Page 3 of In the Heat of the Dungeon

“Here… Have some more water.” The hands that had been working his muscles disappeared, only for one to return to lift his head by the back of his neck. “Drink.”

Once again, Cody dutifully sipped water. This time, Master Ford gave him more. He sucked down as much as he was permitted, and when the bottle was taken away, he dared to open his eyes fully.

Master Ford was still sitting beside him, staring at him with his handsome face full of compassion and reassurance. He’d never noticed before that the man’s irises were green. Of course, each time he’d been in his presence, he’d kept his gaze on the floor, as required by his Master.

“How do you feel?” The Dom reached down to card away a few wet strands of hair that had flopped against Cody’s forehead. The touch was impersonal and yet oddly intimate at the same time.

He licked his lips before answering. “Better, Sir. Thank you.”

The Dom pulled away, although he stayed sitting. “That’s good. Can you feel all of your fingers and toes?” Cody tested them before nodding. “Okay. Does anything else feel numb or hurt?”

My balls ache from my need to come. He didn’t say that, of course. That wasn’t what the man meant, and no one cared if a sub got a release or not. “No, Sir.”

“Excellent. I know you’ve probably got questions. Now’s the time to ask them—or we can wait until you’re feeling better.”

“I’m fine now, Sir,” he said before lowering his gaze. Staring at the man was both rude and uncomfortable. “And I only have one, actually.”

“Go ahead.”

Cody focused his attention on the middle of the Dom’s impressive chest. He almost didn’t want to ask anything. It was nice being here with this man taking care of him. It felt like betrayal for him not to press on the matter, however, so he posed the obvious question that a good sub would have. “Where’s my Master?”

Chapter Two

Reciting Gage’s situation in the simplest, most clinical terms was a godsend. It gave Ford a chance to bring himself under control and stop his hands from doing too much wandering. At some point in the last few minutes, ministering to Cody had teetered dangerously between helping and taking advantage of the circumstances. Damn, but the boy had soft skin, and the sweat coating it had made it that much more silky-slick. Ford could easily spend hours running his fingers over this boy, except he had no right to. This was a mission of mercy, not an opportunity, and talking about Gage’s condition was an excellent reminder of that fact.

“So, the bottom line is,” he said, “Gage will be fine, but he’s going to be in the hospital for the next few days.”

Cody’s eyes went wide as he stared at Ford’s chest. Then he gnawed at his lower lip, which caused Ford’s own gaze to focus there. Such a luscious-looking mouth. He could easily picture it stretched wide over his cock as it took the shaft all the way into his throat… Nope, shut it down!

“It’s okay to ask questions.” He took a swig from the water bottle, frowning at the warmth of it. God, Gage didn’t even have a fridge down here. Ford’s clothing was now completely plastered against his skin. He was dying for a shower when this was all over, although that thought led to his wondering exactly when that would be. Cody had practically melted into the mattress, the sheet wet with the kid’s sweat. He needed a good scrubbing, too.

Hey now.

Stop it!

“Cody?” He pressed when the boy said nothing.

The sub’s gaze flicked up a moment. “Um-m, what am I supposed to do while he’s there?”

Ford shrugged, uncertain of what the boy meant. “Well, I’m sure he’d like for you to visit him.” Although as he said the words, he realized he knew nothing of the sort. Gage was a proud man, a proud Dom, and maybe he didn’t want his sub seeing him in such a vulnerable state. It would be a stupid thing to worry about in Ford’s estimation, but Gage saw things differently. Always had.

“You’ll take me there?”

That question caught him by surprise. Really, all he’d signed up for was the current aftercare. Having no particular plans for the evening, though, there was no reason he couldn’t give the kid a lift to the hospital. “Sure. Once you’ve showered and had something to eat, I can run you over.”

Cody looked concerned. “Did you bring food for me to cook, Sir?”

Ford was once again out of his depth with that one. “I’m sorry, no. Why? Isn’t there something you can grab here?”

Cody shook his head. “No, Sir. Master Gage was going to pick up dinner to tide us over until shopping tomorrow.” He frowned. “Maybe there’s some peanut butter. But there’s no bread.”

What the fuck? Okay, this was getting stranger and distracting him from the immediate task of caring for this sub. “Let’s put that aside for now. How are you feeling?”

“Fine, Sir.”

Ford knew a lie when he heard one. Undoubtedly the kid’s muscles were still sore, and his cock was confined by a plastic cage. The thing was cloudy with moisture. And Ford’s melting brain suddenly remembered that he’d felt a plug against the boy’s ass when he’d picked him up. Holding it in had to be adding to the sub’s discomfort. Taking him by the shoulders, he gently rolled him onto his side, exposing that small, tight rump. A flesh-colored plastic base could be seen surrounding the puckered ring. By the way in which it stretched the boy’s hole to an almost obscene degree, Ford understood that Gage had shoved a dildo up his sub’s ass.

He pushed at it with his thumb, eliciting a long, moan from the boy. “Time for this to come out.”

---