head of his cock, then another hesitation before Lee tried to take the whole thing in his mouth. Holden felt the back of the boy's throat for a split second before Lee choked and gagged, then sucked desperately harder, slamming his head down too hard on Holden's cock and making himself choke again.

"Easy, kid," said Holden, faintly alarmed.

Lee whimpered, a pathetic keening sound that half broke Holden's heart, and kept sucking, desperately, hungrily, but with none of the good rhythm and confidence in his own skill that had made Bran's similar hunger so delicious. Lee's broken, terrified rhythm, the wild attempts to deep throat that always resulted in a gagging cough, and the tears that were quickly streaming down the flushed young face, made Holden feel faintly sick.

"Stop," he said, more sharply than he meant to, and Lee moaned pitifully as he pulled his mouth from Holden's cock and dropped again to press his forehead to Holden's feet. Holden sat back down on the mattress, reaching to Lee and pulling him up gently into his lap. As he cradled the shaking boy against him, Bran reached out and put a comforting hand on Lee's back.

"Shhh," said Holden softly. "Lee, it's okay. I'm not angry."

"I'm sorry," Lee sobbed. "Please, master, I can do better, please let me try again--"

"Lee, sweetheart, of course you can try again. But not right now. You tried hard and I'm proud of you. You've had a pretty big day, already, haven't you?"

Lee was still crying, with a despairing note to his sobs that Holden found worrisome. Bran leaned closer, putting his chin on Holden's shoulder, and said softly, "He's afraid you're going to have him put down if he can't please you."

"Lee," Holden said, appalled. "Is that really what you're afraid of?"

"I'll learn," Lee pleaded, and Holden hugged the boy so hard Lee squeaked in surprise and probably pain.

"Of course you will," he said. "That's my job, to teach you. And even if you--" He bit off what he'd been about to say: even if you're too damaged to sell-- "Even if you can't do certain things, like deep throat someone's cock, that's all right. We'll just find you an owner who doesn't require that. Okay? You're a good boy, Lee, and I'm going to make sure you're taken care of."




When Alix telephoned Denys to tell him about Mona, there was no answer, but about half an hour later, Holden answered the door to find Denys on the doorstep, sans notebook or tape recorder, looking determined and serious, and rather adorable.

"Sorry to show up unannounced," he said, as Holden squelched the adorable thought firmly, "but I was hoping to talk to you alone. May I?"

"All right," said Holden cautiously, leading the way to the filing room where they'd been spending most of their time lately. Denys sat down across from Holden at the table.

"There were a few things I wanted to ask you," he began. "About the things you're not telling me."

Holden eyed him. "What things?"

"I don't know," Denys explained with a faint smile, "because you're not telling me. But my job is to tell the story-- and right now there are holes in it. Holes that you're all skirting the same way. You've got your cover stories pretty firmly in place, but some things don't add up."

"Such as?"

"Who is Valor's father?" Denys asked.

Holden met his eyes. "I am."

"The odds are astronomically against it, Mr. Larssen."

"The odds are astronomically against everything in this story."

"I can spin it that way," Denys agreed mildly. "Take the 'and as if that weren't crazy enough, then this other crazy thing happened' approach. But I'd like to be sure you're lying for a good reason, and not just out of habit from when Valor was a minor and you had to worry about custody."

Holden eyed him suspiciously. "Are you taping this?"

"No," said Denys, and then, with another faint smile, "Would you like to check me for wires?"

"Maybe," said Holden, and Denys blushed on cue, but didn't drop his gaze.

"I'm not going to publish anything you don't authorize, Mr. Larssen," he said earnestly. "But if nothing else... I have to admit I'm curious. Is Valor's father someone you don't want to piss off?"

"Curiosity killed the cat," said Holden firmly. "I'm Valor's father. What else am I not telling you?"

"When Bran ran away," Denys said promptly, "where did he run to?"

Holden felt a sudden chill. "He told you. The forest west of the city."

"Why? And how did you know to look for him there?"

"West is the obvious direction for a runaway," said Holden.

"So you just wandered around in the forest at random until you found him?"

"Yes."

Denys looked at him skeptically.

"And as if that weren't crazy enough," said Holden, "then the intrepid boy detective stopped asking awkward questions."

A grin quirked Denys' mouth. "Too far-fetched, Mr. Larssen."

"I thought it might be," said Holden. "Look, kid. I want to do this story as much as you do. But yeah, we have secrets. Deal with it. Spin the story. Or there's no story. Simple as that."

Denys sighed. "I guess there's not much more to say, then."

"Yes there is," said Holden. "Say you won't go poking around behind my back. This isn't a game, Denys. These are people's lives we're talking about."

Denys looked faintly abashed. "Yes, Mr. Larssen. I'm sorry."

"Good," said Holden. "And now I have something you'll be happier to hear."