Page 9 of In the Heat of the Dungeon

Cum dribbled out of the corner of his mouth. He wiped at it, careful not to drop any, and licked his finger. Then he swiped the tears off his face and looked at Master Ford. He nearly fell on his ass from the man’s expression. It was thunderous, obvious fury showing through, although he said nothing for long seconds. Cody had to blink away more tears, except these were from sadness, not the thrill of choking on a Dom’s cock. He’d done something wrong, obviously. His technique hadn’t been satisfying—or maybe it was his audacity to seduce a Dom who wasn’t his Master. Whatever, he was in trouble. He expected some kind of corrective action, verbal or physical. But seconds ticked by and nothing happened.

Finally Master Ford spoke. “It’s time for bed.” He turned off the TV just as the game was ending in defeat for the home team.

The man managed to get both of them onto their feet somehow without once touching Cody. Then he herded him into the downstairs bathroom for a quick toilet break and teeth-brushing using borrowed supplies the man had on hand. Because the soft cage allowed him to pee with it on and Cody was past the age when he couldn’t do all of this on his own, no help was needed. Master Ford, in the meantime, disappeared upstairs and returned with an armful of bedding. He plopped it all on the couch.

“This should do it, but if you need something else, let me know.” The man didn’t look at Cody while he spoke.

There was a lump in Cody’s chest from the cold treatment. He wanted to throw himself at the man’s feet and beg forgiveness for whatever he’d done wrong. He didn’t want to sleep alone on the couch. Maybe if he promised to be extra good, Master Ford would let him stay at least in his bedroom.

There was no chance to plead his case. The Dom turned abruptly and headed for the stairs. Then he stopped and without turning around, said, “For the record, I get tested for STDs every month. I’m clean, so there’s no need to worry about…what we just did.” With that, he left.

Cody sniffed back his tears, trying not to be a baby about everything. He grabbed his backpack from where it had lain since the pizza had arrived and hugged it to his chest as he curled into the sofa.

* * * *

The crying was soft, but it woke Ford anyway, not that he’d been sleeping very soundly. Guilt had eaten at him since he’d gone to bed, clearing his head of the small buzz from the beer he’d consumed during the game. Try as he might, he’d lain there, staring at his ceiling and feeling like the worst fucker in the world. How had he let that whole shit-show happen? He should have gently blocked Cody’s efforts from the first signs that he was heading in the direction of a blow job. He’d been like that fabled boiled frog, not getting that he was being killed—or in this case, seduced—until it was too late. It had all started with that sweet gesture of trust by Cody placing his head against his thigh. Ford had been helpless to resist it. Then he’d escalated things and sent the wrong message by giving in to the urge to stroke the sub’s silky blond hair. No wonder the kid had believed it was time to move on to the logical next step.

There had been plenty of opportunity to halt matters. Ford hadn’t wanted to and that was the bottom line. Since the moment he’d found the boy trussed up and waiting for rescue, he’d wanted him with a ferocity that disturbed him. The desire had been all about biology, however, and he was willing to cut himself some slack over it. Acting on it was another matter entirely. And it was all about preying on a vulnerable kid who was without the means of caring for himself, not any notion that he shouldn’t move on another Dom’s sub. Fuck Gage. He’d done the unforgiveable by leaving Cody like he had. It was obvious that the danger he’d been in of literally dying in that dungeon had occurred to the boy. It must have been a terrifying realization. Of course, Cody had sought to give Ford thanks for the care. His body had likely been his only currency while living on the streets. Only a selfish fucker would take advantage of that.

Now, the poor kid was crying. Tossing his covers aside, Ford rose then hurried down the stairs. He found Cody curled in the corner of the couch, his worn backpack clutched to his chest, his shoulders shaking with his quiet sobbing. With grim determination, Ford quietly approached him with what he hoped was a disarming expression. Cody still jumped when he saw him and looked at him as if he expected to be punished.

Ford held his hands up, palm out. “You’re not in trouble.” With that assurance out of the way, he sat gingerly on the edge of the couch. Cody watched him as if he were a snake about to strike. It killed Ford, knowing he’d put that look on the kid’s face.

“I’m sorry,” they both said at once.

Ford sighed. This was moronic. He needed to act like the Dom he was. “Tell me why you said that,” he commanded firmly, yet matter-of-factly.

Cody tucked in on himself even more, if such a thing were possible. “I’m sorry I angered you by being bold and slutty.”

“Oh.” Ford rubbed his forehead. Could he have screwed up matters any worse? “I’m not mad at you. I’m pissed that I didn’t exercise self-control. I shouldn’t have allowed you to think that you had to blow me in exchange for room and board. Gage trusted me to take care of you, not take advantage.”

Instead of being reassured by that confession, the sub’s crying morphed into full-blown sobbing, leaving Ford baffled. He acted on instinct, reaching for the boy and hauling him onto his lap. They sat together with Cody curled into Ford’s embrace. Having a naked boy in his arms would normally be a major turn-on, but the misery emanating from the sub quashed any erotic response. Ford was in full caretaking mode. All he could think about was soothing his charge and easing his emotional pain. He ran his fingers lightly along Cody’s arms while murmuring words of comfort.

“It’s okay, baby. You’ve done nothing wrong. Everything is going to be fine.” Tears ran down his chest from where the boy pressed his wet cheeks, and the backpack prevented him from achieving as much contact as he knew was necessary. It was obviously a security item, however, so he made no move to take it away. Instead, he tried a technique that had worked with other subs by cupping the nape of the boy’s neck and squeezing it.

“I have you. There’s nothing to be afraid of.”

Cody shook. “He…he left me there! I could have died!”

Ah, there it is. “I know, but you didn’t. It’s over now. You’re here and you’re safe.”

Cody moved one hand to clutch the collar of Ford’s tee. “You saved me.”

“I found you, yes, and I’m taking care of you.” There was no point in making himself out to be some kind of hero. Gage had done the right thing in contacting him. The rest was only what any decent Dom—decent person—would have done.

Cody sniffled and his breath hitched. “How will I ever trust him again?”

Ford massaged the boy’s nape as he picked his words carefully. “I don’t know. That’s something you and Gage are going to have to work out together. I’m sure he’s worried about it, too. He knows he made a mistake.”

I hope he knows.

The boy’s grip tightened. “You aren’t mad at me? I was awfully bold. And being upset at my Master isn’t a good excuse.”

“I promise you that I am only angry at my own lack of control. Your behavior under the circumstances is perfectly understandable. Your scene with Gage ended badly. It’s no wonder you looked for a distraction. Plus,” he added, because truth mattered, “it was wonderful.”

“I-I liked it, too. Why do I feel like I’m going to fly into a million pieces?” he practically wailed before the tears flowed freely again.

Ford tightened his embrace while he warred with himself. It was obvious that the sub was still stressed from the day, and who could blame him? There was only one way Ford knew to calm a sub. The fact that it would bring tremendous pleasure to him as well didn’t make it a rationalization. He should leave it to Cody to decide, but he didn’t think he was in any frame of mind to think through the ramifications. It was time for Ford to step up as a Dom, do what he thought was best and deal with the consequences, if any, later.

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